Comments for... the FAQ for the Megamods.

Read, obey and comment this, here.
Credits from my FAQ for the Megamods primarily go to The Imp that keeps pestering my mind all the time as it keeps finding solutions for problems the installs never had before, to Lollorian for the proof reading and other help, and to Miloch's for his work, as I copied some of his readme's, and of course to the other people that have commented in this thread. That includes you flinx, and why the second answer takes more than a forum page on the FAQs for the Megamods.

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 29 December 2010 - 07:17 AM.

Could you please correct the links in the top portion of your post?

And make it a little more readable, perhaps. Use more linebreaks, and make use of the size and bold functions--that'd go a long way towards making it easier on the eyes.

Might want to add somewhere in here:

11. And when you have installed all the mods you are going to, it might be a good idea to test your game to make sure your mods work, particularly any newer or untested mods. Once you are satisfied your install works, and only then, you may want to biff your override folder, but do that knowing that you generally can't change the game much after.

Bolding added. Also correct some of the typos (BGConfic.exe > BGConfig.exe etc.).

A64, ups.

-that'd go a long way towards making it easier on the eyes.

Well, I'll try my best, try to modify this, and you'll have your hands full... without loosing the prime directive, the information.

Miloch, 'K.

Jarno, thank you very much for the new pinned topic.



Greetings Leomar

Thanx Jarno, especially for one place to link to your advice on dealing with stuttering.

I do agree some nice formatting will be very helpful.

Can never have too many FAQs.

I do agree some nice formatting will be very helpful.

Well, I am open to suggestions, questions and all that... of course I could color the FAQ myself, but then it would look more fun than be actually useful.

You prepare for dumb questions, I'll put on something flame retardant....

Okay, I believe that I am a reasonably intelligent person, and a somewhat experienced player. I know how to download mods and use them, etc. But this megamod thing just confuses the heck out of me. First of all, you have all the different-sounding-names-that-all-seem-too-similar:

Baldur's Gate Trilogy

Big Picture

Big World (Project)

Etc.

If I understand correctly, BGT is basically an alternate version of Tutu, and can be installed as the base for either Big Picture or Big World, and BP and BW are just two different ways of doing the same thing (install as many compatible mods as possible), ala Easytutu and BGT. Good so far?

I've read the adobe manual for BW(P), but English is not the author's first language. That's not to say anything derogatory, it's just that as a student of (other) foreign languages, I know that it's often the little words that matter the most -- amd they're often the most mistranslated and/or misunderstood. I'm not sure, but I think he's trying to tell me that if I use one of the three recommended auto-install versions, his program will do all of the work for me, and I don't even have to read the rest of his manual, but if I want to make different choices about which mods to use or which components to install, then I have to follow the manual instructions that comprise the bulk of the manual. Also true? (I can't seem to find something similar as a readme for BP.)

I'd like to try a lot of these mods, but some more than others, and one of these megamod installs sounds like it might be an easy way to try a a lot of them at once, but I just need to clear up a couple of these questions first before I attempt to proceed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Baldur's Gate Trilogy

It's a mod that brings the BG1+BGTotSC to the BG2 engine and let's you to play them from the start of BG1 to the end of BG2:ToB as new game, or you can start to play the BG2, if you wish. While with Tutu, you can't actually play the BG2 at all.

Big Picture

Was a combination of few of the big mods, but now-a-days it's an AI enchanting mod.

Big World (Project)

Is a project that tries to combines the 200+ mods to one playable game.

If I understand correctly, BGT is basically an alternate version of Tutu, and can be installed as the base for either Big Picture or Big World, and BP and BW are just two different ways of doing the same thing (install as many compatible mods as possible), ala Easytutu and BGT. Good so far?

Well, with the above note included, yes.

I've read the adobe manual for BW(P), but English is not the author's first language. That's not to say anything derogatory, it's just that as a student of (other) foreign languages, I know that it's often the little words that matter the most -- amd they're often the most mistranslated and/or misunderstood. I'm not sure, but I think he's trying to tell me that if I use one of the three recommended auto-install versions, his program will do all of the work for me, and I don't even have to read the rest of his manual, but if I want to make different choices about which mods to use or which components to install, then I have to follow the manual instructions that comprise the bulk of the manual. Also true? (I can't seem to find something similar as a readme for BP.)

Well, all, well most of the documentation is in this and that document, and you can read them... and it's best that you do read them. Thoroughly, so you know what you are getting, and know what to do when and if you do not wish certain mods or their components to be (auto)installed. But you will be using the auto-install anyway, cause that is the easiest way to make all the mods work together, without bugs. Now, the documentation was an instruction for the manual installation, but it was automated later, so you get the sence from the wording that you have to do everything by hand, when in reality the "BiG World Install.bat"(auto installer) does all the work for you, and you don't need to do a thing but wait for hours.

