Hello @LavaDelVortel , I played your shades of the sword coast mod a few years ago but I have not really experienced the bulk of the work you have done. I had a few questions about this mod and others.
First, I'm an EET player and I see that this mod is not tagged with the EET tag on your website. However, does this mod actually add a new location on the world map? Is there anything in particular that is incompatible with an EET install? Are there other mods that you have created that don't have an EET tag that might work with EET?
My last question, shades of the sword coast had some items that were a bit OP in my opinion. Being able to obtain a wand of cloud kill before you could even memorize the spell for example or a locket that would up your casting level and allow you to one shot powerful enemies like Serevok with chromatic orb. Do your Baldur's Gate 2 mods take a slightly toned down approach to new items in comparison? It's a matter of personal taste I'm sure but I am very strict about keeping the games balanced and difficult.
One last thing, I love that you added a new quest and area to Throne Of Bhaal. Thats what got me looking at your mod page again. Anything that can help expand TOB into a full fledged BG3 is always on my list of "must Try" mods. Anyway, I'm thinking of adding all of your EET compatible mods to my mega install that includes all of the Icewind Dale games and expansions but I'm weary of changing the game balance through mods. I have XP from enemies and quests lowered by 40% which should allow for plenty more quests without over leveling. All enemies have 3X HP and I have a full install of SCS with double damage enabled to keep things challenging. OP items can destroy that balance though and that is what gives me pause after experiencing shades of the sword coast. I have weapons from Icewind dale toned down or removed but I'm curious what your thoughts are on items and weapons that you have added to your mods and how they balance with BG2 areas of the game vs the quest pack for BG1.
I have also played the cost of one girls soul and I enjoyed that mod and it's ability to add some role play, a new interior and wrap up some writing problems that SOD left on the table. However, I left out the extra items option for that mod out of fear of what the items might do to game balance. Do you think I should give it a try if I'm touchy about OP weapons?
First, I'm an EET player and I see that this mod is not tagged with the EET tag on your website. However, does this mod actually add a new location on the world map? Is there anything in particular that is incompatible with an EET install? Are there other mods that you have created that don't have an EET tag that might work with EET?
The mod is most likely going to work on EET if you install it HOWEVER it wasn't tested on EET. I tried to avoid everything that would make it incompatible with EET, but since I do not play on EET, I might have missed something. I don't think I did, but... well, I'm just a human.
My last question, shades of the sword coast had some items that were a bit OP in my opinion. Being able to obtain a wand of cloud kill before you could even memorize the spell for example or a locket that would up your casting level and allow you to one shot powerful enemies like Serevok with chromatic orb. Do your Baldur's Gate 2 mods take a slightly toned down approach to new items in comparison? It's a matter of personal taste I'm sure but I am very strict about keeping the games balanced and difficult.
It's not me who should answer that, because I believe that as long as you do not abuse these items (like using some bugs to charge such wands) they are not as overpowered as they may appear (in my opinion) + it's not like I ever force players to use those items. Also bards - even without such an amulet - may be able to do the same to enemies, as IIRC at level 10 this spell can turn enemies to stone and you should be able to reach that level with a bard even without installing loosened lvl cap.
I never know how to answer those questions like yours. Am I supposed to defend my mods? Or say "Sure, I on purpose added tons of over-/underpowered items"...? I mean, if I believed they were breaking the game, I wouldn't have included them, right? So the only thing I can tell you is: I don't know. I created what I think is fun. I believe The Bloodied Stings of Barovia is the best quest mod I have ever released, but I also seek other kinds of gaming experience than you do, probably, because I never install mods like SCS or tweaks that make the game harder because I am more interested in intriguing stories, interesting characters, friendships and romances.
I believe that there are many mods out there with way more (infamously) powerful items. I myself have fun with items I created, but I will never promise you you won't find something a bit more powerful "toys"... and some underpowered items. I can however say that I think I did some things well in these mods and some people just... like them, I suppose?
No problem and thanks for your reply. I think new items give people new things to explore and new things to purchase with the spoils from the new quests. The idea of balancing new items is a tough one that I couldn't give you an answer to either. It's one of those areas of modding that is always up in the air. I just wanted to get your take on them. I'm not trying to critisize your work but gage weather or not I should try them. My install is getting so large that it will take a very long time to get through the game series so I'm trying to be cautious. I think I will read the reviews you provided and perhaps take a chance or two. Maybe even change the way I play to try and adapt while keeping things balanced.
Congrats on this release, I look forward to trying it out. This whole series of mods looks great so far. I'll leave some honest feedback when I can and report any bugs when possible.
