A bamboozled newbie hoping for a friendly veteran

[Jason Wire]

I'm hoping title that doesn't sound too much like a personal ad for casual sex.

Anyway, here's the deal. I am very new to this whole modding thing, but have been a Baldur's Gate fan since the first one came out. Seeing this talk of mods that combine the games, extra NPC's, etc etc, I've got a bit hot and bothered and decided to check it out.

However, being honest, it's a thoroughly intimidating world to get into. I've researched different sites (here, gibberlings 3, spellhold), and all of them have fantastic looking mods, but I don't know which ones contradict each other, are compatible, are any good etc etc and my technical knowledge isn't enough to fix broken installs without starting from scratch.

So I'm hoping someone will help.

What I want to do is build a BG1, TOTSC, BG2, TOB install that maximises the roleplaying and the scope. I am not a huge combat fan, I generally end up trying to cheat my characters into invincibility, as I'm all about the story. Can anyone recommend the mods (and the install order) to create the ultimate roleplaying build of Baldur's Gate? I'd adore you.

I'm looking for things like...

a) well-constructed NPCs with romances, sidequests and lots of dialogue
b) Quest packs that test your mind as well as your sword arm
c) Intrigue! I like mystery...
d) Items that have a well-written history or an interesting process to accquire them

View this as your platform to convert me to your favourite build!

Thanks guys

Jason

[jcompton]

What I want to do is build a BG1, TOTSC, BG2, TOB install that maximises the roleplaying and the scope.

Opening gambit: as soon as you talk about combining multiple games together, your options and your headaches immediately multiply. If you want to keep things simple, keep things simple and play one modded game at a time.

[Jarno Mikkola]

What I want to do is build a BG1, TOTSC, BG2, TOB install that maximises the roleplaying and the scope.

Opening gambit: as soon as you talk about combining multiple games together, your options and your headaches immediately multiply. If you want to keep things simple, keep things simple and play one modded game at a time.

Not if you have a choice to get all auto installed... PS, my answer in it's entirety.

[Kulyok]

I second jcompton: I recommend two separate installs for BG2 and BG1. BG1 is best with EasyTutu and BG1 NPC project - other mods are welcome but optional. BG2 is great because there are hundreds of mods out there, but depending on what you want, I'd recommend this:

- Widescreen mod, BG2 Tweak Pack, Banter Pack and Level 1 NPC mod are my personal must-haves.

- if you want quest mods, it's Tower of Deception, Tales of the Deep Gardens, Quest Pack, Assassinations, Dungeon Crawl, Unfinished Business and other recommendations.

- if you like NPC interaction and flirting and friendships, it's NPC Flirt Pack, NPC IEP and Romantic Encounters.

- if you like romances, it's De'Arnise romance/Fade romance for guys, Kelsey/Kivan/Xan romance for girls, and for chatty NPCs with/without romances I'd say Keto, Kivan, Xan, Amber - and whatever else strikes your fancy. There are lots of NPCs, so take your pick. But NPC mods overload your override folder with sound files, increasing the risk of crashes, so I'd recommend not installing more than you'd need. Two or three is cool. And Crossmod Banter Pack, of course.

- as for "big mods" and "big installations"(mods over 100 mb, installations for over 20 mods), I'd recommend them for experienced users only, because troubleshooting is painful, especially for new users. Head to this forum, if you want a big install.