Here's MY BG2 beginning!! (**UPDATED**)

Like many people here, I'd always been frustrated by the piss-poor continuity between BG1 and BG2, mainly because the so-called "canon" party is one that I would never willingly choose to finish BG1 with. The only one of that party that I genuinely like is Dynaheir, and she's long dead and gone before the game even begins! (at least Khalid gets to have his body shown). Not only that, but other of my favorite BG1 NPCs, like Kivan, don't even get a mention in BG2.

Then came @Vasculio's thread here,
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/457132
...and it turned my whole world upside down - or should I say, right side up!

I'm nearing the end of my current BG1 run, with a party that includes Kivan, Dynaheir, Branwen, and Coran, which I intend to complete the game with. Minsc had briefly been in my party long ago, but took a fatal stroll into a kobold arrow in the Naskel mines and was never raised. Although I won't actually finish the game with Khalid and Jaheira in my party, they had previously spent a fair amount of time in my party and were still alive when I dismissed them.

So I decided to create my own "canon" beginning for BG2, using Vasculio's method for importing BG1 NPCs into BG2, as well as a few other tricks up my own sleeve.


Assembling my BG2 party, starting the game in multiplayer. Recognize any familiar faces?




Be sure NOT to choose this dialogue option - or else they'll be a reference to a certain BG1 ranger who is no longer above ground.




The NPCs are released from their respective cells. Dynaheir's boots are still made for walking.




Valkur's buttocks are still strapping.




Kivan's soul still aches for his lost Deheriana.




Kivan still retains the 19 strength that he gained from a tome in BG1.




Better yet, Branwen retains the 19 wisdom that she gained from the 3 tomes in BG1. Look at all those bonus spells!




Branwen also retains her innate spiritual hammer ability (for anyone who ever actually uses this).




Dynaheir can still cure poison.




Branwen, what are you doing?!? Poor Dynaheir does not feel well inside.




Go swing that hammer somewhere else, Branwen! Should she stay here, or head off to the Copper Coronet?




Of course Jaheira doesn't recognize Branwen. They were never in my BG1 party at the same time.




What's in this cage? Oh nevermind - it's just a rat.




Pantaloons, shmantaloons! How about the Big-Fisted Belt instead!




Erm, the description seems to be a bit off. (Does anyone possibly know how this could be corrected?)




But hey, it still works!




What you see above actually required only a very minimal amount of EE-keepering - which is ideal for me, since I don't really like to hack games because I don't want to be perceived as "cheating," and also for fear that I'll break them. Most of the work involved exporting, renaming, and overriding existing files.

Obviously, this still isn't a perfect transition, but it's still a helluva lot better than what the original game offered.

I didn't want to mess around altering the game-generated NPCs, so Imoen is still a thief/mage dual (whereas I always keep her as a thief in BG1), and I didn't import Coran because he appears later in the game with an associated quest. I decided to allow the game-generated Jaheira to remain as a recruitable option too - even though I don't intend to finish BG1 with her, she at least will still be alive when the game ends, and she's associated with some of the best quests/subplots in BG2 IMO.

Thoughts?