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General discussionEnhance the gameplay in your edition of Baldur's Gate from GOG.com(327 posts)(327 posts)
(327 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted September 18, 2012
Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II remain cult classics not only among D&D fans, but cRPG gamers in general. With countless hours of gameplay, captivating stories, colorful characters, and many memorable locations they're one of the most intense and extensive role-playing experiences you can get while sitting in front of your PC. But to say that they didn't age at all might be a bit of a stretch. That's why some people would go a great distance modding and upgrading both those titles to combine them into one, seamless, visually updated game--an enhanced edition, if you will.

We're well aware of a commercial project aiming to achieve that goal. Originally, actually, that was scheduled to release today. That didn't happen, unfortunately, but that does give us a great reason to tell you how to make your own enhanced edition of Baldur's Gate. It's very nearly hassle-free and (especially with the sale going on) it won't cost you much at all. There's one catch, though: you need copies of both Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 in order to enhance your game. Let's see how! One of our users, GoJays2025, committed his time to write a comprehensive guide on the topic. We know not all of you dare to venture into our forums, so we thought that sharing this guide here, might be a good idea!

So, are you ready to enhance your GOG.com edition of Baldur's Gate saga and play both games as one, seamless adventure with the visually superior BG2 version of the engine and its updated mechanics, and with high-res graphics better suited for your modern wide-screen display? Here's how you do it, according to GoJays2025!

1. Fully install Baldur's Gate: The Original Saga
2. Fully install Baldur's Gate II Complete.
3. Download Baldur's Gate II Fixpack (Download links are on the left side) and extract it to your Baldur's Gate II directory.
4. Run the newly extracted setup-bg2fixpack.exe (if not automatically started).
5. It is safe to select yes for all the optional fixes, but if you want to learn about each in detail, consult the readme file that comes with the fixpack.
6. Download BGT-WeiDU and extract it in your Baldur's Gate II directory.
7. Run the newly extracted Setup-BGT.exe and follow the instructions. You may need to run it in administrative mode in Windows Vista/7.
8. Enter Baldur's Gate I's directory when asked (if not already provided)
9. Wait for BGT-WeiDU to finish installing.
10. OPTIONAL: Download and install Baldur's Gate 1 Unfinished Business as well as BG 2 Unfinished Business. These mods restore things that were previously cut from the released product, so while you don't need them, and they do add new content, they're pretty nice to have, especially if this is not your first time.
11. OPTIONAL: Download and install any user-created material (banter packs, expansion mods, new NPCs, etc.)
12. Go to your Baldur's Gate II directory, then find and run the file Setup-BGTMusic.exe and select 'Hybrid Baldur’s Gate/Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal music'. This makes it possible to hear the original Baldur's Gate music when playing Baldur's Gate I.
13. OPTIONAL: (for more experienced users) Download Baldur's Gate II Tweak Pack (if this link doesn't work, please try the emergency mirror site) and apply it in the same way as the fixpack. Consult the readme file for details of each tweak - too many to list here. If you don't know what a tweak does even after consulting the readme, just skip it.
14. OPTIONAL: Download and install the Bigger Fonts for BGII mod if you plan to play in really high-res and don't want to strain your eyes reading tiny text.
15. Download the widescreen mod and apply it in the same manner as the fixpack. This makes it possible to play the game in high resolutions and in widescreen format.
16. Remove the Baldur's Gate I installation if you wish - it's done its job!

Now you should be able to play the game all the way from Baldur's Gate I to the end of Throne of Bhaal in one continuous game! Enjoy!

Note: If you're on Windows 7 you might want to install the games in a directory other than C:Program Files or C:Program Files (x86) to avoid potential problems. C:Games should work.

The original forum thread, that also includes some other installation options, can be found here:
Baldur's Gate saga essential mods by GoJays2025
Posted July 29, 2013
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anjohl: *snip*
Give it up, dude, all your foot-stamping has proven is that you really wish people wouldn't have as much fun as they actually do with products they spent hard-earned cash for. The nerve of those fun-loving people, why are they even playing games if they're not having the type of fun you, anjohl, have specifically outlined is okay to have and enjoy?

