MGSV: The Phantom Pain - S++ Solider Mod

Updated for MGSV: TPP v1.10.

Ever notice how you never retrieve S+ and S++ soldiers in the field while Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? You may come across some Boasters that appear to have such high stats, but once you're back in motherbase they will always drop down to S Rank or below.

It turns out that, although the game was once supposed to give you those soldiers, they have been disabled from ever spawning in the single player game, forcing you to get involved in online gameplay (and so hopefully spend real money on "MB coins") if you want to see them.

In a practical sense, this unfortunately means that once you reach an average motherbase platform rank of 64, the quality of the soldiers you find in the game will suddenly grind to a near halt.

Consider the following:

With an average motherbase platform level of 58, you have a 15% chance of finding an S Rank soldier in the field. By the time you reach level 64, that's doubled to 30%. This is the sort of progression you see throughout the game with other ranks... but work hard and reach level 98, and you'll STILL have a 30% chance of finding an S Rank soldier in the field!

Once you reach level 64, around the time S+ and S++ should be introduced, soldier rank progression just stops...

Here's the game code in question, with my comments after them showing the average motherbase platform level, so you can see for yourself:

Key: g = E Rank, f = D Rank, e = C Rank, d = B Rank, c = A Rank, b = A+ Rank, a = A++, s = S Rank, sp = S+ Rank, spp = S++ Rank

When you plot the first 100 levels, it looks like this:

And, as had been stated already, you may have notice that S+ and S++ soldiers are never set to never appear...

But what if someone altered the code so that the appearance of S+ and S++ soldiers mimicked the appearance of the other solider ranks, slowly being integrated into the game at a pace that doesn't break the game progression. Maybe like so...

Wouldn't that be more fun?

Each level of soldier has a different AI, so rather than just make everyone S++ (which makes the game unbelievably dull, trust me) the patch ensures there's always a smattering of tactics you will face. This keeps the game challenging while rewarding you with S+ and S++ soldiers as you progress.

(Huge thanks to found-a-universe for helping test this mod. Their feedback is what helps make TPP remain fun after the mod.)

If you think this sounds like a good idea, here's the simple mod that puts the above code into your game, so you can enjoy the game progress as you reach later levels:

DOWNLOAD: MGSV: TPP S++ Solider Mod (v1.10)

Let me know if you like it!

Day of the Tentacle History Lesson: Part 2

Part two of my little guide to increasing your enjoyment of Tim Schafer's and Dave Grossman's seminal adventure game classic DAY OF THE TENTACLE. The game makes many a reference to a somewhat mythological version of American history, which is great if you're an American. But what if you're not?

Here's a bunch of completely true, and no way wrong, commonly held American historical myths that are referenced to in Day of the Tentacle. Ok, so maybe some of them aren't actually true (of course Benjamin Franklin didn't discover electricity), but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use this website as a reference to back up your next pub argument.

Part one is here!

Thanks to the awesome people at the Double Fine forums for helping out with this list!

Betsy Ross

...and the American Flag

Betsy Ross, a modest and self-reliant seamstress, is approached by the founding fathers to see if she could produce a national flag for the new country, based on their design patterns. She was apprehensive, but willing. "I do not know but I could try; I had never made one but if the pattern were shown to me, I do not doubt of my ability to do it." It took the founding fathers a few attempts to get their designs right, but Ross was successful, and so history was made.

Key takeaway: Betsy Ross made the United States national flag from the founding father's designs.

Benjamin Franklin

...and electricity

Benjamin Franklin did something with electricity with a kite that had a key attached. It's all very complicated and weird, and nobody really understands it, but basically by flying a kite in a storm, with a key attached, Franklin discovered electricity.

Ok, while that does appear to be the general understanding on this myth, here's a little more information that makes it make more sense: Franklin's experiment was actually an attempt to prove that lightning and electricity (which was still poorly understood at the time) were one and the same thing. To prove this, he sent a key up into the air on a kite during a storm. Eventually lightning struck the kite and Franklin brought the kite down to earth. If his argument was correct, the key would have a ton of static electricity stored in it, just waiting to zap the next person who decided to touch it, and lo, if he wasn't right.

Key takeaway: Benjamin Franklin "discovered" electricity with a key tied to a kite in a thunderstorm (leading to the kite being struck by lightning)

...and the National Bird

Benjamin Franklin was not convinced that the United States should be represented by a bald eagle, and believed the national bird should have been a turkey. He wrote that he found the bald eagle to be of "bad moral character", as it lazily poaches its food from other animals, and is a "rank coward" as it can be driven from an area by a bird no bigger than a sparrow (the kingbird).

He concluded from this that, "the bald eagle is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest America", and instead looked at the turkey more favourably: "The turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and additionally a true original Native of America, and a bird of courage."

Key takeaway: Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the United States national bird

The Pony Express

The Pony Express was the fastest mail service in the United States, and became legendary for the speed of its delivery across the country.

...and the red flag on the mailbox 

Don't forget, when the flag it up on a mailbox, it means that there's outgoing mail inside waiting to be picked up.

---

This I've missed something? Comment and let me know! And don't forget to read Part One!

Day of the Tentacle History Lesson: Part 1

Fans of classic LucasArts adventure games will know that Tim Schafer's and Dave Grossman's seminal adventure game classic DAY OF THE TENTACLE (which is due for a Special Edition some point soon) makes references to a slightly-exaggerated (but still very popular) version of American history. There are some great references to get if you're American, but what if you're not?

With that in mind, here are a bunch of completely true, and not in anyway exaggerated or simplified, commonly-held American historical "facts" that are referenced to in Day of the Tentacle, for us non-Americans.

These are the stories you would have heard growing up as a child if you were raised in the US (that you'd later learn as adult were a bit more complicated). They are the shared folklore of the United States, and they are referenced to heavily in Day of the Tentacle.

Enjoy!

Some basic scene-setting

During your time in the world of Day of the Tentacle, you'll meet some founding fathers of the United States; George Washington (soon to become the first President), Benjamin Franklin (famous inventor), Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock. They've declared Independence from Europe, but now they're trying to write a Constitution for their new country.

See also: Part two!

Thanks to the awesome people at the Double Fine forums for helping out with this list!

George Washington... 

...and the Cherry Tree

A six year old George Washington was given a hatchet to play with (hey, it was the 1700s, things were different back then), and it became one of his prized possessions. He would enthusiastically hack at just about anything he could get his hands on, but usually his mother's plants.

One morning, however, he got a little bit carried away with his hacking, and, while nobody was watching, chopped down a beautiful young English CHERRY TREE in his family's back garden.

As it turns out, the tree was a particular favourite of his Dad's, and when he saw what befallen (heh) it he was very angry. He called over his favourite hatchet-happy son, and began the interrogation.

"George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree in the garden?"

George realised he was in serious trouble, but braced himself for punishment and told the truth anyway: "I can't tell a lie, Pa ; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet!”

His Dad was so surprised and impressed with his son's honesty in the face of inevitable punishment that he immediately forgave him. "A son's honesty is worth more than a thousand trees!", he said, and gave him a big hug.

Key takeaway: George Washington likes cutting down cherry trees.

...and Valley Forge

Later in his career George Washington commander of the US Army, and things weren't looking good. The British had just taken control of Philadelphia, and were close to victory. Washington's troops were so close to collapse that he had no choice but to retreat to Valley Forge in the hope of getting them some much needed supplies and rest. Unfortunately they found anything but.

Congress had been unable to get supplies through, so his men suffered an incredibly harsh winter at Valley Forge without clothes, blankets, or appropriate food.

Washington refused to give up, however, and forced his men to stick together through the cold, hard winter, despite the terrible conditions. If he hadn't, it's considered that it might have been the end of the Revolutionary War.

Key takeaway: George Washington can handle a bit of cold weather

...and his wooden teeth

George Washington had false teeth... made from wood. Yes, really.

Thomas Jefferson

Hey, it's that guy from the nickel!

John Hancock

...and his massive signature

John Hanock's signature on the Declaration of Independence (and other documents) is always so damned big.

Remember: All of the information here is completely true and in no way a simplified or exaggerated version of history.

Read part two now!

