Near Infinity info request

Eadwyn_G8keeper

I keep seeing folks rattling off all kinds of specific details about BG series games and have gathered that there is some sort of resource for getting specific details about Spell Effects, Monster stats, etc. Could someone tell me what that is. Baldur's Gate Wiki is not all that informative.

Belanos

Here you go:

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/30593/new-versions-of-nearinfinity-available#latest

It's the best editor for these games you can get, and a great way of finding out some of the things that are "under the hood". And still being updated regularly.

Eadwyn_G8keeper

I downloaded it now. How do I actually use it. What I am hoping for is the ability to hover over a Monster and right click to find out stuff like Magic Resistance can only be hit with Blunt Weapons or requires +3 Magic Weapons to hit rather than merely its current HP total.

Belanos

You can't use it like that I'm afraid. You'll have to look up the monster using the Search function then take a look at it's various resistances. There's nothing in game that will do what you're suggesting. Near Infinity is nothing more than an editor that will allow you to look under the hood of the game and find out what's in it. As for actually using it, first of all you'll need to have Java installed. Then just boot it up and select the game you want to have a look at.

Eadwyn_G8keeper

Thanks. I also found a great general info resource at this link: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/27144 Monster Encyclopedia by shoecream [3693K!] About the only conceivable useful info it does not include is what spells to expect... Still, I feel much better armed indeed!!

Belanos

Yes, I came across that one awhile back but I couldn't get past the formatting. But since that's a reference for BG2, and only the Shadows of Amn portion, it may not be all that useful for IWD. It has creatures that don't exist in the BG games, and vice versa. You're best bet is still Near Infinity, looking up the creature that's actually in the game.

elminster

Plus even in Shadows of Amn creatures with the same name can vary quite a bit. That guide doesn't tell you what specific creature file you are encountering in any given area/situation, so honestly (and I say this having total respect for how much time the author would have put into it) I'm not sure how useful it really would be. It also doesn't tell you what status effects (petrification, poisoning, stun, etc) or spells an enemy is immune to. So I would still say learning Near Infinity is a good idea.

DJKajuru

Near infinity takes a lot of exploring to learn its resources - for instance , if I want to edit the shadow thief from Irenicus Dungeon , the game search will show many creatures under the name "shadow thief" or "assassin" . Therefore, I'll have to check the area code for the dungeon, and check there what is the creature code for the shadow thief I'm looking for, and finally edit him.

DullSkullTheSecond

Eadwyn_G8keeper said:

I downloaded it now. How do I actually use it. What I am hoping for is the ability to hover over a Monster and right click to find out stuff like Magic Resistance can only be hit with Blunt Weapons or requires +3 Magic Weapons to hit rather than merely its current HP total.

Woah! This gave me a good mod idea! Purchasable books on various different monsters than includes resistances, saves, armor, thaco etc! There would be no books on humanoid enemies like Irenicus but there would be for some legendary monsters like Firkraag, black dragons and maybe even some races like drow if you are willing to put up a lot of gold... Could be even cooler if the stats were randomized(within some boundaries) so you couldn't just memorize them but would have to purchase said books to gain an advantage over an enemy if you knew you would have to fight them. Like before entering the crypts in bg2, the spider forest in bg1 and the dragon lair in TOB. Maybe add them to some chest were other significant loot is nonexistent so there would be a reason to go there before the hard fights.

Does not even sound that hard, most of the work is writing the books so they suit the atmosphere of the game and imbed the information so the reader is rewarded with tactical advantage by reading.

Eadwyn_G8keeper

DullSkullTheSecond said:

Eadwyn_G8keeper said:

I downloaded it now. How do I actually use it. What I am hoping for is the ability to hover over a Monster and right click to find out stuff like Magic Resistance can only be hit with Blunt Weapons or requires +3 Magic Weapons to hit rather than merely its current HP total.

Woah! This gave me a good mod idea! Purchasable books on various different monsters than includes resistances, saves, armor, thaco etc!

Does not even sound that hard, most of the work is writing the books so they suit the atmosphere of the game and imbed the information so the reader is rewarded with tactical advantage by reading.

Agree that there ought to be more use made of the books...There are so many throughout BG1 and BG2. And the game begins in Candlekeep!! Would be a way to add another dimension to the game -- making a high Lore stat something that actually pays off.

How about a Mind Shield effect!!