EE mods backwards compatibilty

Erg

I've created this discussion to reply to a question by @Pteran in a thread that has been closed. Moderators should not worry as my reply has nothing to do with the reason why the thread was closed (actually it would have been off topic there) and @Pteran question is a good one, so I want to reply to him. So here it goes.

Pteran said:

My question was are the EE mods backwards compatible with the non-EE game?

@Pteran,

The old mods, that have been updated to be compatible with the EEs, should also be backwards compatible with the original engines. There may be exceptions, but I can't think of any at the moment.

The new mods, made specifically for the EEs, may be compatible or not with the original engines. It depends mainly on the author. Veteran modders are more likely to support also the old games. Some new modders do too, like for example @subtledoctor or myself, but sadly not everyone among the new modders does.

For specific mods, check the readme files and, if still in doubt, feel free to ask here.

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Aquadrizzt

As @subtledoctor said, there are numerous reasons why a mod might not be EE-compatible. I don't bother with extensive non-EE compatibility in Tome and Blood or Monastic Orders because those mods fundamentally rely on features that I cannot implement outside of the Enhanced Editions (such as certain new triggers and being able to check stats within spells). I code the mods I write in such a way that any component that your setup should be able to run (as in you have all the necessary functionality and files) can be installed.

At the end of the day, it does come down to the limitations of the pre-EE engines. As things get upgraded with EE compatibility, the amount of things that are uniquely available for pre-EE engines will shrink. At the same time, modders will release more mods that utilize the new engine capabilities. The flux of mod compatibility will always be heading towards more options for the EEs, because that is where new stuff can be better realized.

Pteran

Some good information here. Who knew my question would spark a conversation lol. I've still got my CDs, but I don't think I could ever go back now that I'm accustomed to the functionality and options available for the EEs. This is useful to know though for those that, for one reason or another, decide to downgrade.