Appendix C: Links


          I don't expect this page to be updated anywhere near as frequently as the main list of all links and mods, located here. So if there's a problem with any of these links, I would suggest trying the main modlist. All of the links below (in fact, all the links out of this site) open new windows, so you may need to turn off your pop-up blocker.

PATCHES
Official Patches:Unofficial Patches:
Baldur's Gate 1
Tales of the Sword Coast
Baldur's Gate 2: SoA
Baldur's Gate 2: ToB
BaldurDash (for BG1)
G3 Fixpack (for BG2)
DudleyFix (for BG1)


FORUMS
          If you have problems with or questions about the game, if you need help with modding, if you just did/saw something cool or funny and you want to share it, or if you simply want to connect with other fans of the game, the forums are the best places to do it. Just be warned: Hardly anybody is as anal about spoilers as I am, so if you just go diving into random threads you almost certainly will get spoiled about something or other.
          Ironworks Forums: A forum devoted mainly to Role-playing Games. Most of the discussion is based on simply playing the games, rather than making or comparing mods, and as most BG players these days are concerned primarily with mods, the Baldur's Gate sections of the Ironworks Forums are quietly creeping along towards death. (Their sections on newer games, such as Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age, however, are active and vibrant.) But as they were my first and a powerful introduction to the worldwide BG community, damn right they get top billing here.
          Pocket Plane Forums: People posting here are Multiclassed Player/Modders, frequenting the forum's topics on mod discussion, tutorials, and just general gameplay with similar frequency. A good place for newbie modders to cut their teeth on their first TP2. Also home to the Infinity Engine Modlist and this very Guide.
          Gibberlings Three Forums: A place for more hardcore modders, where simple discussion of the actual game is considered passé. Active topics include plans, opinions, and progress reports on very many released and still-in-development mods, as well as hard-hitting stuff like requests for new DLTCEP features, updates to WeiDU, and the future of the G3 Fixpack.
          Spellhold Studios: I've never really visited there myself, largely because the above three entries were all the forum I'd ever need, so most of my knowledge about it is secondhand: Some regulars on other forums say that the SHS moderators are far too quick to ban you for expressing any negative opinions about other modders or their work. But like I said, I've never been there, and of course there's different strokes for different folks. But they're a modding community, so here they are.
          The Black Wyrm's Lair: Another modding forum I've only glanced at. But I've heard of some good mods coming out of here, and they host the community-wide Prefix Reservation List. Boo-yah.


PORTRAITS & SOUNDSETS
The Kirith Portrait Gallery, searchable by race and class. Pretty much all you could want, at least to get started with.
A nice .ZIP file containing the voice sets for all 25 recruitable NPCs from BG1.


CHEATING & MODDING TOOLS
Sword Coast Keeper, a savegame editor for BG1 / TotSC.
Shadowkeeper, a savegame editor for BG2 / ToB.
WeiDU, good luck distributing (or even installing) any mod without it.
DLTCEP, a wonderful tool for editing & creating spells, items, creatures, etc.
Infinity Explorer, a useful research tool for any Infinity Engine game.
Near Infinity, a powerful and very precise editing system.


