Baldur's Gate EET - is it any good?

Ivanwah

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I know the main point of the original Trilogy mod was to recreate BG1 in BG2's engine, and now that EEs share the same engine it's pointless. But I'm more interested in the whole "one big, connected adventure thing". Has anyone tried it? Is it any good, or am I better off playing it without the mod?
 
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Huh. No clue, but the idea is interesting. If you check it out let us know how it is, eh? :)

Note - Playing the basic EE versions right through is very good. You can't explore BG 1 & 2 as one huge map, but all the functions of importing characters in 2 work well. Don't forget Siege of Dragonspear to fill in the middle parts. :)
 
Well, I'm going to try it over weekend, but I'm no BG expert, and I played it last some 5 or 6 years ago. I bought EEs but never got to play them properly. Also, I never bothered with modding originals beside a basic BG Trilogy installation.

I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed by some additional options it provides, like IWD and even some poarts of IWD2 incorporated into the world (if I understood that part correctly), and some other story mods. On one hand, I would like something as close to vanilla as possible, but on the other hand, I saw an image of a map of all areas from all games and mods that can be installed and it's HUUUUUUGEEEE. I love that too. But I'm concerned about potential bugs and glitches and even more about balancing so many parts (mainly XP balance).

Also, if someone knows any essential mods for EEs, let me know.
 
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Well, I'm going to try it over weekend, but I'm no BG expert, and I played it last some 5 or 6 years ago. I bought EEs but never got to play them properly. Also, I never bothered with modding originals beside a basic BG Trilogy installation.

I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed by some additional options it provides, like IWD and even some poarts of IWD2 incorporated into the world (if I understood that part correctly), and some other story mods. On one hand, I would like something as close to vanilla as possible, but on the other hand, I saw an image of a map of all areas from all games and mods that can be installed and it's HUUUUUUGEEEE. I love that too. But I'm concerned about potential bugs and glitches and even more about balancing so many parts (mainly XP balance).

Also, if someone knows any essential mods for EEs, let me know.

I'd be concerned about bugs as well. The EE versions themselves might give you enough of them to handle without the mods. :D And yeah, balance (or lack thereof) might be a factor as well. (Note - I didn't experience a lot of bugs myself, other than the multi-player connection issue I mention in the next paragraph. :p)

The huge map sounds awesome, especially if it incorporates some areas of IWD/IWD2. That is crazy. The EE's do make playing through both games very easy and fun. My dad and I are planning to co-op the game on tablet like we did with IWD:EE. Once Siege of Dragonspear comes out on Android (hopefully *sometime* this year) and they update all versions of the EE apps on Android to be the same, the multi-player should work better. Right now it's very bad as it drops connection every time we load a game, so we're patiently waiting. Adding in Siege of Dragonspear will make it the most epic co-op RPG playthrough ever, IMO. :)

Maybe try the series in vanilla and then mods later? Whatever you feel like doing. Enjoy! And keep us updated. :)
 
I'm not really interested in multiplayer. But yeah, I'm aware of EE bugs, I just think the convenience of it outweighs them.

I just remember that I enjoyed the original Trilogy mod very much and I only recently found out about EET. I know they are different beasts, so I wanted to see if anyone here has tried it.

And regarding essential mods, what I'm interested are "must have" fixes/unofficial patches.
 
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Yeah, didn't think you were going to multiplayer it but it is a good one to do so if you ever get the urge. :)

I played through BG:EE without any fixes or unofficial patches. I know they are generally well-respected in the modding community but for some reason I tend to avoid them sometimes. I definitely don't want re-balances, etc., on my first run. The patches that just "fix" bugs, etc., are good, as long as they don't "fix" something that wasn't broken. :)

But that mod sounds massive and very cool. Maybe by the time time SoD hits Android, my dad and I will just co-op the whole shebang with this EET, including SoD (if that's possible). Sounds crazy! The game might spontaneously combust, though. :p
 
Sounds like BG1 to SoD to BG2 to ToB is possible right now. If you don't mind playing it on PC and have patience for any potential hiccups, I say go for it, I know I will. I have nothing to lose (except hours upon hours of my life :)).
 
