A July- December marathon, What's planned for IA V6 Options

[Sikret]

I will start working on IA v6 in July 2008 (I'm too busy till then to add any new major content to the mod, though if we happen to find any glitches or bugs in the current version of the mod, I will be here to fix and release new versions; but working on the nex big new version will be postponed to July) and will probably release it before the end of next year.

thetruth has given very good suggestions to me and we have good plans for IA v6. Other players' feedbacks about the content of the mod will also help me to enhance the mod further. For now the general outline of the new plans for IA v5 is as follows:

1- Adding a very big (huge) quest to the game which will probably contain a number of big quests inside itself.

2- Extended Twisted Rune (new big quest)

3- Expanded Fighter Stronghold

4- Improved TOB Final battle at throne of Bhaal

5- Expanded Druid Stronghold.

I will write more (and will add many more new features) as soon as we start working on it and I will pin this topic at that time. For now, I just wanted to say that we have our plans and new ideas for future and that you (everyone) should not hesitate to send me your suggestions for new quests/features to be added to the next version of the mod. This mod belongs to all who love it. (Of course, to be able to give good suggestions, you will probably need to play the current version of the mod completely for a couple of times with different classes and protagonists to see all of the existent features of the mod.)

Cheers

This post has been edited by Sikret: Oct 14 2007, 11:38 AM

[JohnGalt]

Similiarly to what the previous poster suggested about the "sibiling revenge". If you take the evil route with Anomen's murdered sister question and kill Saerk's family, his son, who teleports away, should come back at some point in the game and try to take revenge.

[Ryel ril Ers]

Thanks for the suggestions, Ryel!

1) Improved cowled enforcers: the cowled wizards send his stronger and stronger members each time you cast a spell after the final fight they add you a licence (you are too strong )

This one already exists in IA v4.2 (except the license part). In the readme it is mentioned under the title: "Improved Zallanora and party". The ones who appear prior to Zallanora are also slightly improved.

3) Improved vampires: in the current version they are joke.

I trust you mean "the vampires of the vanilla game are jokes", because the current version of IA (= v4.2) has only two new vampires and they are not weak. One of them is the Vampire Lord in spellhold; the other one is Shyressa in Twisted Rune. In IA v5 we have also two brand new types of vampires: Master Vampires and Vampire Brides (both types are more powerful than vampires of the vanilla game). Improving Bodhi's gang, however, is left to be done in v6.

Last time i dont insult the cowled ones. Sorry, i will try it next time.

The vampire lord and the vampire of the twisted rune are cool. I mean the Bodhi's minions, they are jokes.

[Sikret]

The vampire lord and the vampire of the twisted rune are cool. I mean the Bodhi's minions, they are jokes.

For now (v5), Tanova (of chapter 3) is slightly improved. She is the vampire mage standing just before the chamber with trap spears.

[luan]

I noticed DavidW released version 1 for his SCSII for BG2! SCSI was wonderful and he had some fantastic ideas for AI routines and monster abilities (including what i've read for SCSII). The same of course is true for IA.

How awesome would it be for Sikret and David to share and integrate ideas into both their works? Yes IA and SCSII are both primarily tactical mods.
However, they don't compete with each other since they are technically/conceptually different as well as target different crowds.

Strategy and tactics always apply regardless.

[Sikret]

It's a bad comparison, luan! IA is much more than a tactical mod.

Nonetheless, I'm always open to constructive suggestions for future versions of IA. Similarly, if any other modder likes any of my ideas, I will gladly give the permission of using them in another mod if the modder drops me a line and asks. (The Item Randomizer is probably the only exception. It's one of the best original ideas used in IA for the first time and I prefer to keep it exclusively for IA. Yes, there are more other original ideas in IA, but I like the item randomizer in a special way.)

This post has been edited by Sikret: Nov 24 2007, 05:28 AM

[lroumen]

Sikret, I think Exnem's Vault also uses an item randomiser. You may want to check out that mod (for your own reference, maybe to get some additional ideas ).

[Sikret]

Sikret, I think Exnem's Vault also uses an item randomiser.

No, it doesn't. It normally adds items to creatures and areas (without randomizing). Improved Anvil is the first and only mod with this feature.

I have checked Exnem's Vault v5. Are you referring to a newer version?

- Edited for typos

This post has been edited by Sikret: Oct 16 2007, 02:16 PM

[lroumen]

No, I was indeed referring to version 5. I thought the description said it added items randomly to creatures, but I guess I am mistaken.

This post has been edited by lroumen: Oct 16 2007, 02:01 PM

[Shaitan]

Actually iitems adds items to random creatures at installation...

[DavidW]

I seem to recall there's an item randomiser in Weimer's IWD2 Ease-of-use.

EDIT: yes, there is. It's pretty drastic, actually: it randomizes all items of the same cash value, and it doesn't worry about this creating in-game weirdnesses (e.g. someone who says they're giving you an axe actually gives you a dagger). IA's randomizer is coded in a rather different way, though, and is rather subtler.

This post has been edited by DavidW: Oct 17 2007, 08:42 AM

[Sikret]

Actually iitems adds items to random creatures at installation...

If you provide a link (in a PM), I will download and check it.

However, even if the mod you mentioned adds its own items to random creatures, it's something much different from what IA does. IA doesn't add merely new items to random locations; it removes the vanilla game's items from their original places and then re-distributes them randomly each time you start a new game.

[luan]

Random suggestion: some sort of incentive(aside from meta-gaming) to lock your character in chapter 2 for a duration to level.
Playing a good protagonist, morally, your party should be heading off to spellhold ASAP.
But i'd imagine an IA spellhold/underdark would smash a level 9 party! Yet, it's too weird rescuing imoen with a level 30 party a few months later lol.

