Qwinn´s Ultimate DAO Fixpack v3 (no longer beta!)

[Qwinn]

Sigh. No. It can still happen. I had spent some time playing with the eyeless guys in the brothel, and in that testing I had turned down some of my graphics settings, then forgot I'd done so. I was *really* surprised to find that if you do that, a LOT of the ambient characters in Denerim simply disappear... in fact, I wasted a couple of hours desperately trying to figure out why the 3 ambient people who hang out outside the Gnawed Noble Tavern had simply disappeared. Later realized almost all of the animals and a few characters that walk around had disappeared too.

 

Anyway, destroying the Alistair trigger did seem to improve things slightly... again... but no, still not eliminated. I *have* pretty much confirmed, though, that turning down the graphics settings can eliminate the crashing in Denerim problem. (One oddity - I never crashed loading a game with the settings turned down, but I *did* crash a couple of times when entering the GNT and then immediately turning around and exiting back into the Market.)

 

So that tells me it's almost certainly a running-out-of-memory issue (not surprising). Which is probably why my destroying stuff when it becomes no longer necessary is probably helping a little bit without eliminating it - I'm just making it use slightly less memory with each destroy. Which means a Large Address Aware fix that allows the use of 4gb+ memory is probably the only long term solution. You can't apply that patch directly to the Steam version, but I found this guide as a workaround. Have any of you tried this?

 

https://steamcommunity.com/app/47810/discussions/0/620696522016331346/

[Qwinn]

Brothel 50% defeated!

 

DE3210: "Pearls Before Swine": The two White Falcons standing in the background should no longer be eyeless during your dialogue with their leader. Thanks to sialivi of the Nexus forums for making me aware of this one.

 

Just moving them in closer to the leader a bit seems to have resolved the problem - I guess the dialogue engine is turning down the graphics detail on things sufficiently far away? If so, man, that range is way too short.

 

Curiously, the scene where that happened is using the exact same dynamic stage and camera where the shoulders/weapons could block the speaker (it was worse with Ignacio because the player has a "lean left" animation with him.).

Edited July 23, 2017 by Qwinn

[Qwinn]

Anyway, I think I've addressed everything (yet again), so back to releasing 3.2.

 

firepanda, if you get a chance, let me know what exactly happened when you tried to use Alley of Murders. I'm guessing it's either a conflict with my Market district area file or area script. Unfortunately there's no real way I can avoid those changes. I thought it might work though as it sounded from the readme like he was implementing it through one of the job boards? I didn't think I would interfere with that.

 

 

EDIT: This really weird one just cropped up, never happened previously, no idea why.

 

DE3208: Market District: The male Denerim citizen just outside of the Gnawed Noble Tavern would sometimes appear clothed only in his underwear. Fixed.

 

 

He was wearing one of those unisex "Noble Clothing" that I made stop dropping, but I didn't touch this guy. Switching him to a different one of those. and it appears fine. Very strange. Found a different guy using the same clothing and it seems to appear fine on him. Have any of you ever seen this bug?

 

EDIT 2: Sooo weird. I saw that a few guys are wearing the same clothing in the post-coronation, so I beat the archdemon, and yep, all 3 were naked!

 

So I exported that clothing. Reloaded Denerim. Clothes are there. Great. On a hunch, delete the clothing from the export directory. And it's still fine!

 

Only thing I can figure is I got a corrupted cache file for that clothing somewhere, and exporting/deleting cleared it? What else could it be? Still, it appears I'm not the first person it ever happened to:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2l46pp/bug_naked_npcs_in_denerim_possibly_elsewhere/

 

 

So I'm going to leave that fix in and that clothing exported, just in case. Changing the above bug listing to this:

 

IF3218: "Noble Clothing": The file for one particular set of this type of clothing could sometimes become corrupted, leaving some male characters in their underwear (including the man just outside the Gnawed Noble Tavern in Denerim and three nobles at the post coronation.) This should no longer happen.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Qwinn

[Qwinn]

So here's the introduction to the Readme for version 3.2 (which is still on schedule to be released midday Sunday), if anyone's interested. Suggestions on anything to add to this are welcome.

 

 

Qwinn's Ultimate Dragon Age: Origins Fixpack
Author: Paul Escalona (aka Qwinn)
Original Release Date: April 15, 2010
Current Release Date: July 21, 2017
Current Version#: 3.2

 

DONATIONS APPRECIATED:

 

This Fixpack took almost all of my nights and weekends (and even sick and vacation days) for six months just in 2017, while also being fully employed. I intend to maintain and add to this Fixpack as needed and requested by players for some time, but eventually I will of course tire. Donations would be very appreciated and would help put that day off considerably. Thanks in advance!

