Why do you still do it?

[Cashews]

A few weeks ago I decided to install BG2 on my PC. It had been over 5 years since I had last played this game and even longer since I had played BG1. However, having again completed NWN and its premium modules and finding NWN2 a little too buggy for my taste, I felt the need to go back to my roots.

 

While looking for the right files to patch my install I discovered the wonderful world of mods. Through these mods I now remember why I loved this game so much. And while I feel that the original serie is a masterpiece in itself, the great mods out there makes the whole gaming experience even more enjoyable.

 

However, I cannot but wonder...

 

I know why I still play this game. Because of you, the modders.

 

But I'm curious as to why you still do it? I don't mind really and I'm still hoping to see new stuff everytime I visit PPG, SHS or this place. Still, I'm curious as to why you keep working and modding for a game which is nearly 10 years old?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

p.s. By the way, thank you all for your amazing work. ::Bow respectfully::

[berelinde]

Because no matter what games come out, with whatever cool graphics, BG and BG2 are still the best games to engage the player in some nice, old-fashioned storytelling.

 

It's a chance to give the player an entertaining role-playing experience that doesn't rely on textures or visual effects, but simple words, read off a screen, like a choice of actor's prompts. It involves the player in the story, and lets him take part in its telling. Very much like allowing the player to direct a screenplay of your writing. It's very satisfying.

[jcompton]

Although I've spent the vast majority of time that would have gone into modding working on The Broken Hourglass instead over the past two years, I am/was always motivated by an attentive audience of players, which has shown remarkable staying power over the years as a group.

 

Browsing Amazon last night in the "budget PC games section", I noticed that the BG2 collection ranked the #3 bestseller out of the group of ~130 titles or so. The players keep coming.

[CamDawg]

More than anything, it's fun; that others can enjoy my work is even more enjoyable. When it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it.

[cmorgan]

Good, engaging storytelling, interesting new things to learn, a very supportive community of players who are a detail oriented and careful group (hey - we got *real* pro proofreaders and scholars donating their time to proofread a mod!!!), a good group of modders who are interested in story rather than flash and almost all as overly detail oriented and obsessive compulsive about getting things right/fixed as I am, mostly nice people who are willing to help and explain things to new folks, and a solid researchable body of literature/research which allows a newbie who doesn't understand programming an opportunity to cast the magic spells given enough time to study.

 

 

But mostly, a huge epic story which got enough *right* to be immersive and engaging on the 1000th replay (as long as you use different characters and mods to change things up a bit). With lots of room for even more stories to be woven in. And with the advantage that they got enough stuff not quite right that there is a good group of players out there who are into FR lore, who appreciate attempts to get things *more* right.

 

What's not to like?

[Gort]

mostly for my precious self=). Sort of "if you want something to be done then you have to do it yourself". I have things which I want to change in BG2 and I implement them (or I try, at least=)).

[Cashews]

Well, those answers do warm my heart.

 

Cheers folk and heres to even more years of great modding.

[CoM_Solaufein]

Good question. One that I ask myself a lot lately. I've been in the scene since it began with TeamBG. Back then I did it because it was fun, plus I use to interact with fellow modders on the forums and the chat room. It was good times back then, a shame those people are long gone now.

 

I guess I do it for fun plus to share my ideas, my work with others. After playing Baldur's Gate with DSotSC recently, I decided to resurrect my BG1 mod, Dark Horizons, which I had lost 3/4 of the data a few years ago when my hard drive died. I am working on it right now as I am reading the forums, multitasking FTW. Plus I am the type of person who doesn't let things go, especially something I enjoy doing.

[berelinde]

That question is on my mind a lot this morning, as I spent a huge chunk of last night debugging.

[Cashews]

That question is on my mind a lot this morning, as I spent a huge chunk of last night debugging.

 

Hopefully all for the best, Berelinde.

[Cuv]

For me, I still have stories to tell... and seeing the stories play out is a wonderful feeling. I've been around a long time too, and I must say that the modding scene for the BG series is actually stronger today than it has ever been.

[Domi]

Now, I am not modding for BG2 anymore, and never modded a lot for it. I guess, I just didn't quite like that game too too much, and got tired of it far too quickly. But I sure love modding, and that is why I mostly modded for BG1 and IWD2, and now am trying the brave new world of NWN2.

 

I am probably not a typical IE modder, because I do looove the recent 3D titles, witrh a notable exception of NWN1, which I hate with passion. If KOTOR allowed more characters in the party, I'd loved it more than BG2. JE that I started recently with my husband, while is a hell to control, imo is exactly how I would have loved to write for the games, if I had the ability. It's nearly flawless in its Tien's Landing section imo and combines humor, action, character development and an interesting world, plus it has a several innovations that I find pretty good, such as simplified inventory and rules, and things like getting XPs for studying the information about the world. Again, a notable problem with this title is the absence of the party... wish I could mod *that* in!

 

NWN2, has its low points, (I had encountered about 2 bugs on my playthrough with 6 people party one of which went away on a reload, so I can't complain about it) mostly in the area of forced party. This drawback will go away in MoTB the release of which I eagerly await.

[Cashews]

So... out of curiosity (again... damn curiosity, gonna get me killed one of those days)... most of you guys worked on quite a few mods. Is there any mod you really wanted to do but never actually got to work on? Any one-of-those-days-I'm-going-to-do-that-and-its-going-to-be-awesome mod?

 

[berelinde]

Not quite. When I want to do something, I generally do it.

[Evaine Dian]

I guess starting to work on a mod isn't really the problem, but actually finishing it. There are so many mods with interesting concepts (mainly new NPCs or expansions for existing Bioware NPCs) which I would have liked to play, but they got abandoned.