G3 Tweaks/Tutu Tweaks/Ease of Use Merge

[CamDawg]

G3 Tweaks, Tutu Tweaks, and (with Wes' permission) Ease of Use will be merging in the next release.

 

So many components are shared between G3 Tweaks, Tutu Tweaks, and Ease of Use that a single, comprehensive package that covers bogstandard BG2, Tutu, and BGT games is much preferable. As it stands now, many players have to install a bit from one here and a bit of another there. The single package will make it easier for players, and certainly easier for maintenance and bugfixing. The Tutu Tweaks revamp for BGT esentially accomplished a significant portion of the groundwork for this.

 

The hard part will be trying to organize the components into some sort of sensible, manageable install pattern that makes sense for players. Along these lines, the bigg is writing a new feature for WeiDU that will allow modders to group components and let players skip groups if they contain no components that the player wants, simplifying and streamlining the installation process significantly.

 

A tentative grouping is as follows:

 

Deprecated (Moved to Fixpack)

• Shadows of Amn World Map Fixes
  
• Change Magically Created Weapons to Zero Weight
  
• Make +x/+y Weapons Consistent
  
• English Only: Description Updates for Make +x/+y Weapons Consistent Component
  
• Imoen ToB Dialogue Fix
  
• Romance: Bug Fixes
  
• International Weapon Description Fix
  

Cosmetic Changes

• Remove Helmet Animations
  
• Imoen Avatar Change (non-Tutu)
  
• Nalia Avatar Change (non-Tutu)
  
• Viconia Skin Color Change
  
• Avatar Morphing Script
  
• Weapon Animation Tweaks
  
• Icewind Dale Casting Graphics
  
• Restore SoA Load Screen Logo (non-Tutu)
  
• Disable Portrait Icons Added by Equipped Items
  
• Commoners Use Drab Colors
  
• Icon Improvements
  
• Change Avatar When Wearing Robes or Armor
  
• Force All Dialogue to Pause
  

Content Changes

• More Interjections, pka Valen/Solaufein-Style Interjections
  
• Alter HP Triggers for NPC Wounded Dialogues (non-Tutu)
  
• Reveal Wilderness Areas Before Chapter Six (non-Tutu)
  
• Improved Athkatlan City Guard (non-Tutu)
  
• Gradual Drow Item Disintegration (non-Tutu)
  
• Breakable Nonmagical Armor, Helms, and Shields (Tutu Only)
  
• Multi Player Kick-Out Patch
  
• Add Bags of Holding (Ammo Belts and Potion Cases to SoA; Bags of Holding to BG)
  
• Exotic Items Pack (Tutu Only)
  
• Reveal City Maps (Tutu Only)
  
• Add Map Notes (Tutu Only)
  
• Stores Sell Larger Stacks of Items
  
• Reputation Resets at Beginning of BG2 (BGT Only)
  
• Gems and Potions Require Identification
  
• Shapeshifter Rebalancing
  
• Multiple Strongholds (non-Tutu)
  
• Bonus Merchants (non-Tutu)
  
• Female Edwina (non-Tutu)
  

Rule Changes

• P&P Spell Progression Tables
  
• Two-Handed Bastard Swords
  
• Two-Handed Katanas
  
• Universal Clubs
  
• English Only: Description Updates for Universal Clubs Component
  
• Weapon Styles for All
  
• Druids Use Cleric Level and Spell Progression
  
• Delay High Level Abilities (non-Tutu)
  
• Change Experience Point Cap
  • Remove Completely
    
  • Cap at Level 20
    
  • Cap at level 30
    

  [*] Allow Stealth and Thieving Abilities in Heavy Armor per P&P

  [*] English Only: Descriptions Updates for Stealth and Thieving Abilities in Heavy Armor Component

  [*] Allow Arcane Spellcasting in Armor

  [*] English Only: Descriptions Updates for Allow Arcane Spellcasting in Armor Component

  [*] Expanded Dual-Class Options

  [*] Wear Multiple Protection Items

  • P&P Style Restrictions
    
  • No Restrictions
    

  [*] Rebalanced Weapon Proficiencies

  [*] Cast Spells from Scrolls (and Other Items) at Character Level

  [*] Multi-Class Grand Mastery

  [*] True Grand Mastery

  [*] Un-Nerfed THAC0 Table, Saving Throws, Grand-Mastery, and Arcane, Divine Spell Progression

  [*]Shopkeepers Have Limited ID Abilities

  • Only Mages and Bard Shopkeepers Can ID
    
  • Shop Lore Based on Shopkeeper Lore
    

Ease of Use

• Higher HP on Level Up
  
• Maximum HP Creatures
  • All Creatures
    
  • Joinable NPCs only
    
  • Non-joinable NPCs only
    

  [*] Identify All Items

  [*] 100% Learn Spells

  [*] Bottomless Bags of Holding

  [*] Remove Fatigue from Restoration Spells (non-Tutu)

  [*] Shut Up "You Must Gather Your Party ..."

