[MOD] Minor NPC Portraits for IWDEE
smeagolheart
Member Posts: 7,964
by @Smeagolheart and @bob_veng
WHAT IS IT?:
--------------------------------------------------------
This mod adds small portraits to speaking NPCs in IWDEE. The big world of Icewind Dale gets even more beautiful!
The goal of this mod is to add small portraits to every speaking NPC in the game.
If any of the portraits are not to your satisfaction due to quality or you feel that the portrait does not
match the in game NPC, report that as well for potential inclusion in future updates. You will have to
start a new game to get the portraits on NPCs you've already met in game although future NPCs should have their
portraits. This mod patches 154 creatures future updates from Beamdog may require reinstallation of the mod if
it modifies any of those characters. Basically, if there is an update to the game, it's probably a good idea to
uninstall and reinstall this mod.
Sources of the pictures include Neverwinter Nights portraits found online, searches for baldur's gate and IWD portraits, The Super Ultimate Portrait Pack, and as a last resort I used search engines to round out the collection. If there are any particular portraits that need to be removed you don't wish them to be featured in this work, let me know and it will be removed.
This mod is distributed freely and not for any commercial purpose non-profit. This mod was not developed, supported, or endorsed by BioWare, Interplay/Black Isle, Beamdog or any other official agency. Portraits remain the copyright of their respective rights holders.
If there are any copyright issues or this statement needs revision then please contact me to let me know what to do
about it. The purpose of this mod is not to make money but to advances knowledge and progress of the arts through the addition of something new onto a great game.
======================================================================
======================================================================
Technical Details and how you can add your own portraits
--------------------------------------------------------
All pictures are 169x266 size.
The table in (mod folder)\tbl\iwd.tbl lists the portraits and their creatures/actors. You can reference the
creature name to the actor in tools such as NearInfinity.
The Portrait names in the tbl are in the 2nd column are filenames in the portrait folder.
======================================================================
======================================================================
KNOWN ISSUES
--------------------------------------------------------
None at this time
======================================================================
======================================================================
Thanks everyone you know who you are, I hope you appreciate the hard work of the artists as I do.
Click Here to Download
Preview
Version History
Current Version
V1.04 07 Mar 15
- Updated all portraits with help from bob_veng @ baldursgate.com forums.
- All portraits reworked and many replaced a new complete reimagining of the mod.
- Bugfixes vexingthoughts, everard's portraits and more
Older Versions
V1.03 13 Dec 14
- Updated 36 portraits
- 7 additional portraits added
- Changed hoster
V1.02 4 Dec 14
- Updated 37 portraits
- 4 additional portraits added
V1.01b 28 Nov 14
- Minor updates, 1 additional portrait added
- Changed MGNCL00M per request from Sanctifer
V1.00b 21 Nov 14
- First release
Also Available:
Minor NPC Portraits for BGEE
Post edited by smeagolheart on
18
Comments
Additional Images
I've been working on a mod that will add portraits for each NPC. Currently I've got photos set up for ~140 NPCs with a lofty goal of making one portrait for every single speaking NPC in the game.
This is an excellent mod, a must-have even for those who like to play without mods. This mod improves the atmosphere of this game a lot.
Moreover, we can even use some portraits for our own party members, for e.g., Hjollder looks gorgeous
Many of the pictures will be from the Super Ultimate Portrait Pack for BGEE by Rodman49 ( http://www.moddb.com/games/baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition/addons/super-ultimate-portrait-pack ). The pack will have larger size portraits that you could use if you'd like, including that one for Hrothgar.
I first checked if what I was looking for was available from that pack and then I searched the rest of the Internet for what I needed. Frequently I'd end up in Photoshop making crops or minor edits to existing images to make them more fit the particular NPC in game.
Problem is there are the copyright issues and such with all of the portraits used, you just can not track the original artist of each and every portrait collected from the net. The guy who made the mod for bg:ee used to host the mod in his site and there was a 'donation' button available there, he has made a laughably small amount of money like a few bucks for the immense, hours long hard work he put to the mod. But charging money, however small, or by calling it 'donation' was a blurry area with the copyright infringements because the material he has used for the mod, was ultimately not created by him. And so the guy's thread here was banned, or so I do remember.
Other than that I would love to see this mod becoming available. NSC portraits mod was one of the most atmospheric enhancements you could get for a BGT game back then.
I remember well what you are talking about, I thought it was odd that he tried to do that. No other mod maker tried to make money off of their mods. You don't see a donate-or-else option for the Unfinished Business Mod lol. Unless you made the art yourself it makes no sense and even then he didn't make the game he was trying to make money off of.
To me, you make a mod because you want other people to enjoy something about a game you enjoy. My intentions are not to make money but to get a little more flavor into the game and to learn about modding.
My experience was with the NSC portraits mod as well, this will be pretty much the same deal but for IWDEE.
I'm not having much luck finding portraits of ghostly male elves for some reason. Or maybe someone can photoshop regular elf portraits to make them ghostly?
Or this one? (Perhaps a touch maritime).
