Author Topic: FAQ  (Read 41862 times)

Offline Kulyok

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FAQ
« on: February 05, 2008, 02:14:42 AM »
Important:
- this mod works for classic IWD, IWD-in-BG2 and IWD:EE;

- Heart of Winter expansion is required;

- I recommend playing Heart of Winter after Chapter 3,4 or 5, since it's meant to be a part of the main campaign(it's not meant to start after the end of the main game, that is);

- Tales of the Luremaster expansion(free download) is recommended;
- before installing any mods, please, backup your override directory and your dialog.tlk(read more about clean backup here);

- in classic IWD(very rare, but happened once or twice, usually after petrification traps): if your party members, for any reason, crash the game, select them and pres K;
- in classic IWD: stop often, especially after entering a new area.


Q: What is this mod about?

A: It adds five new original joinable companions to the game of Icewind Dale.
You will be able to create your protagonist in the first slot, and
import them alongside.


Q: What does this mod include?

A: In general, PC-NPC and NPC-NPC interaction. Banters between the companions,
banters with the protagonist, interjections, quest and scenery reactions,
player-initiated dialogue. Certain banters (plot-critical and not)
involve all party members.


Q: Are there friendships? Romances?

A: There are friendships, both between the NPCs and with the protagonist.
Some of these bonds may become something greater. Romances are available
to human, elven and half-elven protagonists.

Male protagonists can romance Teri or Nella. Holvir and Korin are
romanceable by female protagonists.


Q: What about player-initiated dialogue?

A: Yes, you will be able to initiate dialogue with your companions.
To do this, your protagonist will have to approach the selected NPC
in the game and click on him/her.

(Note that you can do it with another party member instead of your PC
in IWD, but it is NOT supported or recommended.)

Version 4 adds twelve new lovetalks for each romanceable character, two
new ones every chapter, from Chapter 1 to Chapter 6.


Q: Will it work with IWD or IWD: Heart of Winter? What about IWD: Trials
of the Luremaster, an additional free expansion for IWD: HoW?

A: Heart of Winter is required. The free Trials of the Luremaster
expansion is highly recommended. If you download and install it,
you do not have to patch your game.


Q: How does it work? What should I do to get banters and interactions?

A: Just play the game: enter new areas, slay monsters, complete quests
and find items.  Due to the engine limitations, you will not get
dialogues at rest/at waking/every hour, the way it was done in BG2,
so resting excessively will not affect the game.

As for the interjections, your party members have to be alive
and in the visual range. In general, keeping your companions alive
and close together is recommended.

AND STOP OFTEN, ESPECIALLY AFTER ENTERING A NEW AREA.
(classic IWD only, not IWD:EE or IWD-in-BG2).

These limitations are not present in IWD-in-BG2 or IWD:EE conversion.
To trigger an interjection, your party member just has to be in the same area.


Q: Any special recommendations?

A: To see the banter with Player1, your protagonist will have to remain in
the first slot.  Also, as you issue movement commands to the party, their
override scripts are temporarily suspended, so you will have to stop to hear
banter. You will not miss dialogues, but it is STRONGLY recommended to stop
for a few seconds from time to time, especially after entering a new area.

These limitations are not present in IWD-in-BG2 or IWD:EE conversion.


Q: Is the mod compatible with other Icewind Dale mods?

A: Yes, the mod installs using Weidu, it takes extra care not to interfere
too much, and it should be compatible with all other mods for Icewind Dale.

However, since some mods overwrite things, install older mods BEFORE IWD NPC,
for safety reasons, unless the mod's readme says otherwise. IWD NPC also uses
some code from IWD Tweak Pack, and has been extensively tested with it.

IWD Tweak Pack: http://gibberlings3.net/daletweak


Q: All right, I have a copy of IWD, HoW and ToTL, installed and working.
What will I have to do?

A: You will have to install the mod, start a new game and choose your
protagonist for the first slot.  Then import the rest of the companions
and start playing.

If you are playing an IWD-in-BG2 or IWD:EE version of the game,
you'll find your companions in the Easthaven tavern.


Q: Does the mod forces a pre-defined background/biography on my protagonist?

A: No, it doesn't.  You will be able to roleplay your protagonist however
you like.


Q: Can I use two or more custom characters?

A: Yes, you can. As long as your protagonist is in the first slot, IWD NPCs
will banter with him and between themselves.

