[MOD] Magic Store of Vergadain: Visit any store anywhere and anytime!
argent77
Member Posts: 3,496
Magic Store of Vergadain
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Readme
Introduction
The game contains a great number of stores for your shopping needs. However, finding or returning to a store can take a lot of time or is sometimes not even possible.
This mod allows you to acquire a magical artifact that provides the means to visit any store you have visited in the past. Getting your hands on this unique artifact involves a small quest of one kind or another.
The mod supports the following games and game variants:
It is currently available in English and German.
Components
1. Magic Store of Vergadain (for BG2, Tutu, BGT, BG:EE, SoD, BG2:EE, EET and IWD:EE)
This is the main component. It installs the artifact "Magic Store of Vergadain" and associates it with a small quest.
The Magic Store keeps track of the stores you visit throughout the game, so you can visit them later at any time and place even if the original store becomes unavailable. Activating the artifact summons a ghostly merchant who offers a list of available stores for your shopping needs.
Each game campaign provides their own small quest to get access to the Magic Store of Vergadain. The quest usually starts by acquiring a book about forgotten artifacts. It can be found in:
Only one Magic Store can be acquired in the whole game. For example, if you acquired the Magic Store in EET during the BG1 campaign you can't get another one during the SoD, BG2:SoA or BG2:ToB campaigns.
2. Alternate portrait for Ghostly Merchant (requires the main component)
This optional component installs an alternate portrait version of the Ghostly Merchant without ghostly features.
Download from GitHub
Readme
Introduction
The game contains a great number of stores for your shopping needs. However, finding or returning to a store can take a lot of time or is sometimes not even possible.
This mod allows you to acquire a magical artifact that provides the means to visit any store you have visited in the past. Getting your hands on this unique artifact involves a small quest of one kind or another.
The mod supports the following games and game variants:
- Original BG2
- Tutu/EasyTutu
- BGT
- BG:EE (with or without SoD)
- BG2:EE
- EET
- IWD:EE
It is currently available in English and German.
Components
1. Magic Store of Vergadain (for BG2, Tutu, BGT, BG:EE, SoD, BG2:EE, EET and IWD:EE)
This is the main component. It installs the artifact "Magic Store of Vergadain" and associates it with a small quest.
The Magic Store keeps track of the stores you visit throughout the game, so you can visit them later at any time and place even if the original store becomes unavailable. Activating the artifact summons a ghostly merchant who offers a list of available stores for your shopping needs.
Each game campaign provides their own small quest to get access to the Magic Store of Vergadain. The quest usually starts by acquiring a book about forgotten artifacts. It can be found in:
- BG1: Somewhere in Beregost.
- SoD: In the opening dungeon.
- BG2:SoA: Somewhere at Waukeen's Promenade in Athkatla.
- BG2:ToB: Somewhere in Saradush.
- IWD:EE: Somewhere in Kuldahar.
Only one Magic Store can be acquired in the whole game. For example, if you acquired the Magic Store in EET during the BG1 campaign you can't get another one during the SoD, BG2:SoA or BG2:ToB campaigns.
2. Alternate portrait for Ghostly Merchant (requires the main component)
This optional component installs an alternate portrait version of the Ghostly Merchant without ghostly features.
12
Comments
I know Genwa made a djinni-store mod which enabled selling items everywhere but this is a huge step further.
Stores which are also inns are an interesting one - how does the game handle resting at an inn when you're in an area that isn't safe to rest in?
Also, how does this handle stores that have additional requirements to access, such as Ribald's special stock in SoA chapter 6?
You have raised some good points here.
I agree, temple stores can be a game changer. Unfortunately it's not possible to disable selected store types by script. However, acquiring the artifact requires a bit work and gold, so it shouldn't be available too early in the game.
The same is true for stores which also provide lodging. But I guess players installing this mod will most likely install tweaks that allow you to rest anywhere. Btw, these stores are not available during combat, so it can't be exploited to the extreme.
Ribald's special store is 'special' because of the entrance fee. This hasn't been added to the magic store yet, but I can probably add it in a future release.
My initial idea was that you'd have to pay a fee whenever you want to use the magic store, but I didn't implement it because I thought it too punishing. (Although it would probably fit the teachings of the church of Vergadain.)
This version offers two options how to install the magic store:
1. Fee required: The ghostly merchant will only allow you to access stores when you pay him a fee. The fee amount depends on the current game or campaign. This option has been included for balance reasons, since the magic store can make life of an adventurer much easier (e.g. having the opportunity to resurrect your companions, identify items or restock with consumables even in the most remote places of the world).
2. Free of charge: This is the same option as provided by the previous mod version. You can access any shop offered by the magic store free of charge.
This release also takes care of special stores where you originally would have to pay an additional fee for access (e.g. Ribald's special store in BG2). Currently only two shops are considered (Ribald's special store and a store offered by the Golem Construction mod). Please let me know if there are more mods with stores that require some kind of "access conditions", so I can add them to the mod.
Moreover, this version adds Russian translation to the mod.
Changes:
Changes:
No, the mod only provides the opposite. You can access a store without returning to the original store location.
Stores from mods are considered automatically as long as they are installed before this mod. Special conditions for accessing these stores (like a fee, or completed quest) are not automatically detected. However, the mod provides a feature to mimic these conditions. Let me know of such a store and I'll add it to the list.
Changes:
Try the sewers beneath Athkatla's Temple District.
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This release adds several options that allow you to restrict the services offered by the summoned stores, such as resting, healing, identifying items or the steal option (thanks DavidW for the code contribution.)
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Stores are only available if you have the required fee available. It is automatically paid when you choose to open a store.
Sorry, I somehow missed that post.
The summoned merchant uses some of the existing game resources. It is possible that another mod made some incompatible changes (e.g. to one of the visual effects). Or maybe a tweak made changes to the merchant itself. If you still have this installation then you could use this changelog tool to check if the following resources were modified by other mods: A7_MCSUM.EFF, A7_MERC.CRE.
Changes: