Just bought DAU (Dragon age ultimate edition)

[Isensol]

Hey guys, *chaotic chorus of hellos* I just bought DAU as the title says, and I had a few questions that are really simple :)

(previously owned DAO and wanted to expand)

 

0.) Should I uninstall the old version and just reinstall it all using the new disk?

 

1.)I understand that DAU gives all the expansions and "side quests" but I was wondering how much more playability would that add on average? Already played a mage and rogue through the game (still love the game)

 

2.)Should I just return it, and get the 2nd? (From what I hear its not all that close to the previous)

Would love some pros and cons if it wouldn't deter from the questions to much.

 

3.) If/When I uninstall the DAO would my mod file be overridden by the new DAU game files?

 

(sorry for dumb questions)

[Thandal]

Welcome, Isensol!

 

I have to run, won't be able to give you details until tonight. But the short answer is:

 

"I sucecssfully installed the UE OVER an existing install, but there were hiccoughs and it took me a while to resolve them."

 

And I'm an IT professionalk who LIKES messing with strange computer issues. Didn't encounter anything that prevented me from playing, (after I figured it out) but one of which interfered with getting the DLC authorized at first.

 

I'll provide more info later. :thumbsup:

[Isensol]

Welcome, Isensol!

 

I have to run, won't be able to give you details until tonight. But the short answer is:

 

"I sucecssfully installed the UE OVER an existing install, but there were hiccoughs and it took me a while to resolve them."

 

And I'm an IT professionalk who LIKES messing with strange computer issues. Didn't encounter anything that prevented me from playing, (after I figured it out) but one of which interfered with getting the DLC authorized at first.

 

I'll provide more info later. :thumbsup:

 

thanks for the reply, :) I look forward to any further details you or anyone else in the forums could provide. Though should have said I am no techy I can't do much with my programs beyond instructions given and where common sense can be little misleading XD (though I have done 3 years of basic programming: long story short not my fort'e)

Edited March 15, 2011 by Isensol

[Thandal]

So, installing the UE over an existing install of DA:O/A/DLC -- Prepatory info:

 

[if you don't care about doing this, skip it. It's long and pretty boring to anyone else... :laugh: ]

 

 

 

A. Caveats, provisos, disclaimers:

 

1. This is NOT recommended by BioWare. They didn't really test for this, since they saw the UE as a product for players who hadn't already acquired the game. Unless you have a whole lot of mods you just can't bear to have to re-install, I would NOT recommned this either. It is much simpler to just ensure you have a good copy of your "\characters" folder (which is where your saves are) and do an un/new-install.

 

(The only real reason I can think of not to do it that way is if you had used some of the more complex appearance or item-property changing mods that can cause the game to crash-on-load if you remove the mod and then try to load a save that contains things made using it. One well-known example of this behavior is "NV4". Another is "Improved Atmosphere".)

 

2. Before you begin make a back-up copy of your "C:\[user's documents]\Bioware\Dragon Age" folder. You'll probably only need the "\characters" (and possibly the "\override") folder, but might as well have everything, just in case. (Oh, and the "\screenshots" folder, if you care about that sort of thing.)

 

3. I was willing to poke and prod at what was going on long past the point that a non-geek would have given up and just done a full wipe and re-install.

 

4. I did my first install of the UE to a different drive than my exisitng one. Not sure what my reasons for trying to keep two version on the same machine were, but I had forgotten that both would be using the same "profile" folders for mods and saves. So after I got all done witht aht first UE install, I uninstalled it and then re-installed it in the "default" location. (This may have contributed to at least one of the hiccouchs I mentioned I had encountered.)

 

5. Everyone's system is different, so what worked for me might not for you. YMMV! :laugh:

 

Before I would want to help you through this, there are a few things about your DA environment that make a difference.

 

B. Questions:

 

1. What OS do you have, (including whether 32- or 64-bit)?

 

2. What install do you have (retail disc, Steam, DD, D2D)? If the UE isn't the same type as your original install, I wouldn't even mess around, but stop and do the backup/un-install/complete new-install.