 

WHAT IT DOES, AND WHAT TO EXPECT:

 

This fixpack attempts to address ALL dialogue, quest, scripting, plot, and MOST item bugs in the base game of Dragon Age: Origins. As of version 3.2 it fixes more than 760 such bugs. It also attempts to restore any cut content that is consistent with all existing content, and that doesn't appear to have been cut for any reason other than time or budget constraints.

Note that my intent here is to fix the game, not tweak it to my liking. I only change something if I believe the game's behavior in any given instance was more than likely -not intended- by the developers. In other words, I try to fix bugs. Actual bugs. As opposed to, "I forgot to talk to the guy in the Lothering Chantry for the Blackstone Irregulars and now I can't get back to him, that's a bug, fix it!". No. That was actually intended, as is clear if you read the completed failed entry for that quest. Now, if I make a change to something that someone believes was intended, please do offer up arguments/evidence in support of that in the comments section where you downloaded this or any other forum I may come up with to support this Fixpack. I enjoy hashing that sort of thing out.

 

I have no future plans to do fixpacks for Awakening, DLC, Dragon Age 2 or Inquisition unless Bioware would like to pay me a fair wage to do so. Bioware, consider this my resume :smile:

 

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO:

 

This fixpack makes no attempt to fix combat mechanics. It also makes no changes to graphics, textures or morphs. Any mods that make those sorts of fixes *should* be fully compatible. It does not attempt to fix bugs in Awakening or any of the other DLC, with two exceptions: one related to giving Oghren gifts in Awakening (OG3003), and a fix moving a camera in a specific stage used in dozens of dialogues throughout the game (and probably in the DLC as well) in order to prevent large armor shoulder pauldrons or large weapons from occluding the speaker's face, sometimes completely and for significant stretches of dialogue (see GL3209).

 

RESTORATION HIGHLIGHTS (this is above and beyond many many dozens of lines restored here and there in various dialogues):

SPOILER WARNING: This highlight list has a lot of spoilers, don't read it if you haven't played the game before.

 

Restored all broken codex entries (aside from a handful in the "Controls" section)
Restored human female cocky soundset
Restored option to show mercy to Mandar Dace if fighting him during the Dwarf Noble Origin
Restored dozens of scripted approval changes, particularly when first meeting various followers
Restored 3 different reactions each to breakups with Morrigan and Zevran, depending on approval level
Restored harsh breakup with Leliana
Restored turning Morrigan in as an apostate to Greagoir
Restored dialogue when taking Morrigan to Flemeth's hut during her personal quest
Restored the proper extended ending to Flemeth's Real Grimoire quest.
Restored several conversations with Oghren in the Deep Roads
Restored Oghren asking to join the party permanently after a king is crowned
Restored long dialogue with Wynne about Connor, and fixed bugs usually preventing another long dialogue with her between "Rescue the Queen" and the Landsmeet
Restored 18 interparty banters that previously would not play at all
Restored Alistair introducing you to Ser Donall in Lothering
Restored being able to distract Lanaya (with very high persuade/cunning) long enough to steal her Songbook without getting caught
Restored the ability to heal Deygan in "Wounded in the Forest"
Restored ability to turn Godwin in to Greagoir
Restored several ambient dialogues between Redcliffe villagers and Shale
Restored non-functioning morale boosts/penalties to the Redcliffe militia and knights depending on how you prepared them for Attack at Nightfall
Restored combat shouts and calls for healing by Redcliffe militia and knights during Attack at Nightfall, which vary depending on morale and sobriety
Restored Sophie's Guard being able to catch you ransacking Sophie's room in the Gnawed Noble Tavern
Restored 3 of the 5 intended ways to be able to Steal the Teyrns Crown
Restored Haven alternate shopkeeper if you side with the Cultists
Restored exchange between the beggar and a guard in the Hall of Heroes
Restored Vartag confronting you in the Provings if you fought for Harrowmont after agreeing to work for Bhelen
Restored the ability for a dwarf noble who didn't kill Trian to be exonerated
Restored the ability for a dwarf noble to complete "Of Noble Birth" properly
Restored ability for Shale to come rescue you during "Captured!"
Restored interjections by Leliana, Morrigan and/or Sten during the Landsmeet if you are betrayed by Anora
Restored Alistair thanking you for not making him king
Restored dialogue between Loghain and Anora in Redcliffe Castle after the Landsmeet (new in version 3.2!)
Restored the last two "Story So Far" updates in the game.
Restored many location based party comments and follower interjections during dialogues
Restored 13 previously unobtainable items in game

