"Why does it say [Mirror] below the Recommended Sound
Set link?
The [Mirror] is an alternate site for you to download the sound set from.
In case the primary link does not work or if it too slow then please use the
[Mirror].
"OK, I just downloaded a character's Recommended Sound Set, how do I
know which game the sound set will work with?"
Look at the "Download Character" link just below the "Recommended Sound Set" link. Not all characters
are created for every game; some characters will only be available for Icewind Dale while others will be
available for Baldur's Gate and/or Baldur's Gate 2. If a link exists (in other words, if you can click
on the link) for "Download Baldur's Gate/Baldur's Gate 2 Character" then you know the Recommended Sound
Set for that character will work with both Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2. If the link reads
"Download Baldur's Gate 2 Character" then the sound set for that character will only work with Baldur's
Gate 2. Finally, if the link reads "Download Icewind Dale Character" then the Recommended Sound Set
listed for that character will only work with Icewind Dale.
"Why do I get the following message when I try to download a Recommended Sound Set: 'Too many users,
please try again later'?"
No worries, it just means that the site hosting the sound set is busy, so simply try to download the file
again in a minute or so. If you continue to get the message then keep trying or, if it gets out of hand,
drop the webmaster an Email.
"On the character pages it says, 'Last Character Update,' what does that mean?"
'Last Character Update' signifies the last time a particular character has been modified. More often
than not, this date is used to mark when a particular character is placed on the web page, but sometimes
it refers to the update of a pre-existing character. For example, if the biography of a pre-existing
character is increased, the date in the 'Last Character Update' field will change to reflect
that.
For those of you wondering how to import character
(.chr) files into a video game like Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, or
Icewind Dale, follow the instructions below.
1. Click on the link named "Download Character" next to
the character you want.
What happens if you want to import another character into your Single
Player saved game without having to start over? Follow the instructions
below to complete this task. Don't forget to place the character
(.chr) file in the Characters subdirectory of your main game
directory before proceeding.
2. Unzip the character file into the Characters subdirectory
located in your main game directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Baldur's
Gate\Characters).
3. Load the game in which you just downloaded the character for.
4. For a Single Player game click on the Single Player button
first.
4a. Click on New Game next.
4b. When the Character Generation screen appears, click the
Import button.
4c. Among the list of files that appear, search for the one you
just copied into the Characters subdirectory then select it.
4d. Once loaded, the computer will let you choose your character
appearance (including sound set) and name. You may either use the name of
the character provided on this web site and Recommended Sound Set or
choose your own. (Refer to the Importing
Sound Sets section of this help page for instructions on importing
sound sets.)
4e. When you character is complete, proceed by clicking
Done.
5. For a Multi Player game click on the Multi Player button
first.
5a. Next select Create Game.
5b. Select New Game after that.
5c. The computer will then load the Character Arbitration screen.
From this menu you can add from 1-6 characters. Once you select a
character slot and click Create you will then be forwarded to the Character
Generation Screen. To proceed from this screen look at the directions in
4b, 4c, and 4d above.
5d. When you have all your characters in place and you are back at
the Character Arbitration screen, select Done as the last step.
1. Copy your latest saved game from the Save directory, which
should be a subdirectory of your main Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, or
Icewind Dale directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Baldur's
Gate\Save), to the Mpsave directory.
Tip: If you start a Multi Player game with characters you generate
(either fresh or by importing) and want to continue playing this way
without having to go through all the fancy Multi Player setup then follow
step 10 above.
2. Load up the proper game and select Multi Player.
3. Next select Create Game.
4. Then select Load Game, and load the saved game you just copied
to the Mpsave folder.
5. Once the game loads you will be dumped at the Character
Arbitration screen, if you have a full party you'll need to remove one of
the characters (cannot be your Player Character) in order to place your
new character into the party.
6. If you already have an empty slot in your
party then simply click on Create Character and Import your new
character. (Read above for instructions on Importing
Characters.)
7. To complete the Character Arbitration screen click Done.
8. The game will now load with all your characters that you
selected from the Character Arbitration screen.
9. Once the game has loaded, save it again and exit.
10. Now, you are going to repeat the first step only in reverse,
copy the latest saved game from your Mpsave directory to your Save
directory. Open the game again, click on Single Player, and load the
game you just copied back to the Save folder. Presto!
You'll find Recommended Portraits for every
character on this site; you may use them or not, it's your choice.
If you choose to use them, follow these instructions for importing
them into your game.
1. Click on the link named "Recommended Portrait" next to
the character portrait you want.
If the portrait does not appear correctly when you import the character
then follow the steps below to change the portrait manually in the game.
2. Make a new subdirectory in your main game directory entitled
Portraits (e.g. C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Baldur's Gate\Portraits).
This works for ALL Infinity Engine Games: Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2,
and Icewind Dale.
3. Unzip the downloaded portrait file into the Portraits
subdirectory you just made.
4. Load the game in which you just downloaded the portrait file
and created the Portraits subdirectory for.
5. When you import the specified character, his/her portrait should
appear, provided you downloaded the matching portrait and followed the
above steps. (Refer to the Importing Characters
section of this help page for instructions on importing character
files.)
1. Start a new game or load an existing saved game with the
character you want to use. (Refer to the Importing
Characters section of this help page for instructions on importing
character files.)
2. Once the game has loaded, select the character you want to
change by clicking their picture on the right side of the screen.
3. When you have selected the proper character, click the Character
Record icon (usually denoted by the figure of a person's head) on the left
side of the screen.
4. On the Character Record screen, click the Customize button.
5. Next click the Appearance button.
6. A box with a portrait should appear, when it does, click the
Custom button at the bottom of the box.
7. You will then see a listing of all the portraits in the
Portraits subdirectory. Click the portrait file entitled xxxxxxxs.bmp for
the small portrait and xxxxxxxl.bmp for the large portrait, also known as
the medium portrait. (xxxxxxx = the name of the portrait file minus the
"s" or "l").
8. Once the proper portrait files are selected, click the Done
button twice (once for the Appearance box and once for the Customize
box). And with that, you are done too!
Some of the characters will recommend using a sound set
from the specific game they were created for while other characters will
recommend using a custom sound set. To decode the Recommended Sound Set link,
refer to this legend:
BG = Baldur's Gate/Tales of the Sword Coast Sound Set included in the game
Here are two example links:
BG2 = Baldur's Gate 2/Throne of Bhaal Sound Set included in the game
IWD = Icewind Dale/Heart of Winter Sound Set included in the game
CUSTOM = Custom Sound Set not included in any game, click to download
Recommended Sound Set - BG2 - MALE003
The first link describes that the Recommened Sound Set is one of the included sound sets in Baldur's Gate
2/Throne of Bhaal, namely "MALE003." The second link is for a Custom Sound Set entitled "DRACO" that may
be downloaded and imported into your game. See below or click here for instructions on Importing Sound Sets.
Recommended Sound Set - CUSTOM - DRACO
Follow these steps to ensure that the Custom Sound Sets are imported properly. If
there is no link for a Recommened Sound Set then view the section above on Deciphering
Sound Sets. Refer to the Note at the bottom of this page for information on
interchanging Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and Icewind Dale sound sets.
1. Click on the link named "Recommended Sound Set" next to
the character sound set you want.
You may also change a character's sound set while you are in a game. View the instructions below to
complete this.
2. Unzip the downloaded sound set file into the Sounds
subdirectory located in your main game directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Baldur's
Gate\Sounds).
3. Load the game in which you just downloaded the sound set for.
4. When you import the specified character on the Character Generation screen, you will be able to
choose the character's sound set by clicking the Appearance button; the sound set you just unzipped into
the Sounds subdirectory should appear on the list along with all the other available sound sets. (Refer
to the Importing Characters section of this help page for instructions on
importing character files.)
1. Start a new game or load an existing saved game with the
character you want to use. (Refer to the Importing
Characters section of this help page for instructions on importing
character files.)
Note: Mixing sound sets between Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and Icewind Dale can be detrimental.
Icewind Dale sound sets use a totally different filename structure than Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate
2. Therefore, using a Baldur's Gate or Baldur's Gate 2 sound set for Icewind Dale is NOT recommended.
It is possible to use Baldur's Gate sound sets in Baldur's Gate 2 and vice versa, the only problem
is, some of the sounds will not be heard for various actions. For example, Baldur's Gate sound sets do
not have sounds for successful hide in shadows, successful pick pocket, spell disruption, critical hit
and so on which normally have sound acknowledgements in Baldur's Gate 2. If you can live with a few
missing sounds then feel free to import Baldur's Gate sound sets into Baldur's Gate 2. Follow the
Importing Sound Sets instructions above.
2. Once the game has loaded, select the character you want to
change by clicking their picture on the right side of the screen.
3. When you have selected the proper character, click the Character
Record icon (usually denoted by the figure of a person's head) on the left
side of the screen.
4. On the Character Record screen, click the Customize button.
5. Next click the Sounds button.
6. A box with a list of sound sets should appear, when it does, click
the sound set you want for the character.
7. Once the proper sound set is selected, click the Done
button twice (once for the Sounds box and once for the Customize
box). And with that, you are done too!