Modding for iPad in next patch?

nsr

Hi,

I'm just wondering if better support for modding on the iPad will be available with the next patch. I am somewhat hopeful because of this post:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/375245/#Comment_375245
It seems that the override folder can now be located somewhere else, so maybe dialog.tlk can also be loaded from a user-modifiable location.

It would be great to be able to mod more on the iPad without a jailbreak, especially since ios7 doesn't have a jailbreak yet.

meagloth

Agreed. I beleive there is an iOS 7 jailbreak but it's paid. I guess that doesn't count.

lunar

You can put any file into portraits folder under Baldyrsgate.app/Library and it will work as an override folder, as I mentioned in my own thread. Creature, item, store, script, area files all work under portraits folder. Sadly, dialog.tlk can't work like this so modding is limited to those changes without written text.

If the game can look for a dialog.tlk inside portraits folder, modding will be extremely easy on Ipad without a jailbreak. I wish the designers set the game to look for a dialog.tlk in portraits folder first, and use this modified dialog.tlk if one exists.

Travelleri

I hope they read this message about dialog.tlk file, and reply to make an impression that they care about the issue...

nsr

Possible bad news, I did a check using the latest Mac version to see if it would pick up dialog.tlk from the Documents folder, and it didn't . Since I assume their code-base is the same for all versions, that probably means this feature is not available on the iPad either.

mars0124

@meagloth there is NO publicly available iOS 7 jailbreak. Beware these people that sell their services as it is a known scam.

meagloth

mars0124 said:

@meagloth there is NO publicly available iOS 7 jailbreak. Beware these people that sell their services as it is a known scam.

Gotcha. I don't pretend to be knowledgable In such things, but I though I saw one somewhere.

ljbo

I'm happy this subject surfaces again in another forum (I had tried to summarise what we all want I think in this thread)! I really like how the iPad enables me to play at times and in places where a computer would not do **but** I can't see myself playing without SCS or RR anymore (just to name two mods important to me and many others). What's really frustrating, I think, is that we all have the feeling that it would not take much for Beamdog to fully support mods on the iPad. Sure, we would still need a computer to install the mod in the first place but if we could then just copy the override folder to the iPad, it would be bliss, wouldn't it?

Illydth

With all due respect Ijbo: There's been a pretty huge amount of effort on simply getting the game to run, stably, with support for all the hardware that's available trying to run it.

In case no one's keeping track, the original release of the game fixed over 400 bugs in the original code, the 1.2 release adds another ***700*** (I think that's the number) to that. For those who can't count that's 1100 things wrong with the original BG that have had to be reported, diagnosed, tracked down, debugged, fixed, patched in and tested to give you what 1.2 gives you...and that's quite beside a port to the BGII Engine, all the additional content, and a complete renderer rewrite.

This isn't to take away from your request and your feeling of needing SCS or RR or the other mods, but lets pause for a second and look at priorities. This isn't a team of thousands, it's a team of 10s of people...and not many 10's at that...even INCLUDING the volunteers.

If there's one lesson EVERYONE on these boards should have gotten at this point it's that Overhaul is good for their promises. It might take a while, but they've said they're interested in getting modding working in this game. I believe that it will happen. It may not be right now, it may not be the next patch. But 1.2 should at least give you the warm fuzzy that when Overhaul says "we'll get modding working" that they will, in fact, get modding working.

ljbo

@Illydth I feel sorry my post came across as being too negative about overhaul's work. I am delighted too about the vast improvements in 1.2 (and about the way the community could participate efficiently in the beta by the by).

Illydth

Your post did NOT necessarily come across as Negative Ijbo: I just wanted to put it in perspective a bit. We're all waiting on a good override/modding solution, and as many people would probably say, we've been waiting a LONG time for it. And we have. It's just that with the scope of work being accomplished and the release of BGII:EE upcoming, a team as small as Overhaul has to pick and choose their battles.

I fully believe we WILL get an override solution, when is the only question. Hopefully I didn't come across as a jerk, as I said above, your request and comment is ABSOLUTELY necessary, after all, Modding is what's kept this game from dropping off the radar more than 13 years ago. I'd love to see another 15 years of community support and play on this game.

We just all need to keep in mind the scope of what's being requested vs. what's out there to be done.

ljbo

Illydth said:

Hopefully I didn't come across as a jerk,

By no mean. You are right, I need to keep some perspective!

Wackistan

Hey guys, I'm really curious about this too. My expectations aren't unrealistic either, I don't really imagine/expect that Beamdog will push out the ability for an unjailbroken iDevice to pick up a modified dialog.tlk/chitin.key that's transferred over via iTunes/iFunBox in BGEE1.2/BG2EE but is that something that's even on Beamdog's wishlist?

Frankly, I'll hold off on playing the ipad versions for the time being until the patches are all sorted and a stable untethered IOS 7.X jailbreak solution comes out, but at this point I'm pretty skeptical about the future of IOS jailbreaking to be honest.

My dream:

Playing a fully modded BGEE/BG2EE run through on my tablet on the bus/plane/etc without having to haul out my laptop. I'm pretty pleased at the progress made so far, but this is what I've been hoping for.

nsr

Good news, I did a quick check using a XP cap remover. I copied the override folder to the "Library" folder of the iPad app (parallel to the save/characters folder) and it seems that the XP cap is removed.

mars0124

Maybe after I get over my current flu I'll pick up the ol' iPad modding thread.... Let's see what we can and can't do.

Burbuja

nsr - have you removed the xpcap or bumped it up to 500K?

I know 500K is a lot, but that's where I'm at after following the instructions on the "amazing discovery" thread and I'd like to keep going if possible.

Also, thanks for the feedback. I was afraid to install the patch for fear that it might screw up my previous xpcap mod, but if its working for you then I'll go ahead and patch in.

nsr

I used the files located here:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/10212/a-simple-xp-cap-remover/p1

And the created a new game with a character who was already over the XP limit. Then confirmed that he could still gain XP and levels.

Burbuja

Cool. So how many XP does your char have total?

nsr

I don't remember, but it was a fighter I took to the black pits for Level 9 and then dual to druid. So must be over 250000

iKrivetko

Can anyone make a step by step guide to installing the PnP Free Action mod on the iPad, if at all possible?

nsr

I wonder when we'll get dialog.tlk override support on the iPad. Once Android is complete, iPad will be the only platform where modding cannot be accomplished.

davemo

nsr said:

I wonder when we'll get dialog.tlk override support on the iPad. Once Android is complete, iPad will be the only platform where modding cannot be accomplished.

Are you saying this because Android is just more open (yay Android!) or because of a design decision that was different for Android?

nsr

davemo said:

nsr said:

I wonder when we'll get dialog.tlk override support on the iPad. Once Android is complete, iPad will be the only platform where modding cannot be accomplished.

Are you saying this because Android is just more open (yay Android!) or because of a design decision that was different for Android?

My assumption is because theAndroid file system does not prohibit modifying the app files.

davemo

Android does lock down some files too it seems. When I moved from the HTC Thunderbolt (rooted) to a Galaxy S3 in July 2012, I was able to transfer save games using my Windows machine, but I remember some folder still being inaccessible. It seemed to depend upon the app. I believe there are still locked down regions if you are not rooted, but I am no expert.