Polytweak, initial release

[polytope]

Updated to version 1.4

 

-It's now more obvious how to install my mod

 

-Ulitharids now have 20 intelligence, accompanied by an appropriate immunity to 1st and 2nd level illusion spells.

 

I'm worried about the fact that a stoneskinned/ironskinned tank is almost invulnerable to the Ulitharids' attacks, even with six attacks per round they take too long to strip stoneskins because of their poor THAC0, but at least now they can remove mirror images.

Edited December 17, 2013 by polytope

[kreso]

Trolls:

only change I think they need is to make them less buggy.

And this could be enough. I find them so terribly annoying that I wait for a caster to hit level 12 so I can use Death Spell to get rid of them immidiately, no way will I bother with that otherwise. If you need some info, I don't think you do but here is a rather nice info page, not only about Trolls.

 

Umber Hulks:

I'd just change them to have better saving throws and 9HD as they should, maybe elder Umber Hulks could get an AoE gaze or a tougher save penalty on their confusion. They had the interesting ability in PnP to burrow and cause cave-ins, I just know that implementing this would be a buggy mess

Good. As for cave-in, you might wanna use a less severe (or normal?) Earthquake.

 

Yuan-ti:

as most players who'd install this would want more difficulty.

Yes.

 

Others:

Gauths should have a kind of lesser anti magic ray which drains item charges and disrupts spellcasting in that round. Well, the drain item opcode is buggy in SoA and nonfunctional in ToB (dunno about EE) so it would drain a spell instead, like a Nishruu's touch. Juggernaut golems and sand golems are almost carbon copies of stone and clay golems (though Juggernaut is slashing resistant) inspite of being worth twice as much XP, they need some unique abilities too.

I can only speak for myself - but your proposed changes sound great. There's imo little need to tinker with AI (I personally think SCS has reached the "peak" as far as the engine allows).

 

DW a scimitar and dagger just looks cool for some reason

That's quite subjective.

 

and daggers are arguably a better choice of ranged weapon at low levels than slings because of poison throwing daggers

You also get an extra apr with a throwing dagger.

 

at high levels Jaheira should be in melee anyway, because of Ironskins, but even if you prefer a shield, there's no reason to put proficiencies in sword and shield style.

Yeah. It's still cool, but that's my subjective opinion.

 

I'd be happy to make it EE compatible if I knew how to do so, I can't test it without buying EE myself though.

I haven't tested it (with newest patch EE2 looks worse than BG2 in 640 resolution, they messed up UI completely somehow)

but it installs correctly with newest Weidu. You might have already made it EE compatible.

 

Does EE add mind flayers to the game?

I don't know, I ain't playing it until they sort it out properly. It's turning into a big dissapointment for me. Hopefully they'll put out a patch before Christmas, but I wouldn't bet on it. It adds a Vampire NPC which looks and sounds as she came from somewhere around river Nile, if it matters anything to you.

 

the mod apparently can't be installed for players who don't know about that.

Yup. Moreover, readme doesn't say how one should do it.

 

I doubt it needs a forum of its own.

Just get it away from General Modding - only people who know it's there will look for it. Once it has a forum on the main page, then people will start downloading it.

 

EDIT:

It's apperanlty (at least partially) compatible with EE. Jaheira got sling, quartrstaff, 2-handed weapon and spear, Minsc is a Barbarian.

Edited December 17, 2013 by kreso

[lynx]

Lynx, you know a lot about the infinity engine; can you please tell me how weapon proficiencies are stored on a dual classed character who hasn't yet regained their original class abilities? This is the source of a bug in the "related weapon proficiencies" component.

They're stored in the same stat, just masked with a bit shift. I think some info should be in IESDP or its archive, however, here's the relevant code from gemrb:

https://github.com/gemrb/gemrb/blob/master/gemrb/GUIScripts/LUProfsSelection.py#L466

[polytope]

They're stored in the same stat, just masked with a bit shift. I think some info should be in IESDP or its archive, however, here's the relevant code from gemrb:

https://github.com/g...lection.py#L466

 

Ok thanks, I'll try and work around it by script, I've noticed the "related" weapon proficiencies are not removed by level drain since they aren't applied by CLAB files or otherwise leveling up, a moot point I suppose, as no one just keeps adventuring while level drained.

 

Trolls:

only change I think they need is to make them less buggy.