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Sounds like BG1 to SoD to BG2 to ToB is possible right now. If you don't mind playing it on PC and have patience for any potential hiccups, I say go for it, I know I will. I have nothing to lose (except hours upon hours of my life :)).

Yeah, it's definitely possible on PC. The problem is my dad and I want to co-op the whole thing, from BG1 to SoD to BG2. Since he's more comfortable on tablet playing the game that means there are some oddities and problems involved in doing that. It's actually impossible right now since SoD hasn't been released on Android yet, but I think when it is it should work. At least we're hoping so. :)

Unless there's some crazy other method we could use to get this to work that I don't know about...?
 
Baldur's Gate EET - is it any good?
IMO it's good only if you don't have PC and you don't plan to buy PC ever but are playing games on phones.
If you have PC, buy yourself originals.
 
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Well we play on large tablets, not phones, and they not only look great on them but they control very well with the touchscreen interface. They are great for people like my dad who loves RPGs but is not too good with PC controls yet, and just enjoys playing on some form of console right now more than he enjoys playing on a PC.
 
IMO it's good only if you don't have PC and you don't plan to buy PC ever but are playing games on phones.
If you have PC, buy yourself originals.
Yeah, yeah, but my question isn't about originals vs EE. It's about EE Trilogy mod.
Yeah, it's definitely possible on PC. The problem is my dad and I want to co-op the whole thing, from BG1 to SoD to BG2. Since he's more comfortable on tablet playing the game that means there are some oddities and problems involved in doing that. It's actually impossible right now since SoD hasn't been released on Android yet, but I think when it is it should work. At least we're hoping so. :)

Unless there's some crazy other method we could use to get this to work that I don't know about…?
Oh, I thought you asked if it was possible with the mod, my bad. I don't know much about the Android version, though. I did, ahem, "borrow" it from the internet to check it out, and it's BG on Android alright :D. I'm not into gaming on phones or tablets, except for timewasters and such. I feel most comfortable in front of my 24" monitor :D.
 
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Yeah, yeah, but my question isn't about originals vs EE. It's about EE Trilogy mod.

Oh, I thought you asked if it was possible with the mod, my bad. I don't know much about the Android version, though. I did, ahem, "borrow" it from the internet to check it out, and it's BG on Android alright :D. I'm not into gaming on phones or tablets, except for timewasters and such. I feel most comfortable in front of my 24" monitor :D.

For certain co-op things, dual tablet gaming can be a good alternative to dual PC for me, for the reasons I gave up above. Not quite the bomb experience that PC gaming is, but still fun. :)

And it is quite comfortable laying in bed snuggled under blankets with headphones on in the dark playing Avernum or The Quest or something like this. Just sayin'. :p
 
The concept is neat, but I don't see much of a point. I guess it's cool to be able to see all the places from BG1 & BG2 on the same map, but it's not as if you're going to go back to any BG1 areas after finishing them (assuming it even allows you to do that once you've started BG2).

If the only real benefit is that it allows you to transistion between the games without having to boot them up separately, then I'd pass. I don't think that's worth the increased chance of bugs/glitches.
 
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BG 1 Tutu+BG II vanilla +ToB>else
Did a recent playthrough, for best experience your best bet is still vanilla. Some have made it over to other versions, but nowhere near in same number.
EE is more for beginners and easy jump in without the hassle. JDR is on point with whatsitcalledmod, it's a matter of convenience, nothing else. It takes about 10 sec to import saves.
Recommended: Ascension, Wide screen, Refinements, 1pp, Banter packs, BG 2 tweaks, BG 2 fix pack, Quest pack, Spell revisions, Item revisions, Stratagems, Virtue, Unfinished business.
These stick to vanilla, strickly improving it or restoring content. Install order is important, you can check it out at Beamdog forums.
Rest comes down to preference...companion mods( a whole damn lot), sound sets, portrait packs, etc.
 
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Recently picked up all the EE editions cheaply but I have got a BG1 tutu + BG2 with widescreen and tweaks install that I have played to about 6th level I think, just entered the city in BG1 before I got distracted. Have meant to go back like I always do but now I have the EE editions...

