Couple of questions on BG EE with SOD

[Greenhorn]

Well, after much time, effort and I dare say love poured in my TUTU install I reluctantly switched today on EE. TUTU run peachy until 65 or so days ingame and then suddenly started crushing out of blue without any indications in baldur.err or Tobex log files. But when I installed EE I noticed that game is unbearably slow. Main problem is crawling of my CHARNAME which is fast as elderly turtle with the gout. I tried finding solution on net, changed graphic options on alternate rendering ( which causes crashes on starting the game until reverted on lua file ), nothing helps. Until I changed my screen resolution to lowest ( 800:600). It seems that allowed game to run normally but the graphic on that setting is so bad compared to original with 1pp installed that it completely defeats any joy in playing. I would appreciated some tips if possible on how to make it run more smoothly. I would also like to know if there will be need for biffing like in BGT after heavy modding ( and most importantly if biffing actually even work on EE, I think not ) and some links with EE list of compatible mods please. 

[Jarno Mikkola]

Hmm, no biffing. Well, at least no one has come up and said it helps, or hurts(except the space required... so, the point is defeated by these twp facts).

What kind of setup do you run the game with(aka what kind of computer do you have) ? And you are running the game with default frames per seconds ? Like for example, copy the content of the Baldur.lua file to a spoiler tags.

The EE has the EEex ... but that's a beast for mod makers at this point that is not really used to it's full potential by anything I have seen.

And you know the DLCmerger that you need before you install mods to the BG1EE+SoD...

[subtledoctor]

Biffing works fine with the EEs, I actually do use it, for the sole purpose of allowing Near Infinity to start faster. (~5 minutes with 60,000 files in my override folder, versus 3 seconds with only 600 files.) For actual gameplay there is no need to biff files, even with 100,000+ files in /override. The EE engine will run just fine. 

As for why your game is slow, I couldn’t say. I’m on MacOS, on relatively old hardware (a laptop Core i5 circa 2012) and it’s like butter. Maybe something about your Windows install...?

[Greenhorn]

16 minutes ago, Jarno Mikkola said:

Hmm, no biffing. Well, at least no one has come up and said it helps, or hurts(except the space required... so, the point is defeated by these twp facts).

What kind of setup do you run the game with(aka what kind of computer do you have) ? And you are running the game with default frames per seconds ? Like for example, copy the content of the Baldur.lua file to a spoiler tags.

The EE has the EEex ... but that's a beast for mod makers at this point that is not really used to it's full potential by anything I have seen.

And you know the DLCmerger that you need before you install mods to the BG1EE+SoD...

Hardver is pretty much outdated ( or antiquated more precisely ). Windows 7, Service pack 1, 64 bit. AMD Sempron 145 procesor 2.80 GHz but with only 2GB of RAM ( I'm afraid this is the main reason for slow performance along with my outdated graphic card which is NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a). Still according to minimal system requirements it should run just OK. I'm not afraid of challenge and would gladly give it a  try even with tedious screen resolution changing before playing but I mostly fear possible lagging and slowing after adding 20 or so mods. So as I said I would be thankful for every piece of valuable advice. Oh, and thanks for your tip Doc. I think that my old hardver and integrated graphic card aren't enough to play even relatively undemanding 3d game like BG EE. 

 

[Jarno Mikkola]

8 minutes ago, Greenhorn said:

AMD Sempron 145 procesor 2.80 GHz

Erhm, this is the reason it won't likely run well, not the 2GB's of RAM, that's x2 , as Steam says:

Quote

• Minimum:
  • OS:Windows 7, 8.1, 10 64 bit
  • Processor: Dual Core Processor
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible
  • Hard Drive: 5 GB available space

AMD Se... being a single core processor, at least according to amazon.

[Greenhorn]

14 hours ago, Jarno Mikkola said:

Erhm, this is the reason it won't likely run well, not the 2GB's of RAM, that's x2 , as Steam says:

AMD Se... being a single core processor, at least according to amazon.

Uff,  I totally forgot about that, thank you Jarno, I'm afraid you are right. Still, before I hang white flag I will try it, I just want to know if there is need to modify lua file to give reports about possible crashing messages, the way I can modify old baldur.ini with Logging = 1? 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Greenhorn

[Jarno Mikkola]

Now, you should remember that even if you don't fufill the minimum requirements on Steam, it doesn't mean you are completely doomed, as those requirements are more along the line of the pirate code in Pirates of the Caribbean, so they are more like a suggestion. But it should inform you to do a few things. Do not start the game with any Graphical user interface under your main game inteface, those are for example Steam. You don't need to start Steam to start the game, as you can start the game from the games install folder's Baldur.exe -file. And the easiest way is to make a desktop shortcut from it/to it. And as this is a "demanding" game by the machines speckts, you should consider disabling Antivirus etc programs during gameplay, and maybe even the internet to not get a bad effects from that. And if you have any other programs running in the background you don't really need, just get rid of them(this is the most significant thing you can do to uplift your performance).

[Greenhorn]

54 minutes ago, Jarno Mikkola said:

Now, you should remember that even if you don't fufill the minimum requirements on Steam, it doesn't mean you are completely doomed, as those requirements are more along the line of the pirate code in Pirates of the Caribbean, so they are more like a suggestion. But it should inform you to do a few things. Do not start the game with any Graphical user interface under your main game inteface, those are for example Steam. You don't need to start Steam to start the game, as you can start the game from the games install folder's Baldur.exe -file. And the easiest way is to make a desktop shortcut from it/to it. And as this is a "demanding" game by the machines speckts, you should consider disabling Antivirus etc programs during gameplay, and maybe even the internet to not get a bad effects from that. And if you have any other programs running in the background you don't really need, just get rid of them(this is the most significant thing you can do to uplift your performance).

