Interested, but delaying installation

[berelinde]

First, let me say that I think I've gotten my own installation issues worked out. Anyone who's read any posts I've made to date knows that this has been an uphill battle for me.

I've always felt that at least the beginning of ToB is kind of anticlimactic. It's kind of like reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as opposed to watching the movies. You read the Fellowship of the Ring, with all the character development, plot unfolding, foreshadowing, battles, escapes, and general excitement. Then you read the Two Towers. Sure, there's worthwhile content, the Rohirrim, Saruman's machinations, and necessary journeys, but it always seems like a holding pattern.

The beginning of ToB is a bit like that. You've got some introductions, you can pick up Sarevok (which I haven't done yet because I've always got a full party in the Pocket Plane and don't know who I would kick out if Sarevok joined), and such. But it feels like a bit of a letdown after the finale of SoA.

Adding Ascension would give me something to look forward to. I think it's a great idea and am looking forward to trying it.

Still, super-tough battles are my least favorite part of BG2. Judging from what I've read from the people posting on this list, the final battle really does sound that way.

Ctrl-Y doesn't seem to work for me. I've got Debug Mode=1 in the appropriate place in my .ini file, and can use the CLUAConsole, and have tried typing in EnableCheatKeys(), and then have tried to heal party members or move to pointer location, just to see if it worked, and nothing. So skipping the battle by just insta-killing all the nasties is probably not going to work out.

So, I plan to go through ToB straight, and save the game before Balthazar, play through it once unmodified, then install and play it with Ascension.

Comments?

[TormentedDragon]

Hmmm... a thought for you.

There are two different ways to activate the CLUAConsole. One is to add Debug Mode=1 to the baldur.ini file. The other is actually given to you by the game manufacturers in a handy little document that says it is for powergamers.

This document tells you to add Cheats=1 to the baldur.ini file. And then goes on to say that if you use EnableCheatKeys() you will be able to use the various cheat keys.

I have tried both of these methods. They both work. There is one small difference:

When using Debug Mode=1, the cheat keys are enabled by default.

When using Cheats=1, the cheat keys are *not* enabled by default.

You should also note that EnableCheatKeys() doesn't quite describe what the function actually does. It doesn't really enable the cheat keys, it toggles them. If they are enabled when you use it, it disables them, and vice versa. Most likely, you ended disabling them, because you used Debug Mode=1.

Just put it in again, and they should work ok.

Oh, by the way, you should know that Ctrl+R does not *just* heal the character. It also removes ALL status effects, be they protections or things like bleeding and poison. It's a restore, as it were. Set back to default state.

Note that Ctrl+R works on any creature you can see. It's very handy for removing protections from pesky mages should you not care to fight the battle out the normal way.

And if it's your first time through the game, I definitely suggest playing it without the battle improvements. They are very tough battles.

[berelinde]

Thanks for the hint and advice.

Fortunately, though, I had figured out about the Cheats=1 line. I don't use the CTRL commands much, but it irritated me that everyone else seemed to be able to work them but me. It was more of an insecurity thing: something must be wrong with me if I can't figure out how to work a keyboard. Now that I know how to do it, that's good enough.

Yes, I had thought about playing through ToB straight a time or two before installing Assencion. Probably a good blanket policy. Play through once straight before adding mods.

[TormentedDragon]

or at least mods that change gameplay. things like the flirtpacks and banter packs are good to have no matter what run-through you're on.