temnix

You know, AR2600, Candlekeep, has this enabled. Does it show any differently?

Oh? Doesn't make the night last any longer, though.

As an update, it's definitely something inside ONE of the override folders, some changed files, that cause BOTH setups to fail to start a new game. I don't know how that's possible, but if I rename the modded installation's override folder, i.e. virtually delete it, new games can be started in both folders. The other override doesn't have any bearing on this if renamed.

What is the EXTENDEDNIGHT area type? A few of Beamdog's areas have this checked. When I checked this myself in a previously unvisited area and the time advanced to normal sundown (9 p.m.), the game crashed.

It's not due to having two copies. I've started new games a number of times with this setup, only recently did something change.

This may or may not be mod-related, but it's definitely something I've done to the installation. Both of them. It might have happened to you in just the same way, and then you may be able to tell me the reason. I have the Enhanced Edition installed in two different folders. One is the version I constantly change and update with my mods, the other is relatively clean, I don't touch it. Both use the same resources folder in My Documents, the same saved games, and it helps sometimes to be able to load a game from an unmodified installation to see how that looks and feels without my changes. As I said, I don't install anything in the clean folder, but somehow both of the games crash when I click on "New Game" or "Pregenerate Character." Something gets in the way of character generation, looks like. Since both games do it, it must be something common to them, but I've tried removing the "save" folder, it didn't help, tried removing the "bpsave" folder - and the crash started to give me an error message about informing Beamdog instead of just crashing silently. That's the only half a clue I've got.

The saves, when I returned them, still worked. But I can't start a new game.

@ABlake I don't know if this part of the mod is going to work, actually. And it was half of the mod, so the other half won't be worth releasing without it. I want to bring back the narrator voice-overs for a number of in-game events, for the Enhanced Edition, but Beamdog squashed the sound there in some way that may be permanent. I remixed and improved some of those voice-overs so they would even be a step up for the classic games, but if I can't get them to play in EE, the idea falls apart. I'm waiting for some feedback from a knowledgeable guy on why the "You may not rest here. Either find an inn or rest outside." message and others don't speak there (string 16499) and whether I can bypass that by using a different string or in some other way. If not, I'm going to drop this whole attempt.

@ABlake Yeah, that's how they look after compiling too, though this is a different pair of brackets. Weidu has this syntax for custom strings in the TRA file: you write, for example, SAY BATTLE_CRY @1 in the tp2 file, and then in the TRA: @1 = ~[BOGEYMAN_BATTLE] Come here and die!~ [BOGEY]. The first brackets aren't obligatory, they are just for game designers' eyes, and the second contain the assigned sound file, if any. This syntax probably works for BG1, but I don't know. Can I get you to test my mod? It's almost ready. I'm restoring some of the narrator's voice-overs for BG:EE, this part would be somewhat redundant for the original, but also rewriting and remixing a bunch of strings and their sounds. "Save successful" will instead read "Recording your progress..." with a custom sound, and so on. I'd like to know if they appear and play properly in BG1. 

9 hours ago, ABlake said:

They will show ingame exactly as you write them in the .tlk.

But sounds can still be attached with [ ]?

@ABlakeAha. Thanks for finding out. Now I know that I'm going to need two sets of string replacers. But wait, do the tags not show at all in game or do they show as the gibberish they are?

I have a notion to bring the original BG1's loading screens to the EE. I think they were lovely and added to the sense of an unfolding narrative. They are not necessary in EE, but a second or two long would not be excessive and it would keep down what instant loading encourages, the tendency to reload again, and again, and again with Quick Load. I think I could make the screens into short WBM movies. But where can I find the pictures?

Thanks a lot, @ABlake I recall now, I think, that in BG1 a detected trap would be just outlined in red, without a message. Is that right? About coloring tags: can you try it with Near Infinity? Just open some string for editing and preface it with ^0x7aE1C09. There is no need for the closing ^. And see if that string appears colored. Can you do that?

I play Enhanced Edition, and it's hard to tell now just which interface strings (messages) Beamdog has kept since Bioware's days and which it has replaced. I'm not going to install the old games just to find out, and I'd like to know for an upcoming mod, for broader compatibility. So, those of you who play either the old BG or Trilogy, please tell me whether the following messages already appear there, exactly as I write them (character case doesn't matter), or do those versions say something else instead:

Trap Detected

Trap Disarmed

You have successfully forced the door open!

LOCKED (for containers and doors)*

You may not rest when your party is scattered.

Destination Unreachable (that's probably a rare one)

Monsters awaken you from your rest.

You cannot save at this time... Monsters are about.

You cannot rest; there are monsters nearby.

You cannot save at this time.

Broken Weapon

Broken Armor

Broken Miscellaneous (upon these items breaking)

* I would appreciate it if you started Near Infinity and looked for this string. In EE there are two strings that say LOCKED in the game, but the second reads "LOCKED[Container]". All of this information will be used to restore and upgrade some of the sounds, but I can only get there through strings, so I need to know what they read. I'll give you credit in the mod.

P.S. Are BG1 and Trilogy compatible with coloring strings in the TRA file with ^ tags? ^0x7aE1C09This is blue and such. With attaching [SOUNDS]?

P.P.S. By the way, what are the VOICE files in the WAV directory of BG and who is VOICE.CRE? Seems to be a quest of some sort, with references to the Claw and Horn of Kazgaroth, I suspect. Something that didn't make it into the final game?

Yes, I'm not the only person to ever have had an idea, Imp. If I claimed that, the next thing I could claim would be being Ao the Overgod. Though, in truth, my mod is a great deal more involved than skipping Candlekeep. Enough about the EEs vs. non-EEs here, though. Let's keep this thread for players who do intend to play the mod and have questions about it. Thanks to @Azazello for his points of view. I think they mostly just add weight to my argument that a rollback mod is needed. Maybe some time later I'll start a thread elsewhere and ask for just what needs to be reversed the most.

It's too much work to revise everything, of course. Especially if there is no telling even what. You'll just have to risk it or play BG:EE.

Not to stray off topic in my own mod's thread, but just what are the principled objections of people to playing the Enhanced Editions? The technology is simply leagues ahead. Those who reject them cheat themselves of a lot of potential, I think, both as players and as modders. Perhaps not in this mod, but I have made some things that simply will not work outside of Beamdog's updated engine. I can think of a couple of fundamental reasons that EEs can't negotiate, like being able to keep globals while playing through Trilogy or the wonderful style of the original BG, loading screens, interfaces, yes, but mostly people seem to be unhappy with the way Beamdog went about changing the gameplay. Ergo, what we need is a rollback mod. To gather ideas about really unfortunate gameplay choices and reverse them. Then most of those who have given up on a future for these games and their tech may be encouraged anew. And we'll be able to ride in the saddle behind Beamdog as they continue to support and, hopefully, expand the functionality. Nobody but a real company has resources for that.

Now why didn't I get a notification for this reply for this thread that I'm following? Administrators?

17 hours ago, Arthas said:

Please, if you can, add compatibility for BG:T and EE:T

I'm not sure whether the mod may not already work with them. Try it. I'm used to using the latest IE technology available, though, which means the Enhanced Editions. I use whatever functions are on the table to the utmost, and some are not going to work on older game versions. Compatibility may be patchy or it may be complete, there's no telling.

You're going to hear a trumpet when the countdown begins (normally in a new game). But the rest may or may not work.

The basics of this mod should work under all or most versions of the first Baldur's Gate, but wine should not be drunk outside of BG:EE (including the bottle from the spider house). Guest Henanigan helped add Enhanced Edition Trilogy support.

Have you ever wondered why, for all the urgency of having to leave and the imminent threat of assassins, the main character of Baldur's Gate is at leisure to stroll across the grounds of Candlekeep, chatting, delivering bottles of cow cure, exterminating pests, even resting at the inn for days and weeks at a time if he has a notion to? Of course, the out-of-character reason for this back in the day was that the Prologue was a tutorial and only intended to teach players the controls and basic how-tos of gameplay. Nowadays, however, hardly anyone perceives it that way or needs to be instructed. Most players probably go from task to task for a little starting experience, if they do not find them too boring, before setting out at some time.

