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[Mac OS X] Latest BG2 multimod installation and playtesting

Started by Eric P., Mar 17 2013 10:00 PM

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#1 Eric P.

Eric P.

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Posted 17 March 2013 - 10:00 PM

The closest I can get to having it all is to choose mod components based on content, and build my installations manually. What I'm shooting for is to bring as much PnP content into the game as possible, bring audio and visual enhancements to the game, and add to the interest, challenge, and fun of playing. I also favor FR lore correctness wherever possible. You know, make the game more like a "real" D&D campaign :)

 

To this end, and after far too much time wasted trying to follow BWP to the letter with my preferred mod selections, I've consulted with (and cried on the shoulder of, from a distance) Zyraen, and stumbled through countless re-installations/combinations/permutations to arrive at what I've got today: A successfully installed BG2 multimod installation. That doesn't mean the game will play flawlessly, but I've been increasingly more careful about selecting mod components, and I've included only those mods I feel are the most stable for this particular project.

 

The install order I've arrived upon is based on these categories, named like those in the BWP guide, in order:

 

Corrections

Improvements

Quests

Tactical Encounters

Stores & Items

NPC-related

NPCs

Tweaks

Graphics, Sounds, and Portraits

Fixers

Utilities

 

Only a few mods got installed out of order, following compatibility advice. I've discovered that it's a huge time-saver to archive the whole thing after this-or-that category, and to keep the archives handy in case anything goes horribly wrong (I had to start over three times during the past week alone, and this is the fifth year I've been trying to get all this to work).

 

So, now I give you my weidu.log contents, in case anyone is interested, and if it will help to guide anyone else who's doing this sort of thing:

 

Spoiler

 

If anyone sees any obvious or potential trouble with this install order, please let me know, so I can improve it!

 

Single- and multiplayer games start with hardly any wait, and areas load fairly quickly. I can create characters in multiplayer mode without CTDs, which is a nice change of pace :) Got a test game started, with a full party that so far includes one mod NPC (Kivan), one custom character besides the protagonist, and then Minsc, Jaheira, and Yoshimo. I'll be swapping characters in and out as I go. The only unwanted behavior I've seen so far is that, if I create a Bard and choose the Conductor kit, the alignments are all unable to select! (Grayed out) I can use NI as a work-around to add that kit to a character, but I'd rather see things work as they should in-game, and this issue is a mystery to me.

 

Anyway, there it is. I'll try to remember to report any unusual behavior in this thread, and I welcome any and all feedback. Maybe I'll put up some screenshots as well, but probably won't write an entertaining play journal *L*


Working and playing on a Mac Pro 6,1 running Mac OS X 10.13.6 High Sierra, and a Mac Pro 3,1 running Mac OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan.

~Buion na 'ell! I serve with joy! Your eyes and ears I shall be. Let us hunt together!~
- Erysseril Gwaethorien: a joinable, romanceable NPC mod for BGII - SoA/ToB, in sporadic development.
A female elf warrior of nature and a Bhaalspawn cross paths during their quests, joining forces to share adventure and companionship. Will they find more?

#2 Eric P.

Eric P.

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Posted 15 October 2013 - 06:28 AM

The mod that adds an area called Silent Swamps was the latest to have game-breaking issues in my installation. First, the druid who invites the party to join him in his tree hideout vanished from the game entirely (didn't show up where he was supposed to, so the party was unable to talk with him), and then, I got a CTD every time I moved my party back to Silent Swamps area from anywhere else. Maybe it serves me right for installing the mod in my "stable play install" setup...

 

Deleted the entire installation, after backing up /characters, /portraits, and /sounds. Restored from a stable installation before SCSII, then installed SCSII v21. Currently playtesting again, just to see if there's any unwanted behavior. In a test game, after finishing with and exiting the Circus Tent in the Promenade, the boy is nowhere to be found, but the guard is still outside the entrance. I've seen this happen at times, and sometimes a reload is all I need to get the boy to appear again, so the party can talk to him and finish his little story, but I'd of course prefer that this never happen...just don't know how to solve the problem. If this installation proves playable, I'll continue installing the rest of the mods on my list, starting with BuTcHeRy :wall:


Working and playing on a Mac Pro 6,1 running Mac OS X 10.13.6 High Sierra, and a Mac Pro 3,1 running Mac OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan.

~Buion na 'ell! I serve with joy! Your eyes and ears I shall be. Let us hunt together!~
- Erysseril Gwaethorien: a joinable, romanceable NPC mod for BGII - SoA/ToB, in sporadic development.
A female elf warrior of nature and a Bhaalspawn cross paths during their quests, joining forces to share adventure and companionship. Will they find more?

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