  [*] Low Reputation Store Discount

  [*] Unlimited Ammo Stacks

  [*] Unlimited Jewelry and Gem Stacks

  [*] Unlimited Potion Stacks

  [*] Unlimited Scroll Stacks

  [*] Happy Patch

  [*] No Traps or Locks

  [*] Faster Chapter 1&2 Cut-Scenes & Dreams (non-Tutu)

  [*] Invisible Cloak of Mirroring Animation (non-Tutu)

  [*] Keep Drizzt's Loot, Disable Malchor Harpell (non-Tutu)

  [*] No Drow Avatars on Party In Underdark (non-Tutu)

  [*] Romance: Ignore Race/Gender (non-Tutu)

  [*] Romance: Multiple NPCs Concurrently (non-Tutu)

  [*] Romance: Multiple NPCs Concurrently, Say Anything (non-Tutu)

  [*] Rest Anywhere

  [*] Sellable Staffs, Clubs, and Slings

Joinable NPC Tweaks

• Adjust Evil Joinable NPC Reactions (BGT, Tutu only)
  
• Improved Fate Spirit Summoning (non-Tutu)
  
• ToB-Style NPCs
  
• Change Edwin's Stats
  • Give Edwin his BG Stats
    
  • Give Edwin his BG2 Stats
    

  [*] Change Jaheira's Stats

  • Give Jaheira her BG Stats
    
  • Give Jaheira her BG2 Stats
    

  [*] Change Jaheira to Neutral Good Alignment

  [*] Change Minsc's Stats

  • Give Minsc his BG Stats
    
  • Give Minsc his BG2 Stats
    

  [*] Change Viconia's Stats

  • Give Viconia her BG Stats
    
  • Give Viconia her BG2 Stats
    

  [*] Make Khalid a Fighter-Mage (Tutu, BGT only)

  [*] Make Montaron an Assassin (Tutu, BGT only)

This is a fairly significant change, so feedback is very much appreciated--from everything from feedback on the groupings to general questions or comment.

[cmorgan]

As an end-user, this whole idea is phenomenal. It would clean up my installation procedures so much, and gives me much more focus on 1. what each component really does for gameplay, and 2. what order things should be installed. It makes it much more clear for the folks who don't actually read the README's too.

 

One question before I run and hide in a corner: if you have

Deprecated (Moved to Fixpack)

 

could you also have a conversation with yourselves and others involved in Tutu and TutuFix about doing the following on this iteration:

Apprecated (Moved from Fixpack)

- BG2 AMMO STACKS

 

and

Apprecated (Moved from Tutuv4/Tutuv6)

- NPC Kits

 

If this is the wrong place/time to send the discussion in this direction, please move this post!

[Andyr]

NPC Kits would be a cool idea--though that could also go in Idobek's NPC Kit Pack, if he's about.

[CamDawg]

There's an ongoing discussion re: Tutu, Tutufix, and Tutu Tweaks about how to do the next version and what's going to go where. I think the kitting should definitely be outside the core Tutu exe, but whether it's a matter for Tutu Tweaks or Tutufix is still in the air--I think the latter, myself. NPC Kit for Tutu is certainly another option.

[Arturcic]

IMHO, in the Tutufix package should only bugfixing features be added, leaving the rest of the components as optional tweaks in the global Tweakpack. Concerning this, perhaps it could be a good idea to merge the Tutufix and the Fixpack, too. So there are only to mods, one that fixes general bugs and a tweaking one.

My two €-cents.

[Kulyok]

Change Magically Created Weapons to Zero Weight

 

Does it mean that I won't be able to install BG2 Fixpack without my Melf Meteors becoming weightless? And it really, truly cannot be avoided and won't be optional?

 

Off-topic: Huge thanks to Cam for changing his signature.

[Guest Guest]

this is a great idea, and a welcomed change to the current situation.

since the spirit here is to glomerate several tweaks, would you perhaps consider including the ashes of embers weapons for all and z'misc mod no aligment restrictions?

furthermore isn't the bonus merchant a bit redundant?

i mean not redundant per se, but if you have tob with the latest patch you already get the merchants, and since there are enough people out there who don't read the readmes a small warning like SOA or Unpatched Tob only would be nice. or a check that will skip this component if the bonus merchants are already present.

btw. Cast Spells from Scrolls (and Other Items) at Character Level won't install at all if deitm049 is present it says read out of bounds, i don't remember which mod that item comes from atm.

also including the 50th lvl rule set to the rule changes would be nice.

i know i´m exagerating but would you also consider including an up to date version of extend many spells to lvl 50 from weimer? (Yes i still use this.)

thank you anyway in advance for this idea it is very welcomed.

[the bigg]

@Cam-et-al, re deitm049: see http://forums.pocketplane.net/index.php/to....html#msg265714

[CamDawg]

Does it mean that I won't be able to install BG2 Fixpack without my Melf Meteors becoming weightless? And it really, truly cannot be avoided and won't be optional?

Yep.

 

this is a great idea, and a welcomed change to the current situation.

since the spirit here is to glomerate several tweaks, would you perhaps consider including the ashes of embers weapons for all and z'misc mod no aligment restrictions?

