21 replies to this topic

[Littiz]

Hi to all who remember me and to everyone else

I'm back after some years as I've decided to have another run with the game.
But ouch, this has gotten disorienting!
A lot of new stuff, hundreds of mods, and my own memories of the game mechanics and general "mods lore" are faded.

I'd like to start a somehow in-depth discussion about mods and their possible interactions/conflicts: I remember back then there was a very comprehensive thread which listed compatibilities and such.

What I'm specifically looking for is a set of quality mods and enhancements which fit together in a (as much as possible) seamless way.
For instance, what tactics mods can I mix and how?
I would like to take the best from Xyx's, Weimer, and the new Gibberlings 3 mod for instance.

Which NPCs mods are generally considered totally in tone with the game?
Kelsey is such a mod for instance, I read Saerilith is another. Are there more?

I'm aware that I'm asking a lot and that it'll take some time before I will be able to actually start a new game, but I'll appreciate any help and I won't mind if we go somewhat OT remembering the old days of great modding and play!

[Jarno Mikkola]

Well, since I don't know what exactly you are looking for, I'll go with this:
For new mods, I would recommend the Widescreen Mod(more like a resolution change mod ), and the Level 1 NPCs

A lot of new stuff, hundreds of mods, and my own memories of the game mechanics and general "mods lore" are faded...
For instance, what tactics mods can I mix and how?
I would like to take the best from Xyx's, Weimer, and the new Gibberlings 3 mod for instance.

Sword Coast Stratagems, and SCS2 are probably the best because the NPCs won't cheat and they work with (nearly)everything. For more info you probably should look at the BiG World v5.xx documents from here. It has info on nearly every mod there is and an instructions of what to choose and on which order try to do it, fixes etc.

[Kaeloree]

Littiz! Dear me, an old hand indeed...

I would recommend Amber as an NPC who fits in well--Kivan, too. I'm still not sure any NPC to date fits in "seamlessly," but those are the ones I personally thought were the closest.

[the bigg]

Bentornato! Sei solo di passaggio o rimani?

Regarding mod compatibilities, there is no fast-and-hard rule or comprehensive thread nowadays (there are some attempts at making a download-compatible-mods tool, one being my graduation thesis, but for now tough luck). Your best bet is to read mod descriptions and post the one which interest you, and some kind soul will post compatibility, install order and further suggestions (or rather, ten kind souls will come and say ten incompatible things). Also, you might be interested in known that there's something going on for RtW, but unfortunately I can't say anything more specific

As for my 2 cents, I wouldn't install SCS or SCSII (or any tactics mod) if you haven't played the game for four years, they are quite tough combat-wise and you'll end up reloading ten times over each mage battle.

[vilkacis]

I would not consider Saerilith "totally in tone with the game". More like "should come with a custom title screen reading Saerileth's Gate". ...sorry, I'll be quiet now.

I hear Xan is good, though, and he'd be good for consistency if you used him in BG1.

[Kulyok]

I'll echo the_Bigg here: your best bet is checking the modlist and trying out stuff on your own; if you have any doubt about compatibility, you only have to post.

As for what you've missed(and what I genuinely find interesting _and_ relatively bug-free), let's see. I remember you've been around when Keto/Quest Pack/The Longer Road came out, so:

Quests:
Tower of Deception
Assassinations
Dungeon Crawl

NPC and NPC-related:
Fade
de'Arnise Romance
Kivan
Xan
Angelo
Romantic Encounters

Also, for Tutu:
- BG1 NPC with six new romances,
- Gavin mod,
- Coran and Xan Friendship,
- BG mini-quests and encounters

BG2 Tweaks and Level1NPCs are must-haves for me. And, yes, the usual: Banter Pack, Flirt Pack, Dungeon-Be-Gone, select components of Unfinished Business and Quest Pack.

And Domi's IWD2 NPC, absolutely - I've heard a new version will be available soon.

