The dreaded G3 Fixpack Options

[Arkain]

Hi.

Well, to make a long story short: why is it not recommended? I'm curious why this fixpack seems to be the reason for many bugs or other problems. Because it's poorly modded? Because of the methods used to actually "fix" things? Something else?

[Baronius]

On a side note:

http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=7890

Although that time G3 FP was in BETA stage, the initial posts themselves reveal much about the general approach (and, of course, nothing has changed, beta or not -- the methodology and approach is the problem, as we know).

IMHO the initial posts are slightly self-important and disrespectful to modders. Offensive or not, their content is even more unacceptable. Telling how to negate the unwanted changes of a FIXPACK? And not with two clicks: with long long WeiDU codes and TP2 edits. And the favourite, that short "FAQ" (one Q/A pair):

Q:

"I'm not a programmer, don't ask me to be one." [..]

A:

Well, that's okay too. You can play Baldur's Gate 2 without even the official patch if you want to to - the game will crash more, and lag more, and have more chances to muck up, but if you're getting by without it, then go have fun.

Will crash? Craaash? Do we remember the good old' times, playing without any fixpacks (even without the official) and seeing the game crash? Did it crash very often? It's obvious brainwashing. Brainwashing. "The standard BG2 Fixpack", "Fixes of Baldurdash plus a few hundred more", "your game will crash without this fixpack".

Perhaps it's just me, but this cynical, self-important approach rejects me. I don't say this is how all FP key developers act, but they seem to agree silently with the content of the posts I linked to. Modding should be about fun. Isn't a fixpack be meant to make the life of players and modders easier? And not harder! As someone said in that topic:

What is a fixpack fixpack? It's a fixpack written to fix things that a fixpack breaks, of course.

Now I believe all problems can be summarized in two points:

• Problems with the methodology and guidelines ("fixes" of non-bugs in core component; and the most important: removed or monopolized interfaces, original game elements)
• Unacceptable attitude: even if only a few G3FP members show such a behaviour, they still represent the whole project. Once I got the answer from a lead coordinator of G3FP "I can't do anything with it, it's not my posts" (the question wasn't about the topic I linked to; it was just a similar case of arrogance). Really? Nothing to do about it?

I told the theoretical and technical background, and now it was needed to mention other problems as well. Not sure about others, but *I* strongly expect an attitude change, and less self-importance than what can be seen here.