help with games/packs

[Guest ^nighthawk^]

Posted this in another section so apologies for that.

 

I suppose i should start with a bit of an intro about my gaming, i played BG1 back around 1998. Now i've installed it a couple of times since, but it is rather clunky etc.

I much prefer the BGII & IWD2 graphics.

 

I've recently thought about installing my BG1:TOTSC and BGII:TOB games. As i'm sure you know there are MANY packs and features out now that wernt available back then and to be honest i'm a little lost with where to go from here.

 

The G3 mod sounds good, as do the banter packs and BG1Tutu.

 

A few other tweaks listed on sorcerers place have also caught my eye such as:

1) Drow innate abilities restore

2) Cal-Culator (sounds quite funny)

3) The throne of bhaal enhancements from David Gaider (the 26kb one, not Ascension).

4) Bonus and collectors edition merchants.

5) Sorcerers Place globe of mirroring

6) TOB Juggernaut golem fix.

 

possibly:

1) The TeamBG - BG2 & ToB Level 50 Patch & XP Cap Remover

2) The TeamBG BG2 Grand Mastery Rules Fix Patch

3) Spell-50 Mod??

4) Oversight Mod

 

I also wish to install:

1) The Darkest Day

2) Epic Endeavours

3) Shadows Over Soubar

and possibly:

The TeamBG mod Baldur's Gate Trilogy(which is meant to incorporate the original BG game into BGII) - not neccessary, but would be cool.

 

Now i am aware that i might need to install:

The Big Picture Compatibility Mod or some other such thing.

 

So as you can see, i want the moon on a stick and i dont want to screw it up. I'm trying to keep as much of the original BGII game as is, bar banter packs and neccessary/cool fixes that make sense and help improve gameplay/experience.

 

So i guess i need advice.

 

What would you leave out? What can do just as good a job etc? Is it a good idea to install such and such? Also what order do i install these things, especialyl if i was to use The TeamBG Baldurs Gate Trilogy mod? Also any mods i am overlooking?

 

Really stuck, any help appreciated.

 

^nighthawk^

[Andyr]

I'd leave out the BP/BGT mods for now (The Darkest Day, Shadows Over Soubar, Tortured Souls). The Big Picture package is currently undergoing a lot of revision so it might be better to wait a while...

 

Tortured Souls has been converted to WeiDU format, though. I'm giving that a bash at the moment - so if you do want to install one of the 3 larger mods, I'd suggest that one. But make sure it's the WeiDU version (6.01 is latest).

 

I'd avoid BGT, too. If you want to play the BG1 portion of the game, try Tutu: http://www.pocketplane.net/tutu

[CamDawg]

These questions are always difficult, as everyone has different preferences towards mods. I'm pretty sure my bias will show here.

 

A few other tweaks listed on sorcerers place have also caught my eye such as:

1) Drow innate abilities restore

2) Cal-Culator (sounds quite funny)

3) The throne of bhaal enhancements from David Gaider (the 26kb one, not Ascension).

4) Bonus and collectors edition merchants.

5) Sorcerers Place globe of mirroring

6) TOB Juggernaut golem fix.

I'd suggest a few alternate mods in place of these: SimDing0's Tweak Pack (contains Drow Innates), Unfinished Business (ToB enhancements), Ease of Use (merchants, globe of mirroring), and Baldurdash (numerous fixes). Baldurdash is a standard fixpack, but it may conflict with some of the larger mods you've mentioned so check the readmes. Otherwise, these mods contain everything mentioned above, but in modern WeiDU format and with active bug support. All of them also contain other goodies you may also want to install--I'd recommend some components from Sim's tweaks and Ease of Use, and all of Unfinished Business.

 

1) The TeamBG - BG2 & ToB Level 50 Patch & XP Cap Remover

2) The TeamBG BG2 Grand Mastery Rules Fix Patch

3) Spell-50 Mod??

4) Oversight Mod

1 and 2 are in Ease of Use; Spell-50 overpowers mages even worse than they are now, and Oversight is IMO a must-install. Well, the fixes are--I don't like Improved Sendai.

I also wish to install:

1) The Darkest Day

2) Epic Endeavours

3) Shadows Over Soubar

Avoid TDD. Early editions were plagued with several game-crushing bugs. TDD fans now say it's bug-free; even if true IMO the content is still of poor quality. I have never played EE or SoS so I can not offer an opinion.

 

and possibly:

The TeamBG mod Baldur's Gate Trilogy(which is meant to incorporate the original BG game into BGII) - not neccessary, but would be cool.

 

Now i am aware that i might need to install:

The Big Picture Compatibility Mod or some other such thing.

For playing BG in the BG2 engine, go with Tutu. (Tutu, and recommendations for Tutu, are another thread entirely.) BP is not required either way, and it's also a mod I would currently recommend against--the installation is harrowing (Sim's account is very enlightening, especially when you consider that Sim knows the engine and modding very well), and it combines a number of mods in which I'm not terribly interested. This is, naturally, my own bias.

 

I'm a big fan of mods that add content (though I'm not an NPC fan) and change game mechanics. I've got the following installed for my current BG2 game: Baldurdash, Oversight, One Pixel Productions, Song & Silence, Banter Packs, Flirt Packs, Unfinished Business, G3 Anniversary, Sim's Tweaks, Ease of Use, G3 Tweaks, Black Rose: Market Prices, and a Delainy beta. Some BG2 mods I wish to try, but haven't yet (for one reason or another): Cleric Remix, Quest Pack, and CoM Encounters.

[Domi]

I have only one mod installed on my BG2, but another mod I am considering and that is not on your list is Cleric Remix, which Cam pointed to (but I am waiting to see if Andyr and Nightmare add more custom kits to it, mainly hopping for Shaundakul's ) Like with Cleric Remix, with the Song and Silence I'd recommend looking through the kits to see if you like any before installing.

[Ghreyfain]

Epic Endeavours is a partial-conversion, so it doesn't exactly work with any other mods. It's like a separate game in its own right.

[Belanos]

The G3 mod sounds good, as do the banter packs and BG1Tutu.

 

By all means get BG1 Tutu. You'll be able to play BG1 within the BG2 game, with all the enhancements that comes with it. And it works quite well too, rarely crashes at all. It can be a bit finicky to install at times, though most people have no problems, especially once they figure out how it's done. Be sure to get Fixpack 9 as well though.