Baldur's Gate & Baldur's Gate II Mod Thread

[Melcar]

The EE version introduced a new pathfinding feature: party members stick inside each other. Something that should be a BG3 feature

It simulates them humping each other.

 

[ds]

Infinite pathfinding nodes won't change the fact that the game considers one of your characters standing in a narrow corridor to be blocking the path of your other characters even when moving them together, sending some of your party on a wild detour. It also won't prevent characters from getting temporarily stuck when walking past other characters, which can already happen in BG1 without EE.

 

[Glop_dweller]

This is true; so what?

The PCs can exist separately anywhere on the map, or on
—different— maps; hence it scans paths for each character individually. Presumably the same system is used in combat as well.

The game was designed for early Pentiums that couldn't play an MP3 in real time. It does what it does. Higher number of pathfinding nodes ultimately solves the (otherwise unsolvable) problem, and at little cost.

 

[Ryzer]

Infinite pathfinding nodes won't change the fact that the game considers one of your characters standing in a narrow corridor to be blocking the path of your other characters even when moving them together, sending some of your party on a wild detour. It also won't prevent characters from getting temporarily stuck when walking past other characters, which can already happen in BG1 without EE.

This is why I can't stand a 6-man party in BG, it turns into chaos 90% of the time, and sometimes some characters can be wiped out stupidly, whereas a 2-3-4 man party has no issue. I had more fun with soloing personally because everything happens as intended.

 

[Melcar]

4 characters is really all you need to cover the bases. 6 is fine the first few times if you want to get the most out of NPC interactions and content, but subsequent runs can (and should) be done with 3-4 size parties. Less headaches.

 

[Glop_dweller]

Myself, I tend to play using the multiplayer option, playing four custom characters myself, and leaving room for two NPCs. I will sometimes be playing on two or more maps (interior) at once—especially with thieves burgling (as thieves will do), since it won't do to have a lawful paladin tagging along on their midnight maladventures; nor to have lawful characters knowingly accept stolen goods, which would be against their ethics (and so being an action out of character).

---

The problem I have with Infinity's pathing system is with Icewind Dale 2. where enemies in combat who lose sight of a party member on one side of a map will form a twisting conga-line directly to the rest of the party (even when completely obscured) hidden away on the far side of the map; it's absurd.

 

[Jarpie]

I'm thinking of replaying BG2, the original one of course, any mods you guys would recommend? I was thinking just Fixpack, some tweaks from TweakAnthology and SCS...but what components of SCS should I use?

 

[Melcar]

Fixpack and the AI components of SCS. Ascension if you plan to do ToB.

 

[Jarpie]

Fixpack and the AI components of SCS. Ascension if you plan to do ToB.

I thought SCS and Ascension weren't recommended to be used together?

 

[Average Manatee]

SCS accommodates Ascension and it's arguably the intended way to play given the amount of extra stuff that SCS does with it.

Fair warning though that even SCS components that say they make things "smarter" often give new abilities or otherwise buff enemies. I would recommend installing most/all of SCS (it is decently well balanced after all), but making sure to manually set the in-game SCS AI difficulty settings to basic or improved at the highest unless you're looking for a significantly challenging and non-vanilla like experience. Past that all casters start spawning with 30 buffs and you need to look up a flowchart of what dispel abilities to use in what orders.

 

[Melcar]

Fixpack and the AI components of SCS. Ascension if you plan to do ToB.

I thought SCS and Ascension weren't recommended to be used together?

Ascension battles can be hard and SCS would only make it worse, but the latest SCS lets you fine tune difficulty settings for various components. Then again, I would rather install SCS AI enhancements over Ascension.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I never understood all the whining about pathfinding. Any problems vanished with BG2 once characters could push eachother. I rarely click across map, but even in Ulcaster when I send people to the exits they go directly where they are supposed to. I don't even mess with node count.

 

[Krivol]

I never understood all the whining about pathfinding. Any problems vanished with BG2 once characters could push eachother. I rarely click across map, but even in Ulcaster when I send people to the exits they go directly where they are supposed to. I don't even mess with node count.

When there is a bridge on the map and you need to get past it and there are still unexplored areas, you risk that your squishy mage will take a detour and will be killed by a fucking kobold with a bow.

EE adds a new type of pathfinding problem where your heroes are stuck inside of each other. It's not that common, especially in BG2, but is still annoying, and sometimes you click on the other side of the map and go make some tea, and when you are back, you are angry because some shitheads are fucking in the middle of the map and not progressing to the border.

