10 replies to this topic

[TotoR]

Hi skellytz,

 

Yesterday, I was playing a bit of bg1 part of bgt, when I noticed that some area has no music or not the right one.

 

After checking a little bit with NI, I realized that it was only true for areas from mods (NTotSC for example). For them it was a total mess up. So I check my install order and understand that I have maybe installed Full Baldur's Gate/Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal Music a little too early.

 

On a test installation, I have checked what append if this component is installed later but of course it doesn't solve this bug as modded areas have music ref of bg1 ; by the way, they seem to be working well with Full Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music and hybrid version (as far as I know).

 

 

I have checked every ref for my modded installation, and I could PR a static fix for NTotSC, DSotSC, BST, BG1 RE, Bonehill, Jarl adv_pack and G3 anniv (don't ask me why but this one use BG1 music). By the way It could be better with a dynamic fix, but it is beyond my skills...

Edited by skellytz, 26 March 2023 - 06:32 AM.
topic tags

[skellytz]

modded areas have music ref of bg1

You mean none of these mods reads the songlist.2da to get the correct song number? Are you saying their respective area files simply use the original hardcoded BG1 values with the assumption they still match the MUS files?

 

BG1:TotSC songlist

None         0
CDAY1.MUS    1
CDAY2.MUS    2
CNITE.MUS    3
CHANTS.MUS   4
DREAM.MUS    5
FESTI.MUS    6
FDAY.MUS     7
FNITE.MUS    8
PDAY.MUS     9
PNITE.MUS   10
TEMPLE.MUS  11
THEME.MUS   12
TDAY1.MUS   13
TDAY2.MUS   14
TNITE.MUS   15
DUNG1.MUS   16
DUNG2.MUS   17
DUNG3.MUS   18
BC1.MUS     19
BC2.MUS     20
BD1.MUS     21
BD2.MUS     22
BL1.MUS     23
BL2.MUS     24
BF1.MUS     25
BF2.MUS     26
BP1.MUS     27
BP2.MUS     28
BW1.MUS     29
BRIDGE.MUS  30
FORT.MUS    31
CHAPTER.MUS 32
MPO900.MUS  33
TAV1.MUS    34
TAV2.MUS    35
TAV3.MUS    36
TAV4.MUS    37
DEATH.MUS   38

 

If that's the case, no wonder the music in those areas is incorrect. Give me some time; I'll prepare a patch function that can be easily added to the affected mods' setup files to dynamically set the correct BG1 music.

[TotoR]

modded areas have music ref of bg1

You mean none of these mods reads the songlist.2da to get the correct song number? Are you saying their respective area files simply use the original hardcoded BG1 values with the assumption they still match the MUS files ?

 

Yes it seems that's the case and AFAIK I have never seen a mod that check for music ref in songlist.2da... I had to change all mus ref to match the right one.

 

 

If that's the case, no wonder the music in those areas is incorrect. Give me some time; I'll prepare a patch function that can be easily added to the affected mods' setup files to dynamically set the correct BG1 music.

It would be great for sure. Thanks!
 

 

Edited by TotoR, 20 March 2023 - 08:41 PM.

[skellytz]

It would be great for sure. Thanks!

The patch function is ready. Can you help me make a full list of mods which are affected by this issue? I'll then use one of the mods as an example.

[TotoR]

Afected mod for my config are :

 

- Northern Tales of the Sword Coast

- Dark Side of the Sword Coast

- The Secret of Bonehill

- Balduran's Seatower

- Baldur's Gate Romantic Encounters (bg1re)

[TotoR]

Hi Skellytz,

 

As long as those above mods are not updated, the music is not working as intended... I have open a PR (https://github.com/S...T-WeiDU/pull/78) that could, in the meantime, solve the probleme if the component "Full Baldur's Gate/Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal Music" is installed after them.

 

Cheers

Edited by TotoR, 08 February 2024 - 11:55 AM.

[skellytz]

The BGT music component isn't inherently bugged, so we shouldn't call it a fix. We also don't want to split the installation of BGT core and music components just for these mods; they should be installed after BGT, so let's also not make the installation order more complicated. Basically, authors making mods for BGT with BG1 music should use a function which reads the song list for reference rather than exact song numbers taken from the original game. Previously you asked me to prepare such a function, and I did. I'll go through the list of areas and see where the patches can be added--at my leisure if I may, though Bonehill might need to wait even longer as it still needs to be officially updated and added to our GitHub.

[TotoR]

I understand  

But, it was a BGT component that introduced this incompatibility, so it could also be resolved by it. I'll rename the PR: Compatibility issue.

For players who want to play BGT-Weidu with these mods and the Full music patch, the wait for updates is likely to be long, very long (over a year for some and even longer for Bonehill)... Don't get me wrong, it's not a problem but a fact, as you said it's a hobby... Besides, I could help you if you need it (for bonehill perhaps).

From my point of view, this PR solves the problem if you install the component after these mods, but it doesn't create any problem; it would still be buggy if it was installed before, so there's no harm done. In any case, when these mods are updated, you'll have the better of the two: install before or after. I'd rather have a 2-way solution than a one-way one...

BG2 modding is already a challenge... look at 1pp, it should be split into 2 or 3 parts, 1pp music needs 3 mods when installed on bgt, IA used to have separate packages to install, has a component that needs to be manually disabled and should be installed in 2 or 3 parts... the list is quite long. So installing one BGT component at the end of a list won't make any difference, in fact that's why you have the component, to split the installation process...

