Mod Compatibility List for EET

[Shin]

What happened to compatibility with the G3 anniversary mod, http://www.gibberlings3.net/g3a/ ? I recall it used to be part of the BWP-patched compatibility list earlier, but now I can't seem to find it. Also the github update - https://github.com/Gibberlings3/g3anniversary - would appear to include BWP fixes and EET compatibility.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Shin

[Cahir]

I'm curious, what does it mean "Native EET compatibility" in here: https://github.com/K4thos/EET-Compatibility-List ?

 

As far I know there is no official EET-compatible release of Back to Brynnlaw from Kulyok or someone who has her blessing to do so? So in this case I hardly call it native. Or I'm misinterpreting what "native" means?

 

I must admit I'm starting to be a bit lost with all those mods versioning.

[jastey]

Native compatibility means just the possibility to install the mod directly to a prepared EET game.

 

That Roxanne offers inofficial PPG mod versions with EET compatibility on her private site the original author is not happy about is another story.

[Jarno Mikkola]

I'm curious, what does it mean "Native EET compatibility" in here: https://github.com/K4thos/EET-Compatibility-List ?

From the linked file itself:

Compatibility with EET doesn't mean that mods are fully compatible with each other - refer to BWP PDF files, original readme files and forum discussions for compatibility details. For example Garrick : tales of a troubadour readme file states that it conflicts with Garrick's Infatuation and Tenya NPC and it is not recommended to install them together. Same readme file also mentions that the mod requires BG1 NPC Project installed before it.

 

Mods have been tested with versions mentioned in above list. It's unlikely that newer ones will break something, as the compatibility changes made to them during EET installation are minimal, if made at all. As long as the mod won't suddenly conflict with BG2:EE resources it should be still supported regardless of the chnges done to it. Although let us know if you notice any problems.

So that means multiple of the mods might not work with each others, but will work with EET alone.

And then there's the "native", which means directly installed on top of a BG2EE after installing EET on it as well.

[Ulb]

That Roxanne offers inofficial PPG mod versions with EET compatibility on her private site the original author is not happy about is another story.

It would appear that (at least in this case) she has permission to update the mod.

At least that's how I would interpet this post.

[jastey]

@Ulb Making an EET-only version is not a technical update.

[Ulb]

It sure seems strange to not keep none-EET compatibility, I'll admit that (I haven't really looked into it, so I wasn't aware).

But still, there previously only was a none-EET compatible version (I assume?) and now there is also one that works for EET. Having to download a different version depending on your set-up may be less convenient but it is still better than simply not having a working version for EET at all. So, in the end, I still consider it an upgrade and very much in the spirit of Kulyok's post.

[Mad Mate]

It sure seems strange to not keep none-EET compatibility, I'll admit that (I haven't really looked into it, so I wasn't aware).

This is happening a lot and I don't like it. Why break old tested mod to make new buggy one?

I lost last week trying to install BWS recommended CTB, ROT & SOS from github, which is now in very bad shape, destroys some IDS so it breaks mods that go after, lots of missing resources, who knows what bugs I may encounter in the game...

Went back to old tested versions. Who needs broken mods at all cost? EEs are now mostly bugfixed, why introduce new bugs with breaking tested mods?

K4thos & jastey (Thanks!!) did a great job on DSotSC and NTotSC, fixing bugs, improving mod, keeping old compatibility, and made possibly for EE.

I wish somebody will do same with rest of big mods (CTB, ROT, SOS & TDD).

[jastey]

Mad Mate: weigo updated SoS and CtB:

SoS: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/59783-shadows-over-souber-v114/

CtB: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/59973-ctb-ee-v22-for-bg2eeeet-and-bg2tobbgt/

 

They should be added to the EET list, as well.

[DavidW]

As a matter of general design principles:

 

1) if a mod is completely static (as I guess ancient megamods like CTB are?) and doesn't need bugfixes or compatibility recodings (here I'm not so sure), then you might as well do a separate EE version.

2) if a mod is still being revised or recoded, or if it really needs recoding as well as EE-compatibilising, *in principle* it's better to do a combined install, because it avoids all sorts of versioning problems, fixes not being mirrored, etc. (The main reason I combined SCS and SCSII wasn't convenience for BGT players, it was that it had become impossible to maintain the vast amount of overlapping code in two mods without it getting infuriating) However...

3) … coding a mod for multi-game install is harder than coding it for a single game. So it's more demanding on the coder, and if that person isn't sure what they're doing it's probably less risky to do parallel single-game versions. That depends on the mod itself and how complex its coding is: you can't recode a mod without understanding its original code, and mods vary: at one extreme, it's just a bunch of COPY statements, at the other, it's SCS, which I imagine looks to third parties trying to bugfix it rather like an ancient and decaying piece of alien technology discovered in the Martian desert.

