Problems with modded game user interface, [Topic split by Baronius] Options

[plainab]

Not so much biffing related (so you can move this if needed), but something technical (and you guys seem to know the technical) that I've had some issues with and perhaps something that needs to be watched out for in the creation of tools like IEMF/IEMT. I've got two pcs both with bg1, bg2 and easytutu. Here are their stats:

PC 1
Win 98se, 800mhz Intel Celeron processor, 512mb, 20gb hd & 2gb hd, CDR-drive -- using mod programs (DLTCEP, Infinity Explorer .75 & .85, current weidu and ConText)
FYI - E-series causes bad stutter on this machine.

PC 2
Win XP, 2.4ghz Pentium 4, 512mb ram (I know this is right), 40gb hd & 8gb hd, CDR-drive & High speed CD-Rom. -- using mod programs (DLTCEP, NI, Infinity Explorer .75 & .85, current weidu and ConText)
FYI - E-series is wonderful on this machine.

Both computers have the same issue after a heavy session of modding. It's not consistent when it starts (i.e. amount of time that passes), but it is consistent about where it starts when it does happen. NOTE: This tends to happen if I've made changes via weidu, go test in game, make changes again, go test again, etc... Like I said, there is no set pattern in the usage of the programs, just that I used all the programs at my disposal and have been in the game testing at least one time prior.

Here is what happens: I start the game, mouse click once to skip each movie/splash screen until I get to first menu, choose new game and start to make choices. It is here that the issue presents itself, every screen as soon as opened at the first click of the mouse goes back to the main character creation screen without letting me choose what I'm supposed to. I can choose gender, but choosing a picture other than the default that shows up is impossible. I exit at this point because it is annoying. Should I have chosen to load an existing game, the inventory and other screens would dump me back into the game screen without me getting to adjust or look at anything. Restarting after this has happened results in the same thing. I have to reboot the machine for it to correct itself.

I'm not sure what is happening. My thoughts are: 1) that somehow my clicks through the introductory movies/splash screens are affecting it (but it doesn't do that when I just want to play the game without having done any modding at all). 2) that the excessive use of third-party modding tools has done something to cause this.

BTW, it doesn't matter which game bg1, bg2 or easytutu so I'm leaning more towards the third-party mod programs having something to do with it, perhaps leaving something behind that the game doesn't like. So since it happens on both machines and the operating systems are different, I can't say for sure that it could just be a quirk of my computer. Also, since I use all the programs, I can't pin it down to a specific one. I've never had it happen, if I just stick to one editor/viewer + weidu. It's when I use all of them together that this arises... I will say that I have seen it more on the older/slower pc, but it has happened on both. So maybe there is some memory issue involved and it's more noticeable on the older machine because the hard drive is smaller and so the windows swap file is smaller. But I don't know.

Again, move this if necessary, because it is not specifically about biffing. I just hope someone with a bit of technical know how, could at least tell me what could be going on and to determine if this is something that needs to be addressed in the creation of any new modding tools such as IEMT/IEMF.

[The Bigg]

Hm, I'd rule out Widescreen as a culprit, because it doesn't alter the 'character creation' GUI at all (it only alters the main game screen). I've heard it's compatible with alternate GUIs, but I've only played it with Vanilla GUI, TutuGUI, and BGT GUI (equal to Vanilla). In vanilla it was flawless, in Tutu it required a small tweak.

[plainab]

Hm, I'd rule out Widescreen as a culprit, because it doesn't alter the 'character creation' GUI at all (it only alters the main game screen). I've heard it's compatible with alternate GUIs, but I've only played it with Vanilla GUI, TutuGUI, and BGT GUI (equal to Vanilla). In vanilla it was flawless, in Tutu it required a small tweak.

I'd rule out widescreen as a culprit, too. I don't use that mod. All my monitors are CRTs.

I should explain a bit better, the games can be UNMODDED except for what I've been working on. I'm pretty sure it's happened with easytutu and bg2, but I could be mistaken. I've got too many mods I'm working on/need to maintain, on too many platforms to remember which does what -- I'll try to keep track of what I've done the next time it comes up. I can say that bg1 vanilla, does do it for sure. I do spend more time on the bg fixpack and that is when it happens the most. The mod code, any mod code, isn't the issue, it can happen if I've uninstalled everything, including what I was working on, and go into the game for some reason. But it only does it, after heavy usage of DLTCEP and Infinity Explorer (IE) to check out my files before and after weidu install.

That's why I think it might be some sort of memory issue. Perhaps one of the programs is leaving junk behind and clogging up my memory. I've known of other games that did that. Maybe it's IE, I have to close the program each time I re-install code with weidu because it locks the dialog.tlk file. I use DLTCEP to view my files before and after. I use IE to check ids/2da files during code writing. DLTCEP has a neat feature where I can just reload the game data and get all changes shown, but IE has to be closed and restarted each time I want to install code and go into the game.

Weidu is definitely not the problem as I can install many mods and go right into the game without any issue. DLTCEP alone has never caused it. I have not used IE alone, because I don't like how it shows many of the files. I do like it because I can link from one file type to another. Pretty much IE gives me the file name I want to look up in DLTCEP when I need to make new adjustments.

So we can most likely boil it down to two things:
1) Opening and closing of game engine too many times during a single computer session.
2) Opening and closing of Infinity Explorer too many times during a single computer session.

Maybe, when I've got time, I'll try some experiments and see if I can get any new data to share on this issue...