Mod Order/Feedback request

[jastey]

I know it's more work but if you could post such things into the mods' threads / forums so we can pick up on them eventually, that would be great. Ideally with your weidu.log attached.

[Oloriniel]

On 9/20/2022 at 10:40 AM, jastey said:

I know it's more work but if you could post such things into the mods' threads / forums so we can pick up on them eventually, that would be great. Ideally with your weidu.log attached.

Good idea; I'll try to make time.  It's kind of creators to respond here, and it's convenient to note issues in one place as I encounter/think of them, but if I genuinely want to submit a bug report or provide feedback, the right place is where the author's requested or is expecting it.

As for me, I'm getting a bit weary of rotating NPC's in and out of the group.  It's not possible to see all content in a single run anyway.  Plus the newbies wind up so far behind the main character they a) can't necessarily contribute a lot, even fully geared, and b) may be a liability that have to be protected.

So.  I'm going to settle on Branwen for my cleric.  I didn't see Ajantis' romance in BG1, so instead of trying to shoehorn him into my BG2 run, I'm just going to get Sirene (who I really liked in BG1/SoD...it's disappointing that neither Drake nor Aura for BG2 were ever completed).

I did romance Xan in BG1, and I'd meant to pick him up once I'd finished checking out other mages.  But, both Evandra and Minyae look like they're not particularly good characters for rotating, given where their content lies; plus for Minyae I'd want Edwin, and for Evandra I'd want to be male to see their content.  So I think it's time to go get Xan.

With Branwen, Sirene, Xan, and Kivan, that's a nearly full group.  It does leave one spot for quick ins-and-outs (for Imoen, or when quests like RoT or CtB require someone else in the party).  Also, it's Day 683, so I"ve spent a good 150 days questing and collecting money for Gaelen.  Perhaps it's about time to get a move on.

(I'm already thinking about Gorgon's Eye and Vanishing of Skie and whether my next char could be a ranger/druid or sorcerer/monk...this is why I never finish a run!)

 

[jastey]

11 minutes ago, Oloriniel said:

if I genuinely want to submit a bug report or provide feedback, the right place is where the author's requested or is expecting it.

If I react here to what you wrote it's on my bug list, but there is also some really helpful bug reports that would get lost otherwise I think. So thank you in advance!

13 minutes ago, Oloriniel said:

it's disappointing that neither Drake nor Aura for BG2 were ever completed

Yet. Don't give up hope, this is IE Modding, where we work by the GTTT rule: Good Things Take Time!

 

[Oloriniel]

Day 700

Completed:  Help Korgan recover the Book of Kaza, Another mission for the temple, Lavok is dead - the sphere returned, Helping Tiris in Trademeet, Valygar's family quest is over, Jan returns home to help his former love, Lissa; Mazes and Modrons; Oozing Insanity; Looking Under; Luna's Plan; An Eye for an Eye; the Tangled Matter; ...but who killed Jaalv? Missing Copper Ring; Voice in the Shell; the Golems; Some Fresh Air; Jadarath's Family; Bridge's Block Monster; Missing Gloves in the Bridge's Block; the Otherworldly Problem; Mr. Rat in the Bridge's Block; the Golden Globe; Aegnor's Offer; Berronar's Axe was stolen; Bork and Ellie; Braegar's text fragments, to Aid the Needy

New or In Progress: Solve the riddle in the Sewers (can't complete, did lover's ring instead), Inside the Planar Sphere (can't complete, talked to a knight who told me about the sahuagin after I'd finished the main quest), Finish the leather armor begun by Reljek Idesman, Collect the Fee for Gaelan Bayle, Solve the "Skinner murders in the Bridge District" (completed and then Aegisfield gave it to me again), Mage Stronghold, You Can't Escape the Past (didn't clear when completed), the search for Moxen's ward, I Shall Never Forget (didn't clear when completed), Some bloke I met down the pub, the Book Club, Moomik's Request (didn't clear when I completed), The Summoner from the Bridge's Block, An Ancient and Restless Spirit, in Pursuit of Moira's assassins (bugged), Imoen found a job, Pirate Legacy, the Lover's Ring (didn't clear when completed), to be heir, kale's father (bugged), A matter of some cabbages (completed? not sure if there were follow-ups to Hubelpot's quest), Proving Kova's Innocences (incl. Noble's Murders & Enforcer Murders) Golem Construction Workshop ,Brandock and his Half-Ogre Twin, Brandock Wants to Restore his Book, Increase Brandock's Lore Wisdom.

