I've noticed some mods don't provide all options in the GUI for BG1EE. For instance, Divine Remix in BWS doesn't have any options to remove cleric/ranger/paladin/druid kits, and the Kitpack doesn't show any options for changing NPC kits nor does it show any of the new kits (Mystra, Technician, Mindwarden, etc); all it shows are the "Update default [cleric diety] kit?".
Impressive tool! Not only listing all known mods, also checking for conflicts! You've done a great service to this community and deserve praise! No more manual setups! Instant favorite! Great job!
Edit: nitpicking but if description for individual components could be displayed in the window that would make mod selection even easier.
how do i uninstall mods so i can start over? i used this to install mods about a year ago, but haven't had much time to play. i want to start over and use a different load out but i don't know how to uninstall the previous mods i used.
Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but the installer seems to freeze up for me during the mod-downloading stage at the beginning of the install. The green progress bar just seems to hang. Is anyone else having this issue?
Yep, I got the same thing. It's weird - I used it to mod PST on the same day, which worked fine, but BG2EE just stops when downloading. Finishes all the downloads, then just... sits there, with the bar part full.
Hey all, kinda new here, and just wanted to echo what others have said that I am incredibly excited for the possibility of playing all the games as one go via EET.
Question for everyone here. I used the BWS tool before and it has worked awesome. Recently wanted to try a different selection of mods. So I updated it and now when I run the tool, it is using a batch installer or something and doesn't allow me to select individual components for installation. Is there a way to disable this or select individual components for each mod (for example with some of the tweak mods you could select which tweaks you wanted and which you didn't)? Really hoping for some help here. Thanks.
Has anyone installed Big Picture using this tool? I never see anyone talking about it on these forums.
I notice it's split into multiple sections under Big Mods, Tactical Encounters, and Artificial Intelligence. Are any of these parts compatible or worthwhile if I'm installing SCS, Ascension, other quest mods, and various tweaks?
Has anyone installed Big Picture using this tool? I never see anyone talking about it on these forums.
I notice it's split into multiple sections under Big Mods, Tactical Encounters, and Artificial Intelligence. Are any of these parts compatible or worthwhile if I'm installing SCS, Ascension, other quest mods, and various tweaks?
Any word on when trilogy mod is going to be officially supported? Been meaning to try another play through for the first time in a few years with SoD installed but have been holding off to see if I can play it as one continuous experience. Thanks
Okay, I know this can't install EET or anything like that. But can i use it to safely mod an already EET'ed installation? I applied some of the okayed mods for BGEE, ran EET-Setup, and everything looks good to go. Can i run BWP now, select the BG2EE/EET option and safely do a minimal or recommended install, or am I better off not and modding manually?
Okay, I know this can't install EET or anything like that. But can i use it to safely mod an already EET'ed installation? I applied some of the okayed mods for BGEE, ran EET-Setup, and everything looks good to go. Can i run BWP now, select the BG2EE/EET option and safely do a minimal or recommended install, or am I better off not and modding manually?
I suspect it simply would not allow you to do so. At least when I tried to install some mods on EET with this tool, it refused because "installation is not clean".
Quick question. If a mod gets updated in BWS, how do I get the game files updated as well? Do I have to restore and install everything up from scratch?
@Canes - BG mods are like layers on a cake. If you want to change the lower layers (mods installed earlier), you have to peel off the upper layers first. It's hard to put the upper layers back on afterwards in exactly the same way (WeiDU tries but often fails). Even uninstalling the last mod in the stack (the bottom line in WeiDU.log) sometimes doesn't work right, leaving left-over partially modified files in your override folder or extra strings in your dialog.tlk. So unless you know how to verify that an uninstall worked correctly and have your own manually backed-up copies of all of the affected files in case it doesn't, I don't recommend ever uninstalling mods from an installation you plan to continue using.
While you are in the middle of a game, if you run into problems, you can use the Near Infinity tool to manually edit the "final" versions of game resource files to solve any errors. You can compare files between your version and a newer version of a mod to see what changed, and apply those changes by hand, but there isn't a safe automated way to update a mod in-place.
