Never done this before - can't find WeiDu?

Hi there!

Alright, I've had a little experience modding other games, but absolutely none modding an IE game.

I had an idea the other day that I wanted to very slightly modify the existing Shadowdancer kit in BGEE (well, and BG2EE, and all the expansions, etc). I figured it couldn't be too hard, could it?

So the first thing I did was google a tutorial, and it came up with this, which appears to be very helpful - http://www.shsforums...2-kit-creation/ However, I am pretty much stuck at the first hurdle. The poster says to download WeiDu, but when I click on the correct (I think?) link, I recieve a ''404 NOT FOUND'' error message. 

http://www.weidu.org/main.html#weidu - I'm simply clicking on the first bullet-pointed link, WeiDu 236. 

Trying to google WeiDu seems to direct me to the same link... So I'm just at a bit of a loss.

Lastly, the tutorial I mentioned above is about creating a kit yourself, not modifying an existing one - I am assuming how to modify an existing one will become clear whilst seeing how WeiDu actually works. I'm not barking completely up the wrong tree am I?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks very much for your time.

 

You get the latest Weidu version here http://weidu.org/~thebigg/weidu.exe.

All you do with that file is to rename it to fit to your mod. It is used to install the game. What your mod actually does, will be inside the mod's tp2 file (respectively the files the tp2 installs).

Edited by Roxanne, 11 August 2017 - 10:13 AM.

Well, here's the four part kit making tutorial, now if you read the whole thing, you understand that to modify the existing kit, you basically only need to change the so called clabxxx.2da file*, for Shadowdancer that's the clabth05.2da -file if it's unaltered by other mods, the weidu.exe (for Windows, it's in the Windows binary/.zip archive) you want is the current most up to date version which can be found always here, aka v242(00) one.
 
The original .2da consists of this:

2DA       V1.0
****
          1         2         3         4         5         6         7         8         9         10        11        12        13        14        15        16        17        18        19        20        21        22        23        24        25        26        27        28        29        30        31        32        33        34        35        36        37        38        39        40        41        42        43        44        45        46        47        48        49        50
ABILITY1  ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****
ABILITY2  AP_SPSD01 ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****
ABILITY3  ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02 ****      ****      ****      ****      GA_SPSD02
ABILITY4  ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****
ABILITY5  ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****
ABILITY6  ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****      ****

Depending on what you exactly you want to change, you add or remove one of those listed abilities... and read the tutorial for more info.
Ask for help if you need more information. About making new abilities...

*if you talk about changing the item usage or weapon proficiency, then you need to edit either the .itm files or the kitlist.2da file. The above tutorial has short examples of that, but ask if you need more help.

Now to make a mod out of the changes, you have multiple options in weidu, which the tutorial also touches, but if you have more questions about that too, I can also advice you there.

The tutorial is not perfect because it only features the non-EE stuff, which can be found actually in the weiduORG's page, well here, as the EE games now have additional functionality tables that require edits to enable in the game to play the new kits, but that's isn't actually needed to you as you edit an existing kit.

Edited by The Imp, 11 August 2017 - 10:39 AM.

Thank you so much for the information guys!

Wow, that is quite a lot to take in - but I'm sure once I get started it won't be half as bad as it looks.

Essentially what I want to do is:

Add the generic fighter's THACOs, attacks per round and advanced weapon specialization (the ability to reach grandmaster) - to the Shadowdancer kit. I obviously don't want to have the THACO and APR set at a specific amount, rather I would want them to increase naturally as I level up, identical to a generic fighter, rather than a thief. (I hope that makes sense!)

That is the nit and grit of what I want to do. For some fluff reasons I'd also like to -

Re-name the kit.
Re-name some of the abilities, both Shadowdancer specific ones (i.e. Shadowstep) and a couple of the HLAs.
Change the class description.
 

For some fluff reasons I'd also like to -

Re-name the kit.
Re-name some of the abilities, both Shadowdancer specific ones (i.e. Shadowstep) and a couple of the HLAs.
Change the class description.

Then you are FAR more better off remaking the whole kit, not make a reshuffle of an old kit into a new one, as that's done by way too many mods that are way too incompatible with each others and their mothers.

PS, the Thac0 like a Fighter -feature will never work.. it's better to make to make a +1 Thac0 at level x table ... as there's mods that change the Thief and Fighter Thac0 tables and you'll never be able to go between them... and consider them as the bonuses they are, in the kit description. The grand mastery is easy too. Say, give me a kit name... and kit description. Not class, cause you aren't reinventing the wheel that runs the world.

Edited by The Imp, 11 August 2017 - 12:06 PM.

