12 replies to this topic

[Keldon]

I have a question for the general community. First however, some background.
My son is a HUGE dragon fan, always has been.
He is very excited that you can have a (pseudo)dragon familiar in BGII but is disappointed in that it stays small. He has asked me to find a way to have it grow up to be an adult dragon at the least, but he would also like to be able to have his character ride the adult dragon.

I have been turning it over in my mind and was thinking that perhaps a natural progression could be
familiar --> baby wyvern --> adult wyvern --> adult dragon
The problem is that I don't know how to begin coding this or even if it can be coded to do this. Does anyone know if this is possible?
As far as being able to ride the dragon, I'm thinking that if I could "lift" this from another game and import it in, then whenever the PC clicked the option to mount the dragon, the picture would change from an adult dragon to the imported picture.
Once again, however, I have no clue if this would actually work, or how to code it.

If you are able to offer any suggestions or help on this issue we would certainly appreciate it!
Heh, wouldn't it be fun to be able to watch your familiar mature and then be able to ride it?
I just wanted to be clear for those who may now be screaming about the balance of the game etc, that this is something intended for my son and not necessarily something to be released as a mod.

Peace
Keldon

[Narm]

Damn incredile, I was playing around with the idea this afternoon and poof a thread like this came out.

I think it's possible according to what I know of the game engine. Though I'm not a modder nor do I know enough about modding, I think a check in your characters status might allow a grow in the dragon to appear natural.

If there is modder around kind enough, maybe implementing a stat check on PC is possible to replace the state of familar, something like after your level reach 20 or 30, the the gobal stat will check your level when your familar is release, if your level is level 30 example, then a adult dragon will replace your baby dragon.

The only thing I couldn't figure around is how to make different file name associated with your familar inside your pack.

Maybe someone around who know betters can answer.

Nice idea, it might works.

[pro5]

Heh, this may be a fun idea for a quest!

Something like: You find a dragon egg in one of the dragon caverns in BG2. Evil option: sell the egg to someone who needs it for magical experiments. Good option: raise and "educate" the dragon to be a good nice dragon rather than evil gloomy Firkraag. When it grows up, dragon gains the ability to change form at will and can walk in humanoid form most of the time. In battle, it can assume its natural form and kick ass (balance be damned ).

I almost feel sorry I don't have time to work on this right now...

P.S. However, dragons don't age too quickly, so there should be some explanation why this one is growing so fast to begin with.

Edited by pro5, 21 March 2007 - 07:38 AM.

[Neferit]

Hell, and why not growing dragon?

P.S. However, dragons don't age too quickly, so there should be some explanation why this one is growing so fast to begin with.

And what about some "new" Saphira (well, that's the dragon from Eragon, have I written her name correctly?) ? If I remember correctly, she was growing quite quickly, wasn't she?

[Kellen]

IIRC in the book she doesn't just poof like that, it takes months for her to grow. And for reference the movie and the book, separate.

Edited by Kellen, 21 March 2007 - 11:00 AM.

[Rabain]

Yes its possible to do what you ask, the item in the inventory actually makes it a bit easier...you just replace the item with one that summons a different creature when you reach a certain level.

The animations for riding the dragon would be your biggest problem. Not only do you have to convert and import the animation and get it to work you will also have to resolve issues such as stopping the mounted dragon creature moving from outdoor to indoor area's, through small doorways etc...and this is where it becomes so problematic as to almost not be worth the work.

In fact my issue with the riding creature also applies to summoning a large creature in any indoor or restricted access area. The game is not designed for large creatures (big foot circles in game) to move easily down corridors and through doors etc.

Also remember that the icon in your backpack is a representation of your Familiar curled up in your backpack, it is not your Familiar magically altered into an inanimate object (such as happens with the Rangers Moondog Figurine for example). It will be hard to fit even a baby wyvern into your backpack nevermind a fullgrown dragon...but I guess if anyone can do it then it would be a child of Bhaal!

Note: When I first read the topic I thought it was about being able to Raise your Familiar should it die. This would also not be too difficult to implement via a custom spell applied to a Temple or appropriate non-joinable NPC (or you could give it to the player as a spell but it would be a waste of a space and also a waste of an opportunity to milk some more cash out of ,charname>). WTP has considered applying exactly this to out new modified Familiars (in conjunction with new Find Familiar spell).

