Char Converter for Icewind Dale and BG II

Ok, I read the reason that you can't use BG characters in IWD was because they made some improvements in the character files. Ok, SO why don't someone make a converter utility to take the old BG character files and change them to the new improved IWD char files????
Could do the same thing for BG II and PoR char files if the deside to make more upgrades to the char files.


Isn't the whole point of the import/export options to use your characters in future games?

Just my thoughts.
Cron

Easy there, big shooter, you're not saying anything that any of us haven't all ready thought of and many of us have looked into.
There is currently a character importer for use from BG and TOSC into IWD in the works from the folks at Team BG
( www.teambg.com )and as soon as it is completed, I'm sure it will be posted here. There are a lot of small but fundamental differences in the code that prevent you from importing BG characters and they are working on a convertor for that. On a side note, IWD was never intended to be an expansion pack or another game in the Baldur's Gate series. It was merely takes place in the same region of the Forgotten Realms. If you played the old gold box games, think about the two Savage Frontier games and how they were in the same area as much of the Pools/Silver Blades games, just farther to the west, but were not actually related to them. Same principle here. In the upcoming sequel, BG II, you will of course be able to import your BG I characters. I hope this helps! In the meantime, enjoy the game, it rocks!!

I don't recall seeing anyone else talking about converters. So just thinking about it and looking for one don't get s**t done. I posted so people with code skills just might get around to making one and thanks to you many people now know that there is one in the works.

As for timeline and loaction issues about BG and IWD, I don't know if you ever have played non-computer AD&D but you just go from box set to box , module to module. If you want to make a big deal about them not being related thats a loss for you. Everone who is really in to AD&D know that there are set portals and such that transverse time, distance, and the planes. So everything IS connected. In fact thats the one of the main ideas behind Planescape and Ravenloft...

Cron

..

Sorry, might have come off a little hot headed on that. Pays to read the post thoroughly before mouthing off...
Anyhoo. Keep your eyes open. One's in the works and as far as the issue of timeline's, it still doesn't really apply to this situation, but there's always someone working on building a better dungeon and since the designers didn't do it, someone else (in this case, Team BG) will.