Questions about types of mods

[Laura]

I've seen the terms TUTU and WEIDU used in relation to the mods and I have heard that there are compatability issues with some mods.

 

Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for when I'm installing mods so that I don't stumble into a mess?

[cmorgan]

Tutu, EasyTutu, and "for Tutu" references all are designed to be used with the BG2 engine conversion of BG1 - "Tutu" - "to Two" - "BG One to Two".

 

WeiDU (and BiggDU, a seldom-used community nickname based on the fact that "the big" has taken over updating the program) are references to the program used to make sure that you can install, uninstall, and change mods for all Infinity Engine games (BG1, BG2, etc.).

 

If you are working with BG2 and/or the explansion ToB, the safest/most commonly recommended route around here is to:

1. stick to mods that use WeiDU, identified by the use of 'setup-mymodname.exe'

2. stick to mods that say specifically BG2 or ToB, and read rhe ReadMe to make sure that they are modifying the things you expect to find in a BG2 game.

[Grunker]

I've seen the terms TUTU and WEIDU used in relation to the mods and I have heard that there are compatability issues with some mods.

 

Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for when I'm installing mods so that I don't stumble into a mess?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Tutu is a mod that makes Baldur's Gate I use the Baldur's Gate II engine. If you install Tutu, only used mods which have a statement in the readme stating it is ok to use with tutu (I.e. the mods under the tutu section of the Pocketplane Group Modlist: Here)

 

Most small mods for BG1 works with Tutu as well.

 

WeiDU is a tool for modding the Infinity Engine (the engine that Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and such games use). It is currently consired (in my non-modding experience) one of the best tools out there. Most WeiDU mods are compatible.

 

I hope that answers what questions you have

 

EDIT: Damn, CMorgan beat me to it by one minute

[Domi]

There are two ways of playing BG1 nowadays: plain, out of the box; or converted to BG2 style. Plain version has the old Infinity Engine variant that is not conductive to BG2 style modding, so little mods are available for plain BG1.

 

There are 2 converters that offer the engine update from BG1 to BG2 for playing BG1 and modding: BGT (Baldur's Gate Trilogy) and TUTU. TUTU is based of the WeiMorph script, and I am not sure about BGT. The differences are relatively minor nowadays, the biggest still remaining that BGT moves you to BG2, while TUTU uses the same mechanism as BG1 (export of the main character). There is a difference between the file naming and resource handling between BGT and TUTU, so the mods for BG1 have to comply with either BGT or TUTU conventions in order to work. Because of the way BGT handles the game. Some mods have versions for both conversions.

 

WeiDU vs non-WeiDU is years long debate. Basically, WeiDU was a dialogue utility that came into life about 2000-2001 to replace earlier tools. The earlier tools relied on taking your dialogue.tlk file and replacing it. WeiDU was much more flexible and looked for ways of just inserting content. Because non-WeiDU mods over-wrote the dialogue.tlk they over-wrote eac-other's changes and were incompatible between themselves, unless you used the earlier versions of Big Picture that tried to make all non-WeiDU mods compatible.

 

WeiDU in its proper application does not over-write, but flexibly adds (and just as flexibly removes all things added at uninstall), thus allowing many mods made in WeiDU to work together and be installed in whicever order*. Incompatibility still an issue in some cases, but generally much less pronounced. Lots of non-WeiDU mods were lately coverted to WeiDU format, but in all honesty, I am wary of those. For example, Vlad's "WeiDU" version of TS still has to be installed before all other WeiDU mods (ie it still does not have WeiDU's flexibility). Other conversions might do much better than that, but well, seeing how I am not interested in what they have to offer anyway, I never bothered to investigate the quality.

 

In short, as an extremely cautious mod-user, I myself do not install anything that was not WeiDU from start to finish.

 

* Some mods, however require to be installed the last if you want the effects of that mod to be applied to all the mods installed beforehand (ie tweaks that change how classes work etc).

 

just remember to always install WeiDU mods before non-WeiDU mods.

 

That's a recipy for disaster. A single non-WeiDU always goes first OR a combination of non-WeiDU mods connected via BP. They over-write Dialogue.TLK. Then add WeiDU mods. Make sure that mods like Flirt-Packs or Song And Silence or Cross-Mod Banter goes on last.

[cmorgan]

Woooooot! Massive and Immediate Pig-Pile on the answer! And peolpe were thinking that IE modding was slowing down... guess this answers THAT silliness

[Domi]

Thought you were having a week-end away from the IE modding

[Grunker]

That's a recipy for disaster. A single non-WeiDU always goes first OR a combination of non-WeiDU mods connected via BP. They over-write Dialogue.TLK. Then add WeiDU mods. Make sure that mods like Flirt-Packs or Song And Silence or Cross-Mod Banter goes on last.

 

Woops, got it the wrong way 'round

[cmorgan]

Hopelessly addicted. And it is amazing what a good night's sleep, some friends over playing Canasta, and a nice escapist SciFi book will do for you! That being said, I am off to brush the dogs and help my wife get her stuff straightened out for the work week.

[berelinde]

Why do I have the feeling that "taking some time off" in this community is like taking a vacation from a job you love and then calling in every day to check on everybody at the office, catch up on the gossip, and make sure there is nothing requiring your immediate attention?