BD-WeiDU in PPG modlist, [Topic split by Baronius] Options

[Witch Lisa]

Would you like to add your Fix here pocketplane?

[Vlad]

your Fix

First of all, it's not MY "fix". This is the classic Baldurdash made by Kevin Dorner and converted to WeiDU by King Diamond.

Second, I don't see a reason to add it to the aforementioned list at PPG. Those who want to install Baldurdash-WeiDU, can get it from here.

Third, those, who frequently visit PPG and post there, definitely are not interested in Baldurdash-WeiDU.

[Moongaze]

Well said.
Though it seems BD-WeiDU has been added anyway. Oh well.

[Baronius]

It's funny to see the amount of text under the G3 "BG2 Fixpack" there compared to the other packs. Nevermind, that would be off-topic.

Actually, the main problem of the Modlist follows from its structure itself. It tries to squeeze a mod to one (or sometimes 2-3) fixed category. Mods could be organized based on keywords instead (or as a more sophisticated solution, some signficance -- i.e. a number -- could be assigned to each keyword/category for a given mod, so it would reflect how much content a mod has item-wise, spell-wise, tactics etc.). In that way, people could search for mods based on keywords/expressions (perhaps extended with logical operators), but a complete list would still be available, of course (just a query based on keywords). The current solution is suboptimal, it lists Improved Anvil as an item-related and quest-related mod, but surprisingly enough it's missing from the category "BG2 Tactical Challenges". It should be added to a few other categories as well (including the Tactical Challenges), but Sikret has already detailed this so it's needless to repeat it.

Of course, it's also a problem that it is supposed to be "comprehensive" at any cost, accuracy is unimportant. This partly follows from the above technical reasons, but also from the attitude of maintainers. For example, BD-WeiDU was added by someone just because the list must be "comprehensive", but its description mentions tweaks while the usual propaganda text of BG2 Fixpack ("hundreds of new fixes") does not mention that many of the hundreds of "fixes" are also tweaks (or that most of them are insignificant). But this would lead far, so I won't say more.

So this modlist isn't impartial, but fortunately there are other ways as well to find and learn about various mods for new players.

I've splitted the topic, now it doesn't burden the main download topic ("Download Baldurdash-WeiDU v1.6.5").

[Moongaze]

I've only used that list maybe once or twice in my entire life, and that was to find a few new communities that I forgot the URL of. I once hosted an NPC mod list that covered both released mods and mods in progress, even those in bigger mods as such as TS, but it's a huge list (at least, it was back then) and a pain in the arse to keep up to date. And of course, 'tis no use to view a list that's no longer valid, or selective in its choice of content.

This post has been edited by Moongaze: Feb 26 2008, 07:43 PM

[kulyok]

I've edited BG2 Fixpack description a few days ago, because CamDawg asked me to on PPG forums. If any of your mods merits a longer description, please, submit a new listing, or post about it on PPG forums - there are more than a few modlist-related threads around.

This is why we recommend to the modders to submit their own listings, by the way: when you do, you have full power to edit it in any way you want.

I added IA to the tactical challenges section of the modlist, thank you. It is an exceptional situation, however: from my knowledge, mods are usually listed in one category only, except for 1) mods that work on two or more games(BG2, BG1Tutu) or if they have a Mac version(in which case they get a listing in Macintosh mods category for that game).

Note that I'm not "in charge" in the modlist or anything - I've just been helping to maintain it for the time being. But my personal opinion is that the length of descriptions isn't of much importance, simply because it's expected of the user to click the link and read everything on the mod's webpage. Which is why descriptions for my own mods, for example, are quite concise.

[Baronius]

I agree that descriptions aren't primary, but at least they should be correct. (Of course, I'm not saying that you should be responsible for what others submit to you to be added.) As you've said, users click links to find out more information, but descriptions may influence them in several cases. For example, a starter mod player asks the general question of "what fixpack should I use" (instead of reading the documentation of the mods he or she wants to install), these descriptions have a big role (this is why CamDawg wanted his "standard" text to be there).

I don't know who submitted Baldurdash-WeiDU to the list (definitely not its maintainers or myself), but if it's there, please change its description to this:

Another distribution of Baldurdash with new fixes. Some mods require this instead of other fixpacks.

It's short, and people won't get the impression that it's some sort of legacy, unsupported fixpack (which some users also try to spread, unfortunately).

I hope there will be one common fixpack some day, comprehensive (unlike Baldurdash) as well as precise & stable (unlike G3 "BG2 Fixpack").

[Moongaze]

Indeed.
It used to be simpler.