Skip to content

New multiplayer

MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
Hehehe...everyone will probably love this. So here's the story...

I am a long time RPG'er. Table top and computer. Love these type of games. I played the original BG series when it came out, etc...you get the idea. My wife, on the other hand, has never even heard of RPGs. So, I convinced her to try a multiplayer BG series run with me. She was VERY skeptical about it, and even told me it didn't sound very interesting, but she would give it a try.

I helped her get everything setup, and told her to make a simple fighter character, and play the tutorial. She hated it. Hard to control, etc...basic problems any person has with a game and interface they are entirely unfamiliar with. I convinced her it wasn't as bad as what she thought, and it was nothing more than the unfamiliarity causing her problems. So, i had her sit with me while I created a fighter, and played through the tutorial...while she asked questions. Afterward, she agreed that everything made a LOT more sense. So she tried it again, and had a little bit of fun doing it.

This week, we started doing a two character multiplayer run. We took about an hour talking about classes and dual/multi classing, and came up with a concept she thought sounded fun. A few days later....she admits I was right, and she really likes these type of games. Now that's a happy ending!

On a side note, for anyone curious, she decided to play an archer, and intends to dual class to a cleric sometime after level 9 (pushing for grand mastery in long bow). I am playing a shadowdancer, with the intent to dual to a mage somewhere closer to lvl 20. And yes, we intend to play these characters through the entire BG enhanced series.

Comments

  • OrlonKronsteenOrlonKronsteen Member Posts: 905
    Great to hear about her conversion and glad you're having fun. However, I should warn you that clerics can only use blunt weapons: her character will lose her ability to use the longbow upon dual classing. It's one of those old 2nd E rules, unfortunately. Nothing wrong with staying as an archer, however. She'll still get spells (although admittedly ranger spell casting is underwhelming) and she won't have to wait for a good chunk of the game to get her archer abilities back.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    There is a component in Tweaks Anthology that loosens the weapon restrictions for multi/dual classed Clerics, but I've not activated that particular tweak, so I'm unsure if it covers longbows.

    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/48165/testers-wanted-tweaks-is-dead-long-live-tweaks/p1
  • ArgasArgas Member Posts: 174
    I did the same with my ex-wife once but she didn't like wow but was crazy with Mario brothers a specific one should have looked for more of the series...
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    OrlonKronsteen said:

    Great to hear about her conversion and glad you're having fun. However, I should warn you that clerics can only use blunt weapons: her character will lose her ability to use the longbow upon dual classing. It's one of those old 2nd E rules, unfortunately. Nothing wrong with staying as an archer, however. She'll still get spells (although admittedly ranger spell casting is underwhelming) and she won't have to wait for a good chunk of the game to get her archer abilities back.

    Well, the dual class to cleric is just because she wants to have access to the clerical abilities. It is a simple matter to unequip a longbow to cast a few spells.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Unfortunately, the problem runs deeper than that. Upon dual-classing to a Cleric, she will no longer be able to use a longbow at any time, even after regaining her Ranger levels. Worst of all, any weapon proficiency points spent in longbows will be wasted as a result.
  • ThorgaazThorgaaz Member Posts: 46
    Yup, you should definitely warn her, the dualing in clerik if probably THE best way to totally wreck the archer.
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    jackjack said:

    Unfortunately, the problem runs deeper than that. Upon dual-classing to a Cleric, she will no longer be able to use a longbow at any time, even after regaining her Ranger levels. Worst of all, any weapon proficiency points spent in longbows will be wasted as a result.

    I know that is the case for multiclass, but I thought dual classes could still access all their abilities. And, for instance, when an Archer/Cleric has a longbow equipped, they just can't access any clerical abilities. If this is not the case, then this is a MAJOR bug in the game that needs to be fixed.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    I don't think it's considered a bug, unfortunately. As far as I know, this rule is ripped straight out of the AD&D 2E sourcebooks.
  • mf2112mf2112 Member, Moderator Posts: 1,919
    edited May 2016
    No pointed or edged weapons for clerics, sorry. Spend the points on slings instead, problem solved. Archers get the bonus for them too.
  • OrlonKronsteenOrlonKronsteen Member Posts: 905
    MehZhure said:

    jackjack said:

    Unfortunately, the problem runs deeper than that. Upon dual-classing to a Cleric, she will no longer be able to use a longbow at any time, even after regaining her Ranger levels. Worst of all, any weapon proficiency points spent in longbows will be wasted as a result.