So you reckon sticking with the originals in this form is the way to go?
 
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So you reckon sticking with the originals in this form is the way to go?

I'd say that really just depends on personal preference. If the extra features present in the EE versions don't appeal that much to you, then stick with the original. I prefer the EE versions myself because I really like the zoom feature.
 
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Funny coincidence, I recently started Baldur's Gate EE edition, and found an awesome mod for the interface, that brings back the classic style of interface from the original games, instead of that awful blue crap thing they did to replace it. The cool thing is that there are a lot of other improvements to the interface included, for example, the journal is overhauled and very eye pleasing compared to the original, and basically the whole interface looks very good in all aspects, even the minor details have been tweaked. You can use it to play through the entire series, including the latest expansion that beamdog did.

Link to thread and the download file if any are interested to check it out and look at screenshots:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussi...enhanced-ui-for-bg1ee-bg1ee-sod-bg2ee-and-eet
 
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The concept is neat, but I don't see much of a point. I guess it's cool to be able to see all the places from BG1 & BG2 on the same map, but it's not as if you're going to go back to any BG1 areas after finishing them (assuming it even allows you to do that once you've started BG2).
From what I've read, it's possible to go back to BG1 once you start BG2 (except in specific cases where world travel is disabled or limited, of course). In my opinion, it's great since you can go back to BG1 and finish some side quests you missed.
I prefer the EE versions myself because I really like the zoom feature.
Yeah, the zoom feature is for me one of those "once you try it.." features. And the whole hi-res support is much more sensible than the widescreen mod.
Recommended: Ascension, Wide screen, Refinements, 1pp, Banter packs, BG 2 tweaks, BG 2 fix pack, Quest pack, Spell revisions, Item revisions, Stratagems, Virtue, Unfinished business.
These stick to vanilla, strickly improving it or restoring content. Install order is important, you can check it out at Beamdog forums.
Rest comes down to preference…companion mods( a whole damn lot), sound sets, portrait packs, etc.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the EET mod and see how it works out with those mods.
 
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I'm playing EET now and enjoying it a lot. Granted I haven't reached Siege of Dragonspear or BG2 yet, but it's cool knowing that the whole map is really one contiguous game world. Even the Black Pits content has been somewhat implemented, and IWD-for-EET is done but not officially released yet, so I've heard.

No bugs thus far except minor dialogue stuff here or there. I used Big World Setup which auto-installs as many mods as you want in the correct order, warning you of issues and so on. Worked great for me. I ended up goofing and not installing everything I could have (there are various packages, but you can also add/subtract mods on top of those packages), as I thought things like Big Mods or Quest Mods would break the game's XP balance, but there are EET Tweaks mods which can cut down the XP gain, include level caps of your choosing and so on. It's really cool.

I ended up installing pretty much all the companion mods, a bunch of quest mods, smaller NPC encounters, Sword Coast Stratagems (AI overhaul, more challenging) and of course Enhanced Edition Trilogy. Good stuff so far. Takes some tweaking and figuring out, though, but once you understand the install process and how BWS works you should be good to go.

Game is really challenging so far. That bandit camp is just ruff. :D

As for traveling back to BG1, besides finishing up the more challenging BG1 stuff (the late-game stuff) you could also visit Thalantyr again and finish up those crafting quests. Can't remember in the original game how much crafting Thalantyr can do for you but in my current game he offers many uniquely crafted items. They're very expensive and hard to get but really nice items, and he also sells his usual expensive and rare items. So that might be a reason to want to go back to BG1 after starting BG2.
 
Just finished the first part of the trilogy in EET, and I'm already glad I'm playing with EET. I didn't even head to Ulgoth's Beard yet, and left a few really tough encounters behind for later. Nice that I can go back to those as well as get a really nice Longbow crafted by Thalantyr around the start of Siege of Dragonspear.

Overall it's a great experience, very hard with the Sword Coast Stratagems enhancements but it's doable. Having a blast with the modded companions, too, like Finch and Isra. Finch is adorable and Isra is a tough cookie of a Cavalier. Fun playthrough so far.
 
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