44 replies to this topic

[bpfan]

Okay, back to Chateau Irenicus. Now it's time to decide what, if any, additional mods to layer on to this install, and what my permanent party is going to look like. Right now I'm leaning towards Imoen, Anomen, Nalia, and either Yasraena or Keto, and either Keldorn or Valygar.

[bpfan]

PC, Jaheira, Minsc, Yasraena, Anomen, Nalia, max party XP approx. 1 million upon exit from CI.

Biggest issue is CTD on attempting to enter the Docks. Pulled up AR0300.ARE in NI, got the error message "Error reading AR0300.ARE 666947701." Other city areas, bridge, gov't, temple, etc. are okay.

Neither Kachiko nor Nalia had their rings. I'm not sure the best solution for these undroppable items is to get rid of them entirely, but if they were causing more problems then they were worth...well, it's not like there aren't better items they can't eventually get.

Sold stuff and spent money at Ribald's, so I'd have under the magic number when talking to Gaelan. Set up for a number of the standard quests, no sign of the CtB additions so far. Since I can't progress to Chapter 3 anyway, I'm gonna go out of the city and do stuff in the hinterlands for now--Umar, Nalia's Keep, Windspear, Trademeet, Eshpurta, Trollford.

On edit: Attempting to enter the d'Arnise area also brings about a CTD. I can call up the ARE file for d'Arnise in NI, but cannot CLUA there either.

I can go to Umar Hills, but although Trollford appears on the map, it is 'greyed out' and cannot be reached. Eshpurta is also 'greyed out.'

Attempts to travel to the Windspear Hills also cause CTD's.

I can go to Trademeet. Will pursue this tomorrow, if I'm not experimenting with any advise anyone here has for cleaning this up....

Edited by bpfan, 15 December 2004 - 10:52 PM.

[Sir BillyBob]

Remember that most of the outer areas always required you to go there from the City Gates. Fustrating but it usually works.

[Gaias]

That weidu log just scares me...

[bpfan]

I have left via the city gates. The CTD's, the greyed out areas, are despite leaving via the city gates. Trollford appears on the map after visiting Umar Hills, and is supposed to be visitable once reached; alas it's greyed out. I don't know what the problem is--my guess, but it's only a guess--is that it has something to do with the map.

Oh, and I can add the druid swamp to the list of places that trigger CTD's.

Edited by bpfan, 16 December 2004 - 05:28 PM.

[Sir BillyBob]

It could be the map. The map comes from CtB which I assume gets it from BP (but I don't know how old it is). I used CB's map and added in the BGT areas. So I guess the question here is has anyone else had this problem if they have played BP-CtB???

[seanas]

unless i'm horribly mistaken - and it's very early in the morning after an xmas do, so it's very possible - CTDs in the druids grove *and* the windspear hills are caused by CtB badness; although i thought this was caused by v148, and solved in the v150 you've got installed. try removing the .bcs files (and if necessary, the .are files) associated with these areas from yr override folder (windspear hills is AR1200, druid grove is AR1900) and seeing if you can enter.

the greyed-out areas for TDD locations even when you exit via the city gates has been reported a few times, but no-one has ever been able to locate, let alone resolve, the cause of this problem. the simplest solution is to CLUA yrself to the relevant areas - by all accounts, everything will continue normally should you do so.

[bpfan]

Okay, I went to Umar, was told about Trollford, CLUA'ed myself there successfully. When I checked my map, Eshpurta was no longer greyed out, so I presume I would now be able to visit.

Deleting the AR1900.bcs didn't do the trick, but then deleting AR1900.are did; I've entered the grove. I'm going to resume from a different savegame, in the hopes that I can come back to the Grove (and Windspear, and d'Arnise) once the conflicts are found and resolved.

And anyone have any idea what that Docks area error message might mean?

[seanas]

And anyone have any idea what that Docks area error message might mean?

my guess is it has the same problem the other CTD areas has: a mod (i'm looking at CtB here) has altered the AR0300.are file incorrectly. there were reports of CtB, when reinstalled (as part of a weidu-driven uninstall or reinstall of another mod) incorrectly modifying area files, causing CTDs. seeing as you've had other area CTDs, i'm guessing that the same problem exits in the docks, and so the same solution - removing the .are file - should stop it happening.

[Sir BillyBob]

CBisson has a fantastic method for editing an ARE file by using Weidu, unfortunately, as Seanas mentioned, something else seems to cause it to break once in awhile. Not sure why, though I have noticed that Weidu can't uninstall everything cleanly all the time either. Specially if you are installing/reinstalling several times (bug testing TP2 builds) or if you need to install a patch that requires other mods to uninstall first.

Bpfan, so far, it sounds like you are just hitting the normal bugs. That is actually very good news.

[bpfan]

Well, I haven't UNINSTALLED anything since building this BGT-BP-NeJ-CtB platform. I've only added on top. So uninstalling/reinstalling shouldn't be the issue in this case.

Nevertheless, it's a good thing that only existing problems have materialized, as opposed to brand-spanking-new ones.

Of course, it's early yet....

[bpfan]

Okay, I've swapped out Minsc for Valygar, and max party XP is up to about 1.4 mil. I've done Ajoc's minimod, Trollford, and the Ranger quest, as well as clearing out the drider's den under the Umar Hills. I missed that in my prior runthrough of CtB, so I don't know if it requires a specific trigger to find, but if so, that trigger's missing. I was also able to enter Kivan's orc cave despite not having met Kivan.

