Enkida's Portrait Pack v2

Enkida's Portrait Pack for BG2 / BGT

Version 2.0

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I. Installation

This will upgrade various BioWare and player-made NPCs so they have a somewhat "standardized" look - similar head sizes, color range, and an attempt to be semi-faithful to the original BioWare artwork style. It also fixes a bug with Illasera's race, allows you to restore Sarevok's original portrait if playing "Tortured Souls" and patches certain .cre files so that avatar and paperdoll skin and hair colours more closely match their new portraits. It is strongly recommended that you install any other portrait or tweak mods before using this pack. You do NOT need to start a new game to use this mod. You can see all included portrait upgrades in this document. Mods that have been adjusted in this pack are listed visually in section III and alphabetically in section VI.

Known Issues: The installer will not work properly on Mac version of BG2 (it will work using the Windows version of BG2 via Wine)! You should still be able to manually install this pack if you are comfortable with your machine, by editing eportraits/lib/batch_exe.tpa; you'll find instructions for that inside that file.

To install the portraits, unzip this pack to your Baldur's Gate II directory and run the file setup-eportraits.exe. Customize your installation by selecting to [A]sk about each component. Whether selecting individual portraits or batch installing many, you have the option to copy all unused portraits from this pack to the portraits folder (allowing you to choose them for your PC if you wish). Be aware that batch-installing NPCs will present my arbitary portrait selections as defaults. Some BG1 (BGT) characters will only receive a modified portrait if the relevant component from the BG1NPC mod is installed. This applies to Edwin, Imoen, Jaheira, Viconia, Kivan and Minsc. You will always be able to choose which version of Xan you want to use.

If you only want to update your saved games, you can do it in the following ways:

1. Run setup-eportrait.exe again and re-install everything; you'll be offered to update your saved games again after that.
2. From the command line, after CDing to the game folder, run weidu or weinstall with eportraits/setup-eportraits_saves.tp2 and the other appropriate arguments. For example, on Windows, you can use: setup-eportraits.exe --no-auto-tp2 --autolog eportraits\setup-eportraits_saves.tp2

Warning: You will not be offered to update your saved games, and you'll have to do it manually (method 2 is suggested), if you (un)install eportraits (or any underlying mods) using command line arguments such as: --force-(un)install, --re/uninstall


II. BioWare NPCs

Not all BioWare NPCs were replaced; I felt some artwork was good enough as is. Replacing a default BioWare portrait will also automatically use the new portrait with any mod that utilizes that default NPC. Please note that the default choices in a batch install are not always lore-correct (Edwin, Jaheira). If an NPC portrait has changed drastically, the default BioWare image will be backed up to your portrait directory automatically.

The Special Case of Minsc: depending on what you decide to do with Minsc's portrait, you will be presented with differing selections for Minsc's "image" during PC character creation. This is for the eventual case that you want to use Minsc's portrait for your PC. The biggest change you will notice is that using Minsc's face will result in a hamster-less portrait for your PC. This will NOT affect in-game Minsc at all - whether you choose to install Minsc's alternative portrait or not, the NPC Minsc will always be holding Boo.

Future versions of this mod will include alternatives to more vanilla BG1 NPCs as well.

III. Mod NPCs

Mod NPCs include alternative portraits for several joinable companions created by player mods. Most original mod portraits will be backed up to your portrait directory automatically. Note that some minor NPC mods require the use of their default BioWare NPC alternates as well (Anomen, Edwin, Minsc, etc). Mod NPCs also include portraits for several minor NPCs which are not playable (at least, not permanently), however they do still receive small portraits in the game. If you are using, for example, the "Unfinished Business" pack and you embark on Minsc's sidequest, installing these portraits will keep you from wondering why Minsc suddenly turns white, hairless and tattooed for the duration of the quest. Many of these images were created on request. If you have a request for an NPC not covered in this pack, post in the forum and I may append your request to the next version of this pack (if I have the time).

The Anti-Multiples Initiative: If a request is made for a mod which contains a portrait using Jude Law as the default image, it will automatically be included in the next version. The same holds for mod NPCs that recycle popular artwork, including minor NPC portraits!

These are the original NPCs included in the pack. See Section VI to download any of these mods.



IV. Credits

This project would not have been possible without the hard work of many other artists besides myself, some of whose identities have been lost to obscurity. If you spot an uncredited artwork in this portrait pack, please comment here to let me know so the original artist can be given his or her full due.

The Baldur's Gate I portrait artist is Mike Sass; the Baldur's Gate II portrait artists are Matthew Goldman, Todd Grenier, Marc Holmes and Dean Anderson. Their work is the base for many edits in this pack.

All works were cropped, edited, photomanipulated, retouched, painted or otherwise played with by myself unless listed below. Starred (*) credits are images of well-known individuals taken from search engine trawling.



Special thanks to Turambar for rewriting the code.
Special thanks to Miloch for providing tutorials and assistance with coding.
Special thanks to Lava Del'Vortel and K'aeloree for originally packing the mod.
Special thanks to Spellhold Studios for their support, feedback and hosting.
Special thanks to Westley Weimer, godfather of WeiDU and serious BG2 modding.
Special thanks to all those who continue to maintain WeiDU/BiggDU to this day.
Special thanks to the BG2 modding community, for making these NPCs available!

