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BG2 Fixpack Testers Needed


CamDawg

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With the disappearance of Kevin Dorner and the cessation of activity of the Baldurdash fixpack for BG2, several modders and myself began working on a new WeiDU fixpack to address the numerous bugs that have been identified since Baldurdash. This collaborative effort, including the work of modders from several different modding communities, has resulted in a fixpack that currently includes all of the fixes addressed by Baldurdash (including the Game Text Update) and several hundred new bugfixes. The project is ongoing, and we're working through a substantial list of bugs culled from various sites and the old Baldurdash forums. The project has matured enough for us to begin soliciting testers and recruit additional modding talent to continue the bugfixing efforts.

 

For testers, we're seeking players familiar with the intricacies of the game and engine, and an eye for detail is a requirement. Testing will commence with our next development release, slated for late April. The tester's role will be threefold--to report any issues with existing fixes, help us confirm and replicate existing bugs on our buglist, and to identify new bugs to be fixed.

 

For modders, we're looking for folks that can confirm, replicate, and fix bugs. One of the goals of the fixpack is to address bugs without overwriting files, so familiarity with file patching via WeiDU is very much desired. Failing that, being able to confirm and identify the source of bugs would still be a great help.

 

If you're interested in helping, either as a tester or fixer, please contact me via PM. The forum is currently private and hosted at G3.

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Hi CamDawg,

 

Just in case you do not know yet: King Diamond over at FW is actively working on a WeiDU version of Baldurdash and has added a very large amount of fixes in the last couple of weeks. Don't know how realistic this is, but is there any effort in coordinating work?

 

Just wanted to let you know, regards,

 

Yacomo

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We contacted KingDiamond when he announced WeiDU-Baldurdash, as we were already a few months into our project at that point. He offered to let us use his fixes but unfortunately, outside of the BGT fixes he just added, we already cover all of the bugfixes contained in his pack.

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Yes. Extermist fixes some bugs not handled by Baldurdash, and we've added those to our list of stuff to fix. It's worth noting that we are coding more or less everything from scratch, as the options in WeiDU patching are way ahead of where they were when any of these fixpacks (Extremist's, Japh's Baldurdash Remix, etc.) were released. The current build patches approximately 2000+ files, of which we overwrite two. :)

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The Game Text Update remains separate, yes. However, there are some strings that have to change for the fixes themselves, so we will need a small amount of translation for the core fixes--we have about 30 strings or so currently.

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We've completed our latest build and are still soliciting testers. I wanted to clarify some points based on feedback from the previous announcement.

 

Q. So is this supposed to replace Baldurdash, or will I have to install Baldurdash as well? What about Baldurdash's Game Text Update?

A. This fixpack will replace Baldurdash in its entirety. The current build already fixes all of the bugs addressed by Baldurdash and several hundred additional ones. The game text update will be available as a separate component, since it remains English-only.

 

Q. Why should I install this instead of Baldurdash?

A. The Fixpack is WeiDU-based, meaning it can be updated easily when new bugs and fixes are added. We've already identified and fixed several hundred bugs not addressed by Baldurdash, and have a long list of other bugs on which we're working. We consolidate bugfixes from several existing mods. The fixpack is actively supported by a team, which means we can respond faster to bug reports and also that the project will continue even if one member disappears or loses interest.

 

Q. What is G3, and where can I find a link to it?

A. Dude, you're already here. While G3 may be hosting, it's important to note that this a collaborative effort of modders from a broad slice of communities. We hope to make the project public very soon.

 

Q. Can I just reply in this thread if I am interested?

A. Yes. You can also email CamDawg at webmaster@gibberlings3.net.

 

Q. Are there any advantages for a modder to use this fixpack over Baldurdash, and if I do use it, will the mod that I make be compatible with people using Baldurdash?

A. A mod's compatibility is a function of the modmaker, not the platform he builds on. We do add a separate component designed to assist modders by cleaning up some of the BG leftover code, expanded IDS files, and other goodies such as assigning area scripts to areas without them, and so on. All of these changes are checked to make sure they do not affect game play or the bug fixes at all.

 

Q. How do you identify and check bugs?

A. The greatest advantage to a team approach is that we have very open-ended discussions not only about whether something is a bug, but what's the best method to fix it. Every proposed fix is scrutinized, and fixes that are not absolutely certain are deferred to another optional component to ensure the 'purity' of the core fixes.

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Any progress report? :)

For testers, you may decide to trust your work and release to the public... bugs will be identified in time.

Sure enough, we can statistically assume that the majority of fixes will be correct :borg:

That is what I say every time I release something, and you should know by now how does statistic work in such cases :D

 

Still, if this gets released coding will be less annoying (REQUIRE_COMPONENT ~baldurdash/baldurdash.tp2~ #3 instead of 300 lines to circumvent stupid code errors), so put this up please :band:

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The premium is high for a tweak pack to be correct on it's first run, so we wish to go the extra mile and ensure that we're not going to unleash something with game breakers in it. We still have a long list of known bugs to handle as well.

 

As for progress, we surpassed Baldurdash a few months back, though we're still finding the occassional bug fixed by Baldurdash that we've missed. In a rough estimate, I'd say we're a couple hundred fixes beyond Baldurdash, or--if I wanted to fluff the numbers--a few thousand if you count all of the dialogue and script errors and warnings we've fixed. Progress stalled a bit while I was on vacation, but the testers have been great in helping us test the current fixes and giving us feedback and the modders involved continue to be awesome.

 

And bigg, you'll want

REQUIRE_COMPONENT ~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #2

:)

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