item mod [Item Mod BG:EE] Akun's Gear

[Endarire]

EET is available here.

Unlike most BG mods, EET has a few parts:

-Mods installed before EET Start AKA EET Core.

-EET Start

-Mods installed after EET Start/EET Core but before EET End.

-EET End.

-Mods installed after EET End.

Thus, in, effect, EET acts as an outline or a skeleton or a framework for mods.

Now, some players don't care about some of the intervening bits.  For example, some players install no mods before EET Start or after EET End, even though the option to do so is there.

[jmerry]

You don't have to have EET installed to build for EET compatibility; that just makes testing it easier. There's a guide to updating your mods to support the platform here: https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/topic/27751-converting-existing-mods-to-support-eet/. The main issue is that a bunch of BG1 resources - particularly areas - get renamed for EET because their original names overlap with BG2 resources. And the main solution for that is the "cpmvars" library, replacing direct references to those resources with variables that evaluate to one version or another.

In your case? Since you're inserting the items at a store, no explicit EET compatibility code is needed. Erdane's store is ERDANE.STO in both BGEE and EET. You just need to update your GAME_IS check to allow both BGEE and EET ... that is, if you had a GAME_IS check in the first place.

So, based on my look at things, your mod should work fully on EET even with no changes. The only related change I'd recommend is to add a GAME_IS check (allowing BGEE and EET), so that people don't try to install this on BG2EE (and error out when ERDANE.STO doesn't exist).

 

[jastey]

3 hours ago, jmerry said:

so that people don't try to install this on BG2EE

I can only recommend a GAME_IS check. Players try really funny things at times. No offence meant, but I got weird bug reports for a - clearly - BG1 mod and it turned out someone tried to install it to BGII. I'm adding GAME_IS checks to all my mods now.

[Incrementis]

Thank you for all the valuable information so far!

I'm sure this will help the mod and of course future mods (the better my modding skills get, the better the chance for higher quality).

If I find time, I'll work through it and make the necessary changes (As I've already noticed, I like it when I understand things deeper and better, even if it's not always necessary).

 

[Incrementis]

Ok, the issue with compatibility is resolved as follows:

• If a compatibility is not certain, a warning is displayed.
• If there is an incompatibility, an error is displayed and the installation will be canceled.

The compatibility check was carried out with the following games:

WARNINGS:

 

Spoiler

• bg1  
• totsc     
• how     
• totlm     
• tutu    
• tutu_totsc    
•  bgt   
•  ca     
• iwd_in_bg2

Reason: Not supported and tested by me, even if the installation could be successful

ERRORS:

 

Spoiler

• bg2    
• tob    
•  iwd2   
•  pst   
•  iwd1   
•  bg2ee   
•  iwdee   
•  pstee

Reason: Testing gives an error during installation, so it makes sense to intercept the installation of these games beforehand.

 

@Endarire the EET compatibility test was a success. This means that the mod is usable for EET.

I even wrote a very simple installation guide for EET in combination with the "Akun's Gear" mod.

 

[Endarire]

@Incrementis
Thankee!  Alleluia!

[Incrementis]

There is a new version update that includes:

• The English description texts for all items have been improved.
• The extension of the files is changed to be able to separate their functionality.
• This fixes a link in the readme file.

After clarifying some TODOs in my modding notes, this was the result (Nice for future use, but not very relevant.)

[Incrementis]

v1.3.26 is out.

Updates:

• Improves source code for better maintenance
• Correctes EET quick installation guide (SoD installation is required)
• Change tpa in lib folder to tph
• Deletes unnecessary file
• Adds additional compatibility and operating system information to the readme file
• Moves the backup folder when the mod is reinstalled
• Names files with prefix and adds .tra files for messages
• Adds an INI file for Project Infinity

[subtledoctor]

1 hour ago, Incrementis said:

Change tpa in lib folder to tph

Curious about this choice. TBH I’ve never really understood the file extension naming conventions in this regard. 