And this could be enough. I find them so terribly annoying that I wait for a caster to hit level 12 so I can use Death Spell to get rid of them immidiately, no way will I bother with that otherwise. If you need some info, I don't think you do but here is a rather nice info page, not only about Trolls.

 

Fission slimes were handled in a better way in BG1, basically this is the script I gave regular trolls:

 

IF
Global("TrollDie","LOCALS",0)
OR(2)
HitBy([ANYONE],FIRE)
HitBy([ANYONE],ACID)
THEN
RESPONSE #100
SetGlobal("TrollDie","LOCALS",1)
SetGlobalTimer("TrollDeath","LOCALS",6)
END

IF
Die()
!Global("TrollDie","LOCALS",1)
OR(2)
StateCheck(Myself,STATE_FROZEN_DEATH)
StateCheck(Myself,STATE_STONE_DEATH)
THEN
RESPONSE #100
SetGlobal("TrollDie","LOCALS",2)
END

IF
Die()
GlobalLT("TrollDie","LOCALS",1)
!StateCheck(Myself,STATE_FLAME_DEATH | STATE_ACID_DEATH)
THEN
RESPONSE #100
CreateCreatureObject("troll02",Myself,0,0,0) // Troll
DestroySelf()
END

IF
Global("TrollDie","LOCALS",1)
GlobalTimerExpired("TrollDeath","LOCALS")
THEN
RESPONSE #100
SetGlobal("TrollDie","LOCALS",0)
END

 

Troll02 just needed it's xp value set to zero, and a similar implementation for giant trolls, ice trolls, spectral trolls, desert trolls and spirit trolls - I rescripted those spirit trolls completely because they have the incredibly annoying tendency with SCS melee scripting to go invisible several times per round, on the other hand they should drain more strength per hit, but for a shorter time.

 

Trolls have their minimum hp items removed, and lose their unjustified immunity to disabling effects (they had this there in vanilla so their death scripts wouldn't be screwed up by confusion, feeblemindedness etc.).

 

Edit: I've updated the scripting blocks with the release of v1.5, if it's of interest to any other modders.

 

Umber Hulks:

I'd just change them to have better saving throws and 9HD as they should, maybe elder Umber Hulks could get an AoE gaze or a tougher save penalty on their confusion. They had the interesting ability in PnP to burrow and cause cave-ins, I just know that implementing this would be a buggy mess

Good. As for cave-in, you might wanna use a less severe (or normal?) Earthquake.

 

Something less powerful than earthquake certainly, as they come in packs and the stacked damage would be insane. Every pack of umber hulks could have an elder leading it though, and the Yuan Ti who sometimes spawn instead (especially greater) would have a chance to wield magic weapons.

Edited December 21, 2013 by polytope

[polytope]

I had some time to mod this weekend, so Polytweak 1.5 is out in time for Christmas. A new component has been added, improved and less buggy trolls (details in the readme on page 1). I would have recoloured the various types of trolls (as I did with the mindflayers) but aVENGER's aTweaks already does that.

[kreso]

I know I'm a bit late (blame Christmas) but I found some time to play yesterday. I didn't yet encounter Mind Flayers but I just finished De'Arnise with "less tiresome Trolls" installed.

I noticed several things:

- their death script fires faster, that is good

- casting Death spell on them grants you experience. They "die" but go unconciuss, and can be killed with fire again, doubling the exp. If I cast Death spell twice, they rise up, only to fall unconciuss again.

- Ice Troll in De'Arnise 2nd floor (the little one near Yuan-ti mage and that splitting Troll) is unkillable. Tried Ctrl-y, Fire, Acid, he won't die. Will see if it's local for him or Planar Sphere gives home to more unkillable Ice Trolls.

- Spectral Troll in basement got hit for +30 damage and was chunked , only to "compose" himself again.

 

EDIT:

Ice Troll unkillability is apperantly specific to that particular troll. Other Ice Trolls die normally. Some Spectral Trolls don't need fire or acid to die, some do. I was unable to reproduce chunking of Spectral Troll in Druid grove area - they all died normally (and appeared at night only).

Edited December 22, 2013 by kreso

[polytope]

Thans for playtesting Kreso!

 

- casting Death spell on them grants you experience. They "die" but go unconciuss, and can be killed with fire again, doubling the exp. If I cast Death spell twice, they rise up, only to fall unconciuss again.

 

Strange. I tested flesh to stone and disintegrate on the trolls, but not death spell... I guess finger of death will have the same problem, I'll fix this as soon as I can work out what's going on.

