Icewind Dale logo

Black IsleBioWareTSR


Icewind Dale 2 Technical FAQ
by Extremist

** The Patch
** Links
** Installing Problems
** Bugs/Oddities
** Some Assertion Errors & Messages

** Misc Info

NOTE: This FAQ was written at the time the official Interplay site was still around, so any links in the guide to it are a dead end.


The Patch

The official patch 2.01 is available here.

Please check inside game options if your game is pre-patched. If the options display 2.01, you don't need to install this patch. Otherwise, install it before proceeding.

Links

The game is constantly crashing (and flickers) - ATI Radeon card

Please install the latest ATI Catalyst driver from: http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html

"Cannot connect to the game session" in singleplayer

Game runs but when you press new game (single player) there is the "cannot connect to the game session" message, TCP and IPX games are unavailable (grayed out) even when tcp protocol is installed. First try one of these:
- removing/reinstalling of all protocols/clients/network stuff
- setting Last Protocol Used=1 (inside icewind2.ini)
- setting ip address manually (find it in network properties)

If none of the options above worked, you must rollback to previous DirectX version (7.0).
DirectX Eradicator which will remove current DirectX version you may download here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=509
As it is stated inside the readme file, after removing DirectX you should install the previous DirectX from the Windows Setup CD-ROM if this was about Win2K/WinMe.
For Win9x you may download it here: http://microsoft.com/downloads/rele...ReleaseID=16819

Mainboard VIA chipset - if game is malfunctioning in any aspect

If your mainboard uses VIA chipset, definetly install newest VIA drivers available at: http://www.viaarena.com/

C-media sound chip related crashes

If your sound chip shows up as "CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device" and you are having random crashes, try installing the most recent drivers:
http://www.cmedia.com.tw/download/e-cdl8738_w2000.htm

Installing Problems

Installing simply doesn't work

Your installation was broken and now you can't reinstall or uninstall IWD2

Bugs/Oddities

Permanent summoned weapons
Details: Summoned weapon is still active after endless resting. Bug occurs only in Black Raven Monastery (trials).
Solution: Summon another weapon which will dispel the permanent one.

Druid soundset after shapeshift
Details: Upon shapeshift into boar and returning to human form, druid keeps the "grunt!" soundset.
Solution: N/A

Script:Guardian
Details: The party member who uses this script attacks charmed party member even after the charm is dispelled/expired. Only removing this script helps.
Solution: Manually attack anything in next battle with the character who has that script activated and the problem will disappear. At least till the next charm... :(

Fell Wood freezes after battle with treants
Details: (the title itself)
Solution: Switch the game resolution to 800x600 for this battle.

Crippling Strike
Details: The game says it only reduces the target's Str by 1, while the manual says it should reduce it by 1 per die of sneak attack damage.
The combat information screen only mentions -1 (with very few odd exceptions), however it has also been stated that, even though it only *says* -1, it really is -1 per SA die (this was tested on party members). Again, strangely enough, this is not always the case. The 3E rules say it should only be 1.
Comment: No official word on the matter (no confirmation if this is a bug or design choice).

Improved Initiative
Details: Fails to reduce casting speed by 1.
Comment: Confirmed as a bug, left for future patch.

Autopause:attacked
Details: The combat window displays message "attacked" although there is no enemy on the whole area.
Solution: Disable the autopause in this area.

Modified Mandrake Root
Details: : Mandal's ghost shows where the modified mandrake root is supposed to be, but upon entering that cavern, it's not there.
Solution: Use one of these console commands to add it in your inventory:
ctrlaltdelete:createitem("61GENMM") - if you're playing in normal mode
ctrlaltdelete:createitem("61HFGNMM") - if you're playing in HoF mode

Black Raven Monastery obstacle
Details: Character(s) cannot enter or leave the dining room in the monastery on the first level. Seems that there is an invisible obstacle blocking the door.
Solution: Enable cheatkeys and use CTRL+J to jump over this obstacle. The obstacle will disappear later.

Ogien's Scale
Details: Ogien's Scale armor says that it has a max dex bonus of +3 but it only allows +2.
Comment: No official word on the matter (the question is if this is a description typo or a bug).

Extra wildshape (in most cases - shambler)
Details: Although selected and displayed inside character's record, there is no way to use it (it doesn't appear after resting).
Solution: Please mail me the corrupted character (export it), I'll fix it.

Solution submitted by Mikael Lærum: I found a simple solution that worked for me and can be done in-game. What I did was to add 0 instances of the lowest posible shape, the boar. That enabled the missing form(s):

1) Enable cheat console using the setup program for IWD2
2) Bring op the consule using ctrl-tab
3) type ctrlaltdelete:addspell("spin244",0)

If I added more that zero, I would be able to shapeshift that many times more per day.

Spellcaster loses spells of a certain level
Details: Happens if you have more than 24 spells scribed in a level.
Solution: Please remove ALL memorized spells from your spellbook then rest. The spells you lacked of will appear then. Now go back to the spellbook and unmemorize everything else. Rest with the book cleared, and then try to get everything back as it should be.
If it doesn't work, the only thing left is creating a new wizard and cheating him/her up to the level the previous one was with recreating a spellbook, but without more than 24 spells scribed in any level.

Kills don't grant experience
Details: Commonly reported in these cases:
- if instant death magic was used against the enemy
- if a weapon that causes "wounding" effect was used against the enemy
- in battles against yuan-ti
Comment: N/A

Oria used her staff, but her essence is not appearing
Details: (in the title)
Solution:Please enable the cheat mode in IWD2 config utility and use this command in the console:
ctrlaltdelete:SetGlobal("ORIAESSENCE_DEAD","GLOBAL",1)
This will count as you've nuked her essence.

Characters are not fully healed upon loading the saved game
Details: This sometimes happens on those characters that are equipped with HP bonus granting items.
Solution: N/A

Chahopek the Guardian
Details: Upon defeating Chahopek, the well-known black dragon Guardian in Chult, a character encased within Otiluke's Resilient Sphere fails to receive the HP bonus and/or acid+poison resistance bonus.
Comment: Seems that named spell provides immunity to ChangeStat() script command.

Opposition school(s) removal
Details: By giving the specialist wizard 1 level of sorcerer his wizard spell book will be able to accept, write, scribe, and use all of the schools. Similar thing will happen is you add him a paladin level.
Comment: N/A

Unbearable slowdown in some areas
Details: Characters stutter - need a few seconds before responding inside Goblin Fortress (quest for two runestones) and Dragon's Eye (quest for Fake Mandrake Root). The third occurence of this problem is in Chult Jungle.
Comment: The source of this problem on some machines is an party inventory item checking script command. Until newer patch, fixable only by removing focus from that command so that it doesn't even run when not needed.
Solution: Please get 3rd party fix made by Quint and me at: /Games/IWD2/index_editors.php

Shift+click malfunction
Details: Shift-click on a weapon to change its ammo type will change the mouse pointer to an attack cursor. Instead of clicking on an enemy - especially when none are around - if you switch to another character or something, the character who switched ammo types will now automatically select one of your own party as a target.
Solution: You can click on your weapon config twice more (once to turn it red, which should be attack cursor, and again to turn it green again) to avoid the bug, but it's much easier to always change ammo from the inventory screen.

Stunned trolls are invulnerable
Details: No troll will drop on the ground until the stun effect expires or is dispelled.
Comment: The engine ignores any script attached to a creature that is stunned. This is why the drop-down if near death script attached to trolls won't work in such case.

Defending Kuldahar after dealing Chult
Details: After returning from Chult and watching the dialogue between Iselore, the bad guys and your party, the battle starts. Although you kill off all waves of the enemies, Iselore is still zoned out and there is no indication that the battle is over (and so no access further on the route to the Severed Hand).
Solution: This happens very rare for unknown reasons. In such case, try with this command in the console:
ctrlaltdelete:SetGlobal("6001_Fight","GLOBAL",2)

Party stats boost during the 8 Chambers/HoF
Details: Saving the game during one of the tests and reloading it causes the Heart of Fury boni to be applied to the other party members.
Solution: Don't save & reload during any of the tests.

Some Assertion Errors and Messages

In cases of any assertion error, please check the links section from above and update the drivers if needed.

If the assertion error occurs again, exit IWD2 and delete files in these IWD2 subfolders:
- cache
- temp
- tempsave
Then restart IWD2.

If emptying those folders didn't help, please use repair option available inside IWD2 uninstaller (delete everything inside the override folder before repairing), and if even that fails, try with reinstalling the game (make it full installation).

Programmer says: Uncompression Error: -3
Programmer says: Uncompression Error: -5
Occurs randomly during the gameplay. Check the solution on coped info from Icewind Dale II Support Website.

Programmer says: Couldn't uncompress save game into Temp directory
Occurs only on loading the saved game - that got corrupted. The corrupted is only SAV file. Please contact official support about this at:
support@interplay.com

Assertion Failed in ObjCreature.cpp at line number 15544, 15569, 15571 or 15596
Occurs only on loading the saved game - that got corrupted. The cause of this is still not clear. The only solution so far is loading the SAV file inside NearInfinity and removing the corrupted ARxxxx part - completely.

Assertion Failed in InfScreenLoad.cpp at line number 1592
Occurs on choosing Load Game option at main menu. Cause: one or more of saved games are corrupted in a way that files contain no valid data but all zeros. Which game got corrupted you may find out with any bmp viewer which will "protest" on invalid bmp file.
The corrupted saved game must be removed from the mpsave folder. The reason why this happens is not clear.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other

Problem: Upon entering a new area, the game crashes without a message.
Cause: Happens if area ACM file (music) is corrupted.

Problem: Game crashes in inventory if you right-click on an item.
Solution: Set your desktop to use 16-bit color. Set the game to use 16-bit color (accessible through the Icewind Dale II Config utility or in-game via the graphics options).

Misc Info

Details on activating and using the console in IWD2
Click here.

Charmed creatures cannot be controlled
Charm effect: Creature will only attack enemy creatures that attack it. If the creature knows any healing spells, they will heal the nearest ally.
Dire Charm effect: Creature will attack the nearest enemy in melee combat. If the creature has Rage, they will Rage (and use the Improved Rage if high enough level).
Mental Domination effect: Creature can be controlled by the player. If you leave the creature alone, it will try to buff/heal the nearest ally. It will use offensive spells at your enemies. When attacking, it will use a ranged weapon if it has it, but switch to melee when it closes in on an enemy.

Wailing ghost in Targos is nowhere
Of course it disappeared - during the day. Rest till it's night.

Knowledge(arcana) bonus is not showing up on character sheet
The bard's bonuses are given after the game starts, if you take a look at the skills/feats sections in the record screen, the skills that bards get bonuses in will be something like Knowledge Arcana: 8(1) - the 8 is the bard's current skill (including the bonus), and the (1) is the amount of extra points which were included in the value. In other words, the lvl bonus for knowledge (arcana) was implemented differently that what was stated in the manual.

Favored drow class(es)
The drow favored classes were changed to clerics for females and wizards for male, per 3E, so the guide and the manual are out of date for this one.

Robes cancel Monk AC bonus from Wisdom
That's because robes are considered as armor. You can't wear both a robe and an armor in IWD2.

Enemies follow invisible character
It's a limitation of the engine. If they can't see a PC, but they've been alerted, they unerringly move to the nearest PC. If your hidden rogue is the nearest, they'll just follow him around.

Thorasskus doesn't shapeshift to yuan-ti
You have to decrypt and read the warning sign at the Dragon's Eye entrance (Torasskus' name shall be on it). If you press x, it is area AR6100.


Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Disable all ads!