Modding through a muddle

Alas my saga against Baldur's Gate 2 continues with it STILL refusing to work for me.

For the unfamiliar, here's a quick recap in what's happened thus far:

• Bought the game in 2007 and then found out I needed a DVD drive
• Got a DVD drive and found out the Tales of Sword Coast expansion wouldn't work
• Played BG2 enough for the DVD to develop a huge crack
• Bought a new copy of the game only for it to fail on me

So I finally did shell out for Baldur's Gate on GoG and proceeded to mod the hell out of it. But a new problem has arisen  with the new GoG game client: Galaxy. Whether it is the mods or not, the games refuse to work within Galaxy! And even when I run the game independently of Galaxy, it still resorts to black screens and crashing!

How fitting then that this post be put on Friday the 13th...

System of a Down

Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame (and the first for 2015 too!). Goodbye System Shock 2!

Man oh man, has this game got a reputation and a half: the father of Bioshock, a complete reinvention (alongside Deus Ex) of the First Person Shooter genre, one of the scariest games ever made, one of the greatest villains ever conceived in gaming history.

And you know what? In this case the reputation is justified.

Okay so I may have been using a heavily modded version of the game, that resulted in updated graphics, reworked environments and high level textures but even such modifications can;t take away that this is a game dripping in atmosphere. There is real tension with danger lurking around every corner, there is dread invoked with the sound design and there is a real sense that this is survival horror done right (ie you're all alone and no one else can jump you & nick your gear).

However whilst System Shock 2 may be pushing sixteen years, it still stands as one of the toughest games I've played. Never mind the careful selection of skill allotment (it's been well-established that this game is unforgiving to a point that if you chose the wrong skills, you may find yourself unable to complete the game), I had to contend with weapon degradation, constant threats, never having enough ammo, and dying over and over again. Even the boss fight with the Many was a real nightmare - one that somehow made the eventual confrontation with SHODAN seem tame by comparison. That being said, I think I can now understand why Bioshock was made easier - and may have contributed to greater sales. Still, beating any tough game is certainly an achievement and that certainly was the case here.

Not much else except to say that System Shock 2 is a great game. And it is finally great to play it when it was lost in the legal limbo for so long.
Now, about No One Lives Forever....

Dawn of a New Dragon Age

Recently I completed a play-through of Dragon Age Origins on the PC.

No doubt about it: This game is a lot different on PC than on the Xbox 360. Sure there is the obvious benefit of the user mods that improve the graphics and make welcome additions, but I found the controls better on the PC,the interface better and even some of the achievements present something of a significant challenge.

But who am I kidding? Its the mods that seal the deal for me. And they are impressive to say the least. I'm staggered by some of the effort these people have gone to and the results are astonishing. Of particular note is the Dark Ritual mod, that actually built a complete cutscene from the ground up. I also enjoyed the Skip the Fade mod and the Extra Dog Slot.

Ultimately though, playing through Dragon Age Origins again didn't feel like a crummy experience. I don't feel like I was ripped off when I bought the game for a second time purely for the modding. I knew what was going to happen in the game but I didn't feel tired. I've been and done all these things for a few times but I was never bored.

Maybe a new coat of paint could be just the thing to revisit a game....

Doomed from the start

These past few weeks I've been playing a lot of Doom, 1 and 2, largely through the enhancement lens provided by the Brutal Doom mod.
However, whilst I've gushed about the dramatic changes Brutal Doom offers, it doesn't however change one pet peeve I've had with Doom. It's a problem I had twenty years ago and it still bothers me now - and that;s the stupid level design. There are places that are inaccessible and stuff that's near impossible to find.
And I feel this problem was ramped up in Doom 2 - Whilst I was able to get 100% kills and secrets on every level in Doom 1, in Doom 2 I missed more than a few. Yes it may provide a challenge but there were times when I'd been over the same level several times to a point where I felt I was being trolled by the game designers.

Still, in a world clogged with ultra-serious shooters, there's something to be said for a twenty-year old shooter that has enough 'goin' desperado' clout to hold appeal even now

To be brutality honest...

Much of the past week has been devoted to revisiting a classic in the form of Doom. So what's the occasion? Well, thanks to a certain game reviewer, I have been made aware of a mod called Brutal Doom. I've had a crack at it and have been significantly blown away by how dramatically Doom has been changed by this mod. Even more impressive is that it was the work of one guy.

But really I cannot emphasize how different Doom has become with this mod: Mouse aiming; Better weapons; the necessity of reloading; A jump function (A JUMP FUNCTION!!!); Marine NPCs; Finishing moves and so much more that talking about it seems awfully redundant.
Indeed it is fascinating on how this mod gives this a game twenty one years old a new lease of life.

