SubtleMods: Combat Skills and Proficiencies

[subtledoctor]

With great apologies: a typo snuck into a shared function library and affected a number of mods that use a dialogue to select proficiencies.

It is fixed in version 1.2.

[subtledoctor]

A small update to v1.3.1 improves the proficiencies-by-dialogue system, and also handles weapons messing with proficiency 109 caused by mods using outdated versions of Detectable Spells (lookin’ at you, aTweaks)

Edited October 27, 2023 by subtledoctor

[Granger77]

Hey subtledoctor!

I am setting up an EET run, and am receiving the following error when installing this mod, specifically component 30:

 

//ERROR: No translation provided for @12389
//[weidu_external/Combat_Skill_Proficiencies/compile/d5cs110.d]  ERROR at line 13 column 1-117
//Near Text: @12389
//    Not_found
//ERROR: parsing [weidu_external/Combat_Skill_Proficiencies/compile/d5cs110.d]: Not_found
//ERROR: compiling [weidu_external/Combat_Skill_Proficiencies/compile/d5cs110.d]!
//Stopping installation because of error.
//Stopping installation because of error.
//ERROR Installing [Combat Skill Points], rolling back to previous state
//Will uninstall 1255 files for [Combat_Skill_Proficiencies\Combat_Skill_Proficiencies.tp2] component 30.
//Uninstalled    1255 files for [Combat_Skill_Proficiencies\Combat_Skill_Proficiencies.tp2] component 30.
//ERROR: Not_found
//Please make a backup of the file: Setup-Combat_Skill_Proficiencies.debug and look for support at: SubtleD
//Automatically Skipping [Combat Skill Points] because of error.
//Using Language [English]
//[.\lang\en_us\dialog.tlk] created, 362248 string entries
//NOT INSTALLED DUE TO ERRORS Combat Skill Points

 

I've searched, and tried multiple times with clean installs and it always reaches this result. I'm a severe noob to modding, so I apologize if there was a simpler way to troubleshoot this.

[jmerry]

So that says that there was a reference to string number 12389, but no actual string at that number so it couldn't resolve. And checking (English) setup.tra, yup. No @12389.

The reference to @12389 is in the combat skills component, at line 4132:

COPY ~d5/d5cs110.d~ ~weidu_external/%MOD_FOLDER%/compile/d5cs110.d~
  PATCH_IF (FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME ~d5ctp00.spl~) BEGIN
    REPLACE_TEXTUALLY 
~~~~~GOTO d5cs110_9.+$~~~~~
~~~~~GOTO d5cs110_10     // Shadowstep
 IF ~GlobalGT("D5CS110J","GLOBAL",0) OR(2) Global("D5CSI0","LOCALS",0) Global("D5CSI0","LOCALS",2)~ THEN REPLY @12389 GOTO d5cs110_10     // Cantrips %WNL%~~~~~
  END

The .D file is defined inline; this bit extends it with an extra bit, if a certain marker file is detected. That extra bit is for cantrips, and its text is not defined. Oops.

So until this oversight is corrected, this combat skills component is incompatible with the component in one of @subtledoctor's other mods that adds cantrips.

[Granger77]

Ahh okay, that makes a bit more sense; I do indeed have the cantrip components installed from subtle's other mods.

Thanks for explaining that, jmerry!

[subtledoctor]

Which is so weird, because I have both installed on my own game right now! Teri the thief in IWD just used this skill to learn to use cantrips! (And it is super useful for a thief.)

Maybe there was a regression somewhere. At any rate, it is fixed in version 1.3.3.

[Granger77]

Oh wow, yea, that is weird.

Well, at least the fixed worked! Many thanks!

[Lasagnacat10]

Just a question on this mod.

 

I absolutely love nearly everything about this mod. The idea is excellent, the options are interesting, and it overall feels just plain cool.

However, my question is whether this mod has an option to retain the original two-weapon-fighting style. I feel like the other styles are all nicely buffed, but I would like dual-wielding to stay as it is, preferably. If this is an option, then that's awesome!

 

The other thing I was wondering is whether the THAC0 and damage bonuses from weapon proficiencies can be changed. I like the extra attacks, but would prefer +3 to hit and damage from ***, and +3 to hit and +5 to damage from ****. Is this doable as well?

 

Thanks, and again, awesome mod!

[Enigmajazz]

Hi @subtledoctor

 

I have noticed some bugs with the bonus proficiencies assigned to some classes via cs000 e.g assassins are supposed to get a point in backstab. 

