Differences between modding BG:EE and BG2

mashedtaters

I am interested in writing a mod for bg2. I've been doing a lot of research on dialogue coding, and I think I have the basic idea. I still have a lot to do concerning scripting and using weidu.

I would like to know if the research that I'm doing is going to go to waste...? In other words, how different is modding for BG2 and BG:EE? I would like my mod to be playable on BG2:EE, and I want to get into modding for BG:EE.

I understand that there were big differences in modding for BG1 and BG2, which is one excuse (of many) that I always used to never make a mod. I wanted to be able to write an NPC that could go from BG to BG2 seamlessly, without the use of major add-ons like TUTU and BGT.

This is, of course, safely assuming that modding between BG:EE and BG2:EE will be similar if not exactly the same (aside from the obvious points of different areas, adventures, and npc interactions).

viader

@mashedtaters You can encounter only one big problem - problems with journal entries, at now is impossible to add propery entry, but soon should be new version WEIDU, which resolve this problem. Rest things is unchanged, maybe portrait size... So, if you want write mod without journal entries, you haven't to change anything, everything should work

mashedtaters

In other words, all the tutorials that are out there for the BG2 engine should work for BG:EE engine (provided that they worked for BG2 in the first place)?

Grammarsalad

mashedtaters said:

In other words, all the tutorials that are out there for the BG2 engine should work for BG:EE engine (provided that they worked for BG2 in the first place)?

I can tell you the tutorials 'work' for bg2 like a dream! I'm not sure about bgee modding but a stated goal was to support bgee modders.

I've been looking and asking for more info on this but they've been almost completely silent on the matter.

Edit: anyway, if the stated goal is true, they should, among other other things, not make bgee "conversions" too difficult

viader

@mashedtaters exactly

CamDawg

There are differences, but other than the journal entries, you're not going to run into most of them for your run-of-the-mill NPC mod. Most of the improvements are new (and fixed!) opcodes for spells, triggers/actions for scripting, and a lot of previously hardcoded features now exposed. I've been meaning to write a BG2 vs. EE tutorial for a while, but there's simply no time.

viader

@CamDawg
"lot of previously hardcoded features now exposed"
Could you add something, I am curious Maybe we can choose place for start game now, and I don't know it!
I remember only:
- animations slot
- GUI and fonts

New opcode:
319
320

Does triggers PickPocketFailed() work in BGEE?

Grammarsalad

CamDawg said:

There are differences, but other than the journal entries, you're not going to run into most of them for your run-of-the-mill NPC mod. Most of the improvements are new (and fixed!) opcodes for spells, triggers/actions for scripting, and a lot of previously hardcoded features now exposed. I've been meaning to write a BG2 vs. EE tutorial for a while, but there's simply no time.

I like reading this!

mashedtaters

So, I guess I got to get down to writing some dialogues. I have a history written, character stats, and a good idea of personality for the NPC mod I have in mind. I want to keep it simple, (unlike the Saerileth Mod--talk about unnecessarily complicated!), and on par with the Bioware romances as far as content, i.e., not a ton of interaction but enough to keep the mod noticeable. I don't want to drown out the other NPCs. I do want to write write the mod with a romance track, but I'm still so brand new at modding that I'm kind of lost. I believe I have a good idea of how to code the dialogues, but as far as how to script them and use weidu to install them, I am definitely lost and need to do a lot more research.

mashedtaters

Thanks for the answers, @CamDawg and @viader and @Grammarsalad

CamDawg

viader said:

@CamDawg
"lot of previously hardcoded features now exposed"
Could you add something, I am curious Maybe we can choose place for start game now, and I don't know it!
I remember only:
- animations slot
- GUI and fonts

New opcode:
319
320

Does triggers PickPocketFailed() work in BGEE?

I believe PickPocketFailed() will work with the new patch. Pretty much all of the TobEx stuff is slated for inclusion, it's simply a matter of getting to it.

A lot of kit stuff has been soft coded (e.g. thief skill scaling). Opcode 321 (essentially IWD's 254, removal of effects by their parent resource, e.g. an effect to specifically remove a particular spell) is going to be a huge bonus to spell mods--I've already used it extensively for smarter spell stacking in the next patch. A couple of other opcodes have had expansions--cast spell on condition was revamped for Dorn's Sword, and damage is getting a nifty new flag. There are a couple of new actions and triggers for scriptrs, too. The good news is that pretty much everything was done with an eye to keeping backwards compatibility so the net effect should be more options for modders with a minimum of revamped code.