Creative Solutions to the 7th Character Issue
Paareth
Member Posts: 34
Greetings all, way back when, when I was working on Paareth's Evil NPC pack (which I still have in various stages of disrepair), I had often toyed with how to put a 7th NPC into BG2. Though now of course with the addition of an evil thief and an evil blackguard, two of what I had worked on, there seems little point continuing on with the pack itself.
So my questions turn to the 7th NPC instead!
Now before anyone rails on about engine limitations, I was thinking outside the party system. Obviously you have the ability to use summoning items which are reasonably straight forward; then there is adding an NPC to important battles who assists the player, a bit more work but perfectly possible; if you are feeling like a lot of work there is adding an NPC to every area in BG2 and having them accompany the player (time consuming). Other additions perhaps are to have an item like a talking sword, gemstone, or other item. I was thinking gemstone myself as an interesting addition, as a 7th character in banters and such like.
Now as its been a good 5 years since I looked at the code, forgive me if adding a non party character to party character initiated banters (as a 3rd speaker) is impossible, as I wouldn't know without looking.
You see what I am saying though and what I am asking hopefully, what other ways can you conceive of doing this? Getting a follower who can be interacted with dialogue wise and banterwise, even if they don't add much in combat.
As for the type of NPC - My initial thoughts are using either an npc who has been bound, or is actually dead and thus can die repeatedly like a spirit, perhaps an aspect of the god himself who has broken away and wants to avoid being returned to it. For the good side of things there could be a spectral knight who can't abandon his cause because of an oath, as an example, or a young girl who simply couldn't pass on etc.
Link to the old pack thread:
http://www.shsforums.net/topic/36423-paareths-evil-npc-pack-for-baldurs-gate-2/
So my questions turn to the 7th NPC instead!
Now before anyone rails on about engine limitations, I was thinking outside the party system. Obviously you have the ability to use summoning items which are reasonably straight forward; then there is adding an NPC to important battles who assists the player, a bit more work but perfectly possible; if you are feeling like a lot of work there is adding an NPC to every area in BG2 and having them accompany the player (time consuming). Other additions perhaps are to have an item like a talking sword, gemstone, or other item. I was thinking gemstone myself as an interesting addition, as a 7th character in banters and such like.
Now as its been a good 5 years since I looked at the code, forgive me if adding a non party character to party character initiated banters (as a 3rd speaker) is impossible, as I wouldn't know without looking.
You see what I am saying though and what I am asking hopefully, what other ways can you conceive of doing this? Getting a follower who can be interacted with dialogue wise and banterwise, even if they don't add much in combat.
As for the type of NPC - My initial thoughts are using either an npc who has been bound, or is actually dead and thus can die repeatedly like a spirit, perhaps an aspect of the god himself who has broken away and wants to avoid being returned to it. For the good side of things there could be a spectral knight who can't abandon his cause because of an oath, as an example, or a young girl who simply couldn't pass on etc.
Link to the old pack thread:
http://www.shsforums.net/topic/36423-paareths-evil-npc-pack-for-baldurs-gate-2/
Post edited by Paareth on
1
Comments
They'd have to be expensive or rare to stop people abusing them.