However, you will get significantly fewer banters and interjections this way:
taking four companions instead of five will cut the amount of content by
about 1/3, and taking only three - by 1/2.


Q: I am not happy with some of the classes and stats, can I use Dale Keeper
or another program to change them?

A: Yes, you can. However, caution is recommended, so that the script
name/override script/dialogue file for the character remains unchanged.

The mod itself also gives you the opportunity to choose these classes:

Original Icewind Dale:

Holvir, paladin
Korin,  ranger, alternate class: multiclass cleric/ranger
Nella,  fighter, possible dual-class - cleric, druid, alternate class:
   multiclass fighter/cleric, multiclass fighter/druid
Severn, bard, alternate class: mage, multiclass fighter/mage
Teri,   multiclass fighter/thief, alternate class: thief, multiclass
   mage/thief, multiclass fighter/mage/thief

Icewind Dale in Baldur's Gate 2 engine:

Holvir, paladin
   alternate class: cavalier, inquisitor, undead hunter
Korin,  ranger
   alternate class: archer, beast master, stalker,
   multiclass cleric/ranger
Nella,  fighter, possible dual-class - cleric, druid
   alternate class: berserker, kensai, wizard slayer, monk,
   multiclass fighter/cleric, multiclass fighter/druid
Severn, bard
   alternate class: blade, jester, skald, mage, sorcerer, wild mage,
   multiclass fighter/mage
Teri,   multiclass fighter/thief
   alternate class: thief, assassin, bounty hunter, swashbuckler,
   multiclass mage/thief, multiclass fighter/mage/thief

Note that these options are here for your convenience only. In terms of
roleplaying, Severn's story still implies that he is a bard, and the same is
true for other characters.

Level 1 NPCs mod from Gibberlings3.net is recommended to enhance
your experience and select more alternate classes for your party members.


Q: Can I choose alternate colors or portraits for my party members?

A: Yes, you shall be able to customize them in the game.


Q: Can I choose alternate soundsets for my party members?

A: Yes, you shall be able to customize them in the game. You will also have
to delete all .wav files which start with "o#" from the override directory.
Caution is recommended.


Q: I often hear select sounds when the banter begins. Can it be avoided?

A: Unfortunately, the engine prevents that. Just like the "stop often" rule,
it is one of the hardcoded limitations in classic IWD(not in IWD-in-BG2
or IWD:EE, though).


Q: The game crashed when we talked to character X! A party member stutters!

A: It happened because one of your characters died and "lost" his dialogue
file. Reload, select him and press K key. To be safe, select all your party
members and press K key on each of them in turn.
(classic IWD only, not IWD-in-BG2 or IWD:EE).


Q: I played BG2, but not IWD. What should I expect?

A: IWD does not have sorcerers, monks and barbarians, and spell animations
and incantations differ. Other than that, you won't notice the difference.

Naturally, if you're playing IWD-in-BG2 or IWD:EE conversion, you are going
to have all the advantages of Baldur's Gate 2 engine.


Q: I played Icewind Dale 2, but not Icewind Dale. Will IWD be different?

A: Yes. It is an entirely different story, and it is a very interesting game.


Q: I have a question about the game itself.

A: Download and read Dan Simpson's walthrough.


Q: I like the idea! Is there anything like this for other games?

A: Yes, BG1 NPC Project and IWD2 NPC Project.
BG1 NPC Project:  http://gibberlings3.net/bg1npc
IWD2 NPC Project: http://gibberlings3.net/iwd2npc


Q: Does this work for IWD:EE?

A: Yes, it does.


Offline jastey

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2008, 04:09:27 AM »
Will the NPCs be BGII NPCs, like you mentioned before of doing, or completely new ones (If yes, which ones)?

Congrats to the forum! These IWDx-NPC projects are reasons to play those games again.

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2008, 04:14:10 AM »
Thank you! It's what I've been doing for the past month; now that de'Arnise Romance SoA and Angelo SoA and ToB has been released, I can do it nearly full time.

These are five completely new NPCs. I will be posting short character profiles and other info shortly; it's just I am at work now, so I am a little pressed for time.

Amgot

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2008, 05:50:42 AM »
Considering that we already have IWD2 NPCs and will soon have IWD NPCs, I might finally consider buying a IWD bundle if I find one not too expensive somewhere! Good luck on the project!