But I thought BWS does away with manual mod order and conflicts and compatibility is resolved automatically for you. Isn't that why we have the recommended pre-set? So every time I run BWS - Update if needed (that updates mods too), or just re-install the same selection-set with BWS, I have to start a new game?
BWS does not touch your game folder except when it is doing an installation (you clicked the final "continue" button and it started download checks etc.).
If you restart BWS in the middle of an installation-in-progress, you are safest using the "without update" version.
At any other time it is safe to use "update if needed" - what that does is update BWS' internal data files. Updating BWS does not do anything to mods directly.
BWS' internal data files include:
- information about each mod, like the description, latest download link, the components, dependencies and conflicts - best known install order for compatibility (you do not want the order to change in the middle of an installation-in-prog
Most of that info has to be updated by hand (by me or ALIEN) and then all of the users get our updates automatically when they next start BWS using "update if needed."
BWS automates the manual process of downloading and unpacking and installing, and it applies the latest community patches, but it doesn't change the fundamental limitations of WeiDU, the patching system that 99% of mods are built with. WeiDU is the cause of the cake layers analogy and is the reason why uninstalling or reinstalling is risky.
Okay, I think I almost understood what you're trying to say overall. So BWS doesn't do any automatic mod order and doesn't resolve conflicts? The Recommended pre-set it's there just because it's theoretically safe to install those mods together, but were't exactly tested -- or something like that? And also BWS doesn't update mods per-se, just the links to a newer mod version.
That still leaves me with my original question unanswered, but now I'm even more confused than before. How do I go about updating mods that BWS already installed, remove the whole thing (restore) and start from scratch? And then pray to the mod-god that my saves will work. -- something, something.
If only I knew what WeiDU was.
Is there any newbie guide or documentation where I can read more on BWS and what it exactly does and doesn't, what's the point of pre-sets (minimum, recommended, tactical, expert etc.) and what does it do about potential conflicts? Because everything I've found so far is either extremely outdated or generally expected of the user to know everything about Baldur's Gate modding and be up-to-date with current events and analogies, which is pretty unrealistic
Actually, maybe I should ask this first: Being a newcomer to Baldur's Gate (having never played the games before, even the originals), can I just download BWS, select the recommended (not minimum or tactical) profile, Install the mods associated with said profile and expect everything to play nice under the latest Enhanced Edition of BG I (and maybe later BG II)? Without having to do anything else like debug, troubleshoot and/or expect crashes and weird behavior because of the mods conflicting with each other?
Clean (vanilla) Baldur's Gate + Siege of Dragonspear, just download BWS, install all the mods associated with the recommended profile, then play without much fuss. Is that a realistic expectation, or did I somewhat misunderstood on the purpose of this utility?
The intent of the Recommended "pre-selection" is to be what you said: a safe combination of mods that is expected to work without any major issues.
One of the biggest shortcomings of the BG game design is that saved games are not portable across different installations. If you do two installations (i.e., if you start from clean game folders and run BWS using exactly the same selection of mods and components), then you will end up with exactly the same installation... and your saved games will still work. But if any one of those mods has released a new version since the last installation, you will end up with a slightly different installation, and your old saved games will not be fully compatible. I will explain a bit later in this post some of the technical issues.
When we update links for BWS, that affects what version BWS will download for you the next time you use it. So, even with the "recommended" pre-selection, it's unlikely that you will be able to reliably reuse saved games in a new installation.
About install order: when you install mods manually, without BWS, you can try to do it in any order. But many mod authors put code in their mod that will detect other mods and either refuse to install unless the other mod is already installed (dependency), refuse to install afterwards (conflict), or run some extra compatibility code. Also, many mods target the same game resources (Imoen, for example) and make different changes. Some changes overwrite earlier changes (if a mod makes Imoen a bard, for example) while other changes can coexist (two different mods could each add an item to Imoen's inventory). This is why the sequence is important.
We analyze what each mod does and define a standard installation sequence in BWS. That sequence does not change depending on which mods you choose, it just skips the mods you decided not to install. We also define rules in the BWS data files that allow it to inform you, the user, about mods that make conflicting changes to the same game resources, so you can choose which ones you prefer. Over time, as mods evolve or as problems are reported, we sometimes change the standard sequence. You get these refinements when you start BWS with "update if needed." But again this only affects what BWS does at the time of installation.
