Larian: Custom Hirelings. You have the technology. Let's DO THIS NOW

[Y'shtola]

Opened my save after the update, Steam was killed in processes, used the dx11.exe file to run two copies. Got the Direct Connect ID, used it in the second copy in order to join up.

Created a second PC, put them in my main game, killed the second game.

Dismissed the PC, Wardrobe appears like magic. Test PC/NPC sitting comfortably inside like an item. Beautiful.

Examined him. Pulled him out of the Wardrobe, it vanished. Reappeared as I dismissed him. Excellent.

Now do this for Hirelings. Give us a Wither's Wardrobe of Hirelings that functions exactly the same way. Give us a Dismiss command to put them in the new Wardrobe, let us take them out as we wish.

Seriously. Give Withers the dialogue option to create a custom hireling, pop up character creation, we make them, they appear near him in our party, just like the Prefab hirelings.

We dismiss them? They go to the new Wardrobe. Heck, stick the prefab Hirelings into that one as well if you dismiss them.

The Wardrobe satisfies all the needs of a custom hireling. Somewhere to store them in camp, a way to take them as needed to have various ones to play with.

Withers backstory satisfies the reason we have them (there being many, so he says)

All you gotta do is let the game call up the creation screens for them. Do this for us.

This would make this game so tremendous, and it would make so many people happy. Don't toy with us. You've shown that these things can be achieved.

[Terran]

I'm hoping that mods will fix it, like they always do. Developers just don't get it. Wrath of the Righteous and Kingmaker were improved multitudes with custom companions.
I want to tell *my* story, not some coomlords fantasy.

[Y'shtola]

Originally posted by Terran:

I'm hoping that mods will fix it, like they always do. Developers just don't get it. Wrath of the Righteous and Kingmaker were improved multitudes with custom companions.
I want to tell *my* story, not some coomlords fantasy.

At the very least, you can do the workaround I listed above. And since they are stored in a container, you can easily create any number of customs to go in the Wardrobe, to take out at your leisure in a save.

Ideally, you would do it like this. With normal video settings, create new character saves of each "Hireling" you wanna use. Then go to the %AppData% local folder, find Larian's, check BG3 and Public, you'll have a save file/autosave (in the Nautiloid) of the Hireling you want.

You can drop that into the Debug Client one, that is the folder used when I opened a second copy of BG3, use that save with MP to Direct Connect, and plop the character in.

Then you can just kill the 2nd copy of the game, dismiss the char to stash the.
Start a new BG3 process via the exe file, direct connect again, use a different save and character, and drop them in.

It's a bit easier than using 4 processes, and you can create these characters with normal settings, so they are easier to see and appearance edit (without having to use Low settings).

As long as you backup those save files, you can drop them into any new game you start, if you desire.

Granted, it's 100% easier if Larian just gives us a Hireling wardrobe and creation option within the game, but if they don't, this is the next best option, for right now.

[N̷3̸K̵̓R̶͝0̷̣̓͐5]

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

Originally posted by Terran:

You can drop that into the Debug Client one, that is the folder used when I opened a second copy of BG3, use that save with MP to Direct Connect, and plop the character in.

As long as you backup those save files, you can drop them into any new game you start, if you desire.

I'm having some trouble doing this workaround. I've made the save with the "hireling" and dropped that file into the Debug Client folder, but when I join my original save using the 2nd Debug Client process of BG3, it doesn't start any Character Creation; it simply unloads a previously made custom character from the Wardrobe and plays as that.

How do you "plop the character in"? Could you detail the quoted process/step in more detail please?

[Zackerie]

it is confirmed being worked on, it just isn't in the game yet.

[Aldain]

Originally posted by zackerie:

it is confirmed being worked on, it just isn't in the game yet.

The fact that a "Create New" button in Withers' hireling menu requires active post-launch development is a confusing thing to me, they have the character creator, they have a menu that loads it up for the current premade hirelings, routing that to the full character creation system sans origins and guardian doesn't seem like it's that complex of a way to go to me.

[Swords]

@OP: Hells yes. Exactly what I'm hoping. Either Larian or modders.