Firstly, the points that are being given are misassigned, presumably because these were changed at some point, so the assassin actually gets a point in dodge. 

Secondly if a character has a bonus point in a skill and takes another point on level up, this seems to add two points to the skill and the minus button does not allow points to be taken away but the number of slots available keeps increasing and can be assigned to other points, potentially giving infinite points. This happens again if further level ups occur and more points are assigned to that skill. 

[subtledoctor]

3 hours ago, Enigmajazz said:

Firstly, the points that are being given are misassigned, presumably because these were changed at some point, so the assassin actually gets a point in dodge. 

Whoops!

3 hours ago, Enigmajazz said:

if a character has a bonus point in a skill and takes another point on level up, this seems to add two points to the skill and the minus button does not allow points to be taken away but the number of slots available keeps increasing

That’s weird. The mod only applies op233 effects - which is the same thing the game engine does when adding proficiency points (you can see these in a savegame editor). So a bug here could be… 1) something to do with the EE 2.6 UI? Or 2) something to do with a UI mod you have installed? Or 3) maybe, something about the timing mode of the bonus point 233 effects? 

The last one is something I can actually check, so I’ll take a look.

[Enigmajazz]

Thanks for looking into this.

It seemed to be the same on the base UI and with UI mods installed.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Enigmajazz

[subtledoctor]

On 11/22/2023 at 6:57 AM, Enigmajazz said:

if a character has a bonus point in a skill and takes another point on level up, this seems to add two points to the skill and the minus button does not allow points to be taken away but the number of slots available keeps increasing

So, I have not forgotten about this. I have been trying to adjust it every which way and it seems beyond fixing. The 2.5/2.6 UI seemingly just cannot handle opcode 233 effects applied with the “increment” parameter. So I will need to either 1) re-think this aspect of the mod and maybe just remove it; or 2) maybe see how Talents of Faerun does this via UI modding and implement a similar solution. 

[Enigmajazz]

Thanks for looking into this I also came to the conclusion that this seems to be inherently broken. I suppose it will be necessary for this to be applied via UI changes or the classes could just get the bonuses directly without using proficiencies

[subtledoctor]

On 11/20/2023 at 9:07 PM, Lasagnacat10 said:

whether this mod has an option to retain the original two-weapon-fighting style. I feel like the other styles are all nicely buffed, but I would like dual-wielding to stay as it is, preferably. If this is an option, then that's awesome!

Sorry this question has been hanging out there for so long, I didn't see it. The short answer is, the way the mod is coded, the SWS and DW style changes in particular are inextricably bound together. It would be quite a bit of work to disentangle them and potentially introduce bugs... I just can't do that right now. You could remove both of those by commenting out the entire SWS/DW section of Combat_Skills_Proficiencies/components/fighting styles.tpa from lines 440 to 810. That may work to just get the shield-fighting and two-hand weapon skills from this mod, leaving the vanilla single-weapon style and dual-wielding.

On 11/20/2023 at 9:07 PM, Lasagnacat10 said:

The other thing I was wondering is whether the THAC0 and damage bonuses from weapon proficiencies can be changed. I like the extra attacks, but would prefer +3 to hit and damage from ***, and +3 to hit and +5 to damage from ****. Is this doable as well?

That is much easier: just find WSPECIAL.2da in your override folder or in Near Infinity, and you can edit those values yourself.

On 11/22/2023 at 6:57 AM, Enigmajazz said:

e.g assassins are supposed to get a point in backstab. the points that are being given are misassigned, presumably because these were changed at some point, so the assassin actually gets a point in dodge. 

Secondly if a character has a bonus point in a skill and takes another point on level up, this seems to add two points to the skill and the minus button does not allow points to be taken away but the number of slots available keeps increasing and can be assigned to other points, potentially giving infinite points.

These issues are fixed in version 1.4. Notably:

• Assassins now get an invisible bonus to backstab multiplier, instead of a bonus to the backstab proficiency
• Archers now get an invisible bonus to ranged thac0 and damage, instead of a bonus to the accuracy proficiency
• Swashbucklers now get an invisible bonus to AC and melee thac0, instead of to those proficiencies
• Swashbucklers no longer get bonuses to the SWS/DW proficiencies
• Halflings no longer get a bonus to the sling proficiency   but they still get two free pips in thrown weapons.

If I can find out how @DavidW is giving free initial pips in Talents of Faerun via UI modding, maybe I will add some more fun bonuses here. But only if it is a pretty surgical technique - I prefer to stay away from UI modding as much as possible, the compatibility situation just isn't great with that stuff.

Edited December 18, 2023 by subtledoctor