@ineth A fix for the illithid script. If you chose the second option during the installation then you just have to overwrite the file already deployed in the override folder. Otherwise (choice #1) you have to rename and copy the same file with the following names: flayer01.bcs, flayer02.bcs, gormind.bcs, mindal01.bcs (four files in the override folder).
- the fix for the illithids (target selection for the spells and psionic powers, another clue about the differences between BG2 and BG2EE) - a little defensive boost for Firkraag - re-enablement of the spell trigger for the lich in the docks - another way to patch the "vampire trap" script to better prevent potential conflict with another mod (@ineth 's report). However the similar "reputation trap" script is stll patched using the initial method. - a menu at install time to disable the additonal "encounter traps" in Blucher's random city encounters (See @Blackraven's comment in the no reload thread (and my own preference, not because of the timer that can be extended but because of the available loot in the original component).
@Blackraven Roughy, the status and plan are the following:
In May and June I was able to spend a lot of time on this mod, enough time to "convert" what is available now. that is everything but the ritual and improved irenicus. Since early July I have been working on three things - a lot of tests and as a result a few bug fixes. - a new structure for the mod (release 49) because I was really unhappy with the previous one. - AI tweaks. Even though this was clearly something I wanted to avoid, I had to work on it. There are bugs and weird implementations but there also are unexpected compatibility issues.
I consider there are 3 categories in this mod: - Pseudo-neutral components such as random encounters and kits and additional encounters with no AI (Mike Barnes, Copper Coronet ... ). I just want to fix the reported bugs independently of the usefulness of those components. One exception is my tweak to the "toughest spawns in dungeons". - Creatures/Monsters enhancements. Again I just want to fix bugs. I don't want to transform them to compete with more modern implementations. This is really on purpose because, even though some Tactics2 components are really hard challenges, I think that this mod intentionally provided some components which are moderately difficult. The modified creatures fall into that category and they fill the gap between vanilla and some other mods. One single regret: dragons, I think they deserve a specific, external mod. - G.Blucher's / Kensay Ryu's / W.Weimer's (humanoid) encounters. I want to polish that part. I stick to the author's intents but now I tend to rewrite some parts of those components. The modifications come from non working/logical implementations or compatibility issues - no free additions. Well yes one substantial tweak for Bodhi and potentially the lich in the dock.
To do: I really need more tests on the chapters 4/5/WK. That's my top priority at the moment. Bohdi re-enablement is imminent. (already stable) Tweak K.Ryu gnome but the difficulty is to keep it manageable early game. (already stable) Tweak K.Ryu Kangaxx "guardians" - here the difficulty may increase again (I think that the published component is already more difficult than the original component. This purely results from script fixes) The ritual Improved Irenicus (don't expect to see it soon - it is going to obsess me) Call for help : English spelling and grammar Call for help : revised translations Charset / pagecode for the installer itself Linux and/or Mac compatibility Possibly a core component to implement prior to installing the other components. The underlying idea is a retro-compatibility with the non EE version for most components (not all of them though). Really the lowest priority.
To anyone testing it: 1- Do you have any bug remark/report related to the beholders, more specifically the elderorbs ? 2- Illithids. Are they ok? They are more difficult than the original tactics illithids. Is it too difficult ? not enough ?
1) Behavior is okay, but their durability is too low. (More HP, magical resistance or some extra protective spells?) 2) I think there is a problem in frequency of their attacks. They should use their psionic abilities more often.
1) In their scripts there are a few(?) elements which do not work well in EE. That's why I asked that question. 2) Once a round - not modified. What would be the correct attack rate from your player perspective ?
@Edvin 2) Once a round - not modified. What would be the correct attack rate from your player perspective ?
Well, due to the fact that Illithids usually die much sooner than they can use the second attack, twice per round sounds much more reasonable. If they attack only once or twice per whole fight, it's too little.
And maybe we can go even further. Because all Illithids have ability of telekinesis, their psionic attack could also include pushback. Would be possible include to their attack something like "wave dragon wings"?
Alpha 53 Tentatively fixed Inkal's issue (but waiting for the files). Likely a conflict with the quest pack. The install should work fine now but there is no guarantee both mods will run fine in this area. Anyway there is no granular selection in the QuestPack installation procedure. The former Tactics version used to overwrite the corresponding file, a way to fix the problem...
The Improved Bodhi component is reactivated but I haven't fully tested the chapter 6 creature yet. You are warned
@InKal Could you please send me the setup-eetact2.debug (main folder) and your current ar1008.bcs (override folder)?
