What does SS2Tool do exactly?

[6826bb25b8616purplerhino83]

Damn, this circular logic.

Sure. Maybe you don't "promote" it as such anymore but you and i both know this is what majority of the newcomers and oldtimers use when they look for fixes and tools to run this nowadays. It's even mentioned in PCGW as an essential fix. Ppl already know SSTool for the go to tool/mod for the game. You suddenly not advertising it such anymore doesn't mean it doesn't get recommended anymore as a bugfix. This is the same as Morrowind Patch Project for that game did for years. Advertised as a pure bugfix mod for a long time and when ppl suddenly started discovering the sneaky changes the authors of that mod changed their stance. Sure it's not the recommended mod anymore but it didn't suddenly lose it's status. Some ppl still to this day think that it's the go to mod for morrowind and use and recommend instead of PfP.

As for custom patch. WHY NOT JUST MAKE THE CHANGES OPTIONAL IN THE INSTALLER INSTEAD OF OUTRIGHT REMOVING THEM? This way you don't have to remove them from the tool and users don't have to got through the hassle to make a custom patch themselves for changes that was shipped with the game intentionally, assuming they even know that you have done these changes without their consent (Which most newcomers don't most of the time).
Again, please consider just making them selectable in the installer instead of doubling down and saying ppl that they have "Hearing Impairment"

[6826bb25b8c24RoSoDude]

I really think we're good where we currently are.

also, checked the current rapier hum noise level, I think it's just right - still audible in the background, and once you attack with the weapon, the swing sound is nice and loud, then fades back smoothly once the animation is complete.

Am I going insane? Here's a clip of vanilla vs SS2Tool volume (I alt-tab, change the volume in my DML file, and reload my save). Listened to it back on several different pairs of headphones (in-ear apple earphones, $40 over ear headphones, all the same). The SS2Tool hum volume is essentially inaudible compared to the most muffled of ambient noises unless I turn up my volume so high that every other sound is physically painful to listen to, while the vanilla volume is pretty subdued and, in my opinion, has the proper balance compared with attacking. The difference would be even more pronounced with music playing. Are your audio settings substantially different? Do you play at ear-assaulting volumes otherwise? I'm seriously lost here.
https://streamable.com/85w0bu

If you don't like the old hum, then you must hate this too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dEDabkF8AA

[6826bb25b8d81Garretty]

That's straight up inaudible. I feel like the old hum was pretty well mixed, but I wouldn't be against lowering it a bit if continued play made it unbearable for some people. But outright removing it, or lowering it to a point its inaudible and newcomers don't know it even exists in the vanilla game? That seems a step too far. Furthermore, advertising the mod as nothing more than a bugfix while changes like this are present and not optional or even in the forefront of the changelist is rubbing me the wrong way.

[6826bb25b9243voodoo47]

ok guys, thanks for the input, but no changes are planned in the foreseeable future.

I'll wrap it up with repeating that the tool changes are not presented as strict bugfixes (as far as I'm aware) - the tool does what the current maintainers decide it should do. your tool/mod, your rules.

same with the latest GMDX beta - most changes, I love. some, I don't hate. and a few, I dislike completely. however, all I'm ever going to say is "I think this particular fix should maybe deserve a revisit". whatever happens next, is upon whoever does the actual work.

[6826bb25b981fKolya]

I think some of you didn't read what I said here, since you keep on asking for checkboxes in SS2Tool that would enable/disable specific game changes.

On the technical side that's not a good idea, as it would require to register every little change on master in the tool itself, which would mean constant updates of the tool program. I am very happy that we separated master content updates from the tool and won't go back there.

So let me spell this out for you: that's definitely not going to happen. And furthermore I see a people coming out of the woodwork here who never raise their heads when there is work to do and acting very entitled to their idea of pure bug patch. I'd like you to remind you that you are not being scammed out of anything here. This is voluntary work done in plain English files with commentary. And you bitch because you didn't get the comfort of a checkbox.

