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

[Qwinn]

Hi Victoria :smile: Welcome to the thread. Okay:

 

I do strictly fixes and restorations of cut content. Of course, in lots of cases, fixing an obvious bug incidentally restores inaccessible content, while in other cases, inaccessible content appears to have been left incomplete deliberately. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I assume that content that was apparently deliberately not accessible was cut due to budget or time constraints, and I restore it. If I find any indication that it was cut for other reasons, or the restoration would cause inconsistencies with accessible content, I don't restore it.

 

Do note that I consider fourth-wall breaking stuff as a bug. For example, Bann Teagan giving a useless-by-Lothering tier 3 steel helm as a reward for one of the hardest challenges in the game (saving everyone in Attack at Nightfall) is so absurd and IMO fourth-wall breaking that I fix it by making the helm material scale to the player's level. I don't have clear evidence that that wasn't done deliberately, but I try to assume the Bioware developers aren't abysmally bad at game design or balance, and therefore something that egregiously unbalanced was almost certainly not intended.

 

The only currently available changelog is pages 2-74 of this thread. I've listed every change I've made in detail. In cases where (in my opinion) a change is close to the line in terms of qualifying as a bug versus a tweak (such as revamping the Redcliffe and Paragon of Her Kind quest rewards, such as the above helm, or Bhelen's better reward for making him king in Paragon of Her Kind being the same mace that Duncan gives a noob Dwarf Commoner at the end of their Origin), I've frequently asked for public opinion as to whether it qualifies. So far, I think I've gotten a solid consensus that everything I've changed has been justifiable as a fix.. I am *always* open to hearing arguments that a particular change doesn't qualify, and frequently seek them out. So far, nothing I've listed seems to have generated any big controversy in that regard.

 

That said, I'm working on the readme now, as I'm already done all the changes I intend for version 3.0. Release will hopefully be this weekend, if I can get that done over the next 4 days.

 

If you don't want to go through pages 2-74, and just want to list bugs you're aware of, I don't mind at all saying "yes/no" on whether it's already addressed. It may be a bit late to get them into this version, though. If it's a simple fix, I may squeeze it in, but more complex fixes may have to wait for the next version (which will otherwise hopefully just deal with any mistakes I've made in this version).

 

There is only one fix specifically aimed at Awakening or DLC right now: gifts given to Oghren in DA:O will no longer cause diminishing returns in the gifts given to him in Awakening. Beyond that, no, I'm not doing Awakening or DLC fixes. I think I know *how* those fixes were done (I didn't when I started this), and that method is difficult to the point of grueling. As I am hoping this fixpack will interest Bioware enough to hire me to do what I've done for DA:O for the DLC and sequels, and they'll give me access to work them with the toolset, I am not going to make any efforts toward that. (And no, I don't intend to do it even if Bioware says "nope, we're not going to hire you". Why should they hire me if I'm going to do it for free anyway? Gotta draw the line somewhere, and "can't modify the content with the toolset" is as good a place to draw that line as I can think of.)

 

EDIT: I'm actually really glad you asked me these questions - the above is something I was going to need to write up for the readme anyway! I'll probably just cut and paste this post into the readme when I'm done, heh.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Qwinn

[Qwinn]

Listing this as a fix in the Dwarf Noble origin, so I have something in the readme to back up my file exports to:

 

DN017: "The Exile": There are many reports that Gorim may not properly reach the player's prison cell. Despite hundreds of attempts, I could not duplicate this error. I am exporting the related scripts and area file that work fine on my system to the fixpack, without changes, in hopes that doing so will resolve the issue and hopefullly lead to ultimately discovering what is causing the problem.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Qwinn

[Maeassel]

Well I decided to test it again just after turning on my computer today and loading the game straight into the cell. Went up to the bars and turned the camera around. Every time now he walked up to the bars. No collision between them at all. However, once Gorim just out of nowhere slightly adjusted his path for just a moment by walking a little closer to the wall. He still made it to the cell however, but no collision with the guard.

