7 replies to this topic

[andy d.]

Is it necessary to biff files, and if so - what files, where?
And when should I do it if installing this package???

1) ToB+offic. patch
2) BDash-WeiDU
3) SoS v1.10/TDD v1.10/CtB v1.7
4) TS-BP v6.04.01
5) BGT-WeiDU v1.00
6) DSotSC v1.81/NTotSC v1.42/SoBH v2.02/GCep1 v1.00
7) BP v1.76
Worldmap, latest version

Sorry if this is an inane question...
Thank You.

[Azazello]

I too would love to see a comprehensive treatise on this subject. It's a heady proposition, I know, involving lots of Searching and Reading and Critical Analysis.

I confess, I'm not (wo-?)man enough to do it. Who will be our savior? andy d.?

[horred the plague]

I too would love to see a comprehensive treatise on this subject. It's a heady proposition, I know, involving lots of Searching and Reading and Critical Analysis.

I confess, I'm not (wo-?)man enough to do it. Who will be our savior? andy d.?

Just about everything you listed (except BP) has a built-in biffer. If it doesn't, you can find one posted in the forums.

Why am I not biffing BP? Two good reasons. 1) it is a BETA work-in-progress, with frequent updates. Biffing up the files would make it difficult on everybody. 2) BP doesn't alter too many files more than several other small-mod components; like DefJam, (pick-a-package)_Tweaks, etc.

I do not recommend biffing BP until BP is final. If you "must", do it when you're done installing mods. Make a backup of your override and chitin.key file. It's the only way you can revert, after all. Use that generic biffer file I've seen bouncing around the forums somewhere or another....I made my own version, so I've never used it. I'm sure it works fine.

When you want to uninstall anything, you'll have to delete your current override and key-file, and cut/paste your saved versions back to the game folder. Then, you can uninistall any/all mods as normal.

Note that you should save override/key files from any mod that was biffed, without an "auto-biff" in the install. I'm speaking specifically of any biffers you grab from the forums, not included with the mod packages themselves.

[andy d.]

?
[/quote]

Just about everything you listed (except BP) has a built-in biffer. If it doesn't, you can find one posted in the forums.

I do not recommend biffing BP until BP is final. If you "must", do it when you're done installing mods. Make a backup of your override and chitin.key file. It's the only way you can revert, after all. Use that generic biffer file I've seen bouncing around the forums somewhere or another....I made my own version, so I've never used it. I'm sure it works fine.

When you want to uninstall anything, you'll have to delete your current override and key-file, and cut/paste your saved versions back to the game folder. Then, you can uninistall any/all mods as normal.

Note that you should save override/key files from any mod that was biffed, without an "auto-biff" in the install. I'm speaking specifically of any biffers you grab from the forums, not included with the mod packages themselves.
[/quote]

Thanks. The reason I asked is because somebody mentioned it as a possible remedy to a crashing problem that I had. So i went back and ran the biff-bat that came with DSotSC, followed by the one which came with NTotSC (which I realise was wrong...) and the game wouldn't load at all...
So I wanted to clear it up before starting my marathon reinstallation. I thought biffing may only be necessary if you had an extreme amount of mods/files in the override.
Would you recommend backing-up the override/key/dialog files at every stage of a big mod install?

[horred the plague]

I thought biffing may only be necessary if you had an extreme amount of mods/files in the override.
Would you recommend backing-up the override/key/dialog files at every stage of a big mod install?

If you're not experiencing any slowdown, then don't worry about biffing your override. Small, medium, large, or "HUGEST!!!".

No, I do not recommend all these backups. Mods with built-in biffing components are already doing this for you. Only make the backups where you use a third-party biffing batch file, or with mods you know to have some installer issues (like the crashes many experience when installing Divine Remix).

If you run into the latter, I also "highly" suggest backing up your weidu.log. --e.g. Divine Remix was the last mod in my install; when the installer crashed, it also cleared every entry from said .log file!

[CamDawg]

Pros

• May solve ingame slowdown issues on heavily modded installs

Cons

• Many mods have explicit file checks to detect other mods for compatibility purposes; biffing can result in incorrect detections and therefore compatiblity-related bugs, issues, and other wonkiness.
  
• With a biffing script: helloooooo manual uninstalls!
  
• Biffing alters chitin.key, a vital file needed for your install. Bad script or bad luck means a restoration from backup (best-case) or a full re-install (worst-case).
  
• Some files (tis) have slightly different formats depending on whether they're biffed or dumped in an override. If you biff a mod with tis files that may not be anticipating a future biffing you may experience CTDs in new areas. (This one, I'm not so sure on--WeiDU may strip/add headers as appropriate, but I don't think so.)

Conclusion: don't do it unless you're sure you need it. If you do, be sure to make backups and it would be better to perform a single biffing after installing all of the mods you want.

[the bigg]

Some files (tis) have slightly different formats depending on whether they're biffed or dumped in an override. If you biff a mod with tis files that may not be anticipating a future biffing you may experience CTDs in new areas. (This one, I'm not so sure on--WeiDU may strip/add headers as appropriate, but I don't think so.)

TIS are handled properly in the WeiDU version that is sitting in my hard drive, not in the official one. BTW, you shouldn't get CTDs, but rather messed graphics.

[andy d.]

Okay...thanks, I'm starting to understand the whole biffin' thing. I just want to clear everything up so I can install a large working package (oo-er, sound a bit rude...)
W/ these installs and reinstalls I'm getting tired walking to Beregost and back every day...