9 replies to this topic

[m5000]

is there a BG1/2 editor that allowed detecting possible conflicts among mods that have been installed?

there are sometimes such editors for other games, e.g. Morrowind has one or two simillar editors and they can check the mod files and produce a report about possible conflicts regarding graphics, dialouges, items, etc

i was wondering if there's anything similar for BG or if anyone has ever tried to do something like that for BG?

[Leviathan Soulraven]

i dunno if it works... but I came across this whilst tryin to repair a broken link for a dl on the main install list...

G3_Debugging_Suite-v2.exe

[cmorgan]

That is a great tool CamDawg built, but it is very definitely an experienced modder tool, using WeiDU to grab all sorts of good info.

Sadly, short of truly learning WeiDU, DLTCEP, and NI, adding in the DyValiTool tucked away deep in the threads in the WeiDU forums, and wrapping it all up with the G3 Debugging Suite (or using a savegame comparison tool found over on BWL to tease out problems), then teasing out each potential conflict manually and proposing fixes to the various modders ... there is not much more you can do. I do not believe anyone has written a comprehensive interactive mod-comparison tool. (CRPG designers have gotten more accustomed to modders over the years, and now often create opportunities, but WeiDU is kind of a reverse-engineering tool, from a time when developers were not interested in folks playing with their code).

the bigg is the closest person to this kind of effort, as he has been working on WeiGUI-type things for awhile. Currently, however, the tech he is working on looks aimed at organizing and monitoring installs of mod components, rather than their interactions.

[Oldwolf]

First I'm not a modder nor any kind of coder so please don't shout at me for this but I run DLTCEP thru it's checks after I've completed my mega installs. It has a check option and runs through each of the file types to check for errors and inconsistancies. I'll say this it checks the individual files for errors but not the interaction between them. So as far as it goes it's a usefull indicator. If it finds errors you've probably got a problem before you even start playing. If it doesn't find them you still may have interaction problems but the base files are good it's just the interaction between the mods that's causing the trouble

Edited by Oldwolf, 01 June 2007 - 08:48 PM.

[Kulyok]

Unless you install mods that REPLACE, not APPEND, and delete existing game resources(TS comes to mind, here is the beginning of the tale) you'll be fine without extra checks.

(And, yes, asking the_bigg about megainstalls will probably be a bigg mistake ).

[cmorgan]

aggreed - Kulyok speaks Helm's Truth

[Vlad]

Small malignant and loathsome *kulyok* tries to bite me at every place and every moment. Don't bother, the post you recited here is almost three years old. It seems you dig-up such posts all the time, probably you have nothing to do at your spare time or your modding muse has gone long time ago.

[Kulyok]

Small malignant and loathsome *kulyok* tries to bite me at every place and every moment. Don't bother, the post you recited here is almost three years old.

Why, have you given up the practice, and now your mods are compatible with everything?

Oh, and your manners are impeccable, as always.

[Azkyroth]

As some of our members have been kind enough to demonstrate, there are additional complications to these sorts of efforts, like longstanding disagreements between different elements of the modding community and perceived conflicts of interest. On that note, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everybody about our guidelines.

[cmorgan]

I am sorry, I seem to have unintentionally sparked offense - let me clarify for the original poster, and perhaps we will all work together here, please? Vlad, I apologise for any potentially or accidentally insulting material -

to be very clear, summarizing info:

• m5000 - the bigg is both the acknowledged expert and the sole maintainer of Weidu, and the only person currently active in building a version of WeiDU which might one day be capable of replicating the Plugin Managers and Mod Managers found in Morrowind and many other more modern cRPGs.
  
• Everyone - that being said, the bigg's time and energy is centered on WeiDU, and approaching him with the idea of building a Mod Manager for a BGT install would be counterproductive, for both historical and time-oriented reasons. Everyone wins if the bigg is allowed to do what he does best, and continue on his path to build a bigger and better WeiDU. Please don't ask a master craftsman to rush his work - you will like neither the response nor the resulting product
  
• Oldwolf, your idea is great, and does identify potential problems with a game; you are also right in that none of these tools will directly identify or manage inter-mod conflicts. For that, lots of research and work is done every day on the forums, so a check will give you ideas of what components in a mod and what mods will work/have been successfully used by others.
  
• Kulyok is entirely correct that *any* mod which generally uses REPLACE instead of APPEND, deletes existing resources, destructively rebuilds creatures, dialogue, or scripts (non-WeiDU mods, or older mods generally, but there are still strong, modern, popular mods out there enjoyed by many that use these approaches) will definitely cause compatability problems. Sometimes even fixes will cause compatability problems; there are modern mods with all of the best coding practice in place, who fall into this category - even The BG1 NPC Project, who's stated goal is to Do No Harm/Work With Everyone, is forced at times to use REPLACE_STATE_TRIGGER! (we do try to rebuild it with the original triggers intact, but that means other mods -we are just lucky to have not run into a major conflict as of yet ) Regardless of your philosophical stance on these matters, from a practical user standpoint your best bet is to read the ReadMe of the mod that you *most* want to include, and begin with that modders suggestions. Some modders wish you to experience the game world in a very specific way. Before installing *anything* on your game, you should probably read the related ReadMe's and look on the forums for updates.

Hope this clarifies and summarizes for everyone.
Cheers
- cmorgan