Thanks for all the replies! I notice that there seems to be a general theme of stay-the-heck-away from pre-buffs, but that was actually the reason I kinda wanted to install SCS in the first place.
Enemy mages only have to fight 1 battle, whereas the player fights many between rests. At least I do. SCS mage spell lists are very heavily slanted towards defence, with a few powerful offensive spells that can absolutely wreck your day. And while it's true that you may have a team of 5 with you, and they might be alone, just remember that they don't have to kill your party; they only have to kill you.
That does make a lot of sense. And yes I generally prefer to rest when an area is clear (I used to rest a lot in BG1&2 when I played them years ago, but I'd like to have some RP element in my playthrough this time. Dunno if it's still possible to clear an entire dungeon in BG2 before resting but resource depletion is certainly a problem.
Also have you, by any chance, played SoD? Do you think SCS mages with pre-buff are much tougher than their SoD counterparts? (I know BG2 mages are definitely higher level but so is your party.) In case you haven't tried SoD, the mages generally start the combat with a few quickened spells, too (they nearly always has Stoneskin, sometimes Protection from Normal Missles/Mirror Image, often one of Minor Spell Turning/Lesser Globe of Invulerability, occasionally some named Mages and liches would have Prot. from Magic Weapons and at least one Fire Shield).
Most SCS challenges are fair, but there's a single one I would never ever install ever again : Smarter Mages. Instead of only improving an enemy's targeting it also changes their spell selection dramatically, being quite repetitive actually.
Uh-oh, can you elaborate on how repetitive it gets? Based on some of the comments and the spell selections are randomized, but there exists some functional redundancy among the spells so I'm really interested in if the mages use functionally distinct strategies (Spell Deflection and Spell Turning are not functionally different enough to me, neither is Protection from Magic Weapon from Absolute Immunity). As stated in my op, repetition is my greatest concern. I don't mind dealing with some well-warded mages as long as their wards are quite variable. But if all are using essentially the same combo beyond the basics (basics=Stoneskin, Mirror Image, and perhaps one or two of Protection from Missiles/Globe of Invulnerability/Spell Deflection/Spell Turning, but not all of the above) it's a deal breaker for me. I just don't want to go through the same dispelling routine to take down sets after sets of wards that are virtually indistinguishable in all encounters.
Whichever option it was that prebuffs mages only when the situation makes sense, in an ambush for example. That's the best option for me. In return, I almost never prebuff unless I'm seriously getting my ass handed to me for some reason, or am knowingly going up against whichever big-bad the plot has made obvious to the party.
I'm undecided about SCS for BG2 so would like to hear views on my dilemma.
I have played through BG with it so have an idea of how it goes.
But my niggle is that I always play on "insane" difficulty. A couple of random encounters in BG SCS meant I had to turn down the difficulty, simply too much damage (and that was after numerous tries). Also can't let a NPC die, nope just can't do it, everybody has to survive.
Problem is that feels like cheating to me, it's like improved difficulty in one direction gets negated by lessoned difficulty in another. I always feel the top tier of difficulty of any game is the one you should play on to really feel you have "beaten" the game after many playthroughs.
What level is sensible, does everybody play "insane"?
What level is sensible, does everybody play "insane"?
Core. I hate double standards, so I'd definitely hate arrows shot from my enemies doing double the damage of my own. It's just silly and immersion breaking imo. If you want to play on insane and finsih the game, go with a fighter/mage + sorcerer combo- played right, you won't be taking any damage so it doesn't really matter if it's insane or easy you're playing.
Yeah, I hate it when hard mode simply buffs enemies hp and damage wise, I'd rather fight tweaked enemy groups or give them more resouces, not simple stat buffs. Core rules is my main difficulty.
@thedamages: The dumbest part about elitism in gaming is that the high-difficulty players all used to be newbies at one point and died constantly, just like everyone else. The only difference between a veteran and a new player is that the veteran already got most of their dying out of the way.
