Interjection ideas

[Athena]

UU, I see your point about having some interjections from earlier in the game. My two concerns are this:
1.) I'm willing to bet that not many people see interjections like the one about the Trademeet quests unless they cheat Sola in. Therefore, you'll probably create a lot of work for yourself and it might not be seen very much.

2.) It could get annoying if Sola is constantly giving the PC hints. There's a few places where I could see them as being useful (like his interjection in the Windspear Hills about the supposedly injured adventurers) but I for one would be irritated if every time I approached a puzzle, he started giving me advice.
So I'd suggest either trimming your list of possible places for interjections, or trying another strategy. Perhaps some of these interjections could be accessed through a force-talk option?

My last suggestion is this: One thing I really liked about his interjection about the 'adventurers' in the Windspear Hills is that it didn't feel like I was practically being slapped in the face with a hint, as it did when Sola was giving my PC tips on fighting Firkraag. You might want to consider that when you're working on the interjections.

[Userunfriendly]

actually thats a very good idea...simply place on the readme, that in certain areas of the game, the player can force talk sola for suggestions in solving certain riddles, so the first time a player downloads the sola flirt packs, they can have fun exploring the "sola the wise riddle master" component, but they dont have to bother later...

for example, the readme could say...

"welcome to the riddle master component of the solafein mod...if you force talk sola in certain areas of the game, instead of the usual party banter, you will have the option of choosing 'get advice from solafein' as long as you are in the correct area...

in the shadelord's dungeon, near the talking statue...
in the temple sewers, at the broken bridge..."

you get the idea....

this is good idea....much much less intrusive and quite in keeping with sola prefering to remain in the background, and while he wants to be helpful, he also does not want to distract you while you are busy leading the party....

[Athena]

*nods* Yeah. There's some places where obviously it's not convenient/not good roleplaying to have the PC have to stop the conversation to forcetalk Sola, but there's a few places where it might be much better to have an option to say, "Do you have any advice, Solaufein?"

[adam_2112]

User I like your suggestions for interjections and the idea of force-talking to get the hints

[Userunfriendly]

*nods* Yeah. There's some places where obviously it's not convenient/not good roleplaying to have the PC have to stop the conversation to forcetalk Sola, but there's a few places where it might be much better to have an option to say, "Do you have any advice, Solaufein?"

i dont know enough weidu to know if this is possible, but i do remember every riddle in the game has an option  to

answer 1
answer 2
answer 3
do not answer at this time...

so if condition= talked to riddle statue and party is in correct area and if sola is in party, next force talk dialog includes option of asking sola for advice...

so you talk to the statue, and if you choose not to answer, then if you force talk sola, you get the option...

ask sola for advice
do nothing

better???

 

[Athena]

*nods* That sounds pretty good.

[Userunfriendly]

ok, i am working under a serious handicap here..i am trying to study, and only plan to rebuild my os, and reinstall bg2 after chloe comes out...sorry, but sola is not my current favorite mod...i do have a fairly recent version of idu, but i have never used the program, and so i am trying to write sola advice based on memory...

so if anyone is a good idu person, if you could cut and paste the riddles from the riddle imp in watchers keep, and the djinn in the circus quest, and other riddles in the game, it would make my interjection writing much much easier...

and between talking with athena, i think we have a final form for implementation ready, tsuru...

the read me should say...

"welcome to the riddle master component of the solafein mod...if you force talk sola in certain areas of the game, instead of the usual party banter, you will have the option of choosing 'get advice from solafein' as long as you are in the correct area...

in the shadelord's dungeon, near the talking statue...
in the temple sewers, at the broken bridge...
etc....."


and the script should check if you have talked to the riddle giver, and is sola in the party AND you must be in the correct area...to get the force talk dialog option of asking sola for advice...

ooo...another way would be to  simply edit the riddles themselves, for example...

answer 1
answer 2
answer 3
do not answer at this time...


should change to

answer 1
answer 2
answer 3
ask sola for advice...

this would be another way of making the sola riddle master component less intrusive, but reminding the player that this component is installed...

gotta be all that cheese i ate for dinner, got me inspired...

get it?? me=inspired by cheese..hahhahhahahhah...

if you dont understand, check the link in my signature...this is my contribution to the bg2 community, i am the cheese master...

