Icewind Gate II: Beta: Installation Instructions

• Make a full install of BG2.
• You must have Throne of Bhaal installed.
• You must have the latest official Throne of Bhaal patch from Bioware. You can get it here.
• You should have the latest Baldurdash fixpack from Baldurdash.org.
• Make any install of IWD2 on the same hard drive.
• Install the latest official IWD2 patch (currently 2.01).
• Download the latest beta. It's a self-extracting RAR.
• Extract the archive into your main IWD2 directory.
• Use a text editor (like notepad or wordpad) and edit the file iwg2\configuration so that it contains your full BG2 and IWD2 install paths.
• Ensure that your BG2 installation has no mods beyond the official patch and Baldurdash installed.
• Ensure that you have the latest IWD2 official patch.
• This is not a standard WeiDU mod. It will currently destructively destroy your chitin.key and dialog.tlk. Back them up now. Also back your override folder up. This mod does not yet come with an uninstall.
• No, really. Go back up dialog.tlk, chitin.key and override.
• Run iwg2.exe.
• Go out and get some coffee for around two minutes. This process is largely disk bound: it takes me 40 seconds if everything is in the cache and about 120 otherwise.
• All of the large resources (like tile sets and graphics) will be linked directly into IWD2: they will not be copied. However, resources like items and creatures must be converted and changed so they will take up space in your IWD2 override folder. To be on the safe side you should have at least 35 megabytes free for those new files.
• With any luck, it will end with something like this:
  • ... [C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Icewind Dale II/override/_ORLDMAP.WMP] saved, 125488 bytes
    KEY saved (293 biffs, 34113 resources)
    Converted TIS: 254
    Converted GAM: 1
    Converted WMP: 1
    Converted BMP: 782
    Converted BAM: 1827
    Converted MOS: 246
    Converted DLG: 1652
    Converted BCS: 1984
    Converted WED: 246
    Converted CRE: 2417
    Converted WAV: 4980
    Converted STO: 71
    Converted ITM: 1235
    Converted SPL: 315
    Converted ARE: 286
    Converted 16297/41793 = 38%
    DIALOG.TLK 0.000
    kit 0.000
    timeoday 0.000
    time 0.000
    ...
    LOAD 4.803
    DLG 5.668
    CRE 8.147
    BCS 8.705
    TOTAL 42.881
    
• If instead you see a line ending in "ERROR", you're already dead in the water. Try to figure out what isn't working. Redirect the output to a file, etc. From this point on we'll assume that the conversion terminated succesfully.
• Add Cheats=1 to icewind2.ini's [Game Options] area.

Icewind Gate II: Beta: Playing Instructions

• Start up IWD2. Make a new game (or whatever).
• If you talk to Edgull (he's some loser next to Hedron on the boat right when you start) his DLG has been changed to include an option like "let's go there". That will teleport Player1 to the that cage in the beginning of the Irenicus Dungeon. The cut-scene will start (more on this later), Imoen will come rescue you.
• I am more or less assuming 4th level characters to start (assuming 1st level characters doesn't work well for a number of reasons, multi-class NPCs among them). This can change, but whatever. Give yourself experience until you get up there.
• Press Ctrl-Space to bring up the console window.
• Type ctrlaltdelete:enablecheatkeys(). Unlike BG2, you must do this every time (sigh!). You can also use the arrow keys to recall your last few commands.
• Ctrl-J teleports, Ctrl-Q brings someone into the party, Ctrl-K kicks them out, Ctrl-R heals (only HP), Ctrl-Y kills.
• Read the rest of this page.
• Walk around and play the game. It should be similar to BG2 but with the IWD2 engine.
• By default, every BCS script will DisplayString() something when its blocks are activated (e.g., "Imoen.bcs block 1 activated"). No matter where the script is running the text will always be displayed on Player1. This debugging output will come in handy when you are trying to track down bugs because it will (sometimes) tell you the last thing the game was trying to do before it died.

Icewind Gate II: Beta: Joinable Characters

• Currently, whenever a character joins your party it is "broken". If you try to save the game, the game will crash. If you try to use the NPC, its button bar will look weird.
• Take that character, go to the record screen, say "Export" and export it. E.g., export Imoen to IMOEN.
• Press "C" to start Character Arbitration. Click on Modify Characters. Delete your new NPC.
• Click on that slot and say "Create". Import the NPC you just exported. Click through to finish.
• Presto, it now works fine (except for the soundset).
• If you have two broken NPCs at once (and you shouldn't if you're following these directions!) you must delete them both at the same time before going back to the game.
• Assume that I plan to have some magic script that somehow adds XP to the joinable NPCs when they join based on Player1's current value.

Icewind Gate II: Beta: World Map

• Currently the BG2 World Map will override the IWD2 worldmap on any games that you start after running the converter.
• In order to scroll around the map you may find that you have to click on the map and drag it around.
• You may also use ctrlaltdelte:movetoarea("ar0010") or whatnot to move between areas.

Icewind Gate II: Beta: Testing

• More information about reporting bugs and conversion internals is available.

Icewind Gate II: Beta: See Also

• If you like this sort of thing and you want to see a more polished example of a conversion, check out BG1Tutu, which allows you to play BG1 using the BG2 engine.