42 réponses à ce sujet

[HolyAvenger]

Play with NPCs, it definitely adds a whole lot more to the game. There are plenty of NPCs so you can build your party along any lines you choose, alignment or combat-wise.



Also, remember there are 6 members in a BG party.

[philty_]

thx Carinna and HolyAvenger. I had read about this and BG seems to be the only game that is a unanimity.



I do not need to power-up stuff (I actually like somewhat gimped characters, a mage with strength 18 makes no sense to me), but I am going to take the advice on modding the NPC's class.



I assume it is also possible to alter alignment, but if this messes up with their own dialog / quest, then I won't. btw, care to show me a couple of mod-links or source?

[Grond0]

philty wrote...

thx Carinna and HolyAvenger. I had read about this and BG seems to be the only game that is a unanimity.

I do not need to power-up stuff (I actually like somewhat gimped characters, a mage with strength 18 makes no sense to me), but I am going to take the advice on modding the NPC's class.

I assume it is also possible to alter alignment, but if this messes up with their own dialog / quest, then I won't. btw, care to show me a couple of mod-links or source?

Humanoid-Taifun showed you how to find L1 NPCs.  This won't change alignment, but doing that anyway might have an effect you don't want, e.g. no longer being able to use a preferred weapon.

[Humanoid_Taifun]

[Misread something - disregard this post]

Modifié par Humanoid_Taifun, 20 décembre 2010 - 08:58 .

[Son of Imoen]

philty wrote...
btw, care to show me a couple of mod-links or source?

A good advise usually given to new players on this and other fora, is to play the game unmodded on your first run-through. That way, you'll know what the vanilla experience is like. You won't know what is modded content and what not and you won't know how you would like to have the game tweaked if you haven't experience the vanilla game.

I'd say: just start with BG2 (or BG1) and the widescreen mod for easier playability, nothing more. When you know the game, you can make educated choices about mods. www.gibberlings3.net/widescreen/

Modifié par Son of Imoen, 20 décembre 2010 - 10:25 .

[Carinna]

Grond0 wrote...
Humanoid-Taifun showed you how to find L1 NPCs.  This won't change alignment, but doing that anyway might have an effect you don't want, e.g. no longer being able to use a preferred weapon.

I don't think it changes their personal weapons to become unusable; however even if it does, any scratch-created character of that class wouldn't use such a weapon anyway, so it's doubtful that this is a real handicap.

For instance, if you did something unusual and changed Haer'dalis to a cleric, why would you still want him to use his two short swords instead of using a cleric's weapons?  If you had created a cleric from scratch in the first place, he would not be using some character-specific magic short swords.  Keep in mind that the OP appears to have never played the game before.  He/she is not going to be disappointed in not getting to use some special item they never knew existed.

Not to mention there are much better weapons in the game than what the characters come equipped with, even if their standard swords are magical (maybe excepting Xan, especially at the point in the game where he appears).

[Carinna]

philty wrote...
btw, care to show me a couple of mod-links or source?

Oops, got lost in my rant and forgot to answer this.

It sounds like you are playing for the first time, so I'd hesitate to suggest anything that significantly alters the plot or makes the game incredibly hard.   I would suggest:

1. The G3 Fixpack - it solves some bug issues still in the game.  However, it also solves some loopholes, so not everyone likes it.  The loopholes it solves were not really meant to be there and do things like make your magic overpowered, providing you know how to take advantage of them.

2. The G3 Tweakpack - pick and choose what you like from it, after looking at the readme.  Some is "look and feel," some is convenience (stacking changes), and some is gameplay (harder or easier, but generally not excessively so).  I like the unlimited stacking option and the 100% spell learning, as well as the ability to lift the XP cap.

3. Rogue Rebalancing - if even one of your characters is a thief or bard.  Check the readme for details.  Again, this has a lot of pick and choose.

4. Unfinished Business - adds some quests that were originally planned by the developers back into the game.

5. Baldur's Gate Trilogy or Baldur's Gate EasyTutu (your choice, depending on your personal taste) - if you plan to play both BG 1 and BG 2.  Follow the directions on installation order with other mods.

