02-04-2004 13:10									#211
	Put an end to popups!

They are still free, but Interplay is being tight with its bandwidth.

Get the zipped version I linked to, (you have to wait in a queue and look at adverts) and then you can make up for your errors.

-Jam

	02-04-2004 13:16									#212
	Suffering from ads?

okay I'm in line, large file, but I have the room- and the bandwidth

	02-04-2004 13:22									#213
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I'm just testing it (I don't want to advertise a link that doesn't work) and I've just got to the end of the queue and have started to DL. I'll cancel it now, so you should jump up that queue a bit faster.

-Jam

	02-04-2004 16:41									#214
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

I've just got BG2 in the post!



Yay! Now, if only I could actually spend all weekend playing it.

	02-04-2004 16:42									#215
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

I think you should still beat me to the Throne. You have a good start, and I still have to play NWN yet.

	02-04-2004 16:55									#216
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

But I haven't finished BGI yet, and I don't have ToB.

I am now seriously considering not dualling Imoen. I reckon that a really good thief would be a very nice thing to have around, and since I've already got Dynaheir, then I doubt I'll need two. If she wizardified then she couldn't use her bow, which would be rubbish.
What can I do to improve Dynaheir's AC? Just cast Armour every day/fight?

	02-04-2004 16:59									#217
	Support Apolyton

But I will also play BG1 first!

	02-04-2004 17:08									#218
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

I downloaded the BG2+ToB music, and the quality of the files is incredibly awful. I think the original bitrate of the music has been nowhere near the 128 kbps these files are in, and for some reason the music is somehow... warped, warbly, to the point of being unlistenable. I downloaded just a few days ago the BG2 soundtrack directly from the Interplay website, the quality was 48 kbps but the files were much, much more tolerable.

	02-04-2004 17:18									#219
	Inflate your Upload Space

Kassi, I just DLed them too, and you're right. Compared to the mp3s from Interplay they are crappy quality, and very short. I'll try and find some hosting for the originals.

quote: I am now seriously considering not dualling Imoen. I reckon that a really good thief would be a very nice thing to have around, and since I've already got Dynaheir, then I doubt I'll need two. If she wizardified then she couldn't use her bow, which would be rubbish.

She'll never be a great thief in BG1 because of her STR. Backstab for 3 x damage is good, but you have to score a hit first. If you want to keep her back as an archer, then the wizard levels won't do any harm. She'll get her bow skill back again as soon as the wizard levels exceed the old thief levels.

quote: What can I do to improve Dynaheir's AC? Just cast Armour every day/fight?

It lasts 9 hours, so cast it when you wake up in the morning and keep it on all day. Use Mirror Image in fights if she's getting hammered then run away quickly. Rings of Protection may help her too.

-Jam

	02-04-2004 17:26									#220
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

I don't think I've got any Mirror Image spells, and certainly don't have any Rings of Protection. I'm guessing (total stab in the dark here ) that the guard function is worse than useless because it takes a major fighter out of the front line and draws attacks towards the person you're supposed to be protecting, instead of away. I don't ever want Dynaheir in a fight though. Well, maybe when she has a decent level then I might consider sending her against a lone, sickly, gibberling but until then she may as well not know that the others have to fight to get through the game.

	02-04-2004 17:31									#221
	Got spare money?

quote: Originally posted by Jamski Kassi, I just DLed them too, and you're right. Compared to the mp3s from Interplay they are crappy quality, and very short. I'll try and find some hosting for the originals.

One option would be extracting the music myself, but compiling the results of the acm -> wav convertion to meaningful pieces of music would be a major PITA. The music is, after all, split up to smaller modules so that they don't loop annoyingly through an entire battle and to make transition between incidental pieces smooth.

	02-04-2004 17:51									#222
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Well I started over. I felt like playing around with some low-level characters again. So I'm back at Candlekeep with the following group:

Elf Thief/Mage
Dwarf Fighter/Cleric
Half-Orc Kensai
Human Jester

I'm also using weapons that I didn't use the first time through. So the elf has a crossbow and darts. The dwarf is dual wielding mace/hammer. The half-orc is dualing battle axes. The Jester has a long bow, but mainly uses his reverse battle-song during combat.

Does Ease-of-Use for BG2 work if I have bg1tutu installed? It doesn't seem to be working for me (and yes, I installed it after doing the total conversion). I also installed the virtue mod and that's working.

	02-04-2004 17:58									#223
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Are you starting with 4 PCs then? Does that make a great difference to the gameplay?