There isn't much elitism on this forum, though, or in the BG community at large. My formative experience entering the no-reload scene was making friends with @Blackraven and @JuliusBorisov here at the Beamdog forums, and reading up on @Alesia_BH's famous runs at the old Bioware forum. Alesia is generally considered the best BG2 player ever--her gameplay is incredibly precise and controlled--but she, just like Blackraven and JuliusBorisov, is one of the friendliest and humblest people around. In any other gaming community, these people would be lording it over everybody else. But that's just not who they are.
I'm probably the most egotistical no-reloader on this forum, and even I'm not arrogant enough to question another person's playstyle.
What level is sensible, does everybody play "insane"?
Depends on how you play the game. Do you play with the regular NPCs? Do you have the creature/encounter/location improvements turned on? Smarter Mages? In general SCS is balanced around Core difficulty. If you go beyond that, prepare yourself for lots of reloads. You say you had to lower the difficulty in BG1 various times? You're going to do that in BG2 even more.
Uh-oh, can you elaborate on how repetitive it gets?
There is variety. Spell selection is subject to randomization, magic school an level of the caster. The only common factor here is that every caster will try to cover every possible aspect of spell defenses(Combat, Spell, Illusion), . The means differ though. Some like to use Shadow Door, while others rely on Improved Invis, some use PfMW while others employ Mantle Spells, some use Fire Shields, others Protection from X, some will use Spell Immunity, others Spell Shield or Spell Trap, and so on. The only thing you can be sure of is a large number of defenses you'll have to go through, depending on the caster's level. Generally you'll want to think about a way to bypass these numerous layers as often as possible, through spells like Chaos, Web, Cloud spells, etc.
(Spell Deflection and Spell Turning are not functionally different enough to me, neither is Protection from Magic Weapon from Absolute Immunity).
PfMW does leave a gap for you to exploit compared to Absolute Immunity, though. There is a reason why every fighter type should always carry a non-magical weapon in its inventory
Imo to don't like mage battles as a thing of protecting and removing protections more than doing other things is perfectly fine. As each one of us find his enjoyment in a different way, if that style of magic battles, similar to a chess game, is not liked, mods, or components of mods, that turn the game in that directions are not to chose. A wise and legittimate player choice.
But lamenting that those mods impose to the player to rest too often, maybe after a single battle, is different. Why should a party be supposed to fight 5 powerful mages, Kill dragons and beholders, or to clear entire dungeons, before they reach godly levels, without resting and rememorizing spells?
Is not realistic at all, is only a bad habit, a wrong set of mind, that we have taken playing vanilla, that is designed to be possible for an inexperienced player at the first run, while experienced.
Lavok, liches, demons, cowed enforcers, mind flyers, iron golems and (continue the list as you like ) are supposed to be really powerful enemies, why should a low-medium level party have the expectation to cut trough them as a hot knife trough butter, using only a fraction of their resources?
Lavok, liches, demons, cowed enforcers, mind flyers, iron golems and (continue the list as you like ) are supposed to be really powerful enemies, why should a low-medium level party have the expectation to cut trough them as a hot knife trough butter, using only a fraction of their resources?
This. I like bloody battles. I like seeing half my party dead and still pulling through. It makes the gameplay more believable and immersive. That's one of the reasons I don't like soloing the game.
The way how a solo char gets a strange power growing curve, reaching very high levels really fast, but paying for that in end ToB where even with a full party get HLAs and lev9 spells, can be solved with mods that slow down the xp gain (at 1/2-1/4 the normal rate). That way soloing, even vanilla, is quite interesting. At full rate I agree with you. Also I like bloody battles, and I like also the cheating enemies of mods like Tactics.
But my point was an other, not dependent on what each one like. My point is that some enemies are supposed to be really difficult, for RP reasons, they are among the most powerful mages and monsters of the realms, and there is no reason that a party can beat them using only few resources, mages are supposed to use all their spells, fighters their potions and uber weapons, clerics their protective and healing spells. There is no reason to complain if it happens.
The fact that a player is free to play a hard modded game, LoB, insane or easy setting or even story mode, according with what he like to do, is a completely different thing imo. Is a player choice, not a RP reason.
to turn down the difficulty ... that feels like cheating to me,
I mean this as politely as possible, but that's just silly. Core rules are the real rules of the game. It can't be "cheating" to play by the rules. Insane is just an artificial, superficial, and uninteresting way to increase the "challenge."
it's like improved difficulty in one direction gets negated by lessoned difficulty in another.
