1. What type of area artwork are you requesting: Indoor or Outdoor?

Outdoor.

2. Specifically what type of area - city, dungeon, forest, something else?

Something else - Saemon's ship in the open ocean.

3. Size of area artwork requested? (Remember that the game has size limitations.)

Should be sized to be full-screen even for people using high resolution mods, at least 1600x1200.

4. Where in the game will this area occur and which areas will it link?

The area is for a cutscene and critical dialogue set on Saemon Havarian's ship, en route to Spellhold, in the dead of night. There are no area links.

5. Should the area artwork have both night and day versions? (The artist will essentially have to create the area twice - think hard if you really need both)

It'll be at night, but from what I've inferred about how the game handles that it should be fine to make it from the day tileset (in fact, there isn't a Night one) and I'll just set the clock in script.

6. Describe your vision of the area in detail! Give some backstory to the area, the intended use, a sketch of the intended area artwork...

The area should consist of Saemon Havarian's ship from BG2 AR1600 (the ship in the lower left corner), reversed left to right, in what appears to be the open ocean - IE, no rocks, dock, etc. The water where the land features are removed could be filled in from AR1500 or AR1600 or AR1607, or really anything convenient from the game.

7. Will the artist have some freedom to compose the area, or should the request parameters be followed to the letter?

The area being pretty simple, it's probably best to stick to what's specified.

8. Are there any special features you need? (for example a statue that opens to reveal a secret passageway etc.)

Only what's specified.

9. Any deadlines?

Nope.

10. What game and what mod is this for?

BG2/TOB, Arkalian.

11. Anything else you'd like to mention?

Nope.

How does she know Jaheira's fertile?

Tempest nailed it on the head. Isobel doesn't know Jaheira's fertile, but has no reason to think otherwise. She's never seen a half-elf until she came to Amn, but has read enough and heard enough stories to know half-elves generally aren't infertile, subject to genetic disorders, vulnerable to disease, or any of the other usual problems associated with successful crossbreeds between different species. Isobel does bring a degree of scientific learning and awareness that's very rare anywhere in the Forgotten Realms outside of a very few places, and Isobel is from one of those places. I would like to emphasize that her Intelligence score is a little misleading: Isobel is educated as well as intelligent.

I can nonetheless see Jaheira attempting to regain control of the conversation by pointing that out as an assumption.

By the way, congratulations and please consult this before making any important decisions. ^.^

Jaheira: Cease your staring, Isobel. If there is something you want, ask.

Isobel: Forgive me. You are representative of an unusual problem that has presented itself since my arrival in Amn.

Jaheira: Choose your words carefully, Lantanna. What problem do you speak of?

Isobel: That humans and elves can breed consistently, and produce fertile offspring. My roommate during seminary worked on a farm before coming to Gond's service, and she taught me a little of animals. You might recognize what a mule represents.

Jaheira: You appear to make a habit of asking unusual questions.

Isobel: I like to think so. Progress by definition begins with the new and unusual, and you are excellent at deflecting the question you brought up.

Jaheira: There are some things mortals are not meant to know.

Isobel: Why would anything not be meant for mortals to know? The gods didn't create us with brains for nothing, you know.

Jaheira: Leave me be, child. You ask too many questions.

How does she know Jaheira's fertile?

2nd idea: less a kit mod and more a desire to see the possibility of the pc becoming a vampire (evil only) after completing all the tasks for bhodi, would have similar progression to Valen; what do you think?

I think the proportion of the game that takes place outdoors during the day would kill either suspension of disbelief or the player's enjoyment, depending on how exactly this was handled.

I'm trying to learn a bit about the game engine and I guess this might be the best place to ask.
I didn't see any post guidelines, but if my thread is inappropriate in this forum any moderator is free to delete it.

My question is how the game engine handles proficiency bonuses and which file needs to be altered to change these?
I know that profs.2da handles how many points a character is given upon creation and how often they receive additional points.
Is there a table for the bonuses or is this aspect handled differently by the engine?