"Grand Theft Auto V has stopped working" - Potential Fix

Like millions of others, I 've recently purchased Grand Theft Auto V for the PC, and unfortunately like many of those the game kept crashing no matter what my settings were. After looking through Windows Event Viewer, at the Application Error list, I saw the following:

Faulting application name: GTA5.exe, version: 1.0.331.1, time stamp: 0x552e6cfd
Faulting module name: ICProxy64.dll, version: 2.2.7.7, time stamp: 0x5297da23
Exception code: 0xc0000417
Fault offset: 0x0000000000043430
Faulting process id: 0xfbc
Faulting application start time: 0x01d07a1d9a56e133
Faulting application path: X:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\GTA5.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ICProxy64.dll
Report Id: fc235624-e610-11e4-bfa7-10bf48b8b8dc
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

After a quick Google I discovered that ICProxy64.dll belonged to a program I'd installed many months prior called "Identity Cloaker".

I never used this program (I can't even remember why I installed it), so I decided to get rid and uninstall it. I then loaded GTA V and reset my graphical settings. The game crashed.

Luckily, it was just a one off. Since removing Identity Cloaker the game has worked flawlessly. If you're having problems playing Grand Theft Auto V (or Grand Theft Auto Online), and have this program installed, you should probably remove it... It may be just the thing that's causing all your problems.

If not, make sure you open a support ticket at Rockstar Games. They should be able to help you, eventually.

Good luck!

Planescape: Torment - Best Mods Guide

Update: April 2017

Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition has been announced and will be released shortly. Current indications seem to be that this edition will be the new definitive version, having been personally approved by Chris Avellone and even including many of the fan-made tweaks below. Fingers crossed!

You can read more about it here: http://www.planescape.com

I've pre-ordered my copy. Let's see!

Edit: Yep, it's great. Just play Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition and skip the pain below.

---

This is the ultimate guide to Planescape: Torment mods; Including increasing the game resolution, playing in widescreen, installing the best mods, fixing bugs, re-adding deleted missions, and running on modern operating systems like Windows 8, 7, XP and Vista.This is a complete step-by-step guide to installing, patching and improving Planescape: Torment. It will allow you to play the game in widescreen (in any resolution you like), fix hundreds of bugs, re-add deleted missions that were cut due to time constraints, and much more.

In short: This is how Planescape: Torment SHOULD be played.

All of these wonderful things are possible thanks to the hard work of the following Planescape: Torment fans: Qwinn, scient, GhostDog, Valerio Bigiani (the bigg) and Aqrit. I've also used additional help constructing this guide from Jake, Air, Jeff Vader and others. Thanks a lot!

If you have any problems using this guide, there is now a TROUBLESHOOTING section at the end.

NOTE FOR GOG.COM USERS
Planescape: Torment was recently made available on the excellent Good Old Games website (aka http://www.gog.com). I'm pleased to announce that this guide is fully compatible with that version of the game, simply skip the first two steps and go straight to Step 3a. Enjoy!

Please note: It is highly recommended that you install these mods when you're starting a new game. If you're in the middle of an existing game, there can be unpredictable problems with your existing saves.

Note: The order in which you do the following steps IS important, so don't skip one unless it's 'optional' or 'recommended'.

Step 1: Install the Game (Required - of course)
You should have no problems using the normal installer, but it will only install the files found on Disc 1 (and then possibly force you to sit through an Icewind Dale trailer - arg).

WINDOWS 8, 7 AND VISTA USERS
It is highly recommended that you should NOT install the game to your C:\Program Files\ directory. That directory is a special directory and is locked by Windows to make it impossible for other files to alter what is installed there (for security reasons), which means it will potentially cause you a few problems later when you try to save games or install mods. To make life easier on yourself, just install the game to a different directory (eg. C:\Games\) or a different drive (eg. D:\).

Side note: Do NOT disable UAC in Windows -- This is akin to using a battleaxe to slice an apple!

UAC makes sure that applications do not have Administrator access on your system, while still giving YOU Administrator access when you need it. Disabling it for the sake of a game is very stupid. Don't do it!

Don't worry about doing a full-install now though, we'll get to that later in Step 2.
Step 1a: Install the official patch (Required - Only on the 4 disc or 1 disc versions!)
Note: If your copy of Planescape: Torment came on 2 discs then SKIP this step! (The patch is already pre-installed on the 2 disc version, and installing again it will cause problems within the game.)