100%. But so what? One way you're increasing difficulty by playing against more intelligent and challenging opponents; the other way you are making your opponent as dumb as rocks but giving them more durability. Who cares if one method comes from a mod and the other comes from an in-game slider? Use whichever one creates a more enjoyable experience.
IMHO the most enjoyable experience is core/hard + SCS.
Yeah, I see where you are coming from. I'm going to have to have a change of mindset.
I think posters have taken what I said the wrong way, (though I was careful to say "to me"). I always thought of SCS being an added difficulty to how I play now. Basically after completing "insane", add a bit more difficulty.
But judging from what people are writing, it's actually going back and replaying and learning a different way to cope with a completely different way of increasing challenge. And as I haven't done that before, just like when first playing BG2, of course it makes sense to start on a lower difficulty level.
Thanks to everybody for explaining.
(now just to figure out how to install the mod, believe me, with my level of incompetence, that's the highest level of difficulty before I start)
Thank you, but went to the thread and got completely lost following it, sorry.
I have a GOG install of BG2, that's the version I play and have no intention of going near the new version that's been updated because of SOD. It works very well, so why change, and not so bothered with seemless importing from SOD because at the moment, not so keen on it anyway.
I've found where to put a download, (have just deleted some romance installs from there so sure I'm in the right place), but still not sure what download to use. I presume a 1.6(?) version?
I'm sorry to be such a pain, but please remember, you are dealing with the equivalent of somebody trying to dicipher the Rosetta Stone without Greek.
If you want a fun and dynamic experience but don't want to pull your hair out, just install: - initialize mod - initialize AI - general AI improvements - better calls for help
I just took a brief look at the readme: it says that if you don't install spell tweaks, you might notice some anomalous enemy behaviour. In your opinion should we install this as well? Thanks in advance for your input, and thanks in general for your overall helpfulness on these forums.
Personally, I agree with subtledoctor, that without SCS the game is just too easy. Even with SCS sometimes the game is easy but at least you feel like you're outsmarting the game.
Some things are REALLY tough, and the number one toughness factor is the opposing enemy's level. SCS makes perfect use of classes and levels, unlike vanilla BG, and that makes enemies over the party's level way more stronger (specially Mages, because it also makes them smart). I usually raise the level of every single critter in the game up to level five if they're lower, so that they are an actual threat to the party, and sometimes I even raise the level of all the classed creatures by 2 or 3 (I use 5 in the case of single-class thieves because they have terrible combat stats besides not being challenging at all if you have 100 points in Detect Illusion).
I play in Core Rules but have spawn rates and sutff set to Insane, because taking more damage isn't a good way of enhancing the difficulty (otherwise I'd be playing Dark Souls instead of Baldur's Gate).
If you want a fun and dynamic experience but don't want to pull your hair out, just install: - initialize mod - initialize AI - general AI improvements - better calls for help
I just took a brief look at the readme: it says that if you don't install spell tweaks, you might notice some anomalous enemy behaviour. In your opinion should we install this as well?
I haven't looked at the readme in a long time... I'm not sure which spell tweaks you are/it is talking about. Personally I use SCS in conjunction with Spell Revisions, which has more and better spell tweaks and which makes most SCS spell tweaks unnecessary. So I just haven't paid much attention to the SCS spell tweaks.
But I assume it means the stuff about how Breach interacts with defenses, etc.
Enemy mages will assume that: - PW: Blind is single-target - Iron Skins can be dispelled with Breach instead of Secret Word - (Improved) Mantle and Absolute Immunity are more powerful - Enchanters can use Sequencers and Contingencies
I'm not sure about them assuming that: - Antimagic attacks bypass Improved Inbisivility - True Sight/Seeing dispels blindness from the caster
The first one is in fact mentioned in the readme but I doubt it, since the readme might be outdated, I'm not sure tho, and about the second, it's minor and I have completely no idea since it doesn't say anything about it (prob. they don't assume anything about it).