I know it's possible to modify which weapons are covered by which proficiencies because there have been mods that did that (lumping katana/wakizashi/ninja-to, and mace/morningstar, together in a fashion that actually has some logical relation to their design and use).  The specific bonuses given by each point in each value of proficiency might be hardcoded, however.  Anyone else care to weigh in?

powers? In the normal game there is only Gram's Grief which grants a save, the sword of mask which is 15% and black razor which is only a +3 weapon...any weapons out there that have a regular, reliable energy drain?

Define "regular." Much higher than 15% with no save would be pretty blatantly overpowered.

Any area that does not have an extended night gets the lightmap overlaid with a single blue/purple colour after the change to night. During the sunrise/sunset periods, a rose-tinted colour is blended onto the existing day lightmap. Both are hard-coded - at least, I'm pretty sure that's what happens.

That's what I'd concluded as well, though I'm guessing it's the "Day/Night" flag that controls that behavivor since dungeons don't do it (you probably intended that but just skipped over it).  I'll have to look at the area scripting to see whether the sunup/sundown movies are run from it or whether that's hard-coded as well.

The day lightmap is not replaced; remember the frustration of trying to keep track of everyone in the rotting forest on your way to the temple north of the Umar Hills? Your party kept vanishing into the lightmap shadows and behind dithered wallgroups.

I don't, but that's consistent with what I've concluded.

You may find that without specific use of extended night that the night period may actually be too light to be convincing. As it happens, the latest version of my DLTCEP tutorial describes a quick and dirty way of adding extended night if you suddenly find that you need it. I did...

Ah, that's the link I wanted.  Awesome, thanks.

Request updated slightly due to my conclusions about the game handling of time-of-day detailed in this thread

http://www.simpilot..../main.htm#night

So, the AR####N tilesets are for night areas, as I suspected...which is confusing because, at least in BG2, several areas that look different at night (such as AR1600) don't have matching AR####N tilesets, at least, that DLTCEP can find.  Are the tiles for that somehow embedded in the "normal" tileset, or is it done with color filters somehow, or...?

If the flag 'extended night' is set in the .are file, then in addition to the WED specified in the .are at offset 0x08, there will be a <wedname>n.wed file (which will in turn specify the tileset) and in addition to the <arename>lm.bmp, there will be an <arename>ln.bmp.  If the extended night flag is set and those files are missing, you're likely to get a crash in-game.

I don't know what the deal is with Brynnlaw - it doesn't use the extended night method and does just look like it's had a dark purple filter stuck on it.

Hmm.  Brynnlaw has the Day/Night flag, but not the Extended Night flag, no *n tileset, no night map, no night WED, and I note that it seems to have four color patterns, Day, Night, and also Sunset and Sunrise, and as far as my probing indicates it does not display the "Sunup/sundown" movies that most of, say, the Athkatla areas do.  I'll need to take a look at a few more areas with day/night versions but it seems as though the "extended night" function refers to the use of a separate WED and tileset (with the "sundown" and "sunup" movies obscuring the transition), whereas the Day/Night flag may just use a color filter that's applied at specified clock times by the exe...does this sound like a plausible interpretation?

(With some probing I've determined that AR300 also does the color-shift thing at sunrise and sundown, but that AR1600 indeed does not display the movie).

http://www.simpilot..../main.htm#night

So, the AR####N tilesets are for night areas, as I suspected...which is confusing because, at least in BG2, several areas that look different at night (such as AR1600) don't have matching AR####N tilesets, at least, that DLTCEP can find.  Are the tiles for that somehow embedded in the "normal" tileset, or is it done with color filters somehow, or...?

I have, today, come to the unfortunate realization that I am absolutely clueless about how the game handles the day/night changes in the appearance of a given area.  Can anyone point me to a good tutorial or explanation for that?

I've got Adobe Photoshop

That, doubtless, would help. x.x

Linky to FFT Resources. Big file - +90Mbs.

-Y-

Thanks. Unfortunately quite a few of these just pop up messages to the effect that they weren't saved the right way in Photoshop to be viewable in anything else, but I wouldn't anticipate that causing trouble for most of the people who'd be working on the areas.

RtW isn't a total conversion, as well, and it's not stopped either--just on hold.

These things take time, but that doesn't mean you should write them off.

