Dialogue with Solaufein

[Salk]

Hello again!

If I am not mistaken, there is a problem with the Soulafein dialogue (UDSOLA01) once the Player confront him with the mission of killing him (there is another, minor narrative issue but it is not as egregious).

One dialogue option given to the Player is to spare his life and just ask for the cloak as proof of the task been done. He accepts and then leaves. Another option is instead to offer Soulafein to join and leave together. Soulafein is thankful for the mercy and the offer but he refuses and leaves. At the end of this dialogue branch, the Player receives his cloak without ever requesting it.

[jastey]

What are you expecting a fixpack to do? Transfer of the cloak can't be removed or the Underdark quest will break. Adding another line in is not a fix.

I'd just head canon that Solaufein is aware that the player needs proof towards Phaere that he's "dead". That or he wants to reward the PC. I agree that it's not perfect, but I don't think this is content for a fixpack.

[CamDawg]

If you ask Solaufein to join, you get one of two lines, and then the same tree:

• Join with you?  Leave?  To where, Ched Nasad?  No... I can see that you do not mean that place.  In fact... in fact, you are not from that place, are you?
• You are not drow.  I should have suspected it sooner, perhaps...  Who are you, then?  Why are you masqueraded as such?
  OR
  You are not drow.  I should have known sooner, I think...  Who are you, then?  Why have you masqueraded yourself as drow?
  1. You have pierced my disguise?  Then I cannot let you live, drow.  It is too dangerous for me.
  2. My name is <CHARNAME>, and I'm a surface <PRO_RACE>.  But I cannot tell you why I am here.
  3. My name is <CHARNAME>, and I'm a surface <PRO_RACE>.  I have been sent here to retrieve the stolen eggs of the silver dragon.
  4. I am sorry, Solaufein, but I cannot tell you anything of myself.

#1 leads to combat. #3 starts the next sequence from Solaufein at the top, and #2 skips the first two lines and starts the following sequence at "A... surface <PRO_RACE>?":

• I know a little of this.  The Matron Mothers claim the great silver dragon guarding the entrances to the surface elves' temple would no longer be a hindrance.
• In fact, it was Mother Ardulace that made that announcement.  I believe she would hold the eggs you seek... but I do not know where such things would be kept.
• A... surface <PRO_RACE>?  It explains much, including the mercy you show me now.  No drow would do such, I suspect, and I shall not betray you, <CHARNAME>.
• I cannot return to Ust Natha without endangering you... and myself.  Since you are from the surface, I will tell you something I would tell no other...
• The Spider Queen holds no sway over my heart.  I worship Lady Silverhair, Eilistraee, and like her I believe that my people have strayed from the path.
  • I need your piwawfi cloak to prove to Phaere that you are dead... but what will you do?
• I will remain in the shadows, and seek out others like me.  There must be more... I am sure of it.  Perhaps my people can yet be saved from themselves.
• Thank you, <CHARNAME>... for your mercy.  Perhaps one day I will stand on the surface and see the moon of my Eilistraee... Until then, farewell.

I suggest adding the player reply in bold; this is a recycled reply from earlier in the dialogue. This doesn't break the sequence of Solaufein's outro, explains the cloak at the end, and Solaufein's response to it is natural.

From the original tree, if you select reply #4 the outro sequence is this instead:

• I see.  You have done me a turn, however, which no other drow would do... I shall not betray you.  I cannot be seen in the city without endangering us both.
• Nor do I wish a war between my House and the Despana.  My people have... strayed... I think.  Perhaps I can find others who feel as I do.
  • I need your piwawfi cloak to prove to Phaere that you are dead... but what will you do?
• I will help you in the future, if I can, surfacer.  Until that day, I offer you my thanks.  Until fortune causes us to cross paths once again, farewell.

Again, I think we can insert the bolded player reply to wrap this up without a loss of fidelity.

 

 

[jastey]

The reply options would be added at places where there is only a transition to Solaufein's next line? Can this be realized for all language versions independently or would we call for translations?

I guess that works, yes, apart from the fact that having only one reply options is really bad style.

I'm not against having this change. As I typed in a reply on Discord that was obviously eaten by my phone, I went the "join me" path and when Solaufein just took off I was scared for a moment that I didn't have time to ask him for the cloak.

Still - is this really content for a fixpack? A fix would be in case the coat would not be transferred so it needs to be added.  Solaufein just giving the cloak without the PC ever talking about it is more like bad design and a little 4th wall breaking (because it's clear the devs forgot to spell it out for this dialogue path).

[CamDawg]

It's re-using an existing reply (strref 51710) so translation shouldn't be an issue.

As for whether it should be included at all: I'm open to skipping it, though we do have a few fixes for logical inconsistencies like this already. E.g. Teos, the questgiver if you have the Planar Sphere stronghold, had his dialogue restructured a bit because it always assumed you asked about Imoen's fate even though you could skip all Imoen questions.

edit: To clarify: we have restructured dialogues to address inconsistencies like this, but this method (inserting a player reply in an outro sequence) would be something new.

Edited May 1, 2022 by CamDawg

[jastey]

Oh, good. As I said, I'm not against addressing this.

[Salk]

Nice and elegant solution, Cam!

Thanks.

And you also mentioned needing a fix for a wrong journal entry, correct?

 

 

[CamDawg]

After looking more closely, the journal entry issue is BG2EE-exclusive.