But well, it's up to you and thank you very much

[skellytz]

But, it was a BGT component that introduced this incompatibility, so it could also be resolved by it. I'll rename the PR: Compatibility issue.

Come on, you're saying it as if it had worked before and only now it didn't. Let's get the facts straight: some of these mods weren't even originally developed with BGT in mind and only later the authors/maintainers released newer versions with BGT support. So, who introduced the issues: the author of BGT music or the authors of the respective mods which were intended to be installed on top of BGT?

 

In principle, it just isn't correct to do things backwards and, at least in my opinion, these issues aren't important enough to warrant a temporary patch that doesn't give me the satisfaction of a good solution. If somebody wants to play these mods, for now they can do a custom install with your suggestions or use a different option for BGT music.

 

the wait for updates is likely to be long, very long (over a year for some and even longer for Bonehill)... Don't get me wrong, it's not a problem but a fact, as you said it's a hobby... Besides, I could help you if you need it (for bonehill perhaps).

What? I didn't say a year. I said I'd look at your list. Thank you; it's very helpful, by the way

 

So installing one BGT component at the end of a list won't make any difference, in fact that's why you have the component, to split the installation process...

I'm not sure if I understand. BGT music was always intended to be installed right after the core component. This is because other mods need to know the contents of the song list. Otherwise how are you supposed to add an area for your NPC mod with BG1 music if you don't know what the song number will turn out to be at the end of the installation chain? And as far as I know, the reasons it's a separate component with options are 1) not every platform supports executable patching (e.g., macOS) and 2) the player was supposed to understand and accept the risks of hacking the executable.

Edited by skellytz, 09 February 2024 - 02:37 PM.

[TotoR]

I'm not sure if I understand. BGT music was always intended to be installed right after the core component. This is because other mods need to know the contents of the song list. Otherwise how are you supposed to add an area for your NPC mod with BG1 music if you don't know what the song number will turn out to be at the end of the installation chain? And as far as I know, the reasons it's a separate component with options are 1) not every platform supports executable patching (e.g., macOS) and 2) the player was supposed to understand and accept the risks of hacking the executable.

Again, this was to provide an intermediate solution, not a structural one. As far as I know, no mod checks songlist.2da; so for the time being, installing this component just after, in the middle or at the end makes no difference.

The music component used to be a separate mod, and the readme was as follows:

Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music

Music is installed during Baldur’s Gate Trilogy-WeiDU installation, but is not activated.

To activate Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music, run Setup-BGTMusic.exe in your Baldur’s Gate Trilogy-WeiDU installation directory. Three options are available:

 

• Full Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music: Activates all original Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music. If you play Shadows of Amn and/or Throne of Bhaal with this component installed, the music heard will be incorrect. For best results, when you decide that you want to play Shadows of Amn and/or Throne of Bhaal, uninstall this component to restore the default music for Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal.
• Hybrid Baldur’s Gate/Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal music: Keeps all music for Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal, but activates only some music for Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast. Effort has been made to ensure the music is as appropriate as possible for each area.
• Full Baldur's Gate/Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal Music (WARNING: patches BGMain.exe): Utilises a hack to the executable created by Taimon to allow all Baldur's Gate I and Baldur's Gate II music to be used. The executable hack increases the numbers of SONGLIST.2DA rows supported by the game. Use at your own risk.
• Install none: No Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast music will be heard in the corresponding portion of the game. The music heard during Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast will sound inappropriate.

 

If you intend to install other modifications with Baldur’s Gate Trilogy-WeiDU, it is recommended that you install the music as close to the end of the installation chain as possible. This will allow you to uninstall this modification easily and avoid possible compatibility issues.

So installing at the end was at this time recommanded - this is from v1.21 and things may have changed of course.

Come on, you're saying it as if it had worked before and only now it didn't. Let's get the facts straight: some of these mods weren't even originally developed with BGT in mind and only later the authors/maintainers released newer versions with BGT support. So, who introduced the issues: the author of BGT music or the authors of the respective mods which were intended to be installed on top of BGT?

 

In principle, it just isn't correct to do things backwards and, at least in my opinion, these issues aren't important enough to warrant a temporary patch that doesn't give me the satisfaction of a good solution. If somebody wants to play these mods, for now they can do a custom install with your suggestions or use a different option for BGT music.

That wasn't my intention, I was just saying that there's no direct answer, it's not as if there are any clear rules to follow, maybe some are better than others but some take less time: it depends on your motivation.

But your point is clear and I won't bore you with it any further.

What? I didn't say a year. I said I'd look at your list. Thank you; it's very helpful, by the way

Sorry, but I wasn't aiming for anyone... that's more or less the time between updates of the old BG mods.

Anyway, it's good to know that it helps to move forward; the list should cover all the areas that need addressing.

Edited by TotoR, 11 February 2024 - 01:08 AM.

[skellytz]

"If you intend to install other modifications with Baldur’s Gate Trilogy-WeiDU, it is recommended that you install the music as close to the end of the installation chain as possible. This will allow you to uninstall this modification easily and avoid possible compatibility issues."

 

So installing at the end was at this time recommanded - this is from v1.21 and things may have changed of course.

My bad; I forgot that such a note used to be in the readme. My current recommendation is: install BGT music component before mods which may need to use BG1 songs.

 

I understand that all this seems rather confusing, then. So, let's just say I've had a vision of an approach that utilizes the song list dynamically and I'd like to try that out soon instead of approach you've suggested.

 

Anyway, it's good to know that it helps to move forward; the list should cover all the areas that need addressing.

Yup, it definitely does. Thanks!