Update on a possible LoB mode lockdown: 1. Load Baldur's Gate 2. Start a new game in LoB 3. Load your LoB-save
This wont break any of your new Quicksaves/permasaves until you leave the game or load any non-LoB saves. If you load the game client again, you MUST repeat the 3 aforementioned steps. Hope this helps!
P. S.: Noticed this after a casual "what items did I have in my BG Save - Final" game load & then returning to LoB-save and corrupting it, and it made me think of LoB as some intricate a-la Icewind Dale II Heart of Fury mechanism, which is somehow "locked" while beginning the game (main menu doesn't count, but the engine itself does!). Remember that outside Settings menu the Vanilla BG/BG2 had? This seems to be the same thing: the LoB setting can only be "hardcodedly" reactivated if you restart the game/the client. That lead to these three steps.
There is nothing unreasonable about expecting commercial products to function as advertised, and to seek like minded individuals to commiserate with when that doesn't happen. I haven't posted much here since establishing the boundaries of the problem because I don't really need that kind of release, but it's normal human behavior, and it's extremely rude to go up to a group of random people having a conversation and call them a bunch of whining children.
It's particularly ironic, because this is a commercially released product, and the idea that you can sell an unfinished product is a very millenial idea, directly tied to internet youth culture. Try selling your grandfather a car with the promise that you'll replace the faulty trunk latch when you get around to it sometime and see how well that goes over. My guess? He'll tell you to fix the latch, then try to sell the car.
When I was young, if you bought something that didn't work you just returned it for a refund, which meant that companies had their feet held to the fire when it came to QA. We now have the ability to patch things, which means a dead on arrival product can be revived, and that good products can be made better. That doesn't mean that companies aren't responsible to sell working products, but it does mean that they aren't naturally held accountable for it anymore. That lack of accountability makes it all the more important that people not act like sycophants.
The release date for this product should have been this month, not last month. Mistakes were made. People have the right to complain about those mistakes if they so please, and it is completely inappropriate to attack them for doing so in a thread that functions as the natural hub for the people effected by it.
That said, while whoever's in charge of scheduling is in need of a serious reprimand, the patch holds a lot of promise, and I've been consistently impressed by the improvements Beamdog has made to these games over the years, which is why I've been relatively silent about my disappointment in this matter.
Update on a possible LoB mode lockdown: 1. Load Baldur's Gate 2. Start a new game in LoB 3. Load your LoB-save
This wont break any of your new Quicksaves/permasaves until you leave the game or load any non-LoB saves. If you load the game client again, you MUST repeat the 3 aforementioned steps. Hope this helps!
P. S.: Noticed this after a casual "what items did I have in my BG Save - Final" game load & then returning to LoB-save and corrupting it, and it made me think of LoB as some intricate a-la Icewind Dale II Heart of Fury mechanism, which is somehow "locked" while beginning the game (main menu doesn't count, but the engine itself does!). Remember that outside Settings menu the Vanilla BG/BG2 had? This seems to be the same thing: the LoB setting can only be "hardcodedly" reactivated if you restart the game/the client. That lead to these three steps.
I thought I had explicitly mentioned this in the OP, but apparently I didn't, and I apologize. When you first start a new game in LoB mode it does indeed correctly get you into LoB "save" mode, because otherwise you would never be able to make a LoB save in the first place.
If your only goal is to load a LoB save though, it's substantially faster to just load the same LoB save file twice in a row to get things set properly. I'll update the OP to mention that new LoB games work to save from since it wasn't clear.
I don't think there has been any official announcement but according to a response beamdog made on another board, I think a patch was planned for this Thursday but I wouldn't take that as official. It's more of a rumor than anything. I am hoping to see something this week though.
Myyyy goodness, 11 days without a patch. This is seriously damaging Beamdog's reputation. Can't we get mini-updates in chunks. Beamdog, you shy? Valve spams patches like hell, and yet we can't get one in 1.5+ weeks...
I don't usually check the troubleshooting forum especially since the introduction of Redmine. It would be nice if that announcement were made in News or General where, I believe, more of us would see it.
While it's nice that they let people beta-test this, that doesn't in any way exculpate them. I will not provide free testing for something that should never have been released. And don't even start with "if you don't test don't complain it's broken" because testing was not the issue here. It was tested, it was found, they decided to release anyway. No more free work from me.
While it's nice that they let people beta-test this, that doesn't in any way exculpate them. I will not provide free testing for something that should never have been released. And don't even start with "if you don't test don't complain it's broken" because testing was not the issue here. It was tested, it was found, they decided to release anyway. No more free work from me.
Beta and its reversal had some lasting effects Had to reinstall all of the Weidu.org mods, certainly nothing separate about it) EE Keeper showed that all the item upgrade items became messed up, stuff like that. I'll better wait for the patch and reinstall again.
