IR v3 Feedback

[Salk]

The level drain effect is a very nice effect in my opinion and I support Demi's intention to not remove it from the game.

[mazellan]

Hi everyone!

 

Just installed IR v3 + hotfix in my BG2 playthrought, and I discover that the DoomPlate +3 -> Aura of Despair it does nothing. After some checking with the ITM files, it seems that the EFF file for the spell doesn't exist, but the SPL yes. So I check the "itm_rev/itm" folder looking for the DVDOOMPL.EFF and it's there, just copy to the override folder and everything work.

 

Looking on the main_component.tpa, it misses the part where copy the EFF file with the SPL.

// Doomplate +3
COPY ~item_rev/itm/plat12.itm~      ~override/plat12.itm~         
SAY NAME1 @1825
SAY NAME2 @1842
SAY UNIDENTIFIED_DESC @1828
SAY DESC @1843

ADD_PROJECTILE ~item_rev/itm/dvdoompl.pro~  // Aura of Despair
COPY ~item_rev/itm/dvdoompl.spl~      ~override~
  WRITE_SHORT 0x98 %dvdoompl%

BTW, thanks you all for this amazing mod (and SR too )

[Jadbrak]

I'm not sure if this is known or fixed in the later versions, but in my install (I used your latest version as of August 2014, when I made this install) the Staff of Command +3's description states there is a 15% chance enemy must save vs spell at -4 or become feebleminded.

However, when I test this ingame this does not seem true. A closer look in NI indicates this is because the item has a 15% probability to cast DVMINDBR.SPL on melee hit, while this spell does not exist.

[Roxanne]

Ajantis cannot use his own shield due to

ITEM_REV/ITEM_REV.TP2~ 0 8 // Heavy Armor Encumbrance -> Dexterity Penalties: V3 Beta 1.16

Dexterity is too low when he has chainmail chan01 which is his default equipment.

[AL|EN]

BG1:EE

 

ERROR: [item_rev/itm/amul01.itm] -> [override/amul01.itm] Patching Failed (COPY) (Failure("Unknown function: update_item_descriptions_to_bgee"))

ERROR: [item_rev/components/main/items.2da] -> [item_rev/components/main] Patching Failed (COPY) (Failure("Unknown function: update_item_descriptions_to_bgee"))

ERROR: Failure("Unknown function: update_item_descriptions_to_bgee")

Item Revisions by Demivrgvs (Item Revisions (BGEE)) was not installed due to errors.

[geg_Ma3gau]

The level drain effect is a very nice effect in my opinion and I support Demi's intention to not remove it from the game.

It is nice but it only works 1 way: against the player, currently.

 

Any plans to make level drain useful vs the monsters? How does it work right now.

[kreso]

Any plans to make level drain useful vs the monsters? How does it work right now.

You can "somewhat" mimick the effects (few HP lost, THAC0 penalty, drain spells), but not accurately. It does affect the casting level of enemies, but it's a poor comparison of what it does to the player.

At least none of the effects in the brackets forces that "exploding stone death" which happens when you level-drain someone to oblivion.

[geg_Ma3gau]

Then it should have a plain -stats effect IMO. -4 str/dex/con and perhaps some further - ac/thac0/damage

[Jarno Mikkola]

Then it should have a plain -stats effect IMO. -4 str/dex/con and perhaps some further - ac/thac0/damage

Yeah, let's make it even further easy to kill the character with the insta kill effects(from the mentioned str/dex/con). The other stats might be a better approach. But like Kreso said, HPs(or better yet add stun damage), Thac0 and drained spells is better than AC penalty, and I don't think you can add damage penalty either.

[Demivrgvs]

Any plans to make level drain useful vs the monsters? How does it work right now.

You can "somewhat" mimick the effects (few HP lost, THAC0 penalty, drain spells), but not accurately. It does affect the casting level of enemies, but it's a poor comparison of what it does to the player.

At least none of the effects in the brackets forces that "exploding stone death" which happens when you level-drain someone to oblivion.

With a dedicated sec type we could replicate Level Drain quite well, but not flawlessly (e.g. we can tweakcatser lvl but not the actual lvl of the character), and making it consistent on every case would require a massive work imo. Tweaking items/spells within IR/SR wuld be easy, but I don't know if it would be easy to handle things like vampire's attack (e.g. SCS already touch them, thus our tweak would have to go after SCS) or mod added drain effects.

 

Alternatively, we could leave the true Level Drain as an "exclusive" of vampires, and tweak the few instances available to players (e.g. Energy Drain and a bunch of weapons) into something similar. It could still be a drain-like effect (few HP lost, THAC0 penalty, drain spells etc.), and we could even make it curable via Restoration spells. Isn't this easier?

[Salk]

Alternatively, we could leave the true Level Drain as an "exclusive" of vampires, and tweak the few instances available to players (e.g. Energy Drain and a bunch of weapons) into something similar. It could still be a drain-like effect (few HP lost, THAC0 penalty, drain spells etc.), and we could even make it curable via Restoration spells. Isn't this easier?

 

 

This sounds a good, elegant solution to me.