Edited by Rabain, 21 March 2007 - 11:16 AM.

[Keldon]

Damn incredile, I was playing around with the idea this afternoon and poof a thread like this came out.

Heh, geuss it's true what they say about great minds thinking alike!

Peace
Keldon

[Zyraen]

Great Idea The only thing I would say is, avoid doing anything that involves editing Avatars. No riding dragons... very tough.

As for manuevering through spaces, these are mainly problems encountered as a Wyvern / Dragon avatar, since they use large cricles. You can create a custom SPL that can transform your said wyvern/dragon form into a human form, or if you find that too cliche, perhaps a flaming elemental, a cat/lion, mist form, and another SPL to transform it back (which can be applied automatically in combat? lol) Not a problem

[Jarno Mikkola]

It will be hard to fit even a baby wyvern into your backpack nevermind a fullgrown dragon...but I guess if anyone can do it then it would be a child of Bhaal!

Well, the child of Bhaal has a pocket plane of his own so why not a a statue of dragon summoning from some other plane.

Note: When I first read the topic I thought it was about being able to Raise your Familiar should it die. This would also not be too difficult to implement via a custom spell applied to a Temple or appropriate non-joinable NPC (or you could give it to the player as a spell but it would be a waste of a space and also a waste of an opportunity to milk some more cash out of ,<charname>). WTP has considered applying exactly this to out new modified Familiars (in conjunction with new Find Familiar spell).

Ah, why don't you try restoration(to get rid of the con drain), and then summon the familiar back, with the first spell.

[Narm]

Damn incredile, I was playing around with the idea this afternoon and poof a thread like this came out.

Heh, geuss it's true what they say about great minds thinking alike!

Peace
Keldon

Hehee, you idea sounds better.

I was playing around the idea because my sorcerer doesn't have a more powerful familiar at level 50. It really su**.

Your idea can works if u manage to learn how to do it, or some kind modder pick it as their new project. HINT***

Actually, other way of looking at this idea is to propose a quest, to make a dragon your familiar, then we can work around that "why it grow so fast" problem. ^^"

[Keldon]

[/quote]
Your idea can works if u manage to learn how to do it, or some kind modder pick it as their new project. HINT***
[/quote]

Since there does seem to be quite a bit of interest in this possible project, I am perfectly willing to turn this into a mod available to the community!
If anyone knows how to actually code any of these great ideas, please PM me!

Peace
Keldon

[Discord]

If it was set in Throne of Bhaal you could just leave the young dragon in the Pocket plane while you went about your business, and every once in a while you could check back and find that the dragon has grown. You could buy/win/find an egg in some quest or other, and take it back to the pocket plane with you. It could come with quests, dialogues with the dragon in question (who you could shape during its upbringing to become good or evil). In the end you see a giant dragon, have a parting dialogue, and the dragon goes off into the world to do good/evil deeds. I think that could be quite fun. I'd play it.

No idea about the riding dragons thing. If it is possible it's very, very difficult.

[minotaur_in_maze]

I know that out in Modding-download-land there is a Summon Dragon mod, that might help initially.

A thought: As you are speaking about A (Dragon) Familiar it might be a question of scripting and dialog that the familiar needs to regenerate on occation, spawning into an egg or cocoon and exiting again in a bigger stronger form. Just an idea.

RIDING a dragon? Difficult at best as far as Showing it in BG2 from all I have heard. You would need to maybe do a cut scene or a new movie to show the dragon in flight ...w/ maybe your character (or the party) on its back. Not impossible perhaps but I suspect it would be difficult. Maybe a bit of talking with dragon About riding on it, then a cutscene showing characters lining up and moving "on" followed by a .mov of the dragon flying them someplace, followed by them standing therte talking of getting off.

(And for that matter, how many people CAN a dragon carry, and given placement, would they need feetbelts?)

Don't give up though...It was always said that one can't have more than X-amount of NPC's, but the RTT Kit "Golem Trainer" takes care of that nicely. Maybe one can't TECHNICALLY do something, but my guess is that one can cheat enough to get the idea across nicely.

Wadda I know, I can't mod.

My two cents though.

Minotaur et' all.

Edited by minotaur_in_maze, 27 March 2007 - 01:27 PM.