Megamod Help Needed

[Strontium Dog]

I wasn't going to install NEJ(neverending journey) megamod but then I found that, on iemgc or whatever website, there was a download consisting of a NEJ version(NEJ2v68) which stated that it was compatible with BGT. I'm only using BGT plus various megamods/tactics mods but minus the ghastly, buggy Big Picture mod. Would this NEJ-version really be 99-100% compatible with such an installation? Or would it still be very buggy, like the older NEJ versions?

 

Also, the black wyrm lair generally still posts older downloads just below the modern weidu-version. However, I'm not sure if, in this case, there are some additional "BGT-Tweaks"(prologue v3) etc. that I should install as well as the BGT weidu version, or if, perhaps, those downloads only refer to the older (600MG+) BGT-mod, which is way out of date.

 

Any help appreciated.

[Jarno Mikkola]

...

Then why don't you read this and the Big World Project(the .pdf files) and know that the NEJ is fully compatible as long as you install the BWP fixpack before you install any other mods and the new Baldurdash WeiDU mod from the tBWL(v1.66 or what ever) that's according to the BWP. And yes, you need to use the NEJv2v42b, BGTNeJ2 v1.0b and NEJ2v602, as the others aren't, as we don't have all compatibility fixes for them.

 

And you should know that the old Big Picture mods also consisted with the BGT&TDD&CTB&BP so, but now, the BPv1.77 is just AI mod, and the rest are made compatible with the BWP.

 

The NEJ 2v68 states that it's fully compatible with the BGT1.01 as a supported version! As the changes made after, are not supported by the BWL forum. The really old BGT is just garbage, in terms of compatibility.

Yes, the shortened words make reading of that text hard, so you need to pay attention not to confuse words like BWP with BP and BWL...

[Strontium Dog]

Thanks very much for the info. Personally, I'm very dubious about the notoriously bug-ridden NEJ as well as the Big World Project. I get the impression, from the general instructions, that if I deviate too much from the list(eg:- adding 1 or 2 mods not on the Big World recommended-list(or even, perhaps, on the expert list), no matter how bug-free by themselves) to my whole Megamod-install, that things will get fouled up, as the Big World Fixpacks etc. only seem to be designed to work only with the mods listed(and in the right order). Plus the Big World installation instructions repeat certain mods at different points of the installation(eg:- the DOTQuest Pack 2.3), so, obviously, such mods shouldn't be installed twice. It just gest very confusing.

 

Couple more questions re the Big World Project's mods:- Isn't the Northern Tales of the Sword Coast just a smaller version of the Dark Side of the Sword Coast(and should therefore not be installed at the same time as the DSOSC mod) or is the Northern Tales of the Sword Coast an entirely different Mod altogether?

 

So, the BG2 Fixpack and the Baldurdash 1.66 pack must both be installed together? I'm surprised as , previously, I'd been told to only install the BG2 Fixpack and ignore the Baldurdash fixes.

 

Why does the Oversight mod have to be installed before the NEJ version?

 

Lastly, some other mods, such as the Sword Coast Stratagems II mod, are usually recommended to be installed only just before Chateau Irenicus, yet the Big World Project is against this. Does installing such mods halfway through make bugs/CTDs more likely, perhaps?

 

Cheers,

SD

[Azazello]

I wasn't going to install NEJ(neverending journey) megamod but then I found that, on iemgc or whatever website, there was a download consisting of a NEJ version(NEJ2v68) which stated that it was compatible with BGT. I'm only using BGT plus various megamods/tactics mods but minus the ghastly, buggy Big Picture mod. Would this NEJ-version really be 99-100% compatible with such an installation? Or would it still be very buggy, like the older NEJ versions?

 

Also, the black wyrm lair generally still posts older downloads just below the modern weidu-version. However, I'm not sure if, in this case, there are some additional "BGT-Tweaks"(prologue v3) etc. that I should install as well as the BGT weidu version, or if, perhaps, those downloads only refer to the older (600MG+) BGT-mod, which is way out of date.

 

Any help appreciated.

Thanks very much for the info. Personally, I'm very dubious about the notoriously bug-ridden NEJ as well as the Big World Project. I get the impression, from the general instructions, that if I deviate too much from the list(eg:- adding 1 or 2 mods not on the Big World recommended-list(or even, perhaps, on the expert list), no matter how bug-free by themselves) to my whole Megamod-install, that things will get fouled up, as the Big World Fixpacks etc. only seem to be designed to work only with the mods listed(and in the right order). Plus the Big World installation instructions repeat certain mods at different points of the installation(eg:- the DOTQuest Pack 2.3), so, obviously, such mods shouldn't be installed twice. It just gest very confusing.

Oh dear. SD's at it again.

