Mod Order/Feedback request

[Oloriniel]

21 hours ago, GuardianAnubite said:

The enemy randomizer makes no attempt at keeping things lore-friendly. Maybe in a later release.

I've looked through the area files and don't see or remember any area in Spellhold that has Skeleton Warriors that you need to kill, can you provide some more info on this one?

I've fixed the issue with the troll that drops his head, it was an oversight with the EET component and had already been fixed in normal BG2. 

Not your mod's fault!  Looks like by default the zone has kobolds and hobgoblins; some other mod substitutes 2 kinds of skeleton warriors, and the zone requires you to have killed at least 2 of each kind.  So, it's a compatibility issue.

I have had a few other issues that weren't just cosmetic, like sahuagin and kuo-toa showing up in the Nashkel Mines or De'Arnise Keep; for example, the gnoll/werewolf encounter in the Windspear Hills didn't work because the script requires you to kill a certain number of those specific gnolls, but the mod substituted them.

But, by and large, it's added some unpredictabilyt and challenge, contributing to a unique and enjoyable playthrough.  Thanks for making the mod!
 

[Oloriniel]

Oh, and for the record, per change-log the mod that altered 1507.bcs was MIH_EQ, component 35 ("Enhanced Battles: Spellhold")

[GuardianAnubite]

4 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

Oh, and for the record, per change-log the mod that altered 1507.bcs was MIH_EQ, component 35 ("Enhanced Battles: Spellhold")

I'll add a compatibility note to the readme. I'm not familiar with MIH_EQ, what's the full mod name?

4 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

Not your mod's fault!  Looks like by default the zone has kobolds and hobgoblins; some other mod substitutes 2 kinds of skeleton warriors, and the zone requires you to have killed at least 2 of each kind.  So, it's a compatibility issue.

I have had a few other issues that weren't just cosmetic, like sahuagin and kuo-toa showing up in the Nashkel Mines or De'Arnise Keep; for example, the gnoll/werewolf encounter in the Windspear Hills didn't work because the script requires you to kill a certain number of those specific gnolls, but the mod substituted them.

But, by and large, it's added some unpredictabilyt and challenge, contributing to a unique and enjoyable playthrough.  Thanks for making the mod!
 

Thanks for the feedback! I'd like to add options for more lore--friendly randomization later on, but that might require someone who actually knows Forgotten Realms lore.

I've also removed the gnolls from Windspear as a randomization option, so that should be fixed in the next release.

[Endarire]

@GuardianAnubite
MiH_EQ is Angel's Made in Heaven Encounters & Quests.

]

[Oloriniel]

Working my way through the underdark.

In the Mind Flayer zone, AR2400.BCS requires the death of 6 or more UDUMB02.CRE for the door to open and the party to be returned to their cell.  The door is pickable, but doing so is an instakill for the party.  Not sure if it's a compatibility issue like the one referenced in Spellhold, or a randomizer substitution.

[Oloriniel]

Not sure if that's how it's supposed to work, but the subject of the missing lanthorn lenses came up when I first arrived at Elhan's camp.  I was told one was with the Slave Lords, but I got "no valid replies or links" rather than suggestions about the other two.  Guess I'll see what happens after I've killed Bodhi and gone back for the other two.

There was a variable I set to 10, something like B!Alternatives, to get a cutscene to work at the Tortured Souls island to move to Brynnlaw.  I had to delete it, because Gaelen is hostile when I walk back into his shop, as if I had joined Bodhi.  Deleting that variable still doesn't let me go back to the thief stronghold without being attacked, as the doors now take you to the hostile Shadow Thief zones.  Haven't figured out how to fix that, but I can get round it by consoling to the 'friendly' Renal/Aran zones.

Rogue Revisions has a quest where a fence who lives with Gaelan goes missing; if you find him and he survives, he leaves the game.  This creates a conflict with Beyond The Law, which appears to need this NPC.

I thought I'd be meeting Horton, the halfling thief from Brynnlaw and CtB, outside the temple of Lathander, but he's a no-show.  And I can't get into Ribald's Adventure Mart (this might be resolved when I give Selence her money and perform her burglary).

Something in the Slave Lords compound is undroppable, but also has no icon or description.  So essentially only the first 4 or so slots in my inventory are useable, because nothing new bypasses the apparently empty slot, though I can manually move items to my remaining slots.  Still can't open savegames from this run with NI; I opened EEKeeper to have a look, figuring if I could Identify the culprit I could just change the 'undroppable' flag in NI.  But the slot shows as empty in EEK.

Various and sundry other issues that escape my recollection at the moment.  Limited time to play recently due to other demands on my time.

[jastey]

12 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

There was a variable I set to 10, something like B!Alternatives,

That's Alternatives Mod. Did you accept either Aster's or Maleficus(sp?) way to Brynnlaw? Gods, how I hate maintaining that mod. Sorry for ranting.

[Oloriniel]

On 11/7/2022 at 3:21 AM, jastey said:

That's Alternatives Mod. Did you accept either Aster's or Maleficus(sp?) way to Brynnlaw? Gods, how I hate maintaining that mod. Sorry for ranting.

I did not accept either; I was working with the Shadow Thieves ('m playing through Beyond the Law for the first time).

