132 replies to this topic

[Malbolgia]

Planar Sphere Mod v2.6a

I'm not sure how to introduce this new version since I haven't spoken with Inferno, M, Hlid or Duality about what I've done here and therefore haven't received approval for any of this.

I was playing through BGT with a couple of mods, where the sphere mod was one of them, when things suddenly started to get buggy within the sphere (no conflicting mods, AFAIK.) What I've done is simply attempt to fix bugs that I have noticed while playing the mod, sometimes also changing things to (hopefully) improve the mod.

What I've done so far is:

• Update readme file
  
• Changed and fixed the rakshasa dialog
  
• Removed Teos' ugly portrait
  
• Added Planar Sphere Return Mod as optional install
  
• Removed Dualitys Folder Information files from all folders smile.gif
  
• Fixed the Aprrenti/Adventurers battle cutscene
  
• Changed and fixed the baatezu dialog

And that's mostly it, with the exception of minor things like stopping the cutscene apprenti from littering the floor with useless items as they die and also changing the demon summoned by the 4th apprentice during the exam (so as not to have to worry about the Examiner getting hit by a fireball and turning hostile.) Also added a pair of boots of speed as loot as I saw it being requested here on the forum earlier.

As I said, I'm simply fixing stuff as I progress through the game, but I'll probably have to return from Spellhold before I can continue running through the mod in a satisfactory manner. I don't know if I'll be able to put any more work into this mod at that point, but please feel free to post bugs that Duality and me haven't fixed and I'll look for them as I get there.

I'm secretly hoping that the Return Mod will enable you to finish the Sphere Mod from TOB. If that isn't the point of the mod, then I don't see one, and I just might change that mod as well.

Readme
Download Mod
Please feel free to create and post mirrors, should you feel these small additions worthy of such.

Edited by Malbolgia, 22 February 2007 - 06:49 AM.

[ronin]

Its nice that you did work on the mod, but normally you should have waited until you got a reply from one of the authors, Hlid shows his face around here sometimes and you could have pm'd him to ask for permission.

ronin

[Malbolgia]

Actually, Hlid was last active 14th October 2006 and Duality hasnt been on since 2nd January 2007.
I did send Duality a PM concerning the mod, although unrelated to a release such as this, and (naturally) I haven't received an answer.

I agree that getting permission first would have been preferable but it wasn't obtainable at present.

Edited by Malbolgia, 25 January 2007 - 05:25 AM.

[zodden]

thanks for the update, will play around with it some this next week.

Would love an option in the future during install to not have to get the 40+ new spells that it gives you. I find that a bit too much myself. Perhaps for a future update and/or expansion?

[morganbg]

thanks for the update too, it is nice that you worked on this mod.
But the backup folders is not empty. Can that not be problematic if you uninstall the mod? (files getting dumped to override).
I'm not familiar with moding, so someone must confirm.

[ronin]

After you extract the mod from the archive and before you install it delete everything except the keep.me file and the backup folder itself.

ronin

[Malbolgia]

The backup-files have been removed from the archive, so anyone who might download it in the future won't have to worry about that.

An option for the spells should be fairly easy, although perhaps very tedious, to do. I just need to be sure that no scripts or creatures are reliant on any of the spells. However, as you can just ignore the scrolls, this really won't be prioritized.

Edited by Malbolgia, 28 January 2007 - 03:36 AM.

[zodden]

just want to report that I played through this bug free. For this mod thats saying a lot. You did a great job. I know you didn't get permission but 2.5 was left in its unfinished state. I would pin this as the new official version and I want to say again

GREAT JOB!

If you ever want to expand more on it count me in for testing and any help you need. I'm not good at coding but willing to learn

[Malbolgia]

Oh, I wish I could take credit for this, but the only real major change I made was to the Apprenti/Adveturer-cutscene that was not working properly. Other than that, all thanks should be directed to Duality.

I've made some further changes to the mod as I saw fit while playing through it. However, I could not stomach much more of the mod after the first meeting with Mystra. I really have not enjoyed the plot of this mod, with the exception of some funny segments. It makes no sense at all and it's very poorly written.

I'm unsure if I wish to continue working with this mod.

These are the most recent changes:

• Changed Teos dialog for when the artifact is retrieved.
  
• Changed Sorcerer dialog (first encounter.)
  
• Changed dream dialog (after sorcerer encounter.)

These are mostly changes I made to stop myself from wincing as I read through the dialogs. I'm not sure if there's a noticeable improvement, but I hope so. Simply use the link in the first post to download The Planar Sphere Mod with the current updates.



As a note to myself or any other future undertakes of this mod: Changes I would have liked to see would have been to move the Cowled traitor and Red Wizards to the inn in the slums and have Mystra teleport you directly to the Government district and back, to ensure that the game doesnt crash between area transgressions while playing TOB with the Return Mod.
Also, most of the dialog should be proofread and changed, as much as possible, to actually fit the story- and timeline of Faerûn.
For example, Mystra is supposed to be dead after The Time of Troubles, but seeing as she's made such a big deal of in the mod, she can't really be removed.
Furthermore, the Return Mod needs to be changed so that you only get the ability to teleport to the Sphere, after you go to the pocketplane in TOB. Not in the beginning of TOB og during SOA.

[Chevalier]

Midnight the new godess of magic uses the name Mystra.