 

Ajantis' quest was buggered by SuperFirkraag, I think; I used the option to open the globe rather than going into it at the temple of Oghma.  Got Breagar's stolen axe back, put together his book, and he got permission to marry his lady-love.  Keldorn crushed hard on me, but in the end he decided my heart belonged to another and would never be his.  Jan got Lissa away from Vaelag, who I don't think we'll be seeing again.  Got Korgan his book.

The next time the Cowled Wizards come after me for casting within the city limits will be the last time.

I've now done all the non-endgame TDD content except for pursuing Artemis Entreri into the forest, and the dragon Tapanascar.  I've done some of CtB; I should have gone to the Academy of Kuldin earlier; apparently mobs scale, and now I'm dealing with Glabrezu and alu-fiends instead of bugbears.  I paused the game as Xan was dying, and counted 12 glabrezu, 10 alu-fiends, a marilith and a balor.  Maybe I should come back later!

In Riativin, there were 6 demons who didn't fight back, all in a group.  But that was more than offset by the ones that cast stoneskin at will; I burned through my breaches early and that was a long, hard slog.

Speaking of slogs, damn but my mettle was tested but good in the Modron maze.  Plus I couldn't figure out how to get the recycler to work!

I've gone back to Arlax and done most of the side quests--the farmers haunted by the lich, recovering the stolen scroll and the escaped prisoner, finding the lost ring, and killing a demilich in a basement.  I didn't have any luck looking for the guy who tells me about the ghost, and decided not to spend any more time on it; and I'll be damned if I'll 'help' a would-be thief for free (and anyway, I'd just be setting him up for future failure after he gets into his guild on false pretenses and can't do the work his new position would require....)  Also did the Dueling Castles, also from RoT.

And I've cleared the remaining content at the Tangled Oak Isle (except for popping back for the book club), the Ooze's Lounge, the Bridge's Block (except for the summoner's tokens) and the Southern Edge.  Also the White Queen and "I Shall Never Forget;" so for Lava's mods, I think I've just got the Deep Gardens and Innershade left.  Plus Foundling, after I kill the shade dragon, and Yvette, though I think she may be one of those NPC's best saved for another run.

 

XP:  1,711,523 each (16/15/16)
Body Count: 9563 for Celebrindal
Gold:  7,383 (went on a spell-buying spree)
 

[jastey]

5 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

Ajantis' quest was buggered by SuperFirkraag, I think

The globe will open a portal if "thrown" (via quickslot), but only in the Windspear area. If you received the globe, the quest started as planned. What makes you believe it was bugged/compatibility issue?

[Daxtreme]

Have you cleared the Guarded Compound in the Temple district while you were doing the Eye Cult questline?

Also,

On 9/26/2022 at 8:32 PM, Oloriniel said:

The next time the Cowled Wizards come after me for casting within the city limits will be the last time.

Oh boy, curious to see how it goes! Do you have SCS installed?

[Oloriniel]

On 9/27/2022 at 1:48 AM, jastey said:

The globe will open a portal if "thrown" (via quickslot), but only in the Windspear area. If you received the globe, the quest started as planned. What makes you believe it was bugged/compatibility issue?

I "think" I tried throwing the globe in the Windspear Hills and it didn't work, but now I'm not certain.  I have played through this bit once, and there was a doorway in Firkraag's lair that was missing; plus the SuperFirkraag mod causes Firk and the wizard to go hostile as soon as they see you, and I remember there being some conversation with F. before.

So it might be that I misremember, if I'd thrown the globe in the hills I'd have gone to the other dimension and everything would have been fine.  Guess I'll try again next run; if I install SuperF again.

 

On 9/28/2022 at 2:06 PM, Daxtreme said:

Have you cleared the Guarded Compound in the Temple district while you were doing the Eye Cult questline?