How to install: If you're running the 4 CD or 1 DVD version then just download the official patch (trmt11.exe) and run the executable (it will automatically know where you've installed the game). This will bring Planescape: Torment up to version 1.1.

Step 1b: Install language packs (Optional)
Install the language packs you want (if any).

IMPORTANT: QUICK CHECK!
Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Ok, that's the basics done. Now let's take full advantage of your modern machine, and improve the loading speed and the graphics quality...

Step 2: Improve loading times on faster machines (Required)
Note: The step is necessary before you can perform the Steps 3a and b, below.What it does: Copying all of the game's files to your harddrive improves the game loading speed immensely and allows you to improve the graphics, too. It requires approximately 1.3GB of HD space, which should not be an issue for modern machines.

How to do it (4 disc version):

1. First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".
2. Then copy all the .bif files from disc 2 into this directory. (You'll find the .bif files in a folder called "cd2" on the game disc).
3. Now copy all the .bif files from discs 3 and 4.

How to do it (1 disc version):

1. First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".
2. Then copy all the .bif files from the "cd2" directory of the disc into the CDALL directory.
3. Do the same for the .bif files in the "cd3" and "cd4" directories on the disc.

How to do it (2 disc version):

1. First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".
2. Then copy all the .bif and .cbf files from disc 2 into this directory. (You'll find the .bif and .cbf files in a folder called "cd2" on the disc).

It will take a while to copy all these files to your HD and Windows will alert you that some of them already exist. This is perfectly normal: These are duplicate files (the same files stored on different game discs to reduce the amount of disc swapping when playing the game from CD). Just skip them or overwrite them and you will be saving yourself 500 megabytes of HD space in the process.

When you're finished you should either have 188 files (4 disc or 1 disc versions) or 108 files (2 disc versions) in the CDALL directory.

Now we just need to edit the configuration file to point to our new directory instead of the CD drive.

4. Open torment.ini in Notepad. At the top should be a section called [alias] and it should look something like this:

HD0:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment
CD1:=D:\
CD2:=D:\cd2CD3:=D:\cd3
CD4:=D:\cd4
CD5:=D:\cd5

Please note: Your configuration file might not be identical to this!

The top line ("HD0:") is where the game is installed on your harddrive (as mentioned, it may be different than shown here). The next lines point to your CD/DVD drive on your computer.

We need to change it so that the "CD" lines point to this "CDALL" directory you created. So, in my case, my torment.ini file now looks like this:

HD0:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment
CD1:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALL
CD2:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALL
CD3:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALL
CD4:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALL
CD5:=D:\Note: You can ignore the CD5 line, it's not used.

5. For the next step, we're going to speed up loading times even more. Look the for the following line in the torment.ini file:

CacheSize=600

and change it to:

CacheSize=1

(The cache simply copies file from your CD to your harddrive -- since you've already done that, there's no point in getting the copy to copy them from your harddrive to your harddrive!)

6. Finally, to make the game look smoother and play better, make the following changes to the following lines in the torment.ini file:

Path Search Nodes=32000

and

Maximum Frame Rate=40

7. Save the file in Notepad and you're all set! (Note: Windows Vista and Windows 7 users should close and re-open the torment.ini file to ensure that the changes were saved.)

GOG.COM VERSION OWNERS START HERE!
Note: Make sure you've installed the game in a folder that isn't C:\Program Files!

QUICK CHECK!
Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Step 3a: Install The Bigg's Widescreen mod (Highly recommended)
(Currently at version 3.05)
Note: You MUST complete Step 2 before attempting to install this mod (unless you're a Gog.com version owner)!

What it does: This awesome patch allows you to play Planescape: Torment at a higher resolution, making the game look a whole lot better, especially on modern monitors.

NOTE
If you have existing savegames you must let the mod update them during installation otherwise they will become invalidated. (The mod will give you a choice during installation.) I strongly suggest backing up your saves first. Please note: As a side-effect of adapting your saves to the new system, all previously explored areas will be re-covered in the "fog of war".

How to install: Download from mod from here: The Bigg's Widescreen mod (no, it doesn't matter whether you actually have a widescreen monitor or not). (If the previous link is broken, please check the official site.)