 

 

You have more experience than most players with customizing your installation, adjusting it to your liking, so you don't really need BiG World. Still, the guide does document a methodology that works, you will find some useful guidance in there. I would not minimize the efforts that have gone into making the guide an admirable achievement.

 

The BWP threads are the detailed source on why certain steps are taken in the guide. Admittedly the threads are getting unwieldy to quickly answer your questions. So let's see if we can't help you out.

 

Couple more questions re the Big World Project's mods:- Isn't the Northern Tales of the Sword Coast just a smaller version of the Dark Side of the Sword Coast(and should therefore not be installed at the same time as the DSOSC mod) or is the Northern Tales of the Sword Coast an entirely different Mod altogether?

'No' to the first; 'Correct' to the second.

 

So, the BG2 Fixpack and the Baldurdash 1.66 pack must both be installed together? I'm surprised as , previously, I'd been told to only install the BG2 Fixpack and ignore the Baldurdash fixes.

Only when doing the BiG World installation are both fixpacks needed.

 

I'm not sure why this is, but I've been told that both are required for BWP. Leomar, Jarno or others perhaps know the reason/history for this.

 

If you're doing your own mega-install, it's still either/or fixpack, not both.

 

Why does the Oversight mod have to be installed before the NEJ version?

Damn, just yesterday I deleted the BWP guide, so I can't verify the mod install order. Not gonna download it again.

 

Last I looked, only the Sendai component needed to be installed early, due to some long-known incompatiablity, known even before the BWP was conceived. Is this still the case, or has all of Oversight mod been moved up to an early part of the install? Someone give us a confirmation.

 

Lastly, some other mods, such as the Sword Coast Stratagems II mod, are usually recommended to be installed only just before Chateau Irenicus, yet the Big World Project is against this. Does installing such mods halfway through make bugs/CTDs more likely, perhaps?

As always, I like seeing the source of where you've read things like this, or have been given such advice. Link us, please. Usually such questions are based on something that got "lost in translation".

 

Until then, I'm guessing the advice is that mods specific to the BG2 portion be installed just before the transition, in order to limit problems in the BG1 portion; re: less likely to "make bugs/CTDs".

 

BWP might be against this because so much content would have to be added/re-arranged that it's best to just do most/all the install at one-go.

 

SCS and SCS II can be installed together, last I've read. I don't know of any mods that require waiting until the BG2 portion for installation. Maybe Drizzt Saga?

 

 

Then again, Why are these questions being asked here, on G3, instead of SHS? You can post wherever you want like, of course, but you know you'ld get more precise answers over there.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Admittedly the threads are getting unwieldy to quickly answer your questions. So let's see if we can't help you out.

So let's try to come up with some kind of reasons for them.

 

'No' to the first; 'Correct' to the second.

And the reason why, to my knowledge is that the NTotSC was add-on package for the DSotSC.

 

So, the BG2 Fixpack and the Baldurdash 1.66 pack must both be installed together? I'm surprised as , previously, I'd been told to only install the BG2 Fixpack and ignore the Baldurdash fixes.

Only when doing the BiG World installation are both fixpacks needed.

I'm not sure why this is, but I've been told that both are required for BWP.

The reason for both is that the Worldmap mod needs the BG2Fixpacks first component and the NEJ needs the Baldurdash-WeiDU's fix component. The Worldmap mod is of course a requirement for the former BP mods, so it's a cycle. By the way, the former Baldurdash is a different mod than the Baldurdash-WeiDU (fixpack), a little but still, as it was not WeiDU based.

And if you go with the megamod that has no NEJ, you don't actually need the Baldurdash-WeiDU. Nor do you need the (G3)BG2Fixpack if you don't need the Worldmap mod(if there is such a thing, good luck trying to make one). The compatibility is also the reason why I asked you "Which 'version' of TS you are talking about?" here, as the TS-BP6.10 is the only compatible version, I know of, with most of the other mods. As the latest just isn't made to be as compatible, as it still being developed.

 

Plus the Big World installation instructions repeat certain mods at different points of the installation(eg:- the DOTQuest Pack 2.3), so, obviously, such mods shouldn't be installed twice.

It's not actually installed twice, just once, but the components are different, as thus you get better compatibility as they change different things... as in the case of the Oversight mod, the first mention in the .bat file just installs one component, namely the Sendai component.

Now the reason why the BWP installs every mod(2 to 4 exceptions) it can before the BGI->BGII transition is that it uses the End-Biff, so you can actually play the game, and not just sit waiting there hours while the computer loads the next few seconds... well, it's not actually that bad, but still.

 

BWP might be against this because so much content would have to be added/re-arranged that it's best to just do most/all the install at one-go...*I don't know of any mods that require waiting until the BG2 portion for installation.

