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Why does the description of the Chant Spell(and probably many others) differ from reality?

Earnest_ernestEarnest_ernest Member Posts: 40
For example "Chant" spell duration and casting time reads as follows :

Duration
1 turn
Casting time
1 round

I know 1 turn = 10 rounds.. and 1 round is = 6 seconds (at 30 fps). But according to a wiki for example, you can read a NOTE saying that some Spell descriptions shown in-game often differ significantly from their actual in-game implementations.

And for the above spell instead of 1 turn in duration it says 5 rounds, which is half of a turn, and instead of 1 round it says 9 seconds(why the extra 3 seconds if framerate set at 30 applies to both descriptions)

Regards

Comments

  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    When the in-game description and in-game action are different, that's a bug.

    There were numerous spells which had this problem, but Beamdog have been trying to identify and fix such bugs, by correcting descriptions in some cases and by fixing mechanics in other cases, so that most descriptions are now more reliable.

    I don't know what wiki you're referring to, but are you sure it's up to date for the latest patches?
    Earnest_ernest
  • Earnest_ernestEarnest_ernest Member Posts: 40

    When the in-game description and in-game action are different, that's a bug.

    There were numerous spells which had this problem, but Beamdog have been trying to identify and fix such bugs, by correcting descriptions in some cases and by fixing mechanics in other cases, so that most descriptions are now more reliable.

    I don't know what wiki you're referring to, but are you sure it's up to date for the latest patches?

    Well, the wiki is this one: http://baldursgate.wikia.com/wiki/Chant

    I guess they will be addressed in the next patch.
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    Casting time isn't measured in seconds, it's measured in 0.6 seconds each number (with, for example, 10 being 6 seconds and 6 being 3.6), or at least something near that. If it says casting time 1 round, then it takes 6 seconds to cast the spell. Actually, the spell has 9 casting time, which is pretty much the same anyway (not quite, but it shouldn't make a difference in gameplay).

    The spell lasts for 60 seconds/1 turn/10 rounds/1 minute, I've checked it's duration with NearInfinity and they're accurate to the current description of the spell (lasts 1 turn, casting time is 9).
    Earnest_ernestelminster
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited December 2016

    When the in-game description and in-game action are different, that's a bug.

    There were numerous spells which had this problem, but Beamdog have been trying to identify and fix such bugs, by correcting descriptions in some cases and by fixing mechanics in other cases, so that most descriptions are now more reliable.

    I don't know what wiki you're referring to, but are you sure it's up to date for the latest patches?

    Well, the wiki is this one: http://baldursgate.wikia.com/wiki/Chant

    I guess they will be addressed in the next patch.
    The problem here is that the wiki is inaccurate. Likely because its based on the original BG1 or BG2 descriptions, which did have a number of issues related to how accurate the descriptions for spells were.

    In terms of spell accuracy I would say at this point generally this is the order of reliability.

    1. Description in BGEE/BG2EE/IWDEE using the latest patch.
    2. Adventurer's Guide (only applies to BGEE, SoD, and BG2EE)
    3. BGEE, BG2EE, IWDEE Manuals
    4. Random Internet Sources (including this wiki)
    5. Original BG1/BG2/IWD Descriptions

    Now there are probably some exceptions to this order (like for some shapeshifting abilities). And in some cases you can get additional information online about a spell that you won't find in a manual (like what the stats are of a summoned creature), but 95% of the time this order is correct.
    Earnest_ernest
  • Earnest_ernestEarnest_ernest Member Posts: 40
    @CrevsDaak Thanks for that info, i wasn't familiar with that!
    @elminster You are right. It is funny how I didn't even take the time to check the wiki's accuracy and game version. My bad.
    I was just going to ask you about what trusty sources could I depend on, but I see you already provided the list to me :) Thanks.
    I'll refer to sources 1 and 2 from now on.
    elminsterCrevsDaak
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