This portrait pack is not developed, supported, or endorsed by BioWare or Interplay/Black Isle.

REDISTRIBUTION NOTE: This portrait pack was created to be freely enjoyed by all Baldur's Gate 2 players. However, this pack may not be sold, published, compiled or redistributed in any form without the consent of its author. If you want to use any of these portraits in a new mod or repack the existing portraits with your own image tweaks, please ask for permission first. MOD AUTHORS: If you want to include this version of your own mod's portrait in your next upgrade, you have implicit permission to use my artwork. Check the _extras folder if you need a 210x330 sized image of your character for ToB and can't find one.

V. History

2.0: 27 March 2012: Additional BioWare and Mod portraits, updated code, bugs fixed, .cre file changes, portrait backups, cross-platform compatibility, BWP/BGT compatibility, save game updater
1.0: 07 January 2012: Initial Release

VI. Links

Portrait Artists

• Amaurea's Portrait Edits
  
• Enkida @ DeviantArt
  
• JPS' Portrait Pack
  
• MiLeah's Alternate Male Portraits
  
• Miloch's Adjusted Portraits

Baldur's Gate 2 Mod Repositories

• The Black Wyrm's Lair
  
• The Chosen of Mystra
  
• The Gibberlings Three
  
• Kerzenburg BWP Link List
  
• Pocket Plane Group
  
• Spellhold Studios

Specific Mods

• Angelo NPC @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• Ascension stand-alone BP mod component by Westley Weimer @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Beyond the Law @ Spellhold Studios
  
• The Big Picture @ Spellhold Studios
  
• BG2 Tweaks @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• BG1 NPC Project @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• Chloe NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Colours of Infinity: Innershade @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Colours of Infinity: Tales of the Deep Gardens @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Colours of Infinity: The White Queen @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Edwin Romance / ToB Extension / Flirts @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Eilistraee's Song @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Fade NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Fading Promises @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Gavin NPC / for BG2 @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• Homeward Bound @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Hubelpot NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Kari NPC @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Kelsey NPC / GRoA @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• Keto NPC @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• Kivan and Deheriana Companions for BG2 @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• Moddie the Vixen NPC @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Nathaniel NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Dark Horizons / Nikita NPC @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• NPC Flirt Packs @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• Sarah NPC @ The Gibberlings Three
  
• Solaufein NPC / Flirts @ Westley Weimer's Mods / RPG Dungeon
  
• Subraces @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Tashia NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Tortured Souls @ The Black Wyrm's Lair
  
• Tsujatha NPC @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Turnabout @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• The Undying @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Unfinished Business @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• Valen NPC @ Westley Weimer's Mods
  
• Vampire Tales @ The Chosen of Mystra
  
• Wild Mage Additions @ JOG's Baldur's Gate Corner
  
• Xan BG2 NPC @ Pocket Plane Group
  
• Xulaye NPC @ Spellhold Studios
  
• Yoshimo Romance @ The Chosen of Mystra

Edited by Enkida, 01 April 2012 - 12:39 AM.

Portrait pack updated to version 2. Leave comments or praise here if you like it. Or vote on the download page. A big thanks to Turambar for an intensive recode that allowed for bugfixing, original portrait backups, cross platform compatibility, and extensive .cre file editing without requiring a new game to be started. Please make requests for any more NPCs in the appropriate thread in this forum, which is not this one ;-) If anyone wants to submit code to the BWP to make it compatible with the installpack, you have my permission. Enjoy!

Edited by Enkida, 01 April 2012 - 12:44 AM.

By the way, your Kivan-portrait replacing code dosen't properly replace TDD Kivan's portrait - it still uses portrait KIVAN{S,M,L}.

That was on purpose, because as it is you can have TDD Kivan and K&D Companions for BG2 Kivan in your party at the same time. No doubling up ;-)

I hate to ask but could you do a bg2 pic of Imoen based on her bg1 portrait? I never liked her bg2 portrait...

Btw your pics are gorgeous.

I've just discovered this (after a long break from BG2) and there's some great work here. I particularly like the Valygar portraits and some of the mod replacements are excellent as well (Kelsey is much hotter, for one!) Could I suggest an alternate Darian in the next release?

Also, I installed the Balthazar portrait but only got the regular one in the game. Does the mod portrait only show for games with Ascension, maybe? (I've been playing without Ascension, but suffice to say, Balthazar's new portrait has not shown up in a couple of runthroughs with the portrait pack installed).

Excellent pack. All the major characters look more natural .

Edited by gmtash, 19 September 2012 - 11:09 AM.

Thanks for putting this together, I have installed quite a few of these, although I must admit I prefer the "ornamented" hair of the originals. I took the time to make a gif for those who want to see a comparison.

The mod NPC portrait install options are flaky as hell for some reason. If I even alter my install a little bit, some options end up flipping out and either not recognizing the parent mods installed or outright giving errors, and it's random which ones do it. It's weird. Have settled for directly replacing the portraits instead.

Edited by RavenBlack, 10 June 2013 - 09:16 PM.

So glad this exists! It's so much nicer on the eyes to have a coherent style for the core coterie and their most prominent antagonists. Sadly not as comprehensive as PaintBG, but it has the advantage of being in keeping with the original style. It's easier to pick and mix this way; keep some originals while replacing others. Thank you for all the work in compiling this!