33 replies to this topic

[kthxbye]

File Name: ktweaks
File Submitter: kthxbye
File Submitted: 19 Jul 2009
File Updated: 15 Oct 2009
File Category: Miscellaneous Released Mods
Forum: No Information
Readme: kthxbye.altervista.org/ktweaks/readme.html

A collection of minor tweaks I like to use in my game.

Components:
- Add BG1 normal & magical weapons
- Add BG1 missing unique weapons
- Randomized assignment of BG1 missing unique weapons
- Revised throwing daggers
- Revised warhammers
- Revised spears
- (BETA) Allow blades (bard kit) 2 points in bladed weapons
- RP Fixes

Please see the readme for information about each component.

Click here to download this file

Edited by kthxbye, 15 October 2009 - 03:33 AM.

[kthxbye]

I'm going to work on the "RP-fixes" component when I have only a little spare time since it's really quick to do. I already have a list of things I'd like to fix, but I could have missed some and/or added some others that don't need a fix.
First of all, how I'm going to do this: I don't want to spoil anything, or force the player to take the quests with my "fixes", but I don't like the need of entering into each and every house to check if there are quests there. I'm going to add comments about the people giving you quests, and/or the possibility to ask someone about some items the player found in order to know where to deliver them. Two examples (already "fixed") are Joia's flamedance ring and Mirianne's letter: with the ring in the inventory, the player will be able to ask Bentley about it and learn where Joia is, while with the letter the player will be able to ask to each innkeeper in Beregost, even if not all of them know where Mirianne lives.
Now, the list:
* mirianne
- joseph ring
* joia
- algernon?
- nadine & euric
- necromancer quest? (ordulinian)
- rinnie
- quinn & nestor
- degrodel
- laerta&louise

The two signed with * are already done. The ones with the question mark I'm not so sure if need to be fixed or not (for example, I think someone in an inn in Baldur's Gate asks for Algernon's Cloak, in which case I won't modify anything about it - only I'm not sure to remember correctly). Others, like the mage with the second wizardry ring and the house with the weird clothed maid and warrior (who has a cool helm) have no quest at all tied with them but have nice items. I'm not sure if I should add them to the "fixes" or do another component to build some quests on them.

Any help about what to add/remove from the list, and/or how to "fix" something is much appreciated and useful.

[Salk]

While I am not particularly interested in the other tweaks, I think the RP-fixes idea is really very good.

Having not played the game for a very long time (but hopefully I should start a session soon enough), I can not be of help unfortunately but with my support!

Keep it up!

[kthxbye]

Thanks!
Today I'm working on it, and I've thought of adding also some modified dialog to the ones who start the quests, so that you won't have to talk to them twice first to start a quest you've already done, and then to finish it. It would start and finish the whole thing in a single dialog, and to make it a bit more realistic I'd like to add some other options. For example, you could ask Mirianne for a reward. Now, Mirianne will anyway give you the Ring of Protection +1, but at least you have the possibility to say something instead of only listening. On the other hand, Joia could give you 100mo for the "reward" path, while the usual path will give you +1 rep (as usual). These changes will take place only if you ask around anyway..
How does it seem?
(I'd like not to rewrite the whole dialogs from scratch to include those options because I fear compatibility issues.)

[Wisp]

How does it seem?

Like an improvement

[kthxbye]

I've updated the file to v1.05, reorganizing the tp2 structure (using tph files) and the .tra files structure. I've also added the "RP fixes" component: so far, it adds dialogs about Joia's quest, Mirianne's quest and Joseph's quest. It also modifies Joia's ring description, Joseph's ring description and Joseph's spouse name (from Commoner to Vivianne, should be a unique name).
I am sorry for the really small update, I hoped to achieve something more but I have some exams starting from September 1st. Once I'll do those, I hope to be able to provide better and faster updates.

About RP Fixes: I tried to reuse (rewriting them when needed) existing dialog lines, and I tried to be as close as possible to the personalities of the characters I've modified, but given the very few dialog lines they had I could have modified them in a sub-optimal way. Each and every (constructive if possible) comment and criticism is most welcome and helpful.