Solution idea: In addition to 20,000gp, Gaelen Bayle/Thieves guild needs a few weeks(perhaps 3-5) to iron out the details to get the protagonist to spellhold(e.g. Aran Linvail can explain that they needed to gather intelligence, resources, secure a ship, and determine the protagonist was really on their side, not working with bodhi). I believe Aran already states something similar in vanilla, it only need be expanded upon.

Bodhi's path can have similar restrictions, but perhaps only requires 2 weeks for securing the means of transportation(bribing saemon) and the sake of her not appearing to lead the protagonist into an obvious trap(read: legitimacy).

This can also spice up the RPG elements of the game. Go with the lesser of two evils, or gamble with the even greater evil!

This post has been edited by luan: Oct 17 2007, 08:56 AM

[Sikret]

The spellhold's difficulty varies with party's power and level; hence, as far as the game's balance in concerned, we have little to worry about.

Going to spellhold with a 9th level party is a bit too soon, but even from a role playing point of view, you know that Imoen is not probably in immediate danger while some other people (in other quests in chapter 2) are in urgent and immediate need of your help. This can justify postponing the spellhold for a few weeks.

On the other hand, going to chapter 4 with a higher than 14th level party is also not recommended, though as I said, we don't need to worry about balance issues very much. As mentioned in the progress report pinnes thread, if you delay to go to spellhold, you will find out that Irenicus' control over spellhold has strengthen.

[Sikret]

Actually iitems adds items to random creatures at installation...

If you provide a link (in a PM), I will download and check it.

However, even if the mod you mentioned adds its own items to random creatures, it's something much different from what IA does. IA doesn't add merely new items to random locations; it removes the vanilla game's items from their original places and then re-distributes them randomly each time you start a new game.

I downloaded and checked it, Shaitan! (thanks for the link)

As I had guessed what it does is much different than what IA does. Its randomizing feature is limited to stuff such as "If a creature already has a potion, then there is x% chance to give him another potion" and similar things like that. What IA does, on the other hand, is that it removes a good number of vanilla game's items from their original locations and then redistributes them randomly each time you start a new game. IA is the first and only mod which does this.

[DavidW]

At the risk of repetition: Weimer's IWD2 ease-of-use does that. Unless you're focussing on the "every time you start a new game", I guess - Weimer's mod rerandomizes only when you reinstall. (And, as I've said before, IA probably does it more elegantly)

[Sikret]

Shuffling different items (axes, daggers, etc) with each other is not exactly what I would call randomizing selected items' locations in the sense IA does. I think I was clear enough about what IA exactly does and I think it's much different than what Weimer's mod for IWD does. And yes, "Each time you start a new game" is also an important factor.

I don't see how a mod for a different game which does something much different than IA does can be relevant here. If someone wants to use Weimer's method, he won't need my permission. My point was about the randomizing method of IA.

This post has been edited by Sikret: Oct 19 2007, 01:08 AM

[DavidW]

Well, ultimately the effect is pretty similar: a given object (e.g., Longsword +3) is moved from where it is in the vanilla game to another place, at random. Beyond that, though, it's essentially a matter of semantics whether that's "much different" or not. It would matter if this was an environment where copyright applied (and so permission mattered), but it isn't.

[Sikret]

If they are ultimately the same, then I invite every other modder who wants to add a randmoizer to his mod to use that other method (and not the method used in IA).

And yes, "legally speaking", copyright doesn't apply to this environment; though, "morally speaking", courtesy does apply for those who care.

[DavidW]

OK, so maybe this is a communications breakdown - I thought you were talking about the concept of randomizing the locations of lots of game items, in which case my point was that IWD2 ease-of-use also has that concept (and so if anyone needed to give permission it would presumably be Wes - not that I think he cares about such things). If you mean the specific coding, then of course that's different. I've no idea how the code works for IA's randomizer, other than "differently from IWD2 ease-of-use", but of course if some modder wanted to borrow your code, basic courtesy requires asking permission.

[Sikret]

OK, so maybe this is a communications breakdown - I thought you were talking about the concept of randomizing the locations of lots of game items,

Yes, I was talking about the concept as well.

in which case my point was that IWD2 ease-of-use also has that concept

The IWD2 Ease-of-Use uses an entirely different concept.

If you mean the specific coding, then of course that's different. I've no idea how the code works for IA's randomizer, other than "differently from IWD2 ease-of-use",

The codes are different exactly because the two mods follow two completely different concepts:

The concept used in IWD2 E-of-U is that it shuffles different item codes at installation stage. This may lead to all sorts of silly results; for example, a warrior specilized in long swords may end up wileding a dagger when you meet him. Moreover, to re0distribute the items again, you will need re-install the mod again.

The concept used in IA is different in both respects. It doesn't require the player to re-install the mod; starting a new game will suffice. Moreover, it doesn't blindly shuffles item codes with each other. Items are added to sensible random locations.

but of course if some modder wanted to borrow your code, basic courtesy requires asking permission.

Thank you, but as I said, I was not merely talking about the "code", I was talking about the "concept" as well.

Moreover, you will have no other choice but to use my code if you want to make an item randomizer with all of the features of IA's item randomizer (example: starting a new game redistributes the items without requiring to re-install the mod).

This thread is unfortunately contaminated with offtopic and irrelevant posts. I will unpin and close it, but will create a new thread: Progress report for IA v6 in its due time and will move the relevant posts of this thread to that new one.