Avadon Graphics Question - Wand and Staff Graphics for Spellcasters

[Sokhbep]

So.. I have been playing Avadon 2: The Corruption and I have finished the game to the part where Dedrik asks for your help. I went to Blackwood with him, met his family, and this other shaman named Tibold is there with them. I noticed something about him. He did not have the graphic of a shaman barehanded, nor wielding a javelin... instead, he was wielding some sort of a pole weapon sideways. I figured that it might be a staff.

 

And correct I was. I immediately checked the game's Graphics folder and saw that there are extra animation sets for the shaman wielding a staff or a wand. And apparently, the same thing is persistent with sorcerers.

 

The problem is... they never appear for my PCs in-game. When I equip Dedrik with either a staff or a wand, he stays bare-handed and seems to cast magic by punching the air, the same goes for Yannick.

 

I also tried making Shaman and Sorcerer main PC's too... but the same thing happens for them, too.

 

I feel like I'm missing out on an immersive experience.. Is there a solution to this?

[Slawbug]

Great observation. After looking into this: there are changes you can make, but note:

 

1) it will cause you to always see the rod/staff, not just when you are in combat;

2) it requires replacing a set of graphics files

 

EDIT: For melee attacks, the game loads images with the equipped weapon only during the attack itself. It has different sets for 1H and 2H weapons.

 

EDIT: There are some hardcoded increases in file numbers that the game looks for, that restrict the possibilities here quite a bit.

 

EDIT: This is a bit complicated with PCs of different genders too.

[Slawbug]

Okay, here's a relatively simple modification:

 

BACK UP YOUR ENTIRE GAME AND PERFORM THIS ON A COPY, ONLY.

 

In "Graphics B", replace the four sets of files (nine each) numbered as follows:

Replace 3600's with copies of 3610's

Replace 3650's with copies of 3660's

Replace 3850's with copies of 3860's

Replace 3900's with copies of 3910's

 

This will make all PC shamans and sorcerors (and some enemy ones) always have a visibly displayed rod, with the exception of when they are in combat and have a bow/javelin equipped. This *should* include when spellcasting, but I haven't tested it.

 

(I don't think it will include when spellcasting in combat and you have a bow/javelin equipped. That can be changed, but I believe that then if you have a bow equipped and chug a potion, you'll also suddenly have a rod in hand while chugging, etc.)

[Sokhbep]

Hmm... so you mean to say that I can have only one set of graphics replaced withe the barehanded graphics?

 

If I equip a wand while having a staff graphic set, will I still use the staff animations?

[Slawbug]

Yes. Basically, the game determines which graphics files it will use for the character when the character is created. There is special code that switches to the 1H and 2H weapon versions while you are making a melee attack, only. As far as I can tell, it does not switch to these when using a non-melee special ability (spells are not distinguished from other abilities for this). There is also code that switches to the ranged weapon versions while you are in combat and have your ranged weapon set. That's it.