New version, 8.1, with bugfixes! Testers needed!

[Cirosan]

Hey folks! I got permission from Kish to update the NPC Strongholds mod, and here's what I've come up with so far. I've drawn from all the reports in the bug thread, but I still need these fixes to be tested since I didn't have the saves handy to do so myself. Without further ado, here's what is - hopefully - added in this new version:

• Spawning issues with Atta, Madulf, and Delon have been resolved
• Reilyn (the ranger ghost) will no longer continue repeating "I will only speak to the ranger" under all circumstances
• Haer'Dalis will now reliably receive the bard stronghold if the PC is not a bard
• Sparing the Solamnic Knights from Edwin's wrath during his stronghold quests will no longer break the questline
• Jaheira's conversation with Loren during the druid stronghold questline should now proceed normally
• Numerous other fixes to ranger stronghold scripting
• Added compatibility with the Imoen 4 Ever mod
• Incorporated fixes made by Jastey
• Added Russian translation by Austin, as well as other fixes by them

Grab it here, and let me know what works and what doesn't, as well as if there are any other outstanding bugs. Also: if anyone has a copy of the EET patch linked in the pinned thread, please repost it; the current link is dead.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b4qkgd5gi96nqfi/NPCSH.zip?dl=0

Have fun!

-Ciro

[jastey]

Thank you for your work! I'll try to get some playtesters at Kerzenburgforums.

[Austin]

Thanks so much for the work! I'll try to start the game again and test the mod!

[Austin]

Sorry, I found an error in the code fragment from the tp2-file that launches the iconv-transcoder for the Russian version. This is my fault, because I took this fragment from the Beamdog forum and did not double-check it. As a result, the Russian version was installed, but the game did not start. I fixed this bug, now everything works as it should! The attachment contains the correct file. Please do a "silent" mod update...

Setup-NPC_Strongholds.rar

[jastey]

@Austin Would you share the info how a translation can prevent the game to start? Is it "sufficient" that the texts were not in utf-8 format or is it something more complex?

[Gregor]

Coincidentally started a new game with this mod on Monday morning...I was using that new (to me) mod assembly tool so I don't know which version of this it grabbed (my Weidu log says v13, which doesn't seem to make much sense, as this thread is labeled Version 8.1.). So far I can report the following, though:

My CHARNAME (dual F/T) got the keep on his own - no issues so far (just met with Lord Roenall and told him I'm not giving up the keep)...although I just finished the Maevar quest and Renal did NOT offer me the guild...I don't know if it's even possible in this mod for a player character (or an NPC, for that matter) to have more than one stronghold; I am the only thief in the party (and hate the thief stronghold anyway, so I'm not broken up about it).

Cleric Stronghold with Anomen completed with no issues (other than me giving him shitty advice which wound up getting the duel guy killed. Ouch.)

Paladin Stronghold with Keldorn completed with no issues

Bard Stronghold with Haer'dalis in progress - no issues so far. Brus is not appearing, I'm assuming by design, since Haer'dalis tells me every now and then that he wants to check out how his play is going. Early days, yet. he just gave the snooty elf more money, so there's a LOT of play left.

Druid Stronghold with Jaheira in progress...I think. We did the first quest with the troll no problem, but haven't gotten the second one yet. I BELIEVE it's been long enough between them, but I seem to remember there's a pretty big time delay between the first two quests, so I'm not at all sure this is broken. I DID think it broke my romance with her, as interjections stopped for a good long while, but then I remembered I had to sleep outside for the bandit attack. Dur.

Rangers Stronghold with Minsc....and here come the bugs:

• Despite the nice note left by the townspeople telling me to enjoy the items they've left scattered about the cabin, the cabin is stripped completely bare. Not a single item to be found, besides the letter itself.
• The forest spirit appears in the slums, which may be legal in this mod, though I've never had it happen anywhere but Umar HIlls or the Temple Ruins in games WITHOUT this mod. Doubt this is a bug, but: noted for the record.
• Minsc slaughters Lord Igen and his crew with no attempt to negotiate! I'm sure this is intentional (and darkly amusing). However, Lord Igen and his crew spawn in the slums after this (after they've been killed).  I can talk to his goons, but they only tell me to talk to Lord I. If I talk to Lord I, there is no response.
• Delon eventually appears to give me the second quest. However, when I get to Umar Hills, and talk to the Mayor (he gives his usual line about Madulf and Atta, only Minsc-specific this time), the cave is deserted. No ogrons outside, no Madulf and Atta inside. If I talk to the Mayor again, he repeats the dialog about having to save the ogre and the boy. I checked my saves from before Delon gave me the quest, and noticed that the journal entry for the Ranger stronghold was marked finished after the first quest with Lord I, although the quest that Delon assigns still gets added to the journal after he grants it...it just doesn't proceed.