6. Any and all Banterpacks - especially if playing BG 1 as it is lacking in banter compared to BG 2 and you will wonder what we were talking about regarding character interaction without the packs.

7. If playing a female PC, I recommend installing the Edwin Romance - much better experience than the only romanceable man in town in the unaltered game (Anomen) - and if you so choose, you can turn Edwin away from the evil path if playing a good character (or not if not).  If playing a male PC, you will have three women to choose from without installing anything else.  There are a lot of romance mods; the only other one I've played is the d'Arnise romance, which is excellent, but has no Throne of Bhaal content.  I'm leery of original character romances - IMO they have too much room to slip into Mary Sue-dom.  I want the game to be about the Bhaalspawn, not Joe or Jane modder's fantasy life.  But I'm sure others who have played some can recommend one or two if you're interested in them (or tell you what to stay away from entirely for that matter).

8. A lot of people really like the Widescreen mod, so you might too.  I am one of the few (I think) that dislikes it - it made everything incredibly small on my little laptop screen.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, too.  But you can find the mods I mentioned and many others here:
http://www.pocketplane.net/modlist/

Edited: activated link

Modifié par Carinna, 21 décembre 2010 - 02:06 .

[HolyAvenger]

I played it un-modded btw. Its still my favourite game(s) of all time.

[Matuse]

I play with very minimal mods. I use the tactics mod that automatically makes all variable encounters max difficulty, add in the Docks lich who has the cloak of balduran, and some little dinky changes.



I did once play with a full-boat Tactics install (including improved illych), but it was less challenging and more annoying, plus it destroyed all economy balance...I just ran around wiping out street ambushes and had hundreds of thousands of gold with only 2 major encounter areas cleared. Lame. I prefer having to scrimp and save and only be able to buy a couple of essentials before heading to Spellhold.



Then there were the Sahuagin...an entire city composed entirely of epic level archers. W.T.F.

[freche]

If you play as a male character I would recommend to take at least two of Aerie, Jaheira & Viconia for some fun dialogs

Or if you can handle taking with you people from opposite alignments (some good & some evil) that will also result in great dialogue and maybe even another suprise.

[Matuse]

Aerie and Viconia won't stay together very long. Aerie storms out after being exposed to Viconia or Korgan for any extended period.

[igneous.sponge]

Matuse wrote...

Aerie and Viconia won't stay together very long. Aerie storms out after being exposed to Viconia or Korgan for any extended period.

Aerie should be fine when subjected to Viconia, IIRC, even with the caustic ridicule. Just make sure you're not too harsh when rejecting her at times of romance conflict... sometimes it sends her packing.

[Czacki]

Imho what makes the game absurdly long (and EPIC) is BGT. Only when all three games are combined it feels complete, and BGT helps to play BG1 on MUCH better BG2 engine.



BG1, BG2 and TOB combined are like 2-3 times longer than dragon age.

[freche]

Matuse wrote...

Aerie and Viconia won't stay together very long. Aerie storms out after being exposed to Viconia or Korgan for any extended period.

As far as I know the only one Viconia can't stand for an extended period is Keldorn

[Blobsy]

Actually it's the other way around. Viconia doesn't have a problem with Keldorn, Keldorn has a problem with Viconia. Although I suppose as either way ends with Viconia getting impaled on carsomyr it doesn't really matter whose side you're on.

Modifié par Blobsy, 28 décembre 2010 - 01:23 .

[Matuse]

As far as I know the only one Viconia can't stand for an extended period is Keldorn

Valgyar and Viconia will come to blows eventually. He's also not a fan of Edwin, but I'm not sure just how much they might tick each other off.

Modifié par Matuse, 31 décembre 2010 - 04:30 .

[oyzar]

Valgyar and viconia only comes to blows if you speak to the wrong woman....

[peishaNz]

I took around a month for SoA+ToB back in 2008. Didn't finish Watcher's Keep though.