	02-04-2004 18:35									#224
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Does Ease-of-Use for BG2 work if I have bg1tutu installed? It doesn't seem to be working for me (and yes, I installed it after doing the total conversion). I also installed the virtue mod and that's working.

Yes, but only when playing BG2, not when playing BG1TuTu. You'll have to cope untill the FW guys get round to making a new version.

quote: I don't think I've got any Mirror Image spells, and certainly don't have any Rings of Protection. I'm guessing (total stab in the dark here ) that the guard function is worse than useless because it takes a major fighter out of the front line and draws attacks towards the person you're supposed to be protecting, instead of away.

Mirror Image is a level 2 spell, and pretty useful for wizards that get involved in scraps. You must have missed the ring you can get in Beregost for doing a small favor. Its not called a ring of protection, but it fuctions like one.

And the guard fuction is crap.

quote: Are you starting with 4 PCs then? Does that make a great difference to the gameplay?

Yes, it makes the game REALLY easy, and removes the inter-character interaction. But it is fun too.

Oh and Kassi, the work needed would be huge. Better to use the ones from Interplay and find some hosting, they already stiched together the starts, middles, cut-to-battle, battle, cut-from-battle and ends together to make short "scenes" like "In the lair of the Dragon"

-Jam

	02-04-2004 18:49									#225
	Tired of ads?

Who do you receive the small favour ring from? I hope I haven't sold it already. I was sure that I'd identified everything, but maybe one of my characters is already wearing it, and I don't know. I think it's a bit irritating that you have to remove items a character is using/wearing just to identify them, but never mind. It's not as if it ruins the game.
I did suspect that having more than one PC would make the game a lot easier. You wouldn't get frustrated that Dynaheir still has about 11HP.

	02-04-2004 19:01									#226
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Ok, the favour ring

spoiler(highlight to read): On the far righthand side of Beregost there is a house with the entrance to the East. In this house is a woman who is missing her husband(?could be another relation?) On the map south of Beregost there are two Ogrillion or Ogres blocking the road, and after they are dead you can find a letter from the husband. Take this back and she'll give you the ring which gives you -1 AC and +1 to saving thows, although the description says nothing about it. You can't wear it together with magic armour, therefore its perfect for a mage.

And Dynaheir, like all mages, will NEVER have good hitpoints. A mage gets an average of 2.5 HP per level + CON bonus (up to +2 for 16 CON, no further gain for 17 or 18 CON) so they'll always be crap in a fight, even one you made yourself.

-Jam

	02-04-2004 19:10									#227
	Inflate your Upload Space

I remember that quest I think, but since it wasn't marked as a magic ring, or identifiable as one, then I may well have sold it. Oops.
Damned secrets!

	02-04-2004 20:43									#228
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Yay! Only took me three tries to finish the final battle in ToB. I played BG1 almost to the end a few years ago, a while after that I played through TotSC, and now in the past five weeks I've completed BG2 and the Throne of Bhaal. I must say, a truly great saga.

spoiler(highlight to read): I've always played a Paladin called Antti in the Baldur's Gate games, so it was natural to romance Aerie who is also Lawful Good. And when the choice came, I decided to immortalize myself only in lore, not as a deity, and become steady and raise children. When I play the games through some day as an evil character, I'll certainly become the worst Lord of Murder ever to plague the Realms.

	02-04-2004 21:11									#229
	Support Apolyton

spoiler(highlight to read): I wouldn't stay behind for Aerie. I once gave up being a god for Jaheira, and cried in front of my monitor, but I wouldn't do it for anyone else. Its a noble thing to do though, what you did

-Jam

	02-04-2004 21:30									#230
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

spoiler(highlight to read): I wouldn't stay behind for either. Jaheira never took my fancy, she's rude, bossy (not in a good way a la Virconia) and ugly. Aerie is a little whiny, although quite cute, but not the sort of person to defy Godhood for. Virconia I would, but then, I'd be more likely to take Godhood for her, since she hates weakness and sentimentality. In effect, unless I can romance Louise, then I'd be becoming a God.

	02-04-2004 21:48									#231
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

BG2 Romance Spoiler with effects on BG1 story!!!

spoiler(highlight to read): Jaheira is NOT ugly. She is the most realistic of all the romances, as she actually has some kind of conflict and problems to work through, not to mention how good she is compared to Anomen (I wanna be a knight and you can be my good dame) and Aerie (Oh, thankyou for not telling me to STFU like all the other people in this game, let me have your baby) or Viconia (Slam, bang, oh it won't workout, thankyou ma'am) She's my girl, Jaheira, and I won't have you calling her ugly

-Jam

	02-04-2004 21:58									#232
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by duke o' york Are you starting with 4 PCs then?

