Check The Bodies

Overview

Check the Bodies adds various quests to the BGII part of the game, including new areas, a new city, spells, stores, animations, and items: This is a mini-quest mod, each single quest works as a stand alone quest. That is to say, if one were to start a new game, play one of my new quests, and finish the game, there should be no problems. Each quest is heavily dependant on a number of random factors: the PC's race, class, alignment, etc., chapter, make up of the party, and so many other factors. It will be impossible for a single character to play through the entire game and get *all* of Check The Bodies' quests. That is by design. Don't worry, no matter what you choose for a character, you won't miss anything for that character.

For a list of the quests, see "CtB_Quest_List.txt". For Charles Bisson's original notes, please refer to "old_CtB-Readme_old.txt".

Key features:

• More than 20 independent new quests, dozens of class specific quests.
• 160 areas, 15 new areas. 1 new town.
• 1 new NPC.
• 450 new creatures.
• Hundreds of new items.
• 275 new spells.
• 25 stores.
• 6 new songs.
• 1 film.

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Compatibility

Check The Bodies is designed to work on the following Infinity Engine games:

• Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition (BG2EE).
• The original Baldur's Gate II (BG2, or just SoA) with or without the Throne of Bhaal (ToB) expansion.
• The conversion projects based on ToB, Baldur's Gate Trilogy (BGT), and Enhanced Edition Trilogy (EET).

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This mod is a WeiDU mod, and therefore should be compatible with all WeiDU mods. However, we cannot test every single one. If you encounter any bugs, please report them on the forum!

Classical game players are strongly recommended to download and install the latest version of the BG2 Fixpack before proceeding with the installation of this mod.

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Installation

Notes

If you've previously installed the mod, remove it before extracting the new version. To do this, run  setup-ctb.exe , un-install all previously installed components and delete the ctb folder.

When installing or un-installing, do not close the DOS window by clicking on the X button! Instead, press the Enter key whenever instructed to do so.

Disable any antivirus or other memory-resident software before installing this or any other mod. Some (particularly avast and Norton!) have a tendency to report false positives with mod activity, resulting in failed installs.

You can extract files from the archive using WinRAR, ZipGenius or another file compression utility that handles .zip files.

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Enhanced Editions Note

The Enhanced Editions are actively supported games. Please note that every patch update will wipe your current mod setup! If in the middle of a modded game you might want to delay the patch update (if possible) as even after reinstalling the mods, you might not be able to continue with your old savegames. Alternatively, copy the whole game's folder into a new one that can be modded and will stay untouched by game patches. It is important that you install the mod to the language version you are playing the game in. Otherwise, the dialogues of the mod will not show but give error messages.

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Windows

Extract the contents of the mod to the folder of the game you wish to modify (the folder which contains the "CHITIN.KEY" file). On successful extraction, there should be a ctb folder and a setup-ctb.exe file in your game folder. To install, simply double-click  setup-ctb.exe  and follow the instructions on screen.

Run  setup-ctb.exe  in your game folder to reinstall, un-install or otherwise change components.

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Mac OS X

Check The Bodies for Mac OS X distributed in the same compressed archive and includes a WeiDU installer.

First, extract the files from the archive into your game directory. On successful extraction, there should be a ctb folder, setup-ctb and setup-ctb.command files in your game folder. To install, double-click  setup-ctb.command  and follow the instructions on screen.

You can run  setup-ctb.command  in your game folder to reinstall, un-install or otherwise the components settings.

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Linux

Extract the contents of the mod to the folder of the game you wish to modify.

Download the latest Linux version of WeiDU and copy WeiDU and WeInstall to /usr/bin. Then open a terminal and cd to your game installation directory.

Optional: run 'tolower' and answer 'Y' to both queries. You can avoid running the second option (linux.ini) if you've already ran it once in the same directory. To save time, the archive is already tolowered, so there's no need to run the first option (lowercasing file names) either, if you've extracted only this mod since the last time you lowercased file names. If unsure, running tolower and choosing both options is the safe bet.

Run  WeInstall setup-ctb  in your game folder to install the mod. Then run  wine BGMain.exe  and start playing.