Also,

Oh boy, curious to see how it goes! Do you have SCS installed?

I have not yet visited the compound.

I do have SCS installed, and I've been playing on the "hardcore" setting for most of the game.  That messed with the Dukes in BG, so there was some content I did at 'easy' because I forgot to reset the difficulty; also some content in the very beginning of BG1 content, as wizards were getting 9th level spells and nuking me.

I've taken a detour to IWD2.  I've gotten through most of it without any significant issues.  But in the bottom level of Dragon's Eye, there's supposed to be a cutscene during a conversation between King Lothar and Inquisitor Venomin, and it's not firing.  Not sure how to make it; I've tried changing variables so I can at least move forward (backward?) to the next day in the time loop, but no luck.  

[Oloriniel]

Day 730

I've completed Tipun's IWD2.  From a playability standpoint, the only major issue I had was the one I noted in Dragon's Eye, I wound up just bypassing and moving to the next stage.

It is definitely a work in progress; the magic items descriptions, at least, haven't been updated to 2e format vs 3e (so, there are references to feats or skills you don't have, items add +1 or +2 in descriptions that should equate to +5% or +10%, AC is reported as +X, etc).  Not a big deal coming in with BG2 items you probably won't replace, but if you were playing as Tipun intends, with coming north with no gear and equipping with what you can find/loot/buy there, it would be a bigger concern.

There's one sweet mace that's like the Mace of Disruption, but it affects Outsiders too on a failed save.  High HD outsiders have great saves so it won't kick in too often, but I expect it may be helpful in the Academy of Kuldin, where there are hordes of glabrezu awaiting me.

But I'm not going right away.  I'm rotating out Valygar, and setting aside Kivan, to pick up Driz'zt and Wulfgar and go back north, this time to Bremen and some Region of Terror content.

One thing to note, the thieves' guild is at risk of being lost if you don't pay the emissary every 5 days or so.  So, in future I'll want to do all the stuff that takes a long time to get to and from Athkatla before doing this, and perhaps other, stronghold quests.  I mean, teleport is a 5th level spell, so I can rationalize using the console to move back and forth, but it's still pesky.

IWD/HOW/ToTL only added about 400k XP; IWD2 offered considerably more.  There's lots of quests that gave me 18k or 25k (with my 25% reduction) that could probably be reduced considerably.

The first HLAs kicked in for single-class characters at L21.  So my triple-class character won't see any until I've gotten almost 12 million XP!  But considering I'm already at over 7 million, I should still start getting at least a few in ToB (unless there's another 5MM to be had in BG2...we shall see!)

Brandock often forgets what I've asked him to do and just throws sling bullets at people.  Also, he and Grey frequently get lost in the fog of war; I'd assumed that was a necessary limitation for '7th slot" party members, but the same is not true for Afaaq.

XP:  2,389,536/class (18/17/18).
Body Count: 10,943 for Celebrindal
Gold:  12,786 (I bought a lot of +5 arrows, bolts and sling stones from a merchant in the Severed Hand)

[Oloriniel]

Working my way through the quests in Bremen (Region of Terror).

I had to use the console to reach the 2nd level of the underground cult.  Maybe you're not meant to reach it unless you join the cult?

Xan,, who in BG2 is a Figher/Mage, just hit level 20 as a fighter...and he lost his 5 pips in small sword and large sword...instead, he now has 2 pips in everything, even skills he's not eligible for!  

 It seems "Chain Contingency" is only available as a HLA for single-class mages

 

[Trouveur80]

14 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

Xan,, who in BG2 is a Figher/Mage, just hit level 20 as a fighter...and he lost his 5 pips in small sword and large sword...instead, he now has 2 pips in everything, even skills he's not eligible for!

Seems like a bug in an old version of fighter overhaul from Artisan's Kitpack.

14 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

 

 

[Oloriniel]

Hmm.  Neglected to note that the confrontation with Isair and Madae at the Severed Hand was the 2nd anniversary of Gorion's death.

