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No Familars.2da file in BG2EE?

BobT36BobT36 Member Posts: 5
in General Modding
I'm using the Steam version of BG2EE with all DLC. I can't find the Familiars.2da file, does one exist for this version?

I tweaked this file (along with the corresponding .dlg files) to change what Familiar I get per alignment, such as giving myself a Ferret for Neutral Good in BG1EE. However I don't see this file in BG2EE using Nearinfinity. It also doesn't work if I just drop the BG1EE version into BG2EE's override folder.

How does one change the familiar per alignment given on cast of Find Familiars in BG2EE, if this file doesn't exist in this version?

Comments

  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,881
    In BG2EE, the familiar info is in BALDUR.gam.
  • BobT36BobT36 Member Posts: 5
    Aha I see it. Is that safe to modify in the override folder? Fortunately I'm done installing other mods.
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,881
    Yes, it is. It won't affect any ongoing games, of course; the .gam file is always part of the save.
  • Dan_PDan_P Member Posts: 129
    edited November 2022
    Pretty sure the familiar.2da is a bit buggy by itself (probably why they didn't add it to other games). It only works right if the familar has the same lawful/chaotic alignment as the caster. The base-game familiars only have 3 dialogue files (good, neutral, and evil).

    Which familiar gets put into the bag is based on the caster's alignment on the lawful/chaotic axis. Then if you try to take out a familiar that you didn't summon (because it has a different lawful/chaotic), then it disappears because the creature was never created.
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,881
    That's not inherent to the 2da; it's based on how the scripts and dialogue work. There are only three alignment dialogue files in the standard game, with familiars of a given good/evil alignment sharing dialogue. That necessitates alignment checks in the dialogue, which causes the issues if a character's law/chaos alignment changes. If every alignment's familiar had a different dialogue file, the issue would be fixed.

    And ... there's no way to change a protagonist's law/chaos alignment in the standard SoA or ToB campaigns, because you can't get a helm of opposite alignment. That, rather than the difference between FAMILIAR.2da and BALDUR.gam implementations of the familiar choice system, is why you perceive this as a BG1 problem.
  • Dan_PDan_P Member Posts: 129
    edited November 2022
    @jmerry , that's all true. I was just trying to explain why the 2da may have issues if edited without making other changes (hence why it's buggy if edited by itself).

    And I just saw that the op did edit the dlg files, so my post wasn't necessary. Sorry. I'll leave the post up, so someone finding this thread from google or whatever can read through it and figure it out.
  • BobT36BobT36 Member Posts: 5
    Dan_P wrote: »
    Pretty sure the familiar.2da is a bit buggy by itself (probably why they didn't add it to other games). It only works right if the familar has the same lawful/chaotic alignment as the caster. The base-game familiars only have 3 dialogue files (good, neutral, and evil).

    Which familiar gets put into the bag is based on the caster's alignment on the lawful/chaotic axis. Then if you try to take out a familiar that you didn't summon (because it has a different lawful/chaotic), then it disappears because the creature was never created.
    Yep that did indeed stump me for a bit when I modded BG1 to give me different familiars. Fortunately it just means opening the corresponding .dlg file and swapping the highlighted values around as per below. So say if (like I have) I wanted to swap Ferret to be a Neutral companion and Rabbit to be Lawful, simply swap all MASK_LCNEUTRAL to MASK_LAWFUL and vice-versa. The familiar shouldn't disappear anymore when returning it to / summoning it from the pack.
    1qsgtaw22rhd.png

    The Familiars.2da file (or your characters Alignment) then controls what is initially summoned. I tweaked this file in BG1 to summon the Ferret for Neutral Good alignments. The Familiars3.dlg file changes (as above) then ensured it could be returned to the pack safely for Neutral companions.

    What stumped me is not seeing the .2da file for BG2EE, however thanks to JMerry I now see the definitions for what familiar is initially summoned are at the bottom of the Baldurs.gam file. I'm intending to mod the core file (with NearInfinity) and save it to my override folder to (as with BG1) customise what familiar is initially summoned. This should then work when I start a new game.
    I've changed the Familiar's alignment too in the corresponding .cre files, but I don't think it matters much there.

    Alternately for controling which Familiar is summoned, changing your character's alignment before/after casting the Find Familiars spell using EEKeeper to alter your save game, also works. However the .dlg file changes are still needed to ensure it interacts with the backpack properly.

    I'll give it a go, thanks guys!
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