4-8-2024 status update

[Daeros_Trollkiller]

As I've been going through the mod to rework the things I wanted, I quickly realized just how much of a mess the mod is in it's current state ( at least in terms of how I have structured it, the installation, etc..) and how difficult it would be to rework it without going back to the drawing board.....

So, after hemming and hawing over it for a day or so, that's exactly what I have done.  I'm more or less starting over from scratch.  I want to make this thing as clean and modular as I am able so that in the future, I wont have to do this AGAIN. ><

#1 - I've decided that I will be changing the name of this mod to better reflect what it has in it.  It will simply be named:  "Daeros Trollkiller's Item-Spell-Kit Pack.  No muss, no fuss.  Tentative for now, but after all the complaints I got on the current name not being "accurate as to what the mod does", I figure this will make things quite clear.

#2 - Each and every major component of this mod will be optional.  Just want some more SoD items imported into BG2 and nothing else?  You got it.  How about just some new spells without any other fluff?  You bet.   What about just one of the class kits I plan to add?  That too.  The only planned exceptions to this rule will be the "item upgrade" type of components that rely on one of the others to be installed first, for instance:  SoD item upgrade component will require that you install the additional SoD item component.  (otherwise there would be nothing to upgrade, and therefore, pointless to install)

#3 - The item upgrades and new spells are going to be overhauled a good bit.  Also plan to add some altogether new items of my own creation.  Don't expect much of the old upgrades, spells, or their recipes to stay the same.  Some certainly will, however.  I'm doing this in response to feedback I've received, as well as changes I simply want to make.  My overall goal with these remains them same: keep it interesting, useful, and not overpowered.  I've brainstormed quite the list already for this part.

#4 - The aforementioned class kits: I've already created one of these awhile back for the Ranger that I plan to add, and have some ideas for a few others IF I can make them work the way I want them to.

 

 Progress thus far:

First component I've been working on is a simple addition of more SoD items to BG2 (and later, perhaps adding some to IWD as well).  Made good headway on it so far, some of the items previously imported have been stripped, but not a lot.  Another new thing I will be doing here:  I plan to bring these into BG2 in the same manner Beamdog did for the SoD items they already import.  This way, it can feel more "natural" for folks who want to be able to import their save from SoD into BG2 and only have the SoD items that they actually had on them imported into BG2.  For folks like myself, who don't like relying on that mechanic, there will be an optional component to force the import of the new SoD items, along with the old SoD items, in a similar manner as I had before, wherein there will be sub-component options to choose between the mutually exclusive items, such as the Dragonscale Armor or the Dragonscale Shield +3, since you can only get one or the other in a single playthrough of SoD.

 

Phew... that was a lot to say, but this is going to be a lot of work.

P.S. - forgot to add:  If I can remember, I might post of the .tp2 of the mod from time to time as a means of allowing modders with more skill than I to chime in on ways I could write it, or parts of it, better.  I still consider myself to be very much on the novice level compared to others here on G3.

Edited April 9 by Daeros_Trollkiller
addenum

[morpheus562]

With the updates to the new item adds and SoD imports, are you going to be doing any checks to ensure compatibility with other mods that do the same?

[Thacobell]

Pure Chad move.

[Daeros_Trollkiller]

57 minutes ago, Thacobell said:

Pure Chad move.

Don't know whether that's meant to be a compliment or insult, but... thanks?

[Daeros_Trollkiller]

13 hours ago, morpheus562 said:

With the updates to the new item adds and SoD imports, are you going to be doing any checks to ensure compatibility with other mods that do the same?

New items, spells, etc... will have my registered prefix in the filenames, so unless someone else is using it in their mods, that will cover those.  For SoD and other pre-existing items, each %filename%.itm is checked to see if it already exists before installing.  Outside of that, I dont know each and every mod by heart, so I'll have to depend on my own playtesting and community feedback to sort out incompatibilities.  I can't account for every single mod out there, but the most popular ones, like tweaks, shouldn't be a problem.

 

That's why I am planning to post up the .tp2 from time to time, if another modder such as yourself sees something I could do better to make it more compatible, I would be grateful for the feedback on it.

[morpheus562]

1 hour ago, Daeros_Trollkiller said:

Outside of that, I dont know each and every mod by heart, so I'll have to depend on my own playtesting and community feedback to sort out incompatibilities.  I can't account for every single mod out there, but the most popular ones, like tweaks, shouldn't be a problem.

 

That's why I am planning to post up the .tp2 from time to time, if another modder such as yourself sees something I could do better to make it more compatible, I would be grateful for the feedback on it.

When I made Forgotten Armament a year or so ago, your mod was not one I used but one I ensured compatibility with.

Here are the locations for all net new items I add: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/ITEM-LOCATIONS.md

This lists the items coming from IWD and the .cre/.sto files they are attached to: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/forgotten-armament/components/add_items_iwd.tpa

This lists the items coming from NWN2 and the .cre/.sto files they are attached to: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/forgotten-armament/components/add_items_nwn.tpa

[Thacobell]

2 hours ago, Daeros_Trollkiller said:

Don't know whether that's meant to be a compliment or insult, but... thanks?

Haha, compliment. I've never heard that used in a negative context before.

[Daeros_Trollkiller]

1 hour ago, morpheus562 said:

When I made Forgotten Armament a year or so ago, your mod was not one I used but one I ensured compatibility with.

Here are the locations for all net new items I add: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/ITEM-LOCATIONS.md

This lists the items coming from IWD and the .cre/.sto files they are attached to: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/forgotten-armament/components/add_items_iwd.tpa

This lists the items coming from NWN2 and the .cre/.sto files they are attached to: https://github.com/Gibberlings3/Forgotten-Armament/blob/main/forgotten-armament/components/add_items_nwn.tpa

Thank you for this, I understand what you mean now.  And yes, I do my best to take other items from mods into account (the ones I'm familiar with, anyway), when it comes to placement.

I wasn't planning on changing placement much for the imported stuff, so if you've already accounted for them in Forgotten Armament, we shouldn't have too many issues.  I'll add your mod to my list of mods I use for playtesting.

[Daeros_Trollkiller]

16 minutes ago, Thacobell said:

Haha, compliment. I've never heard that used in a negative context before.

Guess I'm showing my age.... man it's weird being on this side of the spectrum.  I appreciate the kudos