Now whilst I have, over the past few months, been indulging in the miracles that the modding community can provide, this is however not the first time I've tried a FPS mod. That honor would go to Navy Seals Quake. Has anyone heard of this? I played this in high school - within a year of Quake's original release no less - and was impressed by the changes made. This involved the demons replaced with human enemies, a reload function and more emphasis on tactical action rather than brainless shooter action.

And much like Brutal Doom, I found Navy Seals Quake so much an improvement over the original game that it wasn't funny. You see, I was unimpressed with the original Quake - I saw it as Doom but with a new coat of paint what with the Demonic enemies, Hell motifs and puzzling level design. Thus I couldn't understand why many people at the time were turning cartwheels over it. Thus, coming across Navy Seals Quake I, and many of my friends at the time, found it far more appealing. Indeed, it should be noted that Navy Seals Quake eschewed the then mindless action trends of FPS and adopted a more realistic approach to the genre - well before Half Life took that concept and ran with it.

My general approach to mods is that they offer new content (but even that is a challenge trying to find some quality in amongst the mud) and they offer to correct 'mistakes' (if you can call it that) that hinder the original game. Indeed, having played Brutal Doom I'm now wondering how the hell I managed to get by on the original - which goes to show that sometimes a new coat of paint isn't enough and sometimes repairs made also be required to renew interest in an old game.
If anything I would rather play Brutal Doom than the latest incarnation of the Call of Duty series any day.

Catch twenty gig

I have Final Fantasy 7 on my computer via Steam

It takes up one and half gig of hard drive space.

There also exists a mod intent on overhauling the graphics and bring in new charatcer models and HD capabilties.

It takes up over twenty gig of hard drive space.

Considering the size of the mod is greater than the original game many times over, one can only wonder if it is truly worth the effort....

Modding evolution

Just a little something I came across:

Baldurs Gate 2 takes up a size of over 2 gig
Baldurs Gate 1 takes up a size of under 2 gig

I play a heavily modified version of BG2 contained in a folder totaling 9.1 gig

Meaning I play a game where the mods take up more space than the game itself.

It is however not alone:
My System Shock 2 folder totals over 1 gig for a 357 mb game.
My Deus Ex folder totals over 4 gig for a 431 mb game.
My Planescape Torment folder totals over 2 gig for a 1.1 gig game.
My Freespace 2 folder totals over 4 gig for a 1.6 gig game.  

It is interesting to note that all five of these games came from the same era - and all the modding is due to me bringing them into line with a lot of other modern games. Still, if I would rather play these games to the point that I'll seek out anything it make it so, then it says a lot about staying power.

Back in Dragon

Well I did it: I bit the bullet and picked up Dragon Age 2 for the PC - not just because I want to play it but because of the modding opportunities that presented themselves.

So far I'm actually impressed: The mods I've installed have yielded a far better game than the one I'd grown accustomed to on the Xbox 360. The graphics are better, the character clothes are diverse and the controls are much more accessible. Of course, it is unclear which has been added through mods and which is included with the PC version but there is enough here to maintain my interest.

Could this be enough to make a 'decent' game rise up from the rank from 'kinda crummy'? Well, there's only one way to find out....

Mod the Dragon

Here's something I came across recently: A list of worthwhile mods for Dragon Age.

I don't have Dragon Age Origins for the PC: My copy is for the Xbox. However looking at this list it becomes clear that I've been missing out on a lot of worthwhile material.
Now I do indulge in some modding for my PC games but they're for old games like Baldur's Gate 2, Deus Ex and System Shock 2. Thus for the longest time I've seen modding as something of a Catch 22: On one hand, modding is a method to give aging games a new lease of life and to elevate them to a level comparable to more recent games. But on the other hand, there lies the thought that if anyone can mod then one would find a lot of dodgy mods involving a) doing silly things or b) a level of poorly written content on par with fanfiction. Therefore, it then becomes something of a chore to find the mods that are well done and actually worthwhile.

Look at the list though it becomes clear that I've been missing out on a lot. Somehow I thought one couldn't possibly mod something as complex as a recent game- largely due to the resources. I mean, anyone can easily integrate a mod into Baldurs Gate as the necessary dialogue and exposition is all conveyed in text. Therefore for a game like Dragon Age, it presents a monstrous challenge considering the modders are without the resources that the game makers had - Somehow, it seems doubtful that the likes of Claudia Black will be willing to help out some no-name modder and, for me, having everything voiced electronically will break the immersion considerably.
And yet, judging by the list, some people are willing to rise to up to the challenge.
.
Thus it now becomes quite tempting to pick it up the PC version of Dragon Age Origins - but in doing so I'll be throwing away a lot of XBLA achievements and 130 hours of game time. I may recreate my Xbox Grey Wardens but they won't be the same. I can do the same things all over again but you can only that for so long before it gets tiring.
And there is the thought that if I'm committed to obtaining the best possible experience out of particular games then I deserve to ripped off.

Endless Summer

Some weeks ago I added another game to my never-ending list of games to be played - after all, I've been busy with my Hall of Shame these past couple of months so I'd worked up enough karma to justify the purchase of a new game. And what did I choose this time? Another time sink!!!

