15 réponses à ce sujet

[Rypien]

Great to see soo many BG related communities still going strong after all these years

Basically i've had a work injury and will be off my feet for a while and want to play the BG series again after originally playing them through all those years ago.  I have previously played the original multi CD versions on my old windows operating systems and CRT monitor and was instantly hooked.

Having recently purchased a new laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium and the newer '4 in 1' boxset i was looking forward to simply loading it up and getting stuck into one of my favorite series of games.  Before doing this however i decided to revisit some of the old BG related communities and came away with a massive headache after reading about conflicting bug reports, patch compatability issues, safe mode installs, and Windows 7 issues.  ARRRGGGHHH!

So, with head bowed and my life in your hands i hope to find some straight simple answers to a few questions i have before i embark on the installation of the game and playthrough.  Before asking these questions i'd like to make it clear that i have no interest in downloading any mods like BG Tutu or BGT as i want to keep things as basic and original as possible.

QUESTIONS -

1.     Does the '4 in 1' boxset already have the game patches loaded onto the disks?  If not, which patch and at which stage of the installation should i load?

2.     Is it true that when installing the '4 in 1' boxset onto a Windows 7 operating system i should do a 'custom install' and avoid loading it onto the program files, instead creating a new folder like C:/Games or similar?

3.     Apart from any official patches (if needed for the '4 in 1' boxset), do i need to download and install any other bug fixes?  I've heard of the G3 fixpack and was wondering if this is essential and at which stage of the installation process i should install it (if at all)?

4.     About the only mod i would be slightly interested in would be one that would allow me to play both BG1 and BG2 in widescreen.  Without resorting to Tutu or BGT is there a simple widescreen mod available?  And at which stage of the installation process should i install it?  To be honest though, if its a hassle i'd be more than happy to play the game in its native old fashioned resolution and 4:3 format

5.     With regard to Windows 7, is it easier to install the '4 in 1' boxset, or should i dust off the original multiple CD versions of BG1, ToSC, SoA, and ToB i still have laying about the house?

6.     If at some stage in the future i do decide to install Tutu or BGT can i import my original gamesave or character files into the new Tutu/BGT install?


I know i've asked alot of questions, and being a tech moron i'd appreciate any simple advice on any of the above questions.  All i want to do is get the BG series of games loaded onto my Win7 laptop and get cracking with an original vanilla experience.

[ussnorway]

1.    No it doesn’t & the patch you need depends on which version of the 4 disc set you have i.e. US, Europe or international.
2.    Yes it’s true!
3.    No the patch is all you need... everything else is optional.
4.    You want widescreen-v3.05 ... install it last.
5.    Yes the original multiple CD versions will work a little better but the GoG versions (pre-patched) are best.
6.    No your save games will be incompatible but you can copy&paste the character files over.

[Rypien]

Thank you soo much for the reply, very helpful for an old time BG player like myself Very much appreciated and helps me alot.

Regarding what patch i need to use, i'm not sure how to find out which one to download. I purchased the game in Australia and the box says it is distributed by ATARI Europe SASU. The game disks themselves have codes on them.

Baldurs Gate Disk code: CD-DVD-1024901
ToSC Disk code: CD-1024905
SoA Disk code: DVD-1024913
ToB Disk code: CD-1024915

I'm guessing i need the Europe Patch? From what i understand i load BG1, then load ToSC, then load SoA, then load ToB, then load the Europe ToB Patch (then load the widescreen-v3.05 mod if i want). Would this be correct?

Can't wait to get back into this classic game series.

[Gate70]

The games are distinct so you need two patches. BG1, TotSC & the TotSC patch followed by widescreen mod for > 640x480. Then SOA, TOB, TOB patch. Depending what resolution you intend to run at you may not need the widescreen mod for BG2.

The widescreen mod has a few quirks from memory, at least in BG1. The bottom frame (text window etc) stays the same size so you get a black filler to the right of it. Screenshots didn't work correctly either.

Don't know what version of the patch you need though.

[Rypien]

Ok. I thought i might need the ToSC Patch, cheers for clearing that up

Going to sit down in a couple of days and load up a few of my favorite games onto the new laptop. The Baldurs Gate series will be at the top of the list for sure.

So, i'll be doing it in this order -

Load BG1 disk.
Load ToSC disk.
Load ToSC Patch (once i find the correct one).
Load 3.05 Widescreen Mod.
Load BGII SoA
Load BGII ToB
Load ToB Patch (once i find the correct one).

