Version 24(BETA) of Sword Coast Stratagems released

[Demivrgvs]

I think SR maybe got too cute and removed an iconic BG2 ability for balance reasons, but I prefer SCS's solving the balance issue by differentiating enemy and friendly demons.

Actually SCS doesn't solve the balance issue at all, it only makes a change to allow the AI to properly use this spell (scripts cannot handle well vanilla's behavior of this kind of summons). I'm open to alternative suggestions but SR/SCS demons summoned by Gate are extremely powerful (almost OP even for a 9th level arcane spell cast by an epic character), and allowing a level 14 priest to summon an easily exploitable creature which can easily wipe out entire parties of level 14 characters makes no sense balance wise imo.

 

On a side note, Death Knights (wrongly named Demon Knights within BG) are very iconic in PnP, especially within Forgotten Realms. The most famous example of a priest summoning a Death Knight probably is matron mother Malice reviving Drizzt's father to hunt down and kill his son.

[ancalimohtar]

Oh I didn't realize you only changed the divine version of the spell, but left arcane casters Gate. I thought you straight up removed it from the game. In that case, I like the change. 3m XP arcane casters should be able to cast Gate since Summon Planetar is right around the corner, but yes, 1.5m XP clerics probably shouldn't get it.

 

Ideally, I would like to keep SR's Summon Death Knight for clerics, have enemy clerics only have Summon Death Knight as well, and have whatever reasonable mix of Improved-ness SCS and aTweaks can agree on for fiends, including having enemy mages summon them (but not allow the fiends themselves the ability to gate in more fiends). How would I do this?

 

Sigh, just my luck to run into about a hundred issues right when DavidW goes on vacation.

[April]

Don't think that's possible, SR should be installed before SCS and aTweaks last but if you install aTweaks fiends summon death knight is overridden by aTweaks version of Gate no matter what you do.

I think you would have to edit the aTweaks installation files manually to do it.

[ancalimohtar]

Okay, it looks like the problem IS with SCS v24 and its incompatibility with SR. aTweaks has nothing to do with it. More here: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/55199-atweaksscs-fiends-redux/?p=561693

[ElFizz]

Hi tried two times to install this great looking mod on BGEE in the ''override'' folder, and also did the cmd prompt as per the read me, but still getting : '' SKIPPING (mod name) : This component requires the core "initialise" component to be nstalled. I searched the forums but didnt find the right answer. Uploaded debug file. Plz help. Thank you. iNew Text Document.txt

[kreso]

Hi tried two times to install this great looking mod on BGEE in the ''override'' folder, and also did the cmd prompt as per the read me, but still getting : '' SKIPPING (mod name) : This component requires the core "initialise" component to be nstalled. I searched the forums but didnt find the right answer. Uploaded debug file. Plz help. Thank you.

Have you read the mod's Readme file for instructions?

Quote from it:

• Locate the core game folder for your install. This is the folder with "chitin.key" in it. On my current install it's the "data/00764" subfolder of the folder in which BG:EE was installed. Do a search for "chitin.key"
  

[ElFizz]

Hi tried two times to install this great looking mod on BGEE in the ''override'' folder, and also did the cmd prompt as per the read me, but still getting : '' SKIPPING (mod name) : This component requires the core "initialise" component to be nstalled. I searched the forums but didnt find the right answer. Uploaded debug file. Plz help. Thank you.

Have you read the mod's Readme file for instructions?

Quote from it:

• Locate the core game folder for your install. This is the folder with "chitin.key" in it. On my current install it's the "data/00764" subfolder of the folder in which BG:EE was installed. Do a search for "chitin.key"
  

Yeah i did. Did the Hard link command prompt with folder 00766. Do i need to unpack the mod in Override folder or in 00766 folder? Currently its unpacked in the Override folder. Maybe thats the problem?

 

edit:Yeah, that was it. Was unpacking in override. Patching right now. Thanks for the ''go read again! '' advice!

[10thLich]

There's a problem in minor_bg2.tpa. It assigns spmugg.cre dw#dkmg2.bcs, which results in them being automatically removed after a certain amount of encounters. Unfortunately the first thief stronghold encounter uses spmugg.cre for its ambush. Additionally Blucher's improved random encounters in Tactics/Big Picture also uses it.

 

Could you therefore add an AreaCheck("AR0300") to their script in order to improve compatibility?

