All Weidu mods are compatible with each other ?

[Guest Poetic Weidu]

I often see that phrase in many readme files.

 

Is it true that all Weidu mods are compatible with each other? Does this mean that I can safely install whatever mod I want as long as it's Weidu?

 

I'd rather not blow up my hard drive

[Jarno Mikkola]

I often see that phrase in many readme files.

Is it true that all Weidu mods are compatible with each other? Does this mean that I can safely install whatever mod I want as long as it's Weidu?

The phrase is, "This mod is/should be compatible with all other WeiDU mods", meaning that the mod itself doesn't overwrite already existing files, but patches them...

 

Now, of course there is the proper install order that you have to follow, because there are WeiDU mods that override files, and it is not obvious either. So you better use advice from the megamodders. And use the BWS to setup the mods of the game if you wish to avoid install order problems.

 

I'd rather not blow up my hard drive

Well, none of the mods destroy your hard drive, but they can destroy the game so it can't be played anymore... or started to be precise.

[cmorgan]

Jarmo is right - weidu is a distribution/patching system. With older weidu mods (or ones where the modder feels that they would rather not patch, forcing players to accept only their changes or their vision of the game, kind of like NWN modules work) there can be some weidu mods that cause glitches in other mods installed. So even though weidu allows multiple mods to be installed, if you want more than one mod on your game at one time, it is useful to read the readme, check the forums, and make decisions on what you want installed. Weidu is pretty cool - it even allows you to install only the parts of a mod you want, if the modder has allowed it

[Icendoan]

Sometimes, such as with Item Revisions, they are overwritten due to the huge overhaul which has been done to the system, where it is finely calibrated to be balanced. With such a system, any "hidden" or unforeseen boons or deficits become a tricky balance issue, possibly with some things becoming overpowered and some underpowered.

 

Icen

[berelinde]

There are incompatibilities and there are Incompatibilities. The latter, capitalized version means that the mod contains things that will overwrite your base installation. Ascension is a good example of this. Yeah, it's a WeiDU mod, but it's got some pe-compiled scripts and it's dumping them into the override. Don't blame Ascension. It's an old mod, and that's how things were done, back in the day. To get around this, you have to pay strict attention to installation order. Most of the time, folks are only too happy to help you get a workable installation order, but your best bet is just to check out the Big World Project. You don't have to install every mod on the list! But it thoroughly discusses all possible incompatibilities, and offers workarounds.

 

The incompatibility with the little i is what happens when modders use INTERJECT too freely or extend scripts carelessly and accidentally break somebody else's mod. OK, here's what happens. I'm writing an NPC who is a cleric of Lathander. Suppose I decide that if the player decides to work for Bodhi, he's going to interject and force the player's hand, forcing the player to decline the offer. I wouldn't do this. I'm just using it as a example. Now suppose cmorgan wrote a mod that relied on the player working for the vampires in order to complete his NPC's quest and advance the romance. That INTERJECT I wrote in earlier just broke cmorgan's mod. Your only recourse there is to talk to the modders involved and hope they can reach some kind of an understanding so they can agree not to break each others' mods.

 

So, yeah, even WeiDU mods can be incompatible, but at least they can be uninstalled easily.

[DavidW]

To add to Berelinde's two: there are also incompatibilities which have nothing to do with technical issues. If two people write Kivan NPCs, or two mods both give Firkraag a new combat script, fairly obviously you just have to pick the one you want. Mostly this is an issue with tactical and tweak mods, but generally these are fairly well documented and broken into components, so common sense will see you through.

[cmorgan]

So the technical breakdown is, it depends on what your definition of "is" is... (U.S. political humor)

[Guest Poetic Weidu]

Aw bummer.

 

I must admit that laziness was one of the motivations for this thread. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to worry about reading guides and just install any mod to my heart's content. But now I see that I have work ahead of me.

 

 

I was thinking of trying of Tutu, but this thing here is very very intimidating http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=8122

 

 

(Incidentally, the confirm code I had to type was called BADDD 1 :snicker:)

[cmorgan]

Don't think of it as a daunting task - more of a "if you want to add some stuff, this is the order to add it" list. You do not have to add anything at all - or, a "minimally modded" install that has been tested within an inch of its life is

 

EasyTutu (latest version)

Degreenifier

BG1NPC

 

and that will give you a BG2-like set of interactions.

 

There are so many good mods to add and to recommend to expand that minimal install that it can get confusing (thus the list). But the basics are you can play Tutu for years on just the vanilla unmodded content and have a good experience. Just running different party members changes the game without changing the central storyline .

[temujin]

"All Weidu mods are compatible with each other ?"

 

 

 

Assuming you're talking about technical incompatibilities, this depends on how skilled the author is in making their mod as flexible as possible.

 

For the most part, mods *must* be installed in a particular order. Otherwise you're screwed. Weidu or not is irrelevant. It's mainly because some authors sadly didn't consider the possibility that other mods may be installed together with theirs, leaving folks like the BWP team to spend hundreds of hours cleaning up their mess.

 

There are only a few that are genuinely highly skilled who try to cover all bases, and willing to make their mods as much compatibility-friendly as possible. Their mods are obviously worth treasuring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, there are two jokers - Baronius and Sikret - who are a different breed of modder. These fine chaps give a new meaning to the word 'compatibility'.