[Malbolgia]

Sure, you can always claim that Mystra is still alive in a sense, but this guy has been imprisoned for 500 years. The Time of Troubles happend in 1358, and Baldur's gate happend in 1368. (Source)
Thus it's not really "his" Mystra. Also, the sorcerer should not know about the bhaalspawn since he was imprisoned long before even the Time of Troubles.

Edited by Malbolgia, 06 February 2007 - 02:14 PM.

[wellunhappy]

Its nice that you did work on the mod, but normally you should have waited until you got a reply from one of the authors, Hlid shows his face around here sometimes and you could have pm'd him to ask for permission.

ronin

If it works then whats the problem, we live in a world where, piracy is bigger now than it was 200 years ago, yes,yes. Does it work is all most folks want to know. I've had a very strange relationship with this mod over the years, its a bit like being in love with someone you should'nt be. One of the first mods around, one of the best mods around but one of the worst bug ridden mods around. Hlid did amazing work converting it and making it playable. But before Duality finished off the work there were loads of stuff which still made me and everyone else groan, throw things at the monitor or get taken back to the wallpaper. So if it works just stick it on http://mirror.spellholdstudios.net and lets all rejoice.

[Kaeloree]

I can't - not without Duality's express permission, unfortunately.

[AnnabelleRose]

Allthugh I understand Ronin's reasoing behind his post I disagree.

I think anyone should feel free to bug-fix and re-release mods (but any changes to the mod itself made should be optional).

Hlid did not mind when someone made fixes a while back(I am too lazy to dig up the threads). Besides, Hlid retired from modding a while back.

I also understand why K'aeloree cannot add it to the server though. Hlid did pass this forum to Duality.

[Chevalier]

A bit off topic but,

When does someones absence without notice become abandonment of a forum/Mod?
I am not it has been done here, just wondering about policy.

[Kaeloree]

Well, I would prefer Hlid's consent as well, but he handed the mod over to Duality so Duality is the person Malbolgia needs to talk to.

I personally would prefer if you did remove the download, Malbolgia, until you do have permission from Duality (I would suggest trying to contact him via email) but since this seems to include necessary fixes, I'll let it stay up until Duality (or alternatively, Hlid) gives a yea or nay.

[AnnabelleRose]

Eh, not sure I like the idea as much as I thought.

After reading the readme, changes were made in addition to bugfixes.

[Malbolgia]

As MajorTomSawyer says, changes were made. Not in any way critical ones though. Mostly cleaned up the language and added dialog options (that didnt really change the outcome) so one could roleplay the characters chosen alignment and make the whole thing look a bit more pro, IMHO.

The link to the download has been edited away, although the readme remains, and has also been moved from my server in case of some bot caching the URL to it somewhere.

[Kaeloree]

Hopefully someone can catch Duality or Hlid soon, then!

[Duality]

Hopefully someone can catch Duality or Hlid soon, then!

Sorry that I've been afk for over a month, things come up and I was fairly sick of working on the mod. Modding alone sucks, it's just too easy to give up on a project.

Annnyyyywaaaayyyy. Sure, post bug fixes, whatever, have a ball, I should be around more now so I will actually respond to problems. However, I'd prefer that you didn't do anything with the core story/dialog, especially if you don't like it. Yes it's absurd, yes it makes no sense, but that's not really the point, it has a much lighter feel to it then most mods and that's something I (and other people that I know of) appreciate.

To zodden; the spells really aren't removable. A large number of new NPC's use the custom spells and the scrolls are scattered all over a number of areas, removing them would be an ugly and time consuming task. If you don't like them just don't bother to learn them it shouldn't have any effect at all, they aren't needed to fnish the mod. (And yes, I agree, Inferno went a little... errr... a lot.. overboard on the spells)

Eh, stupid backup files >< I always forget something (and those damn ds_stores $)*(#(*#$&(*#). For the most part, when I left it the mod was 9/10 bug free, the remaining problems were mostly really annoying things that I couldn't replicate (like the stupid forge not working) and thus couldn't fix. Speaking of which, what was wrong with the Baatezu and the rakshasa dialog? Those stupid adventurers were the bane of my bug-fixing existance for some time. I was ready to remove them entirely at one point.

So, to summarize/clarify: First, sure, anyone who wants to make bug fixs go ahead, let's just make sure that the dl link to the current version contains ALL the current fixes.

Second, I'd prefer that the main plot not be changed at all. I left it the way I found it and Hlid didn't change much in the way of content, so most is pure original Inferno (with the exception of the stuff I added). If someone thinks that something REALLY needs to be changed, pm me and we'll talk about it.

Third, there is only a couple of things I had wanted to do (and thus wouldn't mind some help with), these being: Custom spell icons for the scrolls, checking to see how the stupid implosion bug works, if I can replicate it, and adding the one new quest section. Now in all likelyhood the third will never get done, I intended to have a quest linking to a new area that opens up through the portal that the professor creates, but when I was about 3/4 done with one of the new areas (there were going to be several, the one I was working on was one of the largest) I decided I couldn't stand to look at IETME anymore, so scratch that. I may get around to making custom scroll icons and I may not but I will fix any bugs that pop up, especially if Malbolgia decides he doesn't have any desire to continue working on his version of the mod.

-Duality

Edited by Duality, 21 February 2007 - 03:03 PM.