 

- Ice Troll in De'Arnise 2nd floor (the little one near Yuan-ti mage and that splitting Troll) is unkillable. Tried Ctrl-y, Fire, Acid, he won't die. Will see if it's local for him or Planar Sphere gives home to more unkillable Ice Trolls.

 

It turns out this guy has the same script as a regular ice troll, but a unique creature file, the result is that he uses my new ice troll script but hasn't lost his minimum hp item, fixed.

 

This will hopefully be a very rare bug as troll scripts are usually specifically matched to their creature files. Did the splitting troll work fine?

 

Anyone who wants a quick fix (without reinstalling) for the keep ice troll: Copy the file "trolic01.cre" from your override folder (do not MOVE it from the override - although that probably goes without saying for most readers), rename it "kptrol06.cre" and then add that to the override.

 

I forgot to modify the snow troll in the planar sphere, but he shouldn't have this problem as he doesn't have the same script as a regular snow troll. I've included him in a quick update anyway.

 

Oh, I'm just looking at their creature files and it looks like some of the keep trolls were originally intended by the devs to be troll shamans, with access to 5th level cleric spells. The planar sphere snow troll was supposed to be a caster as well, after Christmas I'll have time to give them new troll shaman scripts.

 

- Spectral Troll in basement got hit for +30 damage and was chunked , only to "compose" himself again.

 

Theoretically, a troll chopped up and not burned/dissolved in acid should recover like this, I agree the gibbing and instant reappearance looks silly, but there's nothing* I can do to prevent it, because the "chunkability" of a creature is hardcoded into its animation (regular trolls cannot be gibbed, spirit and spectral varieties can).

 

Some Spectral Trolls don't need fire or acid to die, some do. I was unable to reproduce chunking of Spectral Troll in Druid grove area - they all died normally (and appeared at night only).

 

I assume you had the Flail of Ages by the time you reached the druid grove, were you hitting them with that? It's intentional that a troll who takes fire/acid damage in the round before dying will not become a "downed troll" who requires finishing off.

 

Another change I just made (I updated the mod on mediafire), spirit trolls glow less brightly and at a lower frequency (I tried to give them a sort of ghostly look). Also, when spirit trolls drain strength they gain 1 point to their own strength score (which lasts for only three rounds, I didn't want them running around with 25 strength after killing a few summons with poor AC).

 

*Actually I could give spirit/spectral trolls high damage resistance to prevent them taking 10 points or more of melee damage (and chunking), but this would defeat the purpose of a component to make troll fights less tedious.

Edited December 22, 2013 by polytope

[kreso]

Nice changes. Unfortunately, I killed most of trolls and I don't think I'll meet more before Lum the Mad level in WK, which is a long way from where I'm standing.

Fwiw, I didn't use Flail of Ages on trolls, nobody has pips in flails yet, only "regular" weapons like Lirarcor and Sword of Chaos. Maybe Valygar's poison katana, but I don't think so. Regardless, it only happened once or twice that the Spectral troll was killed w/o specific damage type. I'll pay more attention if it happens again so I can give you more specific info.

[kreso]

Your Mind Flayers seem to be working fine. They kill just as fast, if not faster, than before. Haven't tried tanking them with a mage, but they do rip through fighters relatively fast.

I only fought the battle in the sewers, it was of decent difficulty, and expect the one in Underdark to be slightly harder, which is good.

Anyhow, a proposal for them - once a character is hit, he gets that potrait icon "hit by Mind Flayer". Unless you want that characters hit by them regenerate (or heal up) the lost health after a while, similar to how intelligence drain worked, you might want to reduce the duration of the icon, or remove it i.e. - I know I'm hit, I just lost half my health.

[kreso]

I tried installing newest version. It won't install - I think something within TP2 is messed up a bit, getting a PARSE error.

[polytope]

Your Mind Flayers seem to be working fine. They kill just as fast, if not faster, than before. Haven't tried tanking them with a mage, but they do rip through fighters relatively fast.

I only fought the battle in the sewers, it was of decent difficulty, and expect the one in Underdark to be slightly harder, which is good.

Anyhow, a proposal for them - once a character is hit, he gets that potrait icon "hit by Mind Flayer". Unless you want that characters hit by them regenerate (or heal up) the lost health after a while, similar to how intelligence drain worked, you might want to reduce the duration of the icon, or remove it i.e. - I know I'm hit, I just lost half my health.