Hey @LavaDelVortel youve made some of the best mods I ever played and asked a few years ago why wasnt a ravenloft mod ever made? Thank you for making this happen!
I concur. As an old school Ravenloft fan, it's been awesome to see some love go out to the old Domains of Dread. I hope that there is more to come? If you are taking requests, I'd like to see an adventure set in Lamordia. The steampunk-ish nature of the land has always drawn me and the idea of the Bhaalspawn going head to head with foes packing firearms is just cool.
I've been releasing many mods for the past years and I think I will be slowing down for now. Those who like Ravenloft should definitely try all my Dreadful Tales mods. They may like them a bit more
Mod is artistic masterpiece. From purly artistic standpoint this is the best BG mod. The mansion and the final area is unbelivebly good. And the details: there is a small pond near that talking tree. during the day it is just a pond but in the night there is a moon reflecting in that pond. IT IS AMAZING!
btw. I completed evereything. have five items. HOW THE FUCK CAN I LEAVE???
Thanks! The best locations are by Acifer, I just shared my ideas and focused on making those smaller ones and those that didn't need so specific objects.
If you are past
fight with the queen in the basement, finished off her husband and minions and got the key as well as ingredients you need to leave the area, you should head back to where you were teleported and place items in a container that should be there, in the very centre of the symbol.
Just want to say that I love your mods. You have a real gift for capturing the mood and texture of BG, especially the Ravenloft mods. You have given me many hours of enjoyment playing your mods, THANK YOU.
I've always enjoyed your mods, Lava, but the Bloodied Stings of Barovia exceeded my expectations. Something I didn't even think was possible.
Some quick comments:
- The maps are stunning.
- The music is well chosen.
- The somber, dark atmosphere is upheld and every facet of this mod furthers the mystery and danger of the setting.
- The books + notes which explain the Ravenloft setting were a fun read - short as they were. Especially the nods to famous characters to make everything feel connected.
- The cutscene (at the mansion) caught me off guard but PLEASANTLY so. Absolutely stellar work on it - fits with the other BG cutscenes seamlessly.
- The itemization was peak and interesting. ESPECIALLY the amount of cursed items - understandable given the setting.
- All this to say that I honestly consider this a smaller-scope EXPANSION. Because the quality was consistently above level of even the base game.
I've been making my way through your new Dreadful Tales mods. I'm a ways off from starting Juniper and the Stone Leech, given that's in TOB, but I snagged Xzelë as a companion before I headed off for this adventure. Her interaction with this mod was unexpected but welcome and it echoed the theme nicely.
( I've also been enjoying that questline, and I would expand, but this comment is growing long already. )
Stellar work, as always, this mod was a lot of fun to play. Thank you for sharing.
The only complaint, I think, would be that I wished there was more. Because I enjoyed every moment.
(Spoilers)
- The friendly vampire & the conversation with the tree were standouts for me as quick 'side' quests.
If you prefer that I remove that last comment, I'm happy to do so, since my intent is not to spoil this incredible experience for anyone else.
TL;DR Anyone on the wall about playing this quest mod, it's absolutely worth it and sets a new standard for Lava mods. An incredible feat given the MULTITUDE of incredible quest + npc + item mods he's already given this community.
Thank you! I think The Bloodied Stings is what I consider my best mod, so I'm kinda glad there is someone else who thinks it's cool The mod wouldn't be that great without @Acifer - thanks again, Aci!
And I think you're not really spoiling much I think these may actually inspire some to look who/what you are actually writing about
Geez dude! I'm gone from the community for a year and come back to this?! You truly never rest, do you? This looks absolutely fantastic and I definitely want to try it out but I need to finish my BG3 Honour Mode run first. Am I even allowed to talk about that here?
Anyway, it's great to see you are still churning out high quality work. I can't wait to try this new creation of yours out.
I will definitely be giving this mod a try. And for the record let me express how excited I am to see content being created for campaign settings outside of the Forgotten Realms. I always love to see the other (less represented) campaign settings getting some love. It would be awesome to see a fully developed modern day video game in the Ravenloft setting. It's also a crying shame that we only have The Temple of Elemental Evil as the only modern day World of Greyhawk setting video game. Maybe we'll get a Vecna video game one of these days.
Thanks for all your amazing mods. If you allow me just one criticism, I would invite you to make fights a bit harder and challenging. I haven't tested all your mods yet but I remember fights to be relatively easy overall. Maybe you can add more monster depending of the difficulty slider, simple but efficient imo.
