List of quest and content mods by balance type

[Lightbringer]

:mwaha: :mwaha: :mwaha:

 

I think it's time to admit I don't know anything about anything anymore. I was just perusing the Dark Horizons forums and found a poll the author put up as to whether +4 weapons were overpowered in BG1. 64% said no. Now, the sample size may have been a little small (14), but still.

 

Also, turns out the guy did address the power level of DH -- in an FAQ on page 3 of that forum, where he addressed the "rule-book Nazi balance purists" who didn't like the idea of ToB weapons being present in BG1.

 

Ok, this isn't meant to be a DH bashing thread. (really, honest!) To each their own -- Dark Horzions has its audience. Moving on.

 

 

 

Was there a similar rebalancing of TDD(z)?

TDDz offers you a choice for customisation (it is a tp2 improvement that lets you select from the original material, so to say) Here is an extract from the author's description:

Indeed, I make TTDz as customizable as possible: make items undroppable, replace them, change creatures xp, replace creatures, replace by better scripts at player heart contents!

Also note that it is played in SoA where you also fight e.g. Firkraag - and the final high level episode (now made optional) is not available until the time you are ready to face Irenicus in Hell.

 

 

Good point about BG2. I'm far less uptight about things at that point. And of course by ToB, all bets are off

[subtledoctor]

THANK YOU for this thread! This is just the kind of list I have always looked for, but could never seem to get straight answers about mods (without doing truly insane amounts of research trawling through multiple different forums).

 

My advice to modders: there is nothing wrong with adding content that differs from vanilla gameplay - modders generally mod for their own tastes. But just talk about it frankly in your readme! No offense to Roxanne (seriously) but that warning is incredibly vague. "This is more for seasoned players?" I mean, I'm a seasoned player, but I don't want to face 14th-level warriors in a quest normally done at level 2. (Prism and the Bounty Hunter.) That's just how my taste runs - there's nothing wrong people who have different tastes, of course. The world would be super boring if we all agreed on this stuff.

 

So why not say something more direct like "this mod significantly alters the power level of early gameplay, adding difficult and high-level tactical encounters. I think it's awesome, but players should be aware of that going in." I think something like that would be way more helpful.

 

Anyway that is meant as constructive criticism, for these general types of mods that add encounters and enemies and items. Just let players know what they're dealing with so they can make an informed decision and have fun.

 

Separately, it would be great if more players could report this kind of stuff in an easy-to-find place, like this thread. Not to 'review' or judge mods, but simply to describe them for other, newer players.

 

Again, thumbs-up all around.

[Lightbringer]

Well said Subtledoctor.

 

To illustrate your point further, right now I'm preparing a set of more vanilla-ish mods for a full EET playthrough as I've never actually taken the same character all the way from Keep to Throne -- even porting between games. I've only beaten ToB once, and that was with a charname created new for SoA. I've played many parts of the series many (many) times, but never all the way through. I want to at least get a solid baseline playthrough under my belt.

 

Afterwards, I'm very much looking forward to giving a super-powered version of things a try -- just like what Sandrah Saga provides. I may love it, and never look back, or I may decide it's just not my cup of tea.

 

I created this thread to aid myself and others in identifying which mods belong in which camp -- without judgement. I have reasons to enjoy them both.

[Roxanne]

I think I need to disappoint you here.

a super-powered version of things a try -- just like what Sandrah Saga provides

This is not what you may expect from my mod - for this you would need a tactical install or similar.

 

What Sandrah does is to add some additional contents to some well-known events (like giving Greywolf some helpers - level 14?, ah yes, 6+7+1 - or having some Talos priests add some challenge to Tenya's quest). This way you may be better off to decide you e.g. do the Prism quest a bit later than on your first visit to Nashkel Mines area. (There is nothing saying that this - optional - quest with its large reward and Rep boost is a chapter 2 quest). Sandrah puts no powerful obstacles in the way of the main quest, the vanilla road through the game is not affected at all.

The idea to re-visit areas throughout the whole game instead of always following your well known path is one of the new things that EET provides and Sandrah just tries to give this concept some substance. You need not necessarily jump onto each new quest the very minute you learn about it.

One of Sandrah's topics is leadership and responsibility, a very important issue for the sequels after ToB. The good leader learns to trust his companions and his own abilities and knows when to fight or when to look for other options...The mod is not about putting overpowered enemies against you whenever a chance arises. Some of Sandrah's quests take longer than any of the original game parts - there is stuff that starts in EET chapter 2 which finds it solution in EET chapter 21.

(And even though a mod like Dark Horizons may not initially have been intended this way - in the EET context you can now manage it like that, i.e. Dark Horizons in EET is not the same as DH in BG1.)

 

All of this is why I chose to declare it an *EET mod* and a *Saga*. With EET you no longer have that linear game that has the various campaigns lined up and glued behind each other but rather a game area area that grows with each quest you solve within one very big context. One of the red threads that hold it all together is the original bhallspawn story. The Sandrah mods try to add a parallel red thread which also tries to tie some other mods (like the old mega mods) a bit closer to the core of the story.

[Lightbringer]

Interesting insight into your mod, Roxanne. It sounds awesome. Once I finish my first full vanilla-ish run, I'm really looking forward to checking it out

[Lightbringer]

I think I need to disappoint you here.

a super-powered version of things a try -- just like what Sandrah Saga provides

This is not what you may expect from my mod - for this you would need a tactical install or similar.

 

Honestly, that's just as well. I'm not really looking for extreme power-cheese. I was willing to put up with it for what I've understood your mod to offer