8 replies to this topic

[Truman]

I have an unusual request. For reason known only to the gremlins that live inside my computer, I am missing 2 scrolls. The scrolls are Bigby's Clenched Fist, (level 8) and Bigby's Crushing Hand, (level 9). The actual spells still exist in the game, but without a scroll, I can't access them. I have no idea what happened to them, but they are definitely gone. I think the gremlins ate them. If anyone could download them to the forum, or put them where I can get them, I would appreciate it.

 

Thank you

[The Imp]

Are you sure ? They should be scrlb1.itm and scrlb2.itm .

[Truman]

I'm sure. Currently, scrlb1 is now 'Improved Magic Missile' and scrlb2 is now 'Group Hug'. Those 2 spells are from spitems. Unfortunately, the mod overwrote the scrolls without making any backups. I tried a search on the game directory and it only came back with the 1 pair of files. The  original files are long gone.

[The Imp]

I tried a search on the game directory and it only came back with the 1 pair of files. The  original files are long gone.

And were they in the override folder ?

Thing is, this might not as simple as replacing the new files with the old... but you can try to tweak it by cutting and pasting the files to elsewhere, as the game maintains the backups it has from the files in it's .bif files. And then start a new game.. not load a save.

What I mean with not so easy, is that as the game indexes the files among other things in the spell.ids -file, if you then use a mod that alters script files, they are programme to use the "new" file and not the old one. Which could among othetr things crash the entire game. Or not.

[Truman]

I checked the entire directory, the only files with the names scrlb1 and b2, are the overwritten files from spitem. I have checked all of the backup directories for spitem and they are blank. The originals are not in the override, nor are they any where else in the game directory. It is possible that I overwrote those files a long time ago and never noticed their absence. While installing a brand new updated install, I had a pause when I hit spitem. I wasn't sure if I wanted to install it or not. But I did. After I finished the install, I tried to find the 2 Bigby's scroll without finding them. My conclusion was, the spitem mod overwrote the scroll files and never made a backup of them, or, I had installed spitem long ago and have deleted the folder in the game directory for whatever reason.

 

To reiterate, the original files are gone. I have 3 options to get them back.

1) Uninstall the game, and wipe the directory. Then reinstall from the cd's.

2) Since I have the spells available, I can fabricate a new pair of scrolls. A lengthy and tedious project.

3) Find someone who still has the original files and get a copy of them. I can rename them and put them into the game.

[The Imp]

I checked the entire directory, the only files with the names scrlb1 and b2, are the overwritten files from spitem. I have checked all of the backup directories for spitem and they are blank. The originals are not in the override,

The so called originals are in the games <install folder>/data/25item.bif -file.

But that doesn't matter much. As the problem is likely other things.

 

The spell files the game has are arranged in multiple ways, by for example editing the spwi818.spl and spwi918.spl files, you can "overwrite" the content of the scrolls to not have anything to do with "Bigby's" spells, as those are the files the scrolls actually use. Especially if the items have not been edited(aka they are not in the override -folder). As the scroll .itm's are just files to: use opcode to  "learn spell x", and use opcode to "cast spell x". So changing the spell x has radical significance to the utility of the item. And restoring the files has no effect to the game. As it's not the items that have changed. It's the spells they use.

[Truman]

I think you misunderstand. I have no intention of editing the spells. If I can write new scrolls with exactly the same information as the original files, I can rename the scrolls into something else and once I have done so, I will be able to get those scrolls into the game. I believe that will work. I would like to keep the spell 'Improved Magic Missile', the other doesn't interest me.

 

Of course the easiest way is to have copies of the original scrolls. If I try to fabricate the scrolls, that could take me quite some time to get them right and useable. Your reference to <install folder>/data/25item.bif-file is correct. Using DLTC I was able to confirm that scrlb1 and b2 are listed in that bif file. There's nothing I can do with it, but, you are probably right, the originals are in there somewhere.

 

This all sounds fairly elaborate, but I would like to have the original scrolls somewhere that I can get to.

Edited by Truman, 07 October 2019 - 02:23 AM.

[The Imp]

What you should do if you are intrested in getting the spells, is to Open the games files with Near Infinity, take a look at the spells.ids file and find if it has the Bigby's Crushing Fist in it, it should be:

2918 WIZARD_BIGBYS_CRUSHING_HAND

Now, if you don't have the 2918 WIZARD--plahplahplah, then you are kinda out of luck in this.

 

If that is not the case, then you can just replicate it by taking any scroll file you want and back it up using the Export function you get with Right Clicking the file, like say scrlb4.itm which should be the wish -spell scroll, then edit that file by having the View -window open and doubleclick the first "Magical(3)" in the Abilities window.

This will open up the ability, the only Effect it has should be "Cast spell 146", double click that and that will open the window, which one line has the Resource -field, which should select, and dong so should let you to choose another resource, it should be just the previous one, so you just need to go up one in the "elevator" from 919 to 918... and use the Update value -button, then you can exit from there using the X and the go back two windows to the Abilities, edit the second Magical(3) the same way and now you have the replica of your original scroll differently name, and the file is in the overide folder in your game, so you then name it how you like and restore the original scrlb4.itm too.

Edited by The Imp, 07 October 2019 - 03:33 AM.

[Truman]

Wow. That is what I was looking for. I deal primarily with DLTC, so I don' know my way around NearInfinity. I followed your instructions to the letter and, yes, everything worked out fine. I was able to change an existing scroll into what I needed and then CLUAConsoled them into the game where they worked just fine.

 

This really saved my from a very tedious and time wasting process.I thank you.