15 replies to this topic

[pettsson]

If when I start a new game, I start as level 7 in Candlekeep, what have I screwed up?  
Fresh install of only base game and BGT. Tried with and without BG2fixpack, no difference. I've tried a few different chars, all the same. CLUAConsoling to XP 0 doesn't change my level. What to do?

[Stark]

If when I start a new game, I start as level 7 in Candlekeep, what have I screwed up?
Fresh install of only base game and BGT. Tried with and without BG2fixpack, no difference. I've tried a few different chars, all the same. CLUAConsoling to XP 0 doesn't change my level. What to do?

BG 2 has a starting exp level around lvl 7. The problem is BGT is running through the BG 2 engine(well, not a problem.. it is the reason we are running BGT!), so you get the exp boost. You need to install, I believe, one of the exp fixer programs. Def Jam I think will do that.

[pettsson]

If when I start a new game, I start as level 7 in Candlekeep, what have I screwed up?
Fresh install of only base game and BGT. Tried with and without BG2fixpack, no difference. I've tried a few different chars, all the same. CLUAConsoling to XP 0 doesn't change my level. What to do?

BG 2 has a starting exp level around lvl 7. The problem is BGT is running through the BG 2 engine(well, not a problem.. it is the reason we are running BGT!), so you get the exp boost. You need to install, I believe, one of the exp fixer programs. Def Jam I think will do that.

I downloaded Def Jam, and it has got an option for lowering starting xp, but only to 8900, not to 0. If that's how it's supposed to be, then fine, but the BGT readme suggests that I'm supposed to start as level 1 with no experience, so something must have gone wrong, right?

[Stark]

I downloaded Def Jam, and it has got an option for lowering starting xp, but only to 8900, not to 0. If that's how it's supposed to be, then fine, but the BGT readme suggests that I'm supposed to start as level 1 with no experience, so something must have gone wrong, right?

Yea...

Were there any options when installing BGT? I recall doing the process twice because I goofed up when I first did it. The first time through I had the same problem. With DefJam lowering starting exp to 8900 it started me out ~ lvl 4.

The second time installing everything I recall an option from one of the mods setting starting exp to 0. I thought it was BGT, but maybe it was BP?

Ugh, sorry I can't remember exactly what it was. I'll poke around my logs when I get home and see if I can figure it out. Or, hopefully, one of the guys that knows a lot will be able to answer it quickly.

[Gort]

BGT supposed to patch your bgmain.exe. Didn't you install official parch after BGT? I can mail proper exe to you

[pettsson]

BGT supposed to patch your bgmain.exe. Didn't you install official parch after BGT? I can mail proper exe to you

I installed the patch before BGT, and if bgmain hadn't been patched, I wouldn't have gotten the new "start game" buttons, right?

I downloaded Def Jam, and it has got an option for lowering starting xp, but only to 8900, not to 0. If that's how it's supposed to be, then fine, but the BGT readme suggests that I'm supposed to start as level 1 with no experience, so something must have gone wrong, right?


Yea...

Were there any options when installing BGT? I recall doing the process twice because I goofed up when I first did it. The first time through I had the same problem. With DefJam lowering starting exp to 8900 it started me out ~ lvl 4.

The second time installing everything I recall an option from one of the mods setting starting exp to 0. I thought it was BGT, but maybe it was BP?

Ugh, sorry I can't remember exactly what it was. I'll poke around my logs when I get home and see if I can figure it out. Or, hopefully, one of the guys that knows a lot will be able to answer it quickly.

There were no prompts except for the one "install bgt?", should there be?

/edit: As far as I understand the installation process, then the xp-fix would be a separate "package" in WeiDU, and running the installer again, saying do nothing to BGT Core, would prompt me for that extra package, right? It doesn't, for whichever reason.

Edited by pettsson, 17 October 2006 - 10:57 AM.

[pro5]

I installed the patch before BGT, and if bgmain hadn't been patched, I wouldn't have gotten the new "start game" buttons, right?

Wrong. Setting GUI is not done via exe patching.

BGT v1.01 patches bgmain.exe so that all new characters start with 1 XP:

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// XP Patcher
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

PRINT ~~
PRINT @100016	   // "Implementing experience patch..."

