IAv6 for BG2EE, public beta Options

[critto]

Hello, everyone.

I've made a few tweaks to the original IAv6 in order to make it compatible with the BG2EE. I haven't tested the game at all yet, so use it at your own risk. The EE version didn't pass an excruciating amount of testing as it'd happened usually in the past.

Attached to the topic is a small archive with the files that you need to unpack into your EE directory on top of IA prior to installing. I haven't tested the compatibility with the other mods, but IA doesn't play well with them anyway. I did test the installation of Ease-of-Use (recommended components) and Dungeon-be-Gone, both latest versions. Also, make sure you download the latest WeiDU executable and use it instead of those that might be packaged with the mods. It is required for the installation to work properly.

These files would probably cause IA installation to crash on vanilla BG (non-EE), but there is nothing new anyway with the exception of compatibility patches. I haven't made the setup script cross-platform. Perhaps, I'll do this in the future when there is proof that IA plays nice with EE.

Once again, I repeat, there was no extensive testing. I have no idea how powerful or not are the new EE kits or new joinable NPCs in the context of IA. I have no idea what happens with the new content that is added by EE.

If you do play this and find some sort of a bug, let me know here. I will try to fix it and attach the patches in this post. I would've loved to push out a stable version for you guys but there is not timetable at all for how much it'll take me to do my own run of the game.

Enjoy!

EDIT: this archive is outdated! Please, download the latest version of the mod from the BWL's download section.

 Archive.zip ( 69.05k ) Number of downloads: 49


This post has been edited by critto: May 25 2016, 06:34 AM

[critto]

have no trouble finishing their Ruby Ray of Reversal or Breach casting if the targeted character suddenly goes invisible or improved invisible in the middle of the spellcasting.

It may be a limitation of the engine in how the game handles casting (there are various ways to cast a spell programmatically, see iesdp for that) but I might be wrong. This needs to be tested first.

Wrong expression, allow me to correct that. Double-standard meaning - monsters can do it while party members or PC cannot (even though the latter are guided by a player with a real mind).

Party members can do things and use items that a monster cannot. The original thought still applies.

A logical suggestion however will be giving party members an Absolute Immunity effect, equal to those which enemies have while a Time Stop is active.

I don't see any practical sense in doing so. There's only one instance of the AI using Time Stop: Layenne in Twisted Rune battle. And even there it is used more for dramatic effect and a unique extra challenge to overcome in a fight which I back in the day when I played it found to be quite enjoyable. Intelligent behavior during time stop is challenging to program well which is why none of the enemies use it. No enemy employs TS to run around and hit frozen foes.

Otherwise, I commend you on your efforts working on the IA mod.

Cheers

[blastermaster]

A logical suggestion however will be giving party members an Absolute Immunity effect, equal to those which enemies have while a Time Stop is active.

I don't see any practical sense in doing so. There's only one instance of the AI using Time Stop: Layenne in Twisted Rune battle. And even there it is used more for dramatic effect and a unique extra challenge to overcome in a fight which I back in the day when I played it found to be quite enjoyable. Intelligent behavior during time stop is challenging to program well which is why none of the enemies use it. No enemy employs TS to run around and hit frozen foes.

In fact, at least one other enemy does. The Grave Lich who guards Daystar used Time Stop and hit me a couple of times during it. I would suggest making player parties immune to physical damage during time stops if possible, for fairness and thematic purposes.

In terms of "countering" a spell by going invisible during the casting, I am not sure that is something easily modified. It might require a patch to .exe, or a very complex script to be added to basically every spellcaster. I think there are a handful of things like "Chain Contingencies" and "Spell Triggers" that could have invisibility checks added to them though. Dragons, liches, and demons, should ignore invisibility IMO, as was the case in vanilla BG2.

The summon limit seems like a very easy fix, given that it only appears for perhaps a few enemies. But I don't understand why it is acceptable that the 5-summon limit should be waived for things like Noble Spider figurine and Swanmays, but it is objectionable if it is waived for the Kuo-Toa Prince's summons. Beyond the mechanical "fairness" of this working for both players and enemies, aren't the Kuo-Toa's "summons" just more Kuo-Toas (Dukes)? Or are you talking about Invisible Stalkers and such? If he's summoning more than 5 Dukes, I think that's perfectly fair given that it's intended to be less of a magical summoning and more of him just sounding alarms and his guards physically moving to the location to help battle an intruder :-)

Speaking of summons actually, I'd suggest a duration increase for a handful of them. There's a number of them that have durations of 10 rounds (Berserker, Elemental Prince) which is very short in the battle preparation process. I'd also suggest allowing Cerebus and Joolon to be usable by any character, since this mod advises and assumes the players are using the all-stronghold tweak.

[Krell]

The summon limit seems like a very easy fix, given that it only appears for perhaps a few enemies. But I don't understand why it is acceptable that the 5-summon limit should be waived for things like Noble Spider figurine and Swanmays, but it is objectionable if it is waived for the Kuo-Toa Prince's summons. Beyond the mechanical "fairness" of this working for both players and enemies, aren't the Kuo-Toa's "summons" just more Kuo-Toas (Dukes)? Or are you talking about Invisible Stalkers and such? If he's summoning more than 5 Dukes, I think that's perfectly fair given that it's intended to be less of a magical summoning and more of him just sounding alarms and his guards physically moving to the location to help battle an intruder :-)

Speaking of summons actually, I'd suggest a duration increase for a handful of them. There's a number of them that have durations of 10 rounds (Berserker, Elemental Prince) which is very short in the battle preparation process. I'd also suggest allowing Cerebus and Joolon to be usable by any character, since this mod advises and assumes the players are using the all-stronghold tweak.

The summon limit question was raised because as I understood, in IA v6.1 the player summon limit would be fixed to 5, including gated summons like Swanmays and Greater Djinnis. As for the Kuo-Toan prince, I don't mind him getting gazilion weak summons, but I watched him curiously as he gated two Aerial servants, three Skeleton Warriors and a couple Mountain bears (a total of 7) plus his Fallen Deva was still present (so 8) when I finally decided to whack at him. Pointed this out just for the mechanical "fairness". BTW I don't see the reason of "gated" summons like Swanmays, Greater Djinni, Noble Spider or Skely Lord to fall under the 5-summon limit rule since enemies definitely go easy over that limit with their gated summons - like a Greater Elemental Golem being able to gate in nine minor golems at a time or a single Ghost spider gating in more than 12 additional minor spiders if left alive long enough.