And in addition to this, there is also the BWS, a program that also downloads the latest versions of all of the mods, and unpacks and puts everything into the BG2 folder and starts the "BiG World Install.bat"... that auto installs everything.

I'd like to try a lot of these mods, but some more than others, and one of these megamod installs sounds like it might be an easy way to try a a lot of them at once, but I just need to clear up a couple of these questions first before I attempt to proceed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Welcome, you are.

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 19 July 2009 - 02:30 PM.

Welcome, you are.

Thanks again -- now, the new question(s).

So, is Big Picture now included in the auto-install for Big World? I see a section called "Post BP Tweaks" in the BW manual, but can't find a mention of installing BP!

Also, some sections seem "grayed out," some are in a faded red -- but there is no sort of legend to tell me what that might mean.

There are also some other symbols not listed or explained in the table of contents throughout the manual.

Some of the listed mods are only in other languages. WTF would I want to install non-English mods for....

So, is Big Picture now included in the auto-install for Big World? I see a section called "Post BP Tweaks" in the BW manual, but can't find a mention of installing BP!

But there is "20.1. BIG PICTURE V1.77a" <-- BP v1.77a = BP.

Also, some sections seem "grayed out," some are in a faded red -- but there is no sort of legend to tell me what that might mean.
There are also some other symbols not listed or explained in the table of contents throughout the manual.

The table is based on this list, and there is no legends there at all... but one can learn what which of the colors mean... and the grayed out red once on pages 2-13 for example are the Tactical installs included mods, so they are installed with the black once in the tactical install.

Some of the listed mods are only in other languages. Why would I want to install non-English mods for....

They are there cause perhaps one can learn another languages besides their own... after all none of them are in Finnish, but I still play the game... Why the multi-language? Well most of them are in German, and the others have been tested so they work besides the others in multiple language format on their own.
And the translators wish to translate most of the mods to many languages, so everyone can enjoy them.

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 19 July 2009 - 11:16 PM.

@TJHoenecke: Well why would Jarno play the BWP when he is from Finland? Because there may be someone that can speak a foreign language. By the way, if you use the BWS, you can instruct it to remove "foreign" mods.

But there is "20.1. BIG PICTURE V1.77a" <-- BP v1.77a = BP.

The table is based on this list, and there is no legends there at all... but one can learn what which of the colors mean... and the grayed out red once on pages 2-13 for example are the Tactical installs included mods, so they are installed with the black once in the tactical install.

Well most of them are in German, and the others have been tested so they work besides the others in multiple language format on their own.

I'll take your word for it on that BP refernce in the manual -- don't want to go scrolling through that pdf again right now.

Which would have led to my next question, where there might be a straightforward, printable list of all the mods involved in BP, so I could check it at a glance, instead of doing all that scrolling. I guess this is as good as it gets.

Well, I took two years of German in high school, and two more years in college, but I'm not really interested in playing a mod that's going to require me to translate a foreign language on the fly as I play....

I'll take your word for it on that BP refernce in the manual -- don't want to go scrolling through that pdf again right now.

Which would have led to my next question, where there might be a straightforward, printable list of all the mods involved in BP, so I could check it at a glance, instead of doing all that scrolling. I guess this is as good as it gets.

Well, I took two years of German in high school, and two more years in college, but I'm not really interested in playing a mod that's going to require me to translate a foreign language on the fly as I play....

Use the English version? Here

He uses the English version but had issues with the German mods that are listed as expert...
Read post #11

Which would have led to my next question, where there might be a straightforward, printable list of all the mods involved in BP, so I could check it at a glance, instead of doing all that scrolling. I guess this is as good as it gets.

Actually on the todays BP, it's just an enemy Artificial Intelligence modifying mod, so it has lost a lot of it's former self that has transfered to other mods that 'work' better, as the BP hasn't been updated to the latest WeiDU coding, as the mod was originally a non-WeiDU mod to begin with, and to my knowledge it united the SoS, TS, TDD, Spine of the World, Freedom's Reign, Reign of Virtue, Imoen Romance and it's own content, quite like the BWP today does, but they were all needed to be specified versions... unlike the BWP that you can select to have a component or not.

Which would have led to my next question, where there might be a straightforward, printable list of all the mods involved in BP, so I could check it at a glance, instead of doing all that scrolling. I guess this is as good as it gets.

Sorry for the typo, my bad -- I meant BW, not BP.

Which would have led to my next question, where there might be a straightforward, printable list of all the mods involved in BWP, so I could check it at a glance, instead of doing all that scrolling. I guess this is as good as it gets.

Sorry for the typo, my bad -- I meant BWP/S, not BP.

Looky here for a live list of the links, it gives you all you need, and more.

Looky here for a live list of the links, it gives you all you need, and more.

Yes, I got that already; what I was talking about was a straightforward, printable list, which I could check at a glance.