Qwinn's Fixpack Changes Discussion

[Taluntain]

We don't have any problems with old threads being brought back as long as the replies are on-topic and/or relevant, so feel free.

[hannibal555]

Ok, I read the newest readme of Qwinns 'fix' pack and here is my opinion why
it isn't a real fixpack but rather a mixture of mostly well done fixes together
with other changes that aren't fixes or at least pretty subjective in interpretation.

The following list are just examples of items I don't agree on being fixes. It is not complete, as it would be too long
if I posted all items.
In square brackets my comments:

Spoiler!

The thief trainer in Ragpicker's Square, originally named Ratbone, is now named Carver. (Qwinn -
this is to remove redundancy with a different, unimplemented Ratbone found in the game files, and
that is restored in the Unfinished Business Restored Pendant of Yemeth Quest component)

[not a fix, rather a compatibility mod]

Spoiler!

The Crier of Es-Annon will actually Cry for Es-Annon now (via floating text), rather than wander
around silently. (Qwinn)

[not a fix, rather a cosmetic change that might make sense, but still no fix]

Spoiler!

The Remove Curse spell - both priest and mage - will now ignore magic resistance. Vhailor would
always resist this spell previously. (Qwinn)

[my opinion: Vhailor carries a cursed axe for a reason: it is a part of him]

Spoiler!

Consistent HP: As per the game manual, TNO now always gains hit points as a fighter (1-10hp per
level till level 9, 3hp per level thereafter) when leveling his highest level class, and no
longer gains 1hp when leveling any of his other classes. (scient)

[my opinion: the existing system is working as intended by the designers. Moreover it
goes conform with DnD rules (beside the always at least 1 HP issue, but that is imho intended by the designers as well).
The manual might as well be in error on this special issue]

Spoiler!

Class Based THACO: As per the game manual, TNO loses all of his class abilities when he switches
to another class. He no longer keeps his fighter THACO when operating as a mage or thief. (scient)

[my opinion: TNO functions in some ways similar to a F/M/T. And a F/M/T gets his best
THAC0, saves and attacks among the 3 classes.Imho, this is an intended design feature
that shouldn't be changed as part of a fix]

Spoiler!

Morale Fixes! This major set of fixes correct the previous behavior where party NPC's morale
would reset every 8 game hours, among other issues.

[more a balance change than a fix]

Spoiler!

TNO and his fellow PC's are no longer immune to fear spells. This makes several fights with mages
that were trivially easy no longer so. Beware! (scient)

[more a balance change than a fix]

Spoiler!

Fear spells will no longer effectively just paralyze opponents, which made those spells far far
more powerful than they should be. Opponents struck by fear will now run 80% of the time, panic
(paralyze) 10% of the time, and go berserk 10% of the time, the same as if their morale had
broken naturally. (scient)

[more a balance change than a fix]

Spoiler!

AI Fix: Selected creatures in game will now move as quickly as they can (i.e. run) when attacking
or being attacked. This raises their minimum intelligence to that of vertebrates. No more
casually walking through Baator with 20 ravening demons behind you unable to catch up. This
mostly affects creatures only in the later stages of the game. (Qwinn)

[more a balance change than a fix]

Spoiler!

Tenement of Thugs fixes: This entire area is designed to be a Thieves' Playground, but instead it
was a boring interruption to the game. There were 3 reasons for this. The 1st reason is that
there's a secret door near the area exit that lets you run right through the place with zero
challenge that was only supposed to be available to Xaositects. That is now fixed by scient in
the engine (and Xaositects can still use it if they talk to the right person). The 2nd reason is
that all the thugs were set to be initially hostile, which made them unable to be pickpocketed.
There was tons of scripting to make them aggro when they saw you, but none of it mattered because
they were hostile to begin with. Making them neutral to start with reactivated all their
excellent aggro scripting, and made them able to be pickpocketed, which was supposed to be the
only way for non-Xaositects to get through the Tenement without combat. The 3rd reason was that
the thugs couldn't run (see AI fix above) to block your path to the escape should you attempt to
do so without stealth, and they are now capable of doing so. When you see how it all works out
and see how carefully the creatures are placed to make it fun for thieves in there, you'll see
what I mean. Oh, and as a bonus, the hostility fix means it's now possible to save your game in
the area without having to kill almost everyone in it. (Qwinn)

[more a balance change than a fix]

Spoiler!

Lock Fixes: The thief Open Lock ability was effectively broken. Most locks in games were set to trivial values, easily bashed by a mage with 9 strength, and all but 2 were easily openable by Annah's starting skill or TNO as a level 4 thief. I reviewed all locks one by one and assigned reasonable values that will require some attention to TNO or Annah's lockpick skills (or the Knock spell, no longer useless) in order to open successfully. Do note that there is a small random component to picking/bashing attempts, so trying more than once may achieve unexpected success. Also note the related change to the prybar in the engine fixes section. (Qwinn)

[again, this only tries to balance the game, rather than being a bugfix]

[Ziad]

Nice list Hannibal. I was planning on replaying through PST with the fixpack at some point but was always put off by all the tweaks that I thought shouldn't be core fixes. With this list it should be possible to just go through the Override directory and delete all the files affecting the issues you listed.

[hannibal555]

In my opinion this is too much of a hassle.
There are a lot more questionable fixes in Qwinn's pack. Just have a look for yourself.
Otherwise there ARE some nice fixes in this pack. Therefore it's a bit sad it's so mixed up.

I made the decision to just install Platter's fixes (which won't try to balance or change game mechanics, just plain bug fixes). It is not as thorough and not maintained anymore,
but I never had any issues in the game with it installed.