Both pinched from @LadyRhian's awesome thread. Either way keep up the good work
I've reached out to @Isandir to ask if he would mind making some portraits but haven't heard back. I'm not much of an artist but I'm going to try later today to "ghostatize" er "enghosten" some portraits and see if I can get a consistent style.
So I've got some ghost portraits but don't like how they don't match. Like these:
nice pictures but they don't match each other. Can't say they are all spirits seem to be different things each.
At the moment, here's a list of what I believe is all/most of the speaking ghosts in the game. Who knew there would be so many talking ghosts in IWDEE?
the notes are my interpretations
-----------------------
custos the ghost elf librarian
cddaen spirit of daen winterbush (human? bard ghost)
copspir planar spirits (I think I'm going to just use some smokiness for this one)
erris share of sir erris
denaini1 ghost elf girl who wants to be left alone
gelarith the inventor elf ghost
kaylessa elf ghost information passer in the hand
lehland the elf ghost shopkeeper
lethias the combat instructor elf ghost
norlinor the ghost dwarf?
skaldar a human ghost?
telanis elf ghost bard
serrya ghost elf kid
valestis ghost elf druid guy in the arboretum
Hopefully I can figure out how to ghosterize some portraits fairly easily.
The second one is pretty similar in pallor to your first assuming you crop the boat out, but that's still only 2 outta 14.
I take it the dude at the top of the Severed Hand will stand out a bit? His sprite was pretty unique (as i remember).
Also if Isandir is creating ghostly portraits I may just do a Wesley Snipes inspired Undead, Undead Hunter playthrough lol.
They don't look "ghostly" but the dark eyes certainly make them look undead.
how's this look?
-Everard (Too pretty face and too young for the hardened battle priest with deep old voice)
-Apsel (the problem with his portrait is that it looks like the photoshoot of an actor instead of a painted portrait like the rest)
-Whitcomb (Again, too young and too hero like to be a barkeeper).
I just arrived at Kuldahar so I cannot comment on the rest but, so far I'd say most of them are really good and good picks for the characters!
I've just uploaded a new version of the mod to the database, information is below.
- Apsel is a minor character, I wanted to include a bit of diversity and he was the first non-caucasian portrait that seemed like it would fit an older fellow who might be scared of a wild animal yet still is close to the in game colors of the NPC. I'm open to changing this though.
-Everard I'm open to changing as well, I like the portrait because it looks like a tough guy who's seen some stuff, yet isn't generic bearded man like so many of the other portraits tend to be when you look for portraits of northman/barbarian/d&d type pictures.
- Whitcomb has been replaced in the new version already.
Version History:
V1.01b 11/28/14
- Minor updates, 1 additional portrait added
- Changed MGNCL00M per request from Sanctifer
V1.00b 11/21/14
- First release
I don't, I'm open to new hoster ideas.
I tried to look mostly for style inconsistencies with the rest of the portraits and also how much every portrait fits with their character.
-It's nice for Apsel to be non-caucasian. That was a welcome addition but, at least for me, his portrait looks too much like a photoshop of an actor (Was he actually in LOST?). The rest of the portraits are clearly painted even though they are very realistic at times. That's why for me Apsel's portrait was out of place.
-Your portrait choice for Everard was good in which it wasn't boring at all but, personally, I think Everard should be older, mid-forties or so. For me, the "young Everard" portrait doesn't match the gravitas the character has although I agree in that a bearded-weared man is a little bit cliched but also I think that works for Everard, because, you know, he seems oldish and he has seen some battle.
I have attached a zip with three possible portraits for both Everard and Apsel. I hope you like my suggestions
- Now that I recall him, I would also love to see a change in the leader of prisoners (Marchon of Waterdeep) at the Dragon's Eye cell, because he is too much Khal Drogo right now, hehe (or his Conan alter ego, at least). I think a more tanky with armor portrait would improve him greatly. I have updated the suggestions too, to include some portraits for him. Thanks again for letting us contribute with our thoughts!
I have to say that...so far so good! I've just arrived at the Severed Hand and most of the portraits I found in my way were very fitting. If I have to guess, I think it was quite difficult to find portraits for the lizards and creatures for Dragon's Eye, wasn't it? Still, NICELY done
I think that there's not enough detail in the Apsels with the 2nd two being NWN pictures, I found another one.
I like your Everard1 and Marchon1 and would use them in game somewhere.
I liked the marchon in game because it's got that kind of crazy look that matches his dialogue like he doesn't trust you. I've got your everard2 in game already as flozem.
I tend to also avoid bald pictures because none of in game avatars are bald (except for the innkeepers). That's one of the things that bugged a few pictures about Minsc was his avatar had hair while his portrait didn't.
I've updated a few portraits again and will be posting a new version soon. At the moment I've added 3 additional portraits that I've found are needed after some more play testing and changed 8 portraits.
Well, thanks again for this mod. I am enjoying my playthrough way more thanks to it.
Cheers!
I was talking about the unaltered portrait and avatar of Minsc as an example.
Version History:
V1.02 12/4/14
- Updated 37 portraits
- 4 additional portraits added
Download using the link in the original post.
So I've 'shopped a couple portraits. And here they are, which Fengla do you prefer?
1
or
2