LemmingoftheGDA

EDITING .UTI FILES IN DRAGON AGE I can change properties of any item and make virtually any item look like another. Here are the tools I use: pyGFF http://social.bioware.com/project/1936/ GDApp http://social.bioware.com/project/755/ tlkedit http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=other.detail&id=669 So first I want to understand item properties. I install the above software. I open the pyGFF folder, double click editor, select FILE, select EXPORT, go to something like C/program files/dragon age/packages/core/data/2DA.erf and put a little check mark next to itemprps.gda and export to, say, my desktop. I double click GDApp and open the itemprps.gda file and check out all the wonderful properties for items. I just keep that open. So let’s say I want to modify Felon’s Coat. Where is the Felon’s Coat? That’s what wikis are for: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/The_Felon%27s_Coat So Felon’s Coat is gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti I again go to the pyGFF folder, double click editor, select FILE, select EXPORT, and go to something like C/program files/dragon age/packages/core/data/designeritems.erf and put a little check mark next to gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti and export it to, say, my desktop. Now I open the tlkedit folder and double click TLKEDIT, I selct FILE, OPEN, and open the gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti file. Here are some of the things to know: BaseItem refers to the type of item it is (i.e. light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, etc.). ModelVariation refers to what the item looks like. TintOverride is the color override feature available. You can change this to 0 in order to recolor an item via the Universal Dye Kit. Unique mod items sometimes can not be recolored. BaseItem is all important in DAO, not so much in DA2. I can replace any armor ModelVariation in DA2 with any other. Thus changing how it looks. In DAO the BaseItem is all important that’s why brand new armors are CLOTHING because otherwise they would look like the base light armor, heavy armor, etc. So now I go ahead and expand the PropertiesList, and there are my lovely properties that I can cross reference to in my itemprps.gda file I have opened with GDApp. To add a whole new property I would highlight the PropertiesList, go to EDIT, and Add A New Structure. I would go ahead and add, subtract, or edit properties, save, then put the .uti file into my override folder and SHAZAM! I’m modding baby! FOR .UTI OVERRIDES THE OVERRIDE MUST BE IN YOUR OVERRIDE FOLDER BEFORE YOU GET THE ITEM! THE GAME PERMANENTLY SAVES ITEMS RECEIVED. One can use that add item mod or the Vigil Vendor mod to add items during the game. So for mods in .ERF form I can use the pyGFF editor to export .UTI files from the mod just like I export from the game files. Same thing. For Dragon Age 2 it is itemproperties.gda and to gain super simple access to all the wonderful base and DLC items a smart bastard would use this here: http://dragonage2.nexusmods.com/mods/3268//? For mods I’m going to usually find their .ERF files in Documents - Bioware - Dragon Age - AddIns OR Documents - Bioware - Dragon Age - packages - core - data. All DAZIPs usually do is install files into the AddIns folder. I can download a DAZIP file, install it, but also then unzip the DAZIP file and go into it and find .ERF files and export .UTI files from the .ERF file using pyGFF to then edit and put into your override folder. The item properties file for Awakening is itemprps_gxa.gda found in something like C\Program Files\Dragon Age\packages\core_ep1\data\2DA.erf. There you also find the designeritems.erf for Awakening. Rune slots for DAO are found in the VarTable (ITEM_RUNE_ENABLED). Rune slots for DA2 is an item property (8000). Big ole list of .UTI item IDs for Dragon age is here: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Item_ID_codes_%28Origins%29 Big ole list of .UTI item IDs for Dragon Age 2 is here: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Item_ID_codes_%28Dragon_Age_II%29 So I did and example of editing item properties. This is universal and easy to understand. Let’s do something way more exciting and way more advanced this time. Let’s do some real modding magic……… Let’s say I want to make the one handed sword VIGILANCE look like the SILVER BLADE from the Witcher 1 mod. I think that’s about as advanced an .UTI edit as you can get. First you have to have the RAPTURES WITCHER mod installed (and, of course, Awakening). So first I have to pull all the right .UTI files for editing. I open up my pyGFF folder, double click EDITOR. Select FILE, select EXPORT, go to something like Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\packages\core\data\the_witcher_package.erf, put a little check mark next to witcher_lsw_b.uti and export to my desktop. I open this file using tlkedit and see that the ModelVariation is 191. I open up my pyGFF folder again, double click EDITOR, select FILE and EXPORT and go to something like C\Program Files\Dragon Age\packages\core_ep1\data\designeritems.erf and put a little check mark next to vgk100im_drgnbn_lngswd_01.uti THRU vgk100im_drgnbn_lngswd_08.uti (SELECT ALL 8 OF THEM) and export all 8 of the files to my desktop. Now using tlkedit I open up all 8 of the vigilance longsword models, change their ModelVariation to 191, save each, and then put them into a new folder I named “Vigilance Overrides”, then put that folder into my override folder. I can make Vigilance look like the Witcher Steel Blade by changing the ModelVariations to 190. I can make Vigilance look like the new sword model from the Witcher 2 mod or JoJo’s swords by following these same steps. You just have to find the .ERF file for these mods. I told you how to do that. Again, the BaseItem is all important for DAO. So you want to change longswords to longswords, greatswords to greatswords, etc. So now you’re becoming a modding god. When you understand what I have written above you realize there is only one big ass problem. That is indentifying what .UTI file represents what. The trick is using your INVENTORY and pyGFF. Make a new character. Put an item into your inventory (backpack). Save the game as “1”. ALT TAB or exit the game. Open the EDITOR in pyGFF, select FILE, select OPEN, go to something like Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\Characters\(NAME)\Saves\Slot 1\1.das. Expand the SAVEGAME_PARTYLIST, expand the SAVEGAME_BACKPACK and there you see the .UTI IDs. Taaafreakingdaaa.

