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Discussion on 'Converting existing mods to the EE engine'


jastey

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So anything from vanilla, should be exactly like vanilla -- we worked hard to keep things as compatible as possible. We just can't give away anything about the new content yet -- though I mean, we could get away with a few strrefs, I'm just not sure if you'd need them, considering things are identical. :)

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Finally, one piece of advice on using ADD_JOURNAL:

When you use EXISTING, it's best if you also use TITLE. BGEE stores the quest-group titles as separate STRREFs, so you can e.g., use ADD_JOURNAL EXISTING TITLE (#31270) to be sure that your journal entries really are added to the right group. Consider "The Final Battle with Bodhi" and "The Final Battle with Bodhi."; they are subtly different and BG2 and many mods are inconsistent on whether to use a full stop or not.

Sorry to argue (you are the boss) but I am referring to this part of Cam's tutorial. To really group the journal entries to the game ones, the title has to match exactly, and it is suggested to use the BGII:EE StrRef for this. If you say that would be NDA violation, then preparing any romance NPC mod for BGII:EE compatibility would be, too (or we have to live with the fact that journal entries might not be grouped together as planned). I am pointing out a discrepancy between this tutorial and the friendly urge to prepare mod updates for the BGII:EE release and the fact that following it in this case would be NDA violation.

 

EDIT: OK I checked and "The Final Battle with Bodhi." seems to be identical for all BGII journal entries. For this, at least, the StrRef doesn't seem to be needed, at least for the English version (although it would make life much easier).

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So anything from vanilla, should be exactly like vanilla -- we worked hard to keep things as compatible as possible. We just can't give away anything about the new content yet -- though I mean, we could get away with a few strrefs, I'm just not sure if you'd need them, considering things are identical. :)

 

Though be warned (if you don't know already): this is not true at all for BG:EE!

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I edited my previous post about NDA stuff, I really apologise.

 

Because I'm still not 100% clear about journal entries for "existing" game quests like Bodhi kidnapping or Ust Natha, may I please get an example of such a code? (I mean, Dace or Arath probably has her or his Bodhi kidnapping entry coded for BG2EE - can you please provide the code/tra strings?)

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Oh, thank you very much! That clears it with all romance mods, I think. I'll do a short break and start applying stuff.

 

(But since I understand that I need BG2EE refs, looks like I'll have to wait for the release to implement the rest of BG2EE refs for BG2:UB, then, since there're quite a few. And the same might go for RE.)

 

 

By the way, we have a small situation with Weidu 234: an issue with SAVE_DIRECTORY and MPSAVE_DIRECTORY. Since my mods don't use these, they are going to be fine, I guess, but isn't distributing v234 undesirable in this case? For other mods, I mean?

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I've just realized this: ACTION_IF GAME_IS ~tob bgt bg2ee~ doesn't feel secure enough to me.

 

Because it means "classic bg2 with tob, bg:ee conversion, and bgt conversion, and these conversions only".

What if there's another conversion down the road? BGT2, BWP1? Another variable to be added to the pile in two or five years? ToB content in hundreds of mods that check for tob/bgt/bg2ee only will stop installing, there's no backwards compatibility for this way.

 

But ~data/25dialog.bif~ will not disappear. Is there a good way to check for it in all games, including BG2:EE? FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME, FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME_FOR_SURE? Something?

 

(Because using ACTION_IF FILE_EXISTS ~data/25dialog.bif~ THEN for BG2(not EE) games seemed bulletproof. Of course, it doesn't work for BG2:EE, so I have to change it. But I'd really like that bulletproof feeling to remain).

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Because it means "classic bg2 with tob, bg:ee conversion, and bgt conversion, and these conversions only".

You could argue this is a feature. If BGTEE is some day released, you presumably want to verify that your mod works correctly before droves of people install it, discover it doesn't work and come running with bug reports.

 

If you want something looser, you can use something like

FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME mel01.cre BEGIN

. It's not ToB without Melissan (probably).

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It's a lovely check, I think I'm going to try it, thank you for suggesting it! I'm seeing "probably", so I think I want to test it first. @Clever people who have BG2EE: can you please test that it works and tell us? I guess I'm not the only one who may want the answer later.

 

 

(RE: verifying and people with bug reports - I see your point, but the situation you described doesn't bother me at all. I expect that in a case like that a hundred other modders will have the same problem, and there will be an active person who'd pin a thread with an explanation. I'd rather they could try and play - after all, a non-converted mod of mine is still playable on BG2EE, from what I know. Well, SoA content, since I'm waiting to hear about mel01.cre. But it's good).

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I used both Kaeloree's Bodhi mini-tutorial and Wisp's second ToB recommendation(thank you both very much!), and released Branwen v2 - my first pancake fully BG2:EE compatible mod. If no one tells me today or tomorrow that I did wrong, I'm going to release the others. (No Weidu 235 planned for right before the 15th, no?)

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@Kaeloree: I have a few more lines here in UB and RE. Can you please help with them? I know you're superbsy, but if you have any spare time and can release these lines' numbers to us before the 15th, you have my thanks. :) If not, it's totally and absolutely okay, I'm sorry for the bother.

 

For Romantic Encounters, G3:

~Inside the Drow City~ or ~In the city of the Drow~

 

For Unfinished Business, PPG:

#23404, #11872 - these are full journal entries, do you have a separate entry for the first line?

~Gain the services of Sir Sarles for the temple~

~Escaping the Asylum~

~The hunt for Valygar Corthala~

 

Again, if not than not, it's fine, I'll duplicate them.

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