Unofficial Arcanum Patch (Original Thread)

[rroyo]

Drog, allow me to say congratulations for this.

Your work was brought to my attention today due to the similarity in our project's name.
I'm rroyo at Terra-Arcanum and since June have been making releases of an expansion pack that's come to be known as Arcanum:WIP - even though it's real name is Forgotten Places.

Like you, I'm wanting to correct as many bugs as possible while adding new adventures, but you're clearly way out in front of me in the scripting and debug knowledge.
With no past video-game scripting knowledge to fall back on, I'm still learning as I go, and making as many mistakes as I'm managing to correct.

So I'll ask now, in front of plenty of witnesses, would you mind if I unpacked your release to see what you've done and, more importantly, how?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

RELEASED.

Check the first post.

EDIT: Race mod is also released. Here.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Drog, allow me to say congratulations for this.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Your work was brought to my attention today due to the similarity in our project's name.
I'm rroyo at Terra-Arcanum and since June have been making releases of an expansion pack that's come to be known as Arcanum:WIP - even though it's real name is Forgotten Places.

Yes, I heard of it. Also, I'd like to note, that my project has no name really, it's just an unofficial patch. "WIP" only shows the status of the project.

Like you, I'm wanting to correct as many bugs as possible while adding new adventures, but you're clearly way out in front of me in the scripting and debug knowledge.

I don't plan to add anything new though. The difference in quality of the original and fan made content bothers me the most.

With no past video-game scripting knowledge to fall back on, I'm still learning as I go, and making as many mistakes as I'm managing to correct.

So I'll ask now, in front of plenty of witnesses, would you mind if I unpacked your release to see what you've done and, more importantly, how?

Like I'm going to stop you? Feel free. Although, if you do borrow some fix, tell me about it and include me in the credits.

 

[Klaz]

About bugs, there's some ''Thorvald and Gates'' and ''Geoffrey and Perriman'' party banter that isn't accesible in the game, but have .dlg files. There's a thread in the Arcanum forum about it.

 

[rroyo]

Like I'm going to stop you? Feel free. Although, if you do borrow some fix, tell me about it and include me in the credits.

Will do! And thanks.

Edit: I can't get my copy of WorldEd to open your maps. Which version did you use?
I'm using the English 1.0.7.0.

 

[Ander Vinz]

Friend of the Molochean Hand Fix
Medallion of Silence fix
Fix for lost Magnus/Thorvald dialog
Fixing Endings Part 3
Master Firearms fix
Fixing Dialog of Simeon Tor, Geoffrey & Smythe
Maxim Fix
Bates with Loghaire
What about this stuff, Drog?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

I can't get my copy of WorldEd to open your maps. Which version did you use?
I'm using the English 1.0.7.0.

Haha, there are no MAPS, only mobile objects.

<stuff>
What about this stuff, Drog?

Oh, thank you, I really appreciate your effort. I'll look at it.

 

[rroyo]

Haha, there are no MAPS, only mobile objects.

I don't understand what you're saying.
I'm still fairly new at this stuff and haven't heard the term "mobile objects" until now.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Haha, there are no MAPS, only mobile objects.

I don't understand what you're saying.
I'm still fairly new at this stuff and haven't heard the term "mobile objects" until now.

Mobile objects are .mob files, each of them is based on a certain proto and contains only differences from it. It's easy to just hex edit them, as the format is pretty similar to the proto one, but if you want to edit them in WorldEd (and face its certain limitations), then just copy and paste them to their respectful maps (undat the original arcanum.dat and paste them there). As there's no need to include full maps in a patch, I included only fixed objects.

 

[rroyo]

Now I understand. Thanks for explaining it.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Can somebody check if Zan Alurin talks with Loghaire in the game? There are files and sound clips for it, but it's been so long as I last played with her in my party, I just don't remember.

 

[Ander Vinz]

Can somebody check if Zan Alurin talks with Loghaire in the game? There are files and sound clips for it, but it's been so long as I last played with her in my party, I just don't remember.

What are the conditions? To be evil to make her join you, what else? When the dialog triggers?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Can somebody check if Zan Alurin talks with Loghaire in the game? There are files and sound clips for it, but it's been so long as I last played with her in my party, I just don't remember.

What are the conditions? To be evil to make her join you, what else? When the dialog triggers?

It seems, they should have a conversation when you return from T'sen-Ang with the news and telll about it to Loghaire (he must be persuaded to return to the throne as well). Loghaire even asks Magnus' opinion on Zan Alurin if he's in a party as well.

 

[Mimir]

I'm not sure if this is actually fixable, but throwing items really should take AP. I don't think the developers intended for players to be able to throw as many grenades as they want during a turn.

 

[Ander Vinz]

There's huge russian bugfix project called "GrandFix 1.3" based on Da real Asrudin's pack. It has pretty extensive list of changes but wasn't translated to english.
Here are some changes for the first version:

DLG files

Nasrudin
King Praetor
Maxim
Reputation for mastery except thief skills [they weren't in gamereplog.mes] and "Zephir's crash survivor" if you sell your story to newspaper

effects.mes

Caladon's Crusader chainmail gives +1 follower bonus
Pilfer's Armor (?) gives backstab bonus (Da real Asrudin)

PRO files, prototypes

"Body of..." spell cancelling doesn't result in changing npc's to naked men

MOB's and maps

Vedingroth's Dungeon now has correct music
Fixed chest in Bargellians Deep - now it contains treasure, not some merchant's inventory

Do you need the whole thing, Drog?
Also, I'm making a quick run for aforementioned dialoge.

