Yet Another Thread About A Big BG2EE Install

[Bartimaeus]

35 minutes ago, Caedwyr said:

@subtledoctor do you have aTweaks "expanded temple services" installed?  I am wondering if it is interacting with one of the other components.

I recall this being listed in conflict with IR's Store Revisions at some point, though I imagine the actual conflict would be pretty small if there actually is something.

(e): also lmao @ mass amounts of party members

Edited May 28, 2020 by Bartimaeus

[Caedwyr]

The massive number of people accosting CHARNAME makes me think that one of the mods which makes at least some of the NPCs more passive for their join-up introduction, might be a good idea.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Caedwyr

[subtledoctor]

On 5/28/2020 at 3:15 PM, Caedwyr said:

Is there a version 3 of MOoF available anywhere?  I'd like to take a look at some of the changes and possibly include it in my install, but I don't want to shift monks out of the monk class this time through.  Also, I noticed that the version 4 listed a bunch of bug fixes.  Are these something you've replicated in your install, or is it just the basic version 3 of MOoF?

Good question.  I was going to point you to the Github page, but I see there is no 0.3 release.  Huh.  Maybe I just had it from before, and it's been sitting on my computer?  That seems likely - I tend to keep a folder full of mods, and update them every once in a while, rather than adopt the nutso BWS practice of downloading everything every time I install.

Meantime, I have run into a pretty nasty situation.  I fixed temple services and raised Kivan, and I fixed the spell exclusion tags so that Keto can learn some useful spells.  Then I went to the Promenade to close out the "theft from the bookseller" quest.  While there I figured I would save the circus.  I forgot that I had not slept since fighting Mae'Var and then Edwin, so I didn't have many spells prepared... but what the heck, the circus quest is mostly just rushing through and avoiding hits from illusionary werewolves, until the last fight where you just take down Kalah ASAP.  Plus I picked up Aerie with a full complement of spells, so she could be my firepower.

That all went fine.  But then, after Kalah died, this other ogre mage showed up, and began conversation before I had a chance to even move.  He spirited away Quayle, and again before I could do anything Aerie initiated a conversation about going after him.  That's fine, I just need to take a breather, maybe refresh my magic... except no, there is no dialogue option for that.  Okay Aerie, you know where they went?  You saw it on a map?  Fine, mark it on my map and we'll go there... faaairly soon.  Might need to make a quick stop in the Adventurer's Mart.  Except no, Aerie teleports me there while in dialogue mode, there is nothing I can do to stop or delay it.  Come one now... Aerie I am intimately familiar with your spellbook (I just gave you every spell you know) and I am quite sure you cannot cast "Teleport Party."

Anyway, we end up in a little clearing, with a little shack.  I attack the ogre mage, and after a couple rounds, he starts doing this weird thing where he can cast a Magic Missile spell, every second, at Aerie.  I can't heal her fast enough to withstand the barrage, and she dies.  Not only that, but she gets chunked.  After I put down the ogre, Quayle offers to join my party.  Huh?? Screw you Quayle, you're supposed to stay retired, I want Aerie in my party.  Power Word: Reload.

This time I attack fast and hard, and keep Aerie away.  I surround the ogre with summons, and whale on him with melee weapons, and Jaheira nails him with Insect Plague.  He goes panicky yellow and can't cast - I've got him on the ropes!  Aerie comes back over and finishes him off with a Magic Missile.  Well done, everyone.  I pick up my loot, talk to Quayle, and... nothing.  Nobody teleports me back.  And the edges of the map are not traversible, I can't get to the worldmap. (Would be weird anyway, I haven't been through the City Gates yet.)

Goddammit.  Am I really stuck here?  Did I mention that I'm playing on an iPad, and I don't have access to the console...?  WTF?!

This is infuriating.  The Quayle mod description says, I quote: "A mini quest (in a small new area) is provided, where you decide who you prefer to travel with."  I like choice, so I installed the thing.  But the only choice I can see is either let Aerie get chunked and travel with Quayle, or end my game.  Sorry, no.  That is an epic fracking fail.  That mod is going right into the "never install it again, just set it on fire" pile.

Damn it.  I don't know what to do.  I guess I might have to hack the console onto my iPad.  I gather that's possible, but it will take some time that I'd rather spend playing.  Damn it!  Come on people, don't try to railroad the player!  Don't punish them by fecking with their ability to progress if they decide not to get railroaded!

Sigh. 

[Caedwyr]

Thanks for the warning about the Quayle NPC.  The description made it sound like Quayle would be recruitable if Aerie had died in your game, not that it was going to kill Aerie and then give you the option to take Quayle.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the White Queen mod and if you had any problems with Wheels of Prophecy or Fishing for Trouble.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Caedwyr

[Luke]

2 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

I guess I might have to hack the console onto my iPad.

Try installing the Console via EEUITweaks. It makes a small edit to "UI.MENU" and should play fine with your existing mods...

[subtledoctor]

3 hours ago, Luke said:

Try installing the Console via EEUITweaks. It makes a small edit to "UI.MENU" and should play fine with your existing mods...

I already installed one or two components from EEUITweaks, and it looks like that component is only in a newer version of the mod than I have, and I don't think it's probably great to install a new version of the same mod... tl;dr I just tried manually pasting in the code to UI.menu to put the button in the bottom left, as you discussed in the console button thread.  We'll see how it works.