I'm off to stab Cliff Racers with Count Dooku's lightsaber, or wait, I'm not since I hunted those annoying fuckers to extinction thanks to a cool mod.

Life is grand.
Posted July 30, 2013
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anjohl: No, I most definitely AM making an argument. The market rewards fitness, and thus, if these fanhacks were so good, they would be the commercial product, not the other way around. I remember when I played TF2, how annoying it was having to download the fan hacked sounds, pictures, etc just to play a round. Buy a game based on what it IS, not what out-of-place garish textures some hacker can shove into it.

And I am not insulting modders. They know what they do is a hackjob, or they'd be submitting it in a portoflio to major studios looking for a job. I am insulting idiots like YOU who perpetuate this idea, and spread it to the new arrivals, that every game is inherently inferior until "essential" mods are applied. The term itself; "essential mods" is absolutely abhorrent.
A lot of professionals start out as modders. Lots of companies (Bioware included) hire some of the best modders. But not every modder, no matter how good, wants to turn their hobby into a profession.

There's not a single person in this thread who has said Baldur's Gate, let alone all games, are " inherently inferior until "essential" mods are applied". You are making strawman arguments. Not one in this thread has used the term "essential mods" save yourself. And now me too: I think TuTu is practically essential for BG1. It's a fine game by itself, but so much better modded that I wouldn't play it unmodded and also wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This is my opinion as someone who has played both the modded and unmodded version, not my prejudices towards something I have no personal experience with.
Post edited July 30, 2013 by RaggieRags
Posted July 30, 2013
low rated
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RaggieRags: There's not a single person in this thread who has said Baldur's Gate, let alone all games, are " inherently inferior until "essential" mods are applied".
Every single thread started here starts off on page one with "What are the essential mods?". People install these fucking things before they even PLAY the game!

It remind me of games on the Xbox and PS3, that would get a bad rap because they were "buggy as shit". Turns out the publisher patches out the issues 99.99% of the time, but the reputation sticks. People, play the games yourself, as intended, start to finish. If at any point you really feel the need for out of place textures/models, or a lightsaber in King Arthurs court, go for it, but don't pretend it makes the game better.
Posted July 30, 2013
my bad, deleted.
Post edited July 30, 2013 by etb
Posted July 30, 2013
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RaggieRags: There's not a single person in this thread who has said Baldur's Gate, let alone all games, are " inherently inferior until "essential" mods are applied".
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anjohl: Every single thread started here starts off on page one with "What are the essential mods?". People install these fucking things before they even PLAY the game!
You know yourself you exaggerate now, and your tone is very pushy and aggressive and not very appreciated. You don't have to play with mods, but people have the right to choose for themselves.

You like to clump all the mods in a single category, but there is a huge variety. There are completely useless mods, and there are mods for fixing game-breaking bugs. Some games are left unfinished for various reasons, and there are mods to restore the game into something more like what the makers originally intended. In the case Baldur's Gate 1, things like improved pathfinding and highlighting objects like in BG2 is not something that's against the original vision of the creators, but it makes the gameplay much more pleasant. Higher resolutions and improved textures are things the original creators would most likely offered themselves if it had been possible. Either way, modding games is just an option. If other people choose to use them, it's nothing away from you.
Posted July 30, 2013
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anjohl: And I am not insulting modders. They know what they do is a hackjob, or they'd be submitting it in a portoflio to major studios looking for a job.
I've spent the last five years fixing the bugs in GalCiv 2, while also addressing balance-issues, and trying to improve the AI. Yet, you tell me that, just because I did this as a hobby, and not as a way to get a job at a studio (even though I had no interest in doing so in the first place), it was a hackjob!? How is this not an insult to me and other modders?

You decry the quality of our work, just because we aren't part of a professional studio. Well, tell you what, professional studios aren't perfect. Not even Bioware. If they were, a lot of mods wouldn't exist, simply because the games would be bugfree.