[berelinde]

As for Widescreen Mod, at G3, that mod might as well be considered mandatory if you're using a widescreen monitor. Without it, everything is out of proportion. I'm loving the mod.

Do you like convenience mods at all? If so, you might consider some aspects of SCS and SCSII worthwhile, even if you elect not to install the combat enhancements. I wouldn't be able to play Tutu without the "Allow NPC pairs to separate" component of SCS.

As for Dungeon-Be-Gone, maybe you might not want it on your first run-through in years, but you might like it on subsequent games. Ditto the "Skip Candlekeep" component of SCS and "Faster Cutscenes and Dreams" of BG2 Tweaks.

The Gibberlings Three Anniversary Mod is good for a little levity, if you don't like quests that are too serious all the time. I've found it an entertaining way to burn a day or two while waiting for something else to happen, like waiting to get Mazzy back, or for Jan's quest to start, or for Nalia's father's funeral.

[Littiz]

Thanx all!

@the_bigg:
yes, I plan to stick around as much as I can (after all, you can't play without getting caught again by the environment!)
Of course I'm being realistic tough, I probably won't be able to be an active member as I've been in the past.
RtW, you say? Well, you know my take on the subject.
Never getting to release that mod was one of the worst CRIMES we could do to the gaming community.
Please let me know what's happening, if your claims are true

Ok, I shall procede with patience, step by step.
A first preliminary list of the mods I'd intend to use, letting NPCs aside for the moment
(those will be tricky since I'd REALLY want to use a monk and a sorcerer to try our Refinements tables, which I'd never gotten around to play myself, after all the work.... , but other needs apply...)

• Fixes, of course.
  
• Bg2 Tweaks, Ding0 Tweaks (selected components)
  
• Graphic Enhancements: 1pp, Flaming Sword, Inventory Bams...
  
• Ascension, Weimer's Tactics (though probably not everything), Item Upgrade
  
• Slightly Improved Ilyich (not Weimer's)
  
• Something from Improved Battles
  
• Rogue Rebalancing (the parts that are not addressed by Refinements too)
  
• Oversight
  
• Unfinished Business
  
• Virtue
  
• Banters Pack
  
• Sword Coast Stratagems II (I don't mind the challenges @bigg - I was quite the player in my days, and honestly the story arc is well known already. I'll re-learn what I've lost, and I'm prepared to bang my head at the monitor for each one of those countless reloads )
  
• Possibly other tactical additions, provided I can figure out how to let them all interact...
  
• Some more Item packs (possibly balanced and cool, I like the idea of restoring the BG1 items for instance)
  
• Tower of Deception (looks indeed very good, thanx Kulyok)
  
• Minor convenience modifications, as Berelinde calls them (xpcap remover, the Teleport spell I've seen somewhere...)
  
• Refinements (HLAs, Swashimoen, Revised Armors, Shapeshifting fix, Sword Angel). Too bad SCS II will be using the old tables for the enemies though, right the_bigg?

Bah, I'm probably forgetting a ton already.
I know I'll have a hard time working out a feasible configuration and, let's call it, an installation walkthrough
Anyhow, if some evident mistake or suggestion hits you, I'll keep appreciating the help!
Thanx guys, I'm getting the feel of the place already again

Edited by Littiz, 29 March 2008 - 10:59 AM.

[Kulyok]

Yes, you're forgetting all of my mods.

Seriously, here's one bit of advice you may find useful: install Virtue _dead last_. After Refinements, after everything. Otherwise, all your parting NPC dialogues are screwed. SCS II should go right before Virtue, and BG2 Tweaks right before SCS II.

Also, yes, Ascension/Tactics among the first, fixpack first of all - but you know that already, I know. Have fun playing!

Edited by Kulyok, 29 March 2008 - 10:58 AM.

