[Mod in progress] Detective Guild of Athkatla

scheele

Arcane Coast (Russian-speaking community of CRPG fans) introduces a new mod for BG2EE: Detective Guild of Athkatla
Authors: Austin, Scheele
EET-compatibility: ☑







Created by the eccentric wizard Adelard the Wanderer, the Detective Guild is located in Athkatla, in the Slums, near the Copper Coronet. A new content will be available starting from the second chapter.
We really need native speakers (eng) for proofreading. We would also be grateful for any advice on the code and any comments or suggestions on the content of this mod.
(For proofreading, you can PM me or post directly to the thread.)
The Guild has several CM-banters with all the necessary permissions from the mod authors (and a new banthers are welcome).

FORUM:https://arcanecoast.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=1653
DEMO (in Russian): https://www.dropbox.com/s/suym6i6b0zu7xzp/SearchGuild (DEMO).zip?dl=0

scheele

The Guild currently only has a ground floor and basement:

scheele

Beginning of the story (sample text):

The quest to obtain a stronghold can be started after the offer of the Shadow Thieves to rescue Imoen (Chapter 2), immediately upon the protagonist's arrival at the Government House.

/// Meeting with Nordic
At the far corner of the building, the guards surrounded a bugbear fiercely growling at the terrified clerk.
CLERK: GUARDS! GET RID OF HIM!
GUARD: THAT'S IT LAD, YOUR TIME IS UP. MOVE ON EXIT!
NORDIC: A-R-RRR!

0~*You see a huge bugbear in front of you, struggling fiercely to break free from the hands of the guards. Once you get in the line of sight of his one eye, the bugbear's jaw drops open. Throwing off the guards, the goblinoid addresses you directly.*~
1 = ~Please listen to my, CHARNAME! My knowing you-rrs. Help me!~ [BUGBR03A]
2 = ~Who are you and how do you know my name?~
3 = ~Get away from me, you monster!~
4 = ~Rah-rah! Trouble! I'll be off then, I've got to get some gold for the guild!~ [BUGBR01A]
5 = ~My name be Nordic! And your name be CHARNAME. Mine saw the fight on the Prror-menade. Help me! These bastarrds are trrying to take away my guild!~
6 = ~Well... So what?~
7 = ~Wait till mine tells you all about it. When the landlord disappeared, there was nothing to pay. Nothing to eat! I came to ask for an extension, but they won't give it. They want to take the Guild for themselves! R-r-r! R-r-r-ree!~
8 = ~Take it easy! One more word like that and you're out of here.~
9 = ~What kind of a guild is this, can you tell me?~
10 = ~*At this point, bagbear puffs up his cheeks in an important manner, bows his head, and solemnly proclaims* The firrst in Amn, the Detective Guild of Athkatla, founded by my Masterr - the arrchmage and the sage, Magister Adelard the Wanderer!~
11 = ~Hmm, great. You said it all without a single mistake, and you almost didn't growl. Almost.~
12 = ~*Nordic smiles proudly from ear to ear, which makes his scarred muzzle even more terrifying*. My learrn and train... long time.~
13 = ~Well, your story sounds interesting. But answer me this: what happened to your master, and why are you asking a stranger for help?~
14 = ~Um! Whut you say? *Bagbear lowers his head and growls sorrowfully* Masterr was tasked with rr-finding someone, and then he disappear-red. Mine looked all over for him and didn't find him. My guess is he's dead! Then the papers starrt coming, the debt! I've got to pay, and I've got no gold.~
15 = ~*The Nordic's one eye lights up with hope as he raises his head again* I know you, you're the Hero of Baldu-rr-r's Gate, the adventur-rer. My heard you saved an entire city! You can help!~ ~*The Nordic's one eye lights up with hope as he raises his head again* I know you, you're the Prortectr-ress of Baldu-rr-r's Gate, the adventur-rer. My heard you saved an entire city! You can help!
16 = ~Sorry, big guy, but I've got my own business here and that's enough.~
17 = ~I have a lot of problems of my own right now, and no time to rescue some unknown guild, so I am sorry.~
18 = ~What's it to you, anyway? Your master is gone, maybe even dead - so go on your own, you're a free bugbear now...~
19 = ~H-r?! Give the guild to... to those?! Mine is to serve my Master faithfully, Adelard to crreate the Guild, that's his BUSINESS! Mine is not to betray, not to abandon, not to forget! *With an angry growl, Nordic glares at the official watching you with a nervous, tired look.*~
20 = ~I don't know who you are, <PRO_SIRMAAM>, but there is nothing to talk about. The owner and head of this investigation bureau has disappeared as far as I know, no income tax has been paid for a year now. With fines will have to be paid.... so. Mm-hmm.~
21 = ~Aha, five hundred coins, and I also have to renew the lease for the next three years, because the land on which the guild building stands belongs to Athkatla, and must be leased properly. That's another two thousand, and all together that's exactly two and a half thousand gold coins.~
22 = ~But that's not all. You need *he raises his voice to a shout* THE GUILDY HEAD to make a new treaty with the city! DO YOU HEAR ME, BUGBEAR?! I NEED ADELARD!~
23 = ~Phew! I'm sorry, but this... this visitor is unbearable. It's the fifth time he's been here, growling, threatening and demanding an extension. But delayed payments will NOT change anything! This guild will be finished if the debt is not paid by the owner within the next week and a new lease is not signed. That's the law!~
24 = ~Okay, I see. I'm gonna step back for a while, I need to talk to this bugbear.~
25 = ~As you wish.~
26 = ~Come with me.~
27 = ~*You decide to just walk past. You've got your own worries, and snarling bugbears aren't one of them.~
28 = ~I wonder how many times I've been told 'help' in all my wandering? Okay... Who are you and how do you know me?~
29 = ~Why are you being so rude? Maybe they have a right to be?~
30 = ~Your guild? Seriously? What does this so-called guild do?~
31 = ~I mean, really, let's just, um, be nice. But I'm wondering what kind of guild this is.~
32 = ~Ah, so this guild has a master besides you after all! That's better.~
33 = ~I can't hear it anymore. I sympathise with the law who have yet to deal with you. I'm leaving.~
34 = ~Detective Guild? Hmm... I don't even know what I was expecting to hear. But definitely not this.~
35 = ~This is rubbish. I'm just wasting my time here. I'm leaving.~
36 = ~Shall I save your guild? What could be more exciting? No, thank you. I'd rather chat with the hamster.~

StummvonBordwehr

looks good

shevy123456

Looks neat so far - I haven't tested it yet; I am currently finishing this
playthrough, then it'll be holidays for 2-3 weeks. I may get around to
testing it in the next year.

Until then perhaps a few question: who did the character portraits?
They look like a professional artist made them.

In regards to the mod's content: does it relate to any other mod?
What about the thief guilds, are there interjections? Or the government
district (I forgot the chief guy's name, but in one mod the party may
go to kill the thief hideout so I wonder if they are aware of the
detectives ... or perhaps some thieves hide among them).

I suppose you may update the mod in the next year (perhaps), so
things may be adapted. Could you perhaps also add a summary
listing in the first thread? For instance, any interesting items
(not necessarily overpowered, but interesting ... like magnifying
lenses or something like that. Or a book holder or something
where notes and pages can be attached to, a container.)

Also I like that the mod features one furry (a bugbear!) - until
one day someone makes a whole "furries unite!" mod.

Any interjections with the assassination mod? Or perhaps more
assassinations the party has to uncover.

Anyway, I will probably eventually get to test it next year. As I
may not be very active in the next few weeks, happy new year
to everyone - and for those who have time, beta-test this mod
for improved english content too! \o/ (I once accidentally clicked
on the russian variant for the moneylenders mod; even though
I knew some positions of the answers, I could not finish it - was
too difficult.)

scheele

Hi, shevy123456!

Thanks for the kind words! We are trying to get this recently released mod (demo) out to as many people as we can. It slept in anabiosis for a year and a half and is still only available in Russian.

Regarding your questions:
1.
nordic__bugbear_by_thatdman
https://www.deviantart.com/thatdman/art/Bugbear-499502564

This is a bugbear called Nordic. He's a rather cuddly, good-natured detective lover and lazy bum. Adelard bought Nordic (as a porter and a test subject for his spells) from the drow of the Underdark when he travelled there in search of new spells. They fought off a goblin raid along the way and became friends.

2.
orc_by_michalsalatav2
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/orc-female

This is Drangolona. (Both spellings of her name, Drangolona and Drangalona, are correct.) She was born of a grey orc and a half-orc female who returned to the tribe. She possesses the typical orcish temperament, characterized by brutal ferocity and strength. But she can also be loyal and see the world from a different perspective - not just the perspective of war and blood. At the time of MC's introduction, she is a drug addict (BL) being tortured by thieves from the Mae'var' guild from whom she stole. (She will be happy to help the MC "clean up" the Mae'var guild.) Drangolona is the most complex character in the Guild. Joining the Guild is also very complex for her: she needs to be cured of her addiction, she needs to be healed (in both cases with the support of MC), and she needs to be voted into the Guild by many of the MC's companions (who are initially against it). There are 43 non-player characters (NPCs) eligible for voting.

3.
this art was created by me using a neural net.

This is Blooddrop, the teenage daughter of Drangolona and a hobgoblin from Chill. They will be reunited during a small quest. She can be hired as a courier for the guild. Or sent to the Temple School to study)

4.
This is the original Baldur's Gate portrait, slightly altered in Photoshop (sent by Alisia).

Stasie is a hobbit girl who grew up in an Ilmater's orphanage. At the age of 18, she left the orphanage and set out to conquer Athkatla. She joined the Guild after seeing a street advertisement, just like Kate Warne, the first female detective in the United States.

5.
The Fixer by Smolin
https://www.deviantart.com/smolin/art/The-Fixer-367897816

Numa Beth-Din is the guild counsellor, serving as the guildmaster's right-hand man, accountant, intendant, and lawyer.

6.
I miss you... by Safiru
https://www.deviantart.com/safiru/art/I-miss-you-586667224

This is Donut, Stasie's cat. Lazy, cheeky, fluffy, nya!) (I don't know what I was thinking, but I wanted to give him a new life - not in the style of Stephen King(()

scheele

7. ...you may also consider hiring Rushdie, a debtor who managed to escape from the slave traders' guild by transforming himself into a jelly. However, he cannot be hired alongside Drangolona (he harbours a strong hatred for orcs). Therefore, you will have to make a choice between them. He doesn't have a portrait.

male, slime, 37 years old
class: slime, Mustard Jelly, 5th level; HP 50
CN

The guild hall and posters was created by me using a neural network. Our mod is non-commercial, we do not make any profit from artists' artwork. All links to images and authors will be included in the Readme-file.

shevy123456 wrote: »

In regards to the mod's content: does it relate to any other mod?
What about the thief guilds, are there interjections? Or the government
district (I forgot the chief guy's name, but in one mod the party may
go to kill the thief hideout so I wonder if they are aware of the
detectives ... or perhaps some thieves hide among them).

BG1 NPCs for SoA & ToB:: some minor intersections

shevy123456 wrote: »

Any interjections with the assassination mod? Or perhaps more
assassinations the party has to uncover.

Unfortunately, no. But if we get the mod author's permission, we'd be happy to do it.

scheele

Could some of the more knowledgeable players please help me out: are there any mods that radically affect the Mae'Var guild? On the EE version of the game, mainly. I need to check these mods for conflicts with the half-orc Drangolona in the Detective Guild.
Thanks!

_DD_

scheele wrote: »

Could some of the more knowledgeable players please help me out: are there any mods that radically affect the Mae'Var guild? On the EE version of the game, mainly. I need to check these mods for conflicts with the half-orc Drangolona in the Detective Guild.
Thanks!

Not sure if still compatible with BG2EE current version but I remember the NPC Strongholds making changes because you can make Imoen take over the whole guild and you will even battle against the shadow thieves main base.

Sour

"D0 Questpack" allows you to side with Mae'Var and there is a mod called "thief stronghold expanded" that adds new characters and quests as well as some extra depth to the weekly running of the guild after you get rid of mae'var. I know the thief stronghold expanded mod still works with the EE games, I'm not sure about the questpack option. I would check the pocketplane modding group. I think they are the ones that made it.

Trouveur

The Husam NPC mod from Jastey may also have some interactions with Mae Var.

scheele

Thank you guys. I'll check out all the mods you mentioned. Regarding Ding0s questpack: it is compatible with the EE version, apparently we are talking about the Additional Shadow Thieves Content component.