Wizard Stronghold: just about to enter the sphere with Edwin. No issues so far.

Unfortunately, I didn't make a save right after Delon gave me the second quest, but I've included the save where I noticed Lord I in the slums (after he'd been killed) and another from a point after I'd spoken with the Mayor about the ogrons but they never showed up. I also included my Weidu log.

BALDUR.SAV BALDUR.SAV WeiDU.log

[jastey]

3 hours ago, Gregor said:

.I was using that new (to me) mod assembly tool so I don't know which version of this it grabbed (my Weidu log says v13, which doesn't seem to make much sense, as this thread is labeled Version 8.1.

@Gregor you were using the EE Setup Tool. This tool is using own mod versions the tool maintainer provides for reasons unknown to the community. Your bug report is therefore not for @Cirosan's new version and completely useless in this thread.

[Austin]

12 hours ago, jastey said:

@Austin Would you share the info how a translation can prevent the game to start? Is it "sufficient" that the texts were not in utf-8 format or is it something more complex?

Yes, the files of the Russian translation of mods BEFORE starting iconv should be encoded 1251. If the iconv does not start (as was the case in this case), then BG2:EE cannot start (there is no reaction to the launcher), because to start the version of EE, conversion to UTF-8 is needed. And the mod in this case will only work on the old (vanilla) version of the game. This problem was already with many Russian players with several mods, where the transcoder did not work.

And if you just put the translation files in the UTF-8 encoding right away into the folder, then BG2:EE its version of the game will work, but the old (vanilla) version of the game will not work (either it does not start, or it is interrupted the first time texts or characters from this mod in the game). Therefore, the only way to make the mod work normally on BOTH Russian versions of the game (old and EE) is an iconv-transcoder that converts files to UTF-8 if the game is version EE.

In this case, the transcoder was, but it worked incorrectly, because I was a little mistaken when adding the command to start it (HANDLE_CHARSETS). In my previous post, I fixed this. Cirosan, update file in mod, please.

[jastey]

@Austin thanks for the info!

[Gregor]

3 hours ago, jastey said:

@Gregor you were using the EE Setup Tool. This tool is using own mod versions the tool maintainer provides for reasons unknown to the community. Your bug report is therefore not for @Cirosan's new version and completely useless in this thread.

Ah, okay...sorry! Just trying to help.

[Cirosan]

Thank you for the reports, everyone. I'm quite busy lately so it may take me a bit to get to them.

[jastey]

19 hours ago, Gregor said:

Just trying to help.

Definitely, and it's much appreciated! You took quite some effort to play and report. It's just that if it's not for the mod version presented here, then your experiences are not applicable to this mod package.

[Austin]

I am playing mod now and found one small mistake. If Jaheira controls Nalia’s castle, then in a conversation with Mr. Bendelia, Majordom calls the name not Jaheira, but Mazzy. Although Muzzy not only does not control the castle, she has not yet met me in the game.

The reason is that the code refers to line 762, and this line applies ONLY to Mazzy. To fix the error, you need to either add the same line for Jaheira, or remove the name from line 762 and leave just "lady".

Here is this piece of code in the NPC_Strongholds.d:
CHAIN IF WEIGHT #-1 ~Global("KishJaheiraFighterStronghold","GLOBAL",1)
NumTimesTalkedTo(0)~ THEN KPMERC01 Jaheira
@761
== KPDOMO01 @762

In tra-file:

@762  = ~I suggest you calm yourself, Mr. Bendelia... and perhaps start by explaining to Lady Mazzy exactly what sort of outrage you are referring to.~
 

Edited April 17, 2020 by Austin

[Cirosan]

On 4/14/2020 at 1:20 PM, Austin said:

Sorry, I found an error in the code fragment from the tp2-file that launches the iconv-transcoder for the Russian version. This is my fault, because I took this fragment from the Beamdog forum and did not double-check it. As a result, the Russian version was installed, but the game did not start. I fixed this bug, now everything works as it should! The attachment contains the correct file. Please do a "silent" mod update...

Setup-NPC_Strongholds.rar 3 kB · 4 downloads

I'll make time to take a look at this myself later.

Edited April 19, 2020 by Cirosan

[Austin]

Testing the new version has not yet shown errors, except for one that I wrote about earlier: https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/topic/31284-new-version-81-with-bugfixes-testers-needed/?do=findComment&comment=279801
Checked the management of the castle (Jaheira), the Planar sphere (Jan) and the Thieves guild (Imoen)

It is also very important to replace the TP2 file with this one, corrected - https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/topic/31284-new-version-81-with-bugfixes-testers-needed/?do=findComment&comment=279629
Otherwise, the Russian version will not start. There, the code for starting the transcoder is fixed.

Thanks so much for the update! I hope it will be posted also on the main page of the mod (https://www.gibberlings3.net/files/file/959-npc-strongholds/)