5286 replies to this topic

[K4thos]

That edit was like 20 minutes old, you should just remove the original link, and no body will notice it.

nothing to hide

 

By the way, it might have been better to link to directly to the EET page that has that code, and not to a sendpage page.

true https://github.com/K...eet_cpmvars.tpa

[jastey]

Very cool, thank you. Feel free to remind me of this, because I want to provide EET compatibility (but it could take a while).

[agnes]

Hi. I just wanted to ask if there's some special procedure required to download the latest bws now again? Like earlier when you had to download the eet package to get the latest updates. Because the regular download in aliens signature is not updated for a little bit, and some mods have changed. I'm just asking in case I'm missing something obvious :-)

[Blash2]

Hi. I just wanted to ask if there's some special procedure required to download the latest bws now again? Like earlier when you had to download the eet package to get the latest updates. Because the regular download in aliens signature is not updated for a little bit, and some mods have changed. I'm just asking in case I'm missing something obvious :-)

Hi Agnes, simply click on Branches -> master -> zip.
The EET branch has been deleted, and master is the most recent and reliable one.

[The Imp]

Hi Agnes, simply click on Branches -> master -> zip.
The EET branch has been deleted, and master is the most recent and reliable one.

It didn't get deleted, it's name might have been changed to be the "testing", or it the EET branch was just hidden, but the master branch got more updated after the EET branch disappeared. So nothing was lost.

[galneon]

With the spellholdstudios.net domain now gone, Generalized Biffing link in current BWS is dead. Only WEIDU being unavailable would be equally catastrophic for a new installation

 

It's my first visit in years, so forgive me if it's already been reported, but The Picture Standard links also need to be updated in BWS.

Edited by galneon, 18 June 2015 - 01:35 PM.

[Samriel]

I've got a question: If I have the mods already unpacked into the game folder then what should I do with the option "Downloads" where the mods are seemingly meant to be?

[The Imp]

I've got a question: If I have the mods already unpacked into the game folder then what should I do with the option "Downloads" where the mods are seemingly meant to be?

You have two options, either use the BWP's install packs .bat file, or clean your game directory and use the BWS. Fun fact: When you extract mods to your game folder, some of them have bad code in their automated running scripts that can destroy your clean game. Ouh, when I said fun, I meant: NOT FUN AT ALL.

[Bill Bisco]

Quite honestly I would let BWS set up a custom instance of your BG2 game where you want it to be. I suggest you set up your own downloads folder where you want your packed mods to be and which you will use for future BWS installs. I always leave my vanilla bg2 folder alone. This way you never have to worry about uninstalling correctly. Whenever you want a different modded game, you just use BWS again to install to a different instance. So In short. Don't unpack mods. BWS does that for you. I would just delete them if you already have.

[Samriel]

I've got a question: If I have the mods already unpacked into the game folder then what should I do with the option "Downloads" where the mods are seemingly meant to be?

You have two options, either use the BWP's install packs .bat file, or clean your game directory and use the BWS. Fun fact: When you extract mods to your game folder, some of them have bad code in their automated running scripts that can destroy your clean game. Ouh, when I said fun, I meant: NOT FUN AT ALL.

Yeah...looks "kinda" not so fun. Good that I did not proceed with that.

 

Another question: The mods downloaded by BWS are as I noticed still packed. Does it make a difference if I unpack the mods in the Download folder of BWS or put there the packed versions of the mods? Does it affect the installation of those in some way?  Or at least the time it takes to install those?

 

Personally I think that it shouldn't...but just in case to avoid a potential "fun" surprise.

[Samriel]

Quite honestly I would let BWS set up a custom instance of your BG2 game where you want it to be. I suggest you set up your own downloads folder where you want your packed mods to be and which you will use for future BWS installs. I always leave my vanilla bg2 folder alone. This way you never have to worry about uninstalling correctly. Whenever you want a different modded game, you just use BWS again to install to a different instance. So In short. Don't unpack mods. BWS does that for you. I would just delete them if you already have.

I see, so I shouldn't unpack them in the download folder of BWS? I still got tons of mods left packed so I won't have to download them through BWS then, as that would take tons of time and my internet connection can be a bit fickle hmmm.

[Bill Bisco]

Yep. Do not unpack mods. BWS does that for you. Yes, you can copy packed mods into what you choose as your downloads folder to avoid redownloading

[Samriel]

Yep. Do not unpack mods. BWS does that for you. Yes, you can copy packed mods into what you choose as your downloads folder to avoid redownloading

Alrighty, so if I have all the packed mods that I want to use in the download folder of BWS then should I uncheck all the download options in the "Choose Mods and Components" section and just choose Continue on the main screen?

 

Also, any requirements on how much space on my HD should I have for this operation? Currently I got around 35 GB. And I plan to install around 30 mods including all BIG ones. Though I wonder if the program itself requires a specifically big amount of space to work properly in the first place like BWP.

Edited by Samriel, 26 June 2015 - 01:17 PM.

[Bill Bisco]

Still check mods and components and select the ones you want to install. Bws will only install what you tell it to. 35gb is probably too little for install (you might be able to reduce it some post install). I would start with at least 100 gb. Try a portable drive.

[Samriel]

Still check mods and components and select the ones you want to install. Bws will only install what you tell it to. 35gb is probably too little for install (you might be able to reduce it some post install). I would start with at least 100 gb. Try a portable drive.

