17 replies to this topic

[Ieldra]

This bug occurred after I had done everything in the city of the Gragha, and went to the queen to be teleported out. The mage(s) there started a lot of spellcasting, and several characters had to make several saving throws. In several attempts, 1-3 of them failed at something, which resulted in death. I solved this problem by having a priest cast Death Ward on everyone before talking to the queen, but I still count this a bug which needs to be reported.

BTW, whoever came up with the Holy One No. 4 deserves to be shot. A random 80% chance of forcing a reload, without being able to back out of the scene or avoid the consequences makes for extremely bad gameplay.

Edited by Ieldra, 29 August 2007 - 06:36 AM.

[Azazello]

I had/have this bug too but just thought it was my own install. Didn't know about Death Ward, so thanks, but I think I edited-out whatever spell the queen is casting. Not sure what Gilgamesh was trying to do with this effect.

[Hoppy]

Same bug with my install, too. Death ward was the key. I think the queen's spell is sphere of chaos as it always has some nasty effects.

[Ieldra]

Same bug with my install, too. Death ward was the key. I think the queen's spell is sphere of chaos as it always has some nasty effects.

Hmm. I didn't check the scripts, but isn't there a way to get spell visual effects without the spell functionality? That would be an easy fix.

[Hoppy]

I am sure it could be fixed locally via NI or DLTCEP but I have not tinkered with it yet. Whichever spell it was, it is the same that mindflayers use and possibly BP may overwrite which could be the origin of the bug. I never played RoT standalone so I can not compare with the modified BP version.

[Ieldra]

I am sure it could be fixed locally via NI or DLTCEP but I have not tinkered with it yet. Whichever spell it was, it is the same that mindflayers use and possibly BP may overwrite which could be the origin of the bug. I never played RoT standalone so I can not compare with the modified BP version.

I have not installed BP, so that can't be the origin of this bug. Just in case you try to track it down.

[Hoppy]

OK then it must be the spell itself. Can you remember if the saves your characters were making were save vs. death or save vs. polymorph?

[Ieldra]

OK then it must be the spell itself. Can you remember if the saves your characters were making were save vs. death or save vs. polymorph?

I have found the problem. It is a mod incompatibility:

The RR3303 area script uses several lines of code like this to create the sfx for the cutscene:

ActionOverride("GraghaQ",ForceSpell(Player1,QUICK_TELEPORT))

SPELL.IDS maps QUICK_TELEPORT to the number 2926 (this remains unchanged from the original SPELL.IDS), which translates to the spell file SPWI926.SPL. In my clean install, SPWI926.SPL has the spell description of the Dimension Door spell, but that's probably incorrect, so I have no idea what this spell really does. Whatever it does - or rather, did - some other mod overwrites it with the spell "Weird" - and I have indeed seen that name in the casting sequence when the problem occurred, as well as the saves vs. death, petrification and spell that the spell description lists. Probably it's The Darkest Day, because it's the only one having a SPWI926.SPL in its spell folder.

So, there is nothing wrong with RoT, it's TDD that needs to be fixed.

Edited by Ieldra, 30 August 2007 - 02:24 PM.

[Azazello]

Ieldra, great detective work.

In my install, this is SPWI926.SPL:

Weird (Illusion/Phantasm)
Level: 9
Range: 100 yards
Casting Time: 1
Duration:
Area of Effect: 3 Individual Targets

This spell is an improved version of the Phantasmal Killer. The mage sends a message to the demi-plane, and a creature in the form of all the targets' greatest fears to arrive and stalk the target. Only the target can see the creature of fear. He will see the creature and must save vs. death at -2 or drop dead with sheer fright. Even if he makes the save, there is still 3D6 damage inflicted and the creature loses 2 strength for 10 turns. The target must also save vs. petrification at -4 or be stunned for 12 rounds. He must also save vs. spells at -4 or lose 2 dexterity for 10 turns due to the shivering caused by his fright.