Sour

I don't think Ding0s questpack is EE compatible officially. However, some components still work and people use them. Personally, I use the revised hell trails from that quest pack and I've had no problems with it on version 2.6.6 of the EE games. I use the expanded thief stronghold mod but I only use Ding0s questpack for the hell trials so I can't speak about the extra thieves content component of it.

scheele

There is actually a mod conflict, I was completely clueless about the Quest Pack when I wrote Drangolona's quest. The plot of Drangolon's quest is to help the MC "clean up" the M'V thieves guild (it is optional).
ReadMe//D0Quest Pack:

The player may now side with Mae'Var instead of Renal when assigned to infiltrate his guild. In the true spirit of thieves, this component allows the player to double-cross his allies time after time, although not without consequence. To begin this path, the player must take the initiative and tell Mae'Var of Renal's mission after gaining his trust.

Sour wrote: »

Personally, I use the revised hell trails from that quest pack and I've had no problems with it on version 2.6.6 of the EE games.

Same story. I use this mod instead of SCS to chill out in the game on "HARD" difficulty)

shevy123456

Could you add the link to the files that can be downloaded into your
first thread too?

I got that link towards dropbox, but the .exe file there is only about
1MB size which seems way too small, so I think it would be useful
if the first thread could contain a direct link to the files. And perhaps
also a repository at github. (If you do not have an account at
github or do not want to, perhaps someone else can co-host it
at github, such as the spellhold studio guys or the weasel guys or
whoever.)

This mostly for convenience - right now I am trying to figure out
whether I should test the provided .exe file or not (explanation:
I need to install this on another computer; the computer I use
right now is my Linux box, which I do not really use for any
games).

Frenzgyn

shevy123456 wrote: »

Could you add the link to the files that can be downloaded into your
first thread too?

I got that link towards dropbox, but the .exe file there is only about
1MB size which seems way too small.
[...]
right now I am trying to figure out
whether I should test the provided .exe file or not (explanation:
I need to install this on another computer; the computer I use
right now is my Linux box, which I do not really use for any
games).

You know that Setup-SearchGuild.exe is JUST a renamed weidu.exe, do you?

In this particular case, it's WeiDU-Windows-249-x86-legacy.

What does it means that "seems way too small"?

You could also check the hash of the two files and conclude that they're EXACTLY the same, so the exe is totally LEGIT: same file, same size.

If for any reasons you don't trust weidu.exe packed with mods (and if you use Project Infinity to install mods you don't even need them, since PI uses it's own weidu) you could safely download the version for the system you prefer and rename it accordingly:

https://github.com/WeiDUorg/weidu/releases/tag/v249.00

scheele

shevy123456 wrote: »

Could you add the link to the files that can be downloaded into your
first thread too?

Hi, shevy123456!
I've added the link, thanks for the reminder.
However, the Guild has not yet been translated into English. Only about 40% of the translation is complete - all our efforts are now focused on finishing to complete the Shar-Teel romance.

scheele

I believe the guild release is imminent, so I have prepared a new banner in anticipation. It's just a pity that the neural network couldn't draw a nice pipe on the silver guild badge.

shevy123456

Pretty neat images for AI. I tried my luck with a few of these AI-generating sites, and while the images were quite decent, they were not really excellent either. Perhaps I am using the wrong websites.

cdds

Sour wrote: »

I don't think Ding0s questpack is EE compatible officially.

Pretty sure it is, the change log mentions "Compatibility with BGII: EE" for v3 (mod is currently at v3.5, from 2020). The shadow thieves additional content component has an EE-specific bug which was recently hotfixed by argent77.
The detective guild looks awesome btw, i'm always a sucker for Athkatla content, especially when it's as well thought-out as your releases

lzw104522773

I am eager to know when a repository will be available on GitHub?

Austin87

lzw104522773 wrote: »

I am eager to know when a repository will be available on GitHub?

Helloi! When the mod is ready, we will post it on GitHub. I need about a month to finish the first version. It will contain all the initial content and key NPCs. In the future, the mod will be expanded with new quests, if I can find time for it or another coder appears.

shevy123456

\o/

scheele

At Austin's request, I made a new banner for Guild. The old one showed NPCs that were not yet in the mod (and will not be in the first release), which could lead to questions from players. In version 1.1, Nordic, Rushdie, Numa and Drangolona will be available (Drangolona is currently only used episodically, in Mae'Var's guild).

The banner is extremely minimalist; I wanted something modern.
Font: The Great Gatsby