Reinstalling GOG BG2 + TOB. Which Mods to add?

[Katylar]

Hi. I played both BG2 and TOB way back in 2005, and again around 2 or 3 years ago. I recently got a new PC and some spare time, so I decided to give on my favorite games a whirl. I got the GOG (good old games) version since my new system is a Windows 7 64bit, and I really didn't want to bother with CD's anymore (I used to play on my laptop XP).

 

Now, I honestly don't know what mods, tweakpacks or fixpacks, not to mention official and unofficial patches should I install (and in what order) in order to get the best playthrough. Of course, I recognize that best is a subjective term, so I'll try to qualify what I mean.

 

I want it to be a vanilla as possible, with no added NPCs, items or whatnot. No extra quests, too (unless they were meant to be there, but were left unfinished or removed due to Production issues).

 

However, I do appreciate more character interaction, especially in romances which I follow (Male NPC + Viconia).

 

I'll also be going for the widescreen mod, as well as anything that would remove the eyesore-effect of the cloak of reflection/mirroring.

 

Lastly, since I've already finished the original/vanilla TOB, I was hoping to play with those Director-cut mods that I've seen floating around the net. I think it's called Ascension.

 

Anyway, with these being said, can anyone tell me if my proposed build is possible? And if so, where can I get the best and latest versions of these mods/tweaks?

 

I'm thinking of something like:

1. g3 TweakPack and FixPack

2. Official Patches? How do I know if my GOG version is patched to the latest version before applying the tweak and fix packs?

3. Widescreen Mod

4. g3 Romantic Encounters and/or NPC Flirt Pack (will they conflict?)

5. NPC Banter Pack

6. Unfinished Business (is this fun?)

7. Ascension (WeiDu version) + Redemption (good?)

8. Yoshimo Friendship

9. TOB Enhancements by David Gaider (Bhaalspawn powers, Tougher Bosses... will this conflict with Ascension?)

10. Baldurdash ToB and SoA Bugfixes by Kevin Dorner (from http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/index_mods_hosted_fixes_tweaks.php ; Will these conflict with the g3 Tweak and FixPack?)

11. FixPacks from Sorcerer's Plane (will these conflict?)

 

As you can see, I'm really trying to achieve a balance between not modifying the game TOO much, but expanding existing content and playing the most bugfree and optimized version of the game possible.

 

Any suggestions and comments? Thanks!

[Jarno Mikkola]

2. Official Patches? How do I know if my GOG version is patched to the latest version before applying the tweak and fix packs?

Well, they kinda are, but still not. You can see the game version tag when you start the game create a character and start a new game, after all the movies and cutscenes are over, you can exit to the game options menu and it says you the version tag. It says that it's either v2.5.26498 or ...26499, Now the 98 should be the latest official pacth and the 99 is the latest beta pacth... but as the GOG version is otherwise modified too, the vesion tag is false all on it's own.

 

7... Which WeiDU version... There's a new version of BP that carries all the 7, and 9...

 

And to the 10 then. Erhm, for you, it might be best to get yourself around the BiG World Project pdf document... unfortunatly for you, the SHSforums are offline as they lost their database...

[Katylar]

"BP"?

[DavidW]

I disagree with Jarno. Big World (BWP) is a semi-automated process designed for maxi-installs with hundreds of mods. There's no need to use it for the fairly tight install you've got. Likewise, I don't think using the BP version of Ascension is advisable as a standalone, as it modifies significant bits of the game that the original "director's cut" version doesn't.

 

The SP and Baldurdash fixpacks will clash with the G3 fixpack.

 

I suggest this order:

 

(1) Ascension (download from weidu.org). This is the "Director's cut" mod you mentioned and includes the Gaider "TOB enhancements".

(2) the BG2 Fixpack (download from www.gibberlings3.net)

(3) the Banter Pack (from www.pocketplane.net)

(4) the Flirt Pack (from www.pocketplane.net)

(5) unfinished business (from www.pocketplane.net)

(6) Romantic Encounters (from www.gibberlings3.net)

(7) the first component only of Sword Coast Stratagems II (from www.gibberlings3.net). [This is my AI mod, and you're welcome to install other bits, but the first component just does some bug-fixing, and in particular fixes a glitch caused by interactions between Ascension and the Fixpack].