Double-click on the downloaded file, widescreen-v3.05.exe (it doesn't matter where the file is) and Browse to the directory on your computer where Planescape: Torment is installed. Click Install once you've done this.

When the new window opens, you will need to answer a series of very simple questions:

1. Choose your desired language (e.g. "0" for English followed by Enter).
2. Type "N" and press Enter to skip viewing the ReadMe file.
3. Install "Component [Widescreen Mod]" by typing "1" and pressing Enter.

4. When asked for your X-coordinates, enter the number of pixels wide you'd like the resolution to be. When asked for your Y-coordinates enter the number of pixels tall you'd like the resolution to be.

If you have an LCD monitor (and I'm sure 99% of you will), then you'll probably want to run the game at your monitor's highest resolution to achieve the maximum sharpness of graphics. Here's a list of common resolutions for those who feel unsure of what to type. (You can keep experimenting until you find one that looks best for you.)

"Square" monitors			Widescreen monitors
X	Y		X	Y
800	600		1280	800
1024	768		1440	900
1280	960		1680	1050
1280	1024		1920	1200

Enter the co-ordinates and press ENTER.

5. Type 'Y' to update any savegames you have.
6. Type 'Y' if you're planning to play Planescape: Torment on more than one machine with different display resolutions. Otherwise, just type 'N'.

7. Finally, if everything looks good, type 'Y' to install the mod. When it's finished just press ENTER.

If you have any problems during install, check this thread for help: Common Problems Widescreen Mod.

Note: You MUST follow the next step in order to fix the graphics at your new higher resolution!

Step 3b: Install Ghostdog's incredible UI mod (Required)
(Currently at version 2.2)

What it does: Increasing the resolution of the game will knock many special graphical effects out of place, put videos in the top left hand corner of your screen, make the menu screens look really ugly, and possibly even make the text really hard to read. Luckily this mod fixes ALL the above problems... It's really quite amazing!

How to install: This mod is a little trickier to install, but it's worth it, and all of the mods in the later steps are installed the in the same way...

OPENING .RAR OR .7Z FILES
Before you begin you will need some software capable of opening .rar and .7z files. If you don't already have something, I recommend downloading and installing the excellent free utility 7-Zip.

First, download the mod from here: Ghostdog's UI Mod.

When you've downloaded it, you'll notice it's a .7z file. You need to open it up (usually just double-clicking on the file) and extract the entire archive directly to your Planescape: Torment directory (this is the directory where torment.exe is).

Once you've done this, double-click on the file Setup-GhostDog's-PST-UI.exe from within the game's directory.

Note: If Windows doesn't want to allow you to run the file, simply right-click on it, select "Properties", then "Unblock", and finally, "OK". Then try again.

In the window that opens you will be asked question, like with Bigg's Widescreen Mod:

1. Type "N" to skip viewing the ReadMe.
2. Type "I" to install the mod.
3. You will then get five options (in various languages):

1. Install the mod with the default fonts
2. Install the mod with 20% bigger fonts
3. Install the mod with 40% bigger fonts
4. Install the mod with 80% bigger fonts
5. Install the mod with 120% bigger fonts

It's a pretty hard thing to gauge from just looking at the numbers, but luckily Ghostdog has also provided a screenshot to help you decide. Take a look at the preview below to see what size is easiest to read on your monitor (click to see full size):

To pick an option, just type a number associated with it and press ENTER.

Note: If you're running Windows 7 and AVG anti-virus and you get a "permission denied" error, you may need to disable AVG's "Resident Shield" before this mod will install successfully. (Thanks to Maale for the tip.)

Note: Don't worry! As with all of the mods below, you can always run the setup file again in order to change your options. So if you don't like the font size you picked, simply run the Setup-GhostDog's-PST-UI.exe again and pick a different option!

QUICK CHECK!
Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Step 4: Install the Ultimate Fixpack by Qwinn (Highly recommended)
(Currently at version 4.13)

NOTE
You will not be able to use your existing savegame files once you've installed the Fixpack -- you will have to start a new game. Do not continue with this guide until you're happy to start a new game!

What it does: Fixes hundreds of bugs left in the game. You definitely want this installed before playing the game.

