wide-scoping mod question

[trulymadmoves]

So, if I were to play a multiplayer game, would every player need to have the same mods installed? Or would it use the host's version of the game? I know versions need to be compatible, but I wasn't sure if mods have any bearing on that.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Yes. Actually it's recommended to have an exact clone ... as mods can randomize stuff, and without a clone, it will be different, the effect... no idea.

Today it's easiest to make the game install on one computer, apply all the patches., mod etc. etc. and then just copy paste the whole game directory to the other computer somehow. A USB stick or other methods will do just fine on that. And you want to make sure the other computer doesn't have anything in the same directory and that there's enough room. And if that's not the case, you can copy the game (directory) to anywhere, but then you have to edit the baldur.ini file in the games new directory with Notepad to reflect the path change in the [Alias] section.

And in most cases you still need the play CDs, but that's a subject I won't cover here.

[subtledoctor]

With the EEs, with games using the same patch, you can probably just share baldur.ini, dialog.tlk and the override directory; no need for the main game files to be transferred.

 

With something like BGT, with the .exe patched by TobEx and who knows what other mods, and especially since you probably want to use Generalized Biffing, then you'll need to transfer the whole game.

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

Don't really need to transfer the /data folder at all, since anything changed there is going to be in /override. i regularly update my online buds with a fresh dialog.tlk and /override, then i make them re-apply whatever ToBEx I'm hosting with. No problems so far in 6+ years of tcp/ip games. (disclaimer: none of us use EEs)

[Jarno Mikkola]

Don't really need to transfer the /data folder at all, since anything changed there is going to be in /override.

Yeah, like subledoctor said, unless you use the Generalized Biffing mod to speed up the game. As it removes the override folders content and pushes it to more readable data format by the engine in the data folder. Aka .bif's.

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

My mistake, though, as I was assuming people didn't Bif until the particular top-level game folder was "complete", so if GenBif was used in the original install, my suggestion is moot.

[Jarno Mikkola]

My mistake, though, as I was assuming people didn't Bif until the particular top-level game folder was "complete", so if GenBif was used in the original install, my suggestion is moot.

--well, yes, you could save the Gen Biffing until you have also installed the Widescreen mod to each individual machine, and then install the GenBif... yes. Point taken.

[trulymadmoves]

I downloaded the GOG version of all the IE games (no Enhanced Editions, not my thing). So... if I transferred my entire game directory directly onto the other players' computers, they wouldn't need to also do the download/install from GOG? They'd end up with the exact same mods as me? That's good, 'cause I intended to do a lot of pick-and-choose from fixpacks/tweakpacks etc.... it begs the question of how I'm gonna pull it off, since the people I want to play with are scattered all over the globe... can that much stuff be emailed all at once?

 

I'll figure it out, but is my premise right? Transferring the game directories works? And, if transferring that many files can't be done, does the Override folder contain everything found in every mod, will just that folder do?

[Jarno Mikkola]

If you already have a moded game you intend to play with, you only need to copy paste the weidu.log's content to a post and we can definitely tell you if the override folder has everything you need to transfer, so open up the file in the game folder with Notepad and do the copy paste.