Announcing Love Conquers All (LCA) – Corwin Romance Mod for EET

[LCAMod]

Playtest builds are available here. If you are interested in helping test let me know: Releases · LCA-EET/LCA (github.com)

Enjoy!

[Endarire]

Thankee for the update!

[megrimlock]

Ok so I tried to play through this and hit a wall. I installed it on a vanilla EET installation, nothing else installed at all.

I got the dagger and Corwin joined the party just fine, played through until the first bug I noticed: on meeting Drizzt after leaving the Underdark, Corwin makes an approving comment if you ask Drizzt to help against Bodhi and then she just... disappears. If you don't ask him for help she stays in party fine and you can continue.

The second bug though I couldn't get past. After defeating Irenicus in Hell, I got the cutscene in Temple of Rillifane with Ellesime congratulating me, then watched the Irenicus in Hell movie, and then it cut back to me and Corwin alone in the Temple of Rillifane... and there is no door to get out, and she doesn't say anything even when PID'd. I tried use console to exit to Suldanesselar, I tried consoling to go back to the congrats scene (AR2812), no dice. I tried consoling to Baldur's Gate, but it just treats me like I'm entering it for the first time (Scar introduces himself at the doors of the Flaming Fist, etc). So, I'm stuck before getting to the real meat of the mod...

I started this game in SoD rather than BG1, could that be causing it by messing with a conditional which is supposed to trigger the return to Baldur's Gate at this point?

Edited August 26, 2023 by megrimlock

[LCAMod]

4 hours ago, megrimlock said:

Ok so I tried to play through this and hit a wall. I installed it on a vanilla EET installation, nothing else installed at all.

I got the dagger and Corwin joined the party just fine, played through until the first bug I noticed: on meeting Drizzt after leaving the Underdark, Corwin makes an approving comment if you ask Drizzt to help against Bodhi and then she just... disappears. If you don't ask him for help she stays in party fine and you can continue.

The second bug though I couldn't get past. After defeating Irenicus in Hell, I got the cutscene in Temple of Rillifane with Ellesime congratulating me, then watched the Irenicus in Hell movie, and then it cut back to me and Corwin alone in the Temple of Rillifane... and there is no door to get out, and she doesn't say anything even when PID'd. I tried use console to exit to Suldanesselar, I tried consoling to go back to the congrats scene (AR2812), no dice. I tried consoling to Baldur's Gate, but it just treats me like I'm entering it for the first time (Scar introduces himself at the doors of the Flaming Fist, etc). So, I'm stuck before getting to the real meat of the mod...

I started this game in SoD rather than BG1, could that be causing it by messing with a conditional which is supposed to trigger the return to Baldur's Gate at this point?

Thanks for helping test. I'll fix that Drizzt dialogue (probably screwed up the interject), and take a look at the cutscenes in Rillifane. If you start from SoD, yes, you're going to run into issues during the Return to Baldur's Gate quest. The mod re-uses the areas as they existed at the end of BG1. If you didn't play through BG1, it's going to be... weird, to say the least. It's good that you brought it up though. I'll add some logic to detect when the game is started in SoD, and adjust the area scripts accordingly so you don't run into the issue you just described. I'll let you know when that particular issue is fixed.

Edited August 27, 2023 by LCAMod

[Morgoth]

I don't know how testing is going, it would be cool to have news.

I will say a (probably) controversial thing: it's odd that you've chosen EET as a starting platform for a mod that has to be tested. Personally, if I had to install EET (a platform I personally don't see the gain on using), I wouldn't test mods, I would just prepare my playthrough with stable mods and get through.

As for myself, I had a lot of time these days and I think I would have happy to spend it helping testing your mod; but the reliance on EET made me do other things.

Good luck with the mod, I will be playing it when it's out.

[megrimlock]

I'm going to do a fresh install this time with a few mods which will definitely conflict, and start in BG1.

Jastey's Another Fine Hell, Lava's Skie and Roxanne's Caelar mods almost completely overlap with what this mod is trying to do. I certainly don't mind substituting Roxanne's Caelar rescue for this one. Another Fine Hell is incomplete but it would certainly be nice to make it compatible with this once it gets its mooted BG2 content.

