Sword Coast Stratagems v33 now available

[lowsubmarino]

On 4/5/2021 at 8:27 AM, GrimJim said:

I think I figured out the issue with mage AI in 33.5 and up. It looks like it has to do with the file stratagems/mage/ssl/meleeblocks/standard_mage.ssl. For whatever reason, 33.5 completely deleted the contents of this file which seems to handle the usage of Melf's Meteors and other attacks. I think it can be fixed by replacing the contents of this file with the last good version. You then just need to change line 250 from

INCLUDE FILE(%scsroot%/genai/ssl/shoot.ssl)

to

INCLUDE FILE(%MOD_FOLDER%/genai/ssl/shoot.ssl)

and then reinstall the Smarter Mages component. 

I would really like to fix this issue. I followed the steps, copied the content into the file that really was empty and replaced that one line. But I'm not sure how to reinstall an individual component. I used the install tool https://baldursextendedworld.com/Install-Tool/.

Could somebody enlighten me how to install just the mage component?

Update: I did reinstall the smarter mage component but I don't think it changed anything. Granted, I only tested is with the first 'mage' encounter you get in irenicus dungeon. The Djinn that spawns that mage-like creature. On max scs this thing was a serious threat. It ran around, it attacked my casters and was hard to even catch. And it was quite powerful. Even with this fix it just stands and folds quite easily. It doesn't run arond at all anymore.

Edited August 27, 2021 by lowsubmarino

[Lianos]

SCS 33.7 (on BG1EE 2.5 and 2.6) is creating its own version of elemental arrows (at least Arrow of Fire, Arrow of Ice). It's overwriting other changes (e.g. made by Item Revisions - which is bad, because I want to use Item Revisions). The component that changes the arrows is 5900 "Initial AI".

What is the reason for these changes? Would it break the SCS installation if deactivated?

I am pretty sure that the arrows were not changed in the last version of SCS that I used (33.2 or 33.3).

 

/edit
I just realised there is an ini to deactivate this. I will test and come back...

Edited September 1, 2021 by Lianos

[DavidW]

I would be extremely surprised if this is new as of 33.7 - it's standard, documented behavior, and as you say should be ini-deactivatable. (Though if IR modifies them I should probably notice this and leave them alone.)

[Lianos]

IR modifies all types of ammunition.

The ini-switch works. Next time I will RTFM consult the well-written documentation before posting.

[Guest Vivec]

On 8/26/2021 at 2:13 PM, lowsubmarino said:

I would really like to fix this issue. I followed the steps, copied the content into the file that really was empty and replaced that one line. But I'm not sure how to reinstall an individual component. I used the install tool https://baldursextendedworld.com/Install-Tool/.

Could somebody enlighten me how to install just the mage component?

Update: I did reinstall the smarter mage component but I don't think it changed anything. Granted, I only tested is with the first 'mage' encounter you get in irenicus dungeon. The Djinn that spawns that mage-like creature. On max scs this thing was a serious threat. It ran around, it attacked my casters and was hard to even catch. And it was quite powerful. Even with this fix it just stands and folds quite easily. It doesn't run arond at all anymore.

I can confirm that the fix posted by GrimJim worked fine on my non EE game version.

Initially in the scs version without the fix I didn't notice issues with the early optional ogre mage in Irenicus dungeon crystal cave. He did cast many spells and moved around, and liked to attack in melee the weaker characters. Maybe the fix had made him even better (didn't test). It seems like your problem is not caused by the smarter mages component.

What I had issues was later in the game, where I had the full confirmation that something was broken with mages was in the random slaver encounter between Athkatla city districts. One mage that was left alive casted only 3 spells in total, one 4d level spell and only one 1st level. After that the mage did stand there doing nothing, not attacking and not moving at all. I tried this 2 times. I started to notice this strange behaviour already with the vampire room in Irenicus dungeon. After reinstalling with the fix I replayed the slaver encounter 2 times, and the same mage casted at least 10 spells, moved around a lot, attacked in melee while spellcasting in between, renovated his defenses after the pre-cast stoneskin did run out, and tried to keep his distance, making him a lot more deadly.

Maybe this is the result of the reinstall randomization of mages spellbooks, specializations and so on, but it seems a difference too big for me.

It's a little appalling that this major issue is still not fixed with the latest releases, and not even mentioned somewhere like in the readme. It's only by accident that I found about this issue on a reddit post by googling random Bg2 related things. If I didn't find that, I would have played unaware and confused about the broken mages for a lot of time, like many other people, so I hope the problem will be fixed soon.

[Bartimaeus]

If someone were to update the mod, wouldn't it be by fixing the bug instead of mentioning the bug in the readme?

[DavidW]

2 hours ago, Guest Vivec said:

t's a little appalling that this major issue is still not fixed with the latest releases, and not even mentioned somewhere like in the readme.

It's possible you're confusing me with someone who is paid to maintain SCS.

The update schedule for SCS is, always has been, an d always will be: when I have some free time and feel like using it for this. 

[Angel]

6 hours ago, DavidW said:

It's possible you're confusing me with someone who is paid to maintain SCS.