Oh, fights were never my forte and I never found them super enjoyable, but more like a required must and a moments of break during the stories, between talks and an element of exploration. I doubt my mods will ever be super challenging but the Bloodied Stings may be actually a bit more difficult that others, because I designed some enemies I actually like. Anyway, I will think about it, but... I doubt I'll add such options to my mods, some of which are ~10 years old If I were to change my mind, it would be probably one or two of the newer ones that would get something like that, but I don't have such plans right now.
As for campaign outside FR - well, Ravenloft is still reachable from Faerun. Or rather... There were unfortunate souls that got there. Now you can be one of them!
First of all, I loved the atmosphere and the story! The music is awesome and together with the artwork and voiceover creates a really immersive feeling.
I'm afraid I need one spoiler alert though: What to do with the bones? That's The only active quest left. I did everything the farmer asked me about, I talked to the tree, the blacksmith ghost, I can summon a friend who lived next to the blue fireplace - what else is to do? All NPCs left have no dialouge options regarding the bones.
All right... What if the certain lady is dead because my charname felt like killing her? Can you give me her exact name so I can summon her with the console?
I'm not sure what moving on means in this context. Is there supposed to be a hint in-game? I do not see any container in the original area where I got teleported at the beginning.
The bones is a side quest, you won't be able to complete it. As for the main quest, I don't know what you already did and what not. After you defeat the main enemies, you need to use the key, open the chest in the manor and there is a letter saying what items you need to get back home. I am unable to say exactly what you need to do without knowing what parts of the main quest you finished already.
If you'd check the thread, the readmes etc, then you would know that we already work together on things. Acifer helped to create this mod (The Bloodied Stings), and I helped him with some parts of Dark Tidings, Call of the Lost Goddess, and not just that.
I just wanted to thank you for another excellent mod!
The atmosphere and visuals for Barovia are amazing. It really feels like your party is on a different world, rather than a tweaked version of Faerun. I will definitely use this mod in future games and am deeply grateful for all your work.
(I did run into a similar problem that I had with "In Love, Undeath." Two areas would not load properly ["l#rv11" and "l#rv19"]. Those are the areas off of the bottom of the well. When I tried to console my party into them the game crashed. I got around the problem by consoling the party into the crypt, thereby obtaining the item necessary to return to Athkatla. I didn't have this problem at all with "Juniper and the Stone Leech." Hopefully it's just a quirk of this install and I won't encounter this problem next time. But I thought I would mention it in case others encounter the same issue.)
Sorry, but I have no idea, I checked which those areas are and I think they are the ones that do not include any specific, more complex things that should cause such problems. If it's still the same setup, I can only suggest a reinstall for the new run.
Comments
First, I'm an EET player and I see that this mod is not tagged with the EET tag on your website. However, does this mod actually add a new location on the world map? Is there anything in particular that is incompatible with an EET install? Are there other mods that you have created that don't have an EET tag that might work with EET?
My last question, shades of the sword coast had some items that were a bit OP in my opinion. Being able to obtain a wand of cloud kill before you could even memorize the spell for example or a locket that would up your casting level and allow you to one shot powerful enemies like Serevok with chromatic orb. Do your Baldur's Gate 2 mods take a slightly toned down approach to new items in comparison? It's a matter of personal taste I'm sure but I am very strict about keeping the games balanced and difficult.
One last thing, I love that you added a new quest and area to Throne Of Bhaal. Thats what got me looking at your mod page again. Anything that can help expand TOB into a full fledged BG3 is always on my list of "must Try" mods. Anyway, I'm thinking of adding all of your EET compatible mods to my mega install that includes all of the Icewind Dale games and expansions but I'm weary of changing the game balance through mods. I have XP from enemies and quests lowered by 40% which should allow for plenty more quests without over leveling. All enemies have 3X HP and I have a full install of SCS with double damage enabled to keep things challenging. OP items can destroy that balance though and that is what gives me pause after experiencing shades of the sword coast. I have weapons from Icewind dale toned down or removed but I'm curious what your thoughts are on items and weapons that you have added to your mods and how they balance with BG2 areas of the game vs the quest pack for BG1.
I have also played the cost of one girls soul and I enjoyed that mod and it's ability to add some role play, a new interior and wrap up some writing problems that SOD left on the table. However, I left out the extra items option for that mod out of fear of what the items might do to game balance. Do you think I should give it a try if I'm touchy about OP weapons?
It's not me who should answer that, because I believe that as long as you do not abuse these items (like using some bugs to charge such wands) they are not as overpowered as they may appear (in my opinion) + it's not like I ever force players to use those items. Also bards - even without such an amulet - may be able to do the same to enemies, as IIRC at level 10 this spell can turn enemies to stone and you should be able to reach that level with a bard even without installing loosened lvl cap.