Quick side note for tryhards: in Tactics + Insane, it didn't matter that much, but Legacy of Bhaal pushes the limits even for smallest monsters. Install another Weidu mod, underrepresented items http://weidu.org/underrep.html and get that precious Mace of Goblin Slaying. Since SoD and IWD are very similar (a lot of mobs), you can use several items from the mod to ease going through goblins, orcs and the like. Also, undead are a big problem, mod adds some "disruption" effect items too. I'll put the whole stats here.
===== Mace of Goblin Slaying +1 Price: 1800 gold
The mace is a direct descendant of the basic club, being nothing more than a wooden shaft with an iron head mounted on the end. In this case, the head is pyramidal and seems to glow with an inner blue light, as it sits atop a polished oak shaft.
Cornugan hide armor Price: - (bought from the same NPC, just can't remember the price & it's not mentioned in the .txt)
There is great mystery surrounding this leather armor. No one knows how or where it came into existence. What is known is that the leather was cut from the hide of a Cornugan. The armor is colored a deep black and riddled with very tough, barbed scales. In addition, it has an unusual, very light, vinegary smell.
Those that have worn the Cornugan Hide were bestowed with a rather high invulnerability to non-magical weapons and the ability to slowly regenerate from injuries.
STATISTICS:
Armor Class: 5 (hide armor +1) Special: Regeneration: User Regenerates 1 hit point ever 10 combat rounds Immunity: User is immune to all normal (+0) weapons Weight: 15 lb. Requires: 6 Strength Not Usable By: Mage Kensai Monk Shapeshifter
=====
(HALBERD) Holy Swizarian Hammer of Lucerne Price: -
This odd pole-arm appears to be a cross between a halberd and a warhammer, fitted with a four-pronged hammerhead and a long thrusting spike.
Its creation was the result of a blunder made during the commission of an enchanted item for Lodur the Brave (alternately known as Lodur Iron-Bollocks, Lodur the Foolhardy, and Lodur the Dullard), a powerful but none-to-bright cleric. Lodur had of heard rumors of a mighty long-hafted hammer, possibly wielded by a hero known as Lucerne, or perhaps that's where it was made, which may or may not have had to do with a land or king or deity called Swizaria, or Switzlund, or "something of that nature, I am most certain."
"Oh," he had then added, "and pray thee bless it as well... thou dost know, that one where it explodes undead most explosively and what-not, so that I might get my most righteous smite on."
Lodur's fierce demeanor, violent reputation, and sacks of gold begged quiet compliance, and so the dwarven arms-master simply nodded and sent the cleric on his way, promising the weapon in two months' time. The arm-master consulted with his clan's lore-master and sure enough, there *was* word of such a weapon: it came from a trader in Sigil by way of an exceptionally well-traveled plane-walker. The arms-master dutifully copied the weapon's function and form, working runes of power into its haft and head just as Lodur had asked for.
When Lodur the Brave returned to the dwarven stronghold to pick up his new hammer, he found instead a spiked pole-arm whose use was forbidden by his religion. The cleric ranted and gnashed his teeth and swore up and down the halls of the clan before stomping off in disgust, leaving his payment and the somewhat inappropriately named "Holy Swizarnian Hammer of Lucerne" behind.
STATISTICS:
Damage: 1d10 + 3 Attack Bonus: +3 Enchantment: +3 Damage Type: Piercing Special: Disruption: all undead struck must make a save vs. death at -4 or be destroyed Spell Process: 25% chance of casting Holy Smite on target with each successful hit Weight: 15 lb. Proficiency Type: Halberd Type: 2-handed Requires: 13 Strength Not Usable By: Druid Cleric Mage Thief Monk Beast Master
=====
Flaming burst mace of disruption Price: 1800 gold
The mace is a direct descendant of the basic club, being nothing more than a wooden shaft with an iron head mounted on the end. In this case, the head is pyramidal and seems to glow with an inner blue light, as it sits atop a polished oak shaft.
STATISTICS:
Damage: 1d8 Damage Type: Bludgeoning Enchantment: +5 Special: Flaming Burst: +1d6 fire damage and 10% chance of +1d10 extra fire damage Disruption: all undead struck must make a save vs. death at -4 or be destroyed Sure Striking: Weapon is treated as having a +5 enchantment for the purpose of hitting creatures that require magical weapons to hit Weight: 12 lb. Proficiency Type: Mace Type: 1-handed Requires: 10 Strength Not Usable By: Druid Mage Thief Monk Beast Master
=====
Hope this helps my fellow adventurers in our painful LoB: Tactics + Ascension mission!