The update schedule for SCS is, always has been, an d always will be: when I have some free time and feel like using it for this. 

Or when someone else is crazy enough to er, feels like donating some of their free time and sanity to try and update this highly complex mod.  Seriously people, modders are not your work horses, you don't get to make demands of them like that.

[Guest Vivec]

8 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

If someone were to update the mod, wouldn't it be by fixing the bug instead of mentioning the bug in the readme?

Well, since DavidW appears quite busy to update the mod an update of the readme with the solution would have been quite nice (I suppose updating a readme doesn't take much? It's just an idea.)

7 hours ago, DavidW said:

It's possible you're confusing me with someone who is paid to maintain SCS.

The update schedule for SCS is, always has been, an d always will be: when I have some free time and feel like using it for this. 

Well, "appalling" maybe has been a too strong word (english is not my language). I'm well aware of the update schedule for SCS, and I'm a modder too (not Bg2), so I can understand what a headache can be still working on things you spent thousands of hours in it.

The fact is that I spent for sure a couple hours testing, researching and updating SCS stuff, while being aware of the existence of the bug, and the fix seems to have worked. Since the problem looked quite major, if I wasn't aware of the problem I may even had played for hours, noticed the broken mages (which I'm still not sure how much broken they were) and disinstalled everything that took hours to install, breaking my saves too.

The thing is that I hoped the fix would work. I'm not the creator, I don't know if that file was supposed to be empty or not. I scouted the whole thread and don't remember to see any confirmation of that, but since the reinstall apparently worked I guess it that so? That's why I would have liked to see a mention of that somewhere from you, be in the readme or at least a forum post, so I would have at least installed with the fix immediately instead of passing (and maybe other people too) a couple hours debugging for something that appears to be a non-trivial issue.

Just my two cents.

[DavidW]

23 minutes ago, Guest Vivec said:

Well, "appalling" maybe has been a too strong word (english is not my language).

That's fair enough; sorry if I sounded irritated.

24 minutes ago, Guest Vivec said:

Well, since DavidW appears quite busy to update the mod an update of the readme with the solution would have been quite nice (I suppose updating a readme doesn't take much? It's just an idea.)

The problem is that SCS is quite complicated, and lots of attempted fixes don't do what people think they do. By the time I've satisfied myself that I really do understand what a given bug is and how a solution works, I might as well just implement the fix myself.

(Notwithstanding my snark above, I do realize there are several small issues with SCS at the moment (mostly 2.6-related), and I'll have a look when I get the chance.

[Guest Carmosa]

Hello I am using SCS latest version, is it normal that enemy spellcasters are almost impossible to interrupt? I am dealing massive damage to them, including critical hits - they still get to finish their cast. I push them away with effects - they still get to finish their cast. I've had enemies take 100+ damage total from several sources and nothing interrupted them.

Meanwhile my own casters get looked at cross and their casts are done.

Is this intended behavior?

[subtledoctor]

1 hour ago, Guest Carmosa said:

enemy spellcasters are almost impossible to interrupt?

I believe some casters are scripted this way for some abilities - e.g. dragons and fiends, when they are arguably not “casting spells” but rather using innate magic abilities that just happen to be identical to spells. This is intentional, and noted in documentation, and can be modified with the fine-grained difficulty controls. 

If you mean normal humanoid mages and priests, then I don’t know. Except some unmodded enemies are scripted that way, and maybe SCS doesn’t change them?

[Guest Carmosa]

19 minutes ago, subtledoctor said:

If you mean normal humanoid mages and priests, then I don’t know. Except some unmodded enemies are scripted that way, and maybe SCS doesn’t change them?

I do mean more "regular" enemies and not big special enemies.

Most ridiculous one was Tanova in Bodhi's Lair, who went from 100-0 on LoB mode (several HUNDRED hp) without getting interrupted once, getting off a series of long cast-time spells like ADHWs etc. That was despite me constantly dealing damage to her.

But regular casters in things like e.g. city ambushes also had that, where it was exceedingly difficult to interrupt them even using things like Pandemonium that knocks them halfway across the map did not stop them from completing a spell in progress. They do get interrupted SOMETIMES but it takes a lot of damage, and luck.

[DavidW]

SCS does not change this. (In fact, I'm not sure I even know how to change it.) 

What other mods are you using?

It's possible LoB does something like this automatically - I have no experience with how it works.

[Guest Carmosa]

LoB should not change this. According to the wiki it gives enemies:

HP x3+80
+1 APR
THAC0 -5
-11 AC
saving throws -5 bonus
Level +12
cannot fail morale checks
+75 gp per pickup
And also max rest encounters increased by 1 for players

It says nothing about casts not interrupting.

I'm using Ascension and IRR/SRR on top of SCS, nothing else. None of those mods say anything about interruption. I don't think spell failure ever scaled with % of max HP either, otherwise players wouldn't get interrupted by every single 1-point tick of something.

I guess I'll try and find out what's the culprit there, it's not like it's unplayable but it sure feels a little unfun to just have enemy spells resolve despite a barrage of hits.