[the bigg]

The Monk NPCs suck IMNSHO (or anyway have just a couple of banters), whereas the Sorceror NPCs don't (Tashia, Kelsey, and an install-time option for Xan are all sorcerors). You can also use L1NPC to make Bioware characters (or Mod ones, past tp2 hacking) into a Sword Angel or a Monk, to free up other slots for Mod NPCs.

The SCSII readme should provide info regarding compatibility with all other tactical challenges, whereas Refinements is choosy with regards to Item Packs (kit mods, OTOH, are now much nicer) - again, the readme is your friend. Rogue Rebalancing also maintains a nice compatibility pinned topic in its forum (since aVENGER just came back). Of course, quest (and, to a lesser extent, tactical) mods tend to contain items, making full Refinements compatibility iffy (but you can of course play through the quest and discard the item, differently from Item Mods).

Regarding other mods, I think that most of Oversight is included in BG2Fixpack or other mods anyway and Improved Battles is just an hack&slash fest against level 20 fighters dual-wielding Hackmasters and with infinite potions. Somebody will post a more detailed install order (I'm not really into all those intricacies nowadays).

Regarding RtW, your best bet should be to PM either Cuv or SConrad for info - while I'm the team, I've been idling out busy with WeiDU and WSM.

install Virtue _dead last_. After Refinements, after everything. Otherwise, all your parting NPC dialogues are screwed.

They'll still be. My patch still wasn't merged.

Edited by the bigg, 29 March 2008 - 11:14 AM.

[SConrad]

Hey Littiz--long time, no see. I don't really have anything worthwhile to the conversation at this point (the others seem to have things covered), but I wanted to stop by and say hi.

[aVENGER]

Hi to all who remember me and to everyone else

Hey there Littiz, good to see you again!

For instance, what tactics mods can I mix and how?
I would like to take the best from Xyx's, Weimer, and the new Gibberlings 3 mod for instance.

Personally, I'd just stick with SCSII. It's pretty much your one-stop-shop for tactical AI enhancements and it also incorporates most of the stuff which was previously handled by Tactics.

Which NPCs mods are generally considered totally in tone with the game?

I thought Xan and Kivan were great additions to the original Bioware cast, and JC's de'Arnise Romance (Nalia) is looking pretty good so far too.

Rogue Rebalancing

I think you'll like the new version. Make sure to check my Compatibility Guide before installing it though.

[Azazello]

• Fixes, of course.
  
• Bg2 Tweaks, Ding0 Tweaks (selected components)
  
• Graphic Enhancements: 1pp, Flaming Sword, Inventory Bams...
  
• Ascension, Weimer's Tactics (though probably not everything), Item Upgrade
  
• Slightly Improved Ilyich (not Weimer's)
  
• Something from Improved Battles
  
• Rogue Rebalancing (the parts that are not addressed by Refinements too)
  
• Oversight
  
• Unfinished Business
  
• Virtue
  
• Banters Pack
  
• Sword Coast Stratagems II (I don't mind the challenges @bigg - I was quite the player in my days, and honestly the story arc is well known already. I'll re-learn what I've lost, and I'm prepared to bang my head at the monitor for each one of those countless reloads )
  
• Possibly other tactical additions, provided I can figure out how to let them all interact...
  
• Some more Item packs (possibly balanced and cool, I like the idea of restoring the BG1 items for instance)
  
• Tower of Deception (looks indeed very good, thanx Kulyok)
  
• Minor convenience modifications, as Berelinde calls them (xpcap remover, the Teleport spell I've seen somewhere...)
  
• Refinements (HLAs, Swashimoen, Revised Armors, Shapeshifting fix, Sword Angel). Too bad SCS II will be using the old tables for the enemies though, right the_bigg?

