Using DLTCEP: Odd Assertion Error

[malthaussen]

I created some weapons for IWD2 by the simple expedient of loading an already extant item and modifying it slightly. For example, I took the Everlast and made it Eversure, adding a +5 Thac0, 5 magic rating, and +1 damage. Those are the only changes made to the base file, which was then saved under a different name.

 

When I try to shoot the thing, I get an assertion error, specifically in "ObjCreatureAI.cpp at line number 10238." For other objects, the game might lock up completely, forcing a reboot. I have proofread diligently, but cannot find errors in the items, which have very simple changes.

 

A quick search of this forum turned up no other instances of this kind of deviltry, so while I worry the thing this way and that trying to divine where I am making a mistake, I thought I'd post on the forum and see if anyone knew what was going wrong. It's pretty irritating.

 

Update: Now, this is puzzling indeed. I took the Everlast arrow (00arow91) and changed nothing, then saved it under a different filename (zzlrmt). And lo and behold, the error asserts again. This is weird, Johnson. Armor I have created and saved works just as expected, but the weapons are blowing up for no apparent reason.

 

Well, naturally I had to fiddle with this some more. So I modified the Everlast with the listed changes, plus some fire and acid damage, changed the text for the item description, and saved the thing as 00arow91 (having of course previously backed up the Everlast's normal data). And it works perfectly. Aaargh. I know it is possible to create NEW weapons for IWD2, not just overwrite old ones, because I have Weimer's addon that does exactly that. So what am I doing wrong?

 

I'm posting here since there's nobody over at the DLTCEP site.

 

-- Mal

[Smoketest]

DLTCEP is written primarily to support BG2 and it's expansion, so people trying to edit BG1 and any of the Icewind Dale games will have issues. (Even people editing BG2 have issues.) As well, Icewind Dale 2 is the least explored of the IE-based games, so that increases the likelihood of problems.

 

Near Infinity does a better job of editing IWD2, despite not officially being updated in awhile. Weimer used NI when making his IWD2 mods (to find offsets for things), which is why they work.

[malthaussen]

It just seems like an odd thing, Smoketest, that DLTCEP creates the items just fine, and that the game can apparently find the filenames for the armor mods just fine, but can't find the weapon mods. I've experimented further, creating several new weapons with the utility and saving them both under an already-extant filename and a new one. In the former case, they work, in the latter they don't. Ya gotta admit, that's weird.

 

Update: and it gets even weirder. Acting on the assumption that the game doesn't like weapons that have filenames beginning with "zz" (which is a stupid assumption, but I was getting desperate here), I re-saved all my (nonworking) weapons under new filenames (EMH1, 2, et seq). And they work perfectly.

 

I need to get drunk. I know the armor files (which do begin with zz) work, because I put damage reduction on them, and they reduce damage. So the game apparently just doesn't like weapon filenames beginning with "zz." It is to laugh (beats crying, anyway).

 

-- Mal