 

10th

[kreso]

Tanova's script is broken, she stands idle (an is very hard to kill for some reason).

In Spellhold cutscene, those thieves Irenicus kills with "Rapture of the father" get potions (not that it breaks anything, just immersion).

Also, AI seems quite improved and I'm surprised by the difficulty level of some BG2 encounters. First ambush on streets can be very hard, especially if you don't buff with invisibility.

Fighter types seem to hit quite more often.

Shadow thieves headquarters (not modified by RR, just SCS) are full of mages casting Finger of Death and similar stuff.

Vampires aren't very hard, but are annoyingly difficult to kill. I didn't like those.

Of Dragons, I've only had several tries with Shadow Dragon, which is nigh impossible to kill by any non-cheese way prior to levels 11-12 or even above, so I left him be for the time being.

This mod is (imo, but I'm sure very few would agree with me) harder than Anvil, if for nothing than for the fact that AI is "AI", not programmed scripts.

[kreso]

For some reason, Beholders cause CTD when using one of their powers, am not sure which one. Appears to be some kind of graphics error.

[April]

It's their flesh to stone, one of the effects get a target:none which causes the crash.

 

http://www.shsforums.net/topic/56478-bran-and-the-beholders/ is about the same problem.

[kreso]

Thank you April. Back to NI I guess.

[ancalimohtar]

Tanova's script is broken, she stands idle (an is very hard to kill for some reason).

In Spellhold cutscene, those thieves Irenicus kills with "Rapture of the father" get potions (not that it breaks anything, just immersion).

Also, AI seems quite improved and I'm surprised by the difficulty level of some BG2 encounters. First ambush on streets can be very hard, especially if you don't buff with invisibility.

Fighter types seem to hit quite more often.

Shadow thieves headquarters (not modified by RR, just SCS) are full of mages casting Finger of Death and similar stuff.

Vampires aren't very hard, but are annoyingly difficult to kill. I didn't like those.

Of Dragons, I've only had several tries with Shadow Dragon, which is nigh impossible to kill by any non-cheese way prior to levels 11-12 or even above, so I left him be for the time being.

This mod is (imo, but I'm sure very few would agree with me) harder than Anvil, if for nothing than for the fact that AI is "AI", not programmed scripts.

 

I think dragons are very feast or famine, extremely deadly until you get level 5 spells for your Figher-Mage (for Spell Immunity), and then pretty much soloable. On the other hand, Beholders are super dangerous at the very beginning, but with buffs, doable if you're careful. And they never become a cakewalk, since you can always fail a few saves and get turned to stone or charmed. They don't have Stoneskin so it's just a matter of charging in and whacking them down quickly. Dragons on the other hand will wreck you... until your buffs are undispellable and you're immune to fire. This may really be a balance issue SR and IR need to address, but I had to cheese the Shadow Dragon with Lower Resistance, Malison, and Feeblemind, while by the time I got to Firkraag I soloed him without taking any damage.

 

Maybe Dragons can carry some kind of Spell Trigger with 3 Pierce Magic's to get rid of SI et al, then throw in a Breach/Dispel after that.

[Demivrgvs]

Dragons on the other hand will wreck you... until your buffs are undispellable and you're immune to fire. This may really be a balance issue SR and IR need to address, but I had to cheese the Shadow Dragon with Lower Resistance, Malison, and Feeblemind, while by the time I got to Firkraag I soloed him without taking any damage.

May I ask what do you mean by that? Which is the balance issue (SCS dragons are too powerful? Thank god if they are!) and how's that related to IR or SR?

[kreso]

@ancalimohtar

I have deep undying hate for fighter/mage multiclasses .

Thax'llsyllia is dangerous for his chunk-level drain, and Firkraag does the same with fire.

Note, I did buff their HP to 500% of the original in SCS install.

I don't think I'll be fighting them without HLA's (Alacrity, most important).

Can't see how IR or SR makes them any easier/harder to defeat. There are some neat new items like Dragon Scale shield which is of great use vs dragons, but otherwise no item will grant protection from fire more than vanilla, for example.

SR introduces "Know Oponnent" which is exellent against everyone, but I'd hardly consider it OP. Magic Missiles/Lightning Bolt/ADHW is what I mostly use for dragons, and these are very alike vanilla spells.