(8) the G3 tweakpack (from www.gibberlings3.net)

(9) the widescreen mod (from www.gibberlings3.net)

 

I've played with something fairly similar (I also used the quest pack from www.pocketplane.net, Rogue Rebalancing from spellholdstudios.net, and most of Sword Coast Strategems) and it was pretty stable and didn't damage the basic flavour of the game.

 

Redemption adds significant new content (it's a radical rewriting of the structure of ToB and introduces a new NPC) so I suspect it's too maximalist for your tastes. I don't know anything about Yoshimo Friendship.

[Katylar]

Thanks for the response, DavidW. This is exactly what I was looking for. Now my only questions is whether or not I need to install official patches before I start adding the tweaks, fixes and mods.

 

Given your affiliation with this great community and modding group, I'd just like to say that I mean absolutely no offense when I ask what are the advantages of the G3 Fixpack over the SP and Baldurdash ones?

 

Again, great advice. I'll probably try the Redemption addition after one finishing one playthrough of ToB + Ascension. Then again, I might be satisfied enough by then to stop.

 

Thanks!

[Jarno Mikkola]

I disagree with Jarno. Big World (BWP) is a semi-automated process designed for maxi-installs with hundreds of mods...

*Whistle* Actually it's designed to allow you to install as many mods as you like to the game so they do not conflict with each others. If you like to install 10, you CAN.

It's then upto you and your knowledge on how to proceed from that point on.

 

Thanks for the response, DavidW. This is exactly what I was looking for. Now my only questions is whether or not I need to install official patches before I start adding the tweaks, fixes and mods.

Run the game and find out what version you have...

 

what are the advantages of the G3 Fixpack over the SP and Baldurdash ones?

Well, the G3 BGII fixpack is the newest of them, it also covers the both BG2's unlike the SP's, and it TRIES to patch the existing resoures kind of mod, so it doesn't overwrite the previous things that have been changed ... like for example the Ascension mods content.

 

"BP"?

Short for "Big Picture", old mod that tried to combine all Kevin Dorner's works and then enhance them with other mods...

[DavidW]

Thanks for the response, DavidW. This is exactly what I was looking for. Now my only questions is whether or not I need to install official patches before I start adding the tweaks, fixes and mods.

I'm about 80% confident that GOG-BG2 is already patched.

 

Given your affiliation with this great community and modding group, I'd just like to say that I mean absolutely no offense when I ask what are the advantages of the G3 Fixpack over the SP and Baldurdash ones?

None taken. (Not that I was ever very involved with the fixpack.)

 

From a technical perspective, the BG2 fixpack [aka the G3 fixpack, though it was a rather wider project than that originally] is much more sophisticated in how it works, and so is able to deal with a much wider range of problems; it's also more or less a de facto standard, so that most modern mods are likely to be built on the assumption that it's installed. As far as content is concerned, my own view is that the BG2 fixpack was implemented with a very careful set of rules for what counts as a fix, more careful than older fixpacks which relied more on one or two individuals' judgement. That last claim was a bit controversial a few years ago but I think is pretty widely accepted now.

 

Bottom line: I think you'll have a smoother play experience with the BG2 fixpack. But it's not crucial. (What is crucial is that you don't install two fixpacks: they're not compatible.)

 

Again, great advice. I'll probably try the Redemption addition after one finishing one playthrough of ToB + Ascension. Then again, I might be satisfied enough by then to stop.

 

It's faintly possible that you might also like my Wheels of Prophecy, which opens out the structure of chapter 9 of ToB without (I hope) harming the overall flavour and content. (But I shan't be offended if not!)

 

(@Jarno: yes, I know that BWP can be used for small installs; that's not the same as saying that it's a good idea to use it for small installs. It's clearly designed with different priorities in mind; using it for a small install is needlessly complicated.)