Mod News Icewind Dale in ToEE Engine: the first chapter demo beta or something

[Elwro]

Tags: Icewind Dale; Temple of Elemental Evil

*taptaptap* Is this thing on?

*ekhm*, OK, I haven't posted news here in a while. But you just have to see this.

Anyway, it looks as if our forum member Allyx has laid the groundwork for a total conversion of Icewind Dale to the Temple of Elemental Evil engine, bringing the turn-based goodness to the icy hills around Kuldahar. Just look at this screenshot and weep with joy:

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It seems the first portion of the game is completed and, as expected in the case of all good turn-based projects, the whole thing will take years. But I sincerely hope more people will help with this. In general, my humble opinion is that purging the Infinity Engine games of the real time combat could lead to their improvement.

Here's the link: http://www.co8.org/community/index.php?threads/icewind-dale-toee-total-conversion-open-beta.12019/

Congratulations, Allyx, you're a true hero.

Uh, Happy New Year to all of you!

 

[Infinitron]

Elwro Newsposting doesn't work with HTML tags anymore. Hasn't for years. Use BBCode like you do in a regular forum post.

EDIT: Fixed it myself.

 

[Elwro]

Thanks!

 

[Viata]

Well, 2017 is already doing great.

 

[ghostdog]

Allyx is a true bro.

 

[Aenra]

purging the Infinity Engine games of the real time combat could lead to their improvement

Could? COULD!!?!?

Edit to 'will' please; you're embarrassing yourself.

 

[Elwro]

Well, one of the things is that turn-based can really shine with careful encounter design and transplanting those from a RT game to a TB one might not be ideal. But I don't want to be negative

 

[Dorateen]

Thankfully, Icewind Dale has good encounter design.

 

[HoboForEternity]

ach! mein gott!

didnt even know this is even possible

 

[Major_Blackhart]

COuld be interesting. Hopefully this project doesn't die out.

 

[Mustawd]

Shouldn't the codex thread be posted too? You need to be a co8 member to see any images, but I reposted screenshots in the codex thread.

Just saying.

 

[Zero Credibility]

This is going to be so awesome when it's finished... in a couple of years.

Now we just need someone to do the same for BG(2).

 

[Invictus]

While I live the idea wouldn't it take insane amounts of work properly adapting the combat to work here? The skills and combat AI in the IE games was pretty basic but for it to work here with the Temple engine (especially for spell casters) must be a lot of work

 

[Mustawd]

While I live the idea wouldn't it take insane amounts of work properly adapting the combat to work here? The skills and combat AI in the IE games was pretty basic but for it to work here with the Temple engine (especially for spell casters) must be a lot of work

Well the modder said that so far the encounters felt pretty good as he was playing. In addition, the co8 community as well as some beta testers here will hopefully give plenty of feedback to polish the encounters.

Now we just need someone to do the same for BG(2).

Yah, I dunno if that'll ever happen unless there is a team of spergs willing to work overtime on it. IIRC, BG1 was going to be the initial conversion, but it was decided IWD1 was a lower scope game with less work. And even that will take 2.5 years total or so based on his estimates. And BG2? That'd prolly take fucking forever. Not even Drog could finish it.

 

[Average Manatee]

Apparently Allyx went through the monster lists and surprisingly the ToEE bestiary covers basically everything in IWD1, so the ToEE monsters can just be plopped right in and continue using the ToEE AI. It will probably take a lot of fine tuning work since I'm sure the IWD monsters don't correspond exactly to ToEE monsters in terms of HD/spell lists though, and you also need to adapt 2E into the 3E ruleset.

I'm pretty sure BG1/2 and IWD2(?) fare a lot worse in how their enemy lists correspond to ToEE's, so you'd need a good artist and animator who could make something that doesn't stand out horribly next to the ToEE stuff. If IWD1 is estimated at 2.5 years then BG2 would probably take 4+ years from multiple people.

 

[MicoSelva]

I doubt this will ever get completed, but I salute the effort, and applaud the intentions.

 

[Severian Silk]

Will this work with EE version of IWD?

Also, a nitpick: the snow in that screenie looks awfully yellowish.

 

[Mustawd]

Will this work with EE version of IWD?

Yes. I'm using the EE version. All it does is detect that you own IWD, regardless of the version.

Also, a nitpick: the snow in that screenie looks awfully yellowish.

It has to do with how ToEE shades the map...something to do with day/night cycles or something? The explanation is in the main thread in GRPG.

 

[Electryon]

This seems.....pointless. And also stands a 95% chance of never even coming close to completion. I don't see how getting rid of real-time with pause improves these games in any way. It simply robs them of their entire identity.

 

[Severian Silk]

Icewind Dale is D&D. D&D is turn-based. It's Black Isle who robbed the game of its identity.

 

[Mustawd]

I don't see how getting rid of real-time with pause improves these games in any way. It simply robs them of their entire identity.

LOL. Wtfamireading.jpg?

Of course it robs them of their identity. Their identity of shit combat.

 

[Severian Silk]

It has to do with how ToEE shades the map...something to do with day/night cycles or something? The explanation is in the main thread in GRPG.

This should be disabled since IWD already has shadows baked into the background graphics. Day/night cycle makes no sense without changing the shadow angle.

[edit]

Never mind. ToEE has baked-in shadows as well.

 

[Electryon]

Icewind Dale is D&D. D&D is turn-based. It's Black Isle who robbed the game of its identity.

Everything is still on timed action delays and dice-rolls. You can make these games as turn-based as you want to make them, all it requires is pressing the damn space-bar.

 

[Mustawd]

It has to do with how ToEE shades the map...something to do with day/night cycles or something? The explanation is in the main thread in GRPG.

This should be disabled since IWD already has shadows baked into the background graphics. Day/night cycle makes no sense without changing the shadow angle.

[edit]

Never mind. ToEE has baked-in shadows as well.

he only thing is that on the bigger outside maps, no matter what time of the day, the "lighting" was a bit weird and snow was sort of piss-yellow, like in Dr Skeleton's screenshot. In the smaller areas (like before the orcs cave, or in the Kuldahar's pass smaller goblin/fire beetles area) the snow was pure white, like in ID.

I'm not sure there is much I can do about the dusk/twilight shades for the maps, that effect is the stock ToEE one, and I'm uncertain how to edit it, sorry.

 

[Mustawd]

Icewind Dale is D&D. D&D is turn-based. It's Black Isle who robbed the game of its identity.

Everything is still on timed action delays and dice-rolls. You can make these games as turn-based as you want to make them, all it requires is pressing the damn space-bar.

Umm no...Combat resolution happens in REAL TIME as in all at once. Not in a turn-based mode. Thus the name REAL TIME with PAUSE. Just because you can pause in real time does not make it turn based. No one takes a turn. You all just clusterfuck hit each other with attacks at the same time.