 

3. How much modding of your current install have you done, and do you need to "keep" those mods installed, or can you re-install those you want to use again afterwards?

 

And these are the two issues I had. (The second of which is currently unresolved.)

 

C. Problems I encountered:

 

1. The "daupdatersvc" did not get installed/configured correctly. This Windows "service" is supposed to start when you launch the game, and stop when you exit. It is the piece that connects to BioWare's servers and checks for game patches, "authorizes" your DLC, allows your character profiles and portraits to get updated on-line, etc. Since ALL of the DLC is included "fresh" as part of the UE, it all needs to get "authorized" the first time. With the service not working, my neither was my DLC.

 

Found the instructions for installing the service, and that worked. Found the instructions for starting the service, and that worked. Got my DLC to show as "enabled", and could now play just fine. But I had to remember to "manually" start the service every time before launching the game. (It would correctly stop when I exited.) Found the instructions for fixing THAT issue too, and now all is as it should be with "daupdatersvc"!

 

2. The UE puts all the DLC (which is on the second disc) in a different location than the original game. For the non-UE version, the DLC is stored in the individual player's profile, specifically, "C:\[user's documents]\Bioware\Dragon Age\AddIns". The UE puts them in C:\[Program Files [(x86)]\Dragon Age\AddIns". In other words, alongside the basic game files.

 

In MY case, even though I had taken all the DLC files out of my "\[profile]\AddIns" folder before installing the UE, everything showed up in both the "Installed Content", and the "Download Progress" tabs. I let the system try to download and install everything again, (even though it was already there) and that cleared it from the queue EXCEPT for the three pieces of DLC which actually were new to my system: TDC, and the Origins and Awakening versions of the "bonus items" that you get for completing TDC.

 

So while I do "have" everything, my "Download Progress" tab shows a red exclamation point and lists the three titles it thinks I still need. :laugh: I have an idea where the problem is, but haven't found the time to pursue it since it doesn't impact the game.

 

 

 

So that's where I am now. All my DLC "enabled", all my mods continued to work just as they had, even DAMM picked-up and continued without needing any adjustments. But it took a little sleuthing to correct the one issue, and I'm left with the other (purely to a perfectionist) annoyance.

 

Let me know if you have enough info to try on your own, want more detailed instructions, or if I scared you off! :thumbsup:

[Isensol]

So, installing the UE over an existing install of DA:O/A/DLC -- Prepatory info:

 

[if you don't care about doing this, skip it. It's long and pretty boring to anyone else... :laugh: ]

 

 

 

A. Caveats, provisos, disclaimers:

 

1. This is NOT recommended by BioWare. They didn't really test for this, since they saw the UE as a product for players who hadn't already acquired the game. Unless you have a whole lot of mods you just can't bear to have to re-install, I would NOT recommned this either. It is much simpler to just ensure you have a good copy of your "\characters" folder (which is where your saves are) and do an un/new-install.

 

(The only real reason I can think of not to do it that way is if you had used some of the more complex appearance or item-property changing mods that can cause the game to crash-on-load if you remove the mod and then try to load a save that contains things made using it. One well-known example of this behavior is "NV4". Another is "Improved Atmosphere".)

 

2. Before you begin make a back-up copy of your "C:\[user's documents]\Bioware\Dragon Age" folder. You'll probably only need the "\characters" (and possibly the "\override") folder, but might as well have everything, just in case. (Oh, and the "\screenshots" folder, if you care about that sort of thing.)

 

3. I was willing to poke and prod at what was going on long past the point that a non-geek would have given up and just done a full wipe and re-install.

 

4. I did my first install of the UE to a different drive than my exisitng one. Not sure what my reasons for trying to keep two version on the same machine were, but I had forgotten that both would be using the same "profile" folders for mods and saves. So after I got all done witht aht first UE install, I uninstalled it and then re-installed it in the "default" location. (This may have contributed to at least one of the hiccouchs I mentioned I had encountered.)