EDIT: forgot to mention that if you follow the new paths RP Fixes introduces, the journal won't be updated. Since following the new RP fixes paths implies CHARNAME starts and finishes the quests in the same dialog, you won't have an erroneous active quest report - but you will neither have the completed quest report. Starting the quest the usual way cuts off RP fixes additions, so you will have active and completed reports as usual (and you won't notice the presence of RP fixes). I've never worked with the journal before, but I will try and add journal entries for completing the quests using RP fixes dialogs next time if possible.

Please report any bug you may encounter.

EDIT 2: Ok, ok, I'm not the most careful person.. Spotted a typo in WEIGHT statements just after I've uploaded the mod. If you downloaded it between 10.30 and 11.30 (my current time) please re-download it, as I've fixed it and tested the mod again, works for me. I'm sorry.

Edited by kthxbye, 22 August 2009 - 01:35 AM.

[kthxbye]

Updated to v1.06 to correct an error on an itm file for the component "Add BG1 missing unique weapons" which often caused a crash to desktop when the weapon was used by enemies.
I am sorry for not spotting this earlier, and am actually a bit sad 'cause the bug has been present for a while, and yet I received no feedback on it.
Anyway, it should be fixed now.

[kthxbye]

I noticed that while my revised spears component and Item Revisions modify spears in the same way, IR doesn't modify custom spears while my component do. I'll see to enhance compatibility in order to let my component modify spears disregarding the ones already modified by IR, so that all the spears in the install will have the same stats.
As soon as I'll release a new version, I'll fix this.

[Mike1072]

I noticed that while my revised spears component and Item Revisions modify spears in the same way, IR doesn't modify custom spears while my component do. I'll see to enhance compatibility in order to let my component modify spears disregarding the ones already modified by IR, so that all the spears in the install will have the same stats.
As soon as I'll release a new version, I'll fix this.

IR doesn't? The Weapon Changes component should move all spears using the normal proficiency from 1d6 to 1d8 damage.

[Miloch]

I noticed that while my revised spears component and Item Revisions modify spears in the same way, IR doesn't modify custom spears while my component do.

Judging from the description, your component does the exact same thing as the spear component in P5Tweaks - the only difference being the latter also patches descriptions.

Edit: actually it looks like your code does descriptions too. So now why are we reinventing the wheel (three times if IR's component also does the same thing)?

Edited by Miloch, 18 October 2009 - 04:37 AM.

[kthxbye]

@Mike: I think it's because in BWP installs IR is installed before BGT, so custom weapons are installed after IR and thus not modified. In my current game some custom spears are still dealing 1d6 damage, for instance. I think that the easiest solution for people doing a mega-mod install including ktweaks is to modify ktweaks in order to let it handle unmodified spears after IR instead of messing with the current stable BWP install order.
[EDIT]Actually, only the first component of IR is installed before BGT. I don't know if it's the one modifying spears or not, but since making my component patching only unmodified spears isn't difficult at all, in the worst scenario it will do nothing if IR already changed all the spears. Let me know if there's something I've overlooked. [/EDIT]

@Miloch: basically two reasons. First and most important, I wasn't aware that P5tweaks and IR modified the spears like I'd wanted to until I released ktweaks and actually checked for compatibility issues (by the way, will check compatibility with P5tweaks and will skip the spear component if P5's component is already installed in my next release), and second I started working on ktweaks to make some practice with weidu, while also doing some changes I would've liked to see in my games. I had no intention at all to "steal" ideas or impose my component over other similar ones, and I'm sorry if I gave that impression.
BTW, I also used the same code for my revised warhammers and revised throwing daggers components too (as far as I know, my mod's the only one that changes things like this for those weapons), so it wasn't useless in the end.

Edited by kthxbye, 18 October 2009 - 05:17 AM.

[Lollorian]

I don't see too much problems in many-versions-of-same-things as long as y'all keep them as separate components (so that they don't overwrite others )

Cheers,
Lol

[Jarno Mikkola]

BTW, I also used the same code for my revised warhammers and revised throwing daggers components too (as far as I know, my mod's the only one that changes things like this for those weapons), so it wasn't useless in the end.

Hmm;

# Spears: Base damage changed from 1d6 to 1d8.
# War Hammers: Base damage changed from 1d4+1 to 1d8. Base speed changed from 5 to 7.