Incidentally I wish there was a fully-functional version of "Permanent Thieving Button" that only showed up for cleric/thieves.  Or, for all thieves but not for non-thieves.  I very vaguely recall some discussion suggesting that was achievable (or achieved!), but it's not in that mod...

[subtledoctor]

It works!  Okay, moving along again.  We console-warped back to the Circus Tent, closed out that quest, was given a broken lamp by a little girl and told to find Jafir.  I spent a bunch of money on scrolls for Aerie and Keto, then went to the Copper Coronet to recruit Nalia.  Then over to Prebek's house and the Harper Hold.  This party is not very tanky -

• fighter/mystic
• stalker
• druid
• bard
• cleric/mage
• psion/thief

Nobody can even wear chain armor, never mind proper plate mail!  Luckily Jaheria and Aerie are prodigious summoners, so hopefully I'll be able to use summoned animals to hold the attention of any fighters I face.  (Also, Jaheira and Aerie can cast Barkskin/Stoneskin, and Mylo and Keto can cast Reflected Image/Mirror Image, so it's not that bad.)  After the Harper Hold and before I go to D'Arnise Keep, Jaheira will leave and I'll replace her with someone who can wear proper armor.  Not sure who... the options are Anomen, Auren, and Saerileth.  Or I guess I could go get Keldorn.  And of course there is Korgan...

Except, another bug, I cannot manage to proper turn Nalia into a pionicist.  Something in the script isn't firing - it summons the invisible creature and then the creature is unsummoned - the ChangeClass works to make her a priest/rogue, but the AddKit part of the script isn't firing.  Need to check it out.

EDIT - figured it out, got it working.  Expect an update to Will to Power soon.

Edited May 30, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Luke]

2 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

. tl;dr I just tried manually pasting in the code to UI.menu to put the button in the bottom left, as you discussed in the console button thread.

Actually, that mod component adds a secondary function to the Return to game button instead of adding a new button. More info here (you know, better not to take up precious gaming screen realestate...)

[subtledoctor]

Oooh, this is a wrinkle: because Nalia is a human, when I use the ability to activate her psionic class, instead of making her a multiclass thief/psion, it makes her a dual-class.  I has not anticipated this.  Frankly I guess it's okay, though it means she is going to advance very fast (the psionic classes of Will to Power are specifically balance-tuned for  multiclass advancement).  This is an acceptable bug - it means I can drop her and play with other party members, and then still pick her up later if i want to take a psionicist to the end-game.  Hm, I guess this means the same thing will happen to Valygar...?

EDIT - ah, no, I know what the problem is.  The vanilla version of Nalia is already dual-classed, meaning her .CRE files have the "Original Class: Thief" flag checked.  I made her a single-class thief with NPC_EE, but I did not remove that flag.  The vanilla version of Valygar is a single-class ranger, so he does not have the OriginalClass flag.  So I predict that when I use the 'activate psionics' ability with him, it will make him a proper multiclass ranger/psion.

So, note to self, NPC_EE needs to remove that flag from Nalia's .CRE files.

Edited May 30, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Caedwyr]

Apparently, the Quayle NPC quest ended up going the way it did because the specific NPC that targeted Aerie wasn't killed quickly enough.

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1133593/#Comment_1133593

[subtledoctor]

Yeah, I killed the enemy fast enough, so Aerie stayed with my party... but there was no way to leave that new area and get back to Athkatla! She could be in the party, but we could never leave that little shack, just stay there and grow old I guess. Pretty boring. 

In the end I had to use MoveToArea console warp to continue with the game. I assume it’s a bug, but it’s a pretty nasty one for a mod on version 6.0...

EDIT - I should say, I know as well as anyone that bugs happen. Design-wise, consider this constructive criticism: it shouldn’t forcibly teleport you to the fight right after the end of a dungeon (also something I dislike about RR’s Chosen of Cyric fight). And it shouldn’t trap you in the new area, or rely on scripts that might not work... just let the player travel from the edge of the area map.

Mostly I’m annoyed because, the way it was described, I thought I was installing something that would have no effect unless I wanted it to. And even the hassle of the teleporting and railroading would be worth it if it was an NPC I love... just not for Quayle.

Edited June 17, 2020 by subtledoctor

[Caedwyr]

I really liked RR's Chosen of Cyric encounter back in the day, however that element always struck me as less than optimal.  It was one of the earliest 2nd or 3rd wave AI encounters where the enemies played by the same rules as the PC.  Most tactical encounters available before then cheated like crazy and did all sorts of things the PC couldn't do.  Now we've had over a decade and a half of SCS, so things like the original Weimer Tactics and the more egregious "Improved Anvil" are not the standard players are expecting and so RR's Chosen of Cyric doesn't quite compare as well as it used to.

[subtledoctor]

Incidentally, the werewolves in the Circus Tent were kicking my ass, even though I never attacked them.  I specifically recall that they would attack you but do zero damage unless/until you attack them... whereas the shadows were real and could hurt you.  In this run, with the 2.5 patch, the werewolves seem to be real as well.  Bug?  Am I misremembering?

[Caedwyr]

I think one of the shapeshifter or tactical encounters could end up changing their claw weapons to real ones.  My memory of how this one worked may not be the best.

According to a wiki, the Shadows can do real damage and drain STR, but the werewolves shouldn't be doing damage.

https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Circus_Tent

Edited June 2, 2020 by Caedwyr

[Caedwyr]

Further investigation suggests it may be caused by SCS. @DavidW

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/26021/circus-tent-illusions-deal-real-damage

Edited June 2, 2020 by Caedwyr