How to install: Download the mod from here: Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack, and as with the previous mod, extract the entire archive to the game directory.

Then double click on the set-up file, Setup-PST-Fix.exe, from within the game directory. (As before, you may need to manually "unblock" the file before Windows will let you run it.)

In the window that opens, enter your language number (for example, enter "0" for English) and press ENTER. Then choose "N" (you can view the readme later if you want).

You'll then get the option to install the following items:

• Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack, by Qwinn
• Dialogue Spelling/Grammar Corrections (English Only)
• Subtitled Cutscenes

You should choose to install all three of these items, one-by-one. To do this, just type "I" and press ENTER for each one.

Explanation of the things you've just installed options:

• The Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack is, as you'd expect, a ton of bug fixes for the game. You definitely want this.
• The second option, Dialogue Spelling/Grammar Corrections, again corrects mistakes in the game's text (some serious, some not so serious, but all recommended).
• The final option, Subtitled Cutscenes, is also recommended as there's some very important stuff said during the cutscenes -- that you don't want to miss!

You can now play a bug fixed, generally improved, version of Planescape: Torment, but why stop there when there's so much other great stuff to add...

Step 5a: Install Unfinished Business by Qwinn (Recommended)
(Currently at version 4.12)

What it does: The Unfinished Business patch adds many missions back into the game that the designer's didn't have time to finish. Often these are items, conversations, and even entire quests that were intended to be in the game, but time and money constraints meant they were left out, despite being close to completion.

How to install: Download the mod from here: Qwinn's Unfinished Business patch.

Extract all files to the game directory (where torment.exe lives) and double-click on Setup-PST-UB.exe.

You will then be asked, as before, which items you want to install. All recommendations in this guide assume you're a new player to Planescape: Torment.

Do NOT install:

• All Recommended PS:T Unfinished Business Components

(Saying no to this will give you more control, below.)

You SHOULD install:

• Expanded Deionarra's Truth Mod

Do NOT install:

• Restored Cheat Items

You SHOULD install:

• Restored Able Ponder-Thought Research

Do NOT install:

• Restored More Morte Mortuary Moments

(This is interesting if you're familiar with the game. Basically it alters Morte's dialogue tree at the very beginning, but players new to Planescape: Torment are recommended to stay with the normal version.)

• Restored Candlestick Quest

(Again, this is better for players familiar with the game, for new players it's a little buggy and confusing.)

You SHOULD install:

• Restored Deionarra's Truth Conversations

Do NOT install:

• Restored Pendant of Yemeth Quest

(See Restored Candlestick Quest above for the reason why.)

You SHOULD install the rest of the mods. Each slightly improve and expand on the game in their own way:

• Restored Elyce and Company
• Restored Curst Citizens
• Restored Curst Prisoners
• Restored Carl Parfidor
• Restored Morte & Ingress's Teeth Banter
• Restored Alley of Dangerous Angles Thugs
• Restored Items
• Restored Party Comments and Banters
• Restored Mebbeth
• Restored Lower Ward Encounters
• Restored Bestiary Entries

Note from Qwinn: You MUST keep an item from Ravel's Garden through most of the game to complete the "Expanded Deionarra's Truth Mod" quest. This item has multiple other uses. You may have to forego the other uses to keep one until you need it near the end of the game. You have been warned!

Step 5b: Install Tweaks Pack (Recommended)
(Currently at version 4.12)

What it does: This patch tweaks and rebalances elements of the game. These are things that make the game more enjoyable to play, and have been requested by players since it was released.

How to install: Download the mod from here: Qwinn's PS:T Tweak Pack.

Same as before, extract all files to the game directory. Then run Setup-PST-Tweak.exe.