MODS
          This is only a very small sampling, of course. The mods listed here are (in general) either good, important, popular, or fun to write little blurbs about.
BG1 Unfinished Business: Clears up loose ends, half-finished plots, and unimplemented bits of code throughout BG1 / TotSC.
BG1 Tutu: Allows you to play the content of BG1 with the expanded rules & possibilities of BG2. Requires that both BG1 and BG2 be installed on your
          system.
BG2 Unfinished Business: Clears up loose ends, half-finished plots, and unimplemented bits of code throughout BG2 / ToB.
Dungeon-Be-Gone: Skip going through that blasted dungeon and hearing all those stupid interjections for the nth time, already.
Ascension: Brings the final battle of ToB, and a few other ToB encounters, to the full power and climactic scope that BioWare originally intended.
Quest Pack: Adds a bunch of subquests and mini-adventures, as well as some minor enhancements that allow you to take different roleplaying paths through
          existing encounters, and some other general improvements to the game's AI.
Assassinations: Tired of playing the squeaky-clean hero? Longing for something a little more gritty? Perhaps you'd care to be the anonymous hitman for a
          shadowy employer whose motives can be as alluring as they are unknown.
Oversight: Corrects nonsensical alignments, gives Monks a unique HLA pool, livens up a ToB battle, and more.
Ease-Of-Use: A bunch of convenience tweaks, some of which you may find more cheesy than others. Bottomless Containers, Infinite Ammo Stacking,
          Allow Multiplayer party members to be kicked out, the famous Bonus Merchants, etc.
BG2 Refinements: Revised HLAs and Druid Shapeshifting, livens up another ToB encounter, adds the Sword Angel kit, and more.
Ding0 Tweaks: The Enhanced Goodberries alone are worth the download.
Spell Revisions: Makes both the Priest and Wizard spell systems more dynamic, balancing out the inequalities between "must-have" and "useless" spells of
          each spell level.
Tactics: Adds some new tactical challenges to the game, and makes many existing ones much tougher to beat. Munchkin players preferred.
Kelsey: A Good-aligned Sorcerer with his own items, quests, and banter paths. He talks too much, but is well balanced and pretty fun.
Goo: The original NPC mod. Goo is . . . erm . . . unique, yes, unique.
Saerileth: Because, evidently, the game needed a 15-year old Chosen of Tyr (with a portrait of a half-naked Asian girl) to speak in Elizabethan English for no
          apparent reason and drop her knickers for the PC.
Xan: Takes the chronically morose Elven Mage from BG1, and makes him a recruitable NPC for BG2 as well. With quests and stuff. Oh, what is the point?
Virtue: Turns the game's Reputation variable into a Rep/Virtue dual system that actually makes logical sense. How Do I Get In On This Amazing Offer!?


MISCELLANEOUS LINKS
          The Dudleyville Walkthrough, a very thorough guide to BG1 / TotSC. The Dudleyville site is pretty much the antithesis of mine: Whereas I will bend over backwards to avoid including spoilers, for the most part Dudleyville consists of nothing BUT spoilers. An excellent site if you want somebody to play the game for you.
          Northern Journey Campaign: A site including a pretty good section on the gods & goddesses of the Forgotten Realms, and their faiths.
          Os Ultimos Dia de Gloria: This site is in Spanish, but it's another religion-centered site, and the link goes to their art gallery, which contains some rare finds like interactions getween the gods and the ceremonial garb of priests of virtually every faith in the Realms. Good stuff.
          Wizards of the Coast Art Gallery: Just what it says. Dozens of galleries, I've barely scratched the surface.
          Review of the mod NPCs, by Imrahil.
          Review of the mod NPCs, by Rodman49.
          On Facebook: The Baldur's Gate Nostalgia Community.
          redwinggreen7's LiveJournal: A fan-made Monster Manual with some humorous commentary on the various beasties.
          Dragons of the North: Everything you always wanted to know about them, but were very, very afraid to ask.
          Candlekeep: All kinds of yummy canon lore.


RECURSIVE LINKS
          The feedback thread for this very website. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Corrections? The name of an artist whose work is currently uncredited here? This is the place to post it.
          sixospades@yahoo.com: My personal Email, in case you have something urgent & important that hasn't already been posted in the feedback thread. Put "Volothamp's" in the subject line, or I'm likely to think it's spam.
          Volothamp's Comeuppance: The front page of this Guide, seen full-view if you're at 1280x720 resolution or higher.
          Volothamp's Comeuppance: The front page, again, but without that left-hand navigation bar (which is invisible at 1024x768 anyway). You might prefer it if you like seeing the URL of your current page in your browser window, or if you just don't like the sidebar.






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Appendix B:
Background Knowledge

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Table of Contents



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Appendix D:
Credits