How to complete a litlle SCS II

[DrAzTiK]

I have not tested SCS II yet but i would like to know if some players install some components of others mods to make more harder what SCS II don't fix.

 

By exemple, it seems SCS II don't boost golem and there are very easy to beat in vanilla.... So it could be nice to install 'impreoved golem" of tactics mod before installing SCS II.

 

I would like to add that i don't want component too much cheated or too much difficult like Improved Ilyich. What composent of tactics (or another mods) seems fair, in "conformity" with SCS II difficulty and able to complete a litlle this fantastic mod ?

 

Do you think Revisited battles is cheated ?

[Icendoan]

Well, personally, I disagree. SCSII does nothing to Golems because:

 

a) Golems have no real variation in their attacks

 

b) Golems are VERY stupid

 

A golem can only attack, so the only thing SCSII can do without adding resistances and damage (against SCSII's design), is make golems not attack something protected from them.

 

However, Golems are extremely stupid, like a computer. They will do exactly what you tell them to, no more, no less. If you told a golem to build a wall, and not to stop, they will build that wall forever.

 

The closest example of a golem's intelligence is this: (is a WeiDU mod, so try it)

 

BACKUP ~loop/backup~
AUTHOR ~Icendoan~
BEGIN ~Golem Example~
OUTER_WHILE (1 = 1) BEGIN
PRINT ~Hello World!~
END

 

Doesn't modify anything, and is a simple loop. It lasts forever (while 1 = 1), and, like a Golem, will not stop because it doesn't see an end. It is going to say Hello World! forever.

 

So, having intelligent golems makes no sense, as they are stupid, and adding resistances and damage goes against SCSII's design, so nothing in SCSII.

 

If you wish to beef up the rest of everything with no real shame of adding resistances, try D's Enemy Upgrade (Which I contributed to).

 

Icen

[DrAzTiK]

I am aware about this sort of mod but the main problem is that it boost ALL creatures, even creatures boosted by SCS II. right ?

I would like just to boost creatures who are not improved by SCS II.

 

I don't want to make golems intelligent of course lol. Just More HP, damage, resistance etc ,)

 

For all stupid and weak creatures like gnoll,wolf,bears, hogebelins and many others, we are forced to improve them like that to have a minimum of challenge... And i don't know if theirs caracteristics are always consistent in vanilla....

[Guest!]

I am aware about this sort of mod but the main problem is that it boost ALL creatures, even creatures boosted by SCS II. right ?

I would like just to boost creatures who ara not improved by SCS II.

 

I don't want to make golems intelligent of course lol. More HP, damage, resistance etc ,)

 

For all stupid and weak creatures like gnoll,wolf,bears, hogebelins and many others, we are forced to improve them like that to have a minimum of challenge... And i don't know if theirs caracteristics are always consistent in vanilla....

Besides the specific changes to some enemies, SCS2 overhauls the whole game quite homogeneously (creatures get new generic and class-specific scripts, plus potions, etc) so there really isn't any part left untouched. If this is your first time through, I'd advise to keep it "clean" and maybe use the hardest component settings.

[Icendoan]

Well, Gnolls can take orders and use tactical formations. Not amazingly complex ones, but it remains. Wolves can also, to less of an affect, with a pack. Hobgoblins are actually fairly intelligent.

 

Ok, minimod for Golem improvements:

 

BACKUP ~#!Tweaks_Golem/Backup~ 
AUTHOR ~Icendoan~

BEGIN ~Golem Tweaks~

PRINT ~Enter Fire Resistance~
ACTION_READLN fire
PRINT ~Enter Cold Resistance~
ACTION_READLN cold
PRINT ~Enter Electrical Resistance~
ACTION_READLN elec
PRINT ~Enter Acid Resistance~
ACTION_READLN acid
PRINT ~Enter Magic Resistance~
ACTION_READLN magi
PRINT ~Enter Slashing Resistance~
ACTION_READLN slas
PRINT ~Enter Crushing Resistance~
ACTION_READLN crus
PRINT ~Enter Piercing Reistance~
ACTION_READLN pier
PRINT ~Enter Missile Resistance~
ACTION_READLN miss
PRINT ~Enter New HP~
ACTION_READLN hp
PRINT ~Enter New Dicesize fpr damage d*~
ACTION_READLN dicesize
PRINT ~Enter New Dice Number for damage *d~
ACTION_READLN diceno