    I know that is the case for multiclass, but I thought dual classes could still access all their abilities. And, for instance, when an Archer/Cleric has a longbow equipped, they just can't access any clerical abilities. If this is not the case, then this is a MAJOR bug in the game that needs to be fixed.
    As @jackjack says, it's not a bug, but that doesn't make it any less nonsensical. The gods don't like you using pointed weapons, it seems, but they're okay with you bludgeoning skulls.
  • Francois42424Francois42424 Member Posts: 44
    Slings make use of strength, so if her character has very high strength a normal slings becomes 1d4+7 (with 19 str), and that is without magic ammunition. Still short of the archer +1 dmg/4 levels on a 1d8+2 composite longbow, but since she is only leveling to level 9 it's only 1d4+7 vs 1d8+4; a one point difference only.

    Does the "Archer" sub-class of Ranger improves damage and allow abilities with slings ? I don't think it does. If that is the case, your wife could level-up a pure fighter, go for grand-mastery in slings, then dual-class to Cleric as you originally planned.

    Gratz on finding a really cool leveling partner for the whole trilogy, and good luck !
  • mf2112mf2112 Member, Moderator Posts: 1,919
    The Archer kit description talks all about bows, but the bonuses say "+1 to hit and damage rolls with any missile weapon every 3 levels" and Called Shot includes "All successful ranged attacks...", not just bows. However, the ability to achieve Grand Mastery says it is limited to longbows, shortbows, and crossbows and doesn't mention other missile weapons. I just verified with a new char in BG2 that you can only get 2 pips in slings, but honestly that would be plenty.
  • Yulaw9460Yulaw9460 Member Posts: 634
    edited November 2018
    Deleted.
    Post edited by Yulaw9460 on
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    Well, that sucks, but I have determined there is a way around this bug. And yes...it IS a bug, because being able to do stuff like this is THE benefit of the human dual-class ability. Anyway...the simplest method is to edit a save game after the players have found the quiver of plenty. Force the bow into one of the weapon slots, and the quiver of plenty into one of the ammo slots. The AI uses the bow, and melee weapons exactly as it should, and the player is able to switch between them without issue. The only downside is, as expected the spells/abilities of the cleric are not available while the bow is equipped. And, it requires another save game edit to re-equip the bow if spells are required to be cast. So, it isn't exactly combat friendly.

    I am thinking maybe I need to build a kit to emulate this scenario properly.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    edited May 2016
    TSR made the (admittedly silly) rules decades ago. Frustrating? Yes. A bug? Not at all.
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    Oh I know it was programmed as it is now, and it functions exactly as the designers intended. It is still wrong. So, I don't care....it is a bug.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Not by definition, but to each his own, I suppose.
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    Regardless.....I doubt this will be "fixed" ever. So I am pretty sure I will have to go the route of making a kit to emulate this. Oh well. At least there is hope for new infinity engine titles in the future.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Yeah, making a custom kit is probably your best recourse. The only other way I can think of to fix the problem is to manually edit all of the in-game bows to be usable by Clerics (nearinfinity would work). But that's a LOT of editing, and I'm not sure if the weapon proficiency points would apply to Clerics, even after all of that work.
    I believe @subtledoctor knows a thing or two about custom kits (apologies if I'm mistaken).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • MehZhureMehZhure Member Posts: 21
    I thought I had this worked out, but apparently not. There seems to be a issue with updating the dialog.tlk.

    But first...a quick explanation. I decided to try and make a simple quiver of plenty, but supplying +1 acid arrows. Simple enough. Got all the effects added in, even tested in game, and everything is exactly as it should be...except the dialog.

    Here is where I am stumped on this. I did the edit with NearInfinity. There were two new entires for this quiver, and both seemed to update in the dialog.tlk correctly (saved to the main directory, and then I copied it manually to the appropriate lang directory). Since it did not display the text correctly in game, I thought I messed up somehow. So, I checked the dialog.tlk in NearInfinity, and is says the new entires (71144, and 71145) do not exist. But...I can open the item in DLTCEP, and EE Keeper, and both of the text entires display exactly as expected. I checked the file sizes (main directory and lang directory), datetime of modification, etc. Far as I can tell, they are identical, but NearInfinity cannot find the entries, and neither can BG. And, I checked to make certain all the programs are looking in the same directory.

    Anyone have any ideas what I may have missed?
  • ArdulArdul Member Posts: 211
    There is a component in item revisions that allow for multi and dual classed clerics to use all weapons :)
Sign In or Register to comment.

2024 Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog. © 2024 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, Baldur's Gate, Wizards of the Coast and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries, and are used with permission. Hasbro and its logo are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. and are used with permission. © 1998 BioWare Corp. All Rights Reserved. BioWare, the BioWare Infinity Engine and the BioWare logo are trademarks of Bioware Corp. Black Isle Studios and the Black Isle Studios logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.