I would advice to being careful. But if you patch the items in the condition that the item is 'an original', it doesn't really matter in the end.

[kthxbye]

@Lollorian: do you mean "overwriting" as in "overwriting instead of patching" or as in "when installing two similar components the last one will take precedence"? Sorry I didn't understand.

@Jarno: IR modifies warhammers and throwing daggers in a different way than my components. I didn't mean my components are the only ones modifying that weapon types, but, again as far as I know, are the only ones that modifies those weapon types with that particular stats. I'll double check the conditions under which my components install, but I think that if someone wants to install my component means he wants the warhammers/throwing daggers the way I modify them, so installing it after IR shouldn't prevent certain already modified items to be modified. For instance, installing IR and then ktweaks' components will result in all the weapons in IR style, except the ones modified by my component (by patching both stats and descriptions). Spears are a different matter instead, since both my mod and IR aims to modify those in the same way, so installing my spears component after IR would be useless if not for some custom weapons that may have been left out before.

[Lollorian]

The "when installing two similar components the last one will take precedence" ... sorry

Cheers,
Lol

[kthxbye]

Mmhh I think that the last one should take precedence instead, unless the two components are pretty much the same (as P5tweaks' and ktweaks'), so that the user can choose to install IR and then modify only warhammers (for example). Obviously, this means the user has to actively choose the mods and read the readmes. If the second component gets skipped if there's another similar one installed, the user wouldn't be able to use IR's 1d8 warhammers along with ktweaks' throwing daggers, since IR modifies throwing daggers too.

[Lollorian]

Actually, I was trying to say that ... instead of making the "repeated tweak" a part of the core component (like IR seemingly does), you all could just split that component and let the user decide whose component to use (instead of fighting over who thought of the component first and supposedly reserving the right to use them in only one mod )

Cheers,
Lol

[kthxbye]

Wow, I managed to misunderstand you twice in a row. xD Sorry!
I agree on making separate components, but I think mods that rewrite the whole weapon/armor system can use a unique huge component for every weapon/armor like IR does, since it is balanced in itself and except rare cases, you use only one of those mods. Tweaks like mine and P5tweaks' instead could or could not modify the balance of the game, depending on the weapons we don't modify so it makes sense to choose every change one by one, and we can still install on top of IR like mods too.
Granted, I'll always code in separate components and try to make those as compatible as possible with every other mod.

About balance: I'm thinking on lowering throwing knives APR to 2, leaving the thac0 malus. How does it seem?

Thanks @ all for the help and the infos!

Edited by kthxbye, 18 October 2009 - 07:14 AM.

[Lollorian]

LOL I dunno whether to smile at that or not (soooo misunderstood <cue music> )

I agree with your point on IR keeping the tweaks and the others keeping it optional though

Cheers,
Lol

[Miloch]

you all could just split that component and let the user decide whose component to use

In tweak mods like this one and p5tweaks, all components are separate and optional already. Not sure about IR, but if it's not part of the core component, that probably is too. It's the "decide" part that's questionable here (see below).

(instead of fighting over who thought of the component first and supposedly reserving the right to use them in only one mod )

Well there's no fight there - p5tweaks was first (before even I had anything to do with it). And actually, I think even Ashes of Embers has a similar feature, though I don't think it's as comprehensive (probably doesn't do spears added by other mods and/or update descriptions). But how many components do we need that do the same thing? In my view, just one. That avoids awkward questions for the average end-user or your typical robot-guided BWP install, such as which component should I install. I don't really care which - if ktweaks' component does the same thing only quicker or more efficiently, I'm fine deprecating the one in p5tweaks. Yeah I spent a lot of time updating it and getting it to work smoothly, but whatever - all code is just a learning experience. Anyway, that's a better use of time than putting redundancy checks in all the existing mods (if ktweaks's or IR's spears is already installed, don't install p5tweaks, etc., etc.). And actually I think all these little miscellaneous tweak mods should be combined into a larger one (something I'm working on for my own mini-mods). That way not only will they get more visibility, but they'll avoid redundancy and modder B spending a lot of time inventing a component modder A already has done (seems to be happening a lot lately).