I found most of the Underrep mod's items to be too powerful, and way too easy to obtain (they are sold by a vendor). Same goes for the ItemUpgrade mod, whose items may be more reasonably difficult to acquire but are QUITE powerful in many cases.
For a more balanced approach to some new items, I can only repeat myself in recommending Item Revisions.
But of course, what you ultimately do for your game is entirely up to you and how you prefer things.
I disagree, since Weimer meant all of his weidu.org to be played together, Underrep + Item Upgrade + Tactics included. I consider mods outside weidu.org "tainting" the Tactics Universe. You either play with what you get from his site, or it's not a "fair" walkthrough. Not pure, and wont count "in my head".
Went to read http://www.gibberlings3.net/readmes/readme-item_rev.html and remembered immediately: this mod tries to bring roleplay into a tryhard-200%-difficulty game of mine. No thank you. Nope. It's not a revision, its some fairy tale - if I'd wanted that, I'd go story mode and install all of the fancy Unfinished Business-like mods. Still, I agree with you on "what you ultimately do for your game is entirely up to you and how you prefer things".
It looks like all issues are closed and completed at 100% for the new patch. Now it's just a matter of it being distributed. I hope they patch it today. I would really like to start this game. I'm at work for a while so if anyone tries to update through the client or steam I would appreciate it if you would let me know if the patch is available.
Thanks man, I have the Beamdog version. Now I have something to look forward to when I get out of this place. I'm working late and it will be torturing me from the back of my mind until my shift is up. Thanks for the heads up though, that is great to hear.
Comments
1. Load Baldur's Gate
2. Start a new game in LoB
3. Load your LoB-save
This wont break any of your new Quicksaves/permasaves until you leave the game or load any non-LoB saves. If you load the game client again, you MUST repeat the 3 aforementioned steps. Hope this helps!
P. S.: Noticed this after a casual "what items did I have in my BG Save - Final" game load & then returning to LoB-save and corrupting it, and it made me think of LoB as some intricate a-la Icewind Dale II Heart of Fury mechanism, which is somehow "locked" while beginning the game (main menu doesn't count, but the engine itself does!). Remember that outside Settings menu the Vanilla BG/BG2 had? This seems to be the same thing: the LoB setting can only be "hardcodedly" reactivated if you restart the game/the client. That lead to these three steps.
There is nothing unreasonable about expecting commercial products to function as advertised, and to seek like minded individuals to commiserate with when that doesn't happen. I haven't posted much here since establishing the boundaries of the problem because I don't really need that kind of release, but it's normal human behavior, and it's extremely rude to go up to a group of random people having a conversation and call them a bunch of whining children.
It's particularly ironic, because this is a commercially released product, and the idea that you can sell an unfinished product is a very millenial idea, directly tied to internet youth culture. Try selling your grandfather a car with the promise that you'll replace the faulty trunk latch when you get around to it sometime and see how well that goes over. My guess? He'll tell you to fix the latch, then try to sell the car.
When I was young, if you bought something that didn't work you just returned it for a refund, which meant that companies had their feet held to the fire when it came to QA. We now have the ability to patch things, which means a dead on arrival product can be revived, and that good products can be made better. That doesn't mean that companies aren't responsible to sell working products, but it does mean that they aren't naturally held accountable for it anymore. That lack of accountability makes it all the more important that people not act like sycophants.
The release date for this product should have been this month, not last month. Mistakes were made. People have the right to complain about those mistakes if they so please, and it is completely inappropriate to attack them for doing so in a thread that functions as the natural hub for the people effected by it.
That said, while whoever's in charge of scheduling is in need of a serious reprimand, the patch holds a lot of promise, and I've been consistently impressed by the improvements Beamdog has made to these games over the years, which is why I've been relatively silent about my disappointment in this matter.
If your only goal is to load a LoB save though, it's substantially faster to just load the same LoB save file twice in a row to get things set properly. I'll update the OP to mention that new LoB games work to save from since it wasn't clear.
But at least they responded 10 times to the guy who called customer support, I guess I should have made a flaming scene, too, huh.
Plus Legacy of Bhaal is not visible in the gameplay menu.
The exact release date of the final patch is not clear, it may be 14th of April, but to see the overall progress, see http://redmine.beamdog.com/projects/external-bugs/roadmap and https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/51466/upcoming-patch-preview#latest
bengoshi, am I going to be able to keep the progress that was made while playing BETA-version?
Usually saves made in beta are compatible with the final patch version.
=====
Mace of Goblin Slaying +1
Price: 1800 gold
The mace is a direct descendant of the basic club, being nothing more than a wooden shaft with an iron head mounted on the end. In this case, the head is pyramidal and seems to glow with an inner blue light, as it sits atop a polished oak shaft.