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2008, 06:29:16 AM »
Thank you!

Offline the bigg

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2008, 06:36:49 AM »
These are five completely new NPCs. I will be posting short character profiles and other info shortly; it's just I am at work now, so I am a little pressed for time.
I'd just love to see Xan react to the book mentioning him, though  :)

NB: possible ultra-minor spoiler, select to read...
Quote from: Erevain's Journal, EREJOUR.ITM
An excerpt...

"Tomorrow I will attempt to climb through the mountains near Kuldahar Pass.  In a way, I feel like I should help Hrothgar and the others in their investigation.  After all, they have very little protection should monsters be in the area.  Bah!  Perhaps my brothers are right.  We elves were not meant to interfere in the world of men.  These lands may once have belonged to our people, but that was long ago.  It is the territory of the wild Reghed barbarians and the Ten-Towns now.  Why resist the tide against us?  Those who do often turn to the darkness of war and conquest to reclaim the lands that we once ruled.  It is an endeavor doomed to failure.  Oh, there I go again.  Corellon help me, I'm starting to sound like cousin Xan!"


Of course, most other BG* characters are too young to have lived in the IWD* era, and the others live too far away.
Author or Co-Author: WeiDU (http://j.mp/bLtjOn) - Widescreen (http://j.mp/aKAiqG) - Generalized Biffing (http://j.mp/aVgw3U) - Refinements (http://j.mp/bLHoCc) - TB#Tweaks (http://j.mp/ba02Eg) - IWD2Tweaks (http://j.mp/98OFYY) - TB#Characters (http://j.mp/ak8J55) - Traify Tool (http://j.mp/g1Ry9A) - Some mods that I won't mention in public
Maintainer: Semi-Multi Clerics (http://j.mp/9UeIwB) - Nalia Mod (http://j.mp/dng9l0) - Nvidia Fix (http://j.mp/aRWjjg)
Code dumps: Detect custom secondary types (http://j.mp/hVzzXG) - Stutter Investigator (http://j.mp/gdtBn8)

If possible, send diffs, translations and other contributions using Git (http://j.mp/aBZFrq).

Offline magrat

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2008, 06:48:32 AM »
You know, my Icewind Dale boxed set arrived only just last weekend, and I haven't had a chance yet to really get my teeth into it... I now can't decide whether to keep playing, so I know what happens in the beginning, at least, or whether to just hold off and wait for a slightly more conversational experience :)

Good luck -- though having played so many other things you've worked on, I'm absolutely sure it'll be fantastic, and I know I can't wait :D
"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious."
  - Oscar Wilde

Discovery,
Reclaiming,
Hopelessly Ever After

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2008, 06:49:04 AM »
Heheh! Oh, I wanted it to happen. But in the end, it seems a totally different story, and I realized I may want to leave BG* characters in BG* series.

(In Xan BG2, Xan speaks about Erevain and his later journey to Icewind Dale, in ToB portion of the mod).

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2008, 06:50:09 AM »
Quote
I now can't decide whether to keep playing, so I know what happens in the beginning, at least, or whether to just hold off and wait for a slightly more conversational experience :)

Don't play! :) I may want to include it into FAQ, later - but, really, when you are playing it for the first time, it's a great experience, so if you can, please, don't spoil it for yourself. (It's just me, though.)

Offline magrat

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2008, 06:57:10 AM »
Quote
I now can't decide whether to keep playing, so I know what happens in the beginning, at least, or whether to just hold off and wait for a slightly more conversational experience :)

Don't play! :) I may want to include it into FAQ, later - but, really, when you are playing it for the first time, it's a great experience, so if you can, please, don't spoil it for yourself. (It's just me, though.)

Ah, I shall stop then.  My fresh-faced band of motley youths have only just survived an avalance and discovered some beetles (and died to some goblins...) so I haven't got very far at all, I don't think.  In fact, I think I've got as far as I managed to get several years ago when we first had the CDs borrowed from a friend (who took them back before I managed to get time to play properly :( )

I will wait patiently :)  Ish ;)
"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious."
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Discovery,
Reclaiming,
Hopelessly Ever After

Johnny

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2008, 11:31:04 AM »
I think I heard that this would be set between Baldur's Gate I & II, with the same CHARNANME protagonist. Is this true, or was I misinformed?

