NVariety issues resulting in CTD...

[Sync182]

Greetings!

 

I know I can point to the Nude Variety mod as the trigger of my problems, because I was playing fine until I installed it only a few days ago. Unfortunately, my problems are large with this mod...

 

The first issue I noticed with this was that using the mod (as in drinking the Potion and forcing the NVariety specs over the "normal" NBaio ones) made my nekkid character significantly shorter in-game than when clothed - the character actually shrank when clothing was removed, and grew when clothing was added. Not a huge problem, just don't force the NVariety specs onto the character, all's good there.

 

However, I wanted to use the Phoenix Armoury with my character and companions. My elven Warden could wear them without problems. However, Leliana started to vanish when I equipped ANY of the Phoenix models to her. And then Morrigan started to vanish when I equipped HSLI's sexy mage robes to her. Alistair had resumed wearing underwear. Okay...this is a problem.

 

So I uninstall NVariety override and dazip, and try to force load my savegame and continue.

 

DA:O suffered CTD. And again. And again. Every time I tried to force load my game with NVariety removed, DA:O went CTD.

 

So I reinstall NVariety and load my savegame...seems to be ok (apart from the above-mentioned issues).

 

I go back to the load screen and simply disable NVariety, then try to force load my savegame. DA:O goes CTD.

 

So I give up on my savegame as being unrecoverable, remove NVariety override and dazip from DAMM, uninstall the NVariety tool, check that there are no addins lurking (as far as I can tell there aren't), and start up DA:O to begin a brand new game with no Nude Variety.

 

I can get to the Character Creator, I can go through the Character Creator...but when trying to begin the game, DA:O suffers CTD. And again.

 

Has anyone else had this problem with Nude Variety? If so, what was the work around? I don't especially want to reinstall it, because on current knowledge I'm not going to be able to equip my companions as I want to, but it looks as though DA:O now won't run without it. :wallbash:

 

Any suggestions or advice...?

[Codifer]

I would say yes to all of the above. I have gotten used to it and I have found a method that works.

 

But first. DON'T delete your save games... they are NOT broken. If one must un-install NVariety it is crucial to return each and every character to their vanilla body before the un-install. Otherwise a CTD results.

 

NVariety will clash with very nearly all of hsli's robes and armour as well as Thor's "Blade Dancer" and "Black Widow". There is even a rare clash with "Special Abilities" mod.

 

I did not experience the CTDs until, in one day, I installed the "Leliana's Song" DLC and one of the latest "Sappho's Daughters". I do not know which caused the CTDs.

 

As to the invisible armours and underwear issues, as well as frequent LOD issues and odd colorings, I do get those. I have found, however, that restarting the game two, three or four times will eventually see all the particular files to load and everything will be fine..... except that sometimes a game area transition will cause some robe not to load.

 

Eventually I will start a fresh game and reduce the number of residual bits that live.... somewhere.... in the game folders. Until then, I save often.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Edit to add: I can enjoy most (but not all) of hsli's robes and all of Thor's robes after the restarts. Thor's robes sometimes show as variants of Dall's sexy outfitswhich are similar to the ones used by Sappho's Daughters "Sexy Prostitute outfits..... even though I have un-installed BOTH of those mods. I have the feeling that Sappho's Daughters might have been the trigger for the CTDS. I removed the latest version and reverted to the original version 1 point something just to retain the beautiful cut scenes created by Chereck (?).

 

I am looking foreward to my eventual fresh install.

 

Cheers

 

Edit again to add: On second thought, I still have Dall's "Gear Ten" installed. I don't use the robes but there are some powerful rings and pendants that I like.

 

 

Edit to correct the author of "Gear Ten", it is Dall, not Adriangi as I erroneously stated.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Codifer

[Sync182]

Thanks for the heads-up. :thumbsup:

 

Restarting the game wouldn't be a huge issue for me, as I'm only about half-way through Lothering. I just need to get the CTD issue resolved.

[Thandal]

Hey Sync182;

 

Been there. Done that. :teehee:

 

The key to making your saves that no longer work because you "uninstalled" NV4 is to re-install it, then as Codifier, (and the Readme!) correctly inform us, have each and every character you changed drink the Potion of Transformation again and "Return to the way they were before", and make your saves. THEN you can safely uninstall the mod. :thumbsup:

[Codifer]

hmmm....

 

I don't know how often you get a CTD. Mine are fairly rare so it is not a huge problem (as long as I save often). NVariety has both an Addin and an Override component so removing it must follow an exact procedure. It is stressed that all characters be returned to their vanilla bodies before you attempt.... else you get CTDs at start up.

 

If you have NVariety reinstalled, start the game again.... you should not have a CTD at that point. If you find that some armours or bodies have problems, save, exit the game and restart. Loading the save should see an improvement. If not.... repeat that process until all bodies are correct. That will usually last for the duration of your session.

 

Let us know how it works out.

 

Cheers

[Sync182]

Hey Sync182;

 

Been there. Done that. :teehee:

 

The key to making your saves that no longer work because you "uninstalled" NV4 is to re-install it, then as Codifier, (and the Readme!) correctly inform us, have each and every character you changed drink the Potion of Transformation again and "Return to the way they were before", and make your saves. THEN you can safely uninstall the mod. :thumbsup:

 

Yep...done it. I am now getting severely p!$$ed off with this mod.

