Usability Fixes

[SimDing0]

KingDiamond found these (although only noted the filenames, so I rooted out what was actually wrong).

 

I've always hated bitmasks, so here I attempt to use them without testing. Clearly helpful.

 

Staves (and various rings) not be usable by Monks:

COPY_EXISTING ~misc5t.itm~ ~override~
~misc9o.itm~ ~override~
~ring22.itm~ ~override~
~ring40.itm~ ~override~
~rods05.itm~ ~override~
~rods06.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x21 "currentflags4"
WRITE_LONG 0x21 ("%currentflags4%" BOR 32)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Scimitar should not be usable by cleric multiclasses or beastmasters.

COPY_EXISTING ~misc9q.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x1f "currentflags2"
READ_BYTE 0x2b "currentflags6"
WRITE_LONG 0x1f ("%currentflags2%" BOR 198)
WRITE_LONG 0x2b ("%currentflags6%" BOR 2)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Rogue's Potion of Frost Giant Strength should be usable by mage/thiefs and cleric/thiefs.

COPY_EXISTING ~potn56.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x1f "currentflags2"
READ_BYTE 0x20 "currentflags3"
READ_BYTE 0x29 "currentflags5"
WRITE_LONG 0x1f ("%currentflags2%" BAND 253)
WRITE_LONG 0x20 ("%currentflags3%" BAND 247)
WRITE_LONG 0x29 ("%currentflags5%" BAND 248)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Ring of Lock Picks and Mercykiller Ring shouldn't be usable by Cleric/Mages, Bards or Monks.

COPY_EXISTING ~ring35.itm~ ~override~
~wa2ring.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x1e "currentflags2"
READ_BYTE 0x1f "currentflags2"
READ_BYTE 0x21 "currentflags4"
WRITE_LONG 0x1e ("%currentflags%" BOR 64)
WRITE_LONG 0x1f ("%currentflags2%" BOR 1)
WRITE_LONG 0x21 ("%currentflags4%" BOR 32)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Ring of Danger Sense has no usability at all. I just overwrite the fields since what's the point of bitmasking really anyway?

COPY_EXISTING ~ring36.itm~ ~override~
WRITE_BYTE 0x2f 2
WRITE_BYTE 0x1e 192
WRITE_BYTE 0x1f 253
WRITE_BYTE 0x20 52
WRITE_BYTE 0x21 64
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Rod of Smiting shouldn't be usable by fighter/thief.

COPY_EXISTING ~rods04.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x20 "currentflags3"
WRITE_LONG 0x20 ("%currentflags3%" BOR 8)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

Sendai's Flail (why is this different from a normal flail?) shouldn't be usable by beastmasters.

COPY_EXISTING ~sendai.itm~ ~override~
READ_BYTE 0x2b "currentflags6"
WRITE_LONG 0x2b ("%currentflags6%" BOR 2)
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

 

Should the Rings of Wizardry and Acuity be usable by Bards, and the Ring of Holiness by Paladins/Rangers? Discuss.

 

Should the Rod of Reversal be usable by Wizard Slayers? It's a quick item, not a weapon.

 

I suggest that when all the usability fixes are done, somebody goes through all the items in the game and makes sure that the descriptions match the exclusions. The Text Update was not perfect.

 

That concludes the stuff that he's done and we haven't, so clearly he's just light-years ahead of us! And may I just say that "bugs? what bugs?" from the Studios tester thread is amazingly exemplerary of the BP-BGT mindset.

[igi]

Not to be a pain, but, how do we know these are bugs, and not what the developers intended? Can someone provide several pages worth of text from an official D&D source-book to confirm things, as well? And, if we can list the 30 or 40 similar items as well, then that would make me feel better.

 

<bad mood igi>

[CamDawg]

To make you feel better igi, I'm going to randomly cancel three NPC mods.

[devSin]

Sendai's Flail (why is this different from a normal flail?)

The item itself is droppable, but the unstealable and undroppable flags are set in the CRE file (meaning that this is just a creature attack item, and shouldn't really need to be "fixed").

[CamDawg]

OK, changes added. A few of these we had already, though most were new.

 

Should the Rings of Wizardry and Acuity be usable by Bards, and the Ring of Holiness by Paladins/Rangers? Discuss.

No. Original descriptions for Acuit/Wizardry explicitly state Mage and Holiness Cleric and Druid.

 

Should the Rod of Reversal be usable by Wizard Slayers? It's a quick item, not a weapon.

No; wizard slayers can only use magic weapons and armor. In a potentially new can of worms, the bit about wizard slayers being able to use healing potions was added by Baldurdash--the original description reads "may not use any magic items except for weapons and armor."

