Baldur's Gate: Misc thoughts and hints
by Wuphon's Reach
- Imoen (dual-class): Various theories abound, some of it depends on whether you have TotSC (Tales of the Sword Coast) installed. If you have TotSC that raises the XP cap, then you might want to wait until level 7 before you dual-class her over to a mage. The issue is that BG1 has an XP cap of 89,000 XP, TotSC expansion raises that to 160,000 XP. Page 139 (Table 3a-d) in the PDF manual lists out the basic XP tables. Page 82 covers the basics of multi-class / dual-class. So if you take Imoen to level 6 thief (20k XP), you can then get her to a level 7 wizard before you hit the 89k XP cap. Imoen is a popular choice for dual-class because thieves level up so fast. Plus, she also has a very high INT score, so she makes a very good mage.
The major question will be whether to dual-class her at 5th (10k XP), 6th (20k XP) or 7th level (40k XP). Without TotSC, probably 5th (10k XP) because you'll need 40k XP in wizard before she gets to level 6 and can use her thief skills again. With TotSC, probably 7th. The downside of waiting until level 7 before you dual-class is that you're going to need a 2nd thief from about 1/3 in until you get close to the end (7th thief = 40k XP, 8th mage = 90k XP, TotSC limit is 160k XP). The choice for mage specialty is usually either illusionist or conjurer. If you can get her close to 80+ in "Open Locks" and "Detect Traps" prior to switching her over, that's probably ideal. (You'll get about 25 points per level to apply to skills. So by level 7, that's 7*25 or 175 points on top of what she already has at level one.)
With TotSC installed, I recommend level 6 as your switchover. This will let you get her "Detect Traps" to 90, "Open Locks" to 85, and "Move Silently" to 65. The only way I would wait until 7th is if your main is capable of dual-classing as a fighter/thief and can pickup the thief slack after Imoen dual-classes. - The Canonical Party: Imoen (Neutral Good, Thief), Jaheira (True Neutral, Fighter/Druid multi-class), Khalid (Neutral Good, Fighter), Minsc (Neutral Good, Ranger), and Dynaheir (Lawful Good, Mage, Invoker). The downside is that if you dual-class Imoen at level 5/6/7, you're going to be without a thief for a while.
A lot of people generally get Khalid killed and then use the open slot to recruit someone else. - Patching the 4-in-1 boxset: If you have the "Baldur's Gate 4 in 1 Boxset", then you'll need to install the BG1 DVD and then install the TotSC disc. That gets you the basic, semi-patched game (version 1.3.0.1 per the BGMain2.exe file, version 1.3.5508 at the main menu when you run BGMain2.exe).
Then you will need to download the TotSC patches from Bioware. The 4in1 set is basically the (5) CD version of BG1 plus the (1) CD version of TotSC. Specifically, you'll want to install "TOSC DirectX 8+ English patch" and then "TOSC Canada and US patch". This will take you to 1.3.5512 (at the main menu). You can also see this build number as the "Private Build Description" when you look at the properties of BGMain2.exe (on the version tab).
After patching, I recommend that you archive the entire Baldur's Gate install folder (C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Baldur's Gate) in some fashion. A 7Zip archive will be around 1.6GB instead of the 2.5GB install size. Having an archived snapshot of this folder will let you reset back to a known good state. - Widescreen mod: If you're anything like me, you'll find the 640x480 resolution of the original Baldur's Gate game to be extremely limiting and hard on the eyes. Well, there's a way to fix that. Note that you will need to have patched the 4-in-1 boxset version of the game up to "1.3.5512" before using the widescreen mod.
Get a copy of "widescreen-v2.60.exe" (or later), and run it. After installing, it will pop open a command prompt window where it asks you a few questions. To start with on a widescreen display, I suggest 1280x720 or 1280x768 or even 800x600. You can always come back and use a higher resolution if you don't like it (note that save files aren't really compatible if you change resolutions).
See an example of what the widescreen mod looks like at 1280x720. The basic UI elements are hard-coded which is why you see lots of black space along the bottom of the screen, those UI elements don't scale well so the author of the widescreen mod just left black space.
Note: Instead of the widescreen mod, take a look at using EasyTutu instead. - Pathfinding Tweaks: Using the Baldur's Gate configuration tool, change "Path Search Nodes" from the default of 4000 to a better value like 32000. This will make the path-finding AI able to explore a larger number of cells to figure out how to get from A to B. NPCs will find it easier to get around obstacles such as rocks, trees, small hills, walls, lakes, etc. If you have EasyTutu installed, this will already have been changed to something around 400,000.
- More advanced UI: If you look around, you'll see various screenshots of Baldur's Gate where they are obviously using some sort of higher resolution user interface.
Examples:
Possibly Tutu GUI?
Where the Baldur’s Gate I Screenshots roam
No Reload Challenge (umm... what number are we up to?)
BG1 Screenshot Gallery
Another screenshot
Links:
EasyTutu home page
Pocket Plane Group - Forums
Pocket Plane Group - Home - EasyTutu: I'm going to take a shot on EasyTutu. First off, you'll need to install and patch BG1, TotSC, BG2 and BG2's expansion ToB. These are all contained in the "4-in-1 boxset" that should still be available. After installing, make an archive copy of your install directories before installing the patches. The BG1 archive will be around 1.6GB (with 7Zip) and BG2 will be around 2.3GB.
