BG3 Modders Multitool is bottlenecking us (And my other interesting finds about BG3 files)

[loregamer]

I wanted to document a few interesting technical discoveries that I believe we should explore about BG3 modding

If you guys have any MISCHIEVIOUS ideas about what we should do with this new info lemme know

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Current BG3 modding restrictions are self-inflicted
BG3 Modders Multitool is basically the tool every modder has been using to package mods.

But I suspect it has some unnecessary restraints to ensure we're following "correct" modding ettiquette?


I think it restricts the following that I was able to get around pretty easily by using LSLib directly such as:

• Packaging files >2GB
  • This for sure isn't a real thing since game pak files are larger than this
• Setting a higher Packing Priority than 127
  • If mods override the same assets, mod with the highest priority number will take precedence. Multitool limits it, for some reason
    
• Merging multiple mods together
  • There is nothing stopping us from packaging multiple mods into the same file, or merging a whole bundle of mods together into a singular pak and sharing that with friends. This would make mod management a LOT easier. And it's super easy, too.
  • BG3 Multitool doesn't stop us from packaging multiple mods into a single pak, but BG3 Mod Manager only accounts for parsing one mod per mod file.

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Larian has removed almost ALL backend mod validation in Patch 7
This is actually great news. I tested this and tried to break my save files in multiple ways that would for SURE cause a save to not open, game to crash, etc. Not anymore.

I tried multiple ways that loose file or mod mismatches caused you not to be able to connect to multiplayer lobbies with friends. These are all completely gone. It believe it only validates your mod order and IDs now, and I think that's it.

What I did to test was:

1. Pretended I was playing multiplayer with normies and re-packaged ImprovedUI with:
   • No Alphabets
   • Baldur's Better Aesthetics
   • Wylls of Toril
   • Character Creator De-Blacker
   • Plus UI
2. Invited my test account to the lobby
3. When joining, my test account was asked to download ImprovedUI from the official mod.io website
4. He joined, and I tested in game. Everything worked, and I got to have all my mods. He only had the actual ImprovedUI downloaded

So, basically, ways that would've stopped you from loading your save or not being able to connect with each other during multiplayer won't happen. And you can stealth install your own client side mods and your frens can be none the wiser.

If you can get the shiny "Join" button to show, you're getting in that lobby.

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Idea...

• Create an unrestricted mod manager tool that can make entire modlists a single pak file you can share with others
  • You would setup your mods and load order, it cooks a singular pak file that goes in your game folder, you profit
  • Would make it way easier to share modlists with friends who don't want to go through whole modding shenanigans
  • We could essentially make a big MODHQ EASY BG3 MODPACK pak file that essentially functions as a DLC
• Make it easy for us to set a higher mod priority to an absurdly higher number so we don't run into stuff like this: cc @Lancaster

  Any way to make this and your other voice altering mods work with DVQR?
  
  https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/ ... escription
  
  If not I don't need DVQR the same way I need a de-niggafied Wyll.

• Maybe some multiplayer restrictions removed? Elegant version of Party Limit Begone? Add way to bypass mismatched mods?

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Anyway, $4 a pound.

[Norfleet]

I wanted to document a few interesting technical discoveries that I be
[*] Setting a higher Packing Priority than 127

• If mods override the same assets, mod with the highest priority number will take precedence. Multitool limits it, for some reason

If it's a signed one-byte integer, values higher than 127 would be read as negative values. That might possibly be a reason, since 127 is the maximum value of an int8.