I never know how to answer those questions like yours. Am I supposed to defend my mods? Or say "Sure, I on purpose added tons of over-/underpowered items"...? I mean, if I believed they were breaking the game, I wouldn't have included them, right? So the only thing I can tell you is: I don't know. I created what I think is fun. I believe The Bloodied Stings of Barovia is the best quest mod I have ever released, but I also seek other kinds of gaming experience than you do, probably, because I never install mods like SCS or tweaks that make the game harder because I am more interested in intriguing stories, interesting characters, friendships and romances.
If you want to know what's inside this mod, take a look at this review: https://smolderingmodsbar.com/the-bloodied-stings-of-barovia-bg2ee/
If you want to know more about what's in Skie, there is a review of that mod, too: https://smolderingmodsbar.com/skie-silvershield-bg2ee/
I believe that there are many mods out there with way more (infamously) powerful items. I myself have fun with items I created, but I will never promise you you won't find something a bit more powerful "toys"... and some underpowered items. I can however say that I think I did some things well in these mods and some people just... like them, I suppose?
Sorry, but that's all I can say.
Congrats on this release, I look forward to trying it out. This whole series of mods looks great so far. I'll leave some honest feedback when I can and report any bugs when possible.
Cheers
btw. I completed evereything. have five items. HOW THE FUCK CAN I LEAVE???
If you are past
Cheers!
Some quick comments:
- The maps are stunning.
- The music is well chosen.
- The somber, dark atmosphere is upheld and every facet of this mod furthers the mystery and danger of the setting.
- The books + notes which explain the Ravenloft setting were a fun read - short as they were. Especially the nods to famous characters to make everything feel connected.
- The cutscene (at the mansion) caught me off guard but PLEASANTLY so. Absolutely stellar work on it - fits with the other BG cutscenes seamlessly.
- The itemization was peak and interesting. ESPECIALLY the amount of cursed items - understandable given the setting.
- All this to say that I honestly consider this a smaller-scope EXPANSION. Because the quality was consistently above level of even the base game.
I've been making my way through your new Dreadful Tales mods. I'm a ways off from starting Juniper and the Stone Leech, given that's in TOB, but I snagged Xzelë as a companion before I headed off for this adventure. Her interaction with this mod was unexpected but welcome and it echoed the theme nicely.
( I've also been enjoying that questline, and I would expand, but this comment is growing long already.
Stellar work, as always, this mod was a lot of fun to play. Thank you for sharing.
The only complaint, I think, would be that I wished there was more. Because I enjoyed every moment.
(Spoilers)
- The friendly vampire & the conversation with the tree were standouts for me as quick 'side' quests.
If you prefer that I remove that last comment, I'm happy to do so, since my intent is not to spoil this incredible experience for anyone else.
TL;DR Anyone on the wall about playing this quest mod, it's absolutely worth it and sets a new standard for Lava mods. An incredible feat given the MULTITUDE of incredible quest + npc + item mods he's already given this community.
And I think you're not really spoiling much
Anyway, it's great to see you are still churning out high quality work. I can't wait to try this new creation of yours out.
Thanks for all your amazing mods. If you allow me just one criticism, I would invite you to make fights a bit harder and challenging. I haven't tested all your mods yet but I remember fights to be relatively easy overall. Maybe you can add more monster depending of the difficulty slider, simple but efficient imo.
As for campaign outside FR - well, Ravenloft is still reachable from Faerun. Or rather... There were unfortunate souls that got there. Now you can be one of them!
I'm afraid I need one spoiler alert though: What to do with the bones? That's The only active quest left. I did everything the farmer asked me about, I talked to the tree, the blacksmith ghost, I can summon a friend who lived next to the blue fireplace - what else is to do? All NPCs left have no dialouge options regarding the bones.
Thanks for your kind words.
I'm not sure what moving on means in this context. Is there supposed to be a hint in-game? I do not see any container in the original area where I got teleported at the beginning.
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/82663/mod-in-progress-skyfire-modification-for-baldur-s-gate-ii
The atmosphere and visuals for Barovia are amazing. It really feels like your party is on a different world, rather than a tweaked version of Faerun. I will definitely use this mod in future games and am deeply grateful for all your work.
(I did run into a similar problem that I had with "In Love, Undeath." Two areas would not load properly ["l#rv11" and "l#rv19"]. Those are the areas off of the bottom of the well. When I tried to console my party into them the game crashed. I got around the problem by consoling the party into the crypt, thereby obtaining the item necessary to return to Athkatla. I didn't have this problem at all with "Juniper and the Stone Leech." Hopefully it's just a quirk of this install and I won't encounter this problem next time. But I thought I would mention it in case others encounter the same issue.)