Yesterday I was too busy actually playing your mod. Improved Ilyich specifically. What can I say? It was like I was playing original. Great work. Impressive. Seriously. I just can't wait for Improved Irenicus and especially The Ritual (one of the best BG2 mods ever in my opinion)!
Alpha 54 Fix an installation issue in v53 (if you installed the Lich in the docks without installing Improved Bodhi - shared code poorly managed - fixed) Duplicate and change (while keeping the spell/attack sequence) the script used by the red dragon in Small Teeth Pass. If the smarter dragons were installed, this red dragon used a copy of the Firkraag script and this did not work well. Force another script for now but it will surely be changed soon.
@InKal Thanks for your words and the reports. Now the component should nicely install on top of the quest pack improved areas. Improved Ilyich is a nice component. Its original content is used but I had to fix several bugs. I am going to start the Ritual work this weekend.
It includes The Ritual. I packaged / fixed / rechecked the files but I haven't been able to test and play it yet. It is not proposed at install time. If you really want to activate it, you have to edit the setup-eetact2.tp2 file and comment the corresponding DEPRECATED statement.
More important: Now the mod contains a minimalist readme file. If, like many users, you want to use both this alpha version of Tactics and Stratagems/SCS then I strongly advise you to read the relevant readme section. (@Bengoshi , this slightly differs from the list I rpovided you with.)
I dunno all the tech stuff. I have no idea how to edit .tp2 files but I do know what alpha means and my current walkthrouh is highy experimental on my part because of that. If bad things will happen in my game I have absolutely no problem with that.
Two more reports:
Improved Mae'var (installed before SCS) - pretty much like the original, Mea'var AI seems to be ok (mislead + backstab), I would say it's working like the original. (don't forget to steal all invisibility potions form his goons before the fight!)
Improved Druid Grove - again no bugs, plays like the original (Improved Faldorn is EXACTLY the same ridiculous cheating bitch she was in original! LOL I admit that I have ctrl+J entire party into the pit to teach her a lesson and I'm proud of it!) only one minor bug - the amount of some particular enemies (spiders, shamblers?? these green guys after ihtafer house and bears before Druid grove) was doubled.
Protagonist is level 12 now and I was not attacked by any "random city encounters" yet.
Maevar -> SCS changes his learnt and memorized spells and his scripts expect the original list. You probably ended up with a toned-down mage. Same thing for the priest.
Druid Grove -> The double number of monster makes me think you also installed the stratagems improved minor encounters.
Ritual -> With a text editor which can handle Unix-like end of line (On Windows Wordpad can do that), open the setup-eetact2.tp2 file under the eetact2 folder. Look for the following section
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // The Ritual /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// BEGIN @4004 DESIGNATED 11 REQUIRE_PREDICATE GAME_IS ~bg2ee~ ~These components are designed for bg2ee.~ //GROUP ~Tactics2~ DEPRECATED ~dummy component~
And replace DEPRECATED by //DEPRECATED (prepend a double slash) Save. That will make The Ritual available for install. But at this step this is not even alpha! I will start testing it myself tomorrow evening at the earliest.
You are right about Mae'var. Original was more dangerous for sure. And yeah, heh, installed Improved minor encounters. btw. I mopped the floor with Shorty in the Docks and he was pretty much like Mae'var. I will probably reinstall everything I mean all Tactics components after SCS.
well, lol, it seems that I already knew how to edit .tp2 files. I simply removed this "DEPRECATED ~dummy component~" and installed Improved Irenicus but can't install Ritual - "AR0086.are: write out of bounds".
@InKal Thanks for the report. It seems that specific area template was modified by another mod (btw not SCS). Really unexpected. Well, I need to adopt another strategy. As regards Improved Irenicus, don't abuse the tp2 file... there is absolutely no Improved Irenicus file included in the mod yet. Just an empty shell.
Alpha 57 released with minor tweaks: -No warning for installing Tactics2 Improved Guarded Compound after Stratagems -Minor tweak for Faldorn -Fix the erroneous "vampire trap" in Random City Encounters (there was no impact on the game though). -Rewrote the patch code for the "reputation trap" in Random City Encounters - both installation options should be compatible with Stratagems (but still conflicting with the Stratagems random encounters - choose only one of them). and try to delay the occurences. -Double tweak for the Improved Sahuagin City (Priestess allegiance and condition triggering the Sekolah trap) -Fix issue reported by InKal about the (re)use of an overridden ar0086.are file. -Minor compatibility tweak for Improved Bodhi. -Adapt the reame file.