Something I've never known: how to determine which spell is mapped to the spell.ids number?

[Ieldra]

Something I've never known: how to determine which spell is mapped to the spell.ids number?

This information is from SimDing0's Complete Scripting Guide (which is, unfortunately, far from complete, but still extremely useful):

Spell.IDS numbers map to resource files as follows:
1nnn maps to SPPRnnn.SPL
2nnn maps to SPWInnn.SPL
3nnn maps to SPINnnn.SPL
4nnn maps to SPCLnnn.SPL

Spells that do not use this naming convention cannot be used through IDS names, but need to be called with the RES methods introduced with TOB. This has the great advantage that you do not need to check which Spell.IDS numbers are added by the hundreds of existings mods, but the disadvantage that your code becomes less readable.

As for tracking the SPWI926 spell in TDD, there is only one NPC who has it, named Mary Magus, which I haven't met in the game yet. There is also a spell scroll for it, but I haven't tracked where it is used yet. Fixing this should be not too big a problem. Do you know who maintains TDD these days?

Edited by Ieldra, 30 August 2007 - 11:38 PM.

[Azazello]

Thanks for the info. Hey, you learn something new everyday.

Fixing this should be not too big a problem. Do you know who maintains TDD these days?

In truth, we all do, those of us who love all these mods.

I looked at TDD.TP2 and in fact this is not a bug but a conflict. In TDD...

COPY ~TDD/SPL/SPWI926.spl~ ~TDD-SPL~ //ToB has it but not uses, this one is 100% different

...which is true. If TDD is played independant of RoT, then there won't be a conflict. We must maintain that independance to fulfill the weidu spirit.

So we have some options:
-- map 'QUICK_TELEPORT' in spell.ids to another spell that does Mass Teleport. This is quick, painless fix that anyone can do right-now.
Anyone have suggestion for new mapping?

-- in RoT, change RR3303.BAF so that it uses the new mapping, OR make it use only the visual effect of whatever 'QUICK_TELEPORT' originally linked to.

In RR3303.BAF:

ActionOverride("GraghaQ",ForceSpell(Player1,QUICK_TELEPORT))
ActionOverride("GraghaF4",ForceSpell(Player2,QUICK_TELEPORT))
ActionOverride("GraghaF5",ForceSpell(Player3,QUICK_TELEPORT))
ActionOverride("GraghaF6",ForceSpell(Player4,QUICK_TELEPORT))
SmallWait(1)
ActionOverride("GraghaQ",ForceSpell(Player1,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
ActionOverride("GraghaF4",ForceSpell(Player2,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
ActionOverride("GraghaF5",ForceSpell(Player3,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
ActionOverride("GraghaF6",ForceSpell(Player4,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))

Are the 'QUICK_TELEPORT' lines even needed?

[Hoppy]

Thanks again Azazello for another awesome fix . I have never edited anything in the .BAFs, so you are right, we do learn something new everyday. Here we go! Weeeeeee!

[Azazello]

Ummm, I haven't fixed anything.

And Ieldra has spotted most of the clues. I'm Watson, he's, she's, er whatever, is Sherlock.

And we still need to fix this.

[Ieldra]

I still think this should be fixed in TDD, for the simple reason that I consider it bad style to unnecessarily replace an existing spell, even if it is never used by the unmodded game. As we see there will inevitably be some mod that uses it. Fixing this in TDD would result in a safer environment for multi-mod installs.

For a quick-fix, the QUICK_TELEPORT could be removed from the script or replaced by visual effects. The cutscene would lose some special effects, but none of its functionality - the real teleport is done by LeaveAreaLUA(). I haven't tried this, since I don't have a saved game from that place anymore.

[Hoppy]

What about CreateVisualEffect("Weird or whatever",[ Area ]) insteed of ForceSpell. The latter means that if the spell does damage and is cast at the party members (as in this case) then the party recieves the damage associated with that spell.
LeaveAreaULA as Ieldra pointed out is the key ingredient for getting out of there.