Day 759

Returned from the Frozen North, only to go right back, this time to Bremen, accompanying Edomis Galdenburg.  I brought Driz'zt and Wulfgar; we recovered their weapons, rescued Wulfgar's wife from an Ice Temple, eradicated a demonic cult, visited a dragon shrine, and had a few other adventures.  Upon returning south once more, I dropped D & W, picked Kivan back up and met Areth of Beregost, we visited the Academy of Kuldin, prevented an undead legion from invading Hlondeth, and then decapitated its yuan-ti government, and finally found a drow library hidden near Imnesvale.

Many, many CtB bugs.  There are traps in the Academy that separate the party, and party locked areas prevent reunification without using the console ("you must gather your party before venturing forth").  Also, those bugbears and harpies turned Glabrezus and alu-fiends are a major pain un such numbers, especially when they start gating in mariliths and balors.  Not sure the iron golems wouldn't have been almost as bad, though at least they wouldn't be reinforcing themselves.  But 'mere' iron golems, after the sapphire and ruby golems in the North, might have been a relief!

In Hlondeth, the fight at the Brimstone Bridge is buggy with frequent crashes to desktop, but regular savescumming gets you through eventually.  I had to console in the first batch of yuan-ti as they didn't appear when they were supposed to.  And I don't know if there's meant to be some sign that the priests of Mystra are yuan-ti--there's no dialogue exposing them when my paladin talks to them, they don't detect as evil, am I just supposed to randomly attack them?

Dropping a party member for Rynn temporarily seemed kind of random and unnecessary; would be nice to refit her as a "7th slot" companion.  And after defeating the yuan-ti, the cellar under their house was kind of anti-climactic, and when I paid Valiant a visit, he attacked me!

The drow library couldn't be visited without the console; the pool is clickable but not responsive.  It would be nice if there were a way to distinguish the driders that cast time stop from those that don't, so I could take them out before they could do so

I'll cross-post all this to the CtB forum.

XP: 2,968,500 each (20/18/20; I got my first HLAs, but my main also lost all her mastery/high mastery/grandmastery pips, and now has 2 in everything, just like Xan.  This didn't happen to Sirene or Kivan, so either it's just fighters or a multi-class thing).
Body Count: 11,769
Gold:  34,161 (bought some expensive scrolls in Hlondeth)

 

[subtledoctor]

Neither here nor there, but I've read this sort of thing sooo much over the years. "This mod was great, it's so cool to have more BG game content! I got through by using the console a lot."

For me, no thanks. I aim for an install that requires using the console zero times. But, that's why my "heavily modded" game is defined as ~700 mod components, versus ~1,400 mod components.

1 hour ago, Oloriniel said:

my main also lost all her mastery/high mastery/grandmastery pips, and now has 2 in everything, just like Xan.  This didn't happen to Sirene or Kivan, so either it's just fighters or a multi-class thing

Inspect and/or post your /override copies of CLABFI01.2da and QD_MC20.spl. And maybe run  change-log on them.

[Oloriniel]

Mods Affecting CLABFI01.2DA:
Vienxay NPC for BG1EE1.64
ArtisansKitpack 1100 (Fighter Overhaul)
Might_and_Guile Feat System 4.22
CDTweaks 2090 Remove Experience Cap v15
CDTweaks 2440 Everyone Gets Bonus APR from Specialization
Skills and Abilities 150 Add New Fighter Abilities 0.8.1
Skills and Abilities 312 Overhaul Proficiency System - Add New Proficiencies and Weapon Styles - Accelerated Proficiency Progression
House Tweaks:  Expanded Shapeshifting

Mods Affecting QD_MC#20.SPL:

Vienxay NPC for BG1EE1.64
Klatu 2100 Treat All Innate Abilities as Non-Magical (unaffected by Wild/Dead Magic ambience)

 

CLABFI01.2da QD_MC#20.SPL

[Isewein]

That all sounds like RoT (Reign of Terror mod) rather than CtB (Check the Bodies), so make sure to cross-post that to their forum instead.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Isewein

[Oloriniel]

35 minutes ago, Isewein said:

That all sounds like RoT (Reign of Terror mod) rather than CtB (Check the Bodies), so make sure to cross-post that to their forum instead.

 

I've cross-posted my CtB issues.  I was just mentioning the RoT content I've completed since my last check-in.