[Tsuru]

I've emailed you the riddle file, UU
 

[Userunfriendly]

in the unseeing eye...at the bridge with beholders on the other side...

sola: i think that the first riddle is meant to be a metaphor, what is the most common metaphor people use for a journey??? the journey that begins with our birth and ends with our death??? (life)

sola: i think the second riddle is a hint that the most precious thing in our existance is something that at the beginning of our lives, we seem to have endless supply of, but at the twilight of our lives, we begrudge every bit of it that we have wasted, and we take desperate measures to aquire mor of....(time)

sola: what journey are we travelling here and now?  what path are we trodding with our steps right now???(current one)


i dont have soa installed, so i cant look at the raw dialog, so if the weidu chikkas with idu (infinity dialog utility) will look at the raw dialog and wish to make changes so the interjections will read and work better, please do...

you guys like?

now this set i just did it off the cuff, does the advice from solafein sound right for the riddles???

i'll post the riddle imp later...thanks!!!!

[kozand]

I don't think Sola should help every riddle be solved. Too cheesy but bridge is a good example UU.

[thecursed]

i agree. and most riddles are to simple too need any help.  

[Userunfriendly]

well, i do admit my original concept was to have the option of consulting sola at every riddle situation in the game, (except spellhold, you obviously cant have sola with you in spellhold before popping down to the underdark, unless you cheat him in..)

but i think its much more realistic and do-able to have just a few situations where you can ask him for advice...

i think the shadelord statue, the broken bridge at the unseeing eye, and the puzzle imp at watchers keep would be perfect, and just enough...

i really want the spoiler readme to list the exact places where you get the extra advice dialog, so good little boys and girls who take the time out to read the read me will get all the new dialog...

since the shadelord statue, and the broken bridge are written up already, they should stay the way they are...

i really do wanna do a good job on the puzzle imp in watchers keep, make it very witty and funny, since that riddle plot device is one of my favorites in the game, and the imp is so funny, i really think i will expend my creative efforts in making that interjections enjoyable...

oh and you guys like the interjections in the wild magic room and dead magic room??

[kozand]

It sounds reasonable. I suggest u use a good BG2 walkthrough. Do u want me to send u one?

[Userunfriendly]

oh frick, youre right...

i already have the dan simpson guide, so thanks anyway...

i just realized my mistake, i've been using the prima cheat guides, and the simpson guide is much more informative...

ok, will hit the simpson guide tonite and put together a final draft...thank you for reminding me...

[kozand]

u are welcome   .

[Userunfriendly]

interjection idea (sola plays the wise riddle master...) number one...

basically, in case you havent followed the conversation in the dialog suggestion thread, i think it would be way cool and completely appropriate for sola, who has int 18, for him to advise to charname on intellectual challenges the party faces...its so like the personality we already know him as for him to advise the pc with his insight, he likes to contribute to the party, as he does if you encounter firky with sola in the party, he offers tactical advice, so it just made sense to me that he would offer riddle or puzzle solving advice...

like in the shade lord's dungeon, if you have sola in the party, he should offer advice when you talk to the statue of amundator....

sola: charname, i think i understand...this is a test of faith, the statue holds a relic of the holy presence that built this place, and as its guardian it will only release the relic to the faithful, and to prove that we are of the faithful, we must recite the tenants of the faith correctly, or it will punish us....may i suggest we bypass the statue for now and search the other rooms we may enter for books and scrolls that will offer us clues to the correct answers?  I must confess i am not eager to find out for myself the nature of the "punishment" this statue will visit on the impious...

