(Seriously, is there anybody out there who thinks Infinity script is anything better than "barely adequate"?)
Although you can do a lot on the compilation side to automate repetitive/tedious tasks, and/or hide them from the modder - much as the d format has a lot of functionality that looks very clean and simple for the user and compiles into hideous-but-functional dlg. (Obviously this is no substitute for an actually-functional scripting language from the start, but I couldn't have written Sword Coast Stratagems without some pretty heavy automation.)
We recoiled in horror after taking a quick look into changing the # of characters in a party. I'm with Jcompton on the solution. Start anew, build new scripting language and build the engine with modding in mind from the start.
In my opinion leaving something out of hard-coding and then leaving it up to modder's to determine a fix is a perfectly acceptable compromise. If it isn't hardcoded modders can determine whether they want to come up with a way to implement it. I can't tell you how distraught I am over not being able to take EVERY SINGLE FREAKING NPC COMPANION ALIVE WITH ME ALL THE TIME.
It drives me nuts, I love them all AND I CAN ONLY BRING FIVE WITH ME.
@EpitomyofShyness - wouldn't that make the game overly easy, though? I mean, things were balanced out with a party of six people in mind, so having 15 would give the player some serious edge on... everything?
People could always choose to play with a smaller # of people if that's what they want to do. Me? I'm a terrible strategizer, and I have never made it through BG or BG2 without cheating... a lot. So the easyness factor wouldn't bother me, but yes it would be unbalanced.
I learned about the modding far after I beat BG1 and BG2 for the first, second, and fortieth time. BGT literally changed my life.
Half of the fun of the game became looking for all the interesting mods to see what they did. My favorite thing about the Sarileth mod, for instance, is how much I came to love hating that mod. One of my favorite quotes ever is one in which the author declares that the mod changes the game into "Sarileth's Gate: Shadows of Sarileth." I carried her into Throne of Bhaal for no other reason than to watch Cyric kill her.
So yeah, if possible, please leave everything mod-able. I understand that a lot of the visual templates can't be changed because it's next to impossible to redo the entire visual framework of the game from the ground up. But changing hardcode into softcode shouldn't be anywhere near as difficult. The gamers who don't like mods don't have to download them and the gamers that love them, even the terrible ones, might have an even better time playing around with them.
@Mordecai Saerileth would cause Birth defects if she were Ice Cream
The most awesome thing ever would be a party of her, Tsujatha, Chloe, Yasraena... and whatever many other NPCs I want to feel sorry for bantering with them.
BG is not Command & Conquer, a party of 6 members is sufficient.
Some people said the same thing about not having more than 8 people in a household in The Sims 2. I would have to say though that my modded 26 member household is way more fun than 8 could ever be, especially with my re-created BG2 PC and Viconia couple mixed in, lol.
While I normally don't even play with 6 characters in Baldur's Gate, I think it would be really fun to have the option.
You know, the first time I played Baldur's Gate (it was my very first CRPG... and first RPG period) I started it thinking it was like Age of Empires.
...
And I -HATED- it. Threw the game away in disgust. Gave it another try a few months later after listening to one of my friends rave about it every day on the school bus, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite games.
That said, the party limit is a balance issue. I'm fine with it. What I would like to see is a mod that treats the game as though every available party member was present, so that none of the dialog was missed. I missed out on so much in BG2, for example, from Mazzy to Anomen to Cern, because I hardly ever deviated from my preferred party. There was so much content I just didn't get to see.
And I hated that.
There ought to be a way to get all of the party banter dialog to play without having a huge party in the game. Getting the plot dialog to only work w/ party members too might be a bit tricky.
Comments
-Trent
It drives me nuts, I love them all AND I CAN ONLY BRING FIVE WITH ME.
*weeps*
Anyways that's all.
Half of the fun of the game became looking for all the interesting mods to see what they did. My favorite thing about the Sarileth mod, for instance, is how much I came to love hating that mod. One of my favorite quotes ever is one in which the author declares that the mod changes the game into "Sarileth's Gate: Shadows of Sarileth." I carried her into Throne of Bhaal for no other reason than to watch Cyric kill her.
So yeah, if possible, please leave everything mod-able. I understand that a lot of the visual templates can't be changed because it's next to impossible to redo the entire visual framework of the game from the ground up. But changing hardcode into softcode shouldn't be anywhere near as difficult. The gamers who don't like mods don't have to download them and the gamers that love them, even the terrible ones, might have an even better time playing around with them.
The most awesome thing ever would be a party of her, Tsujatha, Chloe, Yasraena... and whatever many other NPCs I want to feel sorry for bantering with them.
While I normally don't even play with 6 characters in Baldur's Gate, I think it would be really fun to have the option.
...
And I -HATED- it. Threw the game away in disgust. Gave it another try a few months later after listening to one of my friends rave about it every day on the school bus, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite games.
That said, the party limit is a balance issue. I'm fine with it. What I would like to see is a mod that treats the game as though every available party member was present, so that none of the dialog was missed. I missed out on so much in BG2, for example, from Mazzy to Anomen to Cern, because I hardly ever deviated from my preferred party. There was so much content I just didn't get to see.
And I hated that.
There ought to be a way to get all of the party banter dialog to play without having a huge party in the game. Getting the plot dialog to only work w/ party members too might be a bit tricky.