But I always felt Tactics was seriously laccking in terms of documentation. It adds a ton of loot to the game and its not written anywhere. IMO each component should detail what extra loot it adds. For example, the Lich in the Docks add the powerful cloak of Balduran to the game that can make Viconia magic-immune. That lich may be a bitch but one should know they're installing magic-immunity when they add this component.
Hopefully this will be released in a couple of days...Christmas is almost here and I've included BG2 on my son's "newer" computer I'm sending him as a present.
I am literary just waiting for this mod to start playing,all the other mods are ready.Its gonna be like a present itself I have been waiting for like a month,so hyped
Comments
A fix for the illithid script.
If you chose the second option during the installation then you just have to overwrite the file already deployed in the override folder.
Otherwise (choice #1) you have to rename and copy the same file with the following names: flayer01.bcs, flayer02.bcs, gormind.bcs, mindal01.bcs (four files in the override folder).
- the fix for the illithids (target selection for the spells and psionic powers, another clue about the differences between BG2 and BG2EE)
- a little defensive boost for Firkraag
- re-enablement of the spell trigger for the lich in the docks
- another way to patch the "vampire trap" script to better prevent potential conflict with another mod (@ineth 's report). However the similar "reputation trap" script is stll patched using the initial method.
- a menu at install time to disable the additonal "encounter traps" in Blucher's random city encounters (See @Blackraven's comment in the no reload thread (and my own preference, not because of the timer that can be extended but because of the available loot in the original component).
Bodhi is not re-enabled yet.
Roughy, the status and plan are the following:
In May and June I was able to spend a lot of time on this mod, enough time to "convert" what is available now. that is everything but the ritual and improved irenicus.
Since early July I have been working on three things
- a lot of tests and as a result a few bug fixes.
- a new structure for the mod (release 49) because I was really unhappy with the previous one.
- AI tweaks. Even though this was clearly something I wanted to avoid, I had to work on it. There are bugs and weird implementations but there also are unexpected compatibility issues.
I consider there are 3 categories in this mod:
- Pseudo-neutral components such as random encounters and kits and additional encounters with no AI (Mike Barnes, Copper Coronet ... ). I just want to fix the reported bugs independently of the usefulness of those components. One exception is my tweak to the "toughest spawns in dungeons".
- Creatures/Monsters enhancements. Again I just want to fix bugs. I don't want to transform them to compete with more modern implementations. This is really on purpose because, even though some Tactics2 components are really hard challenges, I think that this mod intentionally provided some components which are moderately difficult. The modified creatures fall into that category and they fill the gap between vanilla and some other mods. One single regret: dragons, I think they deserve a specific, external mod.
- G.Blucher's / Kensay Ryu's / W.Weimer's (humanoid) encounters. I want to polish that part. I stick to the author's intents but now I tend to rewrite some parts of those components. The modifications come from non working/logical implementations or compatibility issues - no free additions. Well yes one substantial tweak for Bodhi and potentially the lich in the dock.
To do:
I really need more tests on the chapters 4/5/WK. That's my top priority at the moment.
Bohdi re-enablement is imminent.
(already stable) Tweak K.Ryu gnome but the difficulty is to keep it manageable early game.
(already stable) Tweak K.Ryu Kangaxx "guardians" - here the difficulty may increase again (I think that the published component is already more difficult than the original component. This purely results from script fixes)
The ritual
Improved Irenicus (don't expect to see it soon - it is going to obsess me)
Call for help : English spelling and grammar
Call for help : revised translations
Charset / pagecode for the installer itself
Linux and/or Mac compatibility
Possibly a core component to implement prior to installing the other components. The underlying idea is a retro-compatibility with the non EE version for most components (not all of them though). Really the lowest priority.
1- Do you have any bug remark/report related to the beholders, more specifically the elderorbs ?
2- Illithids. Are they ok? They are more difficult than the original tactics illithids. Is it too difficult ? not enough ?
2) I think there is a problem in frequency of their attacks. They should use their psionic abilities more often.
1) In their scripts there are a few(?) elements which do not work well in EE. That's why I asked that question.
2) Once a round - not modified. What would be the correct attack rate from your player perspective ?
Because all Illithids have ability of telekinesis, their psionic attack could also include pushback.
Would be possible include to their attack something like "wave dragon wings"?
weidu log
Could you please send me the setup-eetact2.debug (main folder) and your current ar1008.bcs (override folder)?
Tentatively fixed Inkal's issue (but waiting for the files). Likely a conflict with the quest pack. The install should work fine now but there is no guarantee both mods will run fine in this area. Anyway there is no granular selection in the QuestPack installation procedure.
The former Tactics version used to overwrite the corresponding file, a way to fix the problem...