 

[Average Manatee]

I never understood all the whining about pathfinding. Any problems vanished with BG2 once characters could push eachother. I rarely click across map, but even in Ulcaster when I send people to the exits they go directly where they are supposed to. I don't even mess with node count.

I don't understand it either. It's like BG1 is the one RTS game in the 90s where people expect to be able to click across the map and groups of characters always take the best/safest (depending on what the person is complaining about) route. People don't express the same disdain for games like Starcraft 1's pathfinding despite it being similarly troublesome and it being a true RTS rather than a pausable RTS. Everyone who has played any other RTS games has long ago developed the understanding that short orders are what you give unless the path is completely unobstructed.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

and sometimes you click on the other side of the map and go make some tea, and when you are back, you are angry because some shitheads are fucking in the middle of the map and not progressing to the border.

I usually just watch the smartest one reach the destination and then CTRL+J the rest of the party to him.

 

[d1r]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

 

[agris]

I never understood all the whining about pathfinding. Any problems vanished with BG2 once characters could push eachother. I rarely click across map, but even in Ulcaster when I send people to the exits they go directly where they are supposed to. I don't even mess with node count.

I don't understand it either. It's like BG1 is the one RTS game in the 90s where people expect to be able to click across the map and groups of characters always take the best/safest (depending on what the person is complaining about) route. People don't express the same disdain for games like Starcraft 1's pathfinding despite it being similarly troublesome and it being a true RTS rather than a pausable RTS. Everyone who has played any other RTS games has long ago developed the understanding that short orders are what you give unless the path is completely unobstructed.

The 2.5.x EE releases did something to the pathfinding. I played the original BG1 & 2 more times than I can count, and the stuck/stutter pathfinding in the EEs is new.

It also wasn’t there in the EEs circa v1.3

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

Spoiler

What in the nine hells is this? Someone recreated the plot of NWN (2002) in the IE engine? The plot of NWN was the worst thing about it. I don't understand.

 

[roshan]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

What's the mod delaying the start of TOB?

 

[roshan]

By the way, I just played this quest mod, Dark Tidings, and I highly recommend it!

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/87380/mod-dark-tidings-a-quest-mod-for-bg2/p1

I wrote a short review w/ some feedback on the last page of the above thread.

 

[roshan]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

Spoiler

What in the nine hells is this? Someone recreated the plot of NWN (2002) in the IE engine? The plot of NWN was the worst thing about it. I don't understand.

I guess the main advantage would be playing it w/ full party control, tactical combat and mage duels of the IE games, if the mod is well made. I believe they used Pillars of Eternity art assets for the campaign.

 

[d1r]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

What's the mod delaying the start of TOB?

It's my own personal mod. But there is a mod of the same kind called Endless BG2 which might get released in the near future.

 

[roshan]

Finally got the time to integrate the NWNforBG project into my mod build. It is an optional adventure after you finished the main campaign of BG2. In my build, the party will not automatically be transfered into the ToB campaign, but in front of the entrance of Suldanessellar. From there on you get the chance to finish Watcher's Keep, start the adventure in Neverwinter, or finish other unfinished business. You can start the ToB campaign after one month, after you get an ingame dream from Queen Ellesime.

What's the mod delaying the start of TOB?

It's my own personal mod. But there is a mod of the same kind called Endless BG2 which might get released in the near future.

I have more questions! Does the NWN in BG mod automatically add the map insets for Neverwinter and Luskan? Or are those insets already in the EET map?

Also:
Which mod adds Elturel?
Which mod adds Caves of Kozah?
Which mod adds Mountain Cemetary?
Which mod adds Cloud Bridge Overpass?

 

[d1r]

It's original BGT, no EE.

The map is a personal edit of mine, which is an alternative version of the BPBGT world map for EET. The map travel locations of NWN will be added to the worldmap after you installed NWNforBG, and then install the worldmap mod.

Elturel was a personal edit of mine for BG1, but it went nowhere, respectively it's just one city part, and there is nothing to do really besides some fluff. Caves of Kozah is an area from the Tales of the Swordcoast expansion pack for BG1. Mountain Cemetary and Orm's Peak come from the wonderful mod called Shades of the Sword Coast. Cloud Bridge Overpass is an area which I personally use to transition to BG2, since I am using Endless BG1.

 

[roshan]

Some areas from the Dark Tidings mod: