388 replies to this topic

[dreamer2007]

After discussing the issue with Haiass not following the main character out of Candlekeep Inn in it's thread, it seems that the problem is caused by something not done correctly during the BWP install process. Miloch says that somehow an old version of Haiass is installed, that somehow has some new features added by him, except the resurrection feature that has to be selected during the install from two options... I suspected that maybe the unpacking had some problems since I have in my Big World Downloads the old Haiass version and the new one, and I thought that maybe the old version is unpacked over the new one. Any idea what's going on?

Bleh . Well you are not alone. I don't know if there's a 64-bit version of xm2wav. Worst case scenario is you'll have to live without the sounds

Yeah I can live without the sounds. More important is that the mod works correctly for me. Also maybe the BWP team knows of a way to make that message disappear for us vista 64 bit users at least until an update of that exe appears? That's because the install process stops at that point until you press ok that you acknowledge the existence of the error.

Edited by dreamer2007, 07 June 2009 - 01:02 AM.

[dabus]

Don't you think that should be done by the modder of this mod. (If he is still around )
By the way - why don't you run this exe in 32-bit-mode? I think it should be possible to set it that way, isn't it?

[dreamer2007]

Don't you think that should be done by the modder of this mod. (If he is still around )

Yes, if the mod creator could make that exe compatible with vista 64 would be great of course, but maybe until then something could be done to make that message not appear and stop the install process. If it's not possible it doesn't matter . It's more than enough that the install doesn't stop more often like in the past, in the times before the smoothpack

By the way - why don't you run this exe in 32-bit-mode? I think it should be possible to set it that way, isn't it?

Yes, I think I can run it using a compatibility mode. That way at least I will get the sounds. I will try it later. Thanks for the suggestion .

[dabus]

Uh, I did not intended to say that 64bit should be supported by the program. I did mean that he could mention the compat-mode. 64bit is just a little too far ahead, not that much faster then 32bit and the number of installations is cute compared to 32bit. I'd say there are more important things to do before.
(like a tob-part for imoen, that is supposed to be around for ages.)

[Miloch]

After discussing the issue with Haiass not following the main character out of Candlekeep Inn in it's thread, it seems that the problem is caused by something not done correctly during the BWP install process. Miloch says that somehow an old version of Haiass is installed, that somehow has some new features added by him, except the resurrection feature that has to be selected during the install from two options... I suspected that maybe the unpacking had some problems since I have in my Big World Downloads the old Haiass version and the new one, and I thought that maybe the old version is unpacked over the new one. Any idea what's going on?

I checked the latest BWS and it does indeed appear to still get the v2.0. If you don't have the latest patch, then you get the v1.2. However, even if you downloaded Haiass v2.1 and replaced it, you will be screwed with the BiG World "Fixpack" because it overwrites setup-haiass.tp2 with an old version . They really should not do this at all, and certainly not for mods that are still being maintained. It is possible to patch TP2s anyway, based on whether certain text is found in it. In addition, it appears to patch or overwrite some scripts and dialogue which should not be necessary with the new version - they should reverse all that. They should also consolidate the Fixpack/ Setup/ Install Pack/ "Smoothpack" (whatever that is) into one easier package, because it's a bit confusing to figure out what's going on with it all. Practically everyone who installs BWP grabs all that anyway, it would appear. Even if some of it's optional, there's no problem making optional components with WeiDU.

Also, they will have to account for a new component that has 2 choices as mentioned in the other thread, and they should probably move it later in the install process (after BP, Tactics or other mods that mess with area scripts extensively).

[mercurier]

Hello BWP team,

First I'd like to express my thanks to you for your great effort! My first experience with BWP is about two months ago. It was very pleasant in the beginning; however things began to jerk as game progressed. After a painful struggle I decided to reinstall BWP. To assure a better game experience, I studied the 7.0 PDF and many readmes of mods in the past month in preparation for my next installation, during which I found something could possibly be improved.
Note: Since I'm not an experienced modder, some of my suggestions may be totally wrong/unfeasible. Hope them won't trouble you too much

The Bigg Quest: according to its author, the component [The curse of Mprolla the cheater] is very cheesy and thus should be marked as TACTICAL.

