Improved Integration of tipun’s IWD mods

[Endarire]

For the full IWD 1 & 2 in EET, what happens if we install TotLM in EET after these mods?  I'd prefer there be compatibility.

Thankee!

[subtledoctor]

1 hour ago, Endarire said:

For the full IWD 1 & 2 in EET, what happens if we install TotLM in EET after these mods?  I'd prefer there be compatibility.

Gotta read the whole thread, mate.

[Endarire]

I apparently misunderstood argent's response in a previous reading.

What are the main creatures and other things in conflict between tipun's and argent's implementations?

Thankee!

Edited April 18, 2023 by Endarire

[argent77]

37 minutes ago, Endarire said:

I apparently misunderstood argent's response in a previous reading.

What are the main creatures and other things in conflict between tipun's and argent's implementations?

Thankee!

There are currently several showstoppers when TotLM-in-BG2 is installed together with IWD1_EET, some of which require the use of the cheat console to advance further. They will (mostly) be fixed with the next release of TotLM-in-BG2:

• (critical) The "Tarnished Ring" found after defeating the Luremaster is non-functional.
• (critical) The Knights in the Watchknight Tomb don't respond when you place the scrolls in their tombs and therefore don't allow you to proceed to the castle.
• (serious) No support for starting and return location: Lonelywood
• The "Harald and Dabath" side quest doesn't work.
• Hobart's store and the Bag of Holding from the Banite adventurers misses several items from the mod.
• Many creatures are missing mod-specific ability improvements and scripting, which can result in creatures being completely passive (like the spectral heroes in the final fight, or some of the rakshasas not joining the battle). This aspect cannot be fully addressed by the mod without introducing new conflicts, so you'll still encounter some creatures without mod-specific improvements (mostly creatures that are also used elsewhere in IWD1_EET areas).

[subtledoctor]

Oh, huh. That's a bit more issues than I thought.

I figured the TotLM mod would overwrite various resources to make sure things work as per the mod. Then, theoretically, the biggest issue would be the relatively simple one of supporting two different stating locations. Incidentally, in fixing this stuff, I recommend defaulting to just overwriting things if it simplifies the matter. Anyone installing TotLM-in-BG2EE after IWD1_EET will do so knowingly and will expect that the IWD1_EET resources will be subject to change.

(I say that without knowing the details of how the mod is actually implemented, so forgive me if it is not helpful or relevant.)

Edited April 18, 2023 by subtledoctor

[argent77]

That would certainly conflict with other mods like Iwdification or SCS's spell components. I think the current method of skipping existing resources with exceptions is still the lesser evil.

[Endarire]

How viable of a solution would forcing IWDification's version of IWD spells be?

[Guest]

Here is the commit with d5_iwd_eet_integration.tp2 and soa_easter_egg.tpa traified.

Translation of soa_easter_egg.tra into French in progress...

For the choice of "@number" I choose high number because of how.tra but maybe it's too much.

For some soa_easter_egg strings that are the same, I use separate lines just in case, but it's not mandatory and perhaps you would prefer to keep the text commented in soa_easter_egg.tpa.

If you see something odd, please let me know, I'm not really used to this kind of thing.

Edited April 18, 2023 by JohnBob

[subtledoctor]

9 hours ago, argent77 said:

That would certainly conflict with other mods like Iwdification or SCS's spell components. I think the current method of skipping existing resources with exceptions is still the lesser evil.

I specifically meant stuff in common with IWD1_EET - things like areas, scripts, creatures, etc. Spells are a different story. 

But like I say, that is just my very general feeling, I have no idea how feasible or sensible it would be to make that distinction given the structure of the mod. So my advice may not be applicable. 

1 hour ago, Endarire said:

How viable of a solution would forcing IWDification's version of IWD spells be?

Just install IWDification first. Again, look at my weidu.log for how best to do this. (As far as I am currently aware.)

1 hour ago, JohnBob said:

Translation of soa_easter_egg.tra into French in progress...

Oh! I was going to put all the strings into a .tra file to make it easier for you! But I don’t have any free time for the next few days. If you are already doing that, it’s fine with me.

[Endarire]

Argent, for the non-critical stuff that overlaps between tipun's and your versions of TotLM, what about offering install options and thorough documentation so users can choose what they'd prefer?

Thankee!

[argent77]

12 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

21 hours ago, argent77 said:

That would certainly conflict with other mods like Iwdification or SCS's spell components. I think the current method of skipping existing resources with exceptions is still the lesser evil.

I specifically meant stuff in common with IWD1_EET - things like areas, scripts, creatures, etc. Spells are a different story. 

It's not so simple, since spells can reference all kinds of other resources, like 2DA, BAM, CRE, EFF, ITM, VVC or WAV files. Overwriting some of these files are a good source for subtle bugs or unintended behavior.

By now the most glaring issues have been fixed. There are only a couple of creatures which behave more traditionally (as implemented by tipun), such as Neo-Orog not having a warcry, Minotaurs not being immune to Maze, or Wights not being able to level drain.

Edit: Minotaurs and Wights can probably be fixed as well without side effects, which leaves only Neo-Orogs without warcry.

Edited April 19, 2023 by argent77

[Endarire]

To clarify, what are the notable negatives and positives to playing IWD in EET and TotLM separately versus together?

Thankee!

[argent77]

5 hours ago, Endarire said:

To clarify, what are the notable negatives and positives to playing IWD in EET and TotLM separately versus together?

If TotLM-in-BG2 is installed together with IWD-in-EET then some parts are overridden by IWD-in-EET, but nothing that may cause problems.

Some creatures will retain their original IWD_EET behavior, e.g. creature XP, creature animations (e.g. revenants in the Watchknight Tomb), and maybe also some creature behavior but only minor stuff. Some items found in the areas or looted from creatures may also be different.

[Endarire]

Does TotLM work properly with SCS?  Are creatures generally smarter or/and more difficult in your version?  I'm unsure yet what the advantages are of combining these mods.

Thankee!

[megrimlock]

Both this mod and argent77's v3.1 of TotLM have to be installed after tipun's Icewind EET. As I understood it from the Russian thread, tipun suggested putting the IWD1 and IWD2 data at the start of an EET install, and then his Icewind EET mod at pretty much the end (just before Worldmap mod). But his example did not include spells, kits or tweaks. Where are you putting the trio of IcewindEET > TotLM > IWD-EET-Integration in your overall install order?