This is really quite the trivial request, but...

I am currently in Ust Natha, and appraoching the end of the Viconia romance (that is to say, the second time she sleeps with you. My problem is that I have a hard time believing that my recently desouled hero is yet ready to forgive the drow for crushing his pride less than a week ago (my characters don't sleep much... it's just been two days according to the gameclock, but that doesn't count the four spent with Saemon Havarian).

My question, then, is what short line of code I need to alter in the worldsettings in order to set my romance with Vyconia back two or three dialogues, so that the finale can wait until after Bodhi is dealt with.

Hoping This Isn't Too Petty,
Deus Ex Biotica

Well...you don't have to sleep with her the second time. And it's hardly the end of the romance. But if you do want to push it back a little, I'd suggest two codes. Both of these have to be input in the console line (see the BG2 cheats page if you don't know what that is) while you have Viconia selected and your cursor over her portrait on the right side of the screen.

CLUAConsole:GetGlobal("LoveTalk","LOCALS")
This will tell you the number it's at right now. Subtract 2 (two) times the number of dialogues you want to go back from the number it gives you, and then use the number in this code:
CLUAConsole:SetGlobal("LoveTalk","LOCALS",#)

That's actually part of my problem: ever since I re-installed BG2, I can't cheat. Yes, I have typed "Debug Mode=1" in my Baldur.ini file, right under the headin "[Program Options]". But no amount of [Cntrl] + [Space] gets me anything more than a pause toggle. It's frustrating, and will now force me to either soldier on or edit my savegames.

Failing that... you say the romance doesn't end if I refuse to bed her? I know that in my game through, I lost *all* the romances by being too harsh in the early dialogues. Which doesn't strike me as boding well for such efforts either later in the game or in real life. ;)

Coerced To Honesty,
Deus Ex Biotica

EDIT: Nevermind. I found my problem, and can now alter the laws of reality like it's going out of style. Thanks!

[ December 01, 2006, 07:38: Message edited by: Deus Ex Biotica ]

Well, you have to be tender about it instead of just outright refusing. The "I'll just hold you" responses are the ones to pick.

My problem exactly: how tender would the average newly-made soulless monstrosity be to a woman who has consistently hurt him whenever it seemed like their relationship was finally moving forward?

Still, I have my delay, so all is good.

A side note: has anyone else noticed that when you enter an area with a dragon in it (especially Firkraag, but also Adalon and the Shadow Dragon), romance dialogues appear to trigger with an above-average regularity. I can literally not remember an instance of entering Firkraag's lair when this has not happened.

Maybe one of the game designers was a big Douglass Adams fan?

Referentially,
The Medusan Exile

My problem exactly: how tender would the average newly-made soulless monstrosity be to a woman who has consistently hurt him whenever it seemed like their relationship was finally moving forward?Do whatever you want. Be cruel or be kind. It really depends on if you want to "finish" the romance or not.

My problem exactly: how tender would the average newly-made soulless monstrosity be to a woman who has consistently hurt him whenever it seemed like their relationship was finally moving forward? Well, if he was truly soulless, he would just f*** her and be done with it. No love, just screwing. OTOH, going the tender route doesn't mean you have to feel it. It could be more of a calculated "what would keep her filthy hands off of me while not alienating her because I want her to fight and die for me?" With so few choices in a cRPG (even a dozen wouldn't begin to cover the spectrum), it becomes all about justification and the closest match. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go wash my hair. ;)

Soulless doesn't always mean calculating. My character had a bad week: he slept with the woman he was in love with, but she immedaitely rejected him. He then finally reached Spellhold, only to "rescue" Imoen by discovering he had arrived too late and getting his soul taken as well. He didn't even get to fight because Yoshimo betrayed him, and the revelation that he now would randomly become an insane monstrosity of death and anihilation (complete with creepy dreams) was only slightly overshadowed by Irenicus and Bohi both slipping through his fingers, and Yoshimo killing the one soul-having person he still might trust: Jahera (I have a policy that party members killed by named characters stay dead). He was then further betrayed by Saemon Havarian, but no surprises there. Being extorted by a silver dragon and having to do the bidding of drow are just icing on the cake. This Bhallspawn is about as murderous as he has ever been.

So... essentially, the closest approximation of his likely reaction if Viconia comes on to him right now is most likely dropping from dialogue mode with an insult, then force-attacking her. Since I don't want to do that, I delay.

To the two (possibly fiction) people who read all that, congratulations! I probably wouldn't have in your position, so it means a lot. Even though I may never know who you are.

To all others: seriously, am I the only one who seems to be getting romances triggered by dragons? It's just too consistent to be co-incidence... right?

Incertainly,
Deus Ex Biotica

So... essentially, the closest approximation of his likely reaction if Viconia comes on to him right now is most likely dropping from dialogue mode with an insult, then force-attacking her. Since I don't want to do that, I delay.Then keep playing Viconia's sap. :rolleyes:

And no, I haven't had romance triggers around dragons!

Hmm. Actually, given that situation, I would just go loco on her and let the romance sit for a different playthrough. Even a delay...hell, if she so much as tried to TALK to me when I was that fragile I'd take it the wrong way.
To all others: seriously, am I the only one who seems to be getting romances triggered by dragons? It's just too consistent to be co-incidence... right? I have heard some tales about that. The reason it happens is that the dragon areas are coded as "normal" areas, after going through one or more "dungeon" areas, where romance banters can't happen (the whole of the Underdark is coded as "dungeon" AFAIK, so the Adalon example is a bit more common than others).

The whole of the Underdark? I know that I've had romance banters in the Drow City, at least.

Still, this explains much. Even if I do like the Adamsian rationale better.

NOTE: The Douglass Adams tie-in is a reference to an aside from Thanks For All The Fishes, where it is noted that there is something unbelieveably sexy about huge, firebreathing dragons swooping overhead.

As for letting the romance sit until annother play-through, I'm not nearly that pataient. Besides, most of the problems I'm talking about will happen every time (everything except Jahera's death), so there's not a lot of advantage to waiting for a different iteration.

Still... I see your point. When last Viconia talked to me, I hit her with the Flail of the Ages, then went and tried to drown my sorrows in Bitter Black Ale and the fighting pits, with mixed success.

If that doesn't explain a setback in the romance's development, I don't know what does.

Tempermentally,
The Medusan Exile

Well...when it comes to 'what should I do?' - we *can't* tell you. This is YOUR PC, and you basically have to make the personality-defining choices for him/her/it. You don't HAVE to have this PC mimic your OWN decisions (I've played BG right through as evil, as difficult as it was for me, I persisted in making the 'wrong' (from my perspective) choices, and it was interesting.)

I will say that Viccy is basically a grade-A b'yatch and expect to put up with a LOT of grief if you 'stick with her,' but that *might* be what your <CHARNAME> wants... :)

Basically, there's NO wrong answer; everything's valid, given an appropriate character - from kow-taoing completely to her, to trying to coax her into a good char :rolleyes: to saying 'go AWAY' to doing some exploratory surgery to see if Viconia's heart really IS made of black stone. :lol:

S'all good, babee. :cool:

Hai. I've been playing and running RPGs for over six years now. I just happen to enjoy discussing these things.