BGT Compatability

[Riviera]

I know there were still issues with it on Sept 9th (when the workaround for it was posted in spellholdstudios), but did this latest release fix them?

 

In my last installation (with version 2), I was missing the entire area inside one of the buildings in Beregost, but other than that, I had no problems. I'm not sure if this is related or not to the fixpack, but I bring it up because I heard that was what the incompatability was: removing old bg files.

 

I'm really hoping this has been fixed. If not.. should this still be a problem if I install the fixpack on my bg2 install before BGT?

 

Thanks in advance, and thanks also for the amazing amount of work that seems to have gone into this.

 

The documentation alone of all the issues fixed makes me go

 

(Also makes me lament the lost opportunities for 'sploitation...but oh well. )

[CamDawg]

I know there were still issues with it on Sept 9th (when the workaround for it was posted in spellholdstudios), but did this latest release fix them?

Unfortunately, I don't think it's something we can fix on our end without removing the Exploit to Keep Imported Items At Beginning of SoA fix. At present, I believe you'll still need the workarounds posted over at the BGT forum on SHS. The alterations to tele700.bcs have been removed, as we were trying to fix something already addressed by the official patch. I believe the tele700.bcs issues only had an effect when BGT was combined with other BP mods, but I'm not familiar enough with the BP series to say that with confidence. Hopefully seanas, KD, erubasant, or one of the other BP folks can come by and confirm/deny my supposition.

 

In my last installation (with version 2), I was missing the entire area inside one of the buildings in Beregost, but other than that, I had no problems. I'm not sure if this is related or not to the fixpack, but I bring it up because I heard that was what the incompatability was: removing old bg files.

No BG resources are removed, and certainly not tilesets. Beta 1 was blanking leftover BG dialogues but that caused severe issues with CtB and so was removed in beta 2. Beta 3 blanks two BG area scripts that are assigned to BG2 areas, but that shouldn't be causing the issue you're describing (and is new to beta 3 anyway).

 

I'm really hoping this has been fixed. If not.. should this still be a problem if I install the fixpack on my bg2 install before BGT?

In general, Fixpack should go before mods but BGT may be an exception. I believe we may need to wait for the BGT folks to make a recommendation here.

[Riviera]

Thanks for the quick response.

 

I'm waiting on BG1NPC to be released for BGT before I really get things installed on my game anyway (right now it's waiting with only the official patch on it), so hopefully someone will know which of the two options would be best.

 

I actually didn't know there was an issue at all before I checked the forums yesterday evening. As I said, I had the fixpack installed first thing after the official patch in my last install (as it said to do), then BGT, and I didn't see any bugs other than the one (and I'm still not sure what caused that one.)

[seanas]

I know there were still issues with it on Sept 9th (when the workaround for it was posted in spellholdstudios), but did this latest release fix them?

Unfortunately, I don't think it's something we can fix on our end without removing the Exploit to Keep Imported Items At Beginning of SoA fix. At present, I believe you'll still need the workarounds posted over at the BGT forum on SHS. The alterations to tele700.bcs have been removed, as we were trying to fix something already addressed by the official patch. I believe the tele700.bcs issues only had an effect when BGT was combined with other BP mods, but I'm not familiar enough with the BP series to say that with confidence. Hopefully seanas, KD, erubasant, or one of the other BP folks can come by and confirm/deny my supposition.

if BGT is installed after the Fixpack (and it's generally recommended that the fixpack be installed first), then you'll either need to edit setup-bg2fixpack.tp2 and remove the following lines:

// remove pause-n-drop exploit to keep imported BG items
COPY_EXISTING ~ar0602.bcs~ ~override~
 DECOMPILE_BCS_TO_BAF
REPLACE_TEXTUALLY ~HideGUI()~ ~ActionOverride(Player1,MakeUnselectable(2147483647)) HideGUI()~
REPLACE_TEXTUALLY ~ActionOverride(Player1,DestroyAllEquipment())~ ~ActionOverride(Player1,MakeUnselectable(0)) ActionOverride(Player1,DestroyAllEquipment())~
 COMPILE_BAF_TO_BCS
 BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

 

OR

 

edit yr AR0602.bcs file in accordance with Ascension64's directions here. if and when a new version BGT is released (but there's no ETA on such a release) there should be a fix for this included; until then however, you need to do some editing yrself.

 

I'm really hoping this has been fixed. If not.. should this still be a problem if I install the fixpack on my bg2 install before BGT?

In general, Fixpack should go before mods but BGT may be an exception. I believe we may need to wait for the BGT folks to make a recommendation here.