Yes - although only one of them is considered the PC, the others act like NPCs without any special dialogue.

quote: Does that make a great difference to the gameplay?

Only in that you cannot pick up as many NPCs, and therefore may be missing out on some side quests. And I did get the luxury of rolling four characters with stats maxed for the primary trait(s) (my half-orc has a strength of 19, for instance).

quote: Originally posted by Jamski Yes, but only when playing BG2, not when playing BG1TuTu.

Damn!

	02-04-2004 22:08									#233
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Jamski: I know. I did it because it was the noble thing to do, I was a Paladin for chrissakes. I must admit though, more often than a few times did I feel a compelling need to

spoiler(highlight to read): completely go evil-bastard on Aerie and tell her to take a hike. Especially when she got knocked up.

But remember, I wasn't playing really as myself, I was in the role of a lawful good smiter of evil. Which is why I had Minsc in my party all the time - also because he can kick butt with the best of them and he's funny as hell.

If it had been the real me, hell yeah,

spoiler(highlight to read): you can give me all the godhood you can. That Solar wasn't too ugly either

It was fun doing that, but next time I really have to vent my aggression

	03-04-2004 12:20									#234
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

quote: Originally posted by duke o' york But I haven't finished BGI yet, and I don't have ToB. I am now seriously considering not dualling Imoen. I reckon that a really good thief would be a very nice thing to have around, and since I've already got Dynaheir, then I doubt I'll need two. If she wizardified then she couldn't use her bow, which would be rubbish. What can I do to improve Dynaheir's AC? Just cast Armour every day/fight?

I dualled Imoen, but then I went back to a save when she wasn't dualled. I hate dualling. Going that long without thief abilities is just annoying. I hate hitting every single trap. I never dual Imoen in BG1 or yoshimo in Bg2 anymore.

	03-04-2004 14:56									#235
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Stay in the forest maps for a while till she gets the levels back.

I love dualling

-Jam

	04-04-2004 06:49									#236
	Put an end to popups!

wasn't sure if i should start a thread about this but you guys seem to know what you're on about (newbie RPG player here ).

in icewind dale 1, i'm playing with 6 PCs, a paladin, a theif, a fighter/cleric, a druid, a mage and a ranger, all levels 6/6 - 9. i've got to the bit where you have to deafeat the snake queen (name begins with y), but i'm stuck, just can't cause her any real damage, she seems immune to most of my spells and my meelee chars lack the punch to kill her before she kills them.

any help would be welcome.

	04-04-2004 15:57									#237
	Remove this text

If you say 'baa' 3 times Jamski will appear and help you!

	04-04-2004 23:01									#238
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

quote: in icewind dale 1, i'm playing with 6 PCs, a paladin, a theif, a fighter/cleric, a druid, a mage and a ranger, all levels 6/6 - 9. i've got to the bit where you have to deafeat the snake queen (name begins with y), but i'm stuck, just can't cause her any real damage, she seems immune to most of my spells and my meelee chars lack the punch to kill her before she kills them.

You need at least +3 weapons, and she resists fire/acid/poison and direct magical damage (like magic missile) but she's weak to electricty and being immobilised.

Try web/entangle/grease/hold monster all cast in a great big mass, and them more of the same. She has to fail some kind of saving throw.

Then pound on her with magic arrows and sling shots.

That's how I did it, and she's considered one of the hardest fights in the game.

-Jam

	04-04-2004 23:03									#239
	Suffering from ads?

* Jamski just uses Near Infinity to check *

Ok, I assume you mean Yxonomei ?

She needs +2 weapons to hit, not +3, and there are plenty of +2 arrows around there

-Jam

	05-04-2004 00:32									#240
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Jamski You need at least +3 weapons, and she resists fire/acid/poison and direct magical damage (like magic missile) but she's weak to electricty and being immobilised. Try web/entangle/grease/hold monster all cast in a great big mass, and them more of the same. She has to fail some kind of saving throw. Then pound on her with magic arrows and sling shots. That's how I did it, and she's considered one of the hardest fights in the game. -Jam

I knew Jamski would come to the rescue. I finished ICWD1 not too long ago, but I'll be damned if I can remember that fight.

I do remember I had a fighter/thief as my main character.