Moncrate and IWD 2

[malthaussen]

I haven't played IWD 2 for some time, but I started a new party the other day and decided to take them through the game. Veterans of IWD 2 will recall that the designers decided to reduce XP awarded for kills based on party level, to the point where some encounters would yield no XP at all. Modders who did not like this said to override the Moncrate 2DA file with new numbers and all encounters would give XP. But it is not happening that way, at least in my game,

 

As far as I can tell, the new file is a correct alteration of the orignal moncrate, yet when my 11th level party enters the tunnels, it gets no XP for killing the Fire Ants and Ice Trolls. Further experimentation shows that a single 18th-lvl character gets nada for killing the goblins in Targos at the start of the game. (The numbers of hostile goblins do go up, however, not that it matters much!) And to confirm it a second way, I made Crystal Golems worth 10000 XP to a 9th lvl party... but when I killed one, got only the usual 2700 XP. Suggesting that overriding Moncrate does not have the effect it is supposed to have, or that I have made some stupid error, which is certainly not out of the question,

 

Interestingly, the Hook Horrors in the Underdark are worth 137 each when killed, which number does not appear in the Moncrate tables at 11th or any other level. It is, however, approximately half of 375, which does appear at Challenge Level 4 for 11th lvl. Obviously, something is going on here. What mystifies me is that there seems to be no discussion of this subject in the communites I've checked. Comments?

 

The version of IWD 2 in question is 2.01, build 101615.

 

Query whether that Moncrate file should be a spreadsheet or a text file, as it appears the download versions are all text files.

 

-- Mal

[Jarno Mikkola]

The file that's being talked about is the moncrate.2da file, it's a .txt file just named appropriately and arranged so that it's a table.

What does the file look like on your end ? You can open it with either Notepad if it's in the <game install>/override -folder or with Near Infinity editor if it's not.

This could be what the original was, unfortunately as the iesdp doesn't contain the original, so I cannot verify if it is, as it's the file within my game:

2DA	V1.0
0
	0.25	0.5	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
1	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
2	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
3	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
4	75	150	300	600	800	1200	1600	2400	3200	4800	6400	9600	12800	19200	25600	38400	51200	76800	102400	153600	204800	307200	409600	614400	819200	1228800	1638400	2457600	3276800	4915200	6553600	9830400
5	75	150	300	500	750	1000	1500	2250	3000	4500	6000	9000	12000	18000	24000	36000	48000	72000	96000	144000	192000	288000	384000	576000	768000	1152000	1536000	2304000	3072000	4608000	6144000	9216000
6	75	150	300	450	600	900	1200	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800
7	66	132	263	394	525	700	1050	1400	2100	3150	4200	6300	8400	12600	16800	25200	33600	50400	67200	100800	134400	201600	268800	403200	537600	806400	1075200	1612800	2150400	3225600	4300800	6451200
8	50	100	200	300	450	600	800	1200	1600	2400	3600	4800	7200	9600	14400	19200	28800	38400	57600	76800	115200	153600	230400	307200	460800	614400	921600	1228800	1843200	2457600	3686400	4915200
9	0	0	0	225	338	506	675	900	1350	1800	2700	4050	5400	8100	10800	16200	21600	32400	43200	64800	86400	129600	172800	259200	345600	518400	691200	1036800	1382400	2073600	2764800	4147200
10	0	0	0	0	250	375	563	750	1000	1500	2000	3000	4500	6000	9000	12000	18000	24000	36000	48000	72000	96000	144000	192000	288000	384000	576000	768000	1152000	1536000	2304000	3072000
11	0	0	0	0	0	275	413	619	825	1100	1650	2200	3300	4950	6600	9900	13200	19800	26400	39600	52800	79200	105600	158400	211200	316800	422400	633600	844800	1267200	1689600	2534400
12	0	0	0	0	0	0	300	450	675	900	1200	1800	2400	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200
13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	325	488	731	975	1300	1950	2600	3900	5850	7800	11700	15600	23400	31200	46800	62400	93600	124800	187200	249600	374400	499200	748800	998400	1497600
14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	350	525	788	1050	1400	2100	2800	4200	6300	8400	12600	16800	25200	33600	50400	67200	100800	134400	201600	268800	403200	537600	806400	1075200
15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	375	563	844	1125	1500	2250	3000	4500	6750	9000	13500	18000	27000	36000	54000	72000	108000	144000	216000	288000	432000	576000	864000
16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	400	600	900	1200	1600	2400	3200	4800	7200	9600	14400	19200	28800	38400	57600	76800	115200	153600	230400	307200	460800	614400
17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	425	638	956	1275	1700	2550	3400	5100	7650	10200	15300	20400	30600	40800	61200	81600	122400	163200	244800	326400	489600
18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	450	675	1013	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600
19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	475	713	1069	1425	1900	2850	3800	5700	7600	11400	15200	22800	30400	45600	60800	91200	121600	182400	243200
20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	500	750	1126	1500	2000	3000	4000	6000	8000	12000	16000	24000	32000	48000	64000	96000	128000	192000
21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	525	787	1182	1575	2100	3150	4200	6300	8400	12600	16800	25200	33600	50400	67200	100800	134400
22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	550	823	1239	1650	2200	3300	4400	6600	9900	13200	19800	26400	39600	52800	79200	105600
23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	575	860	1296	1725	2300	3450	4600	6900	10350	13800	20700	27600	41400	55200	82800
24	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	600	897	1352	1800	2400	3600	4800	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600
25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	625	933	1409	1875	2500	3750	5000	7500	11250	15000	22500	30000	45000
26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	650	970	1466	1950	2600	3900	5200	7800	11700	15600	23400	31200
27	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	675	1007	1522	2025	2700	4050	5400	8100	12150	16200	24300
28	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	700	1043	1579	2100	2800	4200	5600	8400	12600	16800
29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	725	1080	1636	2175	2900	4350	5800	8700	13050
30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	750	1117	1692	2250	3000	4500	6000	9000

