Mods on Steam

[Dreamboatani]

I just bought the ultimate edition of DA:O on Steam. Only problem, I've never played on Steam before, nor have I ever used mods by myself (my younger brother used to help me, but since I don't live at home anymore, he can't help). I really want to use some mods for my first PC playthrough of DA:O, but I have NO idea how to install mods!

 

I'd really appreciate some help! Though please phrase your questions like you're addressing a child with very little computer experience. I've never been a big PC gamer. Thank you~

 

DreamboatAni

[Thandal]

Welcome, Dreamboatani; (I like the username, and I am really impressed to see a first-time poster who is already a Premium Member!)

 

OK, several issues here. I'll take them in order of importance.

 

1) Play-through WITHOUT mods the first time. The game is good enough (more than good enough!) to reward doing so. By doing this will you have a much better understanding of the kinds of mods you want, and what they are doing for you. And Dragon Age is one of those games you'll want to play over-and-over.

 

EXCEPTIONS: There is a special class of mod that attempts to "fix" some problems with the vanilla game itself. These fixes are based on the mod author's interpretation of what the game's writers and developers actually intended after having explored the inner workings of the plot triggers and dialogue trees. The mods in this category that I use myself are: "Qwinn's Fixpack v2.0", (hard to find, used to be on the BSN but not there now...) "Dialogue Tweaks", "Dragon Age Rules Fixpack.", and "Morrigan Restoration Patch Dialogue Fixpack" (aka "MRP").

 

2) Take a look at this Dragon Age Nexus topic: Good Mods?. It's a little out-of-date, (there are some newer mods worth trying that aren't mentioned) but it gives an excellent overview.

 

3) Take a look at this Nexus wiki article: Using Dragon Age Mods for Dummies.

 

4) Dump the Steam version! Presuming that you registered the game through the BioWare/EA site when you installed it, you can delete the Steam install and use the EA/Origin client to download and install the "native" version AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. This will make using mods (and the Command Console) much easier since you won't have to adjust everything to account for the "non-standard" install and file locations. While you can certainly make everything work with a Steam install, you indicate you're a PC gaming novice, so why make things more complicated?

 

CAVEAT: Yes, you will have to download another complete (24GB) copy of the game.

 

 

If you're just starting on the Dragon Age adventure, you're in for a very special time!

 

Happy Gaming! :thumbsup:

[Dreamboatani]

I've already played through DA:O several times on the playstation. The reason I finally got the PC version is because I wanted to mod it up. Basically, I just want better graphics, textures, and more selections for character creation.

 

I've looked over Using DA Mods for Dummies, and apparently its not dumbed down enough because I still don't understand half of what its saying. A lot of it is tech talk and I know vertually nothing about computers. Really, I know how to use firefox and open office. That's really about it. I need step by step instructions on how to install the mods.

 

And I can't dump the Steam version because I just bought the Ultimate Edition of DA:O with all the DLCs on Steam. I don't feel like forfeiting $25, and I doubt Steam is going to give me my money back.

[Thandal]

1. You don't need Steam to give you your money back. As long as you registered your game with EA/BioWare (which you would have been forced to do when you "activated" it) EA will allow you to download it again directly from their servers through their "Origin" client. NO ADDITONAL CHARGE.

 

2. If "Using Dragon Age for Dummies" is too technical, then you may not be ready to use mods for PC games. Modding is not "Click OK to install" stuff. If you need that level of simplicity/reliability, you need a commercial product. Mods are not that. :armscrossed:

 

But like any new skill, if you start with simple tasks, and take it one step at a time, you'll get better and be able to do more complex ones pretty soon. Pick ONE mod you think you'd like to try. Read the author's instructions for how to install it. Then come back here and ask any questions about what you don't understand. We'll see what we can do! :thumbsup:

[theskymoves]

*snippage*

 

EXCEPTIONS: There is a special class of mod that attempts to "fix" some problems with the vanilla game itself. These fixes are based on the mod author's interpretation of what the game's writers and developers actually intended after having explored the inner workings of the plot triggers and dialogue trees. The mods in this category that I use myself are: "Qwinn's Fixpack v2.0", (hard to find, used to be on the BSN but not there now...) "Dialogue Tweaks", "Dragon Age Rules Fixpack.", and "Morrigan Restoration Patch Dialogue Fixpack" (aka "MRP").

 

*more snippage*

 

 

Qwinn's Fixpack (on BSN).

 

~tsm

[Thandal]

Thx, tsm! (I really hate the search function on the BSN. I almost never get any useful results.)

 

And for our mod-novice: Unlike some other games, there is very little chance of a "mod conflict" with DA. While only one of the mods will actually be able to implement any specific change, installing multiple ones that could make the same sort of change doesn't automatically mean the game won't run!