Unofficial Arcanum Patch (Original Thread)

[Gah]

hey there,
i don't seem to be able to get into ashbury any more. if i go by foot it crashes and if i go by train i get there and then it slows down massively.

I'm with you there buddy.

DBT, tried it in safemode and nothing changed. I used the "-no3d" because I use a copied arcanum (I have about four different copies, one for AWIP, one for polished carcanum, etc..) I think there might be a bug with the AI, because of the walking loop thing.

 

[Earth Nuggets]

Did you run the CleanCache file in the right directory?

I had weird issues after installing the latest patch. In a new game, all the bodies at the Crash Site were gone. I then loaded a previous save, teleported to Qintarra and the entire screen went black except for the interface, which I couldn't use. After cleaning the cache these problems disappeared.

 

[Xor]

Is that with a new game, or a save made under an older patch? Because Drog's already said there would be problems using old saves with his patch.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Did you run the CleanCache file in the right directory?

I had weird issues after installing the latest patch. In a new game, all the bodies at the Crash Site were gone. I then loaded a previous save, teleported to Qintarra and the entire screen went black except for the interface, which I couldn't use. After cleaning the cache these problems disappeared.

The new version doesn't use CleanCache script anymore, I implemented the function into the installer itself. Are you sure it didn't work? Could you please run the patch again, and then check (right away, before starting the game) data\proto and module\arcanum\maps folders to see if the installer deletes the files there or not?

 

[Earth Nuggets]

Yeah, it cleared it all out automatically. I'm not sure what happened the first time.

 

[tomobedlam]

oh bugger yeah it was a saved game from before i patched it. cock it. i've just literally got to caladon at level 40. *bang head* cannot be bothered to start again.
no worries, cheers

 

[Icarian]

More pixel maddness:



Qintarra. There is a lot of red pixels on the exit. Highlighted or not.




This type of bathtubs have two red pixels center of them.




Unopened Mannox coffin. There is multiple blue pixels on the edges. Highlighted or not.


Some bugs:

-(Conversation about crashed plane with dead ogre near the Crash Site). Player answer "They didn't, reallly...they destroyed themselves in the attack..." Should be "really" instead of "reallly".

-If you get the artifact from Simon Farkus without using violence and then talk to him again, his dialog resets.

-If you"steal" (agreement with museum man) the Stillwater Giant fake pelt from museum in Tarant, you still have a option to buy it from museum man (he acts as if the pelt was still in place).

-Agree to capture Stillwater Giant and receive empty bunny cage from Dr. Tristan Fewnick. If you then talk to him again, his dialog resets.

-(Quest for getting to Thanatos) Talk to the man which from you need to win sea captain's boat back. Choose the gamble for boat option. Then, if you are not gambling master, he'll say "For stakes that high, I would only game with masters of gambling. You fall a bit shy of that mark, I'd say". Choose the "How about for normal stakes, then?" and dialog will end with no messages. Also, if you talk to him again, you get the "How about a game of dice?" option. Should this option be available if you talk to him first time?


One suggestion:

I read this a long ago from somewhere. Not sure if this is a bug or just unimplented feature, but:

Locate Lawrence Brummond (Virgil's dead brother) in Hall of Records and receive the newspaper. After reading it, there should be a conversation between player and Virgil about it. Could this be implented?

EDIT: This was the topic about it: http://terra-arcanum.com/phpBB/viewtopi ... highlight=

 

[Gah]

oh bugger yeah it was a saved game from before i patched it. cock it. i've just literally got to caladon at level 40. *bang head* cannot be bothered to start again.
no worries, cheers

But mine isn't. I started a new game back with version 40425 I think. I'm at the exact same point, level 40-ish in Caladon. I'm really concerned, I don't want to lose my mellee ogre

Any other things I could try? Do you want me to send you the saved game?

 

[tomobedlam]

But mine isn't. I started a new game back with version 40425 I think. I'm at the exact same point, level 40-ish in Caladon. I'm really concerned, I don't want to lose my mellee ogre

Any other things I could try? Do you want me to send you the saved game?

oh really? huh... well i guess i can avoid ashbury for a while if there's any chance of a fix.

 

[DDTerr]

HELP Needed with *.PRO files

Hi,
I want to use your patch to czech translation of Arcanum. I applied all your fixes to czech dialogue (DLG) files and other text files (MES) and it seems to be compatible now. The rest need not any conversion, it is compatible, no overwrites.

But I found a bug (probably more than one) in Arcanum during applying the patch.
In english language there is the same description of "unknown status" of NPC for both male and female persons but in czech language we have different words for them. You can see it in "description.mes" file section "Critter Names" from number 17067 to 17306.