You may not like to use mods, that's your right, but please refrain from further insulting those who do.
Posted July 31, 2013
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anjohl: Oh for sure, I bet many people enjoy it, but the concepts that:

A) All games have "required" or "essential" mods
B) People who prefer the commercial HD version over fan hackjobs have inferior taste

..are deplorable.
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LordCinnamon: I don't think there's many people that would say you'd have inferior taste if you prefer the commercial remake. It does genuinely have things to offer that you won't get in fan mods, mostly convenience and accessibility (very valuable) and some unique content in this case, and (ironically, given your apparent distaste of fan `hackjobs'), the promised possibility of more extensive modding in the future, by making less things hard-coded. For me right now, the right choice is clearly fan-modded, because it gives me more control and choice, but depending on if support of BG:EE picks up again, and the mod scene will indeed start making use of the new possibilities, that might definitely change in the future (which is why I didn't take a refund offer when the EE turned out to not run on my laptop, on release).

However, most of your posts strongly implied the reverse of your point B), namely that people who prefer the fan mods over the commercial remake have inferior taste. In this particular case, that's just as silly as the reverse, and strongly suggests a complete lack of knowledge of the quality and easy of use of many BG mods. The difference between a well modded BG and the remake aren't that large, and there's a real choice here, depending on your preferences . This is not some universal COMMERCIAL VS FAN MADE thing*, the balance between those will be different in every specific case, but it is true in this particular case, of BG:Enhanced Edition VS BG:Modded.

*(and claiming you can say something absolute about that ignores a lot of terrible commercial products and excellent fan products in favor of an idealized, simplified view of reality)
BG HD... The game in which you have to buy characters into the game. I prefer the original, as it does not have annoying "new quests" or characters you have to pay for...
Posted August 04, 2013
im the new guy around..read the topic ...
i started playing baldurs gate since it came out, 1 and 2 and expansions...i still play them..often..
but i finished it so many times with so many different characters that im looking forward to any good mod..
and i played a few of them...they were awesome...and i cant wait to implement this together.

all you that do mods...keep on doing good work
Posted August 04, 2013
low rated
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anjohl: And I am not insulting modders. They know what they do is a hackjob, or they'd be submitting it in a portoflio to major studios looking for a job.
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Gaunathor: I've spent the last five years fixing the bugs in GalCiv 2, while also addressing balance-issues, and trying to improve the AI. Yet, you tell me that, just because I did this as a hobby, and not as a way to get a job at a studio (even though I had no interest in doing so in the first place), it was a hackjob!? How is this not an insult to me and other modders?

You decry the quality of our work, just because we aren't part of a professional studio. Well, tell you what, professional studios aren't perfect. Not even Bioware. If they were, a lot of mods wouldn't exist, simply because the games would be bugfree.

You may not like to use mods, that's your right, but please refrain from further insulting those who do.
It's not an insult at all. You might have had good intentions, but if you didn't first offer your services to the publisher, your work is wasted. Bug fixes and the like are not exactly the kinds of mods I am referring to. Content mods are the true villain.
Posted August 06, 2013
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Gaunathor: I've spent the last five years fixing the bugs in GalCiv 2, while also addressing balance-issues, and trying to improve the AI. Yet, you tell me that, just because I did this as a hobby, and not as a way to get a job at a studio (even though I had no interest in doing so in the first place), it was a hackjob!? How is this not an insult to me and other modders?

You decry the quality of our work, just because we aren't part of a professional studio. Well, tell you what, professional studios aren't perfect. Not even Bioware. If they were, a lot of mods wouldn't exist, simply because the games would be bugfree.

You may not like to use mods, that's your right, but please refrain from further insulting those who do.
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anjohl: It's not an insult at all. You might have had good intentions, but if you didn't first offer your services to the publisher, your work is wasted. Bug fixes and the like are not exactly the kinds of mods I am referring to. Content mods are the true villain.
"Content mods are the true villain." Man, you come right out of a comic book.

