Iwdee content

[Sam.]

Did we ever find a good map for the ship? If not, Classic Adventures has one I think would be perfect.

[K4thos]

Thanks Sam. I've just checked it and CA indeed comes with modified AR1607.TIS without githyanki ship. Who should be credited for it?

[Sam.]

Thanks Sam. I've just checked it and CA indeed comes with modified AR1607.TIS without githyanki ship. Who should be credited for it?

This was done in the earliest days of CA, and I can't find any record of who actually did it. I have asked on the private forums, but haven't received any response yet. I can't even guarantee the map wasn't borrowed (with permission) from another mod, but assuming it was one of us, crediting "The Classic Adventures Team" should be good for now. I'll let you know if/when I receive better information.

[Vlad]

Just an idea - you can make a use of the "flying ship" landed in Kuldahar.

[bob_veng]

i have a question about the different sprites for same kinds of creatures in bg and iwd (sahuagin, umber hulks...). what's the situation with this?

[Roxanne]

i have a question about the different sprites for same kinds of creatures in bg and iwd (sahuagin, umber hulks...). what's the situation with this?

Even without IWD - in my current EET installations there are more than 20 variations of each of those creatures, just like for many other monsters. And then mods can introduce their own as well. If IWD is treated like some additional mod in the EET context, what would be the issue with it?

[Jarno Mikkola]

i have a question about the different sprites for same kinds of creatures in bg and iwd (sahuagin, umber hulks...). what's the situation with this?

Even without IWD - in my current EET installations there are more than 20 variations of each of those creatures, just like for many other monsters. And then mods can introduce their own as well. If IWD is treated like some additional mod in the EET context, what would be the issue with it?

Truth to be told, the EE games can add their own animations without the need to edit the .exe, so, there's nothing t o worry about. In the non-EE games, there was always the worry that a mod edited the creature animations to add it's own and thus reducing the existing, like with the dwarf/ice giant/lizard men.

Or the fact that the InfAnim only works in the Latin Windows codex..

[phaelin]

How is the story going to develop? - if it's not such a big of a deal spoiler ofc - when and why and how the BG team will get the opportunity to venture far far north to Icewind Dale? What is the plot behind such an endeavour, story-wise? Because it would be strange to suddenly just get there by clicking on the world map.

 

"I know what we should totally do, guys! Come with me to Icewind Dale right now, because why the nine hells not?"

- CHARNAME

[Roxanne]

How is the story going to develop? - if it's not such a big of a deal spoiler ofc - when and why and how the BG team will get the opportunity to venture far far north to Icewind Dale? What is the plot behind such an endeavour, story-wise? Because it would be strange to suddenly just get there by clicking on the world map.

 

"I know what we should totally do, guys! Come with me to Icewind Dale right now, because why the nine hells not?"

- CHARNAME

Some players actually requested to have it the way you mock - others would prefer to have some plot...

EET is neutral in this, i.e. it provides the option to go there anytime you want to as a default installation. Until a mod comes along to change that and add some (optional) plot for those who install said mod.

[phaelin]

Some players actually requested to have it the way you mock - others would prefer to have some plot...

EET is neutral in this, i.e. it provides the option to go there anytime you want to as a default installation. Until a mod comes along to change that and add some (optional) plot for those who install said mod.

 

See, actually I'm cool with this. I surely wasn't trying to be rude, sorry if it seems that way. It's just strange for a company of adventurers to suddenly go there. I was thinking: if the creators of this mod are trying to do something with

the same boss for SoD and IwD1

so maybe there is something in the works of the plot, taking our heroes north.

[Roxanne]

 

Some players actually requested to have it the way you mock - others would prefer to have some plot...

EET is neutral in this, i.e. it provides the option to go there anytime you want to as a default installation. Until a mod comes along to change that and add some (optional) plot for those who install said mod.

 

See, actually I'm cool with this. I surely wasn't trying to be rude, sorry if it seems that way. It's just strange for a company of adventurers to suddenly go there. I was thinking: if the creators of this mod are trying to do something with

the same boss for SoD and IwD1

so maybe there is something in the works of the plot, taking our heroes north.

 

No rudeness at all...fact is that IWD in EE is not the official game at all. It is (will be) made available by a mod called EET (like BGT in the old version of the game). EET will merge all parts of Baldur's Gate into one continuous game and also allow you to integrate IWD into your playthrough. It is not done by Beandog' game developpers. EET offers this platform for all other modders to add their mods and ideas to the game. And some modders (I count myself among them) will make an attempt to create additional contents that makes the EET a continuous story that ties those ends and episodes together.

In the end you will have the EET game and a large number of mods you can install to it. You may select those mod/mod-constellations that suit your expectations best. Among the choices will be mod(s) that add contents to the IWD to make it fit into the bhaalspawn story and give you some relations between the two originally separated games.

I fully agree with you - there should be some reason and purpose in the BG party to embark on the IWD adventure - it should be integrated like any other big contents mod.

[Jarno Mikkola]

I fully agree with you - there should be some reason and purpose in the BG party to embark on the IWD adventure - it should be integrated like any other big contents mod.