 

COMPATIBILITY:

 

This mod is most likely not going to be compatible with most mods that modify dialogue, quests and some items. The following mods are not compatible, but they are also mainly not necessary as all bugs and restorations they deal with are also dealt with in this fixpack. This list is by no means complete, it's just what I'm aware of:

 

NOT COMPATIBLE AND MOSTLY OR COMPLETELY REDUNDANT

 

Alistair Dialog Patch (ADP) - Bugs are all dealt with, 4 tweaks listed in the readme were not implemented.
Zevran Dialogue Fixes (ZDF) - Only things in the readme not dealt with are some tweaks to kisses.
Leliana Fixes - All issues dealt with, though not always the same way
Morrigan Restoration Pack (MRP) - Only things in the readme not dealt with are Angry Kiss and Dark Ritual Kiss because they are tweaks.
Dialogue Tweaks - Bugs addressed, tweaks are not.
Tiny Fixes - Completely Redundant
A Lost Nug Quest Fix - Completely Redundant (though with different reward)
Unobtainable Item BUGFIX - I do not restore 2 two handed swords in Korcari Wilds as I believe they were cut deliberately
Jowan and Another Different Jowan - Completely Redundant
Ancient Elven Boots Fix - Completely Redundant
Fang at Tier 7 - Completely Redundant
Golem Registry and Shapers Life Reward Fix - Completely Redundant
Shale Will Come For Me Restoration Fix - Completely Redundant
Templar Armor Fixes - Completely Redundant
The Gnawed Notebook - Completely Redundant
Her Hammer is her... uh.. never mind - Completely Redundant
Fixed political support in "A Paragon of her Kind" - Completely Redundant, though my implementation is slightly different
Cammen's Lament Quest Fix - Fixed much much more thoroughly in this Fixpack
Human Female Cocky Voice - Completely Redundant
Chevalier Armor Set Bonus Change - Completely redundant
Zevring - Fixes are redundant, but I do not make the ring a usable item

 

PARTIALLY COMPATIBLE:

 

Improved Atmosphere - portions of this could probably be added successfully, with some major surgery. Installing both mods in their entirety is known to cause issues with Crime Wave and Trial of Crows quests, and probably many additional issues not yet discovered. Much of IA is redundant, though, as the fixes listed in the Readme are dealt with in this fixpack, but tweaks are not. The following folders would PROBABLY be okay to add (not actually tested): 1. Global (Animations, Materials and Tints only), 5. Awakening Expansion, 6. Downloadable Content, 7.2 Awakening Quick Items, 7.3 Optional Campaign Mods (Release Jowan ONLY), 7.5 Weapons VFX Remover, and the party_barks.dlg (which makes all followers give their location based barks, instead of just one) in "4. Companions / 4.1 Dialog Changes / Global Dialog Changes". Thanks to firepanda of the Nexus forums for helping me put that list together.

 

NOT COMPATIBLE (Confirmed)

 

Equal Love

Alley of Murders (which is a shame, never played it but looks interesting)

Any mod that modifies companion dialogues - in the very BEST case, you will lose the majority of my fixes pertaining to that character, and I fully expect any attempt to mix such mods with mine to all end in tears. Weepy, bitter tears. For the record, I will not be offering support for any issues reported with such mods installed.

 

SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE

* The lists in parentheses are the mods in that category that were reported as fully compatible during v3.0 and v3.1 BETA testing.

 

Any morph, texture or visual/graphics mods (* Bidelles Cosmetics, CC Extra Tints & Tones, Leliana Facemorph, Leliana Sacred Ashes Armor (normal and update v1.1), LOTC's Longer Eyelashes, More_Hairstyles, Morrigan Tweaked, NBaio, Practical Dalish Female Armor, PT's Vibrant Colours, Tucked Hair, UDF Dyekit, Robes of Possession - Retex of Jewelry, Personal Annoyance Remover and pretty much any other mod in this category)

 

Any mods that strictly address combat mechanics (* Full Combatant Dog)

 

Any Awakening-only mods (* several were confirmed but not bothering to list as they should all work)

 

Any mods for other DA:O DLC

 

Some gameplay mods (* Extra Dog Slot, Skip The Fade, ZevranASAP, The Rescue At Ishal, Cousland Sword and Shield, Level 50, FtG UI Mod, FtG Quickbar, AddItem with Console Improved - Script, Damage Statistic Fix)

 

Most mods that only directly alter existing cutscenes should work. (* Better Sex Cutscenes)

 

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:

 

It came to light in the final days of creating version 3.0 that having Vertical Sync disabled can have some strange effects - specifically, it causes Gorim to not reach your prison cell in the Dwarf Noble origin. I fixed that single issue, but as I did all my development and testing with VSync enabled, I did not catch any other instances where that issue could have an effect. I therefore recommend having VSync enabled if possible.