Thank you for tips Jarno but I already did all that ( including the shutting of internet) even before my first message. Ah, well, I guess I should just buy ( or upgrade existing ) hardver which I delayed as I'm not exactly gamer and this old peace of junk suited me just fine for my needs. But do you have same advice on this little thing that worries me:

Quote

I just want to know if there is need to modify lua file to give reports about possible crashing messages, the way I can modify old baldur.ini with Logging = 1? 

Oh and here is my lua file in case if it is any help, I forgot to post it earlier:

Spoiler

SetPrivateProfileString('Window','x','328')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','y','141')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','h','768')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','w','1024')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Maximized','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Full Screen','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','INTRO','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','RESTINN','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','LOGO','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Enable Chat Menu','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Disable Banters','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Language','Text','en_US')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Explored Map','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','All Learn Spell Info','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tutorial State','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Mouse Scroll Speed','40')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Extra Feedback','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Combat UI','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause State','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Equipment Comparison','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Pausing Map','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','3E Thief Sneak Attack','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','GUI Feedback Level','5')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Over Confirm Everything','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Weather','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus Gold','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Classic Selection Circles','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Effect Text Level','62')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Last Save','000000000-Auto-Save')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Infravision','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Critical Hit Screen Shake','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Bored Timeout','3000')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Terrain Hugging','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Journal Popups','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Travel Regions','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Always Dither','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Quick Item Mapping','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Expire Trap Highlights','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tiles Precache Percent','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Attack Sounds','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','HP Over Head','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Command Sounds Frequency','2')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Subtitles','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Color Circles','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Heal Party on Rest','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','No Difficulty Based XP Bonus','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Hotkeys On Tooltips','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Message Box Top','175')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Memory Level','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Ranged Weapon Switching','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Footsteps','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Learnable Spells','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Selection Sounds Frequency','3')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show AOE','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Suppress Extra Difficulty Damage','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Cleric Ranger Spells','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Maximum HP','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause Center','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Message Box Hint','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Area Effects Density','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Locator Feedback Level','3')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Actions','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Confirm Dialog','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Character HP','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Environmental Audio','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Difficulty Level','2')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus XP','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Filter Games','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Duplicate Floating Text','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Keyboard Scroll Speed','40')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','Zoom','112')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ru_RU','PTSERIF')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','uk_UA','PERMIAN')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ko_KR','NANUM')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','zh_CN','SIMSUN')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ja_JP','MEIRYO')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Zoom Lock','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','version','OpenGL version 2.1.2 - build XXXX')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Area Map Zoom','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','vendor','NVIDIA Corporation')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Sprite Outlines','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','renderer','GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a/integrated/SSE2')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Hardware Mouse Cursor','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Character Highlights','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Greyscale On Pause','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Nearest Neighbour Scaling','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Show Black Space','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Scale UI','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Ambients','40')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Translucent Shadows','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Tooltips','15')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Disable Cosmetic Attacks','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Font Name','')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Path Search Nodes','32000')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Music','40')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','3D Acceleration','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Drop Capitals','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume SFX','80')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Sprite Mirror','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Voices','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Movie','90')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Active Campaign','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Maximum Frame Rate','30')
 

 

[Jarno Mikkola]

Hmm, to enable the console in the EE game, here's how you do it, aka you just add a new line and write "SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Debug Mode','1')" without the "quote marks" to it. But that doesn't really do what you describe, I would say the logging was a ToBEx function... if my memory serves anything... but I can't be at all sure about that. Aka, it's not a feature of the game, but external function in ToBEx, which is of course not compatible with this game, and so won't do.

[Greenhorn]

1 minute ago, Jarno Mikkola said:

Hmm, to enable the console in the EE game, here's how you do it, aka you just add a new line and write "SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Debug Mode','1')" without the "quote marks" to it. But that doesn't really do what you describe, I would say the logging was a ToBEx function... if my memory serves anything... but I can't be at all sure about that. Aka, it's not a feature of the game, but external function in ToBEx, which is of course not compatible with this game, and so won't do.

Ah, thank you, found about console on Baldur wiki in the meantime but nothing on error log, only on Beamdog something about crash dump files. I think that you can enable messages on error log in old BG2 even without TOBEX, I can't believe this was omitted out of EE. Well, I'm off to install SOD and see what is hassle with this DLCmerger and EEex. Thanks for your help Jarno and if you remember some more useful tips in the meantime please enlighten me. 

[Greenhorn]

On my pleasant surprise enabling Nearest neighbor scaling instead default Linear scaling  on graphic options enabled the game to run perfectly smoothly, even on highest screen resolution! If only I could now deduce why after installing SOD expansion all sound in game movies suddenly gone distorted and screechy... 

[Jarno Mikkola]

Nice.

But, sorry, can't help you there.

[Greenhorn]

30 minutes ago, Jarno Mikkola said:

Nice.

But, sorry, can't help you there.

Which is nice, screechy sound or finally normal running game? 

Just kidding, thanks anyway. 

[Graion Dilach]

I've noticed that many of the SoD audio are in 48 kHz, so it could be that your soundcard's settings need to have 48 kHz output enabled (many of them are limited to 44.1 kHz by default).

[Greenhorn]

1 hour ago, Graion Dilach said:

I've noticed that many of the SoD audio are in 48 kHz, so it could be that your soundcard's settings need to have 48 kHz output enabled (many of them are limited to 44.1 kHz by default).

Hmm, I checked it and it is already set on 24 bit, 48000 hz Studio quality. In the meantime I uninstalled SOD and game movies sound is again normal. But thanks for suggestion.