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IWD Tweaks v5


CamDawg

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So, I'd like to try out Domi's IWD2 NPCs. But since I've never finished IWD and never played IWD2, I'm worried that IWD2 may spoil IWD, so I decided to try and tackle IWD first. Looked around at IWD mods, didn't find many, and realized that IWD Tweaks is woefully outdated. So: new project.

 

I started with the most recent BG2 Tweaks, instead of IWD Tweaks v4, since it has a lot more that can be used in IWD. It also has the advantage of being immediately available in 9 languages with minimal fuss, since I can re-use the majority of strings from BG2T. ;)

 

These are coded and appear to be working:

  • Assorted Fixes
  • Cosmetic
    • Remove Helmet Animations
    • Weapon Animation Tweaks
    • BG2 Casting Graphics
    • Restore Original Load Screen Logo for HoW Games (Andyr)
    • Disable Portrait Icons Added by Equipped Items
    • Icon Improvements
    • Force All Dialogue to Pause

    [*]Content Tweaks

    • Stores Sell Larger Stacks of Items
    • Gems and Potions Require Identification

    [*]Rule Changes

    • Two-Handed Bastard Swords
    • Universal Clubs
    • Description Updates for Universal Clubs Component
    • Allow Stealth and Thieving Abilities in Heavy Armor per P&P
    • Allow Arcane Spellcasting in Armor
    • Wear Multiple Protection Items
    • Cast Spells from Scrolls (and Other Items) at Character Level
    • Multi-Class Grand Mastery (Weimer)
    • BG2 Grand Mastery
    • Change Magically Created Weapons to Zero Weight
    • Un-Nerfed THAC0 Table
    • Alter Mage Spell Progression Table
    • Alter Bard Spell Progression Table
    • Alter Cleric Spell Progression Table
    • Druids Use Cleric Level Progression

    [*]Convenience Tweaks and/or Cheats

    • Higher HP on Level Up
    • Maximum HP Creatures (the bigg)
    • Identify All Items
    • Easy Spell Learning
    • Bottomless Bags of Holding
    • Change Effect of Reputation on Store Prices
    • Unlimited Ammo Stacks
    • Unlimited Jewelry and Gem Stacks
    • Unlimited Potion Stacks
    • Unlimited Scroll Stacks
    • No Traps or Locks (Weimer)
    • Rest Anywhere (Japheth, Weimer)
    • Sellable Items (Icelus)

The bugs with Allow Stealth and Thieving Abilities in Heavy Armor per P&P seems to be fixed--unlike BG2 where Move Silently and Hide in Shadows are separate entities, they're grouped under Stealth in IWD. The component was trying to set both and was using an unknown opcode, causing the crashes.

 

Unlimited Jewelry and Gem Stacks also had issues. I believe that for items to be stackable, they need to have at least one ability header. I think this was also causing the wonkiness with their sell values and behavior in stores.

 

I'm working on getting the Avatar Morphing Script working; same with an XP Cap Remover.

 

There have been various suggestions to emulate Tioma's Bags of Holding stuff from IWD EoU. This is not a problem, but not being familiar with the game, I'll need suggestions for placement. Gem bags, scroll cases, and potion bags all exist so I'd suggest we add some ammo belts and a bag of holding or two. Suggestions? (If the current bags are HoW/TotL-only, we can also add these to bogstandard IWD games.)

 

Adding the Happy Patch and Happy Neutrals components are easy, but do they actually affect anything? Do party members ever complain about reputation?

 

I've been working on a modded game with Auril's Bane included, so all of the Tweaks are being extended to all of the AB stuff (i.e. armor tweaks, P&P Protection Items, 2H bastard swords, etc.)

 

Other suggestions I've gathered from old posts and a few of my own:

  • Add Drizzt's +5 Defender (no)
  • Include some way of viewing party rep
  • Unique icons for Mummy's Tea and Gem Bags (probably to be added to Icon Improvements)
  • Miscellaneous issues to be added to the bugfixes component
  • Allow 3E Alignments for Druids (NG, LN, TN, CN, NE)

So, suggestions for anything else or ideas for bag placement?

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But since I've never finished IWD and never played IWD2, I'm worried that IWD2 may spoil IWD, so I decided to try and tackle IWD first.

If that was a question, it certainly does not. There may be a few passing references to IWD1 moments, but not like with, say, BG1 -> BG2.

The only thing that IWD2 will spoil you WRT IWD1 is that IWD1 is the most suckish of the IE games (IWD2 had at least some interesting combat options; moreover, IWD1 just feels like a glorified Diablo, but that may be because I played it right afterwards PST ;) ).

 

I'm working on getting the Avatar Morphing Script working; same with an XP Cap Remover.

I believe that in IWD1 your avatar gets checked and changed every level-up, but I might be wrong. It certainly does in IWD2, though.

As for the XP cap remover, all I can say is that in IWD2 they needed altered dlls to achieve this.

 

There have been various suggestions to emulate Tioma's Bags of Holding stuff from IWD EoU. This is not a problem, but not being familiar with the game, I'll need suggestions for placement. Gem bags, scroll cases, and potion bags all exist so I'd suggest we add some ammo belts and a bag of holding or two. Suggestions? (If the current bags are HoW/TotL-only, we can also add these to bogstandard IWD games.)

Yeah, bags were introduced only in HoW (but, differently from Potion Bags and Ammo Bags in ToB, they were backported to main IWD too), so adding them to standard IWD might be a good idea. As for placement suggestions, I'd usually want them given to me by that paladin guy when he gives the welcome (or the equivalent of that soon), but I happen love my convenience too much ;)

 

Adding the Happy Patch and Happy Neutrals components are easy, but do they actually affect anything? Do party members ever complain about reputation?

There is reputation and falling, but I don't recall about people complaining.