STATISTICS:
Damage: 1d8 +1
Attack Bonus: +1
Enchantment: +1
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Special:
Slaying: Slays gnolls, goblins, hobgoblings, kobolds, and orcs (no save)
Weight: 12 lb.
Proficiency Type: Mace
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 10 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Mage
Thief
Monk
Beast Master
=====
Cornugan hide armor
Price: - (bought from the same NPC, just can't remember the price & it's not mentioned in the .txt)
There is great mystery surrounding this leather armor. No one knows how or where it came into existence. What is known is that the leather was cut from the hide of a Cornugan. The armor is colored a deep black and riddled with very tough, barbed scales. In addition, it has an unusual, very light, vinegary smell.
Those that have worn the Cornugan Hide were bestowed with a rather high invulnerability to non-magical weapons and the ability to slowly regenerate from injuries.
STATISTICS:
Armor Class: 5 (hide armor +1)
Special:
Regeneration: User Regenerates 1 hit point ever 10 combat rounds
Immunity: User is immune to all normal (+0) weapons
Weight: 15 lb.
Requires: 6 Strength
Not Usable By:
Mage
Kensai
Monk
Shapeshifter
=====
(HALBERD) Holy Swizarian Hammer of Lucerne
Price: -
This odd pole-arm appears to be a cross between a halberd and a warhammer, fitted with a four-pronged hammerhead and a long thrusting spike.
Its creation was the result of a blunder made during the commission of an enchanted item for Lodur the Brave (alternately known as Lodur Iron-Bollocks, Lodur the Foolhardy, and Lodur the Dullard), a powerful but none-to-bright cleric. Lodur had of heard rumors of a mighty long-hafted hammer, possibly wielded by a hero known as Lucerne, or perhaps that's where it was made, which may or may not have had to do with a land or king or deity called Swizaria, or Switzlund, or "something of that nature, I am most certain."
"Oh," he had then added, "and pray thee bless it as well... thou dost know, that one where it explodes undead most explosively and what-not, so that I might get my most righteous smite on."
Lodur's fierce demeanor, violent reputation, and sacks of gold begged quiet compliance, and so the dwarven arms-master simply nodded and sent the cleric on his way, promising the weapon in two months' time. The arm-master consulted with his clan's lore-master and sure enough, there *was* word of such a weapon: it came from a trader in Sigil by way of an exceptionally well-traveled plane-walker. The arms-master dutifully copied the weapon's function and form, working runes of power into its haft and head just as Lodur had asked for.
When Lodur the Brave returned to the dwarven stronghold to pick up his new hammer, he found instead a spiked pole-arm whose use was forbidden by his religion. The cleric ranted and gnashed his teeth and swore up and down the halls of the clan before stomping off in disgust, leaving his payment and the somewhat inappropriately named "Holy Swizarnian Hammer of Lucerne" behind.
STATISTICS:
Damage: 1d10 + 3
Attack Bonus: +3
Enchantment: +3
Damage Type: Piercing
Special:
Disruption: all undead struck must make a save vs. death at -4 or be destroyed
Spell Process: 25% chance of casting Holy Smite on target with each successful hit
Weight: 15 lb.
Proficiency Type: Halberd
Type: 2-handed
Requires: 13 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Cleric
Mage
Thief
Monk
Beast Master
=====
Flaming burst mace of disruption
Price: 1800 gold
The mace is a direct descendant of the basic club, being nothing more than a wooden shaft with an iron head mounted on the end. In this case, the head is pyramidal and seems to glow with an inner blue light, as it sits atop a polished oak shaft.
STATISTICS:
Damage: 1d8
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Enchantment: +5
Special:
Flaming Burst: +1d6 fire damage and 10% chance of +1d10 extra fire damage
Disruption: all undead struck must make a save vs. death at -4 or be destroyed
Sure Striking: Weapon is treated as having a +5 enchantment for the purpose of hitting creatures that require magical weapons to hit
Weight: 12 lb.
Proficiency Type: Mace
Type: 1-handed
Requires: 10 Strength
Not Usable By:
Druid
Mage
Thief
Monk
Beast Master
=====
Hope this helps my fellow adventurers in our painful LoB: Tactics + Ascension mission!
For a more balanced approach to some new items, I can only repeat myself in recommending Item Revisions.
But of course, what you ultimately do for your game is entirely up to you and how you prefer things.
Went to read http://www.gibberlings3.net/readmes/readme-item_rev.html and remembered immediately: this mod tries to bring roleplay into a tryhard-200%-difficulty game of mine. No thank you. Nope. It's not a revision, its some fairy tale - if I'd wanted that, I'd go story mode and install all of the fancy Unfinished Business-like mods. Still, I agree with you on "what you ultimately do for your game is entirely up to you and how you prefer things".