Mod Merge Request : How to merge 2 mods using the same files ?

[TFE71]

How to merge 2 mods using the same files (Progressions.lsx, for example) ?

 

I wish I could merge 2 (or more) "Progressions.lsx" files, coming for example from 2 mods (or more)

 

(I only know how to use ConverterApp, install mods and modify *.lsx, *.xml files with Notepad++) :

 

2 mods for example :

 

-- Feat Every Level Up : https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/670

 

And :

 

-- More Spell Slots : https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/619

 

And also this one, with "merged.slx" and "meta.slx" files and other files... :

 

-- Choose Your Stats : https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/206

 

How can I merge these mods or make them compatible ?
Thank you in advance for your help ! :smile:

 

PS : I zipped the contents of mods (with 7z) already extracted with ConvertApp, but I can't upload them... :/

Edited August 17, 2023 by TFE71

[TFE71]

Nobody knows ?

Or is it too difficult or too long to provide an adequate answer ?

[TFE71]

I ended up doing it myself, merging the files, I also included other mods that used the same files:
the 2 "progressions.lsx" files in:
...\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data\Public\Shared\Progressions
and in :
...\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data\Public\SharedDev\Progressions

I even used the original files after unpacking / extracting the Shared.pak file, and modifying the class that I was particularly interested in...

I would have liked to have created a PAK file instead of copying the Public folder into the ...\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data folder

But since a mod used the 2nd file in \Public\SharedDev\Progressions, I had no choice (if there is another way, I don't know it), I couldn't create a PAK file.

Edited August 18, 2023 by TFE71

[zolantris]

So from what I've seen, it's a manual process once two mods have a Level conflict. There needs to be a patcher that iterates through pak files and detects potential conflicts in Progressions.lsx.

 

I started a manual patching mod with a tutorial on how to contribute for specific mods.

 

Mod link: https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/1572

 

Github repo with raw files + readme with tutorial on how to make a pak file and figure out patches.

bg3-progressions-compatibility-patches

 

Regarding architecture we would need a tool that did the following

1. Decompiled all pak files and searched for duplicate files
2. Within those duplicate files it would run a search for keys that could cause conflicts.
3. Those conflicts would be outputted to the user.
4. On a per use case (IE progressions files have duplicate level list), the user could have an option to merge all conflicting files based on load order and create a Patch file that is loaded last and overrides everything.

This would be a CPU intensive task...especially if large pak files (IE 400+MB files) were decompiled. Guessing there would need to be a file size check and skip the large files.

 

Decompiled files would need to be deleted or in a cache section (Ideally cached...if this needs to be done alot and base the cache on the version in use).

[WolfheartSpellbinder]

I know this is old but I found a really nice way of doing this using winmerge with unpacked files and then repacking them and using them. Only real downside is how often some of these get updates (5espells can have multiple updates per day sometimes) and having to repeat this process.

[JunYueNg]

I know this is old but I found a really nice way of doing this using winmerge with unpacked files and then repacking them and using them. Only real downside is how often some of these get updates (5espells can have multiple updates per day sometimes) and having to repeat this process.

Ooo, I apologize as I'm new to this but mind if I ask how to do this? assuming it's easy for a beginner.

[WolfheartSpellbinder]

 

I know this is old but I found a really nice way of doing this using winmerge with unpacked files and then repacking them and using them. Only real downside is how often some of these get updates (5espells can have multiple updates per day sometimes) and having to repeat this process.

 

Ooo, I apologize as I'm new to this but mind if I ask how to do this? assuming it's easy for a beginner.

I'm very basic at this, all I'm doing is editing txt files.

 

So winmerge let's you open 2 files and see the differences so if you make changes to a mod and it gets updated, you can see what changes and move your changes to the updated version.

 

I'm using Nordbytes tool and unpacking the pak files (mod file) using the bg3 settings and I'll name the folder it's going to, and inside the folder go to public -> modname ->

 

Once you have edits you want, you go back to the tool and on the same tab that unpacked it, below it there is an option to pack it, so then you just pack the folder you unpacked to and then make a new name for a pak file and boom done.

 

Now for using winmerge, unpack your edited mod to X folder, and unpack the updated mod to X_updated (just something you can tell the difference between) then with winmerge installed you should have an option on the right click menu in windows explorer to add file to compare. Once that opens in winmerge you'll see the file location of the txt file you opened. In the next one put the same location but change the mod folder name to the other one so you're opening the same file but from both unpacked mods. After that it's as simple as comparing the files in winmerge and moving edits from the old one to the new one. Then save the new file, repeat this process for any files you edited in the previous version then repack the new version of the mod. Boom updated modded mod.

[JunYueNg]

Very nice! thank you, admittedly I misunderstood and thought you meant you had experience merging mods, my bad.