Fixed Artois Voysey

[Serge Grey]

1. NG Build 14, Tuesday 27th March 2018 on Rus PoTC + 1.03r patch.
2. There is no quest closing when Artois dies. He want no equips Borgiablade (see his inventory).
3. OK.
4. Program\internalsettings.h changes only (// Included in Iron Man Mode and // LOG, LOOKS & EFFECTS sections).
5. OK.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

@Grey Roger: You have any thoughts...?

 

[Grey Roger]

I'd probably need to add a check for Artois Voysey dying. Possibly several of them, as the end result of him dying would be to close down the questbook and also cancel whichever check is active for the next part of the quest. Something else to add to the list of things to try after the next installer is out...

Alternatively, if Artois Voysey gets killed, reload to the last saved game. You're not going to get the treasure if he's dead.

As for the borgiablade, does Artois Voysey have any other blades in his possession? The borgiablade is a very low level weapon so he'll probably equip pretty well anything else in preference to it.

 

[Serge Grey]

Alternatively, if Artois Voysey gets killed, reload to the last saved game. You're not going to get the treasure if he's dead.

Yes, of course. It's for clean game only.

As for the borgiablade, does Artois Voysey have any other blades in his possession? The borgiablade is a very low level weapon so he'll probably equip pretty well anything else in preference to it.

I have taken out any other blades from his "pockets". Only Borgiablade still had with him. As a result he was unarmed and went not to a battle.

 

[Grey Roger]

Looking at "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c", the borgiablade, alias "bladeX1", is one of several "special weapons", a type which also includes the cobblestone, etherbottle, stinkpot, grenade, poisoned throwing knife, sandbag and thief's knife.

You can edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h", find the line '#define NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC 1', and change the 1 to 0. Artois Voysey should then be able to equip the borgiablade as well as all the other special weapon types, and so can everyone else, which could make life difficult for you if random bandits happen to be carrying grenades.

Or you can edit "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c", find the entry for "bladeX1", specifically the line 'itm.skipequip = NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC ;', and replace "NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC" with "false". Artois Voysey should then be able to equip the borgiablade, so can any random NPC who happens to have one, but they still won't be able to equip the other special weapons unless you also change those weapons in "initItems.c".

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I have taken out any other blades from his "pockets". Only Borgiablade still had with him. As a result he was unarmed and went not to a battle.

If I recall, if you go F2>Character>Artois>Inventory (there used to be a button for that), you can manually select exactly which weapons he should equip.

Looking at "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c", the borgiablade, alias "bladeX1", is one of several "special weapons", a type which also includes the cobblestone, etherbottle, stinkpot, grenade, poisoned throwing knife, sandbag and thief's knife.

You can edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h", find the line '#define NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC 1', and change the 1 to 0. Artois Voysey should then be able to equip the borgiablade as well as all the other special weapon types, and so can everyone else, which could make life difficult for you if random bandits happen to be carrying grenades.

Or you can edit "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c", find the entry for "bladeX1", specifically the line 'itm.skipequip = NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC ;', and replace "NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC" with "false". Artois Voysey should then be able to equip the borgiablade, so can any random NPC who happens to have one, but they still won't be able to equip the other special weapons unless you also change those weapons in "initItems.c".

That's curious; I thought boarding crew DOES use Stinkpots if you put those in the Weapons Locker.
How does that work then?

 

[Serge Grey]

Thank you, @Grey Roger. Thank you, @Pieter Boelen.

You can edit "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h", find the line '#define NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC 1', and change the 1 to 0. Artois Voysey should then be able to equip the borgiablade as well as all the other special weapon types, and so can everyone else, which could make life difficult for you if random bandits happen to be carrying grenades.

Think, it's the best one.

Off topic: How to use [USER] tag automatically?

 

[Grey Roger]

Thank you, @Grey Roger. Thank you, @Pieter Boelen.
Think, it's the best one.

Off topic: How to use [USER] tag automatically?

Just start by typing "@" followed by the person's username. You'll probably get a choice of names after a few characters; either keep typing to make the choice more accurate, or pick one. For example, I start typing "@ser" and have two choices right there. Continuing on to "@serge" narrows it down to just one, which I can then click on to complete, and the result is @Serge Grey .

 

[Serge Grey]

Thanks, @Grey Roger.

If I recall, if you go F2>Character>Artois>Inventory (there used to be a button for that), you can manually select exactly which weapons he should equip.

However, now it isn't. There is an "Exchange" button. Yes, it opens his inventory, but it is no option to select exactly which weapons he should equip.

 

[Grey Roger]

If I recall, if you go F2>Character>Artois>Inventory (there used to be a button for that), you can manually select exactly which weapons he should equip.

It's probably the same "Inventory" button which is still there for you to access your own equipment. You're just pointing at Artois Voysey's pocket instead of your own. Whether it will obey the "NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC" variable, I've no idea.

That's curious; I thought boarding crew DOES use Stinkpots if you put those in the Weapons Locker.
How does that work then?

Again, it depends on whether crew equipment obeys the "NO_SPECIALWEAPONED_NPC" variable. Besides, I don't want them letting off stinkpots if I'm in front of them.

In fact, I don't make much use of stinkpots at all. Poison doesn't prove very useful in battles against tougher opponents because the fight is probably over, one way or the other, before the poison has had much effect. About the only use I have for poison is if I'm doing a "stormy start" and have a borgiablade, which has the double advantage of being immune to degradation and poisoning enemies who at that point are very low level. The last time I tried using a stinkpot was at the end of the "Artois Voysey" quest, where you're going through the cave behind the waterfall. You're in one chamber of the cave, a lot of enemies are in the next chamber, and there's a narrow passage between the two chambers providing a chokepoint. After I've lobbed a stinkpot, it becomes a literal chokepoint. The last couple of enemies were significantly weakened, but that's about all. About the only other time I tried one was during the "Assassin" storyline when you're supposed to use it to wipe out the guards in the fort who are between you and your target - it didn't have much effect and next time I played the storyline, I didn't bother.

As for Artois, he has a schiavona right from the start. If you've taken that off him and only given him a borgiablade, he probably thinks you don't want him to fight.

 

[Serge Grey]

As for Artois, he has a schiavona right from the start. If you've taken that off him and only given him a borgiablade, he probably thinks you don't want him to fight.

By the way, he is happy to wear my Good Asiatic Broadsword!

 

[Grey Roger]

I'd probably need to add a check for Artois Voysey dying. Possibly several of them, as the end result of him dying would be to close down the questbook and also cancel whichever check is active for the next part of the quest. Something else to add to the list of things to try after the next installer is out...

The next installer is out, so it's time to give this a try. I've yet to test this, but if you want to do the testing yourself, copy this into "PROGRAM\QUESTS". It should now:

• When you hire Artois Voysey, set up a check for him dying;
• If he dies, close the questbook. Cancel the checks for arrival at Sao Jorge and for him being shot after you rescue him from pirates and choose to let him keep his secret;
• Cancel the check for him dying after you've rescued him from pirates, and if necessary paid for him to be healed after being shot. At this point he becomes a standard officer with standard officer dialog. All that's left in the quest is to find the treasure and, if necessary, donate money to the priest in Port Royale - and you can do all this whether Artois is alive or not.

The checks for arrival at Sao Jorge and for Artois being shot only trigger when Artois is in place, which they won't do if he's dead. But if they're not cancelled then fast travel won't work in those locations.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Nice one, @Grey Roger! Sounds like an excellent thing to fix.