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Note for Complete Un-installation

In addition to the methods above for removing individual components, you can completely un-install the mod using  setup-ctb --uninstall  at the command line to remove all components without wading through prompts.

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Components

The installer includes the following components. The number of each is the component DESIGNATED number which gives it a fixed install position, lets other components and mods detect it and allows automated installers to specify component choices.

All optional components require the main component (they need to since it's the one that installs new content).

0. Check the Bodies: main component

This component installs the mod itself.

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1. Candlekeep Chores

This component adds the so called "Candlekeep Chores" which will trigger inside the library of Irenicus' Dungeon. The PC will be back in Candlekeep, remembering his/her chores during his normal life in Candlekeep. These chores have to be executed in length if the component "Candlekeep Chores Fast Foreward" is not installed. Each finished chore will grant the PC an ability.

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2. Candlekeep Chores Fast Forward (by hlidskialf)

This component requires the Candlekeep Chores component to be installed. It gives the possibility to shorten the Candlekeep Chores and allows you to bypass all the chores and lectures during the initial part of the Check the Bodies mod while still retaining the options for the various abilities that you had the opportunity to learn.

When you speak to Gorion after first appearing in Candlekeep, just ask him to "skip" the lectures and chores. It should work at almost any point along the days of chores, so long as they are not done for the day. The rest should be pretty straightfoward. I left in CBisson's rebuilt cutscenes from BG1 as I respect the work he did for the mod, as well as it's just a cool series of flashbacks. I hope this will help others enjoy the mod without having to endure the labors of childhood in a cRPG.

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3. Other improvements

This component patches the main component with some improvements:

• Change the entrances of AR0404.are to the original position/
• Change Yusef's name to Yassir, because Yusef is Surayas brother.
• Start the pirate quest in Athkathla at the gates by level 10.

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Troubleshooting

These are some general tips if you have problems getting the game working, with or without this or other mods. Many times, errors have to do with the game engine itself or the manner of installation or gameplay. The game recommends deleting all files out of the /cache, /temp and /tempsave sub-folders in your game folder to see if that resolves the problem before any further troubleshooting.

Symptom: Game freezes or crashes to desktop (CTDs)

Sometimes the game displays an "assertion error" in a pop-up window when this happens, but often times it doesn't. To enable the full error message, open the file baldur.ini in your me folder with a text editor (such as Notepad). If you find you can't edit it or save changes in Windows Vista or 7, see this topic for assistance.

Under the [Program Options] section in the file, type Logging On=1 (unless it's already there). While you're there, you may also want to make sure Debug Mode=1 is there to enable the CLUA Console for debugging and testing. Save the file and exit. Now go back into the game and try to reproduce the crash. Then look in your game folder again for the Baldur.err file and open it with a text editor to analyse its contents.

Symptom: Game crashes with no Baldur.err log and shows either a black screen or a pop-up window indicating an error at offset 005ca8a8

This usually indicates an animation-related issue. Make sure you have the latest version of the mod. If you've installed other mods after it and have this issue, install the fix available here.

Symptom:

Less-than-informative messages like these may indicate you're installing to a hard drive with a low data transfer rate or an antivirus program is active during installation (which can also affect data transfer). Try installing to an internal drive with antivirus protection disabled during the install. If unsure, disconnect from the Internet (either unplug your network cable or disable your wireless adaptor) and turn off all memory-resident programs during the install. To get a list of these, go to Start > Run and type msconfig where it says "Open:" then click OK. When the System Configuration Utility appears, click on the Startup tab. The only really necessary programs that need to be loaded in memory at startup are those related to your graphics chip (typically ATI or NVIDIA). Uncheck everything else, reboot and try installing the mod again. There are well-documented issues with installing mods while Avast antivirus is running, so make absolutely sure all components of Avast are completely disabled.

Other issues

If you have more than one large mod installed, please refer to the Megamod FAQ for more troubleshooting tips.

If none of this resolves your issue, or you have mod-specific issues, please report the problem in the mod's forum. Include the contents of your WeiDU.log file in the post, or attach it if it's large.