 

5. Everyone's system is different, so what worked for me might not for you. YMMV! :laugh:

 

Before I would want to help you through this, there are a few things about your DA environment that make a difference.

 

B. Questions:

 

1. What OS do you have, (including whether 32- or 64-bit)?

 

2. What install do you have (retail disc, Steam, DD, D2D)? If the UE isn't the same type as your original install, I wouldn't even mess around, but stop and do the backup/un-install/complete new-install.

 

3. How much modding of your current install have you done, and do you need to "keep" those mods installed, or can you re-install those you want to use again afterwards?

 

And these are the two issues I had. (The second of which is currently unresolved.)

 

C. Problems I encountered:

 

1. The "daupdatersvc" did not get installed/configured correctly. This Windows "service" is supposed to start when you launch the game, and stop when you exit. It is the piece that connects to BioWare's servers and checks for game patches, "authorizes" your DLC, allows your character profiles and portraits to get updated on-line, etc. Since ALL of the DLC is included "fresh" as part of the UE, it all needs to get "authorized" the first time. With the service not working, my neither was my DLC.

 

Found the instructions for installing the service, and that worked. Found the instructions for starting the service, and that worked. Got my DLC to show as "enabled", and could now play just fine. But I had to remember to "manually" start the service every time before launching the game. (It would correctly stop when I exited.) Found the instructions for fixing THAT issue too, and now all is as it should be with "daupdatersvc"!

 

2. The UE puts all the DLC (which is on the second disc) in a different location than the original game. For the non-UE version, the DLC is stored in the individual player's profile, specifically, "C:\[user's documents]\Bioware\Dragon Age\AddIns". The UE puts them in C:\[Program Files [(x86)]\Dragon Age\AddIns". In other words, alongside the basic game files.

 

In MY case, even though I had taken all the DLC files out of my "\[profile]\AddIns" folder before installing the UE, everything showed up in both the "Installed Content", and the "Download Progress" tabs. I let the system try to download and install everything again, (even though it was already there) and that cleared it from the queue EXCEPT for the three pieces of DLC which actually were new to my system: TDC, and the Origins and Awakening versions of the "bonus items" that you get for completing TDC.

 

So while I do "have" everything, my "Download Progress" tab shows a red exclamation point and lists the three titles it thinks I still need. :laugh: I have an idea where the problem is, but haven't found the time to pursue it since it doesn't impact the game.

 

 

 

So that's where I am now. All my DLC "enabled", all my mods continued to work just as they had, even DAMM picked-up and continued without needing any adjustments. But it took a little sleuthing to correct the one issue, and I'm left with the other (purely to a perfectionist) annoyance.

 

Let me know if you have enough info to try on your own, want more detailed instructions, or if I scared you off! :thumbsup:

 

lol well I read it a little bit but seems just a lil over my head :sweat: thanks though ! :D I really appreciate it, it seems like I good thing I keep all my mod links in my bookmarks but I'll be sure to give this to my friend who is looking for this exact thing.

[guicoelho]

Hey guys! The DAU include the features of the Collectors Edition?

[Shacary]

LOl i feel really dumb in comparison i bouht steam version and could not use any mods , then i bought hte cd reg one, and wanted all the dlc, so I ended up [ yep u guessed it] buying the Ultimate. I love the ultamite, no swap cds after installed etc etc. also can use my mods and dont have to re-enter on a seperate set up of DAA with this installed. I uninstalled mine since i made mistake of trying to have both steam and regular DAO installed and had MEGA issues. but thandal and Darkewolfe and Danscott helped me thru the sorrow and fustration so if they give ya advice its worth doing!

[Isensol]

Hey guys! The DAU include the features of the Collectors Edition?

 

I believe so I took a look at the collectors edition there doesn't seem to be anything different if anything it seems the DAU has more features :D

[Thandal]

The UE doesn't have the three "bonus" items that the CE had:

Bergens Honor

Grimoire of the Frozen Wastes

Final Reason

and unfortunately, it doesn't include a cloth map of Ferelden. :confused:

 

But it does give you the Blood Dragon Armour. :thumbsup: