Salk

I have no real understanding/direct experience whatsoever about the costs and the required time/effort for maintaining a Forum but I think SHS bandwidth problems would be enormously alleviated by migrating all of its downloads off of its server and find an alternate solution to the current hosting. Practically what skellytz suggested. If the bandwidth is confined to a certain amount, wouldn't it be possible to get a different host at the same cost that would not risk a complete shutdown of the SHS Forum for what is going to soon be two months? The SHS Forum wasn't just the place where you could find links to download hosted mods. There was still activity there in form of feedback, collaborations, questions, and much more. I just hope that once it's online again, we won't have lost the interest/participation of important contributors.

Hello, Bartimaeus! Thanks for the exhaustive answer. What I can say for myself is that I absolutely agree with your stance in this. I think Non-Detection should, as for its description, protect from Divination spells. It seems to me that any other interpretation is a blatant attempt at thwarting the very meaning of the spell. What can be discussed is how to adjust the spell so that it won't be considered awfully overpowered for its level. But that is another matter. And I always believe that playing fair should be a parameter to be held in the highest regard. The fact that the AI enjoys protection from the player's divination spells while the player is not when using the exact same magical defenses is a very undesirable situation. I'm not unfortunately capable of offering you a solution or even an advice about this. You know much more than me what kind of options are available. From what I understand, it seems you are saying there are none that are good. If that is the case, I guess you will have to choose the minor evil. My own preference is having fairness be a priority over the AI sometimes not behaving all that "smart" but I understand I am probably part of a minority. Thanks for all the good work!

Let me see if I understand correctly, SRR's changes are somewhat incompatible with some of SCS's script? If that is so, couldn't SRR have a component that can be installed only after SCS which adjusts the scripts for full compatibility? The advantage being SRR does not need to rely on SCS being updated in order to have the two mods play nice with each other? If I am completely off the mark, my apologies.

Thanks for trying to advocate a much needed change there, skellytz. What you wrote sounds to me like the only viable path, actually. A very sensible take of action for a situation that has needed remedy for many years. I guess we can all agree that, considering the circumstances, SHS was sitting on a ticking bomb. Now it went off but it's hardly surprising.

It seems it uses the icon and animation for Obscuring Mist, making that spell a mix between the original spell and the one SR(R) would replace it with.

I'm currently working on updating this to improve compatibility with IR and IRR and do some other minor adjustments. @MikeX I know you prepared your own updated version but I'd rather have you test this one I am working on. I'd message you privately on SHS but the Forum there has been down for over 4 weeks.

Version 1.5 is out. There has been further polishing and adjustments. There are no more major revisions planned now. This is likely to be the version that might be selected in the future as part of the BG2 Fixpack GTU offers. The download link has been updated. Feedback is always welcome. (e) The version uploaded first had a typo. Now everything should install properly.

Personally, I appreciate enormously what is being done at SHS and am very grateful for the current situation regarding active development for essential modifications (to me, at least) and for the good job at keeping the Forum clean, devoting so much energy and time to maintenance. This has not much to do with what happened, though. The casual visitors of the SHS Forum might be discouraged from visiting again in the future when the Forum is down for 3 weeks and counting. I will of course try to do my share to help out because that's the right thing to do and because I care. The problem, I think, is: if we count ourselves, are we enough?

Putting the forum on "Read Only" would be catastrophic. The activity there is not so low to justify something like that. Capital projects are actively being worked on (BGT, ToBEx AfterLife, Infinity Animations, Baldur's Gate Graphic Overhaul and so many more) and the Forum hosts tools of primary importance like Near Infinity. I understand that eventually the owner(s?) will want to cease support for the place. Perhaps they should start considering a migration or a merge with another IE community forum so that costs may be shared (Pocketplane.net?).

I agree. I seem to recall that both SHS and G3 used to have the same privider so when one was down the other was too but obviously it's no longer the case (thankfully). SHS is probably struggling financially and they cannot afford a similar move away from a deeply unreliable service.

I'm on vacation now but I sincerely hope the SHS Forum will be back online by the time I return home in five days' time. I think it's been down for 9 days as today.

Hi! I have not been able to access the SHS Forum for 3-4 days now. Can others confirm it's been down for quite some time? Thanks!

Hello again. If I may ask more about this StartCutScene() and StartCutSceneEx(), I have now noticed that in SCAR.DLG (BG EE) we have this: SetGlobal("ScarMission","GLOBAL",99) ClearAllActions() StartCutSceneMode() StartCutScene("Scarcut") Here StartCutScene() is used as opposed to StartCutSceneEx(). But then I check starcut.bcs and the script does contain triggers in the first two blocks: IF Global("BQDoor0606","GLOBAL",0) THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId("Scar") // Scar OpenDoor("DOOR0606") MoveToPoint([1487.1291]) EscapeArea() END IF Global("BQDoor0606","GLOBAL",1) THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId("Scar") // Scar MoveToPoint([1487.1291]) EscapeArea() END At this point, I am confused because from what I understood, those two scripts will ignore the triggers and run because the cutscene has been activated with StartCutScene("Scarcut") instead of StartCutSceneEx("Scarcut", TRUE) ? Thanks.

Thanks for your advice, jastey!

jastey, maybe I can ask for your assistance again. Let's say that in a .D file I have the following: IF ~~ THEN BEGIN 2 SAY #15211 IF ~~ THEN DO ~SetGlobal("Captured","GLOBAL",1)ClearAllActions()StartCutSceneMode()StartCutScene("Capcut01")~ UNSOLVED_JOURNAL #26844 EXIT END And let's say that for State 2 up there I want to add another response nearly identical to the existing one (I only want to have a response trigger and a different cutscene) so that it would end up like this: IF ~~ THEN BEGIN 2 SAY #15211 IF ~~ THEN DO ~SetGlobal("Captured","GLOBAL",1)ClearAllActions()StartCutSceneMode()StartCutScene("Capcut01")~ UNSOLVED_JOURNAL #26844 EXIT IF ~!InMyArea(Player3)!InMyArea(Player4)~ THEN DO ~SetGlobal("Captured","GLOBAL",1)ClearAllActions()StartCutSceneMode()StartCutScene("Capcut08")~ UNSOLVED_JOURNAL #26844 EXIT END What WeiDU function should I use? COPY_TRANS? Could you help me figure this out? Thanks.

Oh let me see if I understand this correctly. With StartCutScene() it does not matter what triggers are in the IF section of the block, they behave like they were all True()? If that is the case, I find it very weird and honestly unexpected. Unfortunately it seems the classic engine does not support StartCutSceneEx().

Ok, thank you. I did read the IESDP entry but I am still not sure I understand how it works. Capcut03 has 3 blocks. StartCutScene() would run all 3 of them at the same time and checks the triggers for each one. If true, the response triggers and if not, the block doesn't produce anything, correct? So block3 always triggers. Block1 triggers if Player3 and Player3 are not In the script caller's area. Block2 triggers if Player4 and Player5 are not In the script caller's area. That is, if I understand how StartCutScene() works. How would StartCutSceneEx() change this dynamic?