The Improved Bodhi component is reactivated but I haven't fully tested the chapter 6 creature yet. You are warned
sry for my english
Fix an installation issue in v53 (if you installed the Lich in the docks without installing Improved Bodhi - shared code poorly managed - fixed)
Duplicate and change (while keeping the spell/attack sequence) the script used by the red dragon in Small Teeth Pass. If the smarter dragons were installed, this red dragon used a copy of the Firkraag script and this did not work well. Force another script for now but it will surely be changed soon.
@InKal
Thanks for your words and the reports. Now the component should nicely install on top of the quest pack improved areas.
Improved Ilyich is a nice component. Its original content is used but I had to fix several bugs.
I am going to start the Ritual work this weekend.
It includes The Ritual.
I packaged / fixed / rechecked the files but I haven't been able to test and play it yet.
It is not proposed at install time. If you really want to activate it, you have to edit the setup-eetact2.tp2 file and comment the corresponding DEPRECATED statement.
More important: Now the mod contains a minimalist readme file. If, like many users, you want to use both this alpha version of Tactics and Stratagems/SCS then I strongly advise you to read the relevant readme section. (@Bengoshi , this slightly differs from the list I rpovided you with.)
I dunno all the tech stuff. I have no idea how to edit .tp2 files but I do know what alpha means and my current walkthrouh is highy experimental on my part because of that. If bad things will happen in my game I have absolutely no problem with that.
Two more reports:
Improved Mae'var (installed before SCS) - pretty much like the original, Mea'var AI seems to be ok (mislead + backstab), I would say it's working like the original. (don't forget to steal all invisibility potions form his goons before the fight!)
Improved Druid Grove - again no bugs, plays like the original (Improved Faldorn is EXACTLY the same ridiculous cheating bitch she was in original! LOL I admit that I have ctrl+J entire party into the pit to teach her a lesson and I'm proud of it!) only one minor bug - the amount of some particular enemies (spiders, shamblers?? these green guys after ihtafer house and bears before Druid grove) was doubled.
Protagonist is level 12 now and I was not attacked by any "random city encounters" yet.
Thanks.
Maevar -> SCS changes his learnt and memorized spells and his scripts expect the original list. You probably ended up with a toned-down mage. Same thing for the priest.
Druid Grove -> The double number of monster makes me think you also installed the stratagems improved minor encounters.
Ritual -> With a text editor which can handle Unix-like end of line (On Windows Wordpad can do that), open the setup-eetact2.tp2 file under the eetact2 folder.
Look for the following section And replace DEPRECATED by //DEPRECATED (prepend a double slash)
Save. That will make The Ritual available for install. But at this step this is not even alpha!
I will start testing it myself tomorrow evening at the earliest.
You are right about Mae'var. Original was more dangerous for sure. And yeah, heh, installed Improved minor encounters. btw. I mopped the floor with Shorty in the Docks and he was pretty much like Mae'var. I will probably reinstall everything I mean all Tactics components after SCS.
well, lol, it seems that I already knew how to edit .tp2 files. I simply removed this "DEPRECATED ~dummy component~" and installed Improved Irenicus but can't install Ritual - "AR0086.are: write out of bounds".
Thanks for the report.
It seems that specific area template was modified by another mod (btw not SCS). Really unexpected. Well, I need to adopt another strategy.
As regards Improved Irenicus, don't abuse the tp2 file... there is absolutely no Improved Irenicus file included in the mod yet. Just an empty shell.
-No warning for installing Tactics2 Improved Guarded Compound after Stratagems
-Minor tweak for Faldorn
-Fix the erroneous "vampire trap" in Random City Encounters (there was no impact on the game though).
-Rewrote the patch code for the "reputation trap" in Random City Encounters - both installation options should be compatible with Stratagems (but still conflicting with the Stratagems random encounters - choose only one of them). and try to delay the occurences.
-Double tweak for the Improved Sahuagin City (Priestess allegiance and condition triggering the Sekolah trap)
-Fix issue reported by InKal about the (re)use of an overridden ar0086.are file.
-Minor compatibility tweak for Improved Bodhi.
-Adapt the reame file.
Are you planning any adjustments to original texts?
I'm working on the translation this mode
Thanks for your work.
I am not working on this mod at the moment but I will resume my work in October.
But I always felt Tactics was seriously laccking in terms of documentation. It adds a ton of loot to the game and its not written anywhere. IMO each component should detail what extra loot it adds. For example, the Lich in the Docks add the powerful cloak of Balduran to the game that can make Viconia magic-immune. That lich may be a bitch but one should know they're installing magic-immunity when they add this component.