GameBanshee Forums

Hello.

I have recently started playing this game, and I am enjoying it very much. After finishing my first playthrough, I decided to look into patching the game before starting my second. However, I didn't realize that there were different competing versions of patches out there. I researched them, but trying to sift through all of the opinions on which patch is best is, well, daunting. I literally spent hours looking at stickies, sifting through old posts, etc.

So, I decided it would be MUCH easier to just ask a straightforward question to those who know. I am not overly concerned with the merits or faults of the patch creators, I just want to know which patch is closest to what I'm looking for, be it the "True Patch", "True Patch Gold", "Unofficial Patch (Basic)", or "Unofficial Patch (Plus)", an earlier version of one of them, or some combination of patch and mods that can achieve the desired result.

What I want: Bug fixes, the "clan histories" addition, widescreen resolution, the added dialog option to tell Heather to stay indoors (if possible).

What I DO NOT want: Discipline changes, difficulty "balances", changes to stealth, changes to the basic healing mechanic, etc.

What I have no preference either way on: Dialog option additions, graphic/texture/skin changes, added quests/posters, added/altered weapons and armor, sound additions/changes. (I wouldn't mind having these, but I'm not concerned if I don't).

So basically I'm fine with additions, but I don't want changes. Is there a patch/mod combination that will give me what I'm looking for? I have only played the game once, and have never played any patched version (other than the official 1.2), so I'm hoping that there objective players out there who have played multiple versions, and might know offhand. Thank you in advance...

Seems to me like you want the unofficial patch (Basic). No option for telling Heather to stay indoors, as far as I know, but that conflicts with your "no changes" policy, as it is a pretty big change right there. The True Patch... Well, it works, and gets things done, but, in my experience, is a bit unstable. Might have been a function of other things going on with my computer, but still, the Unofficial Patch made me experience no such hiccups.
If, at some point, you want a different experience (not too much, but different at points), you may try the Plus Patch. It's still the same story, I think, with barely any difference, its main changes are in gameplay (subtle things), and loot placement (not so subtle, but not really unbalancing either, and in my experience, it does things that make more sense that the vanilla game)
By the way, I think at least Wesp, the creator of the unofficial patch, is sometimes around this forums, so you may get a reccomendation from a particularly knowledgable sort. Necessarily biased, I guess, but even then, I think he may be able to paint a better picture than me.

I agree with Myrr that you should go with the Unofficial Patch basic if you want some additions like restored dialogues, but no big changes. On the other hand most of the really cool additions, like the recreated library level, are done in the plus patch which includes fewer changes that the supporters or the "true patches" will make you believe. The gameplay is hardly different and if you want to keep Heather, it's the only way to go...

I'm with Wesp on this one: even his Plus patch isn't that different in gameplay from the base game, and the most obvious changes that spring to mind actually improve the game, like the aforementioned loot changes. (You don't want to find a +1/+2 Dodge Skillbook far over half of the game, but rather at the start, no?)

Actually even the Dodge skillbook doesn't change anything. I just swapped it with the occult item that has exactly the same effect, but causes problems because if you use it, you can't read the book anymore later, unless you drop the item first. So it's more of a fix than a feature...

Thanks for all the help, everyone. It looks like the Unofficial (basic) is what I want, at least for now. I have no doubt that I will be trying the Plus version at some point, but for now, having only played through once, I'd like to get a little more experience with the "regular" game before changing it too much. It would be hard to tell if I like the Plus version without a sufficient basis for comparison, if that makes sense.

Which leads me to my next question... If I patch to Unofficial Basic now, do I have to re-install a clean version of the game to add Plus in the future, or can I just add Plus on top of Basic? I'm assuming I'll need a clean install.

Again, thanks for the help. I was already leaning toward the "Unofficial", simply because I was able to find FAR more detailed change logs for it (I found very little info about the "True", aside from personal opinions). You guys have just confirmed it for me. Much appreciated...

Sherwood15 wrote: If I patch to Unofficial Basic now, do I have to re-install a clean version of the game to add Plus in the future, or can I just add Plus on top of Basic? I'm assuming I'll need a clean install.

A clean reinstall is not necessary, you can just install the plus version of the patch over the basic one!

Wesp5 wrote:A clean reinstall is not necessary, you can just install the plus version of the patch over the basic one!

Awesome. Downloading it now. Thanks!