DSoA: the component [Difficult Brown Dragon] should be skipped if BP is installed (it is included in the component [Improved Small Teeth Pass])

Revised Battle: Another Robe of Vecna (.\drizzt\itm\b#robe01.itm) should not be droppable. I've reported this exploit to the mod's thread but no response showed up, so see if you want to amend it

MTS Crappack: I see that most components from this mod is skipped by the .bat installer, leaving only several fixes addressing compatibility issues among Ding0's Tweak/Quest, Kelsey and BP. Also, I see there are patches for Ding0's Tweak/Quest and Kelsey in BWP fixpack. My concern is, if files from the original mods are patched by BWP and then overwritten by MTS, then BWP fixpack actually did nothing here. So how about integrating fixes from MTS into BWP fixpack if possible?

BG2Tweak: The following components are not present in the .bat installer:
-[Un-Nerfed THAC0 Table],
-[Un-Nerfed Sorcerer Spell Progression Table]
-[Alter Mage Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Bard Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Cleric Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Druid Spell and Level Progression Tables], un-nerfed or PnP
I think they should be included in the .bat installer. First, if players choose to play without TDD, then they can benefit from these components. What's more, I think neither of the un-nerfed or PnP version will cause trouble: installation of un-nerfed version will be skipped by setup-BG2_Tweaks.exe.tp2 (it is able to detect TDD), while installation of PnP version will simply copy .2da files into override, which should cause no problem. Additionally, I think it is Item Reversion, not BP, that overlaps with the component [Alter Weapon Proficiency System]: I searched weapprof.2da in SoA directory and found no backups in BP's directory. Anyway, better a typo than a bug

Kelsey: This mod includes a battle AI designed specifically for Kelsey: KelseyAI.bs. This script relies on several modified spells, which change some variables once cast. Unfortunately, these spells are overwritten by Spell Reversion in the latter installation, rendering the AI script ineffective. I suggest commenting out the AI part (line 513-578 in .tp2). Without this, we still have SCSII easy-of-use AI.

Kiara-Zaiya: This mod uses a "detectable spells" component to aid its AI system, which as well overwrites several spells like Kelsey mod. They latter got overwritten by Spell Reversion. The suggestion is same as for Kelsey mod.

D0's Questpack: It also includes "detectable spells". Although it patches spells rather than overwrite them, the patched files are still got overwritten by SR. In this case, things become complicated since the AI is used by enemies rather than party members. As the readme of SR said, SR should be installed before AI enhancing mods, so maybe splitting and rearranging the installation of D0's Questpack would help?

Global suggestions: Warnings on compatibility issues are distributed through out the whole PDF. Some conflicts are handled by the .bat installer, while some still require human intervension. I suggest indexing them in a separate chapter to draw attention from players (not everyone likes to go through the whole PDF!). Such conflicts I found are: [Streamlined Trolls]@Tactics vs. [More resilient trolls]@SCS2, Valen vs. [No Drow Avatars On Party In Underdark]@BG2Tweaks, Ascension vs. [Sarevok's Remorse]@BG2UB.

Cheers!

mercurier

Edited by mercurier, 08 June 2009 - 06:37 PM.

[Chevalier]

Dark Horizons bug (just a little one).


Item CMFLQ01.itm (Holy Flail of the Sun) says that it can only be used by clerics & paladins, but my clerics (Finch & Branwen) can't and my fighters can.

[Jarno Mikkola]

BG2Tweak: The following components are not present in the .bat installer:
-[Un-Nerfed THAC0 Table],
-[Un-Nerfed Sorcerer Spell Progression Table]
-[Alter Mage Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Bard Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Cleric Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Druid Spell and Level Progression Tables], un-nerfed or PnP

I do not know about the thac0 table, but the other components are on these lines:

%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2250 2260 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2250 2260 --logapp | %M%
%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%RR%IFNIF%song_and_silence%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2270 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%RR%IFNIF%song_and_silence%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2270 --logapp | %M%
%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%Divine_Remix%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2280 2290 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%Divine_Remix%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2280 2290 --logapp | %M%

Additionally, I think it is Item Reversion, not BP, that overlaps with the component [Alter Weapon Proficiency System]: I searched weapprof.2da in SoA directory and found no backups in BP's directory. Anyway, better a typo than a bug

There was no backup in BP, cause the component was never installed...