Same for [Insert catchy title for what I've been referring to simply by it's primary new and only joinable NPC, Arkalian, here], which isn't a partial conversion by any means, but approaches that league in terms of ambition.

Although, it's not really "sandbox" at all. Personally, I am probably not likely to play such a game because I'm more attracted to the story anyway, but I would suggest that a good model to look to would be Fallout 2, which allows you to continue playing, if you choose, after completing the main storyline (I believe there is a cutoff, after a certain amount of game time, but it's pretty generous - four game years, something like that?). Unless you're hell-bent on ditching the BG2 plotline altogether, adding some of the open-ended features you describe, some more side quests, and the ability to return to the worldmap and/or travel between worldmaps after beating Melissan, if you choose to remain mortal, would be a useful angle for implementing some of this kind of functionality/feel.

<serious thread hijack going on here>

Fine by the thread author; all this may well become relevant eventually.

Are you opposed to something smaller than full-sized if it still has the required details?

Not strongly; I just want to make sure there's a fair amount of space. [EDIT]I should amend that. Full-size isn't critical, but it shouldn't be too small since there should be a reasonable amount of space around the village (the cave mentioned, in particular, should be some distance away from it on the map).

Wait a few hours; I've just uploaded all the graphics resources I created for Fishing For Trouble including all of the buildings. I'm just waiting a reply from Kae as to the best place to make them available - you may find something useful.

-Y-

Awesome; thanks.

Heya Az

I made this area for Zyraen several years ago and it wasn't used. It has no night map, but one could probably be made. Yours if it suits your needs

Cuv

This is good and actually very much in the spirit of what I had in mind, but my first impression is that the details aren't quite what I'm looking for. I'll have to give it some more thought; it would be helpful if you posted or PM'ed to me the full-size bmp. Also, if I did decide to use this, would you be okay with modifying it slightly or allowing someone else to do so? (Or, slightly and then significantly, since I will also eventually need a somewhat modified version of whatever background I do go with for the initial village, for the return later in the game).

Also if you do decide to use Cuv's, which looks really good by the way (I love new areas!), I have a night light filter I use that gives it the slight blue tinge as in Baldur's Gate night maps.

That's definitely worth looking at; thanks.

I might be willing to attempt this, but would you mind if it were in SoA's area style, rather than Baldur's Gate I's style?

That's fine with me; the only concern I had with that was the limited number of suitably weathered building graphics in SOA. I'm not particularly attached to what I had in mind with the inn's interior map if something else works better for you, for instance (then again, there's already precedent for building interiors not perfectly matching the exterior arrangement). I'm interested to see what you come up with. ^.^

[EDIT]Looking through the maps again, there's probably an adequate supply of cabin-ish buildings among the various ones, so this should be fine, particularly if parts of buildings were mixed and matched. And the main concern there is the weathered-ness anyway, so...

What's the present consensus on extending the map icons bam files (mapicons.bam and 25mapic.bam) independently of the worldmap mod? Is there a good tutorial on how to go about this properly?

I suppose actually attaching an image would help:

1. What type of area artwork are you requesting: Indoor or Outdoor?

Outdoor.

2. Specifically what type of area - city, dungeon, forest, something else?

A small village in a streamside and roadside clearing in an otherwise hilly/rocky forested area.

3. Size of area artwork requested? (Remember that the game has size limitations.)

Large, probably full-size or nearly so (79x59 tiles = 5040x3776 pixels).

4. Where in the game will this area occur and which areas will it link?

The area location will be approximately as indicated in the attached image and it will serve as a worldmap link and hub area.

5. Should the area artwork have both night and day versions? (The artist will essentially have to create the area twice - think hard if you really need both)

[EDIT]Tentatively no; I want to experiment and see if the game will handle it the way it handles day/night with Umar Hills, Brynnlaw, etc. without needing a separate Night WED and such).[/EDIT]

6. Describe your vision of the area in detail! Give some backstory to the area, the intended use, a sketch of the intended area artwork...