[Incrementis]

1 hour ago, subtledoctor said:

Curious about this choice. TBH I’ve never really understood the file extension naming conventions in this regard. 

The idea behind it is that it serves similarly to a header file, for example found in the C++ programming language.

The difference is that WeiDU doesn't offer classes (as far as I know), but here a TPH file contains functions defined.

An example could be self-created libraries(I mainly use TPH files for this).

Such functions are usually called in other files, e.g. tp2.

Of course the whole thing isn't as strict as I describe it, because a library could use one of its internal functions for another of its own functions, but yes, that's the idea.

[Connelly]

I noticed during an install several mods complaining about a parsing error with ITEMCAT.IDS, though it wasn't causing an install error. Warlock for example gives me this:

//[ITEMCAT] LEXER ERROR at line 40 column 1-3
//Near Text: !
//    invalid character [!]
//WARNING: error parsing ITEMCAT.IDS: Parsing.Parse_error
//[ITEMCAT] LEXER ERROR at line 40 column 1-3
//Near Text: !
//    invalid character [!]
//WARNING: error parsing ITEMCAT.IDS: Parsing.Parse_error

Apparently Akun's Gear was the only mod around changing ITEMCAT.IDS, adding a  !_UHILT  entry, that starting  !  being the issue. I have no idea what problems if any it may cause, maybe the veterans would know.

[Incrementis]

6 hours ago, Connelly said:

I noticed during an install several mods complaining about a parsing error with ITEMCAT.IDS, though it wasn't causing an install error.

Thank you for reporting this issue.

I assume that one of the mods parses ITEMCAT.IDS and cause an error regarding the character “!”, since such an error does not occur when installing akun's gear on a clean installation witht the mods I use. Still, I suspect that the name !_UHILT might cause an error when used also in LUA.

As a quick fix I could change the category name to UHILT or UHILT!_, but I need a way to test this. It would help me a lot if you could please tell me which mods you used/use (or maybe you already know which mod is causing this conflict?).

EDIT:

Here is the link for the issue: https://github.com/Incrementis/Akuns-Gear-/issues/19

Edited September 8 by Incrementis
added link to issue

[Connelly]

1 hour ago, Incrementis said:

It would help me a lot if you could please tell me which mods you used/use (or maybe you already know which mod is causing this conflict?).

I am not sure besides Warlock, and I think it might have been ToF too? The installation processes won't stop after showing these message, so it's a blink-and-miss-it situation.

Digging a bit in Warlock's case, it seems this happens during a moment it's looking through dialogue files to see which ones to change to refer to the player as a warlock. This happens while looking at a H_ISLEYD.dlg, which seems to be a journal text file from the Loretakers mod. I got no clue what that one has to do with anything, but I saw a response trigger to include "HasItemCategory", which I imagine compares ITEMCAT.IDS with a wanted entry.

Warlock must have found that HasItemCategory while trawling through dialogues, looked at ITEMCAT.IDS, go "that's weird", and kept going with its works. Which might be harmless in the long run?

[Incrementis]

10 minutes ago, Connelly said:

Warlock must have found that HasItemCategory while trawling through dialogues, looked at ITEMCAT.IDS, go "that's weird", and kept going with its works. Which might be harmless in the long run?

HasItemCategory():

"Returns true if the target object has one or more items of the specified item category in their inventory..."

There are two possible outcomes I can think of:

1. The parser found the item category required to trigger the dialog
2. The parser failed completely due to the !_UHILT warning and the dialog part is now partially or completely corrupted (can't tell).

I apologize for the inconvenience. That wasn't my intention.

I will also try installing the mod and check if changing the name !_UHILT to UHILT!_ doesn't result in a parsing error.

I assume this is the warlock mod you mentioned?

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/69177/v1-72-warlock-mod

[Connelly]

Yeah, v2.6 is what I have, straight from the repository: https://github.com/ArtemiusI/Warlock