Also, one of the item tweaks (Re-introduce potions of extra healing) is to make it fair to the player since some enemies are given those even in BG1 (of course this is a BG1 component only).
A small tip from a concerned player: if you don't want to surprise yourself with a reload screen, do yourself a favour and install the Skull Trap damage cap, just until you get used to Liches dropping them in Spell Sequencers to your party. I think there should be a similar nerf to ADHW as well.
If you want a fun and dynamic experience but don't want to pull your hair out, just install: - initialize mod - initialize AI - general AI improvements - better calls for help
I just took a brief look at the readme: it says that if you don't install spell tweaks, you might notice some anomalous enemy behaviour. In your opinion should we install this as well? Thanks in advance for your input, and thanks in general for your overall helpfulness on these forums.
yep, install that too. That component makes antimagic spells (ruby ray, secret word...) bypass invisibility, that is, you can cast them to invisible enemies (and backwards). Otherwise improved invisibility + SI:divination combo is just too hard to dispel. It also makes liches vulnerable to breach.
That component makes antimagic spells (ruby ray, secret word...) bypass invisibility, that is, you can cast them to invisible enemies (and backwards). Otherwise improved invisibility + SI:divination combo is just too hard to dispel.
In vanilla there are ways to do it, at least 3. Thief, glitterdust and using a CC to target the nearest enemy.
SCS doesn't only improve the enemies, change the spell system, thing that isn't nor good nor bad, it depend only on how a player is willing to learn the differences. I am not using SCS only for that reason, as I am still focused on other mods and for now would be confusing for me to change my mind set according to which set of mods I am using for each runs (I have original and Tactics on a notebook and for now unmodded EE on the laptop). Is good to praise SCS, it deserves, but has to be pointed out that is not only a AI enhancer, with it completely different spell tactics must be used also because the spell system is changed, other way people can be mislead.
Well, I got it up and running. The AI is definitely better, and while I'm only in the earliest of stages in BG1, it doesn't look like the flavour of the game has changed at all, which is what I wanted. Interestingly, it runs fine when I use the original BGEE interface, but if I load a save up through the SOD interface, it doesn't seem to work at all. The enemies just stand there like statues.
Thanks again to everyone for their insightful commentary, and to the OP for getting this thread started.
I don't really have anything to add that other, smarter and more eloquent people haven't said already, but I'm going to give my 2cp anyway because of the awesome subject matter.
I am a big fan of SCS for precisely the reason that it is challenging, but not overly so. It hits the sweet spot on the difficulty curve, putting just the right amount of pressure on the player. The improved AI doesn't require you to play perfectly, but it does require you to play smart and take advantage of your resources, spells and abilities. It can be quite a shock if you're used to simply steamrolling everything with a buffed up party of warriors, only pausing to chug healing pots and change targets. However, it should not be too great a challenge for anyone who has already finished the games a couple of times and knows what each spell does et cetera.
So yes, SCS is tough but not too tough. The most beautiful part of the mod is that it does not require you to powergame. You can run rp-specific, suboptimal builds and party configurations and still win against everything, so long as your tactics are sound. If you've completed SoD on its hardest difficulty, you shouldn't have too much trouble with SCS. I found that the difficulty segues quite nicely from SCS-enhanced BG1 into SoD. I still think SCS is slightly more intelligent, but what SoD lacks in AI it makes up in numbers. At the end of the day, the two are pretty even.
Also take note of SCS's modular design. For BG1, all components are pretty well-balanced and worth having. For BG2, it's a slightly different story. In the end, it boils down to your personal playing style, but I'd avoid installing the following components, simply because I find them imbalanced and unfun.
[spoiler]
Smarter beholders (read my rant about this component here)
Smarter mages (prebuffs) - I have always had a distaste for extensive prebuffing. In my opinion, it only promotes metagaming and kills my suspension of disbelief. Also, having to read through 50-something lines of combat spam at the start of each arcane encounter is just not fun.
Wizards get HLAs in SoA - Planetars are the most ridiculous things ever, and having to fight one every time you face a strong spellcaster is about as fun as having an anal evacuation and your wisdom teeth removed at the same time.