The usage of the table is simple, the game finds the average number of the party member level, and then takes the closes number on the very left, then the creature that is killed has a number called "challenge rate" which is one on the third line of the file, and the gained XP amount in the cross section is split almost equally to each party member.

[lynx]

Yes, all the values are halved.

 

to always get some xp, you shouldn't have any zeros in the table and it should be readable in the override.

[malthaussen]

Yeah, that's what the original posts about it say. But it isn't working. I have what is basically the vanilla moncrate modified so that every level after 10 gives 10th level XP. Hence, an Ice Golem (9th challenge level) should be worth 2000 XP to an 11th lvl party. But experimenting with an 11th-lvl party in the Temple yields 1650 XP, just as in the base Moncrate shown in the first reply (or indeed, if there is no Moncrate at all in the override folder). This is why I am puzzled. I did put in a spreadsheet with the Moncrate name to see if it needed to be a spreadsheet and not a text file, but the results are the same. So for some reason the game is not reading the Moncrate file, even though it does read all the other files I've put in override. Quite frustrating, as I do not like the no XP rule in the game at all. Are we absolutely sure this works in practice and not just in theory?

 

-- Mal

[Jarno Mikkola]

Make a new .txt file, then edit it with Notepad and copy paste this code into it, and then rename the whole file (with the extension showing ) as "moncrate.2da", and then copy paste the file to the override folder in the game folder(also it can't be in the Operation Systems protected folders, but knowing that is part of installing mods to the game and patching it, so that's should be obvious):

2DA	V1.0
0
	0.25	0.5	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
1	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
2	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
3	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
4	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
5	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
6	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
7	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
8	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
9	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
10	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
11	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
12	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
13	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
14	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
15	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
16	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
17	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
18	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
19	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
20	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
21	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
22	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
23	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
24	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
25	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
26	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
27	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
28	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
29	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200
30	75	150	300	600	900	1350	1800	2700	3600	5400	7200	10800	14400	21600	28800	43200	57600	86400	115200	172800	230400	345600	460800	691200	921600	1382400	1843200	2764800	3686400	5529600	7372800	11059200

[malthaussen]

Ah, that was it! The file was a .txt file named "moncrete.d2a.txt" and not a regular file "moncrete.2da." Hence it was not a proper file for the override. Plugging in my own numbers resulted in more-or-less expected results, although interestingly the Ice Golem was worth 2250 to the 11th-lvl party and not 2000. But it is obvious the file is being read, now. Thank you, Jarno.

 

Definitely falls under the category "I have made some stupid error."

 

-- Mal