 

I left the portrait icon because when hp is drained as a % it doesn't display a line in the combat log, I needed to leave some sort of ingame notification. Glad to get some player feedback on the flayers (I tried them myself, but I'm not the best judge of my own work).

 

I'm not sure if "regenerating" the health drained by mind flayers can be done in a non-buggy way, I'll try.

 

I tried installing newest version. It won't install - I think something within TP2 is messed up a bit, getting a PARSE error.

 

Yeah, there was a typo in the tp2, sorry about that. It was the night before Christmas eve and I had a plane to catch, so was a bit rushed. Fixed.

Edited December 25, 2013 by polytope

[kreso]

For the new upload - Trolls give EXP before they actually die; i.e. when he goes down unconciuss, exp is granted. When he's killed with fire, you get no exp. No big deal I guess.

I've met another unkillable troll - Spellhold, the room with Bone Club, there are 3 trolls there, and one of them seems to be immune to death.

- one of those trolls in De'Arnise which spawn from the dead troll near Yuan-ti mage dies without fire/acid (altough, this to me seems like the best solution ).

[polytope]

Thanks for the reports Kreso.

 

For the new upload - Trolls give EXP before they actually die; i.e. when he goes down unconciuss, exp is granted. When he's killed with fire, you get no exp. No big deal I guess.

Intentional, the troll is replaced with a new creature on dying the first time, this new troll cannot be worth any XP, because he also is replaced with another troll of the same type when killed (unless by fire or acid).

 

I've met another unkillable troll - Spellhold, the room with Bone Club, there are 3 trolls there, and one of them seems to be immune to death.

Grrr, it turns out this guy is also bugged even in vanilla, he's a spellcasting troll when you first meet him but becomes a regular melee troll with no spells after being reduced to 1hp. I've removed his spellcasting and made him a spirit troll. The giant troll (whose head can be put on the altar) in the same room will now die without needing fire/acid, it's too fiddly otherwise to work out when he should lose his head...

 

I've also made an effort to prevent this sort of thing in future with generic troll scripts, they'll now lose their MINHP/MONHP/TROLLIMM item if they still have it for some reason.

 

- casting Death spell on them grants you experience. They "die" but go unconciuss, and can be killed with fire again, doubling the exp. If I cast Death spell twice, they rise up, only to fall unconciuss again.

 

Cannot reproduce, casting Death Spell on a mixed group of trolls (ice, giant, regular - spirit and spectral are now immune, being undead) gave XP, but finishing them off didn't give extra XP.

 

Polytweak 1.6 is now out with a new component, Improved Umber Hulks. I'll see if I can get the Yuan Ti done this weekend...

[polytope]

I didn't use Detectable Spells for the umber hulks' targetting, instead I'm relying on a timer to avoid the hulks attacking characters with Improved Mantle or similar spells. Since umber hulks can't cast breach anyway I guess it'll do the job. The blocks for the timer and preferred target look like this:

 

IF
OR(3)
SpellCast(Player1,WIZARD_PROTECTION_FROM_MAGIC_WEAPONS)
SpellCast(Player1,WIZARD_ABSOLUTE_IMMUNITY)
SpellCast(Player1,WIZARD_IMPROVED_MANTLE)
THEN
RESPONSE #100
SetGlobalTimer("AVP1","LOCALS",24)
ClearActions(Myself)
END

...

IF
!GlobalTimerNotExpired("AVP1","LOCALS")
!CheckStatGT(Player1,0,STONESKINS)
!StateCheck(Player1,STATE_MIRRORIMAGE)
!CheckStatGT(Player1,49,RESISTSLASHING)
Range(Player1,10)
OR(5)
Class(Player1,LONG_BOW)
Class(Player1,BARD)
Class(Player1,DRUID)
Class(Player1,CLERIC)
HPPercentLT(Player1,50)
!StateCheck(Player1,STATE_PANIC)
See(Player1)
False()
THEN
RESPONSE #100
Continue()
END

[kreso]

Those are very fast updates. I don't know if you've done something with Fire Trolls in Fire Giants Temple....

Umber Hulks seems nice. Willing to do something with the Minotaurs? Aren't they supposed to be actually scary in PnP? 3k exp for a target that never hits you and is slow like a slime isn't exactly a fun way to level up.

This is turning into quite a mod, btw.