 

[OSK]

Awesome stuff. Keep us updated!

 

[Ander Vinz]

Drog, I have Swyft bug again. I take her to Tarant, she thanks me but doesn't leave the party.

edit: Well, I checked Zan Alurin - Loghaire conversation. It happened. Very nice.
But Randver has gone missing since restoring Loghaire on the throne. Iirc they should stand togever in a throne room or am I wrong?

p.s.: I almost forgot how awesome this game is. I've infiltrated T'sen Ang, collected reward for my own head, lay M'in Gorad and befriended Molochean Hand, all in one shot. Take that, Betrayers and Witchers!

 

[Slylandro]

1) I got it. It seems that constitution resist is poorly programmed in the game. I changed the spell's save to willpower and it works! If a critter has high willpower, it effectively saves against disintegrate, no damage taken at all. It also may be that constitution resist is programmed to reduce the damage instead of canceling the spell altogether, but even after doing the damage, the spell is programmed to destroy the target. For example, I set the damage only to 30, a critter survived, but was destroyed a second later (OF_DONTDRAW flag). So, yeah, the only thing I can do is to change the spell save to a will power based one. Should I?

I guess not, the fix would still be technically wrong. Sounds like something that was probably directly hardcoded and can't be changed now. That's too bad.

Good job with all the changes, some of the ones I mentioned were a bit nitpicky mainly because you got all the major ones covered already.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

There's huge russian bugfix project called "GrandFix 1.3" based on Da real Asrudin's pack.
Do you need the whole thing, Drog?

I heard most of it fixes the translation bugs, so I'm not sure if it might help me.

Drog, I have Swyft bug again. I take her to Tarant, she thanks me but doesn't leave the party.

Please upload the save. (The one just before entering Tarant would be the best.)

Well, I checked Zan Alurin - Loghaire conversation. It happened. Very nice.
But Randver has gone missing since restoring Loghaire on the throne. Iirc they should stand togever in a throne room or am I wrong?

Thanks for checking! And yes, Randver should dissappear, he's not the king anymore.

Also, I heard there were some problems with Weldo Rubin, specifically a bug with him leaving the party. I never had him in my party, so I don't know.

2 All
I'd appreciate some feedback on the released version. What are your impressions? Do you have any objections on some fixes? Suggestions?

 

[Ander Vinz]

I heard most of it fixes the translation bugs, so I'm not sure if it might help me.

What about that example?

Please upload the save. (The one just before entering Tarant would be the best.)

I did a save in Quintarra. You need to accept the quest and teleport to Tarant.
Here's it.
Oh, almost forgot, you can take Zan Alurin at the entrance of Quintarra and teleport to Wheel Clan to hear conversation with Loghaire.

And yes, Randver should dissappear, he's not the king anymore.

Where I can find him now?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

What about that example?

Honestly speaking I can't make out much of that list. "Naked men" bug in particular is clearly caused by inaccurate translation, just like in the German version, I suppose. I know about Caladon's Crusading Chain and Creep Armor myself, and other stuff is unclear/controversial. Let's get back to the English version.

Where I can find him now?

The object gets destroyed I suppose. Why do you need him, anyway?

And, yes, Swyft doesn't disband in your save, I'll check the script.

EDIT: FIXED. There was a possibility that you spoke to her about the quest eariler, but refused to take it. In this case, one of the flags was not set properly. It's the exact case in your save.

 

[Ander Vinz]

Honestly speaking I can't make out much of that list.

There's more to it, I'll write once I finished translation. I'm too lazy to test everything myself.

The object gets destroyed I suppose. Why do you need him, anyway?

To hear thanks and maybe get some reward. He sholdn't be destroyed. It just feels wrong.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

The object gets destroyed I suppose. Why do you need him, anyway?

To hear thanks and maybe get some reward. He sholdn't be destroyed. It just feels wrong.

In this case we need to write new script and dialog, and I refuse to add new content to the game in the first place.

Swyft now works, thanks for the save, it was a rare case!

 

[Ander Vinz]

In this case we need to write new script and dialog, and I refuse to add new content to the game in the first place.

I didn't ask you to. But I don't think he should disappear.

Swyft now works

I'm yours then. Command me, master.

EDIT: FIXED. There was a possibility that you spoke to her about the quest eariler, but refused to take it. In this case, one of the flags was not set properly. It's the exact case in your save.

Yeees. But it wasn't my fault, I didn't have the option to accept the quest. It just occured to me that I encountered two bugs instead of one.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

In this case we need to write new script and dialog, and I refuse to add new content to the game in the first place.

I didn't ask you to. But I don't think he should disappear.

If he doesn't disappear, his dialogue won't make much sense, I'm afraid.

Swyft now works

I'm yours then. Command me, master.

Could you please check Weldo Rubin (a halfling traveller, at the entrance to the Wastes). It seems there are some problems with his scripts (as I heard), check how he acts, especially does he wait and disband properly.

EDIT: FIXED. There was a possibility that you spoke to her about the quest eariler, but refused to take it. In this case, one of the flags was not set properly. It's the exact case in your save.

Yeees. But it wasn't my fault, I didn't have the option to accept the quest. It just occured to me that I encountered two bugs instead of one.

You're right! There was a bug, that if your haggle skill is too high you can't normally accept the quest. I fixed it as well.