BG 2 EET: Stuttering Problem

Temariel

Hi,

I'm currently experiencing a problem with what for a lack of a better terminology I will call 'stutter-lag', i.e., every second or so the game will stutter graphically. This is most noticeable when edge pan scrolling, but if one looks closely it can also be noticed during character movement. It feels a little bit like watching a stop-motion movie.

As I understand it, this is a rather common problem, which is typically caused either as a result of computer hardware/software (or the lack-there-of) or the game itself (certain equipment, like rings of regeneration, for example, can cause this, or certain game scripts that are unable to run properly). After spending the best part of a day tinkering around with my computer, I have firmly ruled out the former. My hardware is fine and I have all the correct drivers, etc. I have also gone through just about every permutation of the game's graphics options, both in-game and in the baldur.lua. I thus believe it has something to do with the game itself.

This belief has been confirmed for me for two further reasons. Firstly, because this issue only began shortly after Spellhold and because if I load an earlier save game then stuttering does not occur. Second, because of some of the things I have read in the following posts, which describe I think the same problem.

shsforums.net/topic/41036-faq-for-the-megamods/

shsforums.net/topic/41830-incremental-stuttering-please-help/


Both of these discussion threads contain various potential solutions to my problem. I have tried many of them. None have worked. Of those I have not tried, editing .tp2 files is one of them (it is beyond me). Installing the Stutter Test mod and using it identity the problem is another. When I try to install the mod, i get an error message saying that it failed to install because of dialog.tlk permissions.

With these things in mind, I then have some rather specific questions:

1) How do I get the stutter test mod to run properly?
2) If I do install it, is it going to mess up my EET install?
3) Can it be uninstalled without messing up my EET install?

Otherwise, does anyone out there have any clue as to what generally might be the solution in my case? If it helps, I have added links to my baldur.gam and WeiDU.log below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Baldur.gam is here: http://www.filedropper.com/baldur

WeiDU.log is here: http://www.filedropper.com/weidu

Zip of full save game folder is here: http://www.filedropper.com/000000001-quick-save

LudovikH

Temariel said:

Hi,

I'm currently experiencing a problem with what for a lack of a better terminology I will call 'stutter-lag', i.e., every second or so the game will stutter graphically. This is most noticeable when edge pan scrolling, but if one looks closely it can also be noticed during character movement. It feels a little bit like watching a stop-motion movie.

As I understand it, this is a rather common problem, which is typically caused either as a result of computer hardware/software (or the lack-there-of) or the game itself (certain equipment, like rings of regeneration, for example, can cause this, or certain game scripts that are unable to run properly). After spending the best part of a day tinkering around with my computer, I have firmly ruled out the former. My hardware is fine and I have all the correct drivers, etc. I have also gone through just about every permutation of the game's graphics options, both in-game and in the baldur.lua. I thus believe it has something to do with the game itself.

This belief has been confirmed for me for two further reasons. Firstly, because this issue only began shortly after Spellhold and because if I load an earlier save game then stuttering does not occur. Second, because of some of the things I have read in the following posts, which describe I think the same problem.

shsforums.net/topic/41036-faq-for-the-megamods/

shsforums.net/topic/41830-incremental-stuttering-please-help/


Both of these discussion threads contain various potential solutions to my problem. I have tried many of them. None have worked. Of those I have not tried, editing .tp2 files is one of them (it is beyond me). Installing the Stutter Test mod and using it identity the problem is another. When I try to install the mod, i get an error message saying that it failed to install because of dialog.tlk permissions.

With these things in mind, I then have some rather specific questions:

1) How do I get the stutter test mod to run properly?
2) If I do install it, is it going to mess up my EET install?
3) Can it be uninstalled without messing up my EET install?

Otherwise, does anyone out there have any clue as to what generally might be the solution in my case? If it helps, I have added links to my baldur.gam and WeiDU.log below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Baldur.gam is here: http://www.filedropper.com/baldur

WeiDU.log is here: http://www.filedropper.com/weidu

The faq to megamods is primarily addressing issues of the old game, it was written prior EE release and is only partly helpful still. It was many aspects that are outdated, like biffing the game which is deadly for EET.

To your questions 2 + 3 You can install the tool on EET and uninstall it after use without any problem.
To solve 1 it would be easiest to first test if one of your NPC scripts may be the issue - for that purpose, just CTRL+Y one after the other to see if it goes away with that. Afterwards one could run a stripped down version of the tool to look at the problem.

Another possibility is to post a savegame here. I mean a zipped full save folder of one of your saves, just baldur. gam alone is not enough.

LudovikH

I forgot to mention that the whole stuttertest will only help you if you are familiar with Near Infinity to make sense of the result it gives you. Otherwise you waste time and it is better to post a save-game maybe.

Temariel

@LudovikH thanks for getting back to me. I have now added a zipped full save folder to the above. As for CTRL+Y, this is indeed one of the possible solutions I experimented with, but to no avail. I also tried removing all party members from the group, setting any 'lovetalks' to 1, speeding up time to try to force quest completions, using MoveToArea console commands to see if the problem persisted in other areas (also to see if certain scripts could be resolved in this manner); and so on and so on.

