14 replies to this topic

[Suslik]

Update:
I have made a new repack of BWP 10.3 tactical mods included. Everyone is welcome to give it a shot, just pm me.

So are such repacks needed? Are they allowed here? If so, i can share a link to my torrent here.

Edited by Suslik, 06 April 2012 - 02:21 PM.

[Kaeloree]

Generally you need to get permission from authors before rehosting content, for various reasons (including the fact that a variety of mods are updated with regularity). If you could get permission from each of the mod authors, sure, but otherwise I'd prefer if you didn't post the link here. Thanks

[Suslik]

Oh, that's a shame.. I hoped that a lot of people would use a re-pack instead of quite complicated procedure of installing BWP. Well, "forbidden" means "forbidden".

[Miloch]

It probably has more to do with the fact that some folks are arseholes about other folks "modding" their mods (despite the fact they modded the game without asking anyone) and some folks couldn't give much of a dog's bollock about it, but it sounds more like maybe you want to update the BWFixpack instead? Which I'm sure would be allowed, as the German folks who were previously doing that are pretty scarce these days, unfortunately.

[Fennek]

Well, if it's only about the mods, some modders will certainly disagree. If it is about the fixpack: Well, do we have new fixes? If so, please post them in the fixpack-topic. If it is about the BWS: Wait some weeks, as it seems to be possible to build a BWS 2.0.

Which I'm sure would be allowed, as the German folks who were previously doing that are pretty scarce these days, unfortunately.

Yes, and it has several reasons I will not mention now, except that many people here (this forum, certainly not this thread) post very vague bug-claims without providing any useful information and do not even try to help in solving a problem (not to mention to post problems obviously linked with a certain mod in the mod's forum) or ask questions which could be considered mere spam since they are answered in the pdf, the BWS's texts etc. or answers could be found via google / the search function.

Edited by Fennek, 28 August 2011 - 05:57 AM.

[Miloch]

Well, if it's only about the mods, some modders will certainly disagree. If it is about the fixpack: Well, do we have new fixes? If so, please post them in the fixpack-topic.

I think Suslik does have some fixes (hence a "repack" of BWP that includes presumably the fixes) but I think they are mainly like restoring some backups to fix botched files - workarounds rather than true fixes. There is at least one that concerns Aurora of that nature. For that, the restore is probably the best scenario at present until I get around to fixing the mod properly (as a true fix has to address several files during the install). But for the others, someone should investigate whether a true fix is possible rather than just restoring backups etc.

Yes, and it has several reasons I will not mention now, except that many people here (this forum, certainly not this thread) post very vague bug-claims without providing any useful information and do not even try to help in solving a problem (not to mention to post problems obviously linked with a certain mod in the mod's forum) or ask questions which could be considered mere spam since they are answered in the pdf, the BWS's texts etc. or answers could be found via google / the search function.

Really? I surely had never noticed . Wait, are you saying folks don't do this on the German forums? Maybe I need to learn German . Some people just don't know the meaning of . Maybe this forum is the worst because it seems to get the most traffic.

[Fennek]

Really? I surely had never noticed . Wait, are you saying folks don't do this on the German forums? Maybe I need to learn German . Some people just don't know the meaning of . Maybe this forum is the worst because it seems to get the most traffic.

Hehe... This forum also attracts an impressive amount of real spam. And yes, the German forum seems not to be as worse (maybe due to the benevolent guidance of the grand inquistitor... ), maybe because the search function is more reliable. But anyway, BG2-modding would certainly break down without Spellhold, so its at least a necessary evil...

[Suslik]

OK, now round 2. As of late events Leomar and Leonardo are taking well-deserved rest and future of BWP is somewhat under question, maybe it is time to arise the repack question again?

What I have:

Two versions of BWP: 9.10 standard and 10.3 tactics. Both are fully installed without any significant warnings and completely playable "as is".

What I've done:
1) I have completed most of quests in BG1 and almost as much in SoA part of the installations, fixing all significant issues I have found. The most significant ones are reported in my threads: old one and a new one. Most of issues(at least all significant) were fixed by a workarounds without modifying the scripts, such as replacing files from backups of other mods, and some of them were even reported to the mod developers and were fixed properly.
2) I have a portable archived version of both installations with instructions on how to deploy them on any other machine. The method is properly tested and it works.

What I want:
Due to the fact that a lot of people want to play a stable, but maybe not the most up-to date BWP release, I offer them such opportunity.

What I can:
I can ask each and every mod creator I have modified, but I am really unable to ask each and every mod that is actually included but untouched by me.

What I ask:
Is it possible/necessary to release such repack now, under circumstances mentioned above?

[Miloch]

Well, like I posted in the "new" thread you linked, I think fixes should get incorporated in the mods themselves. You're talking about a massive package that may (or may not) have fixes from a number of mods that aren't documented elsewhere. Conversely, those mods might have recent fixes that your package doesn't have. While I'm not personally against such a distribution, it does seem a bit suboptimal. (Plus there are modders out there who will form a pitchfork-wielding, torch-waving mob about this sort of thing, for no good reason that they think they're entitled to sacred permission rights when they didn't seek the same sanctity from the game writers and artists, but we needn't unearth that discussion again.)

[Suslik]

Plus there are modders out there who will form a pitchfork-wielding, torch-waving mob about this sort of thing, for no good reason that they think they're entitled to sacred permission rights when they didn't seek the same sanctity from the game writers and artists, but we needn't unearth that discussion again.

lol that's the way I see it too. anyway, it seems like taboo topic for discussion here and I think I'll not arise it again unless times change.

[farmerjohn]

I think that the modders are extremely hypocritical when they are willing to appropriate Black Isle IP without permission but then get upset if someone uses their mod with attribution in a way that they didn't explicitly authorize.  That being said, what is the difference between the repack that he describes and a BWS which remotely fetches the files?  Would the admins of this site allow OP to make a repack of every mod whose creator approves and then have some way to integrate the few remaining mods?  If I could download 1 repack and then 5 misc. mods that would be much, much easier then doing the whole thing by hand.

[Suslik]

Jeez, all credits go to all respective authors anyway, I'm not even going to do any fixes to the mods without authors' permission. Just a repack to allow the final user to choose whether he wants to spend a few days on installing BWP with the most recent mods or to play right now, with tested, stable, somewhat fixed but a little older ones.

Actually I'm already sharing such repack among close friends, I'm just curious why spellhold insist on keeping it... err.. in a closed way.

[Miloch]

But how would you distribute it without including most of the game's resources, including a modded executable? That's where you might get into trouble with the big dogs. Who cares what the modders think . That's why WeiDU does a fairly good job of installation/distribution without having to package any game resources at all (unless it's a nasty overwriting mod). Yes, it can be tedious to fetch and install everything, but the BWS made that pretty easy (when it was kept current at least).

[Creepin]

But how would you distribute it without including most of the game's resources, including a modded executable?

It obviously goes without saying that repack is something that would be available only for those who don't shy to use TPB or it's equivalents

[Suslik]

Anyway. Repack is ready. Everyone willing to give it a shot, ask me via a private message.

Edited by Suslik, 07 April 2012 - 02:14 AM.