First thing I do when I buy a GoG game is look for unofficial patches, read what they do and then nearly always install them. Many games are unpolished gems on release, some developers release patches that improve the game but they still can be flawed. Then comes along a champion who fixes up the original game.

I don't see how someone getting paid to do something automatically means they are more talented then someone who does it simply for enjoyment. Also if someone releases a modification of a game, I don't see how it diminishes the original game.

There are many examples of modders becoming developers, or developers wishing their game included a mod on release. Your point of view just seems to be one of hatred.
Post edited August 07, 2013 by FabMan
Posted August 07, 2013
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FabMan: "Content mods are the true villain." Man, you come right out of a comic book.
He probably got banned by some oversatisfied moderator.
Posted August 09, 2013
For Mac newbies, don't buy Baldur's Gate II. I've thrown mine away as I always do if a game crashes more than twice. After the 2 crashes and one freeze, I threw Baldur's Gate away.

Nice game if it didn't keep crashing.
Post edited August 09, 2013 by Hopestar
Posted August 10, 2013
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FabMan: I don't see how someone getting paid to do something automatically means they are more talented then someone who does it simply for enjoyment. Also if someone releases a modification of a game, I don't see how it diminishes the original game.
Supply and demand. If the content produced by these hack jobs for free was so much better than commercial content and DLC, publishers would be hiring said people en masse to get cheap labor, instead of paying all these overqualified programmers and software engineers.

And your attitude is indicative of those part of the problem. There are no essential patches/mods. Perhaps if a game was released in an utterly unplayable state, and a fan made a non-content patch which only fixed backend technical gltiches/crashes, a mod is justified. but no content-adding mod is ever needed, nor is the quality ever up to the commercial content released by the professional publisher.
Posted August 10, 2013
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FabMan: I don't see how someone getting paid to do something automatically means they are more talented then someone who does it simply for enjoyment. Also if someone releases a modification of a game, I don't see how it diminishes the original game.
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anjohl: Supply and demand. If the content produced by these hack jobs for free was so much better than commercial content and DLC, publishers would be hiring said people en masse to get cheap labor, instead of paying all these overqualified programmers and software engineers.

And your attitude is indicative of those part of the problem. There are no essential patches/mods. Perhaps if a game was released in an utterly unplayable state, and a fan made a non-content patch which only fixed backend technical gltiches/crashes, a mod is justified. but no content-adding mod is ever needed, nor is the quality ever up to the commercial content released by the professional publisher.
I disagree with your conclusion and views, I think the many PC gamers would too. Surely their existence shouldn't cause you a problem? If you don't like mods in general or a particular mod, don't use them.

Take the critically acclaimed, high selling game Skyrim and look at the number of mods available, the mods downloaded and the reviews given on the internet, I'm sure you can see that mods play a critical part in the successful Elder Scrolls franchise. On Nexus mods, SkyUI has 2.1 million unique downloads, it enhances what I and many people would consider a big weakness in the game. Unofficial Skyrim Patch has 860,000 unique downloads, fixing many critical bugs the highly paid developers missed. I wouldn't play Skyrim without those two mods.

Also, if the company release developer tools, map editors and their like, surely the mod builders aren't hack jobs, they are users. They are using the tools provided by the professional developer.
Post edited August 10, 2013 by FabMan
Posted August 10, 2013
Ahem:

Elder Scrolls Unofficial Patches and UI's
Stalker Complete 2009
Team Fortress
Counter Strike
Red Orchestra
Killing Floor
Darthmod
Day of Defeat
Defense of the Ancients
Nehrim
The Lost Spires
Morrowind Rebirth
Tamriel Rebuilt
Black Mesa
DayZ
The Sith Lords Restored
Third Age: Total War
Stainless Steel


Just a few of the excellent mods I've played and really enjoyed
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionEnhance the gameplay in your edition of Baldur's Gate from GOG.com(327 posts)(327 posts)
(327 posts)