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Returning to play this game (modded) after 10 years

VidmasterVidmaster Member Posts: 3
edited July 2023 in BG:EE Mods
Hi everyone :-)

I installed BGEE + SoD and I am ready to replay this classic once again.
The last time I did this, BWS and Tutu and similar things were hot but times have changed. I read a lot.
Not sure I am am completely up-to-date, but I wanted to start some classic BG now and I was thinking...

* Chatty Imoen
* Nerfed Ankheg Armor
* BGEE Classic Movies
* SoD Dialog Banters
* Portraits Portraits Everywhere
* The Boareskyr Bridge Scene
* Road to Discovery for SoD
* Jasteys Tweaks for SoD and EET and BGT
* BG1 NPC Project
* BG Mini-Quests and Encounters
* BG1 Unfinished Business
* Baldurans Seatower
* cdtweaks aka The Tweaks Anthology (will install most non-cheat components)
* Sword Coard Stratagems (not yet sure if I roll with it this time)

Note: I am aware of the DlcMerger and why it is needed and that it does come first.

My questions:
* any further recommendations? I am looking for an upgraded vanilla experience
* is this a good order to do things in?
* should I investigate EET further? I read reports of drama, bugs and unauthorized installer forks... what is the state of this in 2023?
Post edited by Vidmaster on

Comments

  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,780
    * is this a good order to do things in?
    No. :p
    From the top of my head I'd recommend:
    * BG1 Unfinished Business
    * Chatty Imoen
    * SoD Dialog Banters
    * BG Mini-Quests and Encounters
    * Baldurans Seatower
    * The Boareskyr Bridge Scene
    * Jasteys Tweaks for SoD and EET and BGT
    * BG1 NPC Project
    * Road to Discovery for SoD
    * cdtweaks aka The Tweaks Anthology (will install most non-cheat components)
    * Sword Coard Stratagems (not yet sure if I roll with it this time)
    * Portraits Portraits Everywhere

    Not sure about those:
    * BGEE Classic Movies
    * Nerfed Ankheg Armor
    * should I investigate EET further? I read reports of drama, bugs and unauthorized installer forks... what is the state of this in 2023?
    There is no drama about EET, the drama is about a modder who uses EET as their platform and created several user accounts to try to confuse players about their Mary Sue-mod being part of EET or what EET actually is (a mod that combines the BG games to one consinuous exoerience, without any added mods or content) - mission completed. ;)
    Official EET is here, it's quite stable, but general recommendation for new players / players who start modding their game is not to make an EET install as a first experience, since it lifts the whole modded game to a second level of modding-ness.
  • VidmasterVidmaster Member Posts: 3
    Thanks, that is already very helpful :)
  • WarChiefZekeWarChiefZeke Member Posts: 2,669
    I find Deities of Faerun and Dual Class to Kit to be must-use mods at this point, but I just like having lots of build choices.
  • TrouveurTrouveur Member Posts: 631
    For quests content, I would also suggest Gorgon's Eye, Black Heart, Shades of the Sword Coast, Ascalon's questspack and the Calling.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,780
    bg1re also has nice quests, as listed here.
  • megrimlockmegrimlock Member Posts: 53
    edited July 2023
    Whilst I concur with Trouveur re the recommended quest additions, since you said you wanted an upgraded vanilla experience, I would say all you are missing is Endless BG1 and Imoen4Ever (both of which jastey modestly failed to mention in her response). One gives you greater control over how to progress your game between Sarevok and Siege of Dragonspear, the other lets you keep your pal Imoen in parts of SoD which vanilla doesn't let you.
  • VidmasterVidmaster Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2023
    Quite a lot of interesting suggestions here :) Again, thanks for all of your time.
    megrimlock wrote: »
    Imoen4Ever (...) lets you keep your pal Imoen in parts of SoD which vanilla doesn't let you.
    As a gigantic fan of BGII, I am used to having Imoen taken from me, so that is fine :p and the mod is not necessary for me.
    megrimlock wrote: »
    Endless BG1 (...) gives you greater control over how to progress your game between Sarevok and Siege of Dragonspear
    I am fine with having an ending for the game, at least for this playthrough. Eventually, I will give EET a try (my last experience with a mod like this was BGT, before SoD existed) and that mod will certainly be on my playlist then.
    Trouveur wrote: »
    the Calling
    ...is a bit incomplete for my tastes yet. Once more callings exist and are actually class-restricted, this might become a thing for me though.
    Trouveur wrote: »
    Shades of the Sword Coast
    I was not aware of this yet. The content introduced sounds a bit weird to me though, reading through the spoiler section of its description. Some quests sound B) and others sound :/ to me, like adding a portal into the Gnoll stronghold (why?).
    I have marked it for future interest.
    Trouveur wrote: »
    Gorgon's Eye
    Putting this on the to investigate-list, it sounds both intriguing and a bit overstuffed (20 quests? Beregost is not that big...)
    Trouveur wrote: »
    Black Heart
    I was not aware of this one either. Sounds really cool but it seems that this one seems like it will impact the vanilla experience a bit too much for my liking. I have not played this game in a decade and I dont want it to feel fresh, I want it to feel like last time :) .
    Trouveur wrote: »
    Ascalon's Questpack
    I played this a decade ago and recall that I did not like something about it. But I do not remember what it was. Putting this on the to investigate-list then...

    Out of curiosity: jastey mentioned that my initially planend install order was pretty flawed.
    What I find confusing is that one should do something like Fixes, Quests, NPCs and Tweaks.

    Most of the mentioned ones here would be Quests, hence I would insert them after Baldurans Seatower. But what is with something like Endless BG1?
  • megrimlockmegrimlock Member Posts: 53
    The portal in the Gnoll Stronghold is my favourite bit of Shades ha. Also Black Hearts feels nicely integrated into the game when you play it. But for me, it makes more sense in an EET installation - because half the point is making Ilasera someone who matters in the story and not just a rando that turns up to get instantly beaten down at the start of TOB.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,780
    EndlessBG1 would go before Quest mods, after Fixes and GUI mods.

    @megrimlock thanks for the kind words.
  • TrouveurTrouveur Member Posts: 631
    megrimlock wrote: »
    Whilst I concur with Trouveur re the recommended quest additions, since you said you wanted an upgraded vanilla experience, I would say all you are missing is Endless BG1 and Imoen4Ever (both of which jastey modestly failed to mention in her response). One gives you greater control over how to progress your game between Sarevok and Siege of Dragonspear, the other lets you keep your pal Imoen in parts of SoD which vanilla doesn't let you.
    Totally agree with you, I really like Endless BG1 and Imoen for ever, but for a first SoD play I would recommend skipping them (like Another Fine Hell), to better appreciate on a second playthrough all Jastey's great work to better fit SoD within BGEE.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,780
    @Trouveur thanks for the kind words, too.
  • morpheus562morpheus562 Member Posts: 304
    I just did a playthrough of SoD with @jastey work, and it made for a better player experience. Do recommend. Imoen 4 Ever has also become a staple of my playthroughs which makes both SoD and the beginning of BG2EE better.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,780
    @morpheus562 thanks! B)
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