Modding with Steam

[Fellicity]

Hi,

 

I'm having a very similar issue to other players on here who are trying to mod DAO when playing through Steam. I have read through the suggestions I've found on this forum, and have had no luck. I have read through the Dragon Age Mods for Dummies article several times, and still cannot find the solutions I'm looking for. http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Using_Dragon_Age_Mods_for_Dummies

 

I've tried downloading mods to the C:\Users\...\Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age\packages\core\override folder, but when you play through Steam, those mods aren't recognized. I have used the daupdater utility here for .dazip files: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Dragon Age Origins\bin_ship. But for override files, there is no "override" folder in the Steam directory like there is in the \Documents\BioWare\... directory.

 

So my questions are:

 

- In exactly which folder(s) do I store mods (both dazip and override) to play through Steam?

- Can I use DA Mod Manager with Steam, and if so, what paths do I use under the options tab for Override packages, DAzip packages, Dragon Age folder, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Thandal]

Ok, for the types of mods you've identified (".dazip" and ".override" files) there is no difference in using them for a Steam, or any other install. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. If they aren't working for you there is some other issue, but it's not related to your game install mechanism.

 

Tell us what mods you're talking about and we might be able to help... :geek:

[Fellicity]

I've seen that reply to other people's questions about this, and I must not be following you.

 

My question isn't whether or not DAO mods work differently on Steam. I know they are the same thing. My question is where should I be storing those files: Under C:\Users\...\Documents\BioWare\? Or under \Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Dragon Age Origins\...? It does matter where they are stored when playing on Steam, but haven't found good documentation on where exactly that is. If they aren't in the right folder, they don't show when playing them on Steam.

 

Make sense?

 

Thanks!

[Thandal]

The general situation is this:

 

a) For ".dazip" files, (unless you fully understand what's going on with all the pieces and can handle things manually) they must be installed with some program. For example the built-in "DAUpdater.exe", or one of the other "managers" (DAMM, DAM, NMM). They have several parts which must all be present in the right locations, but basically they go in the "\addins" folder, not the "\override" folder. But you, the player, shouldn't be putting them in either. That's why the instructions for any such mod say to "install" it using DAUpdater (or whichever manager you're using.)

Whether the "\addins" folder is under your player profile ("C:\Users\...\Documents\BioWare...") or under the game's program installation folder, depends on whether you have the Ultimate Edition or not. But since the manager (should) know, you don't really care.

 

b) For ".override" files, you have to tell DAMM where you've stored them. It could be anywhere at all. Even a network share, or in the cloud. It's DAMM's job to take that file and extract the relevant pieces and put them where they belong. It's your job to have pointed DAMM to the right locations by filling-in the various paths on the "Options" tab (the last tab on the right.)

 

As with the ".dazip" mods, you aren't going to put a ".override" mod directly into your "\override" folder at all. That type of mod has to be "installed", not just dropped into the game.

 

And again, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STEAM INSTALL AND ANY OTHER in how this works.

 

Lastly, you said you had read "Using Dragon Age Mods for Dummies". So I guess you just ignored the section labled, you know... Installing Mods.

 

Installing Mods

 

Once you have the mod unpackaged, (if it needed to be) then each type needs to be treated slightly differently.

 

a) ".dazip" files. A ".dazip" is a collection of files specially structured to be handled by the built-in program "DAUpdater.exe". DAUpdater is a standalone executable found in the following location: "C:/[program files)]/Dragon Age/bin_ship". Once you have started it, point DAUpdater to the location of the ".dazip" file you want, and chose "Install dazip".

NOTE 1: The progress bar will reach 100%, but the status message never changes to "Completed". It's OK, the mod is installed.

NOTE 2: This is the same procedure used to install the "official" BioWare DLC if you download it directly from the EA servers rather than using the in-game process.

NOTE 3: You can also use either of the two "manager" utilities: DAO ModManager (DAMM), or DA Modder (DAM). These two manager utilities help with the housekeeping chores associated with some specific mod file-types.

 

b) ".override" files. These are mods specially created to work with DAMM. They are often ones that interact with OTHER mods and are highly configurable. See the DAMM user's guide for information on how to install the program and use these mods. Only a very few mods are ".overrides".

 

Both types of mods can be stored anywhere, since in their raw form these mods aren't useable by the game at all. it's the installer's/manager's job to put the relevant elements in the right places!

[Fellicity]

"Lastly, you said you had read "Using Dragon Age Mods for Dummies". So I guess you just ignored the section labled, you know... Installing Mods."

 

That's not a very helpful thing to say for a moderator of this forum. Obviously if I wasn't having issues installing mods despite reading that FAQ, I wouldn't be here asking for help.

 

I am using daupdater to upload .dazips. And I am using DAMM to upload .overrides.

 

But the majority of mods are neither, and in those cases I have been following the mod's install directions. For instance:

 

"Unzip and copy the folder into your [...]\Dragon Age\packages\core\override\ folder."

 

But I think I figured out the problem. If I use DA Modder to install these instead of following the install directions on those types of mods, it seems to work.

 

So maybe in the future if someone says they're having a problem with Steam mods, you could probably suggest they use the DA Modder utility instead of trying to manually install them according to the mod's instructions. And also, maybe try not make the person asking questions feel stupid.

[Thandal]

The only kinds of mods you mentioned (until this last post) are ".dazip" and ".override" ones. Hence the original and follow-up replies that focused on those two specific types.

 

As for the "all others" category, continuing to quote from the document you (say you have) read:

 

The vast majority of DA mods fall into the next category.

 

c) "Everything Else". A mod might be a ".mor" for a new face, or a ".cut" for a new animation scene. It might be a ".dlg" with new dialogue, or a ".ss" with new voices.

 

If the mod's instructions say, "Place in your override folder." it does not need to be "installed". As the instruction indicates, simply place it in the folder named "override" located under: C:\users\[username]\Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\packages\core".

NOTE 1: If this folder does not exist, (which may be the case if this is your very first mod) just create it.

NOTE 2: Players often place each mod in their "\override" folder into its own sub-folder (named whatever they choose) so that it can be easily identified, (since some mod's file names aren’t much help) and so the entire mod can be deleted without hunting through lots (potentially hundreds!) of other files to find all the pieces.

 

And for those mods there is still NO DIFFERENCE with a Steam install.

 

I don't mind answering questions when people are having problems. What I mind is when people say they already read the exact same information they're asking for, so I just have to repeat it.