 

Well after I wrote the above and switched back into the game (I have the game in window mode), and now its failing every time. The guard however is still working fine, just Gorim.... and now I can't even click him. It looks like Gorim runs into something invisible while walking and slides a bit.

 

Went back into the game, he is getting a bit closer again so I can click. But now the guard randomly just decided to stop much earlier and not walk away.

 

One last thing I decided to mess around with is the in-game video settings. I tried full-screen vs windowed. Full-screen seemed to be worse. But then I found something interesting, vertical sync. I have that disabled. So I enabled it. Gorim and the guard moved correctly every time. Disabled it, started messing up again. Re-enabled, it worked again. Repeated a few times, same results. Didn't matter if it was full-screen or window mode.

 

Conclusion: On my computer, Gorim and the guard protest against having vertical sync disabled.

 

Oh, I should also point out that I used the 4gb patch made specifically for the steam version of the game, not sure if that would affect anything.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Maeassel

[Qwinn]

HAH! Awesome find Maeassel! You're absolutely right! I disabled VSync and it happened the first time I tried it!

 

Hmmmm... now how the hell to fix it. Let me see what I can try.

 

EDIT: Got it. Basically, at the end of Gorim's "My Lord" or "My Lady" line, I check the distance between Gorim and the waypoint he's supposed to be at. If he's not extremely close to it, I send the command to move to it again. He doesn't always get exactly on top of it on the second try, but from every position I've tried it, he gets more than close enough to not seem unduly odd and for the player to easily initiate conversation. The change should have no effect if Gorim moved to the proper spot on the first try.

 

DN017: "The Exile": If the game is running with Vertical Sync disabled in the video options, Gorim will frequently not get close enough to the player's cell for the player to initiate conversation with him, preventing further progress (if Vertical Sync is enabled, he always moves flawlessly into position). Now, if Gorim is not close to where he's supposed to be at the end of his ambient dialogue, he will attempt to move there a second time, and in all my testing that always gets him easily close enough for the player to initiate dialogue. Still, if possible, I'd recommend playing with Vertical Sync enabled to avoid other problems like this (I developed this fixpack and did all my testing with Vsync enabled, as I was unaware of this issue). Many thanks to Totalbalance of the Nexus forums for doing extensive testing, and huge credit to Maeassel of the Nexus forums for figuring out that disabling Vertical Sync was the culprit.

 

I'm going to add a note at the beginning of the readme repeating that recommendation that the fixpack be played with vertical sync enabled. If I'd been aware of it, I'd have run through the game with it disabled so I could spot any other times when disabling it causes an issue, but too late now.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Qwinn

[itchanddino]

I was reading a post on reddit today about minimally modding DAO. Would you mind taking a look at the fixes on this list and pointing out which ones your new fixpack will supersede?

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/3uup42/no_spoilers_basic_questions_about_game_mods/cxi5ign/

 

Thanks again Qwinn!

Edited June 9, 2017 by itchanddino

[Bronzeness]

itchanddino, this fixpack generally doesn't interfere with combat tweak-type mods or visual stuff like Theta HD. Of that list, I believe this will be able to replace the following:

A Lost Nug Quest Fix DAO

Qwinn's Unofficial DAO Fixpack (of course)

Tiny Fixes

Unobtainable Items (Qwinn's will NOT restore ornamental sword/magic greatsword, though)

ZDF

Plus any of the stuff from the redundant list included in the above!

[Maeassel]

Great that you were be able to do something about Gorim. Now that I know about that the problem with not using vertical sync, it does make me wonder if any other things got messed up too. Probably wouldn't notice in most cases unless you knew what things were supposed to look like before hand.

 

I completely forgot to mention this. When I started up a new game with the female dwarf noble warrior, once I gained control of the player, her equipment changed to many DLC unlockable/downloadable items instead of the default setup. It's weird because during the cutscene you can see the Dwarven Noble Armor set and her having no helmet, but as soon as the conversation ends, she is now wearing the Helm of the Deep, Battledress of the Provocateur, The Lion's Paw boots, Sash of the Forbidden Secrets, The High Regard of House Dace amulet, and the Lucky Stone ring. The default equipment that was replaced is in the inventory instead.