Any component taken from the Tactics mod (such as improved Bodhi) - these are overkill encounters meant for powergaming parties
I don't really have anything to add that other, smarter and more eloquent people haven't said already, but I'm going to give my 2cp anyway because of the awesome subject matter.
That was actually very informative. I plan to leave out the HLA options as you suggested even though I really wanted to use it. I might still try out the minimal option for pre-buff (pre-buff in ambush), and if it's too much I'll just get rid of it (I can do that mid-game without messing up any other AI scripts... Right?)
On a less related note, has anyone been using the Ascension for BG2EE beta? How is it different from BP-Ascension? I might actually start an EET game in BG2EE if that's possible, so I'd like to know if BP-Ascension/Beta BG2EE Ascension, EET, and SCS (plus other minor quest mods and maybe an NPC mod or two) will make a fine combination.
Well, I got it up and running. The AI is definitely better, and while I'm only in the earliest of stages in BG1, it doesn't look like the flavour of the game has changed at all, which is what I wanted. Interestingly, it runs fine when I use the original BGEE interface, but if I load a save up through the SOD interface, it doesn't seem to work at all. The enemies just stand there like statues.
Thanks again to everyone for their insightful commentary, and to the OP for getting this thread started.
There are no switchable interfaces, you have two separate games. If you didn't install SCS into your two game directories, you have one with SCS and one without.
@BillyYank Thanks for the heads up. I was just surprised/confused because the shadow armor mod I use was working in both versions of the game and I only plonked it in the regular BGEE override folder.
Comments
Also have you, by any chance, played SoD? Do you think SCS mages with pre-buff are much tougher than their SoD counterparts? (I know BG2 mages are definitely higher level but so is your party.) In case you haven't tried SoD, the mages generally start the combat with a few quickened spells, too (they nearly always has Stoneskin, sometimes Protection from Normal Missles/Mirror Image, often one of Minor Spell Turning/Lesser Globe of Invulerability, occasionally some named Mages and liches would have Prot. from Magic Weapons and at least one Fire Shield). Uh-oh, can you elaborate on how repetitive it gets? Based on some of the comments and the spell selections are randomized, but there exists some functional redundancy among the spells so I'm really interested in if the mages use functionally distinct strategies (Spell Deflection and Spell Turning are not functionally different enough to me, neither is Protection from Magic Weapon from Absolute Immunity).
As stated in my op, repetition is my greatest concern. I don't mind dealing with some well-warded mages as long as their wards are quite variable. But if all are using essentially the same combo beyond the basics (basics=Stoneskin, Mirror Image, and perhaps one or two of Protection from Missiles/Globe of Invulnerability/Spell Deflection/Spell Turning, but not all of the above) it's a deal breaker for me. I just don't want to go through the same dispelling routine to take down sets after sets of wards that are virtually indistinguishable in all encounters.
I have played through BG with it so have an idea of how it goes.
But my niggle is that I always play on "insane" difficulty. A couple of random encounters in BG SCS meant I had to turn down the difficulty, simply too much damage (and that was after numerous tries). Also can't let a NPC die, nope just can't do it, everybody has to survive.
Problem is that feels like cheating to me, it's like improved difficulty in one direction gets negated by lessoned difficulty in another.
I always feel the top tier of difficulty of any game is the one you should play on to really feel you have "beaten" the game after many playthroughs.
What level is sensible, does everybody play "insane"?
I hate double standards, so I'd definitely hate arrows shot from my enemies doing double the damage of my own. It's just silly and immersion breaking imo.
If you want to play on insane and finsih the game, go with a fighter/mage + sorcerer combo- played right, you won't be taking any damage so it doesn't really matter if it's insane or easy you're playing.
There isn't much elitism on this forum, though, or in the BG community at large. My formative experience entering the no-reload scene was making friends with @Blackraven and @JuliusBorisov here at the Beamdog forums, and reading up on @Alesia_BH's famous runs at the old Bioware forum. Alesia is generally considered the best BG2 player ever--her gameplay is incredibly precise and controlled--but she, just like Blackraven and JuliusBorisov, is one of the friendliest and humblest people around. In any other gaming community, these people would be lording it over everybody else. But that's just not who they are.