KingDiamond has always asserted that BD-weidu (which was a precursor to the Fixpack) could be installed at any point in the mod installation process and still work properly. however, yr best advised to put the Fixpack first - that way, any mod that is dependent upon its fixes (and more than one mod out there presumes that you've got baldurdash - from when the Fixpack derives - installed) will install properly. you can try installing the Fixpack after BGT, but you'll be a guinea pig for the rest of us, so i don't recommend it unless yr willing to hunt down bugs yrself.

 

the longer term solution, as i said, will be a new release of BGT, which will make allowances for ppl having installed this component of the Fixpack prior to installing BGT. until this new release eventuates, however, yr unfortunately stuck with doing some file editing yrself.

[CamDawg]

Fixpack is recommended to go first, but, knowing how few people actually read documentation, we've done our best to code it so it could go anywhere in the order. Again, not that you should, of course.

[pro5]

If the exploit-removal fix was a separate optional component, it would solve the problem? BGT users will be able to just skip it.

 

To be honest, I think all such anti-cheat things should be optional. After all, people who intend to cheat will still cheat and there's nothing you can do to stop it; and those people who never cheat - don't need this fix.

 

Same thing with dragon scripting in Big Picture - anti-cheese scripting is bugged and causes them to attack PC on sight. (Sigh) Why am I forced to install such things I know I won't need? Especially when I need to fix them myself to make it work.

[Chev]

This is telling me BG2 Fixpack is going too far. I don't know of a single problem that is fixed by this. First you would need to know that this could happen and then how to make it work, then you need to deside to use the exploit. No bugs are fixed here, this is a tweak!

[CamDawg]

If the exploit-removal fix was a separate optional component, it would solve the problem? BGT users will be able to just skip it.

Ye olde slippery slope: once we start making components optional, we're going to end up with a package with 300 yes/no prompts, because everyone will want something optional for one reason or another. This strikes me as suboptimal.

 

Does closing exploits strictly qualify for a fixpack? In the majority of cases, no. But they've been a part of every unofficial fixpack effort to date, starting with Baldurdash. We're not going to perform probability estimates on a player unintentionally encountering each one and draw a line in the sand at x%. Keep in mind that these exploits are known because someone, somewhere, encountered them without prior knowledge.

 

If we're closing exploits I think it's better to be full-ass than half-ass.

[Salk]

In general, Fixpack should go before mods but BGT may be an exception. I believe we may need to wait for the BGT folks to make a recommendation here.

 

Actually Ascension64 has already recommended quite some time ago that the Fixpack should be installed just AFTER BGT conversion.

[Andyr]

Seanas posted a few above that it is recommended to install Fixpack before.

[pro5]

In general, Fixpack should go before mods but BGT may be an exception. I believe we may need to wait for the BGT folks to make a recommendation here.

BG2 Fixpack overwrites BGT worldmap upon installation:

/////												  \\\\\
///// mass compile/copy actions actions				\\\\\
/////												  \\\\\
COPY	   // ...
 ~bg2fixpack/copy/worldmap.wmp~ ~override~ // fixed soa worldmap

[Azazello]

Would it possible to change this

REPLACE_TEXTUALLY ~HideGUI()~ ~ActionOverride(Player1,MakeUnselectable(2147483647)) HideGUI()~

 

to this?

REPLACE_TEXTUALLY ~HideGUI() FadeToColor([1.0],0) SetGlobal("NewGame","AR0602",1)~ ~ActionOverride(Player1,MakeUnselectable(2147483647)) HideGUI() FadeToColor([1.0],0) SetGlobal("NewGame","AR0602",1)~

This way, we keep the exploit fix and avoid potential hanging cutscenes when other mods introduce HideGUI() into the script.

[devSin]

I'd be in favor of a more explicit pattern (the "fix" leaves Player1 unselected after the cutscene and does nothing to prevent multiplayer party exploits, so I'm not really a fan of it at all).

[Nythrun]

I tend to agree, actually, though I'm not sure how to guarantee correct patching behavior without demanding an install order here.

[CamDawg]

This way, we keep the exploit fix and avoid potential hanging cutscenes when other mods introduce HideGUI() into the script.

I tend to agree, actually, though I'm not sure how to guarantee correct patching behavior without demanding an install order here.

Sure, I'll make it a more explicit match for v2.

 

I'd be in favor of a more explicit pattern (the "fix" leaves Player1 unselected after the cutscene and does nothing to prevent multiplayer party exploits, so I'm not really a fan of it at all).

Multiplayer is easy enough; just make players2-6 unselectable as well. Can you think of any other way to address this while keeping player1 selected? I know it's an inconvenience, but I still think closing the exploit is important.