I'm just starting

[pcmodhouse]

I'm still pretty new to gaming, as I've only been playing for the past year, and I'm 33. :whistling: I've never laid my hands on a Playststion 2 or 3, a Gamecube, or even an XBox. I've only used a PC

 

I started with Oblivion and played all the expansion packs. Then I came here and got the Oblivion Mod Manager and about a hundred mods. After that I played through Fallout 3 and a bunch of its mods.

 

Now I want to try Dragon Age. I already bought Origins and The Awakening. Just wondering if I should install both at the same time or wait to complete the game before adding the expansion pack? I hear there are more expansion packs too. Where do they come from?

 

Also, is there a Dragon Age Mod Manager and what Mods do you think I should be running at the start of the game?

[Thandal]

@pcmodhouse; Welcome to DANexus. Hope you enjoy Dragon Age (DA) as much as most of us regulars here! (Oh, and since neither the PS3 nor the XBox can be modded, doesn't matter if you have one or not. Gotta' have the premium platform for the premium experience! :whistling: )

 

If you use the "Search" box at the top of each page, (and remember to change the option to "This forum", rather than "This topic" :laugh: ) to query for "Good Mods", you'll get several responses to this exact question.

 

Here's a link to one such reply, (mine is the third post, but all of them are well worth reading ): "Good Mods" on DANexus.

 

For your other questions;

 

a. There are two sorts of "official" add-ons to DA. There is an "Expansion Pack", (ep1) released under the title Dragon Age: Awakenings, (DA:A) and there is "DownLoadable Content" (DLC), of which there are now six: TSP, RtO, WK, LS, GoA, and WH, (plus "The DLC Which Must Not Be Named". 'nuf said on that one. :P )

 

See the link below for the full titles and descriptions of each of these. :thumbsup:

 

b. DA:A requires a full-up install from disc (or Steam/D2D) It is not "required" for any of the others in the series, but does "continue the story."

 

Each of these (after TSP) requires the most recent patch (as of its release date) to be applied to the base game in order to use it. You do NOT need to "patch sequentially". You can just install the most recent (currently 1.04) and be good-to-go. (One caveat. The install of DA:A brings you to 1.03 automatically. If you install DA:A after installing 1.04, you have to go back and re-apply 1.04. )

 

All of the available DLC will appear on a menu screen in-game, where it is offered for "purchase", download, and installation from within the game itself. You actually have to buy "BioWare Points", (currently about 1¼¢ each, BWP560 = US$7.00) then apply your BWP to your DLC selection.

 

All of the DLC can also be found at: "DA DLC" on BioWare, (but the "purchase" requirement is still in place! ;D )

 

Personally, I consider TSP essential to the story, and most of the others are just "nice-to-have". (But depending on your level of ... ummm ... emotional investment? with particular NPCs, there may be one, or even two, other "must-haves" for you. They were for me!)

 

c. Regarding DAO-Mod Manager (DAMM), and DAModder (DAM): Neither is necessary. Either comes in handy. They are designed to help with the file-housekeeping chores associated with using DA mods

 

I use DAMM. It handles some of the more complex "adjustable" mods nicely, allowing for almost "on-the-fly" changes in settings. But it does NOT recognize that ".zip" files and ".dazip" files are essentially the same thing, so you have manually rename any that the modder packaged as the former to be seen as the latter in order for DAMM to know what to do.

 

Last word on mods: Changes to PC and NPC appearance are probably the single most common types of mods (by total number) produced. In many, many cases, using more than one at the same time to achieve certain effects will require editing a special .xml file "chargenmorphfcg". This is MUCH easier if you use Terra_Ex's "CharGenMorph Complier" utility to do it. Look for it, and all the other great Community Mods in the "Files Section" here on Nexus: "DANexus" files section

 

Hope that's enough to get you started...

 

Again, Welcome, and Enjoy!

[gamestress]

Congrats on picking one of the best games of all time, IMO, this early in your gaming experience. I'm an avid mod user myself, but my first play through I usually try it with nothing to see the developers intent. Then as I run into irritations or problems I go searching for solutions in the mods here and on bioware social forums.

 

After a few play through, I cut loose and go crazy with the mods for variety and interest. The toolset gives me a headache but I have managed to have fun morphing appearances on my own and making a few special items (although my item are not as nifty as what other folks make).

 

I won't go into specific mod details as that was well answered already.

 

You're in for some FUN, for a long time.

[pcmodhouse]

I was hoping for something like Oblivion, not this. Equiping weapons, picking stuff up, talking to people, and combat are just plain old retarded. What a waste of money

[RustyBlade]

Perhaps next time you are ready to buy a game you should do a little research on what it is about before you spend your money. This game has been out long enough that there are countless reviews (professional and user made), video clips, forum posts, etc so that anyone purchasing it can certainly make an informed decision. Good luck with your next game.

[Thandal]

I was hoping for something like Oblivion, not this. Equiping weapons, picking stuff up, talking to people, and combat are just plain old retarded. What a waste of money

I don't have Oblivion, so can't make any comparison there, but I have to ask;

If you eliminate: Combat, Conversation, Searching for Loot, and Buying/Selling/Equipping items... what's left?

 

I guess just: Exploring Map Areas and Solving Puzzles (The latter being, for me personally, the LEAST favorite thing to do!)

[pcmodhouse]

Those are all things that Oblivion does. I HATE the third person view. I like to view the game through the character's eyes, not over his shoulder. I absolutely cannot get used to that view.

[Thandal]

Those are all things that Oblivion does. I HATE the third person view. I like to view the game through the character's eyes, not over his shoulder. I absolutely cannot get used to that view.

See, and *I* hate the First Person view. Absolutely want to see my character in action... Chacun à son goût! :turned:

[chronosmagus]

Dragon Age is made for players controlling an entire party, which makes a first person perspective have little sense. Not saying you cannot solo it, but that requires some planning. In its genre (classic party-based RPGs), DA:O is a brilliant game.

 

I buy a lot of (pc) games but I always have some clue on the genre of the game and watch at least one gameplay video (never believe trailers).. did you come to the conclusion it would be oblivion-like because it was on this forum?

[AmazadhKristeopolous]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, although I've been playing DA:O for several months, and previous to getting DA:O I was playing Oblivion a lot of the time. I am a long time RPG freak - I started playing D&D back in 1981.

 

Although both are grouped in the same category of games, their approach is very different. Oblivion has stunning landscapes you can wander at leisure, frequently getting more or less totally lost!! The character interaction is at best constrained, and at worst, dire, many of the voices are terrible. It has the ability to make me really jump in surprise - random monsters can leap upon you with little or no warning; a pathetic goblin nearly made me have bladder failure on one occasion - this is where the 'First Person' approach is at its best.

 

Origins has much more limited landscapes, and strictly defined 'areas of operation', but it has superb character interaction. And they interact with one another, often extremely humorously, and sometimes beautifully - Leliana's song is very well done - the different reactions of the various team members is very telling. As has already been commented, the fact it is designed for 4 characters eliminates the viability of first person perspective; to control the team effectively you must be able to pull back from the action.

 

Plus there are some really clever little things going on in the background - the crow/raven (?) bird that appears from time to time - the reference to 'being watched from on high" - I won't say any more for fear of creating spoilers, but as an RPG, I find it outstanding. That's not to say it couldn't have been even better... ...but modders have added quite a few new dimensions to it.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give it 9.

 

P.S.

On the same scale, I'd give Oblivion 8.5