COPY ~BGMain.exe~ ~BGMain.exe~
  SET number_of_writes = 0
  SET i = 1
  WHILE (i>0) BEGIN
	SET i += 4
	READ_LONG (0x6b0000 + "%i%" - 1) long_value //start at offset 0x6b0000
	READ_LONG (0x6b0000 + "%i%" - 5) long_before_value
	READ_LONG (0x6b0000 + "%i%" + 3) long_after_value
	PATCH_IF ("%long_before_value%" = 0)
		 AND ("%long_after_value%" = 161000)
	   /*AND ("%long_value%" = 89000)*/
	THEN BEGIN //look only for a long value bounded by a previous value of 0, and a next value of 161000
	  WRITE_LONG (0x6b0000 + "%i%" - 1) 1 //setting to zero causes thieving skills to isolate from proficiencies and screws up skill types
	END
	PATCH_IF ("%i%" = 0x10001) BEGIN //span a region of 0x10000 bytes
	  SET i = 0
	END
  END
BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

It also adds this piece of code:

IF
  XP(Player1,1)
THEN
  RESPONSE #100
	AddXPObject(Player1,88999)
	Continue()
END

to the starting BG2 area script AR0602.bcs; so that upon starting new BG2 games, characters gain missing XP points.

You never said what version BGT you're using.

If it's 1.01, search your SETUP-BGT.DEBUG file for this line:

Implementing experience patch...

If it's not there, something went wrong during installation.

Edited by pro5, 17 October 2006 - 11:27 AM.

[pettsson]

You never said what version BGT you're using.

If it's 1.01, search your SETUP-BGT.DEBUG file for this line:

Implementing experience patch...

If it's not there, something went wrong during installation.

I'm using 1.01. When I ran the installer again to see if there were components that I missed installing it overwrote the debug file from the installation, so I won't know weather the line is there or not, but since I do start with 89k xp, I assume that the installation didn't work correctly. Uninstalling and installing again is the only way then?

[Gort]

you can edit exe manually with hex editor

[pettsson]

If I read the code correctly, it will only patch if the long before the long at 0x6b0000 is equal to 0, and the long after is 161000. However, this is not the case when looking at my bgmain.exe. So there's a reason for it not being patched it seems. Is this because it is the european version?
Actually, I can't find 161000 anywhere in the file (0x274E8 that is)

[Gort]

look for 89000 and replace it with 1

[pettsson]

Feeling kinda silly, but seeing how often I've understood things right lately, figure I'd better ask...
1) Open BGMain.exe with an hex editor
2) Find an occurance of the long int 89000 in hex, which would be 00 01 5B A8
3) Replace it with 1 in hex, 00 00 00 01
4) Save
If that is it, then there is something off somewhere... Can't find it

[pro5]

BGT developer documentation mentions this:

Section 1f. Experience patch

The experience patcher sets the starting XP for the protagonist to 1 XP, then 1 XP is subtracted from a newly created character (AR0015.BCS), to reflect that of Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast.  Should a player start a Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn game, AR0602.BCS restores the protagonist’s experience to 89000 XP if their experience was 1 XP.  The data pertaining to the starting XP is contained in the executable file BGMain.exe.  So far, it is known that in all English, German, and Chinese languages, the starting XP hex offset is 0x6B7258.  However, in Polish languages, the starting XP hex offset is 0x6B6270.  The patching of BGMain.exe is handled by Setup-BGT.tp2, through dynamically detecting any long value that is bounded by long values of 0 (previous long value) and 161000 (succeeding long value) in the hex offset range of 0x6B0000 to 0x6C0000.  This may not ensure that all versions of BGMain.exe are patched correctly, but tests have shown that this method works so far with all English, French, German, and Polish versions of Throne of Bhaal.

I remember seeing separate XP patching prog somewhere on the mirrors, but I doubt it will do any better.

[pettsson]

Ah whatever, I'll just reinstall it all and hope it suddenly works :/

[Ascension64]

You'd have to find A8 5B 01 00 instead of 00 01 5B A8. When you do find it, please let me know what offset you find it at. Is your BG2 version officialy known as European, for note?

[pettsson]

Well, it suddenly after reinstall, so I don't know what had happened. I see both US and European patches in my download folder, so I might have applied the wrong one last time. Now if I could only get the proper worldmap when I try to transition, I could get started...
/Edit: Fixed that too, beware, goblins, xvarts and other meek creatures of the realm, here I come!

Edited by pettsson, 19 October 2006 - 02:09 AM.