 

I suggest that when all the usability fixes are done, somebody goes through all the items in the game and makes sure that the descriptions match the exclusions. The Text Update was not perfect.

Yes. One other issue we should check are redundant usability flags between classes and kits. If an item is unusable by a thief, for example, it should not also be flagged as unusable by the thief kits. These flags make no difference for single or multi-class characters, but they incorrectly restrict a kit that dual-classes. I.e., an assassin-fighter dual-class would not be able to use a weapon usable by a fighter-thief if the assassin flag is set.

[Kish]

In a potentially new can of worms, the bit about wizard slayers being able to use healing potions was added by Baldurdash--the original description reads "may not use any magic items except for weapons and armor."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've never played a wizard-slayer, but isn't it that they're able to use healing potions with ToB installed, and not without?

[CamDawg]

I suggest that when all the usability fixes are done, somebody goes through all the items in the game and makes sure that the descriptions match the exclusions. The Text Update was not perfect.

Yes. One other issue we should check are redundant usability flags between classes and kits. If an item is unusable by a thief, for example, it should not also be flagged as unusable by the thief kits. These flags make no difference for single or multi-class characters, but they incorrectly restrict a kit that dual-classes. I.e., an assassin-fighter dual-class would not be able to use a weapon usable by a fighter-thief if the assassin flag is set.

It's like I can predict this stuff: thread

[CamDawg]

In a potentially new can of worms, the bit about wizard slayers being able to use healing potions was added by Baldurdash--the original description reads "may not use any magic items except for weapons and armor."

I've never played a wizard-slayer, but isn't it that they're able to use healing potions with ToB installed, and not without?

Yes, this is undocumented AFAICT. In patched ToB, Wizard Slayers can use all of the healing and antidote potions except the cursed ones and Marek's antidote, a leftover from BG (potn25, potn32, potn47 respectively). As an aside, Inquisitors are randomly restricted from ttpot, a superior healing potion from the tutorial area. In patched SoA, WS are restricted from regular healing (potn08), extra healing (potn52), and antidote (potn20) as well as the ones above.

 

With this in mind, I'd say we allow SoA WS to use healing/antidote potions (including the cursed ones) and adjust the kit description.

[CamDawg]

With this in mind, I'd say we allow SoA WS to use healing/antidote potions (including the cursed ones) and adjust the kit description.

Going once... going twice...

[Kish]

SOLD AMERICAN!

[CamDawg]

Spent the morning tracking down redundant usability flags. The following changes will be added:

 

clck09-19, 29 -mage robes
 - wizardslayer

dwchan0[12] - drow chain
 - enchanter

dwplat01 - drow plate
 - enchanter
 
dwshld01 - drow shield
 - shapeshifter

helm34 - wong fei - usable by fighters, monks
 - lathander, helm, talos, totemic druid, shapeshifter, avenger, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler, necromancer, transmuter, illusionist, invoker, diviner, enchanter, conjurer, abjurer, kensai, berserker

hgwra02 -mage robes
 - wizardslayer

hlolth -evil elf or half-elf clerics
 + half-orc
 - swashbuckler, assassin, bounty hunter, stalker, archer, necromancer, transmuter, illusionist, invoker, diviner, enchanter, conjurer, abjurer, kensai, wizslayer, berserker

misc7t, moon dog figurine - rangers only
 - talos, helm, lathander
 
npswo2 - Yoshimo's katana
 + half-orc
 
npsw05, npsw06 - tieflings only
 + half-orc

potn56 - rogue potion of power, thieves bards only
 - lathander, talos, helm, necromancer, transmuter, illusionist, invoker, diviner, enchanter, conjurer, abjurer, kensai, berserker

scrl1w - Fireshield (Blue)
 - lathander, talos, helm, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler, kensai, berserker, wizslayer

scrl2b - stoneskin
 - lathander, talos, helm, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler, kensai, berserker, wizslayer

scrl5t - Protection from Electricity
 - lathander, talos, helm, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler, kensai, berserker, wizslayer

scrl7u - Contingency
 - berserker
 
scrl8e - Protection from the Elements
 - beastmaster, swashbuckler

scrl9a - pierce shield
 - lathander, talos, helm, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler, kensai, berserker, wizslayer

scrl9b - summon fiend
 - lathander, talos, helm

shld25 - shield of harmony
 - enchanter

wa2robe - robe of vecna
 - wizardslayer

[devSin]

npsw05, npsw06 - tieflings only

+ half-orc

Isn't this also the tiefling flag, though?

[CamDawg]

Nope, adding the flag made no difference.

[devSin]

So tieflings have no usability flag, then?

[CamDawg]

AFAICT, that is correct. I flagged every racial unusability flag and H'D could still use Entropy.

 

Included in alpha 4.