SKIPPING 14 [Level-50 Ruleset (Code By King Diamond)]?
If TDD is installed already, this step is skipped because this component already exists.

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 08 June 2009 - 03:44 PM.

[mercurier]

BG2Tweak: The following components are not present in the .bat installer:
-[Un-Nerfed THAC0 Table],
-[Un-Nerfed Sorcerer Spell Progression Table]
-[Alter Mage Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Bard Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Cleric Spell Progression Table], un-nerfed or PnP
-[Alter Druid Spell and Level Progression Tables], un-nerfed or PnP

I do not know about the thac0 table, but the other components are on these lines:

%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2250 2260 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2250 2260 --logapp | %M%
%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%RR%IFNIF%song_and_silence%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2270 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%RR%IFNIF%song_and_silence%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2270 --logapp | %M%
%IFES%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%Divine_Remix%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%0%SK% 2280 2290 --logapp | %M%
%IFGS%BG2_Tweaks%IFNIF%TDD%IFNIF%Divine_Remix%S%BG2_Tweaks%L%3%SK% 2280 2290 --logapp | %M%

Yeah you are right... I made a mistake here, sorry.

Additionally, I think it is Item Reversion, not BP, that overlaps with the component [Alter Weapon Proficiency System]: I searched weapprof.2da in SoA directory and found no backups in BP's directory. Anyway, better a typo than a bug

There was no backup in BP, cause the component was never installed...

The PDF says "Do not install this together with BP! BP has his own rule system!" on page 145, so I just checked it. Weapon proficiencies was altered by neither by BP or BG2Tweaks, but by Item Revirsion, and BG2Tweaks and Item Revirsion seem to achieve the same goal for this part. Whatever, the result is just fine

Edited by mercurier, 08 June 2009 - 06:41 PM.

[Leomar]

@ prowler

when I run bigworld install.bat I have choose EXPERT...and go for a cofee break
When I return, I noticed text on my monitor after installing Shadows over Osubar : Press any key to continue
But manual says that installation is fully automic... what I did wrong?

I can't say, because the installation is fully automic with the BW Smoothpack. Did open the SoS readme, too and you must closed it? Have you changed something in the Install.bat?

or remove special item from my bag (it blocked, like Imoen Belt from SOA)

I don't know, but why you want to do this? This is game dependend and you should RPG-wise life with that.



@ stmartin

BWP is amazing! I did a BG2 install and played through irenicus dungeon.

At first to let you know: The BWP is based on BGT and tested with this scenario. The BG2Only installation is nothing what we've tested and we have not the time to do that, too. The "BiG World Setup" gives you the option to do that if you wish. Leonardo did a short test with a BG2Only installation depends on the BWP and found some mysterious issues. Small ones, but it exist. With BGT these issues will not happen. Therefore we have no experience in it, but we want to hear about such issues, but not in this thread. Like you can see this thread is full of different topics and it would be nice if you can open your own thread for it. You can copy and paste your post #148 as first post for your thread. Thank you.



@ mercurier

Note: Since I'm not an experienced modder, some of my suggestions may be totally wrong/unfeasible. Hope them won't trouble you too much.

Thanks for all your insights. I'll come to it, tomorrow.



@ Miloch

you will be screwed with the BiG World "Fixpack" because it overwrites setup-haiass.tp2 with an old version

Right, I've forgot it. Thanks for mentioned it.

They really should not do this at all, and certainly not for mods that are still being maintained.

Normally we patch all TP2s, so that such issues will not happen. But for Haiass 1.) it was not supported anymore before you did it and what the BW Fixpack has in its _copy folder is the whole patch which you can get for it and we included it in the BW Fixpack only, without to change anything. Now we know, that such things could happen (thanks again for your Haiass update), so if we include a whole patch from others, we'll use it for patching the files and not overwriting them, next time.

They should also consolidate the Fixpack/ Setup/ Install Pack/ "Smoothpack" (whatever that is) into one easier package, because it's a bit confusing to figure out what's going on with it all. Practically everyone who installs BWP grabs all that anyway, it would appear.