Back to the technical bit and saved games: when mods add text to the game, they write the text into a single huge file that is shared by all mods, and they write line number reference to that file into all the other new files they put into your game. So if a mod adds a new sword, the description goes in the common file (dialog.tlk), and the sword item itself has a number 123456 pointing to a line in that text file. This isn't so much a problem for swords, because in a new installation, as long as you install the same mod, even if it would be given a different line number, it would still have the same text. But the saved game itself stores copies of some game files, like NPCs and areas you have visited, and those copies will still have line numbers pointing to the dialog.tlk that was there at the time. If you take that saved game to a new installation, the text will not line up and you will see mod NPCs and worldmap icons whose names are snippets of random text.
This is actually still playable, usually.. Scripts are not kept in the saved game, nor are dialogue files, so many things will still be correct. But it will be messy.
It gets much worse if you leave out a mod that was there before. Then your saved game will be looking for files that don't exist, and depending on what was taken, it can cause problems ranging from harmless to game crashes.
So, in general - it's safer to start a new game after a fresh install.
And while you are in the middle of a game you like, you can't apply new versions of mods automatically.
But you can learn to use tools like Near Infinity to edit game scripts and files to make corrections in your current game - or ask for help if you get stuck. In most cases mod updates only mean that you will see a bit more content. Few issues are truly game-breaking.
Comments
There used to be this http://www.camagna.net/g3mirror/g3_emergency_mirror.html but no longer works.
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/59969/canr-reach-gibbering3-net/p1
I've noticed some mods don't provide all options in the GUI for BG1EE. For instance, Divine Remix in BWS doesn't have any options to remove cleric/ranger/paladin/druid kits, and the Kitpack doesn't show any options for changing NPC kits nor does it show any of the new kits (Mystra, Technician, Mindwarden, etc); all it shows are the "Update default [cleric diety] kit?".
Is there a way I can manually fix this?
Edit: nitpicking but if description for individual components could be displayed in the window that would make mod selection even easier.
Edit: do we have an ETA for when EET and its compatible mods are going to get integrated into BWS ?
Keep up the amazing work.
sounds to me like you selected BWP install.bat only from the dropdown menu. Go back in BWS screen and select what you need.
I notice it's split into multiple sections under Big Mods, Tactical Encounters, and Artificial Intelligence. Are any of these parts compatible or worthwhile if I'm installing SCS, Ascension, other quest mods, and various tweaks?
I notice it's split into multiple sections under Big Mods, Tactical Encounters, and Artificial Intelligence. Are any of these parts compatible or worthwhile if I'm installing SCS, Ascension, other quest mods, and various tweaks?
While you are in the middle of a game, if you run into problems, you can use the Near Infinity tool to manually edit the "final" versions of game resource files to solve any errors. You can compare files between your version and a newer version of a mod to see what changed, and apply those changes by hand, but there isn't a safe automated way to update a mod in-place.
So every time I run BWS - Update if needed (that updates mods too), or just re-install the same selection-set with BWS, I have to start a new game?
If you restart BWS in the middle of an installation-in-progress, you are safest using the "without update" version.
At any other time it is safe to use "update if needed" - what that does is update BWS' internal data files. Updating BWS does not do anything to mods directly.
BWS' internal data files include:
- information about each mod, like the description, latest download link, the components, dependencies and conflicts
- best known install order for compatibility (you do not want the order to change in the middle of an installation-in-prog
Most of that info has to be updated by hand (by me or ALIEN) and then all of the users get our updates automatically when they next start BWS using "update if needed."
BWS automates the manual process of downloading and unpacking and installing, and it applies the latest community patches, but it doesn't change the fundamental limitations of WeiDU, the patching system that 99% of mods are built with. WeiDU is the cause of the cake layers analogy and is the reason why uninstalling or reinstalling is risky.
And also BWS doesn't update mods per-se, just the links to a newer mod version.