I covered the BG1 patch (BGTalesDX8English.exe and BGTalesUS5512.exe) earlier. You need the TotSC patch because when you install TotSC, it patches up the original BG1 install. The same thing happens when you install BG2:ToB (Throne of Bhaal) expansion for BG2, it patches the original BG2:SoA install and then you only need to install the BG2 ToB patch (BGII-ThroneofBhaal_Patch_26498_ENGLISH.exe).
After patching, make a second archive copy of both install folders and keep that archive somewhere safe. The two archives will easily fit on a DVD-R.
Install "EasyTutu_ToB.exe", then install "EasyTutuDegreenifier-v4.exe". If you archived your BG1/BG2 folders, then you can use the "space saver" install which will uninstall BG1 after installing EasyTutu. That will save a good bit of space. - EasyTutu and Beregost: There is a long-standing and nasty bug when you use BG1Tutu/EasyTutu and need to visit Beregost. Basically, if you're not careful, it can corrupt your save and prevent you from using that save. So if Baldur's Gate crashes when you leave Beregost (or leave and then immediately re-enter), you've been bitten by the Beregost bug.
The way to avoid the bug:
- Before entering Beregost, create a permanent save.
- I usually call mine "Pre-Beregost".
- Enter Beregost, go about your business normally. Create multiple saves.
- Leave Beregost (the Temple District to the east or High Hedge to the west).
- Make another permanent save in a different save slot.
- Reload that new post-Beregost save.
- Immediately re-enter Beregost.
- If it crashes, go back to the pre-Beregost save.
- If it worked, reload your post-Beregost save and continue.
Apparently the bug has to do with a door. Buried on this page is a bit more detail on how to apply the fix (look for StrixO's post). Apparently instead of saying "COPY_EXISTING ~AR6700.ARE~" (for the base BG1 install) you can change that line to "COPY_EXISTING ~FW3300.ARE~" and it works with EasyTutu. - EasyTutu HardTimes mod: One of the more interesting EasyTutu mods is called Hard Times. It randomizes the loot a bit, makes things more expensive and fixes the feeling of a world that is encountering an iron shortage. I've decided to give that a go in this playthrough.
Notes: The hard times mod is going to ramp up the difficulty at getting good magical weapons, armor and *gold*. For instance, the pre-made suit of Ankheg Armor that is usually found laying about is no longer there. The vendor who will buy winter wolf pelts for 500g will only pay 150g with the HardTimes mod installed. The list goes on and on like that. So save up your first few thousand gold (4000g) and an Ankheg Shell and get the smithy to make the armor. It's a very lightweight "heavy" armor with an AC of 1 (vs 4 for Splintmail Armor) that weighs only 25lb vs 40lb for splintmail.
With the HardTimes mod, you are going to spend a very long time with your nose pressed against the glass wondering "how much is that puppy in the window?". And if you do find a magic weapon, keep it and start planning on using it. With HardTimes installed, you cannot sell potions to any merchant, anywhere. So hoard them, put them somewhere safe (like in FAI) and save them for late-game. - Armor Class: AC (armor class) in Baldur's Gate follows AD&D 2nd edition rules. The lower the better, the best of either the base AC of the character (which is 10) or any individual piece of armor (chest / bracers) is what your player's new AC will be. Plus, dexterity score modifies armor class, and there are enchanted items of +1/+2/+3 that lower armor class.
Your fighter *should* have a score near zero by level 3-5. And the lower you can drive that the better. The rest of your party will probably have AC numbers between 4 and 8 (and those numbers should go down a bit as you get better gear).
The simple answer to "what are Bracers of Defense" - put them on your mage or thief if they cannot wear heavier armor. If your mage has a base AC of 10, and puts on Bracers of Defense 8AC, their new AC will be 8. Putting those bracers on your fighter who already has an AC below 8, does nothing. - Doing without Imoen as a thief: This is one of the hard decisions, especially if you are running a canon party. When you dual-class Imoen at 5th/6th/7th, you're going to be without a thief for a *very* long time. If the player character can't fill in the gap during this time, then you're going to have to rearrange the party.
Personally, I'd rather keep Khalid/Jaheira over Minsc/Dynaheir - because Imoen will become a mage during this period, making Dynaheir a bit redundant. Plus Dynaheir is an Invoker, which prevents her from casting the various crowd control spells (except for Color Spray). But what are our choices?
Ajantis (Lawful Good, Paladin) - You might have met him and dismissed him already. Especially if you went ankheg or bandit hunting north of Friendly Arms Inn. The downside is that he's not a ranged fighter and he's not a thief. So he's more of a replacement for Khalid then for Minsc/Dynaheir.
Coran (Chaotic Good, Fighter/Thief) - You will need to be able to take on Wyverns and live. He's in the NW corner of the zone to the west of Friendly Arms Inn.
Branwen (True Neutral, Cleric) - Nashkel Carnival. A good choice if your main character is not a healer because she never moves from her spawn point until you free her.
Safana (Chaotic Neutral, Thief) - Here is your likely replacement thief. Southwest of High Hedge. And you'll probably not have been here yet by the time Imoen is level 5/6/7.
Montaron (Neutral Evil, Fighter/Thief) - A possibility, but you would have needed to leave Xzar/Montaron in an inn in Nashkel in order to find them again.
Alternately, you *can* split up the Dynaheir/Minsc pair. Take one of them into a quiet building, then remove them from the party - and never go back. Or at least, don't go back until Imoen has her thief abilities back and you can dump the replacement thief. I would personally dump Dynaheir and keep Minsc.
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