48 replies to this topic

[Taimon]

I've updated the file to completely remove the byte restrictions on the songlist number.
(Unfortunately, that required patching another function.)

I'm sure I could use your help for a whole bunch of things.

Let's continue this via PM or mail, then.

[Salk]

Yes and it would be very nice, if we don't need to uninstall BGT-Music after the transition anymore.

Greetings Leomar

Absolutely!

Could this be done for BGT, Ascension64?

[Jarno Mikkola]

Could this be done for BGT, Ascension64?

... let's not interrupt their PostModern warfare deciding which faction gets the greater part of the credits, to write them.

[dabus]

It is useful if you install mods that "help" your songlist.2da to exceed 100 entires. It does not matter which mod it is. (I'd wonder if Tutu has a solution if you need to patch the BGMain.exe)

[Azkyroth]

It is useful if you install mods that "help" your songlist.2da to exceed 100 entires. It does not matter which mod it is. (I'd wonder if Tutu has a solution if you need to patch the BGMain.exe)

On that note...

I've made an exe patch to increase the songlist limit to 500 entries.

Kiss at least 10-15 of those spaces goodbye. ^.^

[EDIT]

I've updated the file to completely remove the byte restrictions on the songlist number.
(Unfortunately, that required patching another function.)

So does this raise the theoretical limit to 2^15 then? O.o

[EDITMOAR]WeiDU has a feature that adds a song in the next available slot, right? Will it need to be modified to work with this patch?

Edited by Azkyroth, 05 June 2009 - 11:49 AM.

[Taimon]

I've updated the file to completely remove the byte restrictions on the songlist number.
(Unfortunately, that required patching another function.)

So does this raise the theoretical limit to 2^15 then? O.o

This was a bit unclear on my part:
There was a function that treated the songlist number as a byte, which limited the songlist references in the area files to the 0-255 interval.
I changed the function to treat the reference as a word. (This is related to the issue Ascension64 has been talking about.)
We are still on 500 entries for the songlist, but it's relatively easy to change if someone needs more.

[EDITMOAR]WeiDU has a feature that adds a song in the next available slot, right? Will it need to be modified to work with this patch?

No.

Edited by Taimon, 05 June 2009 - 12:16 PM.

[Azkyroth]

Is it important to you to keep this as a separate mod, or can we go ahead and include this as an installation component?

[EDIT]I understand the TP2 as written provides for only 500 entries. How many can that be increased to, in theory, given the construction of the chunk of data that specifies the song?

Edited by Azkyroth, 05 June 2009 - 02:54 PM.

[Taimon]

Is it important to you to keep this as a separate mod, or can we go ahead and include this as an installation component?

I consider all my stuff free to be used by anyone.

[EDIT]I understand the TP2 as written provides for only 500 entries. How many can that be increased to, in theory, given the construction of the chunk of data that specifies the song?

Without too much other modifications 2^16 would be the current limit. But the hard theoretical limit is 2^32.

[Azkyroth]

Could this technique be adapted to add more animation slots?

[dabus]

Adding functionality is something that's very difficult to do with patching, because of the size limitations.
(Basically, you can only change existing instructions, not add new ones. If you find unused parts in the executable you might be able to hack something in, but that's really hard.)

(If you mean the spellbook / adding in general fits here)

Edited by dabus, 06 June 2009 - 02:36 PM.

[Miloch]

Could this technique be adapted to add more animation slots?

See here, though I'm skeptical anything can be done with this either quickly or in volume. It will probably require some sort of external routine (like a DLL) which I understand would be quite difficult.

[Ascension64]

If you want to chuck this in your mod, make sure that the code is version-compatible. While it works with BG2:Tob v26498, the offsets are different for other versions.

[dabus]

Like any onther mod. With a weidu-copy of the same name as the tp2-file (well, of cause you will keep the exe-extension intact). So copy weidu.exe to songlist_patch.exe, put both the tp2 and the exe in your bg2-folder and start the exe.

[Taimon]

For a more user-friendly installer check out the combined BGT-Music thread or my ToB Hacks thread at G3.

[cmorgan]

Ascension64, Taimon, (anyone), I have a modder question on this -

I (actually, both berelinde and I, on several projects) would like to make use of the extended possibilities this runs out. It would be great to be able to use ACM and append to songlist.2da, instead of the workaround modders have been forced to use over the years - but I think I need some pointers.

