I hate being a newbie

[Silence]

Hi. I hate to say this, but I am completely lost and confused. I LOVE BG1 and 2 and basically most of the Infinity Engine stuff. So eventually I discovered you could do something called 'mod' the programs and get more adventures. YAY!

 

However, I don't know anything about programming, and don't even know where to begin understanding:

 

1) How I install a mod.

2) What mods I should start with, given that I have completed the whole BG series with a rather nifty character.

3) What the risks of modding are, and how much trouble I should anticipate with windows XP.

 

 

PLEASE answer. I'm not such a bad guy, really. I just don't understand... *sob*

[Silence]

Oh, I forgot to mention. I will repay help with writing dialogue, if such a thing is useful I'm not so bad, even if I do find Jan Jansen the funniest character in any fiction I ahve ever encountered.

[jester]

1) How I install a mod.

 

With Weidu-mods it is rather easy. Unzip into your root folder which contains the exe file of the game the mod is for. Find the setup(Modnamehere).exe in that directory and start it. A screen pops up and either informs you of the progress or asks you a couple of questions like preferred language, if available, or other options. Once the window tells you it is done. Voila and enjoy. Read the readme and start the game. Browse the forums of mods to find out about conflicting content and caveats!

 

2) What mods I should start with, given that I have completed the whole BG series with a rather nifty character.

 

There is a sh*tload of stuff around. It completely depends, if you are after new companions, rulefixes, kits, you name it.

 

http://modlist.pocketplane.net/ is a good starting point, but there may be as many suggestions as there are gamers.

 

3) What the risks of modding are, and how much trouble I should anticipate with windows XP.

 

Sleep deprivation and a massive shrinkage of free time, I guess, but there are others around who can answer this more profoundly than I can as I never mod. I have never experienced any trouble on XP so far.

[Domi]

O, do not worry, it is not so scary and requires next to nothing technical expertise.

 

Firstly I would recommend that you go with WeiDU mods to start with. That abbreviation stands for a mod made using a nifty dialogue/installation tool that helps to painlessly install/uninstall the game. Icelus has a lovely database of mods on PPG, it will give you an idea on the variability of available mods.

 

Secondly, you will need to back up your dialogue.tlk file and Override folder and keep them safe. Icelus have a lovely post on maintaing so called 'clean' install - ie the modless game at PPG

 

Thirdly, I would recommend that you pinpoint your area of interest. Ie do you want mods that are:

- For Bg2 or BG1

- add new NPCs or other NPC related content

- Add new quests

- Makes the original game tougher, add items, etc without changing mainstream game content

 

Forthly, check out a few of the modding sites to familiarize yourself with what is in progress and what is done and which site's style addresses your interests.

 

Fifthly you can start learning modding if you'd like to mod using tutorials. The tools you will need to learn first are NearInfinity (NI) and WeiDU.

 

Cheers and have fun

[jcompton]

Many of these questions are answered in the self-help section of the modlist.

[Amazor'dra]

Also, since nobody mentioned it yet and you are playing the game with Windows XP, it's a good idea to install the Bioware game patch, just in case the non-player characters in the game start giving you "He/she has nothing to say to you" lines. That is if you haven't already done so.

[Andyr]

Yeh, installing the patch is a good idea whatever OS you have.