And because it has a fixpack that corrects all the bad bugs... *Chloe NPC mod, cause it does havoc with the little girl NPC in BG1 portion of BGT, as they have the same .cre/dialog file...

[Azazello]

Thanks Jarno.

[Strontium Dog]

Thanks for all the info.

 

Well, it seems that if I install the big world project combo that I'll have to miss out some of the mods that I want to install. More importantly, the last few times I tried a megamod-installation(since c.2006, in fact!), I failed to ever get past a few steps into Chateau Irenicus(though BG1Tutu always worked A-OK). Part of the problem was that the game would CTD as soon as I included the end-biffer mod at the end of each install. When I just installed BG2 plus patches plus tactics, darkest day and some further minimods, everything worked fine, with no slowdown or CTD.Now that I have a faster PC than before, I'm hoping that biffing won't be necessary(especially if I turn off "ambient sounds").

 

Well, I'll see how it goes.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Well, it seems that if I install the big world project combo that I'll have to miss out some of the mods that I want to install.

What mods exactly? As the project doesn't actually say that you can't install anything else... you just have to be very careful.

The CI CTD's shouldn't happen, if the proper installation order is followed with the big quest mods, and the BWP fixpack is applied--- take notice that the normal/none-expert version is guaranteed to be stable.

[Strontium Dog]

Well, my first concern isn Ascension 1.4.23 which I could never install without bugs. I suppose I could use Ascension 1.4.21, though, which works fine by itself, but perhaps not with a Big World Project install.

 

(I was under the impression that any mods which were greyed out in the installation-readme, were supposed to have a high chance of bugs and were recommended against).

 

Oh, I couldn't find the original Big World Project installation-readme(somewhere on Spellhold Studios), so I Googled and found a German readme for the Big World project and, unlike the former(?), it does seem to include the Spell Revisions mod, in the list, after all - that's good.

 

I notice that the "Silberdrachenblut" mod is mentioned in some other (English) threads. Does this have an English version in the same install-pack or could I only play it on a German-language Baldurs' Gate? What about the German-originating Shar-Teel mod 1.0b?

 

I don't mind the COME encounters being incompatible with Big World as it's incompatible with so many others, anyway.

 

I see that, in the German readme if not the English one, that the Angelo NPC mod is included, after all. That was the main reason why I didn't want to use the BIg World Project. And it seems to include the Imoen Romance mod, to be installed just before Chateua Irenicus.

 

What puzzles me is that some of the tweak mods are recommended to be installed earlier, but it makes much more sense to have their components placed much later on in the installation, so as to avoid potential bugs.

 

 

Anyway, I think I'll try a mega-install without the end-biffer(I think I used some other biffing mod, the last time I played which was OK?) and turn off the ambient sounds. If that doesn't work, I'll try the end-biffer mod again.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Well, my first concern isn Ascension 1.4.23 which I could never install without bugs. I suppose I could use Ascension 1.4.21, though, which works fine by itself, but perhaps not with a Big World Project install.

The 1.4.23 is the same as the 1.4.21, it just has a few more translations, so it was probabaly the other mods that bugged it out.

 

(I was under the impression that any mods which were greyed out in the installation-readme, were supposed to have a high chance of bugs and were recommended against).

Yes, to some extent, or they just need to be tested more... with every possible mod combination.

 

Oh, I couldn't find the original Big World Project installation-readme(somewhere on Spellhold Studios), so I Googled and found a German readme for the Big World project and, unlike the former(?), it does seem to include the Spell Revisions mod, in the list, after all - that's good.

It was probably different version, and the Big World Project is actually writen in German first...

And, you do know that you can skip every mod you don't like to install? Just don't include the mod in to the game folder when you put the auto installer to do it's work.

 

I notice that the "Silberdrachenblut" mod is mentioned in some other (English) threads. Does this have an English version in the same install-pack or could I only play it on a German-language Baldurs' Gate? What about the German-originating Shar-Teel mod 1.0b?

I don't think those mods have proper english translation, yet.

 

COME encounters

COM encounters, as like the COM member in several forums.

 

That was the main reason why I didn't want to use the BIg World Project.

See above, the question.

 

What puzzles me is that some of the tweak mods are recommended to be installed earlier, but it makes much more sense to have their components placed much later on in the installation, so as to avoid potential bugs.

Their errors are fixed in the Big World Project's Fixpack. By the way, take notice the particular installation order of the BWP...

1) Proper setup for the game(the list I gave you), backup if you want.

2) Extract all the mod files, even the auto.exed once(winrar can do this).

3) Run the BWP Fixpack. Darn, I forgot to mention that.