This mod brings the Prologue back in-character and makes the urgency very real. You have one hour - sixty game time minutes - to finish your business in Candlekeep and depart with Gorion; and if you do, nothing will happen. One minute longer, however, and very real killers will show up wherever you are and whatever you may be doing - pick-pocketing idle nobles, fighting illusionary monsters, listening to prophesies of Alaundo and so on. All of those activities are very nice, but other people living it out in the monastery are not in the unique situation of being on a kill list. These assassins are much more competent than the pathetic tutorial-type thugs you already know. For a 1st-level character without a party fighting them means almost certain, but not absolutely certain, death.

Most players and their characters will just have to pack it on time. If you dig your heels down and take them on, however - and defeat them - you will be treated to a little loot and some new content. Read the dialogues attentively. The most obvious reward is a new 1st-level spell, Vanishing Act, carried by one of the assassins (you will wish you had it before meeting them). If the battle turns out too difficult for your character and you end up having to run away after all, there are two other places where you can get such a scroll. One is far across a sea and another is in the home of the enemy.

Taking the assassins on single-handedly is probably too much for any character, but Candlekeep is still your home after all. Think about who might help you. In the time that you have give people a reason to intervene. It also helps to be well-liked to begin with. Of course, not everyone will lay down their lives for you even then. If you go to sleep at the inn before taking care of the assassins, you will never wake up.

In addition to all this, I took a hammer and pliers to some other things around Candlekeep. The spell Firebead Elvenhair casts on you to "protect you tonight" will really last into the fateful night, and so on.

The best way to play this mod is in a new game, but if you load a save in the Prologue, the timer will start from there. You will not be able to win people's loyalty for helping them out, though.

Download

I'm going to respond for the benefits of players who might be thinking of downloading the mod. They might not understand the situation and, at a glance, think that my convention will somehow jeopardize their files. It won't. Here is a brief explanation: there is a convention that modders will take up personal two-letter prefixes for all of their files to avoid overriding files already on a system during installation. A file name for Infinity Engine is 8 characters long maximum, so every modder picks two characters that are always the same and six that can be anything. While this is a good idea, I have reasons to want to use a suffix instead - in my files the first letters are arbitrary, but all end with _#. That I don't use a prefix is no danger to your setup, because files ending with _# are certain to be rare. Even when there are some, as in the Imp's example, for a conflict the other six characters would also have to be the same. Sometimes I also use a name shorter than the maximum. So while it is possible that e.g. ##STage1_# might end the same way as my files, that my file will also feature six other characters, and the same ones, is for all intents and purposes impossible. The likelihood is slightly larger than being hit by a meteorite when you walk on the street. I'm simply using an alternative convention. So please ignore this commotion and give the mod a try.

P.S. To the modders: thanks for the comments about romances and this being only for EE games. I'm incorporating them into the description.

I use a suffix, if you must know, CamDawg. You can see my files by the _# suffix, e.g. REST1_#.SPL. As for romances and such, cutscenes with Irenicus, what I said about dreams in the first game applies here, naturally. You should use regular resting every once in a while, if you want those to be available.

Those who want to discuss the actual mod, if you have a Beamdog forum account, please do so here:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/65855/out-of-commission-mod/p1?new=1

It will help me answer to comments in one place.

Crucial update - download again!

This mod used to be called "Out of Commission." I made it five years ago. Now I'm adding a logical feature to it, which makes rest only a part of the concept. It is compatible with all of the games, Icewind Dale included, but only with Enhanced Editions.

Description

The Infinity Engine games approach rest with a severe ellipsis: the player clicks the "Rest" button, a movie plays, and the next moment 8 hours have rolled by, everyone has healed up and spells have been memorized. The game will even cast healing magic for you, all to shorten the downtime and get the characters on the road ASAP. If one rest session is not enough, you can just repeat it. While this approach has its merits, I suggest a different dynamic to make time matter and place adventures in time instead of redacting it.

Separate Paths does nothing to the "Rest" button or inn rooms, which still work as before, but I suggest refraining from their use. Instead characters can rest with a special ability all party members get. They can rest severally - at different times and away from each other. When the special ability button is clicked, the character needing rest will leave the party, without superfluous dialogue, and lie down. There is no sleeping in the presence of enemies or on city streets, otherwise you can recline anywhere. In 8 hours the character will get up, refreshed, with magic at the ready and 1 hit point healed, and rejoin the party automatically. While he sleeps, the rest of the group is free to leave the area to explore, fight, trade or take on other members. They can stay away for any length of time - when they return to the area with the sleeper, he will step in. If the character is the only party member in the area, he will still sleep, but without leaving the party (that would make the area and himself inaccessible). 

