Conversation Bug

[Jesse Hallmark]

Hey Guys,

I noticed in BG, during a conversation with Rankin in Moonglow, that there is a conversation loop. It will not stop the game though. When you deliver the liquer to the other person, and she dies, and then go back to report about it, he asks what killed her. The answer is the same that started this conversation loop, so it starts it up again. You can choose don't know as an answer, so it does not stop the game though.

Keep up the good work.

Jesse

[michaelz_wumpus]

I tried replying to this on the tracker, but in spite of sf saying it worked, it looks like it didn't... *sigh*

--- attempted response to tracker ---
This is true, but its in the original too.

Its not a "loop" per se; ie, the game doesn't go into an
infinite loop or anything. Its just that the converstaion
can go `round and `round in circles, because of a usecode
glitch.

The glitch being, that there are two topics with the same
name that can come up when talking to Rankin, and apparently
the engine can't handle this ... it always goes for the
first liqeur topic in the conversation, never the second.

-- michaelz_wumpus, who doesn't have his password here.
-----------------------------

[Vigil]

What's the deal with that sidestory anyway? Rankin claims he bought the 'perfume' from a travelling merchant from Britain, but the only traveller in town is Addom and he has nothing to do with it. If you don't deliver the perfume, his clerk Disappears Mysteriously anyway. It's blindingly obvious Rankin kills her, but you can't say or do anything about it except kill him yourself; It irks me when there's a crime in an Ultima that you can't turn up and say "Aha, you did it you bastard! Now fight me!" about.

[Michael `Wumpus' Z]

*shrug*

The usecode for the "missing" conversation goes something like this:

"What!" he appears stunned. "Died? How is that possible?"


"The liqueur? Why, art thou implying that the merchant had cause to kill her? That is absurd!" He appears thoughtful.~ "Or perhaps not. Mayhaps we will look into that, what sayest thou?"

(yes I assume):
"Excellent. Let me know if thou dost find any information. Meanwhile, I will make arrangements for her funeral." He shakes his head sadly.

(alternatively, i guess no gives you:)
"Very well, then I must conduct the search on mine own, -after- I have arranged for the funeral."*

and then there's some bits i can't work out exactly, but it amounts to his asking you again later about whether you made any progress finding the merchant, and your having two options, one of which gives you:

(ie the merchant is dead)
"Really!" he seems genuinely surprised. "How, ah, wonderful." Then I guess the murder has been avenged."

(not sure about that topic)
"Ah, well. Keep searching. I am positive thou wilt come across some information soon!"

... for something that, as far as i can tell, should appear normally in the game, try chatting to Rankin about her when you have the cube

thats largely conjecture, but it seems to make some sort of sense

[Vigil]

I hadn't tried the Cube on him before, interesting... And yet the guy is flagged as an innocent, so guards turn up if you decide to go vigilante. So much for the virtue of justice.

[MV]

That was the same in the original as well. The bitch dies and when talkining to ranking he just keeps saying

liqurer? yes I bought some from a merchant, blah blah blah.

Died? how?

Liqurer

Yes, I bought some from a travelling merchant, blah blah blah, etc.