response 1: thank you, my friend (sweetie if in romance)...i had come to the same conclusion, but it is reassuring that you agree with me...

response 2: keep your mouth shut and sword ready, i brought you with me for brawn, not your lackwit mind....more fighting and less talking is how i prefer you...

in the same dungeon, in the room of letters..

sola: charname, be very careful...i recognize this room, this is much like the trapped treasure rooms of the temples of lolith in the underdark...you must  be very careful...the room is trapped, if you step on certain tiles the magics in the room will punish you with a powerful spell, you must step only on "safe" tiles....in the underdark, you must step on the tiles scribed with letters in a certain sequence, a sequence that spells out the secret name of the spider goddess, known only to her hand maidens...in this place i would hazard a guess you must step on the tiles in sequence spelling out the name of the god of this place...

response 1: thank you my friend...i fear i am a bit old to play hopscotch, as i did with imoen in my youth, but i shall try my best...

response 2: zip it, drow boy...

sola: hopscotch?? what is that, my friend( or love)  

pc: its a game i played as a children, you draw up a grid of squares with letters in each square, and by jumping from letter to letter, you spell out words from a song your playmates sing out...

sola: amazing, on the surface even children's games are useful for the adventuring profession...how serendipitous....

pc: its not quite that, my friend...its just a child's game, one that children enjoy playing, tho i remember imoen cheating outrageously, making up words that were almost impossible to spell out, because the letters were so far apart i could not possibly jump them....lets get back to the buisness at hand, shall we???

if imoen is in party: i did not cheat, its just that you have always had a smaller vocabulary than i did...i betya you dont even know what serendipitous means, betya, betya???

pc kisses imoen on forehead, and gives her a quick hug...



in the unseeing eye...at the bridge with beholders on the other side...

sola: i think that the first riddle is meant to be a metaphor, what is the most common metaphor people use for a journey??? the journey that begins with our birth and ends with our death??? (life)

sola: i think the second riddle is a hint that the most precious thing in our existance is something that at the beginning of our lives, we seem to have endless supply of, but at the twilight of our lives, we begrudge every bit of it that we have wasted, and we take desperate measures to aquire mor of....(time)

sola: what journey are we travelling here and now?  what path are we trodding with our steps right now???(current one)


i dont have soa installed, so i cant look at the raw dialog, so if the weidu chikkas with idu (infinity dialog utility) will look at the raw dialog and wish to make changes so the interjections will read and work better, please do...

you guys like?

well, i think this is as far as i can take the interjections....i read the raw weidu of the puzzle imp in watchers keep, and there is no option to break off the dialog with the imp and ask sola....

unless the weidu chikkas  want to add such a line... and i can see problems with the scripting happening...it would have to be tested, and it could get ugly...i noticed a line that checks to see if this is the first time the party talks to the imp, and rescripting it could get ugly...now the interjections at the broken bridge and the shadelord, statue and room of letters could be implemented in a non intrusive manner as simple sola interjections...the statue and broken bridge, i am positive you can break the dialog with the riddle giver and ask sola for advice, but unless you guys want to modify the puzzle imp dialog to break the dialog so you can force talk sola, its pretty dead in the water...

but a straight interjection at the room of letters and at the teleport maze should be fine....its not too intrusive and a comment from sola would be appropriate...

so how do we submit final forms???

just leave it posted, and let you guys read and edit and modify it to the way you want it, or email it in formally???



 

[Tsuru]

Interjections would be emailed directly to Wes, as would dialogues. I can attempt to code them for you before sending if you want, or you can send as is
 

[Userunfriendly]

so i should write off a final form of the riddle master interjections, and the infra vision flirt, and i can just submit them to you???

those two are mine, and i shall write them up soon....i also just posted a item, and i can submit that to you, right???

thanks...will do soon....

[Tsuru]

so i should write off a final form of the riddle master interjections, and the infra vision flirt, and i can just submit them to you???

those two are mine, and i shall write them up soon....i also just posted a item, and i can submit that to you, right???

thanks...will do soon....

Only if you want me to code them for you. I'd then give them back to you in coded form to send to Wes
 

[Userunfriendly]

me??? submit to wes??

urk...well, i suck totally as a writer...hey, i was born to be an engineer, and i am actually most comfy writing documentation on computer issues...sigh...but since i came up with some ideas, and people here seem to like them and they helped me develop them, i guess i am responsible for submitting them to wes...use his email or pm???

sigh...will do soon...

[Tsuru]

To his email. Don't worry, he doesn't bite!
 

[Userunfriendly]

yeah, but valen might....

actually, getting bit by valen on the neck...hmmmm...

did ya see my last submission to wes???

in the valen alternate portaits section, i sent him some months ago a publicity still photo cropped to portrait size a picture of ashley scott, the killer hottie on wb's birds of prey..

its the one with the black haired girl dressed out in black leather and lace, standing in front of a brick wall..totally lame series, but she is hot...

sigh...going to have to carefully write up my ideas...now as i understand it, the rules of the game is that you are responsible for writing up the stuff you came up with, and include any suggestions by other people you like, but if the idea is yours, you are responsible for submitting it, right???

so i noticed that sapphiredragon liked a lot of my dialogs for the chinchilla familiar, but she is the person responsible, since i think she came up with the chinchilla idea, for including any of my suggestions and proofing it for the final form to be submitted to wes, right???

this way we know who is to blame..hehehhehhe...

[Elven_vampiress]

Let's see, I'm probably posting in the wrong thread, and I'm probably a real huge nuisance, so you'll have to put up with me or ignore me, either one.

I have a few sola ideas (duh):
1.    I think it's strange that Elhan doesn't comment about the drow (solaufein) in your party    when you return the Lanthorn.  But I ain't the comment writing type so I won't suggest    anything.

2.    Seeing Solaufein is trying to become accepted, he might feel it necessary to become    involved with the problem between Hanj and the trader in the gate district. I'm still not going    to suggest any ACTUAL comments here.

3.   Perhaps a comment or two with Hendark? Involving the slave pits in the Copper Coronet.    Just a suggestion.

I'm finished with my quick ramblings, my suggestions are finished, for now...
P.S. As a member of the R.S.P.C.F.P.V.B society, I must say that sola could have great fun battling pink vorpal bunnies. I could imagine it now:

Pc:    What the hell are they?

Sola:    [Char], these are the most horrible of terrible creatures!! They..they are worse than    dragons, worse than illithids, worse than Devas! worse than...

Pc:    I get the point Solaufein! But what *are* they?

Sola:    They are Fluffy pink vorpal bunnies!

Imogen:   Fluffy pink bunnies? What's so bad about bunnies, they're so cute!

Sola:    They'll rip of your head in a flash, they'll vorpalize you!!

Pc:    I'm sure you're only exaggerating Solaufein, They don't have any weapons, they don't even    appear hostile!

Sola:   *You* don't appear dangerous at first, [char], but underneath you're just as dangerous, a    child of Bhaal

Pc: multi choice:
1. Very well, arm yourselves! (battle)
2. Ok, we'll just avoid 'em!
3. Stop being a fool Solaufein, they're only rabbits (battle)

at this point battle begins.

There, a vorpal bunny scene, apologies for the dodgy dialogue, but I think a vorpal scene would be good! This is only the first step in Fluffy pink vorpal bunny resistance.

[Tsuru]

A reminder, this is a *working* forum. All silliness stays in our off-topic topics. Yes, this means the vorpal bunnies.

Thank you.

As for Elhan, that one is being worked on, or was a page or so back.

[Elven_vampiress]

No, I'm serious, I think a comic questy thing could be good, think about it, please...