I think another explanation about the BWP is needed. Why do you think we update the BWP? Because it is needed for the several changes which shows up after the last BWP release. After we have released a BWP version we're working on the next BWP version to add/change/delete/etc., all the needed things, which shows up. New mod-versions or new mods were released, which must be checked/tested, which files must be deleted from the BW Fixpack or which we must add, etc, etc. pp. We are an ongoing project. If more changes after a BWP release happens, so more the current BWP version is not working correctly, because of the date, which the BWP was released with the mod-versions and infos at this time. Normally you can say, after one/two weeks after a BWP release the BWP itself is still stable, but each week or month more, the BWP gets unstable. Much happen in this time. This will be all solved with a new BWP release. Until then all news must be made by the gamers. Since the BWP v7.0 release much is happend and that is fine. Much issues were sorted out and we have had much new mod-versions. At the moment we're working hard for the next BWP release and like you know, all needs time.

But we try to be up to date, but that is not easy. With the BWS we have new options and working on them, so the BWP could be stable more then only 2-3 weeks after a release. Give us time, we try to do it better in the future.


Greetings Leomar

Edited by Leomar, 10 June 2009 - 08:57 AM.

[Miloch]

@ prowler

or remove special item from my bag (it blocked, like Imoen Belt from SOA)

I don't know, but why you want to do this?

I think he's saying since the Haiass install failed (due to the BWFixpack issues discussed) he doesn't want Haiass's "chew toy" in his inventory, understandably. Since it is undroppable, the only way I can think of is to delete it with ShadowKeeper or another game editor. The mod was originally coded this way (it needs that item for Haiass's level ups I think) and I did not change that.

As for what I said about merging the Fixpack/Install Pack/BWS/Smoothpack(?), I understand you are always trying to keep up with latest changes, and that is commendable. I just think it would be easier if you had that all in one package, both for yourselves and the players. That way if an issue like this happens where you think BWS is getting the mod ok but BWFix has something different, it's much easier to determine and prevent that from happening.

[Jarno Mikkola]

As for what I said about merging the Fixpack/Install Pack/BWS/Smoothpack(?), I understand you are always trying to keep up with latest changes, and that is commendable.

Well, that doesn't really matter anymore, as the BWS is the only package one really needs for an Online computer, as the downloader in the BWS downloads everything needed.

[Miloch]

As for what I said about merging the Fixpack/Install Pack/BWS/Smoothpack(?), I understand you are always trying to keep up with latest changes, and that is commendable.

Well, that doesn't really matter anymore, as the BWS is the only package one really needs for an Online computer, as the downloader in the BWS downloads everything needed.

Eh, you're missing my point. If they maintained the Fixpack with the Setup as one package, they wouldn't overlook issues like one overwriting or reversing changes in the other, at least not as easily.

[Leomar]

@ mercurier

To assure a better game experience, I studied the 7.0 PDF and many readmes of mods in the past month in preparation for my next installation, during which I found something could possibly be improved.
Note: Since I'm not an experienced modder, some of my suggestions may be totally wrong/unfeasible. Hope them won't trouble you too much

Thanks for your work on this.

The Bigg Quest: according to its author, the component [The curse of Mprolla the cheater] is very cheesy and thus should be marked as TACTICAL.

You're right. We put this component in the Tactic-version.

DSoA: the component [Difficult Brown Dragon] should be skipped if BP is installed (it is included in the component [Improved Small Teeth Pass])

You're right. We mention it and change it.

Revised Battle: Another Robe of Vecna (.\drizzt\itm\b#robe01.itm) should not be droppable. I've reported this exploit to the mod's thread but no response showed up, so see if you want to amend it

I think erebusant has seen it and will do something about it.

MTS Crappack: I see that most components from this mod is skipped by the .bat installer, leaving only several fixes addressing compatibility issues among Ding0's Tweak/Quest, Kelsey and BP. Also, I see there are patches for Ding0's Tweak/Quest and Kelsey in BWP fixpack. My concern is, if files from the original mods are patched by BWP and then overwritten by MTS, then BWP fixpack actually did nothing here. So how about integrating fixes from MTS into BWP fixpack if possible?

No, MTS Crappack overwrites no BW Fixpack fixes. All is fine here. And we don't want to include the fixes into the BW Fixpack. Hold in mind that the BW Fixpack is an easy to handle solution until the mods get fixed. We stores the fixes in the BW Fixpack only and we want that the fixes get into the mods where they belongs, too.