 

Reinstalled NVariety. Had EVERY character (3 companions - Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana - and self) drink the potion to "...remember how things were before they changed". My companions are in "vanilla" bodies: Leliana is equipped with Phoenix Armour and Morrigan is wearing someting from HSLI's range. No underwear evident (per NBaio). All good. Saved game. Exited DA:O. Uninstalled the dazip from DAMM. Uninstalled the override from DAMM. Unsintalled the tool. Deleted files from DAMM folder because DAMM won't delete them when I tell it to. Restarted DA:O. Force load my savegame.

 

STILL getting CTD. Every time. STILL getting CTD when I try and start a new game and Character Creator is completed. Every time. :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

 

This mod has just made my game unplayable, methinks.

 

I've checked through the addins folder, just in case NVariety might have hidden something there, but I can't see anything.

 

..oohhh...wait a moment... *runs and checks something*

 

*...comes back five minutes later...*

 

Okay...found it.

 

Nude Variety installs a folder - called NVariety v4 UTC - of companion-oriented .utc files into the \packages\core\override folder, and this folder is NOT removed by DAMM when you uninstall NVariety via its interface (well, it didn't for me, anyway). Having found this folder and manually removed it, my savegame has loaded successfully after the force load.

 

Sometimes I hate DAMM.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Sync182

[Codifer]

I am glad that you have it sorted. It is too badf that you had to give up NVariety.... it is a great concept.

 

I must correct my previous post. It was "Dall's Gear Ten" rather than "Adriangi's Gear Ten" which, at infrequent times, will interfere with Thor's "Black Widow" robes.

 

I have been researching, in my limited way, what sorts of mods are likely to cause problems. I have gathered that mods living in the override are more likely to cause clashes than addin mods. In my game, I have mods that were installed/uninstalled in 2009 and I have no idea what residual bits still reside in the game folder. I do know that DA:O did work well and was stable before the day I installed the late issue of "Sappho's Daughters" and "Leliana's Song". I am assuming that there is a particular method and hierarchy by which files in the override are loaded. Some mods do use the same base game resource (body, armour, robe etc.) and it seems (to me) to be a sort of crap shoot as to which will load.

 

Installing a completely fresh DA:O will be very tedious to set up again with all my favorite mods (about 100) but it may be well worth it. Choices will be difficult.

 

At present, I am surprised that it runs at all...... and well pleased.

 

Cheers

[Codifer]

About Leliana and the invisible Phoenix Armour: When you first meet Leliana (and Morrigan) they will automatically display your choices made in NVariety. I am going to assume that, since you stated that you were half way through Lothering, you have just met Lel. As it happens, I was playing a character in that same situation.... and Lel could not wear the Phoenix Armour, or Chain of the Orlesian Spy. Similarly, Morrigan could not don the Black Widow Robes...... bodies became invisible.

 

Solution was simple. Remove all clothing from Morrigan and Lel. Cause them to use the Potion of Transformation and revert to vanilla bodies (possibly the one you chose for their race with Natural Bodies All In One).

 

Use the Potion again to allow them their NVariety choices. Now you should find, as I did, that they can wear these armours.

 

As for Alistairs Kalvin Klien undies.... try the save-exit-quit game- restart-load save work around. Alistair should now be nekkid. Might have to do it again for it to work.

 

That is, of course, that you still desire NVariety.

 

Cheers

[Thandal]

Again, Codifier was able to desribe what I've done many times. Since things like NV4 do complex things that the game designers explicitly did not intend to be possible, I don't think we can complain to much when using them requires more than a little care. I've done the "drink to return, swap armour/clothing, drink to change again" drill many, many times. Most frequent "invisible body parts" event for me is when using Leliana's Sacred Ashes Armor (LSAA).

 

As far as removing NV4, the mod author did tell us about this extra step (which has nothing to do with DAMM.)

 

Extract from the NVariety v4 README:

IV. Deinstallation

 

1. Start Dragon Age, load your game

 

2. Use the 'Potion of Transformation' to change your characters back.

 

3. Save your game

 

4. Deinstall the .dazip in DAOMM

 

5. Deinstall the .override in DAOMM

 

6. Deinstall the NVariety Tool

(Emphasis added. :laugh: :thumbsup: )

[Sync182]

Again, Codifier was able to desribe what I've done many times. Since things like NV4 do complex things that the game designers explicitly did not intend to be possible, I don't think we can complain to much when using them requires more than a little care. I've done the "drink to return, swap armour/clothing, drink to change again" drill many, many times. Most frequent "invisible body parts" event for me is when using Leliana's Sacred Ashes Armor (LSAA).

 

As far as removing NV4, the mod author did tell us about this extra step (which has nothing to do with DAMM.)

 

Extract from the NVariety v4 README:

IV. Deinstallation

 

1. Start Dragon Age, load your game

 

2. Use the 'Potion of Transformation' to change your characters back.

 

3. Save your game

 

4. Deinstall the .dazip in DAOMM

 

5. Deinstall the .override in DAOMM

 

6. Deinstall the NVariety Tool

(Emphasis added. :laugh: :thumbsup: )

 

Heh. I DID follow the removal guide as described in the readme (and on the Nexus mod page). Explicitly & precisely.

 

STILL found that hidden UTC folder parked in my override folder as I described it. As soon as I removed that folder...I could get DA:O working again.

 

I have no problem with the concept of NVariety...I think it's a great one. However - and maybe it's just me - when I install a mod that changes the way a nekkid character looks, I think I can reasonably expect that it NOT change the way an armour mesh works, nor have it force me to take extra steps to make an armour mesh work the way it should. NBaio doesn't. *shrugs*