 

Let me know if some IWD1 file format is not supported by the high level DO_THIS_TO_THAT_FORMAT, and check twice and thrice the effects of those functions. I don't believe that Weimer ever tested them on IWD1, and I surely didn't :D

 

(NB: the only machine I have with any IE game installed is being repaired, so I can't check stuff in detail for now, sorry.)

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Cheers, thanks bigg.

 

I'm working on getting the Avatar Morphing Script working; same with an XP Cap Remover.

Former is a huge PITA so I'm not going to bother and the latter seems to already exist in the form of AB's level 40 rules pack.

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Guest grogerson

With all the advances and updates in BG2 Tweaks, I agree it's time to review IWD Tweaks.

 

I'm one who dropped some of the ideas Cam listed.

1) Add the Defender +5 since the Frostbrand +3 is already there

2) Merge Tioma's pack as was done with BG2 Tweaks/Tutu Tweaks/Ease-of-Use

3) Reputation implementation/viewing since you can lose it but not gain it (bad for paladins and rangers)

4) RNDTRES.2DA fixes because of some bad codes in the list

 

IWD may be light on role-play and heavy on hack-&-slash, but it's got some great graphics and music and is still far better than many other "rpg's" out there.

 

I believe TotL sets the XP cap to 30th level, and one of the current tweaks sets it to 40th, though I may be wrong. This is more than enough for the current state of a modded game, since there is so little out there to extend game play. Pity, that.

 

Tioma's additional bags of holding or ammo belts won't work in basic IWD. I know. I tried. The coding for cases wasn't added until HoW, and the bags of holding weren't added until TotL. Getting them to work in a basic IWD install may not be workable.

 

HoW puts gem bags, scroll and potions cases in Easthaven, Kuldahar, Severed Hand and several other places (for a total of 10 each for a TotL game). Bags of holding are only in the TotL expansion areas, I believe, and there are only two of them. Ammo belts were never implemented.

 

If bags/cases can be implemented for a basic IWD game, here are some placement suggestions:

Potion Cases: Easthaven (Temple of Tempus), Kuldahar (Temple of Ilmater)

Gem Bags: Easthaven (Pomab's Emporium), Kuldahar (Gerth's Equipment Shop)

Scroll Cases: Kuldahar (Orrick the Gray), Upper Dorn's Deep (Bandoth)

Ammo Belts: Kuldahar (Conlan's Smithy), Severed Hand (Lehland)

Bags of Holding: Kuldahar (Orrick the Gray), Upper Dorn's Deep (Bandoth)

 

As for a HoW or TotL game, since scroll and potions cases and gem bags are everywhere, only ammo belts and bags of holding need be considered. In addition to those above, I suggest:

Ammo Belts: Lonelywood (Emmerich), TotL (Hobart)

Bags of Holding: Lonelywood (Kieran Nye)

 

Of course, they can also be added to some treasure trove or enemy's loot...

 

A happy patch is unnecessary, since there are no NPC's to deal with. Only player created characters can be in the party.

 

My two cents...

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Cheers, thanks grogerson, I had taken a look through your posts when I started this. ;) I've already got the rndtres.2da bugs you reported fixed, and I'll probably be going through NI's error checking stuff and knocking out some easy stuff. (No, don't even think about suggesting IWD Fixpack.)

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Guest Guest
(No, don't even think about suggesting IWD Fixpack.)

 

Wouldn't think of it. There's already a section in the tweakpack for that very thing. Besides, not enough for one yet.

 

Now a Tutu-style port to the BG2 engine... ;)

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(No, don't even think about suggesting IWD Fixpack.)

 

Wouldn't think of it. There's already a section in the tweakpack for that very thing. Besides, not enough for one yet.

 

Now a Tutu-style port to the BG2 engine... ;)

There's a partially completed one (let's call it an alpha) that japh put together over at PPG, but it's not a public project because it seems very unlikely to ever get done.

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Guest grogerson

"guest" above was me, BTW.

 

I also asked about dual-class clerics and druids access to non-standard weapon proficiencies, specifically those gained prior to dualing over to cleric/druid.

 

I see there's an active thread on that. Any chance it could also be included, and is it even in a working state yet?

 

I've always found it problematic that a character loses almost all proficiencies *only* when dualing to cleric or druid, especially when mages can combine such devastating spells with such powerful weapons.

 

At the very least it would be nice to regain access to those proficiencies acquired prior to dualing.

 

You can ignore this as a rant if you want. I'm just venting while rubbing my hands together in anticipation of an updated version... ;)

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I just want to make sure I follow--you want restrictions for multi- and dual-class clerics and druids to be less restrictive, i.e. a fighter-druid could use plate armor and fighter-clerics could use edged weapons. Adding it is fairly trivial code-wise unless you want description updates, too.

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Adding it is fairly trivial code-wise unless you want description updates, too.

Are you sure it isn't possible to do those via sed REPLACE_TEXTUALLY?

Also, you don't have to write a list of C_E a b SAY c @d till hell freezes over, you can `simply' reuse the infamous trick I developed for Refinements: I have a 2da-style file containing a list of FILENAME STRING (generated from a human-readable list, generated by automatic patching and then checked manually); after parsing its contents with a READ_2DA_ENTRIES_NOW call, I use SAY_EVALUATED with the string associated with %SOURCE_REF%.

OK, that translates in about 200 lines of code + the automatic creation of the skeleton file, but much of that is copy-paste anyway (and much easier to maintain than 500 lines of C_E a b SAY c @d) ;)

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I've had pretty good luck with the regexp behemoth in that other thread - the only things it doesn't match are Usable by: constructions and two or three really non-standard listings which actually can be included by loosening the match a little.

 

Nobody wants to deal with umpteen .tra strings ;)

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