Well, after 3 months of talking about it and then 2 months of actually coding it and testing it with the help of many people, I've finally decided to reveal BG1Tutu.

So, what is BG1Tutu?

Well, it's an automatic converter much like IWG2 that takes the resources from either a straight BG1 install or a BG1 + TotSC install on your computer and converts it into the BGII or BGII + ToB engine.

We've already squashed quite a few of the bugs during about six weeks of alpha testing, so the game is quite playable.

I've finished the game myself and everything seems fine thus far.

However, with a project of this scope and size, bugs will obviously come about sooner or later, but I'm confident that most of them will be easily fixable.

For this reason, I'm considering this stage to be beta. With any luck, within a month or so we'll be able to push it up to final.

But, enough of the boring details.

Please make sure you read the Readme thoroughly before running BG1Tutu.

For those of you who don't read Readme's, here are the installation and uninstallation instructions taken straight from the Readme:

Installing

1) If you haven't already, perform a Full Install of BG1. This could mean BG1, BG1 plus TotSC, or BG: The Original Saga, depending on what you've bought.
2) Apply the BG1 patch from Bioware *only* if you do not have BG: The Original Saga.
3) If you haven't already, perform a Recommended or Full install of BG2. Throne of Bhaal is supported but not required.
4) Depending on what you have installed, apply the BG2 patch or ToB Patch from Bioware.
5) Extract bg1tutu_v(x).exe to your BGII directory.
6) Open up the file called “configuration” using your text editor of choice (Notepad, Wordpad, PFE, etc.) which will be inside the bg1tutu directory located in your BGII directory.
7) Change the source path to your BG directory and the target path to your BGII directory.
8 ) Install any BG1 mods/upgrades that you will want to use in your BG1 directory.
Note: Most WeiDU based mods *should* convert correctly, however, I strongly recommend *not* installing DSotSC until it’s WeiDU conversion has been completed.
9) Double-click bg1tutu.exe (it will be in your BGII directory) and let it run. Depending on the speed of your computer, it can take anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes for the conversion to complete.
10) If you want BG music, copy BG’s music folder into your BGII directory. (Make sure to rename BGII’s music folder to something else first so that you don’t overwrite BGII’s music.)
11) If you downloaded Sim’s alternate start screens, make sure you extract the archive to your BGII override folder.
12) Play BG using BGII’s engine!

Uninstalling (Reverting back to BGII)

1) Make sure that you have a final save in your save directory.
2) Double-click bg1tutu_restore.exe and let it run.
3) Load up BGII and load the “bg1tutu-transition” save. You will have your PC from the start of the game.
4) If you decided to use BG music, make sure you rename your BGII music directory back to “music”.
5) Play BGII as normal.

For screenshots, source code and the actual archive, visit http://japh.fwstudios.net/bg1tutu.

You can get to the forums for BG1Tutu by going here.

Finally, I'd like to thank Wes Weimer for coding IWG2 and giving people like me something to build off. Without the IWG2 code, this project would still be in the concept phase. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 09-15-2003, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: japheth ]

*bows down before the master

Thanks for this invaluable tool! This is genious! :D

<font color="gold">So this is basically the same as BGT, except that this is much easier to download/install? Or are there any differences?</font>

Well, yeah?! BGT is Way-too-much Mb, while this is 700 kb, the only reason I had not downloaded BGT is of the monstrous size. AND, it is far more easier to adjust a few bugs with this and redownload it.

<font color="gold">I'm not saying that this isn't good, because it so absolutely is! But I'm simply wondering if there's any reason for me to get this if I already have BGT. ;) </font>

From what I gathered from discussions about BGT, BGT includes all resource files from BG-ToTSC, hence that huge download, but you don't have to own BG1.
But my question is: Does BG1tutu affect SoA-ToB? I mean can I still play SoA while tutu installed (the thing about music puzzles me)?

<font color="gold">I'm not saying that this isn't good, because it so absolutely is! But I'm simply wondering if there's any reason for me to get this if I already have BGT. ;) </font> </font>[/QUOTE]I doubt it. On the other hand, I've got BGT installed myself at the moment, but I'd sign for an easier install every day - it was literally hell to go through BGT's installation in its entirety. So maybe this is a more economic and efficient solution?

[ 09-13-2003, 07:13 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

I'll take one with a side order of rissole please :D

Seriously though, very well done. I think I'll install this sometime next week and take a character through the entire series as an Assassin/Fighter. Could be great fun.

Did you remove the EXP Caps so I can spend some quality time in the Sword Coast? I can take a kit and go through the Sword Coast yes?

I don't do readme's :D

basically bgt was so much bigger than tutu because u wer actually dl bg1 aswell instead of just copying the files over. Has anyone tried tutu? I have trilogy and think it is very good, definately worth the dl time.

erm...does my installation of BG2 have to be clean? as in no mods for harder enemys and such? or can i install with them? as thats what stopped me using Trilogy....