100 GB? What a monster. Does a fairly modded game really take so much space or is that for optimal performance of the game after the installation? Or maybe the program messes up when it finds that there is not enough space?

 

Given how I usually only install small mods which are in the 1-20 MB size I hardly ever worried about space and BG2 itself only takes around 3 GB...

 

Eh, I need to buy a portable drive.

 

For now I managed to find some extra space and I got now around 48 GB on my HD. Maybe it will suffice somehow?

 

100GB...I don't think that there is any game for the PC that takes so much free space. Scary...

 

Also, do you recommend me the "Independent Installation Assistant" option or I shouldn't bother?

Edited by Samriel, 26 June 2015 - 02:20 PM.

[The Imp]

100 GB?

Well the 100GB's is a little too much... but considering that the megamod in my personal past has toke 30GB on my hard drive, and that was just the install part, so the +5GB's of download archives, and it was years ago... AND you have to have it at the start of the install... just move things about and you'll have enough space to reinstall things if you don't have the 100GB's... and you'll have 65 at the end... that is, after a full install.
You of course can op out to not have every mod, but if you ask how much can it go up to, the sky is really the limit.
For example, yeah, the BGT-weidu's archive takes 25MB's space, but as it happens to copy the entire BG1 data from one game to another, so it's going to take more than 2.5GB's additional data at the end, plus the initial BG2 install. So roughly 6.0GB's for a small 25 MB's archive. And that's done without an actual backup copies made from the original files, not done because a few technical reasons(one being they are largely unneeded). Those are large space hugs/hogs. The other mods are smaller, but the amount of space needed can be surprisingly large. The 48GB's should be enough. But no body is going to kill you if you free up a 100GB's. Unless you do it yourself.

[Bill Bisco]

You can try 48gb and see. Sandrah suggested ctb and tdd which are big mods and lots of space. You can certainly try 48gb and hopefully it will work. I just hate to see your install fail is all. Yes I would do independent installation assistant. That will let you install your multimod somewhere else and keep your vanilla bg2 game untouched.

[Samriel]

You can try 48gb and see. Sandrah suggested ctb and tdd which are big mods and lots of space. You can certainly try 48gb and hopefully it will work. I just hate to see your install fail is all. Yes I would do independent installation assistant. That will let you install your multimod somewhere else and keep your vanilla bg2 game untouched.

Got it, we will see how it goes with only so far at first.

 

When choosing the independent installation assistant a window oppens with the option of "Which folder shall contain your Big World instance?".  Should I point to the Big World folder(Big World Setup) or just to the download folder of the Big World folder(Big World Downloads)? Or maybe it makes no difference?

 

Another thing: Should I test my mods using the "test" option before I go with the installation or is it rather unnecessary? As long as it does not take extra HD space then I guess it should be fine?

 

Ah...and like with BWP should I turn off most anti virus programs as I run this program? BWP stated how anti virus programs can mess up stuff so I wondered if I should make similar preparations before I proceed.

Edited by Samriel, 26 June 2015 - 04:37 PM.

[Bill Bisco]

You can try 48gb and see. Sandrah suggested ctb and tdd which are big mods and lots of space. You can certainly try 48gb and hopefully it will work. I just hate to see your install fail is all. Yes I would do independent installation assistant. That will let you install your multimod somewhere else and keep your vanilla bg2 game untouched.

Got it, we will see how it goes with only so far at first.

 

When choosing the independent installation assistant a window oppens with the option of "Which folder shall contain your Big World instance?".  Should I point to the Big World folder(Big World Setup) or just to the download folder of the Big World folder(Big World Downloads)? Or maybe it makes no difference?

 

Another thing: Should I test my mods using the "test" option before I go with the installation or is it rather unnecessary? As long as it does not take extra HD space then I guess it should be fine?

 

Ah...and like with BWP should I turn off most anti virus programs as I run this program? BWP stated how anti virus programs can mess up stuff so I wondered if I should make similar preparations before I proceed.

You can point it to whatever folder you want.  I suggest you use a blank folder.  Personally, I put my BG2 instances at: C:\Games\BG2\     My last BWS install is at:  C:\Games\BG2\6 BGT BWS Expert plus Sandrah

 

I would go ahead and do test for your first time.  Once you've gotten all the necessary mods and have used BWS for a few instance installations, you could probably skip it then.

 

BWS does recommend you turn off AntiVirus.  As a precaution, you probably should.  Although personally, I left mine on and I ran into no problems.

[Samriel]

Thanks for the answers!

 

I got a few new ones though: During the Setup when I go "Choose your Mods and Components" there are a few mods with small gray windows(like Big World Fixpack or Weidu[Tool] ) that I cannot turn off unlike the ones with green windows (like Big World Trimpack or Generalized Biffing). Does it mean that downloading(and installing those is pretty much obligatory or there is some option there to not have to go through all this and just install the mods that I got in my download folder from the go?

 

Also if I uncheck the options for some mods will that affect their installation even I already have them in my download folder beforehand?'

 

Furthermore regarding the Conflicts/Dependancies huge window that appears( after I did make some choices in the Choose your Mods and Components menu) seemingly indicating potential issues...should I go around choosing "solve dependencies for component", "install mod" or "remove component"? Assuming that one of these mods is one that I'm interested in but I already got it in my downloads folder put there beforehand, should I  choose "remove component" option and still expect the mod to be installed(and without issues) or should I choose to install it neverthless...or just "solving dependancies for component" till all conflicts are gone?

Edited by Samriel, 26 June 2015 - 10:17 PM.