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Credits

Original author: Charles Bisson
Candlekeep Chores Fast Forward: hlidskialf
WeiDU coding: Charles Bisson (original installer), King Diamond (WeiDU revision), Ikky (EE Conversion) and Weigo (EE revision)
Support: Weigo and SHS Staff

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Special Acknowledgements to:

• Spellhold Studios team for hosting the mod (Forums).
• The creators of the Baldur's Gate series: Bioware and Black Isle Studios.
• Braño (aka Valiant, Slovakia): New Worldmap, Website and additional Hlondeth area modeling.
• Kevin Dorner: Baldurdash Bug-Fixes.
• Check The Bodies title: I hate to admit it, but I didn't come up with it... Thanks Aernor!
• Voice actors:
• The Cowled Wizard: Bob Dupuis, TheWizard
• Captain Deudermont and ElfSapate: Gregg notmrt Kincaid
• Portrait for Rynn taken from The Portrait Portal (Karse never mailed me back, so these were taken without permission).
• The Spellfire Play comes straight from Ed Greenwood's book, Spellfire<.em>. (I don't know the copyright information as I'm typing this.)
• The 'Tis Pity She's A Wench' play is based on John Ford's play 'Tis Pity She's A Whore', and I don't have the copyright info on that either.
• Candlekeep's music taken from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, copyright 2001.
• Captain Deudermont's stories:
• Arrival in Waterdeep taken from Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
• A Fantastic Voyage taken from Passage To Dawn by R.A. Salvatore
• The Sea Sprite's Crew also taken from Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
• Additional material taken from IE Games: BGI, IWDI, IWDII.
• WeiDU Installation Assistance provided by JCompton and Wes Weimer. Thanks guys!
• WeiDU bug testing provided by Andrew. Thanks!
• Further bug fixing: Hoppy, White Agnus, Weigo, Roxanne, jastey.
• Spanish translation: Ancalagon el Negro, Artemis, Chrono66, Lisandro, Melkor, Riojano2002, Serpol, ¿Quién si no?.
• Italian translation: Ilot (in collaboration with Arcangelo and Andrea C.).
• German translation: Leonardo Watson.
• French translation: Morkhan, La Voix 2 la Sagesse and Asa (of the d'Oghmatiques).
• Russian translation: aerie-ru.info team.
• Everyone else from The Gibberlings Three, Spellhold Studios forums, and the other Infinity Engine gaming and modding communities who offered their help and support.

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Programs/tools used in creation:

• WeiDU, by Wes Weimer, the bigg and Wisp.
• Near Infinity, by Jon Olav Hauglid, FredSRichardson, and Argent77.
• Infinity Explorer, by Dmitry Jemerov / bigmoshi.
• DLTCEP, by Avenger.
• IESDP, maintained by igi and lynx.
• IE Tileset Map Editor for Infinity Games, by Theo De Moree.
• TISpack by Per Olofsson.
• BAM Workshop, by Glenn Flansburg.
• BAMWorkshop 2, by Andrew Bridges.
• Notepad++, by the Notepad++ team, Don Ho, and the spellcheck plug-in.
• WeiDU Notepad++ Highlighters , by Argent77.

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Copyrights

Check The Bodies is not developed, supported, or endorsed by BioWare™ or Interplay/BlackIsle, Overhaul, Beamdog or the Wizards of the Coast. It was developed by Charles Bisson, based on material from the game Baldur's Gate II and its expansion.

All mod content is ©Charles Bisson.

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal © TSR, Inc. The BioWare Infinity Engine is © BioWare Corp. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

This mod was created to be freely enjoyed by all Baldur's Gate II players, and its content is free of rights. However, it should not be sold, published, compiled or redistributed in any form without the consent of the author.

Please note that any and all redistribution and/or hosting of this mod is prohibited without permission from the author.

If there are any copyright issues or this statement needs revision, then please contact me and advise me what to do about it. Most notably, if you see any artwork in this mod that might conflict with Copyright rules, please let me know as soon as possible, and I will remove the conflicting content immediately.

The modding community for the Infinity Engine has been going strong for more than 10 years now, and is the culmination of thousands of unpaid modding hours by fellow fans of the game. Modders produce their best work and players get the best, well-supported mods when we all work together.

There are two big ways to upset this harmony. One is to claim someone else's work as your own. The second is to host and redistribute a mod without permission from the author(s).

Be kind to your fellow players and modders. Don't do either.

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