1. Would there be an easy way of checking that this is installed, so that if someone is using it already (or someone is adding it on afterwards) the patch does not get applied twice?

Scenario - b uses it in Gavin, I use it in Aran, and someone adds it at the end of the install.

2. Is there a reasonable way of checking for an available blank entry in songlist.2da, or iterating through until it is determined that there is nothing available?

Scenario - b uses it in Gavin to add 3 or 4, I use it in Aran for 3 or 4 entries, and it is a Mega with other mods adding, so suddenly (unlikely, but possible I guess) instead of slots #270, 271, 272, 273, etc. it is #499, 500, 501 FAIL.


3. If this is going to be used in more than one mod, and there are two versions of you folk's hacks out there, is there a way we can standardize the approach so modders (and folks updating older mods) can get things to work together without hashing players games?

34 Aerie MXAERIE.MUS
35 Anomen MXANOM.MUS
36 Jaheira MXAERIE.MUS
37 Kalah MXKALAH.MUS
38 Khalid MXKHALI.MUS
39 ShadowThief MXTHIEF.MUS
40 Viconia MXVICON.MUS

brainstorming:

IF ~patch_is_not_installed~ THEN BEGIN
install patch
END
(or OUTER_? does this operation take place before the rest of the .tp2 is evaluated for APPEND?)


COPY ~aranw/music~ ~override~
APPEND ~songlist.2da~ ~%available_number% c-aranrom MXCARNR.MUS~ UNLESS ~MXCARNR.MUS~ // romance
APPEND ~songlist.2da~ ~%available_number% c-aranfrn MXCARNF.MUS~ UNLESS ~MXCARNF.MUS~ // friend
APPEND ~songlist.2da~ ~%available_number% c-araninn MXCARNI.MUS~ UNLESS ~MXCARNI.MUS~ // inn flirt
APPEND ~songlist.2da~ ~%available_number% c-aranang MXCARNA.MUS~ UNLESS ~MXCARNA.MUS~ // angry


Basically, what I am looking for is the easiest way to implement this idea with a keen eye on Mega-install heartaches. Just worried about abandoning PlaySong(0) PlaySound("c-aranrom").

EDIT/
heh. Much of this can be accomplished by ADD_MUSIC. I should have checks the WeiDU docs first, I guess!! ADD_MUSIC gets me off the hook for finding the last available entry. But my central questions still remain - a check for "hey, not enough slots", and a check for "hey, the list has already been patched so it has 500 entries possible, and FAIL if not." (Actually, a reversion, in my case - all I would do is

ACTION_IF (~not_too_many_entries_in_songlist~) AND (~exe_is_the_supported_one~) THEN BEGIN
 OUTER_SET my_friend_music = ~PlaySong(c-aranfr)~
 COPY ~acm_files~ ~override~
 ADD_MUSIC
END ELSE BEGIN
 OUTER_SET my_friend_music = ~PlaySong(0) PlaySound("c-aranfr")~
 COPY ~set_of_wavc~ ~override~
END

COMPILE ~myScript_with_song_variable~ 
 	EVALUATE_BUFFER

and in myScript_with_song_variable.baf,

IF
 Global("myvar","LOCALS",1)
 CC(0)
 !CD_SNV
 InMyArea(x)
 etc.
THEN
 RESPONSE #100
 	%my_friend_music%
 	SetGlobal("myvar","LOCALS",2)
 	SDNS(P1)
END

Edited by cmorgan, 17 May 2010 - 01:52 PM.

[cmorgan]

1) Awesome - I love simple implementations - and I should have caught that check!

2)
So the

COPY_EXISTING songlist.2da override
 COUNT_2DA_ROWS 3 count_of_musics
BUT_ONLY

ACTION_IF count_of_musics < 500 BEGIN
 OUTER_SET my_friend_music = ~PlaySong(c-aranfr)~
 ACTION_FOR_EACH file IN c-aranfr.mus c-aranfr.wav BEGIN
 COPY ~aran/music/%file%~ override
 END
 ADD_MUSIC c-aranfr c-aranfr.mus
 ADD_MUSIC c-aranrm c-aranrm.mus
END ELSE BEGIN
 OUTER_SET my_friend_music = ~PlaySong(0) PlaySound("c-aranfr")~
 ACTION_FOR_EACH file IN c-aranfr.wav c-aranrom.wav c-aranin BEGIN
 COPY ~aran/music/%file%~ override
 END
END

3) heh. True enough! But since the .exe check screens, it should be fine!