Modifying spawn points in BG1:TotSC

[Marc]

Hello, I'm trying to alter vanilla BG1 spawn points to trigger only once, without installing conversion mods. Selecting "Disable after spawn(1)" in NearInfinity isn't producing the desired result and monsters keep respawning (even after starting a new game). I've tried different combinations for "Spawn method", but respawning persists. Any ideas how to solve this?

[jastey]

I can't help you, unfortunately. But to make this clear: you are really asking for vanilla BG1:TotSC. Not the Enhanced Edition, not ported to the BGII engine (BGT; Tutu)?

[Jarno Mikkola]

And are you sure you actually can modify the files ? Aka where is he game installed and what's your operation system ?

[Marc]

I can't help you, unfortunately. But to make this clear: you are really asking for vanilla BG1:TotSC. Not the Enhanced Edition, not ported to the BGII engine (BGT; Tutu)?

 

Vanilla BG1:TotSC, yes.

 

 

And are you sure you actually can modify the files ? Aka where is he game installed and what's your operation system ?

 

I can, because when I change the are file (or anything else) it goes into override. For instance, completely removing spawn points from an area with NearInfinity results in 0 spawned creatures for that area. I can change creatures, scripts etc., but disable after spawn doesn't work (in BG:EE it does, I tested it).

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

I haven't looked in years, but IESDP may have the answers you seek.

[Roxanne]

There would be two methods

a) Setting the flag like in your post #1 >>>> to test this make sure that you have never visited the area before or delete it from baldur.sav if you use a saved game. Or change the saved area in baldur.sav. Otherwise the changes made to are-files are not effective since the game always uses the already saved are-file. (May be cause for the change not showing in test)

b) use the area script to disable a spawn point with e.g SpawnPtDeactivate("Spawn Point 1")

 

PS - there should be no difference between the different game versions in this respect.

[Marc]

There would be two methods

a) Setting the flag like in your post #1 >>>> to test this make sure that you have never visited the area before or delete it from baldur.sav if you use a saved game. Or change the saved area in baldur.sav. Otherwise the changes made to are-files are not effective since the game always uses the already saved are-file. (May be cause for the change not showing in test)

b) use the area script to disable a spawn point with e.g SpawnPtDeactivate("Spawn Point 1")

 

PS - there should be no difference between the different game versions in this respect.

 

I'll try b). So it's possible to use this script to deactivate each spawn point in the area after it triggers for the first time?

 

Another solution could be to change spawn frequency/delay. Is there a way to do it? I haven't found the option to alter a spawn point timer.

[Roxanne]

...to deactivate each spawn point in the area after it triggers for the first time?

Your problem will be to determine the right time if you want to use the exact event as a trigger. You can use the Spawn Frequency defined for the point, set a timer when you first enter the area - the timer is (Spawn Frequency + some margin, e.g. half of that time). When the timer is expired, you deactivate the point. Hopefully by this you roughly hit a point between the first and the second spawning.

 

There is Spawn Frequency - i.e. seconds between spawning. individually defined for each point.

 

As to method a) at least in BG2EE (I have EET installed) the flag (1) works, it set spawn frequency and countdown to -1, so no more spawns.

 

http://gibberlings3.net/iesdp/file_formats/ie_formats/are_v1.htm#formAREAV1_0_Spawn (this is a starting point, my experience is that not all information is 100% accurate, there are always slight differences between the original definitions and how it works in reality).

 

PS - this is just my observation and I cannot prove it, but it appears to me that when you de-activate a spawn point but the countdown for the next spawn is already active, the action will still be performed anf only with the next re-set the de-activation becomes effective.

[Marc]

 

There is Spawn Frequency - i.e. seconds between spawning. individually defined for each point.

 

 

I'm trying to emulate the solution from Tutu; setting the interval to 1000 days. However, if I change "Spawn rate" to anything close to one year in seconds, it causes an error.

[Marc]

 

 

PS - this is just my observation and I cannot prove it, but it appears to me that when you de-activate a spawn point but the countdown for the next spawn is already active, the action will still be performed anf only with the next re-set the de-activation becomes effective.

 

 

Sorry, I missed this part.

While I was testing respawning, I made sure to reenter the area several times; creatures spawned multiple times and this re-set never occurred.

To clarify; where's the countdown shown? Countdown = "Spawn rate" would be odd because if that's the case, and if it's expressed in seconds, it's a very short countdown (less than 10 seconds).

[Roxanne]

 

 

 

PS - this is just my observation and I cannot prove it, but it appears to me that when you de-activate a spawn point but the countdown for the next spawn is already active, the action will still be performed anf only with the next re-set the de-activation becomes effective.

 

 

Sorry, I missed this part.

While I was testing respawning, I made sure to reenter the area several times; creatures spawned multiple times and this re-set never occurred.

To clarify; where's the countdown shown? Countdown = "Spawn rate" would be odd because if that's the case, and if it's expressed in seconds, it's a very short countdown (less than 10 seconds).

 

Examples

[Marc]

 

 

 

 

PS - this is just my observation and I cannot prove it, but it appears to me that when you de-activate a spawn point but the countdown for the next spawn is already active, the action will still be performed anf only with the next re-set the de-activation becomes effective.

 

 

Sorry, I missed this part.

While I was testing respawning, I made sure to reenter the area several times; creatures spawned multiple times and this re-set never occurred.

To clarify; where's the countdown shown? Countdown = "Spawn rate" would be odd because if that's the case, and if it's expressed in seconds, it's a very short countdown (less than 10 seconds).

 

Examples

Visited + Disabled.jpg

Visited + Reset.jpg

 

 

Oh my! I don't have these two lines in NearInfinity. What version is this?

 

EDIT: But only when editing BG1:TotSC. When using the same NI version to edit BG2, all these additional lines appear. (I tested with 2 NI versions).

[Roxanne]

 

 

 

 

 

PS - this is just my observation and I cannot prove it, but it appears to me that when you de-activate a spawn point but the countdown for the next spawn is already active, the action will still be performed anf only with the next re-set the de-activation becomes effective.

 

 

Sorry, I missed this part.

While I was testing respawning, I made sure to reenter the area several times; creatures spawned multiple times and this re-set never occurred.

To clarify; where's the countdown shown? Countdown = "Spawn rate" would be odd because if that's the case, and if it's expressed in seconds, it's a very short countdown (less than 10 seconds).

 

Examples

Visited + Disabled.jpg

Visited + Reset.jpg

 

 

Oh my! I don't have these two lines in NearInfinity. What version is this?

 

EDIT: But only when editing BG1:TotSC. When using the same NI version to edit BG2, all these additional lines appear. (I tested with 2 NI versions).

 

That may be the issue - all other game versions have it, even basic BGEE. Sorry but I have no unmodded BG1 anywhere (only ever used it for BGT import).

I should have read more carefully...I was not aware that old BG1 used a different are-file format?

[Marc]

Thanks regardless, at least we figured out the root of the problem. Below probability (night), for BG1, I have "Unknown" and a bunch of numbers that I can edit as hex, edit as decimal, etc. I have no idea what's what.

 

Now that you mentioned a different are-file format, I wonder if a really old version of NI would have these lines for BG1.

 

 

EDIT: ... I downloaded a really old version of NI and it has spawn frequency and seconds between spawning (what's the difference between the two?) for BG1. Amazing. Time to test it.