Aahh I'm silly! I meant to put change the kit description, not class description! For example, instead of the default kit description saying 'Shadowdancers can harness the power of magic to increase their stealth abilities.... etc' - I would have something different.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean about the Thac0 thing though. As I understand it, you're saying it wouldn't work because there are other mods that would conflict with this? But I'm 99% sure I will not be using any other mods.. Having said that, making a new Thac0 table like you mentioned doesn't sound complicated, I am just wondering why I would have to do that, rather than using the fighter's already existing one.

Also, really thank you so much for all this information.

Edited by Legend, 11 August 2017 - 12:19 PM.

Aahh I'm silly! I meant to put change the kit description, not class description!

Hah, I know what you meant... but it was fun to write that ... Yes, I don't have a humorous bone in my body, as I am made of metal.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean about the Thac0 thing though. As I understand it, you're saying it wouldn't work because there are other mods that would conflict with this? But I'm 99% sure I will not be using any other mods.. Having said that, making a new Thac0 table like you mentioned doesn't sound complicated, I am just wondering why I would have to do that, rather than using the fighter's already existing one.

The thac0 tables are tied to the original class, aka the Shadowdancer is tied to the Thief thac0 table# ... no matter what you try to do. Unless you really go and make an effect series that sets the Thac0 everytime the character level up that overwrites the thac0 by setting it, instead of enhancing it. Aka setting the Thac0 effect's type value to 1 = Flat Value, instead of 0 = Modifier. And that has problems too.

And then there's the not so nice thing that in most cases the Thieves gain levels much faster than Fighters at the start of the game, allowing them to actually gain better thac0 for their level compared to Fighters, so the fighters loose in that case with even small change.

Now if you were to give the thieves a +1 Thac0 effect at levels like 4, 6, 8 and 10, they might be in somewhat equal footing with the fighters. Up to a point... but that's a suggestion that might be worth trying to include into the mod.

When you make a mod, even if it's for yourself only, it's good to consider the compatibility with everything else to an extend.. And I will never dis-encourage that. After all I make a 10 page FAQ on how to try to megamod the game a long ago, on a profile I have no access anymore.

So do I name the kit as a Shadow Legend... ?

#At least this was there last time I made a kit. I could actually have it wrong, now, as the new weidu function says that I can alter it... but it will only work in the Enhanced Edition games.

Ahhh I understand! Thanks for explaining all of that! 

I suppose it's fair that if you're going to make a mod, you may aswell make it functional with anybody elses, especially if people are interested in what you've made. Though I doubt anybody will be interested in this little kit!

I'm basically, um, trying to re-create Ciri from the Witcher 3 games, 'cus she's incredible 

So here's a list of what I was going to do, in full!

So the kit will be called 'Witcher'

And the kit description will be in it's entirety (I have put in bold the changes from the original shadowdancer kit.... obviously they wouldn't be bold in the game.) Also, I'd like for them to be able to set snares, which I thought Shadowdancers could already.. but clearly not! -

--

A witcher, or Hexer, is someone who has undergone extensive training, ruthless mental and physical conditioning, and mysterious rituals in preparation for becoming an itinerant monsterslayer for hire.

Advantages:

- May achieve Grand Mastery (five slots) in any weapon class.

- May achieve Specialization (two slots) in any fighting style and allocate three slots in Single-Weapon style. 

- +10% Bonus to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently.

- Hide in Plain Sight: A Witcher may hide in the shadows even while being observed.

- May cast Blink once per day. Gains one use at level 5 and an aditional use every 5 levels thereafter.

BLINK: Step into another plane and move for 7 seconds while others are frozen in time. The Witcher cannot attack or cast spells while in the other plane.

- Slippery Mind: +1 Bonus to saving throws.

Disadvantages: 

- Alignment restricted to any non-lawful.

- -1 to backstab multiplier compared to an unkitted Thief:
    Level 1-4: x1 (no multiplier)

    Level 5-8: x2

    Level 9-12: x3

    Level 13+: x4

- May only distribute 20 skill points per level (30 at level 1) among thieving skills

- May not use Set Snare ability (I'd like to be able to set snares).

Prime requisites for Duel-Cassing: Strength, Dexterity, Charisma.

----

Then I was planning to re-name 'Shadowstep' to 'Blink'. 
Shadow Form to 'Planar Form'
Shadow Maze to 'Planar Maze'

Shadow Twin to 'Planar Twin'..... you get the idea ^^

Ideally I would also like to edit those spell descriptions too, with pretty much changing the 'Shadow Plane' to 'another plane', or something fitting along those lines. But that isn't really important, who reads the descriptions more than once anyway xD

---

It's all a bit of work! But I honestly can't wait to have a playthrough.

Edited by Legend, 11 August 2017 - 01:55 PM.