As a new player you SHOULD install the following:

• Banter Accelerator (30 mins)

Do NOT install:

• Dustman Robes Area Restriction Removal (it's a minor tweak for advanced players that may cause crashes)

You SHOULD install:

• BG2-Style THAC0 Display (makes your stats slightly easier to understand)
• Stackable Rings, Charms, Bracelets, Scrolls
• Explore City Areas

Do NOT install:

• Scale of Souls

You SHOULD install:

• Save Nordom! Tweak

Do NOT install:

• Disabled Stat Minimums

You SHOULD install:

• Maximized HP Per Level for TNO and Party
• Maximized Friends Spell

These are very minor changes. I recommend NOT installing them, but it's up to you:

• No Battle Music
• Use Floating Text Font Globally

Do NOT install:

• Identify All Items
• Early Glabrezus Tweak
• Power Action Leprechaun Annah, by Black Isle
• Easter Egg Morte, by Black Isle
• Add Quickload (it's unstable, sadly)
• Rest Anywhere
• Tome Of Cheats

Note: You can change your mind and add/remove any of these items later by running Setup-PST-Tweak.exe again.

Step 6: Install Aqrit's DDrawFix (Recommended -- Not needed by GOG.com users!)
(Currently at version 1.0)

Finally, modern PC users will need to install the following mod to remove any graphical glitches their state-of-the-art graphics card creates with an old game like this.

Download and instructions can be found here: http://bitpatch.com/ie_ddrawfix.html

It installs the same way as the previous mods (extract the archive to your Planescape: Torment folder and run the executable).

CONGRATULATIONS!
You're all done! You can relax, start-up Planescape: Torment and enjoy one of the greatest games ever made in the best possible configuration. Hurrah!

Step 7: Help! I don't know what stats to give my character!

I've done everything you've suggested and the first screen I'm presented with is a bunch of stats for my character. How should I distribute them for the best Planescape: Torment experience? 

Fear not, the answer is pretty much unanimous for this RPG. Everyone agrees that, unlike most games of this genre, WISDOM is the most important attribute, followed by INTELLIGENCE, and then CHARISMA.

Boosting these stats will open up more of the story to you.

As such, it's been suggested that the following starting stats are best:

WIS: 18

INT: 17

CHR: 13

CON: 9
STR: 9

DEX: 9

DEXERITY is considered the least important attribute of the game.

For a further, spoiler free, guide for beginners, I recommend reading Orion79's Beginner's Guide.

Good luck!

---

TROUBLESHOOTING
If you're having any problems, here's a quick list of common issues with solutions.

Problem: I've installed the game onto my harddrive but it still asks for disc 2! What's going on??
Solution: This guide does NOT remove copyright protection(!). You will still need to have your Planescape: Torment disc inserted in order to play this game. There are a couple of "no cd" fixes to be found on the internet, but these will, unfortunately, most likely interfere with the many updates featured in this guide.

(Note: If you're having weird issues that nobody can help you with and you're using a "no cd" fix, that could be the cause. Unfortunately, if you didn't make a back-up of the original torment.exe file before you applied the "no cd" patch, then you will have to restart the installation of everything from scratch. :( )

Problem: I still don't get it. I copied all the game files onto my harddrive in order to make it quicker... so why does Planescape: Torment need the disc in the drive when I run it?
Solution: Yes, you are running the game from your harddrive, but while the game is loading it checks to see that you own the original game by looking for the game disc in your drive. Once it has finished this quick security check, everything else is being loaded from your harddrive.

Problem: I keep being asked to register my game, it's very annoying!
Solution: Very easy solution here, just go to the game folder (where torment.exe is) and delete the folder called ereg. This will stop that annoying pop-up from bugging you. (Thanks to Killah Mate for sharing this bug fix!)

Problem: The default game icon looks really cruddy on my Windows Vista/7 desktop
This bugged me, too, so I made this little replacement icon. Much better!



Download the Vista/7 compatible icon (right-click save as...).




Problem: I have another problem that is not listed here :(
Solution: Try looking in this thread on the Spellhold Studios website. Hopefully you will find your answer there. (If you not, you could try asking for help. Some kind soul may know what to do.)

If you have any suggestions on how to improve this guide, please post it below. Thanks everyone!

Bioshock: DirectX 10/Vista black screen problem FIX

I'm sure you'll all be happy to hear that I had a good holiday despite all of the problems in my previous post. Despite the fact that we stayed in the grubbiest, dirtiest, most run-down youth hostel in the western hemisphere (my fault), we all managed to get used to it and have a great time. I even managed to get some surfing in (I'm still crap at it). Plus, I've just been refunded the money from my bank - yay! In fact, the trip itself was quite revelatory, in a personal way... Anyway, I digress.