Kelsey: This mod includes a battle AI designed specifically for Kelsey: KelseyAI.bs. This script relies on several modified spells, which change some variables once cast. Unfortunately, these spells are overwritten by Spell Reversion in the latter installation, rendering the AI script ineffective. I suggest commenting out the AI part (line 513-578 in .tp2). Without this, we still have SCSII easy-of-use AI.

Not right. We install Spell Revisions before Kelsey, so no files will be overwritten.

Kiara-Zaiya: This mod uses a "detectable spells" component to aid its AI system, which as well overwrites several spells like Kelsey mod. They latter got overwritten by Spell Reversion. The suggestion is same as for Kelsey mod.

The same here: Not right. We install Spell Revisions before Kiara-Zaiya, so no files will be overwritten.

D0's Questpack: It also includes "detectable spells". Although it patches spells rather than overwrite them, the patched files are still got overwritten by SR. In this case, things become complicated since the AI is used by enemies rather than party members. As the readme of SR said, SR should be installed before AI enhancing mods, so maybe splitting and rearranging the installation of D0's Questpack would help?

Have you look at our installation order? We install Spell Revisions before AI enhancing mods, so D0's Quest Pack will be installed after it.

Global suggestions: Warnings on compatibility issues are distributed through out the whole PDF. Some conflicts are handled by the .bat installer, while some still require human intervension. I suggest indexing them in a separate chapter to draw attention from players (not everyone likes to go through the whole PDF!). Such conflicts I found are: [Streamlined Trolls]@Tactics vs. [More resilient trolls]@SCS2, Valen vs. [No Drow Avatars On Party In Underdark]@BG2Tweaks, Ascension vs. [Sarevok's Remorse]@BG2UB.

Not true anymore, because we have only two mods with warnings for the whole megamod and those we mentioned in the mod forums and are not game breaking issues. In the future there will be no more warnings anymore (we hope so). For conflicts and dependencies of mods and components we want to handle it with the BWS in the future.



@ Chevalier

Dark Horizons bug (just a little one).

Noticed and I've told it White Agnus. Thanks.



@ Miloch

Eh, you're missing my point. If they maintained the Fixpack with the Setup as one package, they wouldn't overlook issues like one overwriting or reversing changes in the other, at least not as easily.

This we want and can handle with the BWS only in the future and working on it at the moment. Thanks for your feedback.


Greetings Leomar

Attached Files

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•  AceAltMusic_v1.1.zip   11.5K   205 downloads

Edited by Leomar, 26 July 2009 - 09:11 PM.

[dabus]

You could handle these things with the BWS, but - although I know some points - I still am of the opinion that a fault should be fixed at the package that's causing the trouble (BW Fixpack) and not by a third-party-utility (BWS).

[mercurier]

Kelsey: This mod includes a battle AI designed specifically for Kelsey: KelseyAI.bs. This script relies on several modified spells, which change some variables once cast. Unfortunately, these spells are overwritten by Spell Reversion in the latter installation, rendering the AI script ineffective. I suggest commenting out the AI part (line 513-578 in .tp2). Without this, we still have SCSII easy-of-use AI.

Not right. We install Spell Revisions before Kelsey, so no files will be overwritten.

Kiara-Zaiya: This mod uses a "detectable spells" component to aid its AI system, which as well overwrites several spells like Kelsey mod. They latter got overwritten by Spell Reversion. The suggestion is same as for Kelsey mod.

The same here: Not right. We install Spell Revisions before Kiara-Zaiya, so no files will be overwritten.

D0's Questpack: It also includes "detectable spells". Although it patches spells rather than overwrite them, the patched files are still got overwritten by SR. In this case, things become complicated since the AI is used by enemies rather than party members. As the readme of SR said, SR should be installed before AI enhancing mods, so maybe splitting and rearranging the installation of D0's Questpack would help?

Have you look at our installation order? We install Spell Revisions before AI enhancing mods, so D0's Quest Pack will be installed after it.

First thanks for your attention! I must had messed up BWP v6 and v7 when reading the PDF regarding SR/Kelsey/Kiara-Zaiya/Questpack issues .
In 7.0 SR is installed in the first place, so both Kiara-Zaiya and Questpack should get no problem. However, Kelsey still overwrites spells (line 513-578 in .tp2), rendering part of SR's work ineffective. So if we want both SR and Kelsey, we must sacrifice either some reworked spells from SR or the battle AI for Kelsey...