It's called plot hole... and I'll fill it with "an arrow" on one of Sarevoks grew, that looks like one that comes from far North, the feathers are wrong colored for them to be from anywhere else and ... it was eventually just a random trade item that wormed it's way too far south to be in your hands.

[bob_veng]

what's the status of joluv's iwd themed wares in the context of iwd-in-eet?

[subtledoctor]

what's the status of joluv's iwd themed wares in the context of iwd-in-eet?

I suppose 1 or 2 might ought to be renamed... kind of a jerk move if poor Hrothgar's axe is all the way down in Athkatla, and you don't bring it to him when you stop by his home...

[bob_veng]

subtledoctor, I beg your patience. The following post is also a response to this:

 

...it would be cool if an add-on mod could accomplish all of this in a nice seamless way:
...
- do something about item/money accumulation in the main IWD campaign - doable by simply rewriting the random loot tables and replacing particular weapons with +1 and +2 stuff, with a very very very few +3 weapons findable in Lower Dorn's Deep. Honestly this probably wouldn't be very hard.

 

Gotta tell you, the real problem are not (just) +3 items, the actual problem are +4 and +5 items in iwd-main.

Now i will deal with both problems: items of inappropriate enchantment levels and with the joluv thematic issue. These are the best interventions i could think of. I consider these changes minimalist in spirit because it's basically reordering stuff, not inventing anything new and not cutting anything.

First, Joluv loses all iwd-themed items (none are appropriate) but keeps the oriental blades and receives to his wares the following items: mace of disruption (gotta buy it now), slayer +5 spear, cairn blade. Then, his iwd-themed items are converted to actual iwd items (however, as you will see, the availability of magical equipment in iwd will not increase). This is what happens to them:

Axe of Hrothgar +3 (mediocre item, useful in IWD because of +3)

• renamed to hrothgar's axe ("axe of hrothgar" puts too much emphasis on this "hrothgar" fellow who is not yet someone important in this timeline); this is in line with "erevain's broad sword"
• hrothgar carries it (killing him breaks iwd-main)
• you find it on a body of a slain ice giant in joril's lair, because frost giants killed hrothgar (they discovered the axe and took it after he was killed in the avalanche)

compensation: a flavored generic axe +4 the celebrant's blade, found in later-game IWD is demoted to +1, but gets and additional +3 slashing damage bonus (so +1/+4); this is thematically appropriate because it's a dwarven axe and dwarves are bigger on craftsmanhip than they are on enchanting

Staff of Arundel (good item)

• technically removed from the game but from a player's perspective it becomes the real staff or arundel
• staff of nature's wrath, dropped by arundel when he dies, gets staff of arundel stats (+3 staff, extra 1xlvl5 & 1xlvl6 spell, 10% fire/cold resist may be replaced with 1x day call lightning, for flavor, to give reason for "wrath") and loses it's original dull abilities (wand-like property: 10 charges of entangle/flamestrike)

compensation: none needed really, the great druid should drop something good

Sling of Everard +5 ||| Everard's Morning Star +2 (sling great, morningstar bad or broken)

• sling renamed to sling of tempus (look at description, you will understand why)
• everard carries both (killing him breaks iwd-main i think; everard should be excessively powerful so if you want to circumvent IWD and just get this loot you need a few levels)
• you find both on everard's body when he dies at the end of iwd so these items will effectively serve as a nice reward for completing iwd-main

compensation: warhammer of sparks carried by everard in easthaven is replaced by this (warhammer of sparks has a random duplicate somewhere)

Jerrod's Mace (good item for EET in general and particularly SoD)

• dropped by wylfdene (there are *excellent* story reasons for this i think because wylfdene lies about being inhabited by jerrod's spirit when in fact he's commanded by the dragon; dragon uses mace as proof of connection to jerrod to deceive the barbarians)

compensation: a powerful item in EET such as the mace of disruption is moved to a merchant's wares (joluv...but doesn't have to be him. it could be some temple vendor)

Spear of Kuldahar +3 (mediocre item, useful in IWD because of +3)

• renamed to spear of shikata (he is a ruler of salamanders and gets his "spear of [name]", the same way kerish, another ruler of salamanders already has spear of kerish), description apropriately changed
• shikata carries it and drops it

compensation: slayer +5 spear that drops from shikata in iwd-main is moved to joluv and costs a fortune

Defender of Easthaven +2 (top class item)

• renamed to defender of lonelywood
• Quinn Silverfinger carries it (killing him is a popular evil move in HoW)
• Quinn Silverfinger gives it to you as a reward for completing HoW if you talk to him

compensation: Quinn Silverfinger loses morning star +4 defender (HoW) and gets this instead (morning star +4 defender has a random duplicate somewhere anyway)

Joril's Dagger +3 (decent)

• joril drops it

compensation #1: joril's axe STR requirement raised to 20 or 21

compensation #2: cairn blade +4 (flavored generic) is moved to joluv

 

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i would word this component like this:

 

"convert bonus merchant IWD-themed items to actual IWD items (this affects item placement of several other items)"

bad idea, sounds confusing, this is better:

 

"return bonus merchant IWD relics to approriate holders in the reconciled timeline (affects placement of several other items)"