For Skie, I wonder if you could put in a check to see if that mod is installed, and if it is, you alter slightly the bits leading up to Corwin arriving. Avoid two duplicate daggers in Chateau Irenicus, avoid the cutscene of Skie being resurrected in BG, but keep the part where you use Brega to send a letter to Corwin - explicitly to seek help against Skie's killer. Things would work fine from there I think.

The mods I'm going to test against in this run are: Endless BG1, Roxanne's Corwin (makes her playable in BG1 albeit not well written), Cowled Menace and Travellers in Faerun (both of these also return to BG city in SoA). Probably Black Hearts too because of the Illasera connection. Will report how I get on.

Edited August 27, 2023 by megrimlock

[LCAMod]

5 hours ago, Morgoth said:

I don't know how testing is going, it would be cool to have news.

I will say a (probably) controversial thing: it's odd that you've chosen EET as a starting platform for a mod that has to be tested. Personally, if I had to install EET (a platform I personally don't see the gain on using), I wouldn't test mods, I would just prepare my playthrough with stable mods and get through.

As for myself, I had a lot of time these days and I think I would have happy to spend it helping testing your mod; but the reliance on EET made me do other things.

Good luck with the mod, I will be playing it when it's out.

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. The mod makes a lot of references to events in prior games to drive certain dialogues. There's also some reuse of areas that were visited in the prior games, most notably Baldur's Gate, but some other areas as well. There are other reasons, many of which boil down to it was a lot less work to do it this way. 

Testing is moving along. In my playtest (which stated in BG1), I'm almost through the Underdark, so you could say we're somewhere between 25 - 30% through. Megrimlock reported two issues yesterday, one of which was fixed in the release published last night. The other more serious issue will be fixed later this week.

You're not the only person to express concern about the use of EET. Out of curiosity, why is there a reluctance to use it? I'm new to the modding community and would like to hear your thoughts, if you have the time. Thanks again.

[LCAMod]

5 hours ago, megrimlock said:

I'm going to do a fresh install this time with a few mods which will definitely conflict, and start in BG1.

Jastey's Another Fine Hell, Lava's Skie and Roxanne's Caelar mods almost completely overlap with what this mod is trying to do. I certainly don't mind substituting Roxanne's Caelar rescue for this one. Another Fine Hell is incomplete but it would certainly be nice to make it compatible with this once it gets its mooted BG2 content.

For Skie, I wonder if you could put in a check to see if that mod is installed, and if it is, you alter slightly the bits leading up to Corwin arriving. Avoid two duplicate daggers in Chateau Irenicus, avoid the cutscene of Skie being resurrected in BG, but keep the part where you use Brega to send a letter to Corwin - explicitly to seek help against Skie's killer. Things would work fine from there I think.

The mods I'm going to test against in this run are: Endless BG1, Roxanne's Corwin (makes her playable in BG1 albeit not well written), Cowled Menace and Travellers in Faerun (both of these also return to BG city in SoA). Probably Black Hearts too because of the Illasera connection. Will report how I get on.

Thanks, that's more or less what I was planning to do with the Skie mod. Haven't got around to it yet, though. I fixed the issue with the Drizzt dialogue. I used the wrong interject function, which caused Corwin to leave, instead of Drizzt. Working on the other issues you brought up today & this week.

[megrimlock]

To counter-balance Morgoth's post, I've regarded EET as the only way to fly since returning to the BG series a couple of years ago. I would normally have started from BG1 too, just have been doing a lot of test runs recently...