Bit confused with what patch to use for ToSC and then ToB though.  Found this website but will have to research which ones to download - http://www.blackwyrm...net/patches.php 

I've just found an old disk containing loads of my old gamesaves and characters from both BG1 and BG2 from years ago, so it will be interesting to see the old characters back in action once again. Soo looking forward to it. Just like the good ole days.

Modifié par Rypien, 14 janvier 2012 - 11:12 .

[Gate70]

One of these 3.
Tales of the Sword Coast patch for UK (6.0 MB)
Tales of the Sword Coast patch for USA & Canada (6.0 MB)
Tales of the Sword Coast International patch (2.9 MB)

& one of these two.
Throne of Bhaal English patch (8.0 MB)
Throne of Bhaal European patch for non-English versions (7.6 MB)

I would try the English versions first, the international ones are probably for the other supported languages.

BG2 has a "full" install option, BG1 requires use of custom and ticking every option. It also warns you won't have enough disk space, you can just ignore that as it's a known quirk.

Enjoy.

[ussnorway]

You match the patch version with your game version as stated in the readme and also shows up in the login screen after installing... for example;
1.0.4309 - Original release
1.1.4312 - Beta Patch
UK Release Version 1.1.4315

If you have an internet cafe in the area then I suggest you go to http://www.gog.com BG1 (with totsc) takes up 1.7 GB and will cost you $9.99 Australian or less, with all the patches already loaded and ready to play... seriously worth it!

Modifié par ussnorway, 14 janvier 2012 - 11:08 .

[Rypien]

Thanks soo much guys, you have both helped ease my mind considerably. After being away from the series for soo many years i was suprised to read soo many problems with Win7 install and was getting a bit jittery about loading up the games again. Every BG forum and website i lurked at had stories of people going mad trying to get the instal right. I feel alot more confident i have the right advice and steps to take in the install process.

One thing i did read somewhere was that the 4 in 1 boxset does not come with the two extra merchants. I was dusting off my older multi disk boxes and enjoying the box artwork (and S0A cloth map) when i found the bonus disk. I have found a download for these merchants and will install them.

I was tempted to get the gog download, but since i have both the original games and also the 4 in 1 boxset i suppose i should use one of them (going to opt for the install of the 4 in 1). I guess if someting goes awry i'll definatly consider gog.

Will let you know how i go with the install. Thanks again!

[Rypien]

Soo happy.  Managed to install BG1 + ToSC + BGII SOA + BGII ToB onto my laptop running Win7 with not much hassle at all thanks to you guys. 

Ended up loading the English BG1 ToSC and BGII ToB English patches and it works a treat.  I decided not to download the widescreen mod as i didn't want to tempt fate, and to be honest i'm happy to play the game in its natural state.

One thing that did cause some initial concern was the fact i couldn't figure out how to play BGII with my own created party of characters.  I remember back in the day i used to just select 'multiplayer' then select 'serial' and i would be able to import multiple characters of my own making into my party.  I used to run with 4 of my own characters and leave two slots open for NPC's to join so i could do NPC related quests.  When i tried to do this with the new install it would not work or load which is a bugger.  I searched the internet and found a guy who had similar problems - http://www.gamefaqs....wers?qid=297279 .  I had  loads of old gamesaves and simply dragged and dropped them into the 'save' folder and initially they didn't work, but after trying one more time(this time overwritting the autosave file first) they all worked!  Yeehah grandma!

Unfortunately though i can't 'import' characters into the party like i used to.  I'm stuck with what i have in the savegames already.  I can take people out of the party and export them to the character folder, but i can't mport characters into the party.  I'm not too worried, as i've got a nice gamesave which starts just outside of the dungeon with 4 of my favorite characters all loaded up with a full inventory.

Rypien - my main favorite character (Fighter lvl13 / Thief lvl16)

Gladiator - my Flail weilding  tank, and yes i had the name BEFORE the Russle Crowe movie (Fighter lvl18)

Olbaid - my magic user (Necromancer lvl17)

Zorak Gadsbane - my healer who isn't too shabby as a tank either (Cleric lvl19)

Its a bit annoying that i can't import characters like i used to.  I've got a few other fringe characters that i used to drop in and out of my parties in the old days, and they will be collecting dust and won't be used dring this runthrough.  I even tried to created a 'mpsave' folder and tried the multiplayer 'serial' load but it didn't recognise.  Ah well, at least i have a good gamesave with 4 of my favorite characters all loaded up with good inventories.

