10 replies to this topic

[stranger_]

OS: Windows 7 x64

Game version:  BG2+ToB+Patch_26498_ENGLISH

aTweaks version: v4.32

WeiDU log attached

 

Hi all,

After battle with mummies in the Graveyard  District some of my party members were afflicted by disease. Though except of portrait,  status screen icons and message string: "Curative magic has no effect on someone with mummy rot" while resting there were no other effects described in the readme - e.g charisma loss. I had been resting for specified time (6 days) but nothing happened.

 

Thanks in advance.

Attached Files

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Edited by stranger_, 30 June 2014 - 01:23 PM.

[Wisp]

No. No, it's not working. Which begs the question: what the hell was I testing?
Seems like you can only delay a select few effects, and not delay them for too long, or the engine just discards them. So I'll probably have to redesign most/all of the diseases, and forget about PnP-ness, due to technical limitations.

[Pol]

No. No, it's not working. Which begs the question: what the hell was I testing?
Seems like you can only delay a select few effects, and not delay them for too long, or the engine just discards them. 

 

Is it possible you were testing the disease by advancing game time through ctrl+t? I heard somewhere that certain delayed effects may become bugged if you actually save and reload the game (6 days is probably more than one playing session) - I know from my own tests that monk fists can act strangely upon reload if they have any attached equipping effect.

 

If you want the disease to cause delayed and certain death, why not just apply 25 constitution damage through the disease effect?

[Wisp]

This time around I tested by examining the GAM file right after the spell hit. The only effect I could get working with a delayed timing mode (4/delayed-permanent) was Play Sound and then only if the duration was short enough. With a duration of 60, the effect stuck, with a duration of 300, the effect was discarded. None of the Disease, Kill or Display String effects stuck, but I must admit that at that point I was slightly agitated and did not try to vary the duration (shortest was 7200, IIRC). Regardless, the odds of a PnP-esque Mummy Rot being possible do not appear to be favourable.

[Galactygon]

Wisp, I found what the problem was and has nothing to do with engine limitations, but rather with a misplaced opcode 206 in FL#MUM.spl.

In the spell extended header, you have an instance of protection from spell [opcode 206] with "FL#MUM" as your res. If you open the FL#MUM.spl using NI or DLTCEP and look ath the effect order list, you will see that protection from spell FL#MUM.spl is applied sometime in the middle of the spell after the special effect icon is applied but before any death/disease effects are applied. The engine then procedes to block the effects in FL#MUM.spl that come *after* the effect opcode protection from spell FL#MUM.spl.

The solution is to place protection from spell FL#MUM.spl as the last effect in the effects order list. I've done that in my local test install and now the mummy rot has an onset time of several days, and the eventual death/disintegrate works.

[Wisp]

Well, that's embarrassing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't like that to begin with, but I guess there was some mix-up along the way. I'll have it sorted out for the next version. Thanks for spotting it.

[Galactygon]

Glad to hear it will be sorted out. I got really worried when I saw this topic because I also use effects with delays/durations measured in days.

Thought I give you some thoughts about (greater) mummy rot if we're at it:
- if the victim dies before the disintegration effect due to accumulated CHA loss then death is not permanent (because as we know so many players do not set charname's CHA to 3 at character creation)
- the disintegration effect is really nasty, destroys loot, and removes the character from the party

Some suggestions on this:
- If you set the death type to "normal" then that doesn't remove the character portrait and keeps valuable items
However...
-It is still possible to prevent resurrection by having (greater) mummy rot apply a protection from spell (opcode 206) against Raise Dead, Harper's Call, Resurrection, and Mass Raise Dead. It works if your timing mode is set to 9 (Permanent after death). You could still allow for wish to resurrect your character which is in line with P&P rules (you then have to make sure to patch the wish resurrection .spl to remove the mummy rot sectype)
- All of this has the nice side effect that in case the victim dies before the mummy rot takes full effect, then the victim will still not be resurrectable. All of the loopholes would be closed.

[Wisp]

Some suggestions on this:
- If you set the death type to "normal" then that doesn't remove the character portrait and keeps valuable items
However...
-It is still possible to prevent resurrection by having (greater) mummy rot apply a protection from spell (opcode 206) against Raise Dead, Harper's Call, Resurrection, and Mass Raise Dead. It works if your timing mode is set to 9 (Permanent after death). You could still allow for wish to resurrect your character which is in line with P&P rules (you then have to make sure to patch the wish resurrection .spl to remove the mummy rot sectype)
- All of this has the nice side effect that in case the victim dies before the mummy rot takes full effect, then the victim will still not be resurrectable. All of the loopholes would be closed.

But the victim's supposedly-turned-to-dust body would still be loafing around. But I suppose you are right. Items being destroyed is the bigger issue. And maybe there is some other way to get rid of the body (maybe opcoed #151). Thanks for the suggestions.

[Galactygon]

Just did a quick test with opcode 151 using MUMMY.cre as a replacement and the opcode works in one of two ways:
1. Removes victim silently but destroying all items (also removes victim from the party)
2. Chunks victim without destroying all the items
I was thinking you were originally thinking of using 151 with an invis/invulnerable creature to mimick disintegrate without destroying items.

I think this disintegrate-but-keep-items (possibly portrait icon) could work if you have another .spl cast at a delay that kills the character (normal death) and then applies a remove animation or transparency fade opcode with timing mode 9 (perm after death), the latter nested in an external eff file that only affects a GENERAL value of 3. The GENERAL value of all creatures are set to 3 automatically at death and you can have effects within the same extended header that cause death and then instances of external effects via opcode 177 (general value of 3).

Just thought of this - am typing this on a whim Something that could be cool is a series of delayed staggered effects (opcode 66) that set the transparency of the character to higher and higher values as the disease progresses. I might look into it if you are interested - I think it's doable.

(Also note that the same opcode 206 effect order issue plagues FL#GMUM.spl - no pun intended.)

(edit: also noticed the disease doesn't prevent healing via potions as well as healing during rest - perhaps a protection from opcode 17 - current hp modifier might work?)

Edited by Galactygon, 18 November 2014 - 12:33 PM.

[The Imp]

Just thought of this - am typing this on a whim Something that could be cool is a series of delayed staggered effects (opcode 66) that set the transparency of the character to higher and higher values as the disease progresses.

Erhm, but isn't the purpose of the effect to make the character turn into a mummy ? ... So why not just, you know, replace the char with a mummy after the timer has been exceeded when rested and you know, make a guest out of it, cause you know, the mummy doesn't look anything like the character, and ouh, the char was just replaced by a generic mummy made a mummy master - taxidermist.

[Wisp]

Just thought of this - am typing this on a whim Something that could be cool is a series of delayed staggered effects (opcode 66) that set the transparency of the character to higher and higher values as the disease progresses. I might look into it if you are interested - I think it's doable.

That's not necessary, but thanks for the offer.

(edit: also noticed the disease doesn't prevent healing via potions as well as healing during rest - perhaps a protection from opcode 17 - current hp modifier might work?)

I'll consider it. I think I decided against that originally, but now I can't remember why.