Hello! Can someone tell me how StartCutSceneEx() works? In BG EE I have this in capcut01: IF True() THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId(Player1) FadeToColor([30.0],0) Wait(1) LeaveAreaLUAPanic("AR0607","",[951.774],NE) // Flaming Fist HQ, ground floor LeaveAreaLUA("AR0607","",[951.774],NE) // Flaming Fist HQ, ground floor SetMasterArea("AR1100") // SW Baldur's Gate (Flaming Fist HQ, Merchant League, Seven Suns) MultiPlayerSync() CreateCreature("FLAME3",[1143.891],N) // Flaming Fist Mercenary CreateCreature("FLAME1",[800.742],E) // Flaming Fist Mercenary CreateCreature("FLAME2",[932.831],NE) // Flaming Fist Mercenary CreateCreature("FLAME4",[1060.668],SW) // Flaming Fist Mercenary ActionOverride("FLAME4",SetDialog("flamc7")) ActionOverride("Chimp5",DestroySelf()) ActionOverride("Fergus",DestroySelf()) ActionOverride("DICKSMOK",SetNumTimesTalkedTo(1)) MultiPlayerSync() StartCutSceneEx("Capcut03",TRUE) END ... and capcut03 is: IF !InMyArea(Player3) !InMyArea(Player4) THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId("FLAME1") // Flaming Fist Mercenary JumpToPoint([678.857]) Face(NE) END IF !InMyArea(Player2) !InMyArea(Player6) THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId("FLAME3") // Flaming Fist Mercenary JumpToPoint([1096.1001]) Face(NWW) END IF True() THEN RESPONSE #100 CutSceneId(Player1) Wait(2) AdvanceTime(TWO_HOURS) FadeFromColor([30.0],0) Wait(4) CreateCreature("ANGELO",[924.598],S) // Angelo Wait(2) ActionOverride("Angelo",MoveToPoint([1018.638])) ActionOverride("Angelo",FaceObject(Player1)) Wait(1) ActionOverride("DICKSMOK",MoveToPoint([1238.723])) ActionOverride("DICKSMOK",FaceObject(Player1)) Wait(2) EndCutSceneMode() ActionOverride("Flame4",StartDialogueNoSet(Player1)) END What happens if instead of StartCutSceneEx("Capcut03",TRUE), I just use StartCutScene("Capcut03")? Thanks!

Thanks.

Hello! The EE games have the AdvanceTime() function but I figure DayNight() can be properly used to advance time too although I fear that it might only truly work when it comes to advancing days, rather than hours. In fact, if I use DayNight(NOON) and the game time is ex. 4 PM, I guess time will be rewound 4 hours. Correct? If that is so, then there is no way to advance time via script for the classic game? Thanks!

Hello again! I was wondering if there is also a quick way to get the str ref from a dialogue state in order to replace the associated text with something else. Case in point: BELLAM.DLG State 1 includes the text "Good day to ya." and that text comes from a specific string reference (in my case 76167). If the string reference was always 76167 it would not be a problem. I just use STRING_SET 76167 ~My new string replacing the original~ but the string reference can be different so I'd need to extract it from the dialog file. Looking at jmerry's advice above and considering that the string I need to change is at State 1 in the BELLAM.DLG file, I thought that I could do something like: COPY_EXISTING ~BELLAM.DLG~ ~override~ READ_LONG 0xc stateoffset READ_STRREF (%stateoffset% + 10) oldstring STRING_SET_EVALUATE %oldstring% ~My new string~ but I am quite sure it's not right or ideal and at the moment I am unable to test it directly so I am just asking for theoretical criticisms and advice. Any suggestions? (e) Tested and not working, as expected. I guess it's because there is no string reference at all there.

Yes, at this point I will just have to wait to see what Item Revisions will do about the Helm of Opposite Alignment. I find Bartimaeus' suggestion to just duplicate IRR's change to be a good solution.

My bad for not checking on this personally. Unfortunately I have much on my plate at the moment.

Yes, thank you, Mike. The way l see it is either IR follows suit with the IRR change or IRR undoes it. If it was an initial choice of course IR's overwriting of original items would need voting down but now it's been like that for many years and it's become accepted. Personally I'd rather see IRR undo it but it's up to Bartimaeus and I'll respect his choice no matter what.

Hello! At the moment, I am not really able to do much investigating or testing but I would like to check with you whether the latest official Item Revisions version introduces helm02_.itm into the game or if it was just Item Revisions Revised's initiative.