And now the bug: In Shrouded Hills - Constable Owens uses female description for "Human Guard" and Jacob Bens similar. I have found only these two up to now but I will continue with the testing of our CZ-patch. I think the IDs for "unknown description" are wrong due to the same string for both genders shown in WorldEd. Somebody made mistakes there.

Please, is there any possibility to extract, identify and edit Prototype files (PRO) for Constable Owens and Jacob Bens??? I could change the IDs to proper values but I don't know where to find PRO files and which one is for Owens and which one is for Bens ....

I understand that for your english version of the game this is probably not a big bug but in our language it is ugly mismatch.

Thank you and I wish you good luck with the ultimate "unofficial" patch.

DDTerr from Prague.
Czech Republic

 

[wrhunter]

Hello, DBT. Is it possible to prevent the npcs chosen their equipments auto? Their tastes are always unacceptable, they even use cursed items without delay! I'm tired of picking up everything first.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Re: HELP Needed with *.PRO files

And now the bug: In Shrouded Hills - Constable Owens uses female description for "Human Guard" and Jacob Bens similar. I have found only these two up to now but I will continue with the testing of our CZ-patch. I think the IDs for "unknown description" are wrong due to the same string for both genders shown in WorldEd. Somebody made mistakes there.

Unpack Arcanum module, make necessary edits with WorldEd, include modified mobiles with your translation patch. Don't ask here how to do this - we don't discuss modding.

Hello, DBT. Is it possible to prevent the npcs chosen their equipments auto?

The short answer is no.

Also,

Here's the lost conversation of Virgil and Maug that I was talking about earlier. Put the file into your Arcanum folder and it will work on any save.

The conversation triggers once you accept the quest to kill Pollock and try to exit the dialogue. I don't know where it was supposed to trigger originally, but I figured this was the most appropriate place. The dialogue seems to be unfinished, since some lines are duplicated. Take a look, anyway.

Is anybody going to give me his/her opinion on this one or not?

Locate Lawrence Brummond (Virgil's dead brother) in Hall of Records and receive the newspaper. After reading it, there should be a conversation between player and Virgil about it. Could this be implented?

Fixed (the script wasn't attached, and moreover, it was missing a vital command), I believe they've just thrown this script in with out any testing like many other things, the game sure was rushed. The VO in this particular dialogue is quite spectacular, btw.

 

[tomobedlam]

i don't know if this is a bug but virgil didn't leave my party when we left the dark elf village this time.

 

[1234]

Re: HELP Needed with *.PRO files

Also,

Here's the lost conversation of Virgil and Maug that I was talking about earlier. Put the file into your Arcanum folder and it will work on any save.

The conversation triggers once you accept the quest to kill Pollock and try to exit the dialogue. I don't know where it was supposed to trigger originally, but I figured this was the most appropriate place. The dialogue seems to be unfinished, since some lines are duplicated. Take a look, anyway.

Is anybody going to give me his/her opinion on this one or not?

Since no one else is answering, I started up a new game and hex-edited my way to victory. The conversation, if you can call it that, is really unfinished. In fact, one of the two options results in a continuous loop, with Virgil saying the same line "Are you going to trust me or him?" I was thinking maybe this could be fixed, but then I killed Pollock and saw that Virgil doesn't say anything else, which really leaves you with a "what the fuck?" feeling. I say forget the whole thing.

Also, I don't know if this has been mentioned, but a large number of townsfolk give you the option to say something along the lines of "thank you very much" before you even ask them a question.

 

[wrhunter]

Thanks for answering, but I still don't understand what does "Auto Switch Weapons" do.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Since no one else is answering, I started up a new game and hex-edited my way to victory. The conversation, if you can call it that, is really unfinished. In fact, one of the two options results in a continuous loop, with Virgil saying the same line "Are you going to trust me or him?" I was thinking maybe this could be fixed, but then I killed Pollock and saw that Virgil doesn't say anything else, which really leaves you with a "what the fuck?" feeling. I say forget the whole thing.

The dialogue goes like this (without dumb lines):
Maug: Oh, and it's so good to see you again, Virgil. [He smirks, sarcastically.] It has been awhile since you have shown your face in the Boil.
PC: Virgil? What is he talking about? Do you know him?
Virgil: Uh...he must have me confused with someone else. I've uh, never been here before.
PC: But he knows your name.
Virgil: That's simply coincidence, I am certain. [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: Alright, Virgil, I believe you. (exit the dialogue)
or PC: I'm not sure, Virgil. This seems awfully suspicious.
Virgil: [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: I'll believe you - for now. (exit the dialogue)
PC: You're right, Virgil. I have complete trust in you. (exit the dialogue)

As you can see the second and the third Virgil's lines are almost identical. I thought about cutting off the whispering part from the second line (leaving "That's simply coincidence, I am certain."). Does it make sense this way?

Thanks for answering, but I still don't understand what does "Auto Switch Weapons" do.

Auto Switch Weapons – when turned on, one’s Character will switch to a new weapon if his current weapon runs out of ammunition

BTW, the Gamer's Hell seems to continue hosting my patch. They have the last three versions over there. I'm quite honored. (It seems they get it from ComputerGames.ro, so extra thanks to Bossman for making the patch more popular!)

 

[Kz3r0]

If you speak with Bates' guard at the mansion, after you have accepted to destroy the steam engine in Bates' factory for Appleby, you get the dialogue line to take the saboteurs quest, even if it's the first time you speak with him.

 

[MaskedMan]

Since no one else is answering, I started up a new game and hex-edited my way to victory. The conversation, if you can call it that, is really unfinished. In fact, one of the two options results in a continuous loop, with Virgil saying the same line "Are you going to trust me or him?" I was thinking maybe this could be fixed, but then I killed Pollock and saw that Virgil doesn't say anything else, which really leaves you with a "what the fuck?" feeling. I say forget the whole thing.

The dialogue goes like this (without dumb lines):
Maug: Oh, and it's so good to see you again, Virgil. [He smirks, sarcastically.] It has been awhile since you have shown your face in the Boil.
PC: Virgil? What is he talking about? Do you know him?
Virgil: Uh...he must have me confused with someone else. I've uh, never been here before.
PC: But he knows your name.
Virgil: That's simply coincidence, I am certain. [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: Alright, Virgil, I believe you. (exit the dialogue)
or PC: I'm not sure, Virgil. This seems awfully suspicious.
Virgil: [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: I'll believe you - for now. (exit the dialogue)
PC: You're right, Virgil. I have complete trust in you. (exit the dialogue)

As you can see the second and the third Virgil's lines are almost identical. I thought about cutting off the whispering part from the second line (leaving "That's simply coincidence, I am certain."). Does it make sense this way?

Yes, this makes sense, the other option would be to keep the line as it is, and just remove the PC option to doubt him (line 13) and thus removing the repeated line. I'm really more in favour of your solution as it gives the PC more options. I think you should add this dialogue to the game either way; it's not meant to be a big revelation, just a foreshadowing. Does the Pollock conversation give you any more options? I didn't have any points in persuasion the last time I played through it, but I strongly doubt that he'll just blurt out the whole story of his life right then and there. And if for some reason he does, well, there's nothing stopping you from copying and re-cutting that into the Maug conversation...

 

[Kharza]

As you can see the second and the third Virgil's lines are almost identical. I thought about cutting off the whispering part from the second line (leaving "That's simply coincidence, I am certain."). Does it make sense this way?

This sounds fine to me. The conversation adds a bit more depth to the game and Virgil's character, so I'm in favor of adding it to the patch.

 

[1234]

Since no one else is answering, I started up a new game and hex-edited my way to victory. The conversation, if you can call it that, is really unfinished. In fact, one of the two options results in a continuous loop, with Virgil saying the same line "Are you going to trust me or him?" I was thinking maybe this could be fixed, but then I killed Pollock and saw that Virgil doesn't say anything else, which really leaves you with a "what the fuck?" feeling. I say forget the whole thing.

The dialogue goes like this (without dumb lines):
Maug: Oh, and it's so good to see you again, Virgil. [He smirks, sarcastically.] It has been awhile since you have shown your face in the Boil.
PC: Virgil? What is he talking about? Do you know him?
Virgil: Uh...he must have me confused with someone else. I've uh, never been here before.
PC: But he knows your name.
Virgil: That's simply coincidence, I am certain. [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: Alright, Virgil, I believe you. (exit the dialogue)
or PC: I'm not sure, Virgil. This seems awfully suspicious.
Virgil: [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: I'll believe you - for now. (exit the dialogue)
PC: You're right, Virgil. I have complete trust in you. (exit the dialogue)

As you can see the second and the third Virgil's lines are almost identical. I thought about cutting off the whispering part from the second line (leaving "That's simply coincidence, I am certain."). Does it make sense this way?

I guess it's not a loop then. After I heard it repeat once, I assumed it was a loop, and didn't bother continuing the conversation (although it looks like I couldn't have continued it anyways... haha).

If you want to leave it in, I'd do this.

Maug: Oh, and it's so good to see you again, Virgil. [He smirks, sarcastically.] It has been awhile since you have shown your face in the Boil.
PC: Virgil? What is he talking about? Do you know him?
Virgil: Uh...he must have me confused with someone else. I've uh, never been here before.
PC: But he knows your name.
Virgil: That's simply coincidence, I am certain.
PC: Alright, Virgil, I believe you. (exit the dialogue)
or PC: I'm not sure, Virgil. This seems awfully suspicious.
Virgil: [Whispering] Who are you going to believe, me, or some murderous thug who'd as soon slit your throat as look at you?
PC: I'll believe you - for now. (exit the dialogue)
PC: You're right, Virgil. I have complete trust in you. (exit the dialogue)

I know you are against changing the writing, but if you do include this dialog, I think after you kill Pollock and report back, Maug says something to Virgil, for closure. Otherwise, it reeks of being unfinished.

I'm talking about something simple. Just tack on "... and goodbye, Virgil. [He smirks]" to the end of Maug's last sentence to the PC.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

I think you should add this dialogue to the game either way; it's not meant to be a big revelation, just a foreshadowing. Does the Pollock conversation give you any more options? I didn't have any points in persuasion the last time I played through it, but I strongly doubt that he'll just blurt out the whole story of his life right then and there. And if for some reason he does, well, there's nothing stopping you from copying and re-cutting that into the Maug conversation...

The dialogue with Pollock is actually shorter - it's just two lines for Virgil, no revelations either.
Pollock: [He eyes Virgil, suspiciously.] Hey...don' I know you, over there? Pollock never be forgettin' a face...I know I seen yours. Maybe you've been to the Boil, before...?
PC: Virgil?
Virgil: I...I, uh...don't know what you're talking about, Pollock. I'm sure we've never seen each other before today. [Then, aside, to you.] Be careful with him...I've heard, uh, rumors about him...
PC: Virgil, are you sure you've never been here before...?
Virgil: This is not the time or place to talk about such things. Just watch yourself, and be smart about what you say...
PC: (All right, Virgil.) I'm sorry, Pollock. You were saying...?
I'll probably include the dialogue with Maug (with the altered second line) in the Extra Pack.

I know you are against changing the writing, but if you do include this dialog, I think after you kill Pollock and report back, Maug says something to Virgil, for closure. Otherwise, it reeks of being unfinished.

Maug just mentions it, he doesn't care much, I believe. Anyway, no custom content, this is a patch, not a mod.

 

[Koshachiy Barin]

Also, I don't know if this has been mentioned, but a large number of townsfolk give you the option to say something along the lines of "thank you very much" before you even ask them a question.

It also increases npc's reaction to you, so you can boost it sky-high by repeatedly choosing this option.

As you can see the second and the third Virgil's lines are almost identical. I thought about cutting off the whispering part from the second line (leaving "That's simply coincidence, I am certain."). Does it make sense this way?

Seems quite right to me.

 

[1234]

Looking at it again, it's not that bad if the whisper part was removed from the second line. I still think it's wierd that Maug doesn't say anything to Virgil after you kill Pollock, but oh well. I retract my previous statement of it feeling unfinished - instead, it adds flavor.

Errors:
You still have to walk a long distance after leaving the Shrouded Hills bridge before you can use the world map, even though the icon appears.

Virgil is missing some VO in the beginning of the game right after the crash. When you say "I feel the same way. Please leave me alone. Good day to you.", Virgil's corresponding statement "Wait! I didn't mean any disrespect! ... the life I had before wasn't exactly what you'd call a noble one." doesn't have any voice to it.

You can buy back Bessie Toon's boot from Rizzette for incredibly cheap (under 10 coins) after you give it to him for information on the ring.

In Dernholm, you can say to the guards "You don't think very highly of him" before you learn about the captain.

Gar will join you regardless of alignment, but as soon as you do one evil quest he'll leave the party. Why does he even join in the first place?

How far along are you with the next patch?

 

[aboyd]

Some of the things on your list do not appear to be bugs in need of fixing.

 

[DragonHawk]

First, great patch Drog. This patch actually made me re-play Arcanum

Second, I have some bugs for you:

When playing Halfling / Beat with an ugly stick / backstab / pickpocket character, the Blackroot's Mayor / Cumbria tax quest looks broken to me. Basically, I convinced the Mayor to give up the tax via newspaper route (dl: 33 -> 151 -> 161 -> 173 -> 281 -> 181 -> 191). When I talk to him again, the game treats it as I steal the tax from Mayor (dl: 12 -> 141 -> etc). It keeps on showing (12) everytime I talk to the Mayor.

Also, on Blackroot's Mayor, everytime I ended the conversation before getting the offer to rid the thiefs (ie if I select 35, 212, or 223), the next time I talk to Mayor, I only get a greeting and (14) as the only response. Basically, I do not get the opportunity to accept/deny the quest. This happens to both my tech and halfling characters

This may not be a bug: Playing Dwarf / raised by monks / tech / firearms character, I could not get the newspaper option (33) to appear. Is this option only available to non tech character ?


Keep up the good work