Edit: Personally I'd like to keep SR, because the spell Kelsey touched (especially wizard spells) are mostly combat/spell protections, which play important roles in the concept of SR (and maybe SCS2, not sure).

Edited by mercurier, 11 June 2009 - 08:45 AM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

First thanks for your attention! I must had messed up BWP v6 and v7 when reading the PDF regarding SR/Kelsey/Kiara-Zaiya/Questpack issues .
In 7.0 SR is installed in the first place, so both Kiara-Zaiya and Questpack should get no problem. However, Kelsey still overwrites spells (line 513-578 in .tp2), rendering part of SR's work ineffective. So if we want both SR and Kelsey, we must sacrifice either some reworked spells from SR or the battle AI for Kelsey...

Or we could ask if Demivrgvs would add the same flags as the Kelsey mod would, and then remove the lines from the Kelsey install...

[Quester]

Hi, I'm new here, just found out about BWP today. I have a few questions:

1. If I install BWP, can I start a game where BG2 normally starts, or do I have to play through both BG1 and BG2? I'm a little confused on this point.

2. Does BWP aim to include *everything* in terms of mods, no matter how it fits into the game? Because looking through the pdf, I kind of get that impression. Does everything in there really contribute to a good game experience? My personal opinion is that there are overall way more badly designed and/or lame mods than good, quality ones for the IE games. Also, does BWP install all the components of a mod it installs?

3. Let's say I install the standard version of BWP. With hundreds of mods that add items to the game, both through new stores, encounters, quests etc, won't the game be swimming with magical items? Personally, I much prefer magic to be somewhat scarce so that you really appreciate it when you do find a new magic weapon, instead of going "oh, another +3 longsword... *yawn*". I'm currently trying out an EasyTutu game with the Hard Times mod, and am loving it. I don't suppose there's anything like that in BWP?



Please don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the effort that has gone into this project...just asking to see if I can make the game play out like I want it to.

[dabus]

0. You can start both BG1 or BG2-games.
1. Yes, BWP's goal is "all you can eat". But you can also use it to get other / create your own flavour.
2. "Stupid or ugly" mods are moved into the expert version. The others should be ok. If you don't think so: Give some response. It also installs the components that fit into the three predefined flavours (standard/exprt/tactic/recommanded).
3. Try BP-Balancer, Unique Artefacts, XPMod, Mix Mod and others to keep a balanced game.

[Fouinto]

Hi, I'm new here, just found out about BWP today. I have a few questions:

Hi, this is a great project.

1. If I install BWP, can I start a game where BG2 normally starts, or do I have to play through both BG1 and BG2? I'm a little confused on this point.

You can choose to make a "BG2 only install".
But, even if BGT is installed, you can start a game where BG2 normally start : choose "one player" and then "new BG2 game" (I'm not sure of the exact spelling of choice since I don't use english version).

2. Does BWP aim to include *everything* in terms of mods, no matter how it fits into the game? Because looking through the pdf, I kind of get that impression. Does everything in there really contribute to a good game experience? My personal opinion is that there are overall way more badly designed and/or lame mods than good, quality ones for the IE games. Also, does BWP install all the components of a mod it installs?

Well, i think that this is the aim of the project : it's call "Big World Project" after all
However, thanks to BiG World Setup (BWS), you have two choice :
- First, choose one of the "preselected" packages. You can read http://www.shsforums...showtopic=40337 to see those preselected packages,
- Second, you can remove or add mods you don't want/want in these preselected packages (just check the mods you like in the list and don't check others). BWS will manage most known incompatibility issues.

3. Let's say I install the standard version of BWP. With hundreds of mods that add items to the game, both through new stores, encounters, quests etc, won't the game be swimming with magical items? Personally, I much prefer magic to be somewhat scarce so that you really appreciate it when you do find a new magic weapon, instead of going "oh, another +3 longsword... *yawn*". I'm currently trying out an EasyTutu game with the Hard Times mod, and am loving it. I don't suppose there's anything like that in BWP?

I agree that some mods add too much magical items, but some others mods try to reduce them (for example, there are mods that change "+1 weapon" into "fine weapon", others mods decrease the power of overpowered weapons...). So, BWP/BWS can limit the number of magical weapons, but I don't know if it will be enough for you.