Hello guys. So I just installed the graphics fix, widescreen mod and bigger font mod. Didn't do the steps involving baldur's gate 1 as I only have baldurs gate 2. After I got done installing, I tried to open BG2 and an administrator warning popped up and said this program is about to make changes to your computer, so I select yes and then absolutely nothing happens. I can do this as many times as I like and nothing changes. Any ideas? Or should I just re-install and try again?

Try installing the old DirectX

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

Actually just got it all working. Now my only problem is the shadows cast by walls etc. They seem go from black to what looks like tiny little black dots or dirt or something and it makes everything look really sketchy that has a shadow on it. Like a bed that is partially lit, where the shadow meets the light it's not a smooth transition from shadow to light there is like these grainy black dots instead of smoothness. Is there a fix for this?

Run BGConfig.exe and set 3D graphics on.

Ok. I'm in there right now. Right now under 3D options I have 3D animations, Use 3D Acceleration, and 32 bit Textures all checked. Nothing else checked. I was reading in the information below and it is telling me I need to select a drive to control how the game communicates with my gpu. The only option that I have in the driver drop-down box is Default OpenGL Driver. Is there something more I need to do with this or are all of these settings correct? Also, it is telling me to test my graphics settings now and I click yes and it asks me if I see three concentric squares of red blue and green. and then says if they were flickering, click no. Problem is, I didn't see three concentric sqaures at all, but if I click no it says my graphics are incompatible, then if I do the exact same thing but click yes instead, it says my graphics are good to go.

It's the 3D Acceleration you're looking for (ignore the OpenGL setting), but if you don't see the concentric squares, then the game is having difficulty recognising the widescreen resolution you have set, and that may be why it's not rendering shadows (3D) properly. Honestly, the widescreen mod is more trouble than it's worth.

I've found that it's best to set up the BGConfig settings first, and THEN install your mods. Usually the settings will just be grandfathered in. That's always worked for me anyway.

Thanks for all the help guys. Think I'm getting it figured out. Do you guys all run your bg2 at 800x600? Seems like any higher resolutions make the game zoom out too far and it's like trying to play an RPG with very small people and I have to squint to see half the stuff. But when I have it at 800x600, everything looks proportionate and zoomed in correctly. Also, how much of a fix is this graphics update supposed to.be? When I am looking at my characters, I still don't see a discernable face on the actual walking character. Like I can see their colors and the general look of what they're wearing, but it's still pretty choppy. I wish someone could look at my bg2 while playing and tell me if I've got the most graphics quality I can get with it.

The Baldur's Gate games all use fixed assets, at 4:3 ratio (SVGA), designed to run at 640x480 or 800x600, so the widescreen mod has to alter those assets physically. This does NOT make them better, nor does it make them higher resolution -- they are stretched. The very best resolution to play these games is the original resolutions: 640x480 for BG1, 800x600 for BG2. You can enable unsupported 1024x768 with BGConfig for BG2, and this is ok, but not optimal. The widescreen mod was made for people who use widescreen monitors. It is NOT a fix; it is NOT an improvement of the graphics. It is a tool, nothing more, and it's more trouble than it's worth, because of physically altering assets that get stored in your saved games, making them incompatible with any game you play that is not altered in the precise same resolution. It also introduces a high chance of corruption of saved games, frequently causing crashes.

I also despised the WS mod.

I spent most of my time playing in 1024x768 through the years, but my current playthrough on my old 4:3 monitor laptop is in 800x600 and I must say, that's my favorite.

It's irrelevant whether you play it on a monitor or TV, the game graphic assets don't change with resolution, so the best resolutions are the native ones: 640x480 for vanilla BG1, 800x600 for vanilla BG2. Pump them (resolutions) up with the widescreen mod, and as you've already found out, everything becomes tiny... too small to see properly. It's like watching from very far away. Remember that these games are old, so you will not see detailed faces, etc., if that's what you're expecting. Close up they will be pixelated. That's how games were then.

Got it. One last question, this one involving combat. How do I see my enemies' AC number, level and things like that?

You don't. This is Baldur's Gate. You can see roughly how injured they are (mouse-over tooltip), and you can see dice rolls and damage done etc. in the message window, but you don't get to know your enemies intimately like most lesser RPGs. You have to learn by observation. For example, always keep your eye on the battle log, or listen for party members' comments. Often weapons may be ineffective against a certain foe, and you need to know to switch tactics, and those are the only means to find out.

If it's your first time playing, you won't know just how powerful an enemy is until you engage them, and often that's a hard lesson. :)

I'm starting to learn that the hard way. Only other game I've played that's even somewhat similar to Baldur's Gate is the first Dragon Age, which is why I asked if I could see a little bit of their stats. But I like that it makes you learn the hard way through observation.