That still leaves me with my original question unanswered, but now I'm even more confused than before.
How do I go about updating mods that BWS already installed, remove the whole thing (restore) and start from scratch?
And then pray to the mod-god that my saves will work. -- something, something.
If only I knew what WeiDU was.
Is there any newbie guide or documentation where I can read more on BWS and what it exactly does and doesn't, what's the point of pre-sets (minimum, recommended, tactical, expert etc.) and what does it do about potential conflicts?
Because everything I've found so far is either extremely outdated or generally expected of the user to know everything about Baldur's Gate modding and be up-to-date with current events and analogies, which is pretty unrealistic
Being a newcomer to Baldur's Gate (having never played the games before, even the originals), can I just download BWS, select the recommended (not minimum or tactical) profile, Install the mods associated with said profile and expect everything to play nice under the latest Enhanced Edition of BG I (and maybe later BG II)? Without having to do anything else like debug, troubleshoot and/or expect crashes and weird behavior because of the mods conflicting with each other?
Clean (vanilla) Baldur's Gate + Siege of Dragonspear, just download BWS, install all the mods associated with the recommended profile, then play without much fuss.
Is that a realistic expectation, or did I somewhat misunderstood on the purpose of this utility?
Thank you and apologies for all the questions.
One of the biggest shortcomings of the BG game design is that saved games are not portable across different installations. If you do two installations (i.e., if you start from clean game folders and run BWS using exactly the same selection of mods and components), then you will end up with exactly the same installation... and your saved games will still work. But if any one of those mods has released a new version since the last installation, you will end up with a slightly different installation, and your old saved games will not be fully compatible. I will explain a bit later in this post some of the technical issues.
When we update links for BWS, that affects what version BWS will download for you the next time you use it. So, even with the "recommended" pre-selection, it's unlikely that you will be able to reliably reuse saved games in a new installation.
About install order: when you install mods manually, without BWS, you can try to do it in any order. But many mod authors put code in their mod that will detect other mods and either refuse to install unless the other mod is already installed (dependency), refuse to install afterwards (conflict), or run some extra compatibility code. Also, many mods target the same game resources (Imoen, for example) and make different changes. Some changes overwrite earlier changes (if a mod makes Imoen a bard, for example) while other changes can coexist (two different mods could each add an item to Imoen's inventory). This is why the sequence is important.
We analyze what each mod does and define a standard installation sequence in BWS. That sequence does not change depending on which mods you choose, it just skips the mods you decided not to install. We also define rules in the BWS data files that allow it to inform you, the user, about mods that make conflicting changes to the same game resources, so you can choose which ones you prefer. Over time, as mods evolve or as problems are reported, we sometimes change the standard sequence. You get these refinements when you start BWS with "update if needed." But again this only affects what BWS does at the time of installation.
Back to the technical bit and saved games: when mods add text to the game, they write the text into a single huge file that is shared by all mods, and they write line number reference to that file into all the other new files they put into your game. So if a mod adds a new sword, the description goes in the common file (dialog.tlk), and the sword item itself has a number 123456 pointing to a line in that text file. This isn't so much a problem for swords, because in a new installation, as long as you install the same mod, even if it would be given a different line number, it would still have the same text. But the saved game itself stores copies of some game files, like NPCs and areas you have visited, and those copies will still have line numbers pointing to the dialog.tlk that was there at the time. If you take that saved game to a new installation, the text will not line up and you will see mod NPCs and worldmap icons whose names are snippets of random text.
This is actually still playable, usually.. Scripts are not kept in the saved game, nor are dialogue files, so many things will still be correct. But it will be messy.
It gets much worse if you leave out a mod that was there before. Then your saved game will be looking for files that don't exist, and depending on what was taken, it can cause problems ranging from harmless to game crashes.
So, in general - it's safer to start a new game after a fresh install.
And while you are in the middle of a game you like, you can't apply new versions of mods automatically.
But you can learn to use tools like Near Infinity to edit game scripts and files to make corrections in your current game - or ask for help if you get stuck. In most cases mod updates only mean that you will see a bit more content. Few issues are truly game-breaking.