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2008, 01:02:26 PM »
I had this idea months ago, on G3 forums, yes. Then some bad stuff happened on BG1 NPC forums, and I decided to take a break from BG1 characters.  And then I thought: "Why use BG1 or BG2 characters at all? It *is* a different game!" So here you go.

Johnny

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2008, 01:11:00 PM »
I gather that the characters themselves are different from reading the biographies. Will there be any references to BG1 events in dialogue - such as one of your NPCs asking CHARNAME about his/her past, for example - or is the plan now to make it entirely self contained?

Personally I can well imagine a BG1 protagonist wandering off alone to the north and making new friends after the revelations of BG1, but then I have that kind of melodramatic mindset anyway.

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2008, 01:32:05 PM »
If you'd like to imagine your protagonist as a Child of Bhaal and ignore the time difference, sure, you can do so. You won't be able to have talks about Gorion, Imoen and Bhaal heritage in the game, however.

Johnny

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2008, 04:26:00 PM »
Shame.

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2008, 06:14:12 AM »
I think not.

It would be much worse if the protagonist was restrained to being Gorion's ward/a local lad or lass/a citizen of Neverwinter. Or worse yet, the mod was created for male characters/female characters only. As it is, your protagonist can be the former, the latter, and much more.

Offline DavidW

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2008, 07:07:02 AM »
On purely practical grounds, unless you wanted to revise the difficulty of practically the whole game, you'd have a huge balance problem - IWD assumes first-level protagonists, not 7th-9th level ones with respectably good equipment.

Offline Annatar

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #17 on: February 11, 2008, 06:25:39 PM »
Is there any projected release date?

I suppose you probably can't say even down to the month at this stage, but... Any estimate at all?
Like a poster above I was thinking about starting a new game sometime soon. If this is going to be out in a couple of months or so I'll put it off until then.
If we're looking at much later in the year, perhaps not.

Offline CORVIS TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN GOD

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2008, 12:12:26 AM »
Kulyok is a freaky swedish dynamo. I can't imagine you'll have to wait a year.

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2008, 12:52:15 AM »
You know, I like "freaky swedish dynamo".


Quote
If this is going to be out in a couple of months or so I'll put it off until then.

If you'll be satisfied with a fully working and reliable version without voicing(in-game soundsets only), then it will be much sooner than a couple of months.

With voicing, it will likely take three or four months, but we've a bad practice of establishing deadlines: practically none worked in the past.

And welcome to PPG, Annatar.

Offline Annatar

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2008, 08:39:47 AM »
If you'll be satisfied with a fully working and reliable version without voicing(in-game soundsets only), then it will be much sooner than a couple of months.

I certainly will be. I tend not to use voicing wih mods even when it's available.
One can only assume that you were wroking hard on this for a while to have something (presumably) almost ready for release so shorty after it's been announced...

Quote
And welcome to PPG, Annatar.

Danke.

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #21 on: February 22, 2008, 01:14:44 PM »
Good news: player-initiated dialogue works just like it does in Baldur's Gate: click on the character, and talk/flirt however you like. :)

(There's a small downside: IWD cannot check if it's your protagonist trying to strike a conversation with an NPC, or another party member. So, theoretically, you can make your NPCs click on each other. Don't do that.)

Lysan Lurraxol

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #22 on: February 24, 2008, 07:47:19 AM »
Will IWD NPC be compatible with other IWD Mods like the IWD Tweak pack and IWD unfinished business?

BTW Congrats on getting this so near to completion after such a short period of time :) Can't wait for completion, finally a reason to get past the Vale of Shadows :D

Offline Kulyok

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #23 on: February 24, 2008, 07:51:15 AM »
As per the FAQ:

Quote
Q: Will the mod be compatible with other Icewind Dale mods?

A: Yes, the mod installs using Weidu, it takes extra care not to interfere too much, and it should be compatible with all other mods for Icewind Dale. However, since some mods overwrite things, install other mods BEFORE IWD NPC, for safety reasons, unless the mod's readme says otherwise. The mod also uses some code from IWD Tweak Pack, and has been extensively tested with it.

And thanks. :)

Offline Daulmakan

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Re: FAQ
« Reply #24 on: September 08, 2008, 01:38:12 AM »
Is Holvir supposed to react to the party getting Pale Justice? I both CLUAed it in and got it from the corpse (after teleporting the party with the console since the quest in UB for IWD doesn't work very well) and he remained silent in both cases.

 

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