Must-have BG2EE 1.3 mods for first playthrough?
Nerva
Member Posts: 133
in BGII:EE Mods
I'm about to re-start my BG2EE game after the 1.3 patch came out, and I'd like to get a list of essential mods that don't change the vanilla flavor of the game, but just fix whatever remaining glitches there are after the 1.3 patch, and improve the fidelity of the game to the AD&D rules.
I'm very interested in the Ascension mod made for the original BG2 ToB, since it sounds like a "director's cut" of ToB that makes it the climactic challenge it should have been in the first place. From what I can tell, it is only available as part of the "Big Picture" mod for BG2EE -- is that correct?
Are there a few other mods that have a consensus in this forum as being good tweaks that polish the vanilla game without changing the core experience for a first-time playthrough?
I'm very interested in the Ascension mod made for the original BG2 ToB, since it sounds like a "director's cut" of ToB that makes it the climactic challenge it should have been in the first place. From what I can tell, it is only available as part of the "Big Picture" mod for BG2EE -- is that correct?
Are there a few other mods that have a consensus in this forum as being good tweaks that polish the vanilla game without changing the core experience for a first-time playthrough?
1
Comments
Besides @subtledoctor 's answer you can check similar threads: http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/38993/which-bg2ee-mods-for-a-first-time-modder#latest
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/40282/new-to-forum-best-mods-to-use-for-bg-ee-1-2#latest, especially @Darkersun 's answer there
1) Mods focused on bug-fixes. I finally finished BG1 (not EE) a year ago (played it a lot when it first came out but never finished it) and I used the ubiquitous DudleyFixes and one or two other tweak packs that fixed dialog errors, incorrect spell parameters, etc. For using it with BG2EE, I imported my pre-final battle save into BG1EE, finished it there a second time, and exported that save to BG2EE (I found BG2EE has problems importing directly from BG1).
2) The Ascension mod. I have read about how ToB was rushed to make a Christmas release and the programmers were forced to cut stuff and there wasn't enough time to tune the play-balance -- hence ToB was considered a letdown because it was easy instead of epic. Ascension is basically the "director's cut" of ToB -- an original programmer went back, completed the missing bits, and gave it the challenging boss battles that are actually satisfying. I can think of no reason to play the "theatrical cut" instead of the "director's cut". Again, I only have the time to play this ONCE, so I want to play the most perfect version of the game.
I have read, however, that porting Ascension to EE has yet to be done as a stand-alone mod, and it exists only as part of the "Big Picture" mod? What are people's thoughts on that mod?
Basically, I'm not looking for new fan-generated content, I just want the game to be "completely finished" with all the bugs fixed, open loops closed, plot threads nicely tied up, etc.
There are many mod enthusiasts around here who, having embarked down that path, lose sight of how enjoyable the original game is - especially for someone who is not a seasoned veteran of the game.
I have been playing on and off since the original game was first released, and other than the screen-resolution mods, the only content-mods I played with significantly degraded the experience for me (despite being highly rated) so I stopped trying. For a one-and-only play through, my preference would be distinctly the unmodded game. I suspect that after you play through once though, you may find you want to make the time for a second play through, and you can ask better about appropriate mods without fear of spoilers.
I'd also like to upgrade the combat AI for both the enemies and the party. From what I've gathered, the best enemy-AI mod is SCS, and the best party AI scripts are BP Scripts. However, I have read that the 1.3 patch upgraded the AI, so I am curious if there are conflicts or problems between the new 1.3 AI and the AI mods out there.
Stuff like Rogue Rebalancing and aTweaks are also the sort of mods I'd consider essential and used on my BG1 game -- they're mods that improve the fidelity of the game to the PnP version. But they seem to be for the original BG series, not the EE series, and I'm curious how necessary or compatible they are with BG2EE 1.3.
- I'm kinda fast once I know what to do, but I tend to spend AGES planning
- my real life leaves me very little time and my deadlines are always f***ed by some unexpected accident
- the new builds are not "minor updates" but HUGE updates
- EE made my modding life harder rather than easier
- etc.
Anyway, if you wish to play with those mods, V4s are already fully compatible with EE games. I can give you access to the current builds. They are not ready for an official release because, among my many flaws, I am a perfectinist, but hundreds of players are playing these supposed "betas" and can tell you they are in great shape.