About shouts!

[Geoffrey]

Hi,

Just a quick question.   Echon has implemented some complex AI in FotD including monster shouts.  Since, he is very busy, I was wondering, if I wanted to add a component to TUTU fixpack, that made it so that all monsters JUST use shouts, how hard would that be?  I hate that you can shoot a gibberling and the rest of his mates just sit there!  I've never made an IE mod before, but if it's just a bunch of tedious cut and paste or typing gruntwork, I think I could handle the chore.

Thanks, Geoffrey.

[Baronius]

It would require to change the script of all monsters. Not a bad idea itself, especially because it is BGTutu which is BG2-based (in BG1 the Shout command is not 100% reliable.)

Changing the scripts of all creatures is obviously not a solution. Making one general script (or a few general scripts if needed) and adding it to all CRE files via the proper installer program may be a solution (I don't know if WeiDU is capable of detecting empty script slots, this would be needed to avoid overwriting scripts). I suppose most creatures have an empty Override script folder, which is lucky from our aspect because otherwise if we could only fill lower slots, the creature's higher scripts would never let our general script to execute. So to sum up a general script could be written (with proper Shout() and Heard() blocks) and via WeiDU or not WeiDU, could be added to the Override (or the highest empty folder) of the CRE.

This was just a very quick idea, I've no experience in this as I didn't work with such stuff unlike others I guess (maybe Sim or japh?).
To tell the truth I don't prefer shouts at all, I use globals (global, locals, ARxxxx) to control the behavior of creatures.

[Echon]

(in BG1 the Shout command is not 100% reliable.)

In what way?

-Echon

[Baronius]

Shout takes time to come into effect, and if you suddenly leave the area with your party, the shout does not always reach its target.

Examples: there are ten neutral creatures, all with the same Shout script. You attack one of them exactly from a position next to the stairs. As soon as you have shooted the arrow (the attacked one gets red), you leave the area. You can return and only the attacked one will be red (hostile). If you repeat this several times, you can kill the creature without the others interfering in.
(In fact, appoximately two years ago, I think I even didn't have to leave the area any more: after I returned and attacked the ONLY hostile creature, the others who should've turned red at the beginning, never got hostile and I could slay the only hostile creature while the others were standing idle, they remained neutral. This was definitely a bug.)

In most cases I don't think this phenomenon (you leave the area just after the shout) will appear and cause any problem, but it may happen in certain cases, that's why I have written 'not 100%' reliability.

P.S.: the area where I encountered the bug two years ago was the top level of the Friendly Arm Inn, which has no master area script (is not a master area) by the way.

[Avenger_teambg]

Does this work differently in bg2?

[Baronius]

Never tested it. I guess yes (i.e. it doesn't have this problem), because BG2 has many bg1 engine bugs fixed. I'm not sure.