It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Hi everyone, I wanted to know if there's some place where I could get info on whats best BG EE or GOG version with all the mods and what do I miss if I play one or the other.

Also a list of must have mods for the BG saga and Icewind Dale Saga.

Thanks in advance.
This question / problem has been solved by pi4timage
avatar
ARGRANATI: Hi everyone, I wanted to know if there's some place where I could get info on whats best BG EE or GOG version with all the mods and what do I miss if I play one or the other.

Also a list of must have mods for the BG saga and Icewind Dale Saga.

Thanks in advance.
What's best depends entirely on you. You, and nobody else. Try them; don't rely on third party information.

There is no such thing as 'must have'. See above.
Ooh, this again. There's a lot of heated debate around the internet about which version is "better". Obviously most people on here are going to be those who prefer the original version of the game, so keep that in mind. That said, this is my perception of the arguments:

Advantages of EE:
Several effects come preinstalled which you'd have to install mods for in the original version (playing in the BG2 engine, and in modern resolutions, for example)
A small amount of extra content is added, although I've heard varying accounts of how well it fits with the original material
Some people prefer the UI of the EE: the split between preferring the EE's UI and the original's seems to be fairly even, so I'd suggest looking at screenshots and deciding for yourself.

Advantages of original:
More flexibility and choice with mods, since many mods don't work with the EE. For instance, last time I checked there wasn't an EE mod which let you play both games together as one game. More mods means more replayability.
Price: it only costs half the EE price, and less still if you get it during the sale that's ending today. Do bear in mind that if you want to play BG1 and BG2's engine you'll need to own both games: but I'd recommend getting both anyway :)
The UI: see above
The option to try BG1 in its own engine, rather than BG2's

Fair warning: personally I've only played the original, so don't have any experience of my own with the EE. Nostalgia isn't a factor, though, as I first played it in any length last year (and found the UI perfectly usable, once I'd got used to it).

To answer your second question, there are three different stickied threads giving mod installs. Which one you should follow depends on how you'd like to play:
Follow the conservative guide for modding BG1 if you want to play BG1 in its own engine, as it originally was. Then follow one of the other guides for BG2: they're similar enough that it doesn't matter which you choose.
Follow this guide if you want to play the games separately, but play BG1 in the (updated) BG2 engine.
Follow this one if you want to combine the games into one big game, with the option to carry over all your NPCs' statistics from BG1 to BG2.

You'll find a similar sticky for the IWD games in their forum.

Whatever form you play the games in, I'd recommend familiarising yourself with the DND 2e rules, by reading this guide. It's shorter than it looks, as there's a lot of tables in it.
avatar
Hickory: Try them; don't rely on third party information.
The problem with that being that you end up spending $30, rather than $20 (or regional equivalent) or $10. While I agree that the games are worth that much...it is a lot of a price increase to just try them both out.
Post edited June 29, 2014 by pi4t
avatar
Hickory: Try them; don't rely on third party information.
avatar
pi4t: The problem with that being that you end up spending $30, rather than $20 (or regional equivalent) or $10. While I agree that the games are worth that much...it is a lot of a price increase to just try them both out.
And taking other peoples' advice guarantees nothing; less than nothing. You could spend one amount (whichever), not like what you see and say 'to hell with that', and end up never trying the other/s. It's just silly relying on other people to determine if you will prefer one over another.
avatar
Hickory: And taking other peoples' advice guarantees nothing; less than nothing. You could spend one amount (whichever), not like what you see and say 'to hell with that', and end up never trying the other/s. It's just silly relying on other people to determine if you will prefer one over another.
It's not a perfect guarantee that the person will have a perfectly flawless conclusion of whether or not they will like it, but it provides far more data to the ends of predicting the desirability of playing it than purchasing without having conducted any prior inquiry.

With regards to OP, pi4t's links have covered the subject in great detail, so they should prove to be a helpful resource.
Post edited June 29, 2014 by Jonesy89
avatar
Hickory: And taking other peoples' advice guarantees nothing; less than nothing. You could spend one amount (whichever), not like what you see and say 'to hell with that', and end up never trying the other/s. It's just silly relying on other people to determine if you will prefer one over another.
avatar
Jonesy89: It's not a perfect guarantee that the person will have a perfectly flawless conclusion of whether or not they will like it, but it provides far more data to the ends of predicting the desirability of playing it than purchasing without having conducted any prior inquiry.

