Familiar items in backpack

[subtledoctor]

Does anyone know exactly what happens when you right-click and choose to release the familiar?  Is there a .SPL or .BCS somewhere that handles it?  Does it trigger some kind of opcode 192 effect?  I'm having a weird bug where I release my (modded) familiar, and it doesn't show up in the main screen.  It just disappears forever.

[kjeron]

The ITM ability sets a global variable, then Baldur.BCS moves the familiar associated with that variable to your location.

[Jarno Mikkola]

9 hours ago, kjeron said:

 then Baldur.BCS moves the familiar ass..

"moves" is rather bad term, as it's likely to summon it, rather than move as that's not what happens. As it can't, cause it is noWHERE. That is, unless the dialog deactivates the creature which then can be moved and reactivated ?

Edited February 15, 2020 by Jarno Mikkola

[subtledoctor]

Thanks, I see it now.  Baldur.bcs has:

Spoiler

IF
    Global("fampsd","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("fampsd","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("fampsd",Player1)  // Pseudo-dragon
END

IF
    Global("famfer","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famfer","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famfer",Player1)  // Ferret
END

IF
    Global("famimp","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famimp","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famimp",Player1)  // Imp
END

IF
    Global("famrab","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famrab","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famrab",Player1)  // Rabbit
END

IF
    Global("famdust","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famdust","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famdust",Player1)  // Dust Mephit
END

IF
    Global("famfair","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famfair","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famfair",Player1)  // Fairy Dragon
END

IF
    Global("famcat","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famcat","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famcat",Player1)  // Cat
END

IF
    Global("famquas","GLOBAL",1)
THEN
    RESPONSE #100
        SetGlobal("famquas","GLOBAL",0)
        MoveGlobalObject("famquas",Player1)  // Quasit
END

 

That's weird, because my mod doesn't change the filenames or anything.  It changes the imp to a spider, for instance, but it does so by simply changing the appearance animation and the equipped weapon, etc.  And it didn't change the .ITM files at all, so the global should be getting set.

I thought this script must have some extra conditions, but looking at it above, it should work just fine.  Hm... curiouser and curiouser.

[Magus]

Maybe there's some problem with animation, and it does appear, but isn't visible?

[subtledoctor]

I mean, you can summon the familiar and it works just fine.  Then you can converse with it and put it in the backpack... that's where things have been buggy.  First, I didn't change the icon for the backpack 'item,' so the spider looks like a little dragonling.  (This is the first time I realized that the pseudodragon, fairy dragon, mephit, imp, and quasit all share the exact same backpack icon.  Put a lot effort into that one, didn't you Bioware?  )

Second, when I right-click the item in the backpack, and tell it to get out into the world, the familiar does not appear.

I wonder if it just isn't creating the correct backpack item...

EDIT - yup, I finally found the familiar dialogues.  Looks like they have an alignment check in order to give the right responses and create the right backpack item.  I'll have to change those.

Edited February 15, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Trouveur80]

On 2/15/2020 at 3:19 AM, subtledoctor said:

Does anyone know exactly what happens when you right-click and choose to release the familiar?  Is there a .SPL or .BCS somewhere that handles it?  Does it trigger some kind of opcode 192 effect?  I'm having a weird bug where I release my (modded) familiar, and it doesn't show up in the main screen.  It just disappears forever.

In my current BG2 playthrough, I encountered this bug mid game, in chapter 5.

Before that no problem with my pseudodragon, and now when I use the release button from the item nothing happens, and the item disappears.

And I can't summon again another familiar, since one have already be summoned.

How could I fix my savegame please ?

I didn't install any mod modifying the summon familar spell.

 

EDIT : nevermind, I found out it was installation midgame of the new house rules tweak from The Artisan who bugged the familiar.

Edited May 19, 2022 by Trouveur80

[jmerry]

It's because of that "moves" effect. If no matching familiar has been summoned, you won't get one. For example, consider the following series of events without any mods:

- Lawful good character summons a pseudodragon.

- Character puts on the Helm of Opposite alignment and becomes chaotic evil.

- Character tells familiar to get in the inventory.

- Character releases familiar

What happens? First, because you're chaotic now, the dialogue with your pseudodragon creates the familiar corresponding to CG - a fairy dragon. Then, releasing that tries to summon a fairy dragon, but none exists. End result: no familiar out in the world, no familiar item taking space in your inventory, but you have the HP bonus and the "you have a familiar" variable is set so you can't get a new one.

There are several moving pieces here - the blocks in BALDUR.BCS, the three dialogue files for familiars (good, neutral, evil), and the eight familiar items. A mod has to touch on all of those if it wants to change the system.