[Mad Mate]

Mad Mate: weigo updated SoS and CtB:

SoS: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/59783-shadows-over-souber-v114/

CtB: http://www.shsforums.net/topic/59973-ctb-ee-v22-for-bg2eeeet-and-bg2tobbgt/

 

They should be added to the EET list, as well.

Those are the ones I tried. Lost a week to make them work and didn't. Appreciate effort but in current state they are not good.

As I said, some of these mods (CTB, I think), erases SHOUTIDS.IDS, so it breaks all mods that need it, compared with old version, some of the resources are missing, after installing (ROT, I think) lots of files gets corrupted (NI check).

[jastey]

CtB does not erase SHOUTIDS.ids, it appends to it.

Did you let weigo know about your problems? I'm not so fond of players telling a mod is "not good" but giving no bug report whatsoever to the modder so he/she can improve it.

[Mad Mate]

CtB does not erase SHOUTIDS.ids, it appends to it.

I tried 3-4 installs and it erased it everytime. Can try few more to make sure...

Did you let weigo know about your problems? I'm not so fond of players telling a mod is "not good" but giving no bug report whatsoever to the modder so he/she can improve it.

No, I didn't tell weigo, my fault, because I was too frustrated with lost time, just went back to old versions.

 

Main reason I said it here, is that these conversion, with or without approval of original modder (don't know) should stay true to original mod.

You participated in conversion of NTotSC, is it necessary to remove compatibility with old BG to make it compatible with EEs?

[jastey]

 

CtB does not erase SHOUTIDS.ids, it appends to it.

I tried 3-4 installs and it erased it everytime. Can try few more to make sure...

 

Hm, I was looking at the code, but did not install it. If you are sure it's CtB I'll tell weigo.

 

Main reason I said it here, is that these conversion, with or without approval of original modder (don't know) should stay true to original mod.

You participated in conversion of NTotSC, is it necessary to remove compatibility with old BG to make it compatible with EEs?

I agree it should stay true to original mod, but I am not sure what you mean by it. I hope NTotSC v2 and up stayed true to the original mod, and yet we changed quite a bit internally and also added quite a bit of content with respect to playability (journal system, no dead ends etc.).

To your question: removal of compatibility with classic BG is not necessary to make a mod EE-compatible, but then the mod has to offer two solutions to some instances to cover the changes (different formatted texts etc.).

In case you really mean NTotSC and are missing compatibility with classic BG1:TotSC, the version I was reworking was never compatible with BG1:TotSC, and making a mod compatible with that is a PITA^3.

[Mad Mate]

Hm, I was looking at the code, but did not install it. If you are sure it's CtB I'll tell weigo.

I'm sorry if I've been rude, didn't mean to. Should've contacted Weigo.

 

I did another testing now with CtB and SOS, clean BG2 (with or without fixpack), and then started NI and it doesn't even load SHOUTIDS.IDS. Problem is with biffing.

Both mods (probably same with RoT) biff ALL files from override. I think if IDS files are biffed, next mods can't pick it up, so they make new one.

I commented line in tp2 that biffs all files, and it worked, but after testing, NI found few corrupted files, anyway (WED, CRE, not IDS).

 

And I have a problem with changing name CtB to CtbEE and from setup-Rot To setup-RoTerror. Lots of years big mod (BGT, TS, CtB, RoT, SoS, TDD) detected each other with names of mods, if you change it, they don't detect each other.

I can do thorough search and change name in every tp2, but it is not helping others.

I agree it should stay true to original mod, but I am not sure what you mean by it. I hope NTotSC v2 and up stayed true to the original mod, and yet we changed quite a bit internally and also added quite a bit of content with respect to playability (journal system, no dead ends etc.).

To your question: removal of compatibility with classic BG is not necessary to make a mod EE-compatible, but then the mod has to offer two solutions to some instances to cover the changes (different formatted texts etc.).

In case you really mean NTotSC and are missing compatibility with classic BG1:TotSC, the version I was reworking was never compatible with BG1:TotSC, and making a mod compatible with that is a PITA^3.

What I meant, I know there are some differences between engines and I know that mods for EE don't work on original, but if something works fine on original, it should work also on EE (maybe with some minor changes).

I see that these weigo's mods have different ARE, WED, ITM files for old and for new engine. Is it really necessary?

It leads to this corrupted error that I get EE file and somebody on EE gets old file. And we all had working file to begin with.

 

I own EE's for PC and for Android, and play it mostly on tablet. But on my PC I still like old engine, main reason is that its mods are playtested to the bone. I'm too old to have crashes mid-game, again.

 

NTotSC you did, and DSotSC are great examples how it should be done. ToA and Fishing For Trouble are also nicely done. All like original.

 

Sorry again!