The area is the outside map of Rookswale, a small village which originally grew up around an inn and trading post in northern Amn, in the foothills of the Cloudpeaks, consisting of the inn itself, several houses, a modest sized bunkhouse, and a shrine to Selune. Although the inn and the shrine are still maintained by their original proprietors and still see some business from occasional travelers, the reduction in traffic along this particular trade route and the strange, subtle sense of unease the location exudes have resulted in Rookswale being largely abandoned. Aside from the inn and shrine, most of the buildings have fallen into disrepair, though several have subsequently become home to vagabonds and the destitute. The party arrives shortly after a group of bandits have taken over the town, though they are using the existing buildings.

7. Will the artist have some freedom to compose the area, or should the request parameters be followed to the letter?

The number of functional buildings is fairly inflexible, as are any details given about them, but otherwise the artist's innovation is encouraged.

8. Are there any special features you need? (for example a statue that opens to reveal a secret passageway etc.)

The northern area of the map should be rocky and hilly, with a small cave entrance that is partially obscured by brush and hence not immediately obvious. A road runs through the area from east to west, at or south of the middle of the map; winding is fine. Somewhat north of the road there is a good-sized stream which cuts across the map, from about northeast to southwest. Between the stream and road are a series of buildings, including four houses/cabins, a bunkhouse(larger cabin), an inn, and a shrine. Cabin graphics should be drawn from those in wilderness areas in BG1 and/or in Nashkel ([EDIT] Ulgoth's Beard wouldn't be a bad source either[/EDIT]) or the like; the interior graphics will re-use some from BG1. The shrine should comprise a modest cabin adjacent to a small stone circle surrounding a flat stone, ideally with the symbol of Selune imprinted on it, and should have a sign of some sort, ideally with the symbol of Selune as well. The inn exterior should use the inn from Nashkel in BG1, as the corresponding interior map will be modified slightly for it, and there should be a well fairly close to the inn. The building should be fairly close together, and the set of buildings should occupy at most about 1/4-1/3 of the map. In addition to the functional buildings noted, one or two that are too broken down for use would be a nice touch. The area, aside from the stream and road, should be lightly forested (including the areas between buildings in this is fine), similar to what we see with Imnesvale, but there should be a few good-sized open spaces.

9. Any deadlines?

None.

10. What game and what mod is this for?

Arkalian, BG2/TOB mod.

11. Anything else you'd like to mention?

I will also need one or two modified versions of this map; I will decide exactly how to approach that once I've seen the original.

First of, I apologize for..uh... necroposting, is it called?... earlier.

No need.

Second, does anyone know if the mod "Cassandra" was ever finished?
It was supposed to allow the party to 'adopt' the escaping clone of Ellisime instead of killing her.

Near as I can tell, no.  Have you tried contacting the mod authors from the post on CoM?

I always thought it was bloody unfair I had to kill the poor girl, and several times I even pretended I didn't notice the door to the cloning room, and left the dungeon without killing her. So a mod that would allow me not only save her but also shape her character and abilities would make me a very happy player indeed.

You could do so yourself, you know.  Either offer to "resurrect" the mod (see the "mod resurrections" forum on SHS for more detail), create a new NPC mod (with a different name?), or make a smaller mod that would allow you to talk her down from the confrontation and escape without joining her party, which would at least prevent the whole having-to-kill-her thing (and would be pretty trivial to accomplish).

What about Ulgoth's Beard for the bad guys' headquarters? Is there an unused house there?

I don't think so, for most plausible interpretations of "unused." Maybe the sea tower? Reuse an existing map for a small area accessible from the base?

I think it would have to be something else to trigger his downward slope into fallendom, something maybe more subtle and on a personal level. Anomen's sister was killed, and depending on the player's actions, you could seek vengeance (making him Chaotic) or simply let the perpetrator go (making him Good). Perhaps something similar could happen to dear old Kelly?

Just calling him "Kelly" to his face might be enough

This is interesting.  Another angle you might try: a way of fooling him into believing that his superior in the order is corrupt, like Anarg, getting him cast out when he tries to "bring him to justice".

From what I can see, he is a strong but not superhuman and careful fighter, but is definitely intelligent as well, quite far above the norm (which is either 9 or 12, either way it is a lot) and fairly pretty, as well.

Charisma is more about people skills and personal magnetism than physical appearance.