63 replies to this topic

[berelinde]

You know how it goes. You travelled through Tethyr and Amn with Keldorn, the ever loyal paladin, but here you are, in the Pocket Plane, and your one-time brother Sarevok has just made you an offer you cannot refuse. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to send him home to his beloved Maria?

For someone who has a hard time making friends, the Bhaalspawn has no difficulty whatsoever recruiting traveling companions, but there is only room for six on your staff. So, you send your former employees to that gloomy "break room," the Pocket Plane, where they will wait patiently, never suspecting that once old Mel is gone, the Pocket Plane is going to implode.

Is this fair? No!

This mod will enable you to send any BioWare member of your party home, just by asking the Fate Spirit to manage the flight plans. The Fate Spirit will also be happy to return former party members to the Pocket Plane for re-recruitment, at your request. The only thing this agreeable travel agent asks is that these NPCs actually be in the party when you make the request. The NPCs will leave their luggage behind, though, so there is no risk of losing either plot items or yummy loot.

Download at Chosen of Mystra

Edited by jastey, 24 February 2023 - 01:26 AM.

[Amaurea]

Oh, thank you for this!

[berelinde]

You're welcome! I hated leaving NPCs in there, and it prevented me from recruiting ToB only ones. It's a simple little mod, and kinda silly, but it makes me feel better.

[SimDing0]

Ooh, I like this...

[AnnabelleRose]

This will always be part of my standard install from now on.

Very nice!

[berelinde]

For any of you modders out there that want to enable this for your own NPCs, the code is simple:

EXTEND_BOTTOM FATESP 6
+ ~InParty("MyNPCDV") InMyArea("MyNPCDV") !StateCheck("MyNPCDV",CD_STATE_NOTVALID)~ + ~Send MyNPCDV back to the circus in Athkatla.~ DO ~SetGlobal("B!MyNPCDVSentHome","GLOBAL",1) 
	ActionOverride("MyNPCDV",SetGlobal("KickedOut","LOCALS",1)) 
	ActionOverride("MyNPCDV",SetLeavePartyDialogFile()) 
	ActionOverride("MyNPCDV",ChangeAIScript("",DEFAULT)) 
	ActionOverride("MyNPCDV",LeaveParty())
	ActionOverride("MyNPCDV",GivePartyAllEquipment())
	Wait(1)
	CreateVisualEffectObject("SPDIMNDR","MyNPCDV")
	Wait(4)
	Deactivate("MyNPCDV")~ EXIT
+ ~Global("B!MyNPCDVSentHome","GLOBAL",1)~ + ~Bring me MyNPCDV.~ DO ~CreateVisualEffect("SPPORTAL",[1999.1228])
	Wait(2)
	Activate("MyNPCDV")
	SetGlobal("B!MyNPCDVSentHome","GLOBAL",0)~ + 8
END

Edited by berelinde, 24 December 2007 - 06:31 PM.

[AnnabelleRose]

Lol!

I was totally going to ask if I could borrow this for my mods (with your mod installed, and reccomend it).

One question, how do you handle unmovable NPC spefic objects (like Boo as an example).

[berelinde]

Because this mod uses Deactivate/Activate, undroppable items are retained on the CRE. In other words, Boo stays with Minsc.

I'm changing my proprietary ways. Anybody that wants to use material that I write will be free to do so, with my blessing. In this case, it wouldn't be needed anyway, since it's just a basic dialogue function that could have been exploited at any time before.

[AnnabelleRose]

Because this mod uses Deactivate/Activate, undroppable items are retained on the CRE. In other words, Boo stays with Minsc.

I'm changing my proprietary ways. Anybody that wants to use material that I write will be free to do so, with my blessing. In this case, it wouldn't be needed anyway, since it's just a basic dialogue function that could have been exploited at any time before.

I still like to give credit where credit is due.

I am not the hugest fan of "OMG MY MOD (or I WROTE TWO DIALOGUES FOR THAT BIOWARE NPC, SO YOU CANNOT MOD THEM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION), YOU CAN'T DO THAT", we are all hacking/moding/writing for something that technically none of us have the right to edit.

Thing is, when someone is helpful and has a great mod (this/you obviously qualify for) credit should always be given, IMO.

[Bookwyrme]

Yay! I love this!

It beats dropping everyone off with the lone merchant up in the mountains when the PP implodes, which is what I have been doing.