4) Run the BWP Auto-installer. (Big World Project .bat auto installer, from the BiG World Toolpack v5.4). You then can choose the component from the given mods by altering the .bat file, by altering their component numbers in it. Here by browsing the cathegory list you can find the most complete listing of all the component numbers for all the mods.

And you are done.

[Strontium Dog]

Cheers, thanks. Looks like it'll be a much easier Megamod-install, after all.

[Leomar]

Jarno, thank you very much for your help.

 

I've not seen this forum before and subscribed it, now. Azazello is right, that for megamods the Mega Mod Help of SHS is normally the first place to ask. But Jarno is everywhere...

 

Strontium Dog if you have further questions so you can talk with us in this forum or at SHS. Should you have problems with your megamod while playing, so please use the "Mega Mod Help" Forum only.

 

Greetings Leomar

[Strontium Dog]

OK, well I have 1 last question:-

 

I've noticed that some of the megamods have the same NPC character, doing , presumably, different quests. So far, I've come across Shar-Teel, who apparently appears in Chateau Irenicus(?) if you install NEJ, but Shar-Teel also appears in The Darkest Day mod as well. Are these megamods now integrated with each other so that there's no confusion, and only 1 version of the NPC appears in the whole game if both the relevant mods are installed?

 

Similiarly, has BGT been improved so that, if you take some BG1 NPCs into the BG2-setting on a BGT game. they end up with different outcomes in BG2? Probably not, but it would be a good idea to have, say, an entirely different outcome to the whole Trademeet quests if one takes in Faldorn all the way from BG1 to BG2 and the Druid Grove.

[Leomar]

I've noticed that some of the megamods have the same NPC character, doing , presumably, different quests. Are these megamods now integrated with each other so that there's no confusion, and only 1 version of the NPC appears in the whole game if both the relevant mods are installed?

Unfortunately not. The same happens with TDD and the German Mod Shar-Teel NPC. So you should decide if you want the NPC of TDD (which has none banters at all), take the Shar-Teel Mod (with banters throughout the game) or install both and ignore the TDD Shar-Teel. Ascalon's Breagar NPC (at the moment a German Mod, only) makes changes for TDD with Kagain, because his mod brings Kagain to BG2, too. So in his Mod you have an option, which removes the TDD Kagain.

 

There are more of this same NPC integrations (like Drizzt), but the solution is, to install one of them or not. That is the recent status of this situation.

 

Similiarly, has BGT been improved so that, if you take some BG1 NPCs into the BG2-setting on a BGT game. they end up with different outcomes in BG2? Probably not, but it would be a good idea to have, say, an entirely different outcome to the whole Trademeet quests if one takes in Faldorn all the way from BG1 to BG2 and the Druid Grove.

That is something how a mod is programmed and has not to do with BGT. BGT only insert BG1 into BG2. Not more. Your idea is great for mods, to build of BGT, but there exists none. Ascalons Breagar is a new mod which is really a BGT mod, because this mod install the dwarf Breagar to BGT, so you can get him in BG1 and travel with him until the end of ToB. With banters, quests, interjections in all three parts of the game. Building up of each other.

 

Greetings Leomar

[Strontium Dog]

Are you saying that the German Shar-Teel (1.0b?) mod now has an english-language version in it, too? I wouldn't mind installing it as well, just to see how it compares to the NEJ mod's version of Shar-Teel.

 

Pity about the lack of continuity with BG1 and BG2. I've been occasionally trying to get others to push through some changes such as having an option where none of the original BG1 PCs have to get killed off by the PCs or Irenicus or whatever, and all have an option to join the party, early on in BG2. Some changes have been made such as the Tiax mod, which, I believe, allows Tiax to survive Irenicus' attacks in Spellhold and join the party, and I think that there's an Ajantis Bg2 mod(German-only?) which presumably prevents Ajantis from being killed. I'd especially like some BG2 characters, such as Korgan, to appear in BG1 instead/ or as well, as I dislike having to change party-members throughout the BG Trilogy.

 

At the moment, my plan is to create a few more soundsets from the Robocop and Terminator movies, then I might seriously consider doing a Faldorn "Eco-Terrorist" NPC mod where the PC can side with Faldorn and destroy the town of Trademeet. Given my lack of knowledge re programming, it'll take at least a year, but I believe all the modding-info-tutorials are shown in Spellhold Studios? or are there other sites for that as well?

 

One other thing:- I vaguely remember there being an incompatibility between the NeverEnding Journey mod and the Tortured Souls mod? Does this still exist? I remember, now, that there are 2 Tortured Souls mods, 1 with Yoshimo/Kachiko, and 1 centring on some much more minor quest - I'm not sure which 1 of those 2 mods NEJ conflicts with, but I presume it's the smaller mod, not the Yoshimo mod/