[Azazello]

CreateVisualEffectObject does seem to be the intended purpose, and although I'm nowhere near that part of the game, I will test using it. Maybe tomorrow.

Edited by Azazello, 02 September 2007 - 11:47 AM.

[Azazello]

I modified the RR3303 script to use CreateVisualEffectObject and it's pretty cool. I experimented with SFx Explode, FlameS, HolyLi, LightPi, MyFiBl -- these come installed with RoT so used them [\RoTerror\SFX] -- and settled on MyFiBl. But you can choose almost any animated VVC that you like.

This is from RR3303.BAF, to be used if you are installing the mod.
To fix in an existing game, use the lines below to overwrite whatever the original lines were in RR3303.BCS

IF
	   Global("LevGra","GLOBAL",1)
   THEN
	   RESPONSE #100
		   HideGUI()
		   StartCutSceneMode()
		   SmallWait(1)
		   FadeToColor([20.0],0)
		   Wait(1)
		   MoveViewPoint([2303.688],INSTANT)
		   ActionOverride(Player1,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2303.688],8))
		   ActionOverride(Player2,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2273.679],8))
		   ActionOverride(Player3,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2363.694],8))
		   ActionOverride(Player4,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2345.676],8))
		   ActionOverride(Player5,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2385.703],8))
		   ActionOverride(Player6,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2294.714],8))
		   ActionOverride("GraghaQ",LeaveAreaLUA("RR3303","",[2340.633],1))
		   CreateCreature("GraghaF4",[2490.699],2) // Female Gragha
		   CreateCreature("GraghaF5",[2145.614],14) // Female Gragha
		   CreateCreature("GraghaF6",[2273.747],8) // Female Gragha
		   Wait(1)
		   FadeFromColor([20.0],0)
		   Wait(3)
		   MultiPlayerSync()
 // beginning of lines to use
		 CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player1)
		   Wait(1)
		   CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player2)
		   Wait(1)
		   CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player3)
		   Wait(1)
		   CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player4)
		   Wait(1)
		   CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player5)
		   Wait(1)
		   CreateVisualEffectObject("MyFiBl",Player6)
		   Wait(1)
 // end of lines to use
			 ActionOverride("GraghaQ",ForceSpell(Player1,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
		   ActionOverride("GraghaF4",ForceSpell(Player2,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
		   ActionOverride("GraghaF5",ForceSpell(Player3,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
		   ActionOverride("GraghaF6",ForceSpell(Player4,WIZARD_TELEPORT_FIELD))
		   Wait(4)
		   MultiPlayerSync()
		   FadeToColor([20.0],0)
		   Wait(1)
		   ActionOverride(Player1,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2860.2470],2))
		   ActionOverride(Player2,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2861.2471],2))
		   ActionOverride(Player3,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2862.2472],2))
		   ActionOverride(Player4,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2863.2473],2))
		   ActionOverride(Player5,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2864.2474],2))
		   ActionOverride(Player6,LeaveAreaLUA("RR3300","",[2865.2475],2))
		   UnhideGUI()
		   EndCutSceneMode()
		   FadeFromColor([20.0],0)
		   SetGlobal("LevGra","GLOBAL",2)
   END

It's nice to have the party not die.

[Radagast-The-Brown]

Nice work both Ieldra and Azazello. I have to say I encountered the same bug ( obviously) but I didn't pay much attention to it since I always thought in DnD p&p that teleporting may always be "hazardous-dangerous" in the sense that things might get ugly, miscalculations might happen, someone might teleport underground or much above his target and fall down to his death etc.

Anyway I just casted 1-2 spells for improved saving throws ( pro evil, chant,bless etc) and noone died on the teleport. ^^
Then again i might have been lucky so nice that u fixed it ^^