Example: Dorn the half-orc has been hurt, and Branwen the cleric has run out of spells to heal him. Both settle down to rest, leaving just 4 characters in the party. These are relatively fresh and head out to explore the rest of the area, getting a better split of the experience for the greater risk. Had the player wanted to keep character progress equal, he could have hazarded Dorn and Branwen.

When rest happens in real time, several things change: you only want to have rest those characters who require it and you are likely to be more frugal with spells, because depleted casters will need their full recuperation. A sleeping character can be roused - just move another party member immediately next to the sleeper for a few seconds. In a pinch you can hurt sleepers to wake them up quickly, and enemies wandering into the vicinity tend to get through after a while. A roused character will be groggy for a short time and must restart his 8 hours to get the benefits of resting, so camp in a quiet corner.

Having laid down a few people, if there is no dungeon nearby or not enough manpower for it, you do not have to pace around the room the whole 8 hours. The special ability works differently for the main character: he will recline but stay in the party, the screen will fade out, the "Rest" movie will play, and time will advance by 8 hours.

A technical note: resting with the special ability uses an effect, not the Rest() action, so the PartyRested() trigger will not check true. I am not aware of official scripts of BG:EE relying on that trigger anywhere but in one case where it seems to be for convenience, but mods might use it. In BG2:EE romances and dreams with Irenicus are tied to this trigger. Therefore, the old "Rest" button should still be clicked for special moments in storylines, such as the dream sequences that give you special abilities - after the death of Mulahey, after the Cloakwood mines etc. These moments are well-known to those who have played the games a lot, which at this point is almost everyone. You should also periodically click it in the second game if you want romances to advance.

In the second Baldur's Gate the belt Imoen wears, the one that protects her from all disabling effects and death in Irenicus' dungeon, will also interfere with the Rest ability. She will not pass out as the others and therefore will rejoin the party right away. Use normal rest while she has the belt.

Updated: separate adventuring

When I first read the Dragonlance books by M. Weiss and T. Hickman, I was surprised that the original band of characters - Tanis the Half-Elf, Laurana, Flint, Raistlin and Caramon, Riverwind and Goldmoon and the others - split up after the first book. They mixed up with some others and a few went to Silvanesti, while the others sailed south to Icewall Glacier. Later a few characters infiltrated Sanction to find out the provenance of draconians just as the others defended Solamnia. Tanis and Raistlin dropped out and rejoined. This was novel to me at the time, and it brought home the point that heroes (and antiheroes, and villains) only cross paths for a time, travel alongside and then separate to follow their individual destinies again.

With this update for the IE games parties can do the same and adventure in different parts of the world. There are no more requirements to do that thing before venturing forth. It is possible for two or three characters to travel to the Tombs Valley while the others follow Minsc to the Gnoll Fortress; and some one may even risk another place by himself. This makes the game play more like Jagged Alliance, with squads in different places, although the characters are still part of the same group and share experience, and there is still a maximum of 6 active personages. Scripts and conversations that used to check for the presence of someone in the party now also require that he be in the same area and ready to talk, and Dynaheir, for instance, will not think that Edwin is with the group if he is somewhere away. (Conflicts can be prevented this way.) Characters will no longer dial long-distance, but checks for romances between NPC and the main character will be made as before for technical reasons, so there may be surprising telepathic exchanges of love. It's not possible to foresee all eventualities in the games, and where, for example, the games used to teleport every party member to the same area, for instance, sailing to the Lycanthrope island, it will still do that, gathering them from around the world ("and there was much rejoicing"). This sort of event should be expected from time to time.

The separate rest mechanism is still available, and characters who are out of the party completely, snoozing, don't consume experience. Of course, an active character must return to the area with the sleepers for them to step back into the ranks, and if the party is already full of others, the player will have to decide who to keep. Finally, the engine demands that the group be together for resting with the "Rest" button.

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