This is just a quick post for the thousands of people struggling to run the recently released game, Bioshock, and hopefully, if you're searching for a solution, this might be the one for you. (If not, then there's little of interest below - sorry!)

For myself, this is the problem I've been having: In Windows Vista with a DirectX 10 graphics card, the game crashes to an faint (almost black) loading screen after I've chosen the difficulty level.

The first workaround was to run the game in DirectX 9 mode (right click Bioshock's icon in Vista's Game Profiles screen and choose 'Play DirectX 9'). This worked long enough for me to get to the Medical Pavilion, but then it crashed horribly, plus it was kind of annoying not being able to take full advantage of DirectX 10. The second workaround involved running the game in windowed mode, which for some reason worked fine.

Never mind all that though, because here is the 100% solution to the black screen hanging problem in Vista (the solution is actually step 4, but it's worth doing 1-3 while you're at it):

• 1. Firstly, if you're running an Intel based motherboard, download and install the latest INF files for it. This is very simple, thankfully, using Intel's INF Utility program.
  

• 2. Next up, make sure you're running the versions of the NVidia drivers listed for Bioshock on the NZone website.

• 3. Then make sure you're running the latest version of DirectX for Vista by installing the updater from Microsoft's website. (There was a recent update, so you should definitely do this.)
  

Now for the real fix:

• 4. Go to Control Panel. Then choose Programs, followed by Turn Windows Features On or Off. Uncheck Tablet PC Optional Components and restart your computer when you're asked to.

That's it! You should be able use Fullscreen with DirectX 10 and the game should run fine now, if you've been having same the problem I've been (there are many different problems with Bioshock, unfortunately, so this may not help you at all). Hopefully the patch will stop the need to disable the optional components (which, incidentally don't stop you using your graphics tablet, should you have one), but for the time being... enjoy!

Thanks to Nobula for discovering this and sharing it with us all! (Sadly due to the chaos of the 2k technical support forums, it was lost almost immediately.)

Civilization III Conquests/Gold "Code 28 Error" FIXED

If you found this, you're probably having the same problem I've just had, installing Civilization 3 with the Conquests update, the latest patches, and then being unable to play it because of an error message: "Error loading font. Code 28".

I've read many solutions to this problem, and the most ridiculous one, and the "official" one put forward by Atari/Infrogrammes is to delete all Lucida Sans font files from your Windows/Fonts folder! Unbelievable that this could ever be considered a "solution".

Update: This solution works with Civilization 3 GOLD, too! (Thanks to 'gravegoul' for the tip!)

The REAL solution to the Civ3 Code 28 error is this:

1. Go to your Civilization III folder on your harddrive (mine is 'C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive', for example. Yours could be 'C:\Program Files\Sid Mier's Civilization III', for example.)
2. Next, go into the Conquests\ folder and look for a file named LSANS.FOT (not LSANS.TTF!)
3. Rename the file LSANS.FOT to _LSANS.FOT (or indeed, anything you like, so long as it isn't LSANS.FOT!)
4. You can now play Civ 3 Conquests, on ME, XP, Vista, Windows 7, whatever!

If you're wondering what the problem was, here's an explanation: Within the LSANS.FOT file is instructions for Civilization to load the LSANS.TTF (the LucidaSans font file) from "C:\BreakAway\Civ3\Conquests\LSANS.TTF", and if the file isn't there, the game won't load. Of course, this isn't even the default path for the game, so why Breakaway games should include this file with their patch is beyond me. But they did.

By removing the LSANS.FOT file (or by simply renaming it) the game simply looks for the font file elsewhere, and finds it!

I wanted to post this on a Civ3 forum somewhere, but I couldn't find an active thread about the problem, so at least here it should be here for good. Hope it helps somebody!

BONUS!

Play Civilization 3 in widescreen/high-resolution

To play Civ III in your monitor's native resolution (so the game looks better) simply add the following line to the bottom of your Conquest.ini file:

KeepRes=1

Where do you find your conquest.ini file?
If you're on XP or running Vista/Windows 7 without UAC enabled, then you'll find it in your Civilization III folder (see above). If you're running Vista/Windows 7 with UAC enabled (which you should be, if you're using those operating systems) you'll find it in:
C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests

Enjoy!