<<<<<<<< "#!Tweaks_golem/inlined/log.txt"
>>>>>>>>
COPY ~#!Tweaks_Golem/inlined/log.txt~ ~#!Tweaks~
APPEND_OUTER ~#!Tweaks/log.txt~ ~Fire: %fire% Cold %cold% Elec %elec% Acid %acid% Magic %magi% Slash %slas% Crush %crus% Pierce %pier% Missile %miss% HP %hp% Dicesize %dicesize% Dice # %diceno%~

ACTION_FOR_EACH ~Golem~ IN ~golad~ ~golbra~ ~golcla~ ~golem~ ~golfle~ ~golice~ ~goliro~ ~goljug~ ~golmag01~ ~goldsan~ ~golsto~ BEGIN
COPY_EXISTING ~%golem%.cre~ ~override~
WRITE_BYTE 0x59 %fire%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5a %cold%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5b %elec%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5c %acid%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5d %magi%
WRITE_BYTE 0x60 %slas%
WRITE_BYTE 0x61 %crus%
WRITE_BYTE 0x62 %pier%
WRITE_BYTE 0x63 %miss%
WRITE_SHORT 0x24  %hp%
WRITE_SHORT 0x26 %hp%
COPY_EXISTING ~golkill2.cre~ ~override~
WRITE_BYTE 0x59 %fire%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5a %cold%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5b %elec%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5c %acid%
WRITE_BYTE 0x5d %magi%
WRITE_BYTE 0x60 %slas%
WRITE_BYTE 0x61 %crus%
WRITE_BYTE 0x62 %pier%
WRITE_BYTE 0x63 %miss%
WRITE_SHORT 0x24  %hp%
WRITE_SHORT 0x26 %hp%
COPY_EXISTING_REGEXP ~%golem%.*.itm~ ~override~
READ_SHORT 0x1c type
PATCH_IF !type = 10 BEGIN
WRITE_SHORT 0x88 %dicesize%
WRITE_SHORT 0x8a %diceno%
END

BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Try that.

 

You know the drill, save it as setup-#!Tweaks_golem.tp2 and run a renamed WeiDU.exe (as setup-#!Tweaks_Golem.exe) and you will get a nice user input, and what is even nicer, is that I know what you said.

 

Icen

[DrAzTiK]

Thank you very much lol

 

 

The fact is I have no trouble with "improved golem" of tactics mod. I find them well balanced,(even surely cheated a lot...) golem are supposed to be strong fighters and difficul to defeat....

Is your mod more difficult in comparaison to improved golem of tactics? but golem of tactics mods make me satisfied...

 

 

Besides the specific changes to some enemies, SCS2 overhauls the whole game quite homogeneously (creatures get new generic and class-specific scripts, plus potions, etc) so there really isn't any part left untouched. If this is your first time through, I'd advise to keep it "clean" and maybe use the hardest component settings.

 

Yes maybe i will try it. I was a litlle afraid to meet weak's golems and another creatures whose SCS II don't mention any improvement...

[Icendoan]

The mod just alters resistances, HP and attack damage. That is all.

 

What it does that Tactics doesn't is allow you to modify it yourself, to whatever you like. Because it is what you make it, it can be much easier or much harder than Tactics. I mean, if you tell all Golems to have 99% resistance to everything but Magic, where it has 100%, 1200 HP and does 10d50 damage every attack, it will be much harder.

 

However, by the same measure, setting all resistances to 0, hp to 10 and all attacks to 1d3, it will be much easier.

 

It doesn't update AI or anything, however.

 

Icen

[Guest Guest]

A golem can only attack, so the only thing SCSII can do without adding resistances and damage (against SCSII's design), is make golems not attack something protected from them.

You do realise that some SCSII components *do* add resistances to enemies, right? For instance, making the chromatic demon immune to magic damage (vanilla version had no resistance). According to the documentation SCSII already adds immunity to the Lower Resistance spell to golems.