With regards to OP, pi4t's links have covered the subject in great detail, so they should prove to be a helpful resource.
I disagree. It only provides flawed data. And flawed data is the same as no data.
avatar
Hickory: I disagree. It only provides flawed data. And flawed data is the same as no data.
I'm not sure how you arrive at this conclusion. Not doing research prior to purchase is akin to failing to do research before making any other commitment of time and energy to something without any investigation. Let's take books, for instance. I could read every single book that comes up on my radar, but given that my GoodReads to-read shelf is in excess of 200, it would be a massive waste of time and money if I were to start buying them without determining their gnere, their style of writing, whether they are pretentious or not, whether they are genre fiction, and if so, how do they stack up, and any number of factors that affect whether or not the book is my cup of tea. By doing research into the specific things that made people like or dislike the book, not their mere conclusions, I can better determine if, say, the copy of 50 Shades of Grey is decent erotica or an insultingly awful bit of vomiting through a pen that I should avoid. Granted, it's not a foolproof process, as there is always the possibility of everyone not addressing a particular facet of the book or otherwise failing to understand it, but that's a concern that is almost nil nowadays what with the internet expanding the amount of data to analyze astronomically. That's not to say that by doing research my opinion about the book after I have read it magically changes due to doing research beforehand; rather, I am better able to predict what my reaction to the book will be like before I have sunk in valuable time on a bad book.

tl;dr: just replace the relevant bits below with any given game, and I think you can see my point

Subject: Dracula the Undead

Option1: no research
Estimated probability of not liking the book: I dunno
Estimated probability of liking the book: I dunno
Amount of time spent reading book: Had to spend fair amount of time to read a good portion if not the entirety in order to determine if the book was at all worthwhile; what can I say, there is always the possibility the ending redeems it, and I don't know if it does because I didn't do research (granted, I could do it now, but why didn't I do it before investing this much time and possibly money?)

Option 2: research
Estimated probability of not liking the book: Dacre Stoker did little to nothing in the way of actual writing? Ian Holt previously wrote for direct to DVD action films? This smells like a blatant cash grab, and from what I can gather the plot is a mess that pisses on the original's continuity and has all the artistry of a boot to the head as conceived of by the studio that does Disney sequels, serving only to confirm this; the odds of suckage are off the charts
Estimated probability of liking the book: HELL no

End result either way: WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN
avatar
Jonesy89: snip
Well said. After all, I think we can all agree that the BG series is one of the best series of games made? Yet I'd never have discovered it if it hadn't been recommended to me by some people on another forum. Without looking at others' responses and thoughts on the game, there's nothing to distinguish BG from all the poor quality RPGs that pop up regularly on Steam. Information from neutral sources, including other players of the game, is one of the best ways to find out whether you'll appreciate a game or not, especially since the publishers' information about their games is designed to get you to buy it.
Post edited June 30, 2014 by pi4t
avatar
pi4t: Well said. After all, I think we can all agree that the BG series is one of the best series of games made?
Now now, don't go putting words in my mouth; my posts regarding BG elsewhere go against any indication that I think it is one of the best series of games made. It just so happens that the things I hate about the series are either, as I have stated elsewhere, that people seem to love or not mind for reasons that are beyond me.
avatar
pi4t: Well said. After all, I think we can all agree that the BG series is one of the best series of games made?
avatar
Jonesy89: Now now, don't go putting words in my mouth; my posts regarding BG elsewhere go against any indication that I think it is one of the best series of games made. It just so happens that the things I hate about the series are either, as I have stated elsewhere, that people seem to love or not mind for reasons that are beyond me.
My apologies: I assumed that since you had enough interest to post here, you probably did like the game. My remarks were mainly addressed to HIckory, anyway (who I've seen use words to the effect of what I said).
avatar
Jonesy89: tl;dr: just replace the relevant bits below with any given game, and I think you can see my point
No, I can't. All that mumbo-jumbo is irrelevant when the question asked is 'what is best'.
avatar
pi4t: My apologies: I assumed that since you had enough interest to post here, you probably did like the game. My remarks were mainly addressed to HIckory, anyway (who I've seen use words to the effect of what I said).
Eh, I might not care for it, but that's no reason to not provide something in the way of useful aid in relation to it.
avatar
Hickory: No, I can't. All that mumbo-jumbo is irrelevant when the question asked is 'what is best'.
It is relevant insofar as it can help a consumer determine which is more likely to appeal to them without investing money and time into both of them. It'd be like me buying and reading both versions of Stephen King's The Gunslinger; a massive waste of time and money that could have avoided by doing preliminary research.
There are objective as well as subjective judgments that can be made about BG:EE. It costs more, uses activate-on-install DRM and isn't compatible with many existing mods for BG.

Issues like the quality of the new content, design of the UI or look of the new cutscenes are subjective in nature. However the fact that opinion is polarised on these should be a good indication that Beamdog could have done better.
avatar
Hickory: No, I can't. All that mumbo-jumbo is irrelevant when the question asked is 'what is best'.
avatar
Jonesy89: It is relevant insofar as it can help a consumer determine which is more likely to appeal to them without investing money and time into both of them. It'd be like me buying and reading both versions of Stephen King's The Gunslinger; a massive waste of time and money that could have avoided by doing preliminary research.
It doesn't answer the question: it is irrelevant.