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Dialogue window

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:42 pm
by sonny
When a character talks, I'm getting the dialogue in the dialogue window and on the main screen. Is this normal? Don't recall reading that in the readme or the game manual, or did I screw something up already. :(

Can you turn off the one that appears on the main screen, or if not, have it clear the screen faster?

Thanks in advance.

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:36 pm
by VonDondu
I don't understand what you're saying. But if I recall correctly, you mentioned that you installed the component called "Force All Dialogue To Pause" (which I have never used) from one of the G3 packs. That might have something to do with it.

There is also an adjustment for "Feedback" on one of the Options screens, but that might not have anything to do with your problem.

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:24 pm
by sonny
The only things I loaded off the BG2 Tweak Pack were.

1. Bonus Merchants
2. Shut Up "You Must Gather Your Party"

When there is dialogue, the text appears in white letters around the characters in the main game window. It also appears in the text box at the bottom of the screen.

In BG1, there was no text in the main game screen. Wanted to know if this is normal for BG2 (for the text to be on the main game screen)

After exploring a little more, I found this.

When you 1st load the game, there is a place to click on titled Configure.

There is a box in there that's marked "Duplicate Floating Text" which says that if the box is checked, "All text that appears in the game window around the characters is also placed in the text box at the bottom of the screen"

The box was checked. So I guess that answers my question. It's normal for the text to be in the game window around the characters.

Thanks the 1st time I've been able to answer my own question (he says as his chest swells with pride) :D

Thanks VonDondu for responding. Have a great evening.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:04 am
by wise grimwald
Another change is that great big hints are shown on the screen, the first being the one that tells you how to switch off the lightning mephits. You may or may not want these hints. In configuration it gives you the choice as to whether or not you want them. I wish that I had known that I could switch them off the first time that I played. In subsequent games it is irrelevant as you already know what to do.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:47 am
by sonny
wise grimwald wrote:Another change is that great big hints are shown on the screen, the first being the one that tells you how to switch off the lightning mephits. You may or may not want these hints. In configuration it gives you the choice as to whether or not you want them. I wish that I had known that I could switch them off the first time that I played. In subsequent games it is irrelevant as you already know what to do.
Yes I noticed that to. Where do I turn that off. What's it called? Some of the things in there I don't understand what they do so I was afraid to fool with them.

But I would like to turn off the hints, because you're right, I would rather figured that out on my own.

Thanks Sonny

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:43 am
by mcgregor
as far as i am aware, there's no way of turning them off. they are rarely as obvious as they are in the opening dungeon, though.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:22 am
by sonny
mcgregor wrote:as far as i am aware, there's no way of turning them off. they are rarely as obvious as they are in the opening dungeon, though.
Thanks. Although it's off topic, but does have to do game controls, let me ask you guys about something else I just can't figure out.

As you know, there is this area where you can go in the character window and click on a button called custom and then script and then assign what you want a character to do. I understand you have to have the AI button turned on to make it work.

I fooled around with this a few times in BG1, but I never saw what it was supposed to do work right. For example I picked one where my priest was supposed to cast offensive spells on herself and then start healing party members. Well I had party members killed while she stood back and used her sling. I finally just gave up and gave commands to each member.

Does this option really work, is it worth the effort to set up. If so, can you give me some advice on how to make it work?

Thanks. Wanted to find about thsi before I got to far in the game. Only on the 2nd level of the Irenicus Prison.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:18 am
by CFM
The floating text "hints" are sometimes not hints, but are instead text "details" about something in-game that can't be conveyed graphically, that you'd otherwise be able to ascertain if you were really standing right there in the game. (Unless I'm misunderstanding you, or remembering instead how Planescape:Torment did it.) I would agree that there are more of them in the opening dungeon, than in any other part of the game. So it shouldn't be too bad if you find them annoying.

The custom character scripts are a nice idea, but the multitude of in-game situations are just too varied for the scripts that come with the game to be of any use, imo. And in my limited trials, they didn't seem to work for me, either.

Now you could write your own elaborate custom character scripts, and place them in the appropriate folder on your computer, so as to be able to select them when the game is running. But doing this always gave me the impression of requiring a bit of a programming background. But I've never tried it either, because I prefer to control my dudes manually, and I do enough programming at work.

If micromanaging your dudes starts to feel like a chore, then another idea would be to adventure with less than 6 characters (or solo). I would never do this, because the NPC's (both by themselves and interacting with each other) are one of the game's coolest features. (And it might be too challenging for a first-timer.) But it might be something to consider for your n'th subsequent run through the game, when you may be looking to shake things up a little.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:51 am
by sonny
CFM wrote:The floating text "hints" are sometimes not hints, but are instead text "details" about something in-game that can't be conveyed graphically, that you'd otherwise be able to ascertain if you were really standing right there in the game. (Unless I'm misunderstanding you, or remembering instead how Planescape:Torment did it.) I would agree that there are more of them in the opening dungeon, than in any other part of the game. So it shouldn't be too bad if you find them annoying.

The custom character scripts are a nice idea, but the multitude of in-game situations are just too varied for the scripts that come with the game to be of any use, imo. And in my limited trials, they didn't seem to work for me, either.

Now you could write your own elaborate custom character scripts, and place them in the appropriate folder on your computer, so as to be able to select them when the game is running. But doing this always gave me the impression of requiring a bit of a programming background. But I've never tried it either, because I prefer to control my dudes manually, and I do enough programming at work.

If micromanaging your dudes starts to feel like a chore, then another idea would be to adventure with less than 6 characters (or solo). I would never do this, because the NPC's (both by themselves and interacting with each other) are one of the game's coolest features. (And it might be too challenging for a first-timer.) But it might be something to consider for your n'th subsequent run through the game, when you may be looking to shake things up a little.
Thanks CFM.
Thought it was just me and I was not doing it right. Will continue to manage my party in combat the way I did in BG1. If goes bad, then I can only blame myself.

By the way, how do you just pick out the part of a post you want to quote. When I hit the quote button on a members post or reply, I get the whole post. Sometimes I only want to quote a part of a person's reply.

Have a great day.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:02 pm
by CFM
sonny wrote:By the way, how do you just pick out the part of a post you want to quote. When I hit the quote button on a members post or reply, I get the whole post. Sometimes I only want to quote a part of a person's reply.
After you hit the Quote button and bring up the 'Reply to Thread' page, use the arrow keys to position the cursor within the quote text, and use the Backspace or Delete keys to remove the unwanted portion of the quote. Then position your cursor beyond the [/QUOTE], and type your reply.

Typing the following (without the spaces after the '[') will give you the "Quote: Originally Posted by CFM" black box in your posts:

[ QUOTE=CFM;123456]
(text)
[ /QUOTE]

The number after the semicolon will make that little blue arrow appear, which links to the original post. Like so:
sonny wrote:Thought it was just me and I was not doing it right. Will continue to manage my party in combat the way I did in BG1. If goes bad, then I can only blame myself.
I blame my wife. It's always her fault.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:09 pm
by sonny
CFM wrote: I blame my wife. Its always her fault
Yea, I used to blame my wife for things to, but after 44 years it don't work anymore.

Thanks CFM. If I'm not careful, you guys are going to start charging me for all this help.