Ok, well I went through a lot more than this to
find the problem but you don't want to hear about that... seriously. You just want to
fix the problem, right?
Edit: 15 December 2006Thanks to Ascension64, we have a "saved game fixer" that should restore any saved game prone to crashing without noticeable data loss.
This is the procedure for fixing a saved game corrupted by a Beregost crash. "Game folder" means the folder where you've installed EasyTutu, Tutu, BGT or BG1.
1. Back up the saved game you want to fix (by copying and pasting the folder somewhere else).
2. Download
SETUP-Crashfix.tp2 and save it in your game folder.
3. Download
WeiDU.exe (or copy an existing WeiDU or a mod's .exe) and rename it SETUP-Crashfix.exe in your game folder.
4. Load up
Near Infinity in your game folder.
5. Expand the
Save folder and expand the saved game to be fixed.
6. Click on BALDUR.SAV and
Decompress it.
(http://sony.dynalias.com/bg/savfix1.gif)
7. Toggle to your game folder in your OS (e.g. with Windows Explorer). There should now be a subfolder containing your decompressed saved game files (e.g. C:\Games\EasyTutu\_000000001-Test1\).
8. Locate the file FW3300.ARE (or AR6700.ARE for BGT or AR3300.ARE for BG1) in this subfolder. Copy and paste it one level up in your main game folder.
9. Run SETUP-Crashfix.exe. If you've done everything correctly, you get a message indicating a successful fix and the Crash Fixer uninstalls itself.
10. Copy the fixed FW3300.ARE and paste it into your temporary decompressed subfolder (the one starting with an underscore).
11. Toggle back to Near Infinity and
Compress to rebuild the .SAV file (click
Overwrite,
OK when prompted).
12. Close Near Infinity and fire up Tutu (or BGT or BG1).
13. Enjoy a crash-free Beregost. Visit the many pubs. Order a round for the house at each one.
Technically, what happens in a Beregost-crashing saved game is that a random creature in the area experiences mage spell memorization corruption in its level 5 slot (we don't know how, as yet). What the Crash Fixer does is looks for such corruption and if it finds it, zeroes it out. This isn't a problem data-wise, since it affects only NPCs in the area. The highest level NPC able to cast mage spells is Silke, and she can only cast up to level 4.
After this fix, I haven't been able to reproduce the crash, but do let us know if you experience a recurrence.