I read that the 2.6 update is integrating 64 bit executables. As I have a 32 bit win 7 computer, will this conflict with my ability to play BG? Will us 32 bit dinosaurs be out of luck or is reverting to 2.5 a possibility? Anyone have any insights?

I don't see any recent activity on the Beamdog blog about upcoming updates. Where did you read about what will be in v2.6?

As for whether it is a problem for you, that depends on whether they release only a 64-bit executable, or if they provide both 32-bit and 64-bit.

Historically, GOG tends not to keep old installers or patches around, so on the expectation that you might not be able to run v2.6, I would suggest you download now everything you would need to (re)install v2.5, and keep a copy of the installer somewhere safe.

its in the forum where it belongs mate... blog pages are for marketing
link
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/80867/road-to-2-6-planned-patch-items-windows-macos-linux

It looks like you will be out of luck as they specifically state that v.2.6 will no longer support 32 bit operating systems. I'd suggest that you take advowson's advice and download the offline installer and keep it so you can always reinstall the version that works on your system.

I disagree that the forum is a good place to post this. Previously issued patches describe their changes on the Beamdog blog, such as http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/06/baldurs-gate-ii-enhanced-edition-25.html for the 2.5 patch. I have not previously seen any indication from Beamdog that they use their forums for pre-release communications. Thank you for the direct link.

I can download the installer and keep it out of the GOG/steam game directories and dodge the automatic updates? Could I just copy the game folder directly and save it on desktop/ C drive in programs? I have several copies for modding purposes so maybe I don't require some installer? Sorry I am fairly new to digital game libraries. Have plenty of disc time...

its not so much the install but the profiles and save games... they write back to the system documants folders by default so having more than 1 installed will cause override issues

Yes. Just go to your game library page and download the offline installers. That way you'll always have a copy to do with as you please. As for Galaxy you can turn off automatic updates and I think you can also bypass Galaxy to run games but I don't know how to do that as I've never used it, I always use the offline installers. Hope this helps.

For convenience, the links you want are:

Baldur's Gate 1:
- https://www.gog.com/downloads/baldurs_gate_enhanced_edition/en1installer0
- https://www.gog.com/downloads/baldurs_gate_enhanced_edition/en1installer1

Baldur's Gate 2:
- https://www.gog.com/downloads/baldurs_gate_2_enhanced_edition/en1installer0
- https://www.gog.com/downloads/baldurs_gate_2_enhanced_edition/en1installer1

These links are only usable if you are currently logged in to a GOG account which has bought the relevant game. Otherwise, they fail by redirecting you to the GOG home page.

Follow both links for each game you want to save. You should be prompted to Open or Save a file. Choose Save. Save it somewhere safe. To be very safe, you could also make backups on a secondary computer or an external hard drive.

Note that these links are not versioned, so if GOG updates the game, they will start to point to a newer version of the game. Also, these links are for the English download. If you want some other language, you will need to download through your library (or determine how to modify the link to refer to your preferred language).

If you are using Galaxy, you can also turn off auto updating on a per game basis by looking in the configuration for the game. This will also allow you to select the version you want to stay at from a small pool of version numbers.

Hope this helps. =)

Flynn

The updates are now available as beta on Steam (or at least they are callng people to participate in the process)