[Icendoan]

By and large, SCSII would only add resistances as a fixpack would, not as a difficulty mod. Adding immunity to those spells would be more likely classed as bugfixes than difficulty enhancers.

 

SCSII's design and philosophy, for the most part, is to enhance AI and intelligence, without adding resistances, or even fixing spellbooks. David might add resistance to a demon, so that is falls in consistency with nearly every other demon in the game, or maybe closer to PnP. He would not add resistances to make the game harder, something that Tactics and other AI mods do, if fairly well.

 

So, in summary, really; SCSII's goal is to make it feel as if there is a player on the other end, fighting intelligently, instead of the idiotic scripts in vanilla.

 

Icen

[DrAzTiK]

SCSII's design and philosophy, for the most part, is to enhance AI and intelligence, without adding resistances, or even fixing spellbooks

 

I understand and like it a lot !. But with all respect i have for this philosophy, I must admit I shall be ok to also improve creatures "unumprovable " by a better AI or intelligence (like golems) and too easily to defeat..

 

My question should be :Is there creatures/places like that in SCS II and what component can I install to improve them .I address to players who have tested SCS II

[Icendoan]

Well, the smarter general AI is the only one I can think off, offhand, but SCSII isn't the mod for that, really.

 

If you want to alter resistances and so on, change the .cre names in my ACTION_FOR_EACH and rerun it.

 

Icen

[DrAzTiK]

Ok. I think i will install "just" improved Golems, Improved Crypt King, Improved Copper Coronet and Improved Nymphs from tactics .

 

And maybe Kuroisan (at least a bit of cheat....).

 

Now, let's be patient and wait V2 item's rebalancing ^^

[DrAzTiK]

Humm I think about install too :

 

REVISITED BATLES :

Improved Dungeon {Tyrus} ( improve The Cambion to the right of Ilyich & the three thieves that you face right before leaving Irenicus' Dungeon.)

Improved Cohrvale, Bregg & Alamas

Improved Wraith Sarevok

Improved Lord Roenall

Improved Falahar

Improved Drow Pit Fights

 

 

It's minor challenges (and maybe a little cheated in RB...) but I don't know if SCS II improve all this very much... Maybe I 'am wrong, what is your opinon ??

Someone has tested compatibility ??

 

And "improved undead" from tactics : It seems this component is pretty fair play... but I wonder about compatibility, even if we install it after SCS II (as DavidW advice). Some players who have tested it ?

 

I wonder about install Slightly improved Ilyich too. I have never play this mod (some advices about quality and compatibility ? )

 

 

PS : I 'am sorry to be distrustful like that and not install only SCS II in a first time but i will not play BG2 after a long time after my next party... And this problems about compatibility could help some others players...

 

Ty all and David Wallace

[Guest!]

Humm I think about install too :

 

REVISITED BATLES :

Improved Dungeon {Tyrus} ( improve The Cambion to the right of Ilyich & the three thieves that you face right before leaving Irenicus' Dungeon.)

Improved Cohrvale, Bregg & Alamas

Improved Wraith Sarevok

Improved Lord Roenall

Improved Falahar

Improved Drow Pit Fights

 

 

It's minor challenges (and maybe a little cheated in IR...) but I don't know if SCS II improve all this very much... Maybe I 'am wrong, what is your opinon ??

Someone has tested compatibility ??

 

And "improved undead" from tactics : It seems this component is pretty fair play... but I wonder about compatibility, even if we install it after SCS II (as DavidW advice). Some players who have tested it ?

 

I wonder about install Slightly improved Ilyich too. I have never play this mod? (some advices about quality and compatibility ? )

 

 

PS : I 'am sorry to be distrustful like that and not install only SCS II in a first time but i will not play BG2 after a long time after my next party... And this problems about compatibility could help some others players...

 

Ty all and David Wallace

IIRC, those creatures aren't specifically altered by SCS2, with the exception of the Nabassu (Improved Demons component) and the Beholder (Telekinesis and "burnthrough"), though they get the new general AI scripts if you install them.

You should read the readme - -, changes are described in full detail.

[DrAzTiK]

witch of mine components add beholder and nabassu ? If I install them before SCS II, they will got AI script and capacity of SCSII right ?