7 replies to this topic

[Steven Aus]

I tried to install the Big World Project Standard English Windows mods, but it hung on the Bonehill files and a "_patch.exe" file at the start of the Big World Fixpack - nothing changed for at least half an hour.  I had disabled all virus/malware protection, completely disabled User Account Control in Windows 7 64-bit Pro and had disconnected my router from the internet.  Any ideas of what changes are necessary to make the latest GoG.com version of Baldur's Gate II Complete work with Big World Project Standard mods, or could you let me know how I would find out?  I'd like to get it compatible if possible, as I'm pretty sure the reason that it failed was that the patch was already done or it simply couldn't find the right data at the right spot.

 

And as an aside, what are the main differences between 2nd edition and 3rd edition rules?  When installing the Full Plate mod, it also gave a choice whether to install 3rd edition rules as well as or instead of the Full Plate modifications (which would have taken Full Plate into account if that was installed as well).

 

I'm really looking forward to setting up Big World Standard.  If it is too difficult to make the GoG.com versions of Baldur's Gate I and II compatible, I could instead use the DVDs for BG1 and 2 which I bought a number of years ago, except I will need to get a new optical drive before I can do that.

 

If I can get a good set of mods going from Big World, I would like to also make a DVD with all the files ready to install that would just need to be copied to the BG2 directory.  I would especially like to send it to someone who could host a 3 to 4 gigabyte or so archive, but at least I would like to send some DVDs with the archive to a few people when I have a bit of spare cash. =)

 

Thanks for all you do and all you are, and may 2014 be your best year yet! =)  Baldur's Gate (esp 2) must certainly be one of the most modded games in the history of games. ;-)

 

Best regards,
Steven.

[Marvin]

I've tested the new BWP14 installation with the new BWS and it worked (well, it hung at certain points, but nothing major like you're describing). I used both the normal and GOG verson. They are both compatible (just take a look in the pdf), so the error must be somewhere else. I have not installed any big mods like Bonehill, so maybe it is the mod itself?

 

One more thing: Big World Standard will frustrate you

 

1. most of the big mods introduce overpowered items that would nearly enable a lvl1 char to kill Sarevok. Plus, there will be a lot of other item mods installed. It will totally screw up your ingame balance.

 

2. Everybody and their mom will want to join you! There will be sooo many NPCs in your game, only some are on par with the original Bioware characters. Many NPCs will be completely silent, with no quest, and many will be (you guessed it) overpowered.

 

3. There will be so many rule changes and tweaks thatyou may not recognize the gameplay mechanics anymore. Plus, if you install too many different mods, altering the same thing (like dfferent spell mods, different itemupgrade mods, different rule changes, you will end up with a mess.

 

Standard means: All the mods that CAN be installed without a fatal error, which would crash the game beyond repair. Standard, however, is not to be considered the installation type you should use when wanting to get the best gaming experience out of your mods.

[Steven Aus]

So does this mean that Recommended is the setting to use?

 

Also, I was not able to get the latest version of BWS to work.  Then I just downloaded it again and it worked.  I guess the previous download could have been corrupted, but it's strange for it to be corrupted without making the archive corrupted.

 

What mods from Big World would you recommend?  Just the Recommended ones? (No pun intended. ;-)

 

And can you explain the main differences between the 2nd and 3rd edition rules as implemented in one of the Big World mods?  Is this part of Recommended, or only Standard?

 

Edited by Steven Aus, 16 January 2014 - 09:45 PM.

[Steven Aus]

Duplicate post, can delete.

Edited by Steven Aus, 16 January 2014 - 09:45 PM.

[The Imp]

What mods from Big World would you recommend?

Custom Tactics... meaning that you remove every component you think you don't want to have.

[Marvin]

As for the differences between the rulesets: I am no expert in this... well to be honest I have no idea ^^. What I do know is that some mods change the ruleset so that, e.g., mages can cast wearing armor, but the heavier the armor the more probable it is that the spell fails. Same goes for hiding in shadows for thieves. But I don't know if there is one mod that changes the complete ruleset consistantly from 2nd to 3rd edition. My guess is that you'll end up with a mix between the two, which is not so good in my opinion.

