Minoc murder scene

[The Viking]

Is it possible to change the flag at the Minoc murder scene so that the witnesses return to their "standard" locations after you talk to Elynor (which I think is how it was in the original BG) - the way it is now, they seem to remain at the murder site for ages, making it difficult to advance the plot, get training etc

[Crysta the Elf]

the witnesses have a set schedule anyway... so you just gotta know where to go for em

[Dominus]

he he, the murder scene in the original was the most annyoing bug in BG...

[The Viking]

Oh, I dunno...
I think the most realistic thing would be that either 1) The witnesses return to their ordinary schedule as soon as the Avatar enters the scene (except Elynor and the Mayor) or 2) The Witnesses return to their ordinary schedule as soon as the avatar has talked to Elynor

(To be honest I don't remember a bug with the witnesses in the original Black Gate?)

[Natreg]

Dominus is probably talking about the bodies dissapearing in the original Ultima VII

[The Viking]

Probably. I don't think I've ever encountered it in Exult (encountered it a few times too many in the original BG tho :-/).
Still, I am pretty certain that the witnesses (ie the people standing outside the sawmill when you arrive in Minoc) behave differently in Exult than they do in the original BG?

[Ethan]

Randomly, I had a weird bug where I went to return the Notebook to Alagner and he was still walking around. I had to manually click the egg to get him to die. Very strange.

[SB-X]

You should only have to walk over it to get him to die.

[Dominus]

are you playing in the original resolution? If you are playing with a bigger screen all bets are off.

[eternal light]

wouldn't the fact that they are missing ( the bodies) make sense that maybe they were buried or something?

[SB-X]

That's why they disappear, but they aren't supposed to disappear before you even get to see them.

[eternal light]

oh.

[The Viking]

Repost to clarify things:

In Exult, after you've investigated the Murder Scene in Minoc, the people standing outside the sawmill (ie Elynor, Julia etc) remain standing there for hours... However, in the original Black Gate, I am pretty certain that they return to their normal locations and schedules pretty quickly (possibly as you enter the sawmill?)
Is there any way of restoring their behaviour in Exult to the way it is in the original game? This'll make it a lot easier to advance the plot in Minoc.

[Natreg]

I think in the original they had an "avatar near" egg or something to move.

[The Viking]

So would it be possible to put back such an egg in Exult?

[SB-X]

If the egg is there in the original it's in Exult.
I remember in the original they sometimes returned to their schedules too fast. When I got to the scene nobody was standing around.

[Dominus]

The egg is still there, but I think we "tweaked" the egg (hardcoded) something ages ago, since Exult also suffered from the disappearing body which lead to missing conversation topics. What we did is long forgotten, though
maybe Jeff remembers...

[drcode]

I don't remember changing the egg, but I recall that the original BG had a bug involving the timer intrinsic, and Exult (hopefully) fixed that. I also think it was the same bug that kept Julia from healing your party more than once. She's supposed to be willing to help once per day.

[marzo]

Julia from healing your party more than once She's supposed to be willing to help once per day.

Just to be nitpicky: Jaana, and once every five hours. It works correctly in Exult (both, Jaana healing and the murder scene) -- I never experienced any problems with either one, at least.

[The Viking]

Maybe it was the snapshot I used that had the problem then...

At least, my experience was that when I went to the Murder scene, everybody was standing outside the sawmill also after I talked to them, and didn't return to their "set" schedule. This made it very difficult to advance the plot (ie the trainers would say "come to my shop when it is open" etc). What finally "broke the spell" was when it became time to go to the tavern.

I am pretty certain that in the original Black Gate, these people would return to their "standard" location and take up their normal duty after you'd talked to them, or possibly after you'd entered the sawmill.
Also, IIRC, the same was the case with Mayor Finnigan in Trinsic - instead of going back to the Town Hall, he just kept wandering around near the stables for what seemed like an eternity (well, until the tavern open). This too, made advancing the plot difficult (since you're supposed to return to the town hall and give a report to the Mayor later in the investigation).

[Dominus]

hmm, that all depends on the time you visit the murder scene. The NPCs are standing around the sawmill until you enter it and saw the body, dagger, candlesomething and then you should have a chance to talk to them (even in the original when it worked). On next schedule change they go back to their schedule, I think...
So when you go there in the early morning, soon their morning schedules will begin and so on...
I could be wrong though

[drcode]

Whoops, that's right, it is Jaana. Definitely makes her a worthwhile companion now.

[marzo]

Definitely makes her a worthwhile companion now.

I imagine what you will think of her when my BG mod is done. You know, with her (and Mariah) having actual *spellcasting* and all.