Detectable Spells

[LadeJarl]

Is the version 1.9 available for download somewhere?

[SimDing0]

I don't think Cam ever put up a standalone download, but you can grab it from Quest Pack.

[CamDawg]

I did, briefly, until I was pre-empted.

[cirerrek]

If I've got my count right, I now have at least three versions of Detectable Spells imbedded in my installation of BG2.

 

The original from many mods, Kelsey, Asencion, Oversight v6, etc.,.

CamDawg's version from the Quest Pack

King Diamond's version form BPDetectable Spells.

 

 

Sigh, all the spells are so detectable now, that I don't even know what I should detect.

 

I can't even delete the effects from the versions that I don't want because other mods rely on those checks.

 

And I still need to add Curse and Faerie Fire from the Divine Remix into DS somewhere.

 

Help!!!!!!!!!!!

[SimDing0]

Cam, you seemed to think the BP Detectable Spells should be used instead of yours? Did you actually check the coding thoroughly, or was it just to avoid conflict? I'd, uh, feel better knowing they'd been properly checked out.

[SimDing0]

Also, now might be a good time to remind everybody of my proposal for Detectable Area Effects, where stuff like Cloudkill creates an invisible CRE which others can run away from.

[CamDawg]

To be honest, no. I've actually never used DS and the only reason I recoded it was for the optional Fixpack component. I shouldn't be the person to look at it anyway--someone who does a lot of coding that needs DS (read: Sim, cirerrek, Xyx, etc.) should really be the person to see if the package is getting it right and, to be fair, they should also look over my version for the same reason.

 

I've had a few people express reservations over the BP package and requested that I continue to maintain mine. Ideally, I'd like to see one package just to end the silliness of umpteen distributions, which is why I tried to invite the BP folks to collaborate. That's also why we discussed adding it to the Fixpack as an optional component in the first place.

 

As for expanding it, I've had a few folks who wish to extend it to more items/effs/etc. and are willing to contribute code. But again my priority remains unification, rather than fragmentation, of the package.

[Ghreyfain]

So if yours proves to be least buggy, couldn't we just CALL it the BPDetectable Spells package and let KD distribute it?

[cirerrek]

I've been through Cam's and KD's version of DS fairly thoroughly and as far as I can tell, they both work slicker than snot. Although, I will say that I'm not the world's most brilliant WeiDU coder or programmer, so I may be missing something important.

 

The only reservations that I have about KD's version is documentation. It's there for KD's version, but it is sort of haphazard. Part of Horred's documents and some comments in the .tp2 code by KD for the changes he has made.

 

The only reservations I have about Cam's version is it is not stand alone (well, not at the moment) and I'd have to look back again and see how much documentation there is for Cam's version also.

 

The upshot is that (based on a coin toss) I'm in the process of re-coding the eSeries to use KD's version of DS. I'm hoping this will be the last time I have to do that!

 

That still begs the question of what we do with the new spells with affects that should be detectable.

 

I guess we approach KD as see what he thinks. And maybe somenoe offers up to put together some pretty documentation that can be distributed with his version of DS.

 

If he is not responsive then, well, we work out a plan B.

 

Cheers

[King Diamond]

I guess we approach KD as see what he thinks.  And maybe somenoe offers up to put together some pretty documentation that can be distributed with his version of DS.

 

(a copy of PM from SpellholdStudios) ----------------------

 

My version is just a WeiDU-ized version of the last available one from Horred. Nothing more. So I'm not sure if talking about 'old' and 'new' versions is correct here.

 

The one and only difference between them is that I took care ONLY on original BG2/ToB spells because of all custom mods can introduce already DSed spells and items. If they need to they should prepare everything and make that. My WeiDU version just makes a basic thing - inplements DS system into the game.

For example, if you'll take a look at my TDD revised version, you'll see that all detectable spells just have all necessary effects already implemented. If the mod will work without DS mod, that stuff won't be active. But a simple installation of DS mod and not yet available new BP (that uses that system) will activate them.

 

So it is not necessary to add any new stuff into the DS mod - it's up to each modder just to use it adding new detectable stuff into HIS mod.

 

And about the comments. I'm not inventing anything new. There's a description of the system from Horred. Is it necessary to have something else?

-------------------------------

[the bigg]

My reservations with KD's version is that it's not predicated (you should put there a placeholder file and require that it's missing before patching), and that it contains some instances of COPY* +, which destroys backup process, which is very bad.

 

I've tweaked Cam's version (which he gently lent me, after implementing the table idea) so that it can also detect effects from items (either equiped or a specific header), specific EFFs, and some additional thoughts (such as implicit ALLOW_MISSING, thank to ACTION_IF FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME EVALUATE_BUFFER ~%filename%~)

[SimDing0]

Yes, I was going to mention that there are probably some spells which call EFFs which need to be detectable, which would make coding a whole lot more awkward. Are you saying you've dealt with that?

 

The important thing here is that both KD's and Cam's/bigg's both use the same states for everything. If they're both based on Horred's spells, then that's fine. I'd suggest that the version with items and EFFs included would be a better starting point for a standard package. From there, it's just a matter of getting older mods like Kelsey and Ascension updated.

[CamDawg]

The only reservations I have about Cam's version is it is not stand alone (well, not at the moment) and I'd have to look back again and see how much documentation there is for Cam's version also. 

I actually do have a standalone version, it just got pulled. I updated it to use KD's table lookup idea (very slick) with my original effect cloning. The upshot is that my docs are now all wrong, but it's the same version as BP. I'm in the process of updating the docs to account for the BP system and the bigg's changes.

 

the bigg made several additions at the request of Xyx and the RtW team; I believe it's now more his than 'mine'. . We've added it to our open development wiki (yes, a wiki) so that anyone can contribute additions and changes. (Username and password are the same as the forums; it's entitled 'Detectable Affects' on the wiki.)

 

edit: an actual link to the wiki may be helpful.

[the bigg]

the bigg made several additions at the request of Xyx and the RtW team; I believe it's now more his than 'mine'. . We've added it to our open development wiki (yes, a wiki) so that anyone can contribute additions and changes. (Username and password are the same as the forums; it's entitled 'Detectable Affects' on the wiki.)

 

edit: an actual link to the wiki may be helpful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, I only added the code to handle .itm and .eff (which I invented for RtW a while ago), the actual ITM and EFF files to be detected are to be added to the lists (effects.2da and cddetect.2da respectively). Anybody interested start adding your own lists - while I'm asking Xyx for his wishes.

 

And BTW, I consider it a community asset - back from the time of Kensai Ryu and Vulgar Zildrah

[CamDawg]

And BTW, I consider it a community asset - back from the time of Kensai Ryu and Vulgar Zildrah 

I couldn't agree more--one of the reasons we wanted to include it as an optional Fixpack component was so that every mod wouldn't have to keep their own copy; they could just say that it requires the DS component from Fixpack to be installed.