[kreso]

 

Alternatively, we could leave the true Level Drain as an "exclusive" of vampires, and tweak the few instances available to players (e.g. Energy Drain and a bunch of weapons) into something similar. It could still be a drain-like effect (few HP lost, THAC0 penalty, drain spells etc.), and we could even make it curable via Restoration spells. Isn't this easier?

 

 

This sounds a good, elegant solution to me.

It that case, you'd need a macro that searches through creatures/items/spells, find the ones that have Neg.Plane Prot, and add 206 vs the spell simulating level drain. I think this shouldn't be too difficult to do - but this part of install should go really late in install order; after any and all creature-adding mods (including SCS).

Or screw that; give this ability to Blackrazor/Soul Reaver/Energy Drain, make it "drain" 1 level (if the spell simulating Level Drain would drain wizard/cleric spells it would still be very, very powerful) with a relatively low probability (10-15) and call it a day. Restoration could cure it with a custom secondary type;this can be easilly patched onto the spells, regardless of SR being present or not.

[Demivrgvs]

@Kreso I think it's even easier than that. If I give Blackrazor/Soul Reaver/Soultaker a custom drain effect and do not call it "Level Drain" I do not even have to care if vanilla's Restoration cures it imo (it's not a real level drain anymore after all). Then, if SR is installed, we can have Restoration cure such effects expanding its concept a bit (e.g. it should also cure Ray of Enfeeblement imo for example). No?

[kreso]

@Kreso I think it's even easier than that. If I give Blackrazor/Soul Reaver/Soultaker a custom drain effect and do not call it "Level Drain" I do not even have to care if vanilla's Restoration cures it imo (it's not a real level drain anymore after all). Then, if SR is installed, we can have Restoration cure such effects expanding its concept a bit (e.g. it should also cure Ray of Enfeeblement imo for example). No?

T-up for Restoration getting rid of RoE. You'd still need a sec type to cure it; at least on non-EE installs for us dynasaurs still using old engine.

Add this to end of your tpa file; or make a seperate one with nothing but custom sectypes and call it after the install.

 

 

ADD_SECTYPE ~leveldraineffect~ @999 // or whatever string - you name it something like "Enfeebling effect cured", "Abilities restored" etc.

 

COPY_EXISTING ~msectype.2da~ ~override~

COUNT_2DA_ROWS "2" "sectype_leveldraineffect"

SET "sectype_leveldraineffect" -= "2"

PRETTY_PRINT_2DA

 

 

COPY_EXISTING ~demi_level_drain_spell.spl~ ~override~ // your custom spell for items, the one with effects simulating level drain

WRITE_BYTE 0x27 "%sectype_leveldraineffect%"

 

 

COPY_EXISTING ~demi_level_drain_spell2.spl~ ~override~ // your custom spell for Energy drain spell (this should probably have more ill effects than Blackrazor....)

WRITE_BYTE 0x27 "%sectype_leveldraineffect%"

 

 

COPY_EXISTING ~spwi221.spl~ ~override~ // Ray of enfeeblement

WRITE_BYTE 0x27 "%sectype_leveldraineffect%"

 

// Curing the effect //

 

COPY_EXISTING ~sppr417.spl~ ~override~ // Cleric Restoration spell

LPF ADD_SPELL_EFFECT

INT_VAR

opcode = 221

target = 2

power = 4

parameter1 = 9

parameter2 = EVALUATE_BUFFER %sectype_leveldraineffect%

timing = 1

header = 1

insert_point = 1

END

BUT_ONLY

 

 

COPY_EXISTING ~sppr713.spl~ ~override~ // Cleric Greater Restoration spell

LPF ADD_SPELL_EFFECT

INT_VAR

opcode = 221

target = 2

power = 7

parameter1 = 9

parameter2 = EVALUATE_BUFFER %sectype_leveldraineffect%

timing = 1

header = 1

insert_point = 1

END

BUT_ONLY

 

 

 

COPY_EXISTING ~spwish07.spl~ ~override~ // Mage Wish effect

LPF ADD_SPELL_EFFECT

INT_VAR

opcode = 221

target = 2

power = 9

parameter1 = 9

parameter2 = EVALUATE_BUFFER %sectype_leveldraineffect%

timing = 1

header = 1

insert_point = 1

END

BUT_ONLY

 

COPY_EXISTING ~spwish46.spl~ ~override~ // Mage Wish effect 2

LPF ADD_SPELL_EFFECT

INT_VAR

opcode = 221

target = 2

power = 9

parameter1 = 9

parameter2 = EVALUATE_BUFFER %sectype_leveldraineffect%

timing = 1

header = 1

insert_point = 1

END

BUT_ONLY

 

 

Untested, but should work....

If you want Restorations/Wishes/Energy Drain to work only on SR installs, then you can add ACTION_IF_MOD_IS_INSTALLED for SR features. Ofc, that would mean IR must go after SR.

[subtledoctor]

I don't have NI in front of me - how does Restoration cure level drain? Depending on the answer, you could collapse that "// curing the effect //" section to a single block of code, and also affect any custom spells and items, by using CLONE_EFFECT instead of ADD_SPELL_EFFECT...