And, it is better than having them stand around and twiddle their thumbs in the ever-so-charmingly decorated domain while you're off trying to save Saradush.

[AnnabelleRose]

And, it is better than having them stand around and twiddle their thumbs in the ever-so-charmingly decorated domain while you're off trying to save Saradush.

That does make me wonder about something.

Isn't there a block to prevent you from travelling anywhere else due to some magic during that bit (it has been a while since I played ToB).

If that is the case, shouldn't there be a block untill after that bit?

[Kulyok]

Good stuff.

... now that I think of it, Xan would probably(and Tiax would certainly, heh, such an opportunity of world domination lost!) refuse.

Edit: ah, I looked at the dialogue - the characters don't get asked, it's between PC and the Spirit. Anyway, still a great idea.

Edited by Kulyok, 24 December 2007 - 11:30 PM.

[berelinde]

... now that I think of it, Xan would probably(and Tiax would certainly, heh, such an opportunity of world domination lost!) refuse.

Edit: ah, I looked at the dialogue - the characters don't get asked, it's between PC and the Spirit. Anyway, still a great idea.

I was trying to stay true to the existing dialogue of the Fate Spirit. All it does is bring folks to the plane (and now send them home), with minimal dialogue. I don't think NPCs have any say in the matter.

Also, this was a 1.5 hour mod to asuage my conscience. In future, I'll probably give the NPCs a different rejoining dialogue if they are dismissed and then recalled later, but that's going to take more than an hour and a half, so I'll save that for another day. I imagine that some might react badly to it. Some might say "You didn't even ask me if I wanted to go home, you just sent me there anyway, and now you're pulling me back, without so much as a 'please?'"

I'd see this as a good way to integrate mod NPC reactions to the process. Theoretically, it could damage relationships, provoke additional NPC/PC dialogue, whatever. As I've said in the readme, I have absolutely no objection to folks making whatever use they please of this mod.

If other modders want me to, I would be happy to include a variable for sending the NPC home that doesn't revert to zero when the NPC is returned, so that other modders can use it for NPC reactions in their own mods.

[Jarno Mikkola]

... now that I think of it, Xan would probably(and Tiax would certainly, heh, such an opportunity of world domination lost!) refuse.

Well, they can't refuse the Fate Spirit, but they can refuse the Bhaal Spawns suggestions, and ask the Fate Spirit to resend them back away, but that dialog is up to you of course to mod.

[vilkacis]

Neat

[Kulyok]

Well, they can't refuse the Fate Spirit, but they can refuse the Bhaal Spawns suggestions, and ask the Fate Spirit to resend them back away, but that dialog is up to you of course to mod.

No, honestly, I wasn't going to - I was just trying to crack a joke. "Keep your dirty paws off the Great Tiax! When he rules, this spirit will [insert a chamberpot activity here]... " and so on.

I think the idea is very good and original - in all the years I've been playing the game, I haven't asked myself this question. Probably because I imagined the player never got much power in the Pocket Plane in the first place; he or she might've been allowed to bring their companions in, but not teleporting them in and out at will. And after the Pocket Plane ceased to exist(just like, say, after PC's ascension), all NPCs were returned to where they've been taken from, with their memories, perhaps, altered again(see Nalia's, Aerie's joining dialogues in ToB). But that's just what I imagined for myself.

[Miss Sakaki]

Nice! I'll definitely play with this one.

[Kellen]

I didn't see a read-me, so i figured I'd ask here.

Minor topic but does the party continue to gain XP with future re-summonings. Cause that's a lot of XP possibility if your patient enough to keep doing it.

[berelinde]

Forgot about the XP bonus associated with Fate Spirit summoning, to tell you the truth.

The XP bonus is something like 2000xp, I think. I'm probably not going to worry too much about it right now, since by the time the party gets to ToB, 2000xp is not worth worrying about. If somebody wants to stand there all day sending Viconia back to the graveyard, well, there really isn't much point in them playing BG2, is there.

[f9th-underdog]

Heh, there's easier XP mills in Tob, like the infinate fire giants in Saradush, but what about NPC specific items, Keldorns sword and armor, i see it says givepartyallequipment(). Wouldn't that also give his armor and sword?

Could you offer to give him something as a reward for traveling with you? 'here Keldorn take 5000 gold for your time and go back to your wife' (by that time 5k isn't much I usually am walking around with 100+K, unless I just gave it all to Cespenar)