The goal was not to conglomerate Tweaks. Wes has moved on, and Ease of Use hasn't been updated in some time. I was especially concerned since I knew it was going to un-fix some things from the Fixpack. Since there was already so much overlapping between the three mods, it seemed that a single package would be the best way to provide these components (and easiest to maintain) going forward, and Wes was kind enough to give his permission. Since Zyraen and Ghreyfain are still about, the same really isn't true for their mods.

 

furthermore isn't the bonus merchant a bit redundant?

i mean not redundant per se, but if you have tob with the latest patch you already get the merchants, and since there are enough people out there who don't read the readmes a small warning like SOA or Unpatched Tob only would be nice. or a check that will skip this component if the bonus merchants are already present.

Components which are not needed/appropriate won't be displayed at install time, e.g. you won't see Tutu-only components appearing while you try to install on a standard BG2 game. The same will go for this component and any other SoA/ToB one.

 

btw. Cast Spells from Scrolls (and Other Items) at Character Level won't install at all if deitm049 is present it says read out of bounds, i don't remember which mod that item comes from atm.

bigg's got it; I'll check it out. The c2blun.itm should be fixed soon, at least.

 

also including the 50th lvl rule set to the rule changes would be nice.

i know i´m exagerating but would you also consider including an up to date version of extend many spells to lvl 50 from weimer? (Yes i still use this.)

thank you anyway in advance for this idea it is very welcomed.

Rule-50 should probably continue as its own mod, because... gah. That'd just be too much.

[Guest John]

Great idea. But would you also include or shift some of the components from the Oversight mod to your conglomerated mod. I'm thinking of the following components: alignment correction, class tweaks/fixes and improved continuity. Obviously, there could be more or less, but these seem to me to fit in with what your next version focuses on.

 

Also, while you mod makers are collaborating on this idea, perhaps you'all could also consider another mod to aggregate the various kit mods (components) into one package Although it probably would cause more bickering than solve anything, from a player pov, it should make things simpler to choose and add kits and to not exceed any restrictions the game imposes on the number of kits any class can have.

 

Again, great idea and hope you'all can publish it relatively soon

[NiGHTMARE]

A lot of the Oversight stuff is going to be included in the upcoming BG2 fixpack, and some of it is already included in/superseded by other mods, such as Divine Remix and Refinements.

 

EDIT: though including what little Oversight-exclusive stuff is left in the Tweakpack might be a good idea. Of course, that is entirely up to Kish.

[CamDawg]

Great idea.  But would you also include or shift some of the components from the Oversight mod to your conglomerated mod.  I'm thinking of the following components: alignment correction, class tweaks/fixes and improved continuity.  Obviously, there could be more or less, but these seem to me to fit in with what your next version focuses on.

These components of Oversight have already been expanded and incorporated into the Fixpack.

 

Also, while you mod makers are collaborating on this idea, perhaps you'all could also consider another mod to aggregate the various kit mods (components) into one package   Although it probably would cause more bickering than solve anything, from a player pov, it should make things simpler to choose and add kits and to not exceed any restrictions the game  imposes on the number of kits any class can have.

I understand where you're coming from, but I think it runs the risk of losing the advantages and unique aspects that multiple modders bring to projects. Every modder has different priorities, goals, standards, and ideas they wish to have conveyed/reflected in their work. I don't think one size fits all (or that there's even one 'best practices' approach we should all use to mod). It's definitely not for a lack of communication--a fair number of us communicate in real-time regularly through IRC or IM, and that's why you see a number of cross-community projects seemingly spring from nowhere. These three are only being merged because I'm a primary author on two, and received permission to maintain the third.

[CamDawg]

I love IM.

 

(13:53:01) Cam: The G3 Tweak Pack for BG2, Featuring Ease of Use (TG3TP4BG2FEoU).

(13:53:18) icelus1: Awesome acronym.

(13:54:18) icelus1: Should you add something about Sans Fixpack Material?

(13:54:28) icelus1: Sorry, I mean Sans BG2 Fixpack Material.

(13:54:31) icelus1: SBG2FM

(13:54:52) Cam: Ooh, tempting. Perhaps it should also feature Tutu Tweaks (22T).

(13:54:57) icelus1: YES.

(13:55:08) Cam: TG3TP4BG2FEoU&22TSBG2FM.

(13:55:25) icelus1:

[Grim Squeaker]

How exactly do you pronounce that?

 

Teejeethree-teepee-fuhbeegee-toofee-ohyund-tootootees-beegee-toofum?

 

Mmm... that just rolls off the tongue.

[Guest Guest]

I understand where you're coming from, but I think it runs the risk of losing the advantages and unique aspects that multiple modders bring to projects. Every modder has different priorities, goals, standards, and ideas they wish to have conveyed/reflected in their work. I don't think one size fits all (or that there's even one 'best practices' approach we should all use to mod). It's definitely not for a lack of communication--a fair number of us communicate in real-time regularly through IRC or IM, and that's why you see a number of cross-community projects seemingly spring from nowhere. These three are only being merged because I'm a primary author on two, and received permission to maintain the third.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No problem. I was thinking back to a mod I tried that had six or seven cleric kits. I chose to install one or two of them but would like to have installed all just for curiosity; was too lazy to do a uninstall/re-install procedure.