 

As for the recommendation:

 

I'd start with the "recommended" mods and customize from there:

 

1. remove all the shop and item mods (if there are any left) except mods like item revisions.

2. Remove all NPCs you don't want, and customize the timer you want for banters and lovetalks (1 hour real time is too long imo)

3. Avoid XP reduction mods (XPmod is recommended, but you should NOT install it); Install BP_ Balancer, but only the components that reduce the spell learning, trap and unlock XP

4. If you really want the big mods then you should inform yourself what they actually do. I wouldn't recommend installing all of them

5. Add mods and tweaks that you want, e.g. 3rd edition ruleset; graphics mods, and so on (I, e.g., added the celestials mod, which is not in the recommended settings)

6. Add tactics mods: choose wisely and inform yourself beforehand. SCS is a good way to start.

 

That's about all I can think of right now. I could send you my custom selection.ini, however, it was designed for a German installation , so some cool English NPCs might be missing, and also, I don't know if you can just import my file and use it for n English installation. Can someone clarify? Also I didn't install tactics mods.

[The Imp]

As for the differences between the rulesets: I am no expert in this... well to be honest I have no idea ^^. What I do know is that some mods change the ruleset so that, e.g., mages can cast wearing armor, but the heavier the armor the more probable it is that the spell fails. Same goes for hiding in shadows for thieves. But I don't know if there is one mod that changes the complete ruleset consistantly from 2nd to 3rd edition. My guess is that you'll end up with a mix between the two, which is not so good in my opinion.

Well technically there's no edition rules in the game, as the official 2nd and 3ed ruleset is turn based, while the BG2 is tic based with a pause, there's 180 tics per one round(30 fps * 6 seconds) and 10 rounds per turn, this also makes most of the interrupt rules invalid, and there are other rules that take their place. The armor system is alike the 2ed's, so the lower the AC, the better, as is with all the other derived stats, well except carry weight and hit points.

The Icewind Dale 2 has an adoption of the 3ed ruleset in a tic based system with a pause, and there's a delta mod made out of the Icewind Gate 2 mod, a game that brings the BG2 adventure into the Icewind Dale 2 engine, it's a delta, meaning that it does not work very well, and it's not compatible with any of the other BWP adventures.

Now then, there are mods that bring the good stuff out of the 3ed rulesets in to the BG2 game, as options, and these mods are among the BWP mods, there are several dozens of them, and they can do things to your liking, and dissatisfaction too, so you should find out what each does and choose or choose not to install them on a component bases.

PS, the 3ed ruleset itself is separated into dozens of books itself, so there's no actual controversy between modifying the game rules in game and in a by_the_book_ruleset, as neither is actually made of a solid stone.

Outside the Infinity Edition games, there's Pool of Radiance; Ruins to Myth Drannor that features a real 3ed ruleset if you remove the idiot hurry up battle speedomiter(set it to right hand position), and then there's Temple of Elemental Evil, that has a 3ed ruleset.

Edited by The Imp, 17 January 2014 - 05:03 AM.

[Februarius]

I go for custom STANDARD selection. But I had to do a lot of preparation for this. The thing is that you need to read every bit of info about every mod and it's options. This lasted several days and I must say it did tested my patience couple of times. Also I still don't know about every mod from my own exp, as I didn't played them all. Regarding big mods, I'v read lots of forum reviews so I decided to go with Bonehill, DSOTSC and NTOTSC for BG1, and for BG2 I used ROT and TDD. I also used options in balancer mod that completley remove overpowerd items. I also deselected almost every shop, and item mod, and lots of crap NPC and smaller mods.

 

You could say that my selection is RECOMMENDED setup + some mods from STANDARD setup that I like. My goal with BWP/BWS is to have as much new content as I can get, without crazy stuff or stuff that break the game. No ease of use options like hundreds of bags of holding, rest anywhere, and similiar stuff. Still I am not sure will I like the big mods, or some other quest mods and NPC-s. This is all based upon some other opinions, and mod readmes that I'v read.

Edited by Februarius, 23 February 2014 - 01:31 PM.