It's not necessary, but I also did all my development with 3D Vision and it worked quite well, aside from some cutscenes looking a little glassy. If you have the hardware for it, I certainly recommend it for Dragon Age: Origins.

 

LANGUAGE SUPPORT:

 

As of version 3.0, there is no multi-language support for this Fixpack. If installing it on a foreign language version, it will replace some of the text with english text. It must be considered an english-only mod for the time being. My apologies to the international players. :sad:

 

How to Install:

Use daupdater.exe (found in your Dragon Age installation's bin_ship directory) to install the accompanying .DAZIP file as an addon (viewable and toggle-able from the Downloadable Content menu option).

 

ORGANIZATION:

 

I have organized the readme below hoping to avoid spoilers as much as possible. You therefore won't find much in the way of references to later game events under the companion sections, for example (this is why the ALISTAIR section is so short - he has *tons* of fixes but most of them are listed under the Landsmeet, Dark Ritual, etc. sections for reasons obvious to those already spoiled.) Within each section, I've tried to order the fixes in the order you're likely to come across them within that area, and group fixes pertaining to a specific quest all together, for those trying to use a walkthrough and consult this readme at the same time. I do tend to list side quests prior to main quests.

 

The code system used to reference fixes, established in v3.0 BETA, has been changed as of v3.2 from a 5 character code to 6 characters. The first two alpha characters still denote the category they are listed under in the readme (see the following category list). The next two digits are now the version number where the fix was added to my fixpacks (and it is for this reason that v3.01 BETA is being retconned to be remembered as v3.1 BETA). The last two digits are used to establish the order in the readme. With this new system, I can insert new fixes without having to reorder or renumber existing fixes, and therefore the code used to denote any particular fix should not change from v3.2 on.

 

If you are looking for a specific fix, and it could potentially belong to multiple categories below, you are most likely to find it by finding the *last* category in the following list that matches what you're looking for. For example, you won't find any PLOT ITEM REMOVAL fixes anywhere above that section. If you're looking for a fix to something about Morrigan during the Dark Ritual conversation, you'll find it in the Dark Ritual section, not under Morrigan. If an event is tied to a specific location and can't happen anywhere else, you're most likely to find it in the section for that location (so all restored party bark/comments are listed in the respective location where they can now be heard). Note that there is no PARTY CAMP section - things that can only happen in the party camp will generally be under the relevant companion's section.

 

CATEGORIES:

 

GL0000: GLOBAL (9 Fixes)
CM0000: CIRCLE MAGE ORIGIN (6 Fixes)
DA0000: DALISH ELF ORIGIN (2 Fixes)
DN0000: DWARF NOBLE ORIGIN (18 Fixes)
HN0000: HUMAN NOBLE ORIGIN (1 Fix)
AL0000: ALISTAIR (9 Fixes)
DO0000: DOG (1 Fix)
LE0000: LELIANA (29 Fixes)
MO0000: MORRIGAN (37 Fixes)
OG0000: OGHREN (21 Fixes)
SC0000: SECRET COMPANION (1 Fix)
SH0000: SHALE (1 Fix)
ST0000: STEN (16 Fixes)
WY0000: WYNNE (8 Fixes)
ZE0000: ZEVRAN (18 Fixes)
IB0000: INTERPARTY BANTERS (14 Fixes)
OS0000: OSTAGAR (15 Fixes)
LO0000: LOTHERING (20 Fixes)
BF0000: BRECILIAN FOREST / NATURE OF THE BEAST (46 Fixes)
CT0000: CIRCLE TOWER / BROKEN CIRCLE (31 Fixes)
RE0000: REDCLIFFE / THE ARL OF REDCLIFFE (50 Fixes)
DE0000: DENERIM (Excluding Crime Wave and Endgame) (22 Fixes)
BI0000: BLACKSTONE IRREGULARS QUESTS (7 Fixes)
CH0000: CHANTER'S BOARD QUESTS (10 Fixes)
MC0000: MAGE COLLECTIVE QUESTS (7 Fixes)
RA0000: RANDOM AND SCRIPTED ENCOUNTERS (7 Fixes)
FI0000: FAVORS FOR INTERESTED PARTIES (6 Fixes)
CW0000: CRIME WAVE (21 Fixes)
UR0000: HAVEN / THE URN OF SACRED ASHES (29 Fixes)
OR0000: ORZAMMAR / A PARAGON OF HER KIND (103 Fixes)
RQ0000: RESCUE THE QUEEN (13 Fixes)
CA0000: CAPTURED! (10 Fixes)
UA0000: DENERIM ALIENAGE / UNREST IN THE ALIENAGE (33 Fixes)
LA0000: LANDSMEET (and Post Landsmeet up to Dark Ritual) (27 Fixes)
DR0000: DARK RITUAL (14 Fixes)
FB0000: FINAL BATTLE (13 Fixes)
CO0000: CORONATION (6 Fixes)
PC0000: POST-CORONATION (18 Fixes)
FU0000: FUNERAL (7 Fixes)
SL0000: SLIDESHOW / EPILOGUE (15 Fixes)
PI0000: PLOT ITEM REMOVAL (16 Fixes)
IF0000: ITEM FIXES (20 Fixes)
IR0000: ITEM RESTORATIONS (15 Fixes)
RD0000: REDACTED FROM PREVIOUS VERSIONS (6 Redactions)