I'm probably the most egotistical no-reloader on this forum, and even I'm not arrogant enough to question another person's playstyle.
In general SCS is balanced around Core difficulty. If you go beyond that, prepare yourself for lots of reloads.
You say you had to lower the difficulty in BG1 various times? You're going to do that in BG2 even more. There is variety. Spell selection is subject to randomization, magic school an level of the caster. The only common factor here is that every caster will try to cover every possible aspect of spell defenses(Combat, Spell, Illusion), . The means differ though. Some like to use Shadow Door, while others rely on Improved Invis, some use PfMW while others employ Mantle Spells, some use Fire Shields, others Protection from X, some will use Spell Immunity, others Spell Shield or Spell Trap, and so on.
The only thing you can be sure of is a large number of defenses you'll have to go through, depending on the caster's level. Generally you'll want to think about a way to bypass these numerous layers as often as possible, through spells like Chaos, Web, Cloud spells, etc.
PfMW does leave a gap for you to exploit compared to Absolute Immunity, though. There is a reason why every fighter type should always carry a non-magical weapon in its inventory
But lamenting that those mods impose to the player to rest too often, maybe after a single battle, is different. Why should a party be supposed to fight 5 powerful mages, Kill dragons and beholders, or to clear entire dungeons, before they reach godly levels, without resting and rememorizing spells?
Is not realistic at all, is only a bad habit, a wrong set of mind, that we have taken playing vanilla, that is designed to be possible for an inexperienced player at the first run, while experienced.
Lavok, liches, demons, cowed enforcers, mind flyers, iron golems and (continue the list as you like
At full rate I agree with you.
Also I like bloody battles, and I like also the cheating enemies of mods like Tactics.
But my point was an other, not dependent on what each one like. My point is that some enemies are supposed to be really difficult, for RP reasons, they are among the most powerful mages and monsters of the realms, and there is no reason that a party can beat them using only few resources, mages are supposed to use all their spells, fighters their potions and uber weapons, clerics their protective and healing spells.
There is no reason to complain if it happens.
The fact that a player is free to play a hard modded game, LoB, insane or easy setting or even story mode, according with what he like to do, is a completely different thing imo. Is a player choice, not a RP reason.
Yeah, I see where you are coming from. I'm going to have to have a change of mindset.
I think posters have taken what I said the wrong way, (though I was careful to say "to me"). I always thought of SCS being an added difficulty to how I play now.
Basically after completing "insane", add a bit more difficulty.
But judging from what people are writing, it's actually going back and replaying and learning a different way to cope with a completely different way of increasing challenge.
And as I haven't done that before, just like when first playing BG2, of course it makes sense to start on a lower difficulty level.
Thanks to everybody for explaining.
(now just to figure out how to install the mod, believe me, with my level of incompetence, that's the highest level of difficulty before I start)
Thank you, but went to the thread and got completely lost following it, sorry.
I have a GOG install of BG2, that's the version I play and have no intention of going near the new version that's been updated because of SOD.
It works very well, so why change, and not so bothered with seemless importing from SOD because at the moment, not so keen on it anyway.
I've found where to put a download, (have just deleted some romance installs from there so sure I'm in the right place), but still not sure what download to use.
I presume a 1.6(?) version?
I'm sorry to be such a pain, but please remember, you are dealing with the equivalent of somebody trying to dicipher the Rosetta Stone without Greek.
Do it.
Do it.
Some things are REALLY tough, and the number one toughness factor is the opposing enemy's level. SCS makes perfect use of classes and levels, unlike vanilla BG, and that makes enemies over the party's level way more stronger (specially Mages, because it also makes them smart). I usually raise the level of every single critter in the game up to level five if they're lower, so that they are an actual threat to the party, and sometimes I even raise the level of all the classed creatures by 2 or 3 (I use 5 in the case of single-class thieves because they have terrible combat stats besides not being challenging at all if you have 100 points in Detect Illusion).