Yes. Go to Dragon Age Nexus. Go to the search bar in the upper right corner. Type in the word "Symmetrical". There's your mod.

I'm wide awake And you're fast asleep Here in the dark Watching you dream My mind is tied Up in the sheets Lost in a thought I'll never leave Monday arrives As Sunday escapes Locked up inside It's raining again Starting to stall Caught in the gray Can't tell if I'm Too early or too late By PC JC

The mod has been posted. Please include your character level and enemy type in your observations. Thank you.

Exceptional. A mod that I've seen add drops to already existing (vanilla) enemies is Quests and Legends. A mod I've seen add enemies and drops specifically by the new enemies is S3 Ravage. The Quest and Legends author may still be active. The very best of luck to you!

1) You missed the best time to buy these. Black Friday-to-Cyber Monday was just last week. For instance this was just 39.99 at that time! http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Stallion-Series-ATX12V-RD500-2DB/dp/B004GL9NVG/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1354398910&sr=8-12&keywords=500W+power+supply You know better now. 2) If you want to take a little chance with less expensive power supplies this is where you go: http://www.evertek.com/products.asp?cat=PWR 3) Take a look at the power connections to your motherboard! Count the pins. Check with PSU mfr websites to make sure you get one that matches. This is from a review of YOUR choice: Only complaint, which is really more a lack of foresight on my part, is that there were no actual instructions in the box. The one thing that would have been super handy to know is that if you have a 4 prong ATX12V motherboard plug, you have to take the 8 prong plug this comes with and split it in half. They clearly explain this on their website, but that is harder to access with your power supply out and halfway replaced :). 4) Also make sure the PSU you buy has a PCIe power connector. Also called a 6-pin graphics card connector. Take care!

You can snap your fingers if you like. Windows how I hate you Let me count the ways I could do just that But I do not have the days Facebook is like a sister Twitter is like a wife I refuse to use either Because I have a life I say graphics do not matter It's the story that really counts But when I look inside my box I see liquid cooling RAM mounts Thank you.

Kickstarter = Hope Which I had none of for the PC..........until now.

No! Bad Kajana! Bad, bad, bad Kajana! LOL! Morrigan's staff ADDS to cold damage, as in adds to spell damage. There are no on-hit effect weapons in the standard game. In the standard game the only way to get weapon effects is to use one of the lame mage spells that uses a ton of mana and adds a whopping 1-5 cold or fire damage to weapons OR runes. That's it. Take care my friend.

I made the stupid mod. Go get it. That's 10 minutes you owe me.

Kajana, How in the wide wide world of sports did you get a staff and sword that do spirit damage? In DAO there are only two ways. By rune or by an item having an "on hit effect". Runes just actually add an "on hit effect". Gee, I don't remember any STANDARD weapons that do that. And I don't remember any way a staff has RUNE SLOTS in the standard game. AND I don't remember any spirit RUNES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you have MOD weapons Kajana? There is a mod that removes weapon vfx http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/297, however it does NOT include spirit, because there ARE NO SPIRIT RUNES!!!!!!!!!! So, if one were to have mod weapons that do spirit damage, guess what, they would absolutely, positively, without a doubt glow blue, are supposed to, and there is no mod that cancels it. Take care. :P

PS - I am NOT the guy who fixed DA2. That game is unfixable. I AM the guy that fixed DAO, with my Combat Delay Reduction mod. Read about that one on a CHINESE post once.

OH IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG! There are others, who are not listed here, who will also help. I'm very sad to inform you that the DA2 AI changes were quite easy for me to do. This is due to many reasons. There are fundamental flaws in combat design (arcane shield) and the DA2 AI-to-talent-pool connection is remarkably simple. The best way I can explain this is by telling you about the great challenge of DAO AI modding. You see, if you were to meet a LT or higher level enemy at say, level 5, it is different than meeting that same exact enemy at level 10. You see? DA2 does NOT have this layering. DA2 is incredibly simple, all the way around. Same talents for enemies at ALL levels. See? So this was my big underestimation of the first release of my mod. Oh but I am smarter now, and so shall the enemies be. I shall use ALL my modding talent and experience to make what I hope to be my grand masterpiece mod. All I needed was multiple people to test it, who play in different orders in different styles. Do you see why now? I think you do. This is much more important for DAO than in DA2. Testing by meeting different enemies at different levels is all important to make this mod it's best. I think we all understand better now, don't we. One final note is there is MUCH more that can be done with DAO then DA2. Know your science. Complex things ARE made up of "simple" things. So despite the fact that DAO does not, say, double DA2 in complexity a 30% increase, when rearranged and tuned, makes for a whole world of trouble. I can tell you that there were quite a few people who begged me, BEGGED ME, to return this mod. These are people who have played with the so called "nightmare" mods. I've said enough. Give me time. I hope to crush my end of December deadline. Thank you all.

Your attention to detail will come in handy. On the PC you should be able to do the free ale thing. Maybe talk to the militia sitting at the table first. It works for me. The other stuff I've never seen on PC. If you ask Teagan about himself at the chantry he brushes it off, but I only play a male character. I believe there will be differences on the PC version. But always make sure by trying to talk to everybody.

Thank you Kajana. I am humbled by your response. Don't worry about DA2. Don't even think about DA2. It has nothing to do with this project. This project, if a success, will CHANGE THE GAME. It will force players to completely rethink tactics and strategies, thus making the battle portion of this game a completely new experience. It does not add health, it does not add damage, it just makes enemies much more like intelligent players, and so challenges you like nothing else currently out there. This is turning out like the Magnificent Seven (or Samurai Seven). I'm getting excited!