[Y'shtola]

Originally posted by N̷3̸K̵̓R̶͝0̷̣̓͐5:

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

I'm having some trouble doing this workaround. I've made the save with the "hireling" and dropped that file into the Debug Client folder, but when I join my original save using the 2nd Debug Client process of BG3, it doesn't start any Character Creation; it simply unloads a previously made custom character from the Wardrobe and plays as that.

How do you "plop the character in"? Could you detail the quoted process/step in more detail please?

Ah, was just theoretical. Was about to test it myself.
If the wardrobe only holds a single character, then Larian really sucks.

Anyways, so far all I have done is 2 processes, and 1 PC/NPC in the Wardrobe, haven't tried multiples yet. Will try it out now and see what happens.

[Y'shtola]

Originally posted by zackerie:

it is confirmed being worked on, it just isn't in the game yet.

Are you sure you're not thinking of the alter your main character's appearance after creation? I haven't heard anything about Hirelings.

[Sean]

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

Originally posted by N̷3̸K̵̓R̶͝0̷̣̓͐5:

Ah, was just theoretical. Was about to test it myself.
If the wardrobe only holds a single character, then Larian really sucks.

Anyways, so far all I have done is 2 processes, and 1 PC/NPC in the Wardrobe, haven't tried multiples yet. Will try it out now and see what happens.

I'm having this same issue. The existing character in the wardrobe is always pulled out the moment any player connects, regardless of it's their character or not (assuming there is only one joining player at the time). This means any players that join your campaign thereafter will not be prompted to make their own character and will be forced to play someone else's existing character. I don't think the wardrobe feature is currently working as intended.

[Y'shtola]

Yeah, so I am done testing. Tried what I could.

Put your settings in Video to Low.
You must open 4 instances of the game.
Do your main first, and then open MP, set Direct Connect, get the code.

Use BG3_DX11.exe to start a second instance.
Connect via MP, create a character and drop their portrait on the main game (usually the far left on the four)

Repeat the above two steps for a third and fourth instance.
Each subsequent instance will be tagged "Debug_Client_Profile_#", so the 2nd instance of the game is D_C_P_1, then 3rd instance is D_C_P_2, then 4th instance is D_C_P_3.

Unfortunately, you can only ever have your main character + 3 customs via the Wardrobe.

You must use four instances, because the 2nd instance will always be the 2nd character you create, 3rd will always be 3rd, and 4th will always be 4th.
If you close one instance (2nd, 3rd, or 4th) after creating a 5th instance of the game, then the 5th instance will use the 4th Instance character.

So this is the best that can be done, currently. Until something better is created for Hirelings.

Edit: I do not know what would happen if you had 3 customs in the Wardrobe, and then another player attempted to join via an online connection.

Either that player would be forced to use one of the three, or may be able to create another, granting you a main + four customs.

[N̷3̸K̵̓R̶͝0̷̣̓͐5]

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

Yeah, so I am done testing. Tried what I could.

Put your settings in Video to Low.
You must open 4 instances of the game.
Do your main first, and then open MP, set Direct Connect, get the code.

Use BG3_DX11.exe to start a second instance.
Connect via MP, create a character and drop their portrait on the main game (usually the far left on the four)

Repeat the above two steps for a third and fourth instance.
Each subsequent instance will be tagged "Debug_Client_Profile_#", so the 2nd instance of the game is D_C_P_1, then 3rd instance is D_C_P_2, then 4th instance is D_C_P_3.

Unfortunately, you can only ever have your main character + 3 customs via the Wardrobe.

You must use four instances, because the 2nd instance will always be the 2nd character you create, 3rd will always be 3rd, and 4th will always be 4th.
If you close one instance (2nd, 3rd, or 4th) after creating a 5th instance of the game, then the 5th instance will use the 4th Instance character.

So this is the best that can be done, currently. Until something better is created for Hirelings.

Edit: I do not know what would happen if you had 3 customs in the Wardrobe, and then another player attempted to join via an online connection.

Either that player would be forced to use one of the three, or may be able to create another, granting you a main + four customs.