I understand that people aren't happy about the rapier hum. But try to think a bit more proactively, than demanding your idea being served to you on a silver platter. Why don't you just create a mod that resets the rapier hum level? If that's too much to ask, then I seriously doubt your conviction, despite the caps and all that moaning.

[6826bb25b994avoodoo47]

and again, anyone is free to edit any part of their install in any way they see fit - or even create their own, completely custom SS2 build combining a data source of their preference with the unmodified NewDark package, and creating new dml fixes that do exactly what they want.

we are ok with providing (a reasonable amount of) guidance.

[6826bb25b9c96purplerhino83]

Haha lol "demanding your idea being served to you on a silver platter". Now that is rich. It's not like i'm asking this on the SCP thread. And it's not like i'm asking for some new undoable feature or balance tweak to be included in the tool. I'm asking for features that SHIPPED with the game along with all it's balance to be kept intact or restored for posterity. Nowhere in the SS2 download page does it say "Hey this is a "mod". Don't bitch about if anything is not to your liking".

I'm not here to antagonize you guys and shit on your work. I've mentioned before and i will mention it again, I quite like what you have included with the Tool and mostly agree with em. I appreciate the community. But if i'm gonna complain about a cut sound because someone personally thought it was annoying then i have to complain about the rest of the non bugfix changes too since both were done with the same mindset. And it's not like you can't relegate these to SCP. I won't have any room to complain there. Again i hope you do understand where i'm coming from. I don't want "demanding your idea being served to you on a silver platter". Just asking for the non bugfix stuff to be made optional or moved to SCP. Thank you.

(I don't see this conversation going anywhere, seeing how you guys won't nudge. So i won't bother anymore.)

[6826bb25b9e28voodoo47]

thanks. we understand that you have an opinion and want something, however, no is an answer you can get no matter how right you think you are. hope you understand (that) as well.

I'll just add that this change it not one guy's random idea, it's based on community feedback - as mentioned about half a dozen times, people found it annoying on more than one occasion. a few more good examples are the starting controls and the audio level of the music - pretty much every LP has been starting with "what's up with the weird controls", and "woah the music is loud", so yeah, adjusted accordingly, and voila, no more complaints.

[6826bb25ba071ZylonBane]

I personally think the GOG/Steam builds should be as close to 1999 vanilla as possible, with only fixes to literal game-breaking bugs. No changes to game mechanics, no adding things, no name tags. That's modding the game. By delivering a modded version by default, the original is effectively erased. The original may have been sloppily put together in a lot of ways, but it was good enough to become one of my all-time favorite games, so I say it still deserves to exist, warts and all.

If SS2Tool offers some optional light patching... fine, whatever. At least it's a choice then.

Anybody who wants a more drastically improved SS2, that's what SCP is for.

[6826bb25ba1dcvoodoo47]

plenty of warts left everywhere, no worries. and that annoying one rifled slug loaded in the jammed hybrid shotgun is also not going  anywhere, so all the people who enjoy being annoyed by game mechanics that suck are advised to focus on that.

even though the single slug unloading undoubtedly is one of the top annoying activities found in the game (LPs where people didn't give up on the slug by the beginning of hydro are few and far between), there are lines I'm not willing to cross.

[6826bb25ba2e0ZylonBane]

Naaaaaame taaaaaagssss.....

Just why in a vanilla patchup?

[6826bb25ba612sarge945]

Wow, I'm so sorry. I didn't intend for my random spur-of-the-moment idea to completely derail this thread so spectacularly. I asked for it, you guys said no, I respect that.

I just saw RSD's video and the sound definitely gets to the point where it's basically completely silent. The original is maybe a little too loud but it's like it's been removed almost entirely. I remember hearing it in my games though, so maybe there's something wrong with RSD's setup.

I guess it would be possible to just get the vanilla sound, extract it, throw it up on the site as a minimod for those that want it, and call it done?

What's all this I hear about name tags?

EDIT: WHOOPS!