My initial plan, knowing that some areas aren't working properly, was to go back to Athkatla and take on the planar sphere, while people more knowledgeable than I sort out what CtB changes in the .tp2 or .are files that break the game when loading the areas. However, Nalia's getting bitchy about my not going to the Keep yet, so I'm going to go ahead and knock that out; testing that area with the CtB alterations will have to wait until next time.

A minor issue with Yasraena; she occasionally prompts me as if I've kicked her out of the party, despite not having done so. Not a big deal, and not necessarily anything to do with the BP ABCXYZ mods; just mentioning it while I think of it.

[Sir BillyBob]

Under BP and BGT-BP, I have always been able to enter the orc caves, with or without Kivan (usually without), so your game hasn't changed unless this was a recent change to the game in an S&H patch.

[hlidskialf]

Under BP and BGT-BP, I have always been able to enter the orc caves, with or without Kivan (usually without), so your game hasn't changed unless this was a recent change to the game in an S&H patch.

Nope.

[bpfan]

Okay, party still the same, max XP 1.68 million. Completed d'Arnise keep, Anomen's summoned home in the wake of his sister's death, dealt with the Planar Sphere, met the guy who needs the Speak With Dead scroll (haven't managed to find one yet). Still carrying around the guy who's supposed to be brought to the Harpers. Don't want to get TOO much more XP before leaving for Imoen, lest she be too much weaker than the rest of the party. But I haven't picked up Keldorn yet, and I was planning on keeping him for the long haul.

A few minor issues. Galoomph the Bookkeeper won't talk. The secret door into the keep didn't work (deleting the files damaged by CtB would have set me to default BP-BGT, and therefore negated the s & h fix).

[seanas]

A few minor issues.  Galoomph the Bookkeeper won't talk.  The secret door into the keep didn't work (deleting the files damaged by CtB would have set me to default BP-BGT, and therefore negated the s & h fix).

both galoomph and the secret keep entrance were fixed in v3 of the s & h patch. does CtB undo/ alter these areas? Immy will get an XP boost based upon yr level, too (or at least she does in the immy romance - is it possible to play BGII without the immy romance installed?) - so as long as yr not too far in excess of the SOA XP limit (ie, approx 3 mill XP), she'll join at an appropriate level (although with a relatively sparce spellbook).

[hlidskialf]

Immy will get an XP boost based upon yr level, too (or at least she does in the immy romance - is it possible to play BGII without the immy romance installed?) - so as long as yr not too far in excess of the SOA XP limit (ie, approx 3 mill XP), she'll join at an appropriate level (although with a relatively sparce spellbook).

She should, although I can't swear as I only coded it up for the Immy Romance and don't play the game without it. (Yes, we are everywhere.) As Horred and I were sharing code at the time I'm pretty sure he incorperated it as well for BP-BGT.

[bpfan]

Dunno if CtB modifies Waukeen's Promenade, but it's a safe bet that it does. Guess that means that the s & h patch should be applied AFTER the CtB modification for people who want to use it.

As for Immy, I think it is coded for non-Immy romance games; I don't think I had it installed on my last runthrough, and I seem to recall her getting a 1,000,000 XP spike when she rejoined in Spellhold. Of course, since I'm presently up about 800K from when she was abducted, and I've got at minimum Chapter 3, TS, and Brynnlaw to go through until I get her back, she'll still be at least a few hundred thou behind if I do nothing else now. Well, I suppose I can increase her bonus via CLUA...

Not worried about the spell book, as this Immy's staying a "Charming Rogue." May do "Mage Immy" again next time...we'll see.

Finished the Unseeing Eye; swapped out Val for Keldorn, max party XP now about 1.83 mil. Am gonna try and wrap up a few loose ends--Copper Crown, Illithium, Solamnic Knights--then pick up Yoshimo & Kachiko and start Chapter 3. Haven't done any CtB quests (aside from clearing the Drider catacombs under the Umar Hills)--the only one that's presented itself is the guy looking for the Speak With Dead scroll, and I haven't found one yet.

Maheer - the guy who upgrades the Horn of Valhalla - is missing. Well, not missing, exactly; he doesn't have his name, and he doesn't have his dialogue, but there's a fat storekeep standing in his place. NI lists Maheer's ID as SHOP03, and CLUA'ing him in has his name, but he doesn't have his normal dialogue, just shows you the same store as the fat man in his usual spot does. Guess it's a dialogue issue.

Er...for some reason, the beastmaster you have to kill to get the key to release Hendak...is now an Elder Orb. And killing it doesn't give you the key, and the animals in the cells don't go hostile.

Edited by bpfan, 23 December 2004 - 10:56 PM.

[hlidskialf]

Dunno if CtB modifies Waukeen's Promenade, but it's a safe bet that it does.  Guess that means that the s & h patch should be applied AFTER the CtB modification for people who want to use it.

Why? The s&h patch doesn't touch the Promenade unless I've gone blind and senile.

[bpfan]

Well, I'm assuming the CtB conversion is the reason the Galoomph fix included in S & H didn't take. I could be wrong, there could be another reason.

When I kill the myconids under the Copper Coronet, a bunch of shadows and a shadow dragon 'port in. The dragon doesn't speak, and doesn't go hostile until I attack him. Since I haven't played DSoA before, I'm not certain this is how it's supposed to go, so I mention it just in case.