Okay joking aside, I picked up Neverwinter Nights from GoG. A natural choice considering my long-standing love for Dungeons and Dragons in computer game form (one day i think might play DnD for real) and Bioware games (although that r/ship was grown sour in recent years).
Now approaching this game has been a challenge: From the outsider view it a) is the forgotten child in the Bioware library and b) carries a rather rotten reputation for being rather crummy. However that reputation comes from the original game's campaign - whereas the expansions and the enormous user content has saved Neverwinter Nights to make it the stand proudly alongside it's bigger brothers, Planescape Torment and Baldurs Gate. Well maybe it's the Australian in me but championing the underdog and he who has a go? Sign me up!

So far I haven't played much of Neverwinter Nights - If anything I've spent a far greater amount of time hunting down the user modules that are worth a damn. Still this is only the beginning and it would be interesting to see what this game can offer....

You can't please everyone

Recently I’ve been doing another playthrough of the mighty Baldur’s Gate 2. Yep, it still keeps calling to me with an eternal siren’s song – which is indeed a rare thing for many games to do when one has so many of them to keep track.
This time, however, this playthrough is different as I’ve included mods – not least is the one that combines BG1, ToSC and BG2 in one game. This is great for me – not only am I using ToSC for the first time but it’s fun to see a character grow over the course of a super-huge game. A time of writing I’m in the middle of the BG1 portion and, having conquered the ToSC regions, have made it to Baldur’s Gate itself.
Another one of the mods I’m using is one called ‘Virtue’ which takes into account the actions of the party and reputation. However having implemented the mod in the question, it effected the game already in progress. And suddenly, half my party members ended up walking out on me.

The members in question were Safina, Branwen and Khalid. The latter may come across as being surprising but the absence of Jahiera in my party may have something to do with it (but I’m not worried – if, of course, you know what happens to Khalid in BG2). But the departure of both Safina and Branwen is the accumulation of their disappointment over my actions. Being of neutral alignment, they did grumble a lot over my actions and the mod I installed gave them the excuse they were after to leave.
This in turn, is a good excuse for me to rant about the Good/Bad choices in game.

When it comes to gaming I’m far too used to be the good guy – As a child of the eighties I’ve played many games over many years where I’ve been presented with a problem and I must solve it. Such problem included saving the world/girlfriend or overcoming some antagonist. It’s a trope that was done to death in the sixteen bit era and having been exposed to it so often it’s now more like a programmed response.
And it’s still lasted long into my adulthood. As such I play a game now I expect to play the role of the hero - in fact, when presented with the option, I honestly can’t bring myself to be a baddie and do nasty things. So much so that whilst I’ve been a bad guy in games before like Mass Effect, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and, to lesser extent Starcraft, I’ve felt like shit afterwards. And if the game stops being fun and enjoyable then that’s a danger sign if ever there was one.
I guess it comes with the freedom of choice – if you give the player the freedom they will do what they choose along with living with the consequences. It does indeed make a difference than a game that presents little choice alongside an emphasis on consequence (Spec Ops the Line anyone?). But at the same time there is little point in being a prick for the sake of being prick – by of comparison consider Red Dead Redemption: Yes you can become a Desperado but doing so makes John Marston’s insistence of putting his violent past behind him as somewhat insincere.

Yet with age comes experience and in my experience there is no such thing as a ‘pure’ hero. You simply can’t tell me that anyone can do so many heroic things with little effort and not have a single black spot to their name. Okay yes there is Superman but if someone has to Superman it may as well be Kal-El himself. No for me, the more realistic hero is the type that does the right thing but isn’t afraid to do something unorthodox and eschew falling over backwards to be an example for everyone to follow. Indeed, it is, to me, satisfying in the Avengers movie to have the irresponsible hero, Tony Stark/Iron Man, as the leader instead of the responsible one, Captain America.
Thus I like to play heroes that save the day but aren’t the type to take shit from anyone. By way of example when I play Mass Effect I take the Paragon path but I take Renegade choices whenever possible. For, as is often the case, there is no black or white, only shades of grey.

Which brings me back to Baldur’s Gate: My character is a paladin but taking this class has little to do with background or roleplay but more with the ruleset – fighters that can heal? What’s not to like? (The high charisma doesn’t hurt either)  But to be a paladin means you’re confined to being Lawful Good and can’t really break from it. Of course, my choices are me going through the motions of being a gaming hero but, as it would seem, such choices don’t seem to sit well with the people around me – God only knows what would happen when I reach BG2 and am presented with the opportunity to romance Jahiera.
Still though, I do strongly believe that the Good/Bad paths are ultimately futile: There is no such thing as a 100% White and a 100% Black – for being somewhere in the middle is both realistic and far more plausible.
But of course, being a paladin means you can’t sip up even once. Oh well….