However, several cutscenes in Tortured Souls Light were broken.  In the case of leaving that island and travelling to Brynnlaw, depending on variables, there were 4 different choices; setting the B!Altnernatives global to 10, one of the cutscenes worked.

Of course, upon coming back to Athkatlat, the game believed I had sided with Bodhi.  Removing that variable, or setting it to below 4, allowed me to talk to Gaelan.
Also, the missing elf from upstairs at Bodhi's, which Rogue Revisions givves a quest and he's either killed or leaves the game, turns up at the graveyard for his BTL cameo.  So what I thought might be a conflict, isn't (at least mechanically....from a lore/continuity standpoint it doesn't work....but there are so many mods adding or changing so many plot points, it's simply unreasonable to expect modders to keep track of and react to all the content in all the other mods.    Some NPC's are gonna talk to you about your missing Imoen even if you've got ImoenForever and she's standing right next to you; if that's gonna bother you, don't install both mods!)

Anyhow.  When I went back to the Underdark entrance, Kova and Kiyone were prepared to bail, so I went back to Athkatla and worked my way through that plotline through Kova's trial and acquittal.  THEN went back to the Underdark entrance, where the absence of the remaining lenses for the lanthorn was noted.  Elhan said to talk to the sages for clues, but they had nothing to offer.  I think I know where they might be, and the one called out as being in the possession of the Slave Lords was an addition, not a substitution....and there would have been more additions, save that I'd already done the other content where a lens might have been put.  We'll see.  I had thought the camp would have the NPCs who kick off the Darkest Day, but they're not here, so perhaps they'll turn up in Suldanesselar.  And the mages who are supposed to give the class quest, from CtB?  I thought they were supposed to be here as well, but no sign of them either.

I think there's still a little BtL content, resolving issues with the Cowled Wizards.  Once that's done, I think I'll let those two go (I'll miss their marriage, but I need to bring Driz'zt back to face Entreri/Jarlaxle and save Cattie-Brie.  Though I suppose I should do the sellswords quest first, then kill them near Maribur, then kill them in the Deep Forest).

Plus I've got Back to Brynnlaw on the burner, and burglarizing Ribald's for Selence, and some other odds and ends.  The romance with Xan is surprisingly sweet; I had heard that the bonded path ended in tragedy with Bodhi, but we got through it, he wasn't even kidnapped.

 

[jastey]

22 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

However, several cutscenes in Tortured Souls Light were broken. 

OK, I declare the two mods incompatible. *leans back and relaxes*

Joke aside: I have no idea about Tortured souls, or TS Light. I fear the mods are indeed incompatible, because for Alternatives I didn't consider TS and it's own ways to Brynnlaw(?).

[Oloriniel]

Alternatives doesn't need to consider TSLite; TSLite is intended to be compatible with Alternatives. You're still leaving Athkatla the same way(s); you're just making a stop en route to Brynnlaw.
 

I only found a working cutscene to get me from the Island to Brynnlaw, because the author put a working alternative there that depended on having taken Aster's option.  The other cutscenes hung.  Anyone who needs that cutscene (if the others are working) isn't ever going to have another conversation with Renal or Aran or Gaelan, so the variable doesn't mess anything up.

I'm guessing your feedback to @arkie:

"my experience is that ActionOverride of the CutSceneID in Cutscenes lead to a hanging cutscene. They aren't needed, so best remove them and let the CutSceneID execute the actions directly."

is why.

[Oloriniel]

Hitting several obstacles.

First, in Shadows Over Soubar, when talking to the Major, he told me to put all my stuff in a chest.  However, there's no chest to put anything in.  Then a Sergeant is supposed to give me my uniform.  There's no sergeant, and after I create him with the console, he talks but never gives me said equipment.  I'm going to dig through the sergeant's dialogue file and see if I can find a way to create the items, but this shouldn't be necessary.

No equipment appears to be taken from Brandock, Solaufein, or Grey.  Not sure if that would be possible, anyway, and not sure how far mod-makers would want to go for cross-continuity anyway.

More troublingly, I unintentionally killed Weathermistress Ada when I went to the Temple of Talos as part of the TDD quest, tracking down Jarlaxle.  Ever since, the god Talos is very shouty and I get hit by Call Lightning every few moments.  Wasn't so bad before, but now that I've lost all my gear those strikes sting a good bit!  I've tried respawning the priestess, I don't have the necklace in my inventory, I've reset Globals "_bWrathofTalos" and "_bStealTalosNecklace" back to zero, but nothing seems to stop the lightning.

On the plus side, I've killed Jarlaxle and Artemis twice now, the TDD and RoT versions.  RoT content is complete.

[Endarire]

Is there an inherent incompatibility between Tortured Souls Lite and Alternatives for non-Aster options, or just Alternatives for non-Aster options?  I want to be prepared to choose wisely for the stability of our game.

Thankee.

[Oloriniel]

There is no inherent incompatibility - TSLite was built to accommodate Alternatives, either the Aster route or the other.

The problem is TSLite's cutscenes (and, apparently some incompatibility with its companion Sime mode)--see the TSLite thread for specifics.

 

[Endarire]

Thanks.

Where's this TSLite thread?

[Oloriniel]

On 11/22/2022 at 4:10 PM, Endarire said:

Thanks.

Where's this TSLite thread?

Vlad Mods for EE - Page 4 - Miscellaneous Released Mods - The Gibberlings Three (gibberlings3.net)