I have been using Near Infinity to explore and edit some things about the game, but I am by no means familiar with it. I have used it to edit .CRE files, some item descriptions in the dialog.tlk,and some .2da files. I also used it to tone down some rather ridiculously overpowered loot I found in some mods.

Edit: after reading one post that suggested making sure summons were destroyed before zoning, I also used the MoveToArea command to backtrack to recently visited areas to try to ascertain if anything in them was 'bugging me' so to speak. This is perhaps counter-constructive, because as I understand it using MoveToArea commands can also create lag, but I was already at a loss as to how to fix this problem. Anyway what I did find was a bit of a mess back at Spellhold. Im running SCS with HLA abilities given to mages. This created a huge problem for the Irenicus encounter, where he would summon a dark planetar (on top of all the other stuff). The only way I could defeat him was to use a web spell wand I found during a quest from another mod. I shot six of them at Irenicus and it basically paralyzed him for the duration of the fight, but in so doing he was unable to kill Wanev & Co., who all stood there afterward casting random spells, gating in demons, or throwing magic missiles at me besides not being tagged as hostile. They posed no threat, however, so I simply walked out and left them there. When I went back, they were still there summoning things and generally doing weird stuff with spells. I killed them all as a test, but it didnt solve the problem.

LudovikH

Is it the case that the stuttering happened after you had Adalon change the party to drow?

Temariel

@ludovikH No. I haven't got to Adalon yet. I only just entered the Underdark.

LudovikH

Temariel said:

@ludovikH No. I haven't got to Adalon yet. I only just entered the Underdark.

Yes, I was expecting this answer. We can exclude this possibility.
Here is a little very useful tool.
You can just extract it to the game folder like a mod and run the setup.exe.
When you startup and load the game you will get a lot of displayed text lines that tell you what the Baldur.bcs is doing. Let it run for a minute without doing anything to see if some block number just repeats itself over and over.

Temariel

@LudovikH thanks, but this didnt work. This leads to the same problem I had with the stutter test setup.exe posted by someone else. Screenshot below.

Edit: after closing shadowkeeper, it seems I was able to install this after all, but the mod does not seem to be working regardless. When I open the game and load the save nothing happens. When I finally got it to install, the install took seconds. Is this working as intended? Screenshot of install log attached below.

Temariel

Ok I finally got the original stutter test I was using to work and this is what its reading out in game. These lines constantly repeat.

Temariel

@LudovikH do you think this solution might work?

shsforums.net/topic/54602-solvedtime-to-deal-with-the-stuttering/

LudovikH

Temariel said:

@LudovikH do you think this solution might work?

shsforums.net/topic/54602-solvedtime-to-deal-with-the-stuttering/

It looks like it was for classic game and Tobex, so probably not useful for EE.

Go to BG2EE/override and look for WaitPC.bcs. Attach the file here.

Temariel

@LudovikH I'm not sure why, but I can't see any 'waitpc.bcs' in 'override', only 'wait.bcs'. I can see it, however, in NI. Here is a screenshot. What am I missing? Is this file hidden from me in some way?

LudovikH

That is the one but there is nothing that any mod has added to it, this is why it was not in override. There are mods which extend the top of this or other global files with extra code, but that is eliminated now as possible source of problem.

Now that you have the LS-tool running, it may be best to install it, jump to a small empty area where there is only your party and look again at those *Running block....*. There should be far less of those and easier to see if some script is the culprit.
You can install or uninstall the LS without problem, just your game and EE-keeper must be terminated.

Temariel

Well i jumped my party to the gnoll cave of the BG1 Bandit Camp and here is the result. As you can see it doesnt seem to be much different. Just FYI I cannot locate these other .bcs files with NI. I have to go into the override folder itself with windows explorer and then I don't know how to open them. Tried notepad but cant make sense of them.

LudovikH

In NI upper menu bar go to Options>Show Override Files>In ???? Folders (select this).
Then you will have all active files sorted by type regardless where they are stored in the game.

And check your NI configuration. When you go to Game>Open Game>(your current BG2EE directory)>Chitin.key is what you need to use. You can save this and other games with NI and can switch between multiple games that way.

These scripts running while they are not assigned to any party member are irritating. Some of the names point to enemy AI files, e.g. the DW#xxxxx ones are most likely SCS. Often that points to enemies from previous areas following you through transitions. I looked into your save game files but I see none of them. In some previous areas there were some assassins but I cannot say if they are invisible and following you around?

I confess I am not expert enough to help you any further.

Temariel

@LudovikH ok so I tried the solution at this link:

shsforums.net/topic/54602-solvedtime-to-deal-with-the-stuttering/page-7

It actually worked and when I use it my game runs as intended. However, this means that everytime I load BGmain.exe I have to repeat steps 1-6 in this process, which is obviously annoying.

Apparently this fix was rolled into something called 'tobex', which Ascension64 was managing at one point? I don't know what this is or how it works, but can it somehow be installed into my EET game?

Edit: so ok tobex is in my game folder - so it is installed evidently - but it is version 24. From what i read, the above fix was rolled into v26 (v27 is broken according to polish BG forums). My question is then: is it possible to install a new version of tobex post-BWS EET install?