Mods Question

PK2748

Is there an easy to use mod out there that would let me use dual classing as it actually worked in second edition? So I could be a Mage dual classed to a Druid or some other currently unsupported combination.

Bigfish

Classes are hard coded in to the engine, as I understand it, so I don't think there is a mod that will add that.

PK2748

Damn, I really would prefer a Druid/Thief to a Cleric/Thief. I want ranged weapons with extra attacks per round

Raduziel

Exactly. You can only dual using the same combinations that are available as multiclass.

And yes, it is hardcoded.

Hudzy

@subtledoctor was working on a way to emulate this and had a druid/thief proof of concept working if I recall, but I can't look for the post right now.

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Corellia

Any chance for an explanation for a mortal who can't code what hard code vs "soft" code actually means? I hear it a lot.

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Bigfish

Corellia said:

Any chance for an explanation for a mortal who can't code what hard code vs "soft" code actually means? I hear it a lot.

I may be messing this up, so someone feel free to correct me. When you write a program, it has to be compiled in to machine language so that the computer can understand what it is supposed to do. Whatever is inside that program is basically stuck there unless you change the source code and recompile it in to a "new" program. That is Hard coded.

Soft coded is when you have a program that reads information from other files. For example, you have a program that displays the contents of PHRASE.txt on the screen. You can go change the contents of PHRASE.txt to whatever you want, and you don't have to recompile any source code (which you probably don't have anyway).

In the context of the Infinity Engine, there are a WHOLE bunch of 2DA (and other) files, which are basically text files that determine things like XP cap, HP on level up, basically any table referenced is stored there. If you have the right tools, you can go in and change any of those values and you've got yourself a mod. Some are very simple like an XP cap remover, while others are super complicated because they change hundreds of Area/Creature/Item files. They work because you're changing values in/adding those files, not altering the exe itself.

That's not to say you can't adjust the Hard coded aspects of a program, but its a lot harder because it is much, much easier to break things and cause the program to crash.

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