12 replies to this topic

[paul walrus]

I've been meaning to get around to playing baldur's gate 1 and 2 for a while, and bought both for too much. Unbalance issues, shoddy patching, and questionable gameplay has left me questioning my decisions until I saw the huge mod community willing to polish the game.

What mods can you recommend to somebody new to BG, wants to play them both, wants as many balancing/gameplay mods as possible, but doesn't want superfluous or at times dumb fanfic mods that affect the story? Well, besides well-done optional quests.

finally, i'm leaning towards BGTrilogy because of the apparent obsoletion of BGTutu. I don't know the details, so if anybody could vote for or against, that would be great.

[theacefes]

I'm wondering where in the world you were given the notion that BG TuTu is obsolete?

[berelinde]

First of all, let me reiterate Ace's statement that Tutu is alive and well. If you're an English speaker, and have done a full install of BG1 and BG2, you'll probably be better off with EasyTutu, though. "EasyTutu" isn't Tutu-lite or anything. It just means that it's easy to install. And it is. Supremely.

I'd recommend using one of the two conversions, BGT or Tutu, simply because it's painful to play BG without the BG2 features we have all come to love, like the tab-key, greater resolution, and greater scripting capabilities.

Whether you use BG Tutu (or EasyTutu) or whether you use BGT depends on whether you consider it to be one continuous storyline or whether you consider it to be two different games. BGT allows a smooth transition from BG1 to BG2, but Tutu allows you to import your BG1 character into BG2, so it's really just a matter of preference. BGT has foreign-language support that EasyTutu doesn't have, but if you're posting in English as your first choice, this might not be such a big consideration.

Here's a thread you might want to look at for Tutu recommendations http://forums.gibber...?showtopic=8122.

You might also want to check out the modlist at PPG.

[Chevalier]

Both Tutu and BGT are very stable and both have a good set of mods. Some mods work on both platforms. The big question is do you want to play BG1 and BG2 as one continuous game or as 2 games? Then work on which mods you want, but don't try too many your first time. I see you don't want Quest or NPC mods, but what do you mean by 'balancing/gameplay mods'? Does that mean to make the game harder or easier?

[Azazello]

Tutu's not bug free either and it's not really supported any more. Trilogy's still being worked on (they're about to release 1.05 very soon) and most of the bugs have been worked out. Also, because it's a Weidu mod, there should be very, very few incompatibilities which is great, because a lot of the other big mods are Weidu as well now and I believe they've been working together to make sure everything's in one great big game, including the area locations on the map. Tutu does not have this compatibility. There's a few mods that are Tutu specific, but nobody's making them anymore because it's unsupported and Trilogy's really good now. Heck, even a few of those Tutu specific mods are just normal Weidu mods now.

By the time it's done, BGT will definitely be the superior choice to Tutu for the best gaming experience.

I'll join the chorus and recommend you play with Tutu.

[cmorgan]

For a first time player, I highly suggest EasyTutu, not because it is superior to BGT, but because a playthrough is a very, very large proposition in terms of time. A full run of BG content takes months of dedicated gaming, if you are adding mods and wringing the best first time experience out of it. You will get a month and a half in, look around and find a really cool mod that does just exactly what you would like to have happen, and then have to do with install/uninstall/savegame stuff. Unlike newer games, there is no "mod fixer" that flags problems and provides fixes - the whole community does it. Both platforms are supported and maintained.

If you do choose BGT, cool, it is a great project and Ascension64 is a player-friendly modder who actively (with what time he has) supports other modders and players very well. But for goodness sake don't do a big mega install. Start with very simple mods and play. Don't worry - you will be back with a new set, and can try BGT later, but for simplicities sake, EasyTutu allows you to have a separate install, lets you mod it without messing up either BG or BG2 in any way, and if you don't like it you can throw it away and rebuild a new one without having to rebuild your own install.

BG mods that I think are absolutely must-haves to play, if I were given only two choices per game:

BG = The BG1 NPC Project; and Sword Coast Strategems (might as well start with solid AI, and have a great time getting clobbered - just don't install the tougher end-battles, and you will give yourself agreat experience without an exercise in frustration). This moves the NPCs up to BG2 standards and content, and then makes the AI better.

BGII = BG2 Fixpack (don't install the Beta fixes, just the basics) and the Banter Pack. And absolutely nothing elsse at all. Nothing. Not. One. Thing. [If you insist, add in the Flirt Packs].

Try a run through the whole game, and six months from now when you are comfortable and enjoying all sorts of good stuff, come back and grab BGT and start the big installs with confidence, or start adding NPC mods and tweaks to your EasyTutu install, etc.

(I am going through this experience right now with Morrowind, and fellow players and modders gave me much the same advice. I am finding that they were very, very right - your first time through, resist the temptation of all the shiny pretty mods out there - it is important to keep the mod loadout simple, targeted, and minimal.)

Whatever you decide, welcome, and have a great game!

Edited by cmorgan, 13 November 2007 - 11:07 AM.

[Miloch]

BG1Tutu is essentially obsolete. This was the original BG1-to-BG2-engine conversion most international players use. There was a v4 ages ago and a v6 that never made it past beta and never will. Don't ask me what happened to v5 (probably was a non-public alpha if it ever existed).

EasyTutu is the English-only version of BG1Tutu that is perhaps not quite obsolete. My last question about hotfixes or continuing development went unanswered (seems to be par for the course). In any case, the last hotfix is several months old and contained very minor changes. That could be good, if you buy the argument few changes are necessary. But the main developer himself has conceded all the chapter headings, journal entries and the whole spell system needed to be overhauled.

Anyway, despite all that I would also recommend EasyTutu for the beginning (English-game) moddee (is that a word? if not, I just coined it). It still has a semi-active modding community. BGT has perhaps a more active community and release schedule, but with the added complexity of throwing BG2 (and any related mods) into the mix.

As for recommended mods, check out the Tutu mod list in my sig. You don't have to read the whole list, but it's arranged by category, so if, for example, you're interested in quest mods, you can choose from those. And there's an associated discussion thread if you have more questions.

[Solar's Harper]

I can only reflect what has been said here already, and yes BGtutu has not had a new version release in some-time. That however doesn't mean its obsolete, the preferences will differ however and I won't argue further there.

There are some good mods out there currently which you might want to consider, and plenty more in the works already, in fact some continue on after BG1 at this current stage, others as like the afore mentioned, are still in the works.

And yes, I can only recommend you try both and see which one you prefer more of. After all, what one doesn't have, the other is likely to have some part of it.

Of course that's no guarantee, but otherwise this post of mine would be pointless wouldn't it?

[Kulyok]

BG1 Tutu v4 has been stable in 2005, when I first played it, and is now. EasyTutu is just as stable - the main advantage of EasyTutu is that you've got a Tutu install and a BG2 install at the same time; with BG1 Tutu, you have only Tutu one.

P.S. Banter Pack and Kelsey haven't been updated in years. Does it make them obsolete, I wonder?

[theacefes]

Yes, if we are speaking in that sense, the very games we are modding and discussing are extremely obsolete.

But we still play them.