Wondering about the new starting location for Tiax

[Bursk]

I'd like to start by saying that I really love how much better the mod has made BG.

 

I've been having a gander at the new starting locations for NPCs, and I was wondering if there was any particular reason why Tiax was placed where he is. He's on his own on the 2nd floor of a locked building, and yet he greets you by saying 'Cyric has decreed that I seek out the services of one such as thyself'.

 

This seems a little odd to me, since he's clearly not doing a great deal of seeking. What about if he was instead stood on the ground floor of Feldepost's Inn, so that he witnessess your (probable) fight with Marl. This way, his opening dialogue 'one such as yourself' would make more sense, plus an inn might be a good place to meet people to help in his crazy adventure.

 

Hope this type of feedback is useful.

[zodden]

I'd like to start by saying that I really love how much better the mod has made BG.

 

I've been having a gander at the new starting locations for NPCs, and I was wondering if there was any particular reason why Tiax was placed where he is. He's on his own on the 2nd floor of a locked building, and yet he greets you by saying 'Cyric has decreed that I seek out the services of one such as thyself'.

 

This seems a little odd to me, since he's clearly not doing a great deal of seeking. What about if he was instead stood on the ground floor of Feldepost's Inn, so that he witnessess your (probable) fight with Marl. This way, his opening dialogue 'one such as yourself' would make more sense, plus an inn might be a good place to meet people to help in his crazy adventure.

 

Hope this type of feedback is useful.

 

He was standing near garrick in the square in my latest version beta Pro5-2 for BGT. What version are you using?

[pro5]

I guess that the "Move NPCs" component may be different for Tutu and BGT here, because cmorgan might have used code from SCS-BGT - it assigns Tiax different location than BG1NPC-Tutu.

[Kulyok]

Yep, I wondered about this, too: I usually go to pick Tiax, when my party needs a thief. But he is in a *locked* building, and since I lack a thief, I have to take Imoen or Montaron with me all the way, which is sort of annoying. (It's pro5_1 beta version, TUTU). The town square seems a nicer place.

[Bursk]

He's on the second floor of Travenhurst Manor in Beregost (I'm using the latest Tutu version). I just think it would be more logical if he were located near some people.

[berelinde]

All right, if we're talking about moving Tiax, I could stand to see him somewhere more prominent, too.

[cmorgan]

For Tutu, in pro5-2, Tiax is spawned in

COPY_EXISTING ~baldur.gam~ ~override~
 READ_LONG 0x30 non_joined_npcs_off
 READ_LONG 0x34 non_joined_npcs_count
 FOR (i = 0; i < non_joined_npcs_count; i+=1) BEGIN
SET cre_offset = non_joined_npcs_off + i * 0x160
READ_ASCII 0xc + cre_offset ~CREName~
PATCH_IF !(~%CREName%~ STRING_COMPARE_CASE ~_TIAX~) BEGIN
  WRITE_ASCII cre_offset + 0x18 ~FW3321~ #8
  WRITE_SHORT cre_offset + 0x20 306
  WRITE_SHORT cre_offset + 0x22 259
END
 END
 BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES
PRINT @619

(Shorthand, FW3321 at 306.259 ).

 

On the BGT side, I wimped out made the temporally strategic decision to duck the question -

/* Tiax Starts in Beregost */
BEGIN @618
 SUBCOMPONENT @616
 GROUP @598
 REQUIRE_PREDICATE (FILE_EXISTS_IN_GAME ~_sw1h01.itm~) @632 /* Incompatible with BGT: please use the equivalent component in SwordCoastStrategems for BGT */

My intention was to go back this summer and learn from pro5's code, putting appropriate flag files (since pro5 did all the hard work - all I have to do is learn it, understand it, and make the filename changes necessary). I placed it low on the priority order, though, since BGT users already had SCS covering that content .

 

My guess is that SCS moves to a different place. I would check, but I have an older version of SCS (my playtest has gotten put off agan.)

[Domi]

He is there because he's supposedly secretly stashed by Travenhursts (hence they don't want you to snoop around). I don't mind if you'll be moving him, but I had views on Travenhurst forever and ever. Seeing I dropped Shar-teel's quest that was to take place there (partially), I wanted *something* to happen there.

[DavidW]

SCS moves Tiax to the town square in the SW corner of Beregost, if I remember right. (I was trying to mirror the sort of place he turns up at in BG).

[cmorgan]

OK, so why don't we leave him there, but unlock the door?

[berelinde]

Makes sense to me. The added bonus would be that I can copy the code and see why I can't get a door to unlock in Ulgoth's Beard, no matter what I do to it.

[Kulyok]

Makes sense to me, too. Tiax rules all, and then some! Ahem.

[Guest Guest]

But what about this bit 'Cyric has decreed that I seek out the services of one such as thyself'?! Even if the door is unlocked, it still seems like an odd way to greet the party, since he's not doing any kind of seeking.

 

Since Domi has said that his location is logical, how about instead modifying his greeting slightly, so that he says something like 'Cyric told me one such as thyself would seek me out' (with a better choice of words, naturally)?

[Bursk]

Anyone care to comment on the above suggestion?

[Kulyok]

Metagaming-wise, I am happy as long as he is not in the locked building.

 

Roleplaying-wise, I think he is better off in the center of the city.