My testing was done with 3 customs in the wardrobe, and I had a friend of (from a completely separate internet and device) join on my MP game, and they simply spawned in with a randomly selected custom from the wardrobe, not allowing them to make their own new custom PC.

[Shift]

For a developer who did many things right, I still can't wrap my mind on what they were thinking when they designed the current hireling system.

When people asked to play as other characters that's not just origin characters, I doubt they were asking for them to click random button for us.

No offense, but this is the most dumb design decision I've ever seen in my 20 years as gamer and 12 as software engineer.

[Y'shtola]

Yeah, it really pisses me off. I likely won't touch BG3 again until this is fixed, either with mods or Larian actually listens to what the player base wants.

There is just no excuse not to have this. Especially after comments by the Founder back as far as 2020, stating we would be getting custom party access from the Character Creation screen, and failing miserably to deliver that.

[avaririot]

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

Opened my save after the update, Steam was killed in processes, used the dx11.exe file to run two copies. Got the Direct Connect ID, used it in the second copy in order to join up.

Created a second PC, put them in my main game, killed the second game.

Dismissed the PC, Wardrobe appears like magic. Test PC/NPC sitting comfortably inside like an item. Beautiful.

Examined him. Pulled him out of the Wardrobe, it vanished. Reappeared as I dismissed him. Excellent.

Now do this for Hirelings. Give us a Wither's Wardrobe of Hirelings that functions exactly the same way. Give us a Dismiss command to put them in the new Wardrobe, let us take them out as we wish.

Seriously. Give Withers the dialogue option to create a custom hireling, pop up character creation, we make them, they appear near him in our party, just like the Prefab hirelings.

We dismiss them? They go to the new Wardrobe. Heck, stick the prefab Hirelings into that one as well if you dismiss them.

The Wardrobe satisfies all the needs of a custom hireling. Somewhere to store them in camp, a way to take them as needed to have various ones to play with.

Withers backstory satisfies the reason we have them (there being many, so he says)

All you gotta do is let the game call up the creation screens for them. Do this for us.

This would make this game so tremendous, and it would make so many people happy. Don't toy with us. You've shown that these things can be achieved.

Not allowing custom hirelings shows a lack of confidence in the characters they wrote.

[Y'shtola]

Originally posted by avaririot:

Originally posted by Y'shtola:

Opened my save after the update, Steam was killed in processes, used the dx11.exe file to run two copies. Got the Direct Connect ID, used it in the second copy in order to join up.

Created a second PC, put them in my main game, killed the second game.

Dismissed the PC, Wardrobe appears like magic. Test PC/NPC sitting comfortably inside like an item. Beautiful.

Examined him. Pulled him out of the Wardrobe, it vanished. Reappeared as I dismissed him. Excellent.

Now do this for Hirelings. Give us a Wither's Wardrobe of Hirelings that functions exactly the same way. Give us a Dismiss command to put them in the new Wardrobe, let us take them out as we wish.

Seriously. Give Withers the dialogue option to create a custom hireling, pop up character creation, we make them, they appear near him in our party, just like the Prefab hirelings.

We dismiss them? They go to the new Wardrobe. Heck, stick the prefab Hirelings into that one as well if you dismiss them.

The Wardrobe satisfies all the needs of a custom hireling. Somewhere to store them in camp, a way to take them as needed to have various ones to play with.

Withers backstory satisfies the reason we have them (there being many, so he says)

All you gotta do is let the game call up the creation screens for them. Do this for us.

This would make this game so tremendous, and it would make so many people happy. Don't toy with us. You've shown that these things can be achieved.

Not allowing custom hirelings shows a lack of confidence in the characters they wrote.

The Companions are just lacking.
If you want an evil party, you're locked to a specific set of them.
If you want a good party, you're locked to another.
Otherwise they will piss and moan about your actions and leave.

There simply isn't enough variety with the NPC companions.
At best you get 1-2 playthroughs of the game, then they get stale fast.
The same attitudes, commentary, etc.
That's why we need 100% customizable hirelings, for replayability.