Does anyone know how to get the 'serial' multiplayer option to work?  Or is there another way to import multiple characters into a gamesave?

Even if it can't be done im a pretty happy camper

Modifié par Rypien, 15 janvier 2012 - 05:34 .

[Grond0]

The type of connection depends on the way you are connected to the internet. Unless you have a very old-style modem (which you probably had when playing years ago) you need to use TCP/IP.

You may have problems using the old save as the game version and/or set-up is likely to be slightly different. However, you should be able to start a new multiplayer game and create whatever characters you want. When starting a multiplayer game in windows 7 you will probably need BG to be in windowed mode (once the game has started you can revert to full screen). You can then put whatever characters you want in your party and save the game. Move the saved game from mpsave to save and you're ready to go with your created party.

Modifié par Grond0, 15 janvier 2012 - 07:47 .

[Rypien]

Cheers, i'll give your advice a go.

I find it strange that there is no 'mpsave' folder in the BGII install. The BGI install has one, and if i remember correctly my old install of the game there was a 'spsave' and a 'mpsave' folder, yet this time there is only a 'save' folder for BGII. Strange.

I created a 'mpsave' folder and dropped in a couple of old mpsave games into it but it would not recognise. When i tried to go 'multiplayer > serial' it lets me click on load game but does nothing. It wont even let me create a new game. And yet when i downloaded the 'Shadowkeeper' utility and clicked the option for it to find 'mpsave' games it found them no worries. Yet the game does not recognise them.

Perhaps i should try the 'multiplayer > serial' option in windowed mode. Not sure how this would help, but worth a try i guess.

All of my old BGII mpsave games that i've simply dropped into the BGII save folder work fine, and even though its supposed to be a folder designed for single player games it does show up with all of my created party of 4 and 2 NPC's. It will allow me to export the characters but not change the party by importing new characters which is a bugger.

I will try the TCP/IP option you mentioned and see if this works as i really enjoy dropping my own created characters in and out of the gamesaves.

I know this is a stupid question, but how do i start BGII in windowed mode? How do i revert back?

Modifié par Rypien, 15 janvier 2012 - 01:13 .

[Gate70]

Creating the folder as you've done is fine, should be save and mpsave. The mpsave folder isn't the issue, serial does this to me if I try it but tcpip works in windowed mode. I used to use serial under W98/ME but Vista, Windows 7 and Linux all require tcpip.

There is a tick-box in the configuration menu to start in windowed mode. Once in you can edit your party, save your game and copy from the mpsave to save folder and start that in fullscreen. Multiplayer is laggy so I wouldn't recommend continuing in that mode unless you're gaming with friends.

Modifié par Gate70, 15 janvier 2012 - 01:33 .

[Grond0]

In BG2 you can also toggle full screen within the game (options - graphics).

There's no mpsave folder created at the time you install, but the game creates one to use the first time you save a multiplayer game.

[Rypien]

Awesome. Works a treat.

I tried TCP/IP  in window mode and it loaded up no problem and i was able to create a gamesave at the start of the BGII dungeon and imported 4 of my favorite characters. I can import and export characters no problem. Just like i remember back in the good old days years ago. I'll take your advice Gate70 and copy the created mp gamesave back into the normal save folder to reduce lag, and when i need to import other players i'll simply copy it back into the mpsave folder and change the party before dragging it back into the normal save folder to reduce lag. I don't intend to play online at all, its just for me to create custom parties.

Thanks goes to ussnorway, Gate70, and Grond0 for taking the time to post helpful easy to understand information in this thread. You have all made it possible for me to install and play this great series of games once again.

REALLY appreciate it, thank you all soo much

btw - found a old website a mate and i made years ago.  We used to have 'arena' battles using our tank characters just for fun.  Can't beleive its still online and i can do it once again.  I'll have to let him know so he can install the games too.  The website is showing its age now though *lol* - http://www.angelfire.com/va2/jpvhpage/ .   Ah, the memories.

Modifié par Rypien, 16 janvier 2012 - 01:08 .

[Dante2377]

FYI, alt+Enter toggles between windowed and full, if you're lazy and don't want to click around.

[Rypien]

Cheers Dante.

I had to track down an old broken PC i had in storage and took out its 3.5 Floppy Drive and insert it into my kids computer so i could find all of my old BG1 characters and gamesaves. Hit the jackpot when i came across 7 Floppy disks filled with BG stuff. Just have to go through each file and find the characters with the highest level and equipment as all of the gamesaves have different versions of the same charater at different stages of progress. Going to take ages!