Bah, I'm probably forgetting a ton already.
I know I'll have a hard time working out a feasible configuration and, let's call it, an installation walkthrough

Based on this very general advice -- http://forums.gibber...s...=6438&st=4# -- and on very specifc lessons learned on these boards:

• Ascension
  
• G3 BG2 Fixpack
  
• Unfinished Business
  
• Tower of Deception
  
• Banters Pack
  
• Weimer's Tactics (though probably not everything)
  
• Slightly Improved Ilyich (not Weimer's)
  
• Something from Improved Battles
  
• Sword Coast Stratagems II
  
• Possibly other tactical additions
  
• Item Upgrade
  
• Some more Item packs
  
• Minor convenience modifications, as Berelinde calls them (xpcap remover, the Teleport spell I've seen somewhere...)
  
• Oversight
  
• Rogue Rebalancing
  
• Bg2 Tweaks, Ding0 Tweaks (selected components)
  
• Refinements
  
• Virtue
  
• Graphic Enhancements: 1pp, Flaming Sword, Inventory Bams...
  
• Major convenience modifications, e.g. Widescreen Mod

[Littiz]

Nice to see you again too, aVENGER and SConrad!
This place is still quite decently inhabited, it seems

Again thank you all for your help.
It's been harder than I imagined but I nearly completed my full reinstallation of game and mods.
@aVENGER, your guide helped me considerably a figuring out a lot of things (and of course I love your mod, it's been a road opener as we've always claimed!).

Yes, you're forgetting all of my mods.

Well, Assassination doesn't seem the mod for me, but Xan is already in, included as a Sorcerer as the_bigg's brilliantly suggested
The final list is as follows:

-BG2_Fixpack
-Ascension
-Item Upgrade
-Ruad
-Underrepresented Items
-Tactics (very few seemingly undependent components)
-Banters Pack
-Unfinished Business
-QuestPack
-1pp (and Flaming Sword)
-Rogue Rebalancing
-Bg2 Tweaks
-Sword Coast Stratagems II
-Xan
-Saerileth
-Refinements
-Kivan

Sorry Azazello, I read your suggestions too late. Hopefully things won't be too much messed up anyway
At this point, I only have one last question for you guys.
My final addition (for this particular game) would be Virtue.
BUT, I need Viconia as a Cleric, while I will be performing a lot of good deeds.
The Happy Party tweak reports that Virtue will nullify the tweak itself... now, I know this makes sense, but it'd be a shame to lose Virtue just for this problem, after all, Viconia is almost a forced choice (I want a full cleric and no, I'm not in the mood for Anomen..).
Any suggestion about this issue? I can't wait to start playing

[Tassadar88]

Yep, if you get Cuv from Toril and generally from playing (and modding) Oblivion, he can copy you the last version of Strohm part of RTW for testing

[Azazello]

Sorry Azazello, I read your suggestions too late. Hopefully things won't be too much messed up anyway

Please believe all of us when we say: Reinstall NOW. Don't wait, don't walk. RUN.

[Littiz]

Yep, if you get Cuv from Toril and generally from playing (and modding) Oblivion, he can copy you the last version of Strohm part of RTW for testing

But is it really going on?
The yahoo group seems inactive.
I don't have time myself ATM for another modding frenzy, but...

Please believe all of us when we say: Reinstall NOW. Don't wait, don't walk. RUN.

I trust your words Azazello, but installing the game with the mods has become a very LONG and TIRING issue... for this time I'd accept even a broken installation. Free afternoons come sparsely

Thank you all for the help again anyway, we'll see how the game unfolds

[Azazello]

...but installing the game with the mods has become a very LONG and TIRING issue...

You've been away awhile. Quick re-installing is now, well, quicker, and as simple as
One (or 111) ...
Two ...
333...

[Sammi Somara]

Probably the most developed NPC mod is Kulyok's Xan. So...believable. If anyone fits seamlessly into the game it's him.

Domi's Kivan and Deheriana mod is a close second.

I also enjoy Yikari and Hubelpot, though they pale in comparison to the first two mentioned.

[Brannin Vael]

How ironic that I decided to re-install and play the game and mods after several years away from it and stumble upon this post...thanks all for the good info