Moding Info -- Multiple Installs of BG

[Timber Loftis]

I posted this in the Istar thread. On the off chance folks don't look there, I'm posting it again here. It's an easy way I use to do multiple installs so I can have moded games and still have the basic BG games as well. I hope you find it helpful.
_____________________________________
Fewer people are likely to play a mod, for instance, if they think they have to kill their regular install of BG or go through a whole other session with the discs and the installation. They don't. Here's how.

The advice comes from forum member Rattledagger at teambg.net.

Install SoA --> ToB --> ToB Patch in a director c:\[#1] (normally by default c:\program files\black isle\bg2-soa)

Note: YOU ONLY DO ONE (1) INSTALLATION. Put the discs away before you hurt yourself!

Now copy all those files and folders in c:[#1] to another folder. For simplicity, I put it in c:\program files\black isle\Glory of Istar ("Istar" for short hereafter).

Now, edit your file baldur.ini you will see a part of it that looks like this:
________________________
[Alias]
HD0:=c:\[#1]
CD1=c:\[#1]
CD2=c:\[#1];c:\[#1]
CD3=c:\[#1]
CD4=c:\[#1]
CD5=c:\[#1]
________________________
Edit it, replacing all the "c:\[#1]" file folder identifications with "c:\Istar" which is where you have those folders now.

With a normal modding situation, you can save space by NOT copying the cd1-cd5 folders from the BG2-SoA folder -- that saves 1.6Gb on the new "installation" of the game. In that situation, you would only change the "HD0" line in Alias, and you would leave all the other CD file pointers pointing back at the original directory. That's how I do it for normal BG mods like weimer's.

However, because Istar uses completely new maps and voice sets and rules and, well... everything, I did not want to chance it by having the moded game folder pointing back the original. It may be perfectly fine to do it that way, and I'm certainly not qualified to know what makes a difference. But, as Istar just seemed to be a vastly different mod, as since I have like 45Gb free, I decided not to chance it.

Okay, back on track. Once you've made the second folder, copy the 80+MB installation file into your Istar folder, just so you'll know where you put it. Run the installation program. You will be prompted to install Istar into the c:\[#1] folder. DON'T. Instead choose "browse" and find your Istar folder. If you were wise like me, it'll be right there on the directory tree next to the c:\[#1] folder. Once you've chosen the file folder, let it run normally.

When all is done, make sure you copy a shortcut of the file c:\[Istar]\bgmain.exe to the desktop for ease of use. I also put a shortcut to my c:\prgram files\black isle on my desktop, so I can easily move about my mods.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Note that you theoretically could have a third and fourth and fifth mod folder. I have only done one so far, but I intend to do this, putting TDD in one, the normal mods (EoU, tactics, etc) in another, and hoping that IWG will come along someday for yet another. In these multiple folder instances, you will find that it may pay off big time to not copy all the cd1-cd5 folders as I mentioned above, saving yourself 1.6Gb of disk space a shot. Always make sure that at least the "HD0" value in your baldur.ini points the folder for the mod you're working in at the time.

If any of the game creators could speak to whether or not the cd1-cd5 folders can be left uncopied in the original folder, I'd appreciate it.

[Daniel_M]

Hmm...thats cool, because I tend to uninstall/install BG quite a lot just for Modding purposes, cheers Timber thats helped a lot! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]