I play in Core Rules but have spawn rates and sutff set to Insane, because taking more damage isn't a good way of enhancing the difficulty (otherwise I'd be playing Dark Souls instead of Baldur's Gate). Enemy mages will assume that:
- PW: Blind is single-target
- Iron Skins can be dispelled with Breach instead of Secret Word
- (Improved) Mantle and Absolute Immunity are more powerful
- Enchanters can use Sequencers and Contingencies
I'm not sure about them assuming that:
- Antimagic attacks bypass Improved Inbisivility
- True Sight/Seeing dispels blindness from the caster
The first one is in fact mentioned in the readme but I doubt it, since the readme might be outdated, I'm not sure tho, and about the second, it's minor and I have completely no idea since it doesn't say anything about it (prob. they don't assume anything about it).
Also, one of the item tweaks (Re-introduce potions of extra healing) is to make it fair to the player since some enemies are given those even in BG1 (of course this is a BG1 component only).
A small tip from a concerned player: if you don't want to surprise yourself with a reload screen, do yourself a favour and install the Skull Trap damage cap, just until you get used to Liches dropping them in Spell Sequencers to your party. I think there should be a similar nerf to ADHW as well.
can't play without SCS
SCS doesn't only improve the enemies, change the spell system, thing that isn't nor good nor bad, it depend only on how a player is willing to learn the differences. I am not using SCS only for that reason, as I am still focused on other mods and for now would be confusing for me to change my mind set according to which set of mods I am using for each runs (I have original and Tactics on a notebook and for now unmodded EE on the laptop).
Is good to praise SCS, it deserves, but has to be pointed out that is not only a AI enhancer, with it completely different spell tactics must be used also because the spell system is changed, other way people can be mislead.
Thanks again to everyone for their insightful commentary, and to the OP for getting this thread started.
I am a big fan of SCS for precisely the reason that it is challenging, but not overly so. It hits the sweet spot on the difficulty curve, putting just the right amount of pressure on the player. The improved AI doesn't require you to play perfectly, but it does require you to play smart and take advantage of your resources, spells and abilities. It can be quite a shock if you're used to simply steamrolling everything with a buffed up party of warriors, only pausing to chug healing pots and change targets. However, it should not be too great a challenge for anyone who has already finished the games a couple of times and knows what each spell does et cetera.
So yes, SCS is tough but not too tough. The most beautiful part of the mod is that it does not require you to powergame. You can run rp-specific, suboptimal builds and party configurations and still win against everything, so long as your tactics are sound. If you've completed SoD on its hardest difficulty, you shouldn't have too much trouble with SCS. I found that the difficulty segues quite nicely from SCS-enhanced BG1 into SoD. I still think SCS is slightly more intelligent, but what SoD lacks in AI it makes up in numbers. At the end of the day, the two are pretty even.
Also take note of SCS's modular design. For BG1, all components are pretty well-balanced and worth having. For BG2, it's a slightly different story. In the end, it boils down to your personal playing style, but I'd avoid installing the following components, simply because I find them imbalanced and unfun.
[spoiler]
- Smarter beholders (read my rant about this component here)
- Smarter mages (prebuffs) - I have always had a distaste for extensive prebuffing. In my opinion, it only promotes metagaming and kills my suspension of disbelief. Also, having to read through 50-something lines of combat spam at the start of each arcane encounter is just not fun.
- Wizards get HLAs in SoA - Planetars are the most ridiculous things ever, and having to fight one every time you face a strong spellcaster is about as fun as having an anal evacuation and your wisdom teeth removed at the same time.
- Any component taken from the Tactics mod (such as improved Bodhi) - these are overkill encounters meant for powergaming parties
[/spoiler]That was actually very informative. I plan to leave out the HLA options as you suggested even though I really wanted to use it. I might still try out the minimal option for pre-buff (pre-buff in ambush), and if it's too much I'll just get rid of it (I can do that mid-game without messing up any other AI scripts... Right?)
On a less related note, has anyone been using the Ascension for BG2EE beta? How is it different from BP-Ascension? I might actually start an EET game in BG2EE if that's possible, so I'd like to know if BP-Ascension/Beta BG2EE Ascension, EET, and SCS (plus other minor quest mods and maybe an NPC mod or two) will make a fine combination.