 

Total number of fixes as of version 3.2: 772

Edited July 23, 2017 by Qwinn

[firepanda]

Yup, the whole game has a memory leak, which usually rears its head at the market district. I remember when I first started playing the game on my old potato notebook (which didn't even have a graphics card). I got through the first half of the game fine, but everything turned to s*** in Denerim. 1 fps and it would crash outside Marjolaine's house. So yeah, I don't imagine there's a way to de-lag things completely.

 

~~~

 

Alley of murders doesn't use the Chanter's board. It creates a new sign in the Market District, which you interact with to start the quest (which sends to you new locations on the Denerim map). So yeah, definitely a conflict with the area file. (I really wish we could extend area files like we can with GDAs.)

 

~~~

 

That missing eyes bug is really odd. It's not a texture that's disappearing, because missing eye textures actually a pretty common bug -- the irises just become a rather unsettling black. I've never heard of a model's eyes disappearing entirely before.

 

~~~

 

And congrats on reaching 3.2! I'll read through the new readme tomorrow.

Edited July 23, 2017 by firepanda

[Thandal]

@Qwinn; All I can say is... "Good on Ya' Mate, and Thank You!" :cool:

 

This has been an amazing journey through the inner workings of my all-time favourite CRGP. Everything you've done has made it better. With QUDAOFP installed I'm still enjoying my current run (well into my third dozen now) even after all these years. Just shows what a great game DAO is, and what a great modding Community it has. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks again!

[Qwinn]

Alley of murders doesn't use the Chanter's board. It creates a new sign in the Market District, which you interact with to start the quest (which sends to you new locations on the Denerim map). So yeah, definitely a conflict with the area file. (I really wish we could extend area files like we can with GDAs.)

But that's just it, there kinda IS, and from the readme it sounded like this was the technique the modder used. It's called PCRSCR and it allows you to add new placeables and creatures to an area without touching any of the existing area files or scripts. That said, I don't use the technique because the one thing you can't seem to create or modifity with it is triggers, and that's the primary reason I touch area files at all.

 

https://dragonagemodding.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/creating-a-custom-merchant-for-the-players-camp-part-1/

 

If he used this method, and it sounds like he did (note that he doesn't say "You must have this mod installed prior to entering the area for the first time" as it would need to if he were touching the area file directly), I can't imagine why it wouldn't work. This is why I'm asking what actually happens if you try it.

 

 

 

And thank you for the kind words, guys! I truly appreciate you all keeping me company and sharing your help, knowledge and opinions throughout this process. Here's hoping v3.2 goes smoothly!

Edited July 23, 2017 by Qwinn

[Qwinn]

The BETA is over! Version 3.2 is live! Thanks to all of you posting on this thread for all your help and support.

 

I'ma gonna go take a nap.

[Thandal]

Oh, side note about a question asked earlier: "What is the proper Dalish term of endearment, 'Lethallin' or 'Lethallan', depending on gender?"

 

Answer: Varies! :laugh:

 

I played a Dalish Female Rogue and was referred to as 'lethallin' (pronounced 'lethalleen') by Tamlen in the opening scene.

But in the Attack on the Camp in which he appears as a ghoul he referred to me as 'lethallan'. Three times!

[Thandal]

Qwinn's Ultimate DAO Fixpack v3.2 is now live!

 

Any further observations, suggestions, issues, or congratulations should be posted to the mod's Official Comments Topic.

 

(And thank you, Paul!)