[Lava]

There are many reasons why some (including myself) may prefer to keep BG games separate:

1. There are fewer mods that work on EET, because a grand majority of mods are developed as expansions for a specific game (BGEE, BG2EE, SoD, ToB...)
2. It's easier for me to maintain a properly working installation of BG(2)EE (rather than EET), because there are still new mods developed, and it's normal for bugs to happen. When you play EET and there is a really serious bug, it kinda dooms not just your BG1EE or BG2EE run. It dooms the trilogy run what may be discouraging at best.
3. Some people simply prefer one game to another: I prefer BG2 to BG1. I always did. There is a huge portion of BG1EE I simply dislike. But I wrote SotSC, right? Because I find it hard to like the BG1 portion the way it is and I wanted it to be at least... acceptable, I guess? I know there are people who love how BG1EE gives freedom etc, but... to me, it means I am free to roam a boring world with wilderness areas that have no real quests, no interesting encounters, or places to loot, no characters to talk to. Important parts like Ulcaster Ruins do not offer much to me. So, as I play 1 BG1EE run per 4 BG2EE runs (more or less), then who should I install EET? To skip BG1EE portion most of the time? And yes, I know there are people who love BG1EE more than they do BG2EE. But there is also no reason why they should play EET. But that doesn't mean I dislike characters the first part of the game or Siege introduce: like Skie. Or Glint. Or many others. It's just... I would rather see new content for them in BG2 rather than see the same talks in BG1EE / SoD.
4. And finally, there are just some who don't want to spend more time on installing EET, because they never needed "continuous NPCs" or stuff like that. 

I think it's quite obvious that to me point 3 is most important. So yeah, once I see a mod is EET-only, that means I simply won't play it. And I am not saying I "EET is bad". It's just not the way some players (me included, as I am not only a modder, but I do play the game, too) want to experience the trilogy. I am sure there are also other reasons, not just those I mentioned.

That's because you asked. Cool to see new mods that introduce SoD characters into SoD, but due to requirements, I suppose this one will be mostly enjoyed by EET fans rahter than those like me.

[LCAMod]

1 hour ago, Lava said:

There are many reasons why some (including myself) may prefer to keep BG games separate:

1. There are fewer mods that work on EET, because a grand majority of mods are developed as expansions for a specific game (BGEE, BG2EE, SoD, ToB...)
2. It's easier for me to maintain a properly working installation of BG(2)EE (rather than EET), because there are still new mods developed, and it's normal for bugs to happen. When you play EET and there is a really serious bug, it kinda dooms not just your BG1EE or BG2EE run. It dooms the trilogy run what may be discouraging at best.
3. Some people simply prefer one game to another: I prefer BG2 to BG1. I always did. There is a huge portion of BG1EE I simply dislike. But I wrote SotSC, right? Because I find it hard to like the BG1 portion the way it is and I wanted it to be at least... acceptable, I guess? I know there are people who love how BG1EE gives freedom etc, but... to me, it means I am free to roam a boring world with wilderness areas that have no real quests, no interesting encounters, or places to loot, no characters to talk to. Important parts like Ulcaster Ruins do not offer much to me. So, as I play 1 BG1EE run per 4 BG2EE runs (more or less), then who should I install EET? To skip BG1EE portion most of the time? And yes, I know there are people who love BG1EE more than they do BG2EE. But there is also no reason why they should play EET. But that doesn't mean I dislike characters the first part of the game or Siege introduce: like Skie. Or Glint. Or many others. It's just... I would rather see new content for them in BG2 rather than see the same talks in BG1EE / SoD.
4. And finally, there are just some who don't want to spend more time on installing EET, because they never needed "continuous NPCs" or stuff like that. 

I think it's quite obvious that to me point 3 is most important. So yeah, once I see a mod is EET-only, that means I simply won't play it. And I am not saying I "EET is bad". It's just not the way some players (me included, as I am not only a modder, but I do play the game, too) want to experience the trilogy. I am sure there are also other reasons, not just those I mentioned.

That's because you asked. Cool to see new mods that introduce SoD characters into SoD, but due to requirements, I suppose this one will be mostly enjoyed by EET fans rahter than those like me.

I appreciate your insight, and I agree that it comes down to personal preference. I do plan on making a version of this mod that doesn't require EET, but it won't be ready until late next year. I wish I could have it out sooner, but there are a couple of other projects in the pipeline and my time is limited.

[LCAMod]

5 hours ago, megrimlock said:

To counter-balance Morgoth's post, I've regarded EET as the only way to fly since returning to the BG series a couple of years ago. I would normally have started from BG1 too, just have been doing a lot of test runs recently...

Update: the transitions from SoA to Baldur's Gate have been fixed, and are included in the current playtest release. Thanks for reporting the issue.

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by LCAMod

[Morgoth]

1) I see no appeal on going back to old areas where no one will react to you; nor any point to stash things in a secure place in bg1 (saw a few players here suggesting this) to avoid losing your stuff when starting bg2.

2) I see no appeal on continuous npc(s). I think I considered feeding a manual only to Xzar to dual class him to cleric (and I still haven’t given any manual to him or anyone else to this day).

3) I start my games on BG1 to end in ToB (usually). My playthroughs take long, because I do them once in a while (I would say 1 every 2 years), so I’m going to explore every tidbit and cranny. I also experience dialogues slowly and take time to read them.
If I take 6 months to play Bg1, you can be sure that in the meanwhile new mods and updates for the mods I’ve been using will be released. So why would I force myself to install it everything at once, while I can do it months later to get a better experience?

4) If someone in particular, that has good mods, releases a peculiar mod that I have absolutely to try, I don’t need to stop my current install and I can risk (and I did it more than once and it worked well) to install the “new” mods on my current install, even if they are in the last line of Weidu, and may not benefit the slick of features added by other mods.  But I've got a choice. With EET_end discussions I read around, I’m not sure that’s possible for EET.

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by Morgoth

[LCAMod]

8 hours ago, Morgoth said:

1) I see no appeal on going back to old areas where no one will react to you; nor any point to stash things in a secure place in bg1 (saw a few players here suggesting this) to avoid losing your stuff when starting bg2.

2) I see no appeal on continuous npc(s). I think I considered feeding a manual only to Xzar to dual class him to cleric (and I still haven’t given any manual to him or anyone else to this day).

3) I start my games on BG1 to end in ToB (usually). My playthroughs take long, because I do them once in a while (I would say 1 every 2 years), so I’m going to explore every tidbit and cranny. I also experience dialogues slowly and take time to read them.
If I take 6 months to play Bg1, you can be sure that in the meanwhile new mods and updates for the mods I’ve been using will be released. So why would I force myself to install it everything at once, while I can do it months later to get a better experience?

4) If someone in particular, that has good mods, releases a peculiar mod that I have absolutely to try, I don’t need to stop my current install and I can risk (and I did it more than once and it worked well) to install the “new” mods on my current install, even if they are in the last line of Weidu, and may not benefit the slick of features added by other mods.  But I've got a choice. With EET_end discussions I read around, I’m not sure that’s possible for EET.

 

Thanks for sharing your insight. In this mod (at least), the reactions to the player change. There are new things to do. It doesn't invalidate your point, of course.

[Trouveur80]

8 hours ago, Morgoth said:

4) If someone in particular, that has good mods, releases a peculiar mod that I have absolutely to try, I don’t need to stop my current install and I can risk (and I did it more than once and it worked well) to install the “new” mods on my current install, even if they are in the last line of Weidu, and may not benefit the slick of features added by other mods.  But I've got a choice. With EET_end discussions I read around, I’m not sure that’s possible for EET.

 

The same can be done in an EET install, if the mod is EET compatible of course.

 

I use BGEE and BG2EE, or EET for my playthrough, each install is for one specific run. This way I don't install too many NPC.

Why do I use EET sometimes ?

1 - when you use a custom kit, importing from BGEE to BG2EE can be messy. With EET there is no problem.

2 - continous NPC : I like to have them how I leveled them, that they are still dead if killed, that they still have their XP and killing stats, still have their spellbook with the spells I found...

3 - Some quests are EET only like the Cowled Menace.

4 - I prefer EET worldmap to BGEE one.

5 - no need to install SCS and others slow to install mods two times for one playthrough.

 

I usually play separate games when I want to try a new mod not EET compatible yet.