So with EE coming out soon. That means no more modding the game anymore?
Xezmeraude
Member Posts: 91
So with EEs soon release date, with what I see is fixed and included with the game, there is no more need to install most of the basic mods on Gibberlings3 and Pocketplane Group (Never really liked PPG much) like the fixpack and tweaks and spell/item revisions (not the fan based mods I found pointless and null, no offense to anyone who likes them) or even ones like Tutu or BGT since its all the same engine now and interface (was shocked they didnt just make it one game like BGT did) an there is no need to add anything at all now to the game. So it seems the mods are obsolete and we no longer have to put up with conflicting mod coding issues (due to everyone having different coding experience) I prolly think the modders will just redo their work to be compatable for EE anyways. But would there be any point to mod EE when in my opinion is already coded with the basic fixes anyways? I always thought modding of any way shape or form was concidered cheating and unfair. But this is a different story of modding. I appreciate what the fans did to continue working on BG and BG2 for patching and fixing what the devs forgot and tying up loose ends in the story, What has become of the modders as of late now that this version seems like you wont ever need to mod anymore?
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BGEE will not make modding obsolete. Its very likely that the fix packs will no longer be needed, but the tweak packs will most likely remain relevant if the stuff that you like in the tweak packs is not added to the game (and its very unlikely that the entirety of the tweak pack options will be added).
And that's not even considering the mods that add new content to the game.
Another would be sword coast strategms - again, unless that is going in too/similar AI improvements.
I personally enjoy Spell revisions, Item revisions, Item randomiser, new quest mods - too many to name, a plethora of tweaks I personally like to make via Bg1/2 tweak pack. I'm also not sure how much, if any, of ToBEx is being incorporated. Then we have NPC mods as well.
For BG2 the list of mods I enjoy is even greater, and includes some must-haves along the line of banter packs, Rogue Rebalancing, atweaks etc.
I'm pretty sure that SCS does a lot more than that.
Really, don't expect BGEE to replace all mods.
The various mod conflicts have never been about personalities clashing--I wrote the first installers for BGT when it was still at TeamBG, helped on the Tutu project and Unfinished Business over at PPG, contributed regularly at SHS, and headed up what was probably the largest cross-site modder collaboration when we wrote BG2 Fixpack at G3. The modder that spends all their time at one site is the exception, not the rule.
What we do is technically very difficult, and the Infinity Engine is an incredibly fickle mistress. Mods work despite the engine, not because of it. We hate conflicts and install orders (we're players too!) and spend quite a but of time to avoid them--but like anyone else our time is limited, and sometimes the technical limits of what we do still bind us, despite our intentions.
Just an idea I always thought of to make finding mods easier. You guys ever think to just have all the mods on one site so its easier to find them without going back and forth between sites and just credit which mods are from what group. Saves all you guys working together having to manage many sites. With more people on one site. It can be maintained more. More activity for those on at different shift times etc. Seems alot easier to maintain and clean G3 than PPGs site. I like the set up of the site on G3 than PPG. Just seems more organized and alot more detailed. You guys of those mod teams ever thought about doing that share everything under one roofs site just sort out the mods from PPG into Gibberlings3 site under a PPG mod list?
@cmorgan might be better able to speak to this, as I still consult his omnibus Tutu mod install order for my Tutu installs. That only covers a fraction of the mods available for BG2 and I know it took him a lot of time and effort to put together and maintain.
The good news is that, for the most part, mods are fairly independent of install order, and the ones that aren't try to warn you. A good rule of thumb is fixes first, followed by NPCs/quests/content, and mechanics/rules/tweaks last; within those categories try to install older to newer.
For all the warnings that BG2 Tweaks gives about install order, really the only consequence of installing it before, say, Song & Silence would be that some of the tweaks wouldn't affect the new items from S&S. That's why you have so many 'tweak' mods trying to go last--it's mainly so that the new rules they add will also affect content from the other mods.
Ill keep that in mind when I install. Thats pretty much the order I used. From how EE sounds by its fixes. We prolly only will need most of the content mods with a few tweaks. I prolly wont ever have to go back to the old versions. Saves me all this trouble and having mods take up memory. I could finally get rid of some and free up space.
And they give you what you were asking for - one location where you can see almost all the mods you can find on each of the games:
http://kerzenburg.baldurs-gate.eu/bwpmods.php
There are no plans to merge mod sites that I know of. We have learned that several sites are better than a single one for the modding scene, as interest waxes and wanes; it also protects the community from becoming monolithic in terms of hosted mod types. Some people will absolutely *hate* my NPC mod. Others will love it. If I only had one committee that made the choice whether to host the mod or not, and most folks were "NPC Mods Stink; Give Us More Dungeons And Quests" folks, well, I'd be out of luck. Since we have several groups of folks each with their own interests, we get more hosted and maintained and distributed mods.
@CamDawg has it right - Tutu is the easiest to manage in terms of install order choice, as there are only a small number of mods and a slow development process... and it is tough to maintain just those. The BWP folks have been exceedingly good at gathering information for BG and BG2, but there will always be a delay between what they report and what is available. But if you look at their tool and list and simply select what you want to install, it will set up a reasonable order for you. Just skip the BG mods and focus on BG2 mods, and use their install order.
If you prefer an old-guard approach, PPG has a thread of WeiDU logs that have been posted from working games. If you steer clear of some of the older huge mods, put BG2 Fixpack first, then follow CamDawg's suggestion, smaller installs are very stable and fun. You can always uninstall one, or simply use your backup of override and dialog.tlk to clean it all up and start over. Personally, that is the way i like to play; Fixpack, a few specific mods, play, then clean the install and build a new loadout with new characters. Otherwise, it becomes a huge Morrowind-style impossible-to-figure-out-what-to-do-next for me.
The GOG and Atari distributions I am less familiar with, but there are folks successfully installing mods on both of those distributions. They are simply the same game repackaged - they did not have the right to change any content or the engine. So, just like Steam distributions of Mount & Blade vs boxed retail versions, the game is the same. The distribution method is different.
Note: None of this applies to BG:EE. In BG:EE, we have a new Tutu (literally, as the name is based on "BG [content moved from engine] one to two") that is more comprehensive and contains new content. We don't know all the details, but we certainly will have a stable base on which to mod (and support from the devs to let us play about and ask questions).
I pretty much am like you cmorgan when it comes to installing. I tend to stay away from the fan based stuff i find isnt cannon to the game. Only stuff id add is like alternatives since I play the paladin once in a while. Makes sense to install the smaller stuff for a much cleaner game. At least you and Camdawg help me alot with the confusion all these mods give. Its always a choir to find the right ones for the right player as I like my game to be as real an logic as possible. Hence the Morrowind style. I have the same mind set as you
However, I'm exited to see some old mods polished now that the BG code will be clean. Maybe we will find new gems in all of this.
Hence what I was saying back at the drows race post. They just dont fit in the games universe at all. Most of the fan base stuff is just people wanting to change the story and have immensively powerful charatcres right away and have stuff you shouldnt have just to make the game to them more unfair and a blast through everything kind of game. Just inst challenging at all. Its more for fun and giggles.
Dont get me wrong. Fan based stuff is a great way to show ones creativity and love for the game. But some of the fan based if not 95% of it. Is just downright out of someones mind who didnt enjoy the game at all or didnt like how Bioware made the story and wanted to make a whole new game instead and didnt like how many characters were chooseable in the game to join with.