 

I tried this making a male dwarf, same problem. Tried the rogue, only difference is he/she keeps the Dwarven Noble Armor instead of wearing the Battledress. I then went to try bunch of different origins, none of them changed the equipment. So it was only happening in the dwarven noble origin as far as I saw. Next I tried disabling the items that appeared on the player in the main menu. That stopped them from appearing, but instead the other items still enabled replaced them (unless the equipment could not be worn for whatever reason). I then disabled all of the DLC items and there is no problem at all.

 

I'm a bit surprised no one else has noticed this, since it seemed so obvious to me. Maybe it's just my game that is bugged.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Maeassel

[mckatsims]

Great that you were be able to do something about Gorim. Now that I know about that the problem with not using vertical sync, it does make me wonder if any other things got messed up too. Probably wouldn't notice in most cases unless you knew what things were supposed to look like before hand.

 

I completely forgot to mention this. When I started up a new game with the female dwarf noble warrior, once I gained control of the player, her equipment changed to many DLC unlockable/downloadable items instead of the default setup. It's weird because during the cutscene you can see the Dwarven Noble Armor set and her having no helmet, but as soon as the conversation ends, she is now wearing the Helm of the Deep, Battledress of the Provocateur, The Lion's Paw boots, Sash of the Forbidden Secrets, The High Regard of House Dace amulet, and the Lucky Stone ring. The default equipment that was replaced is in the inventory instead.

 

I tried this making a male dwarf, same problem. Tried the rogue, only difference is he/she keeps the Dwarven Noble Armor instead of wearing the Battledress. I then went to try bunch of different origins, none of them changed the equipment. So it was only happening in the dwarven noble origin as far as I saw. Next I tried disabling the items that appeared on the player in the main menu. That stopped them from appearing, but instead the other items still enabled replaced them (unless the equipment could not be worn for whatever reason). I then disabled all of the DLC items and there is no problem at all.

 

I'm a bit surprised no one else has noticed this, since it seemed so obvious to me. Maybe it's just my game that is bugged.

 

It's not just you, maeassel, I've noticed the same thing with the Dwarven Noble origin. With both the male and female noble dwarf, the issue you described happens to me. Never thought to mention it, however, since I'm working so much these days I don't have time to play DAO like I used to. :sad:

[Qwinn]

Took a look, and I see what's doing it. During the introduction where Gorim is talking to you, he asks if you want a shield or not. You can refuse it (in which case the shield shows up in the nearby chest). There's a bit of code to equip everything you have, which at the time that script was written was probably only supposed to be that shield. It equips everything he has, though, which will include DLC.

 

I will rewrite it to not equip DLC.

 

EDIT: Tested and working.

DN001: "Dwarf Noble Origin": A bit of code that was meant to equip your shield (if you asked for one) and weapons at the end of the introduction to this origin was also equipping all DLC. It will no longer do so. Thanks to Maeassel of the Nexus forums for making me aware of this one.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Qwinn

[Qwinn]

Okay, got my first pass through the readme done, finally. Here's the introduction as it stands now, though I'll add my contact email and a link to whatever forum thread I create later for people to submit bug reports:

 

 

Qwinn's Ultimate Dragon Age: Origins Fixpack
Author: Paul Escalona (aka Qwinn)
Original Release Date: April 15, 2010
Current Release Date: June 12, 2017
Current Version#: 3.0

 

WHAT IT DOES, AND WHAT TO EXPECT:

 

This fixpack attempts to address ALL dialogue, quest, scripting, plot, and item bugs in the base game of Dragon Age: Origins. As of version 3.0 it fixes more than 700 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, please 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 (with one exception related to Oghren) or any of the other DLC.

 

COMPATIBILITY:

 

This mod is most likely not going to be compatible with most mods that modify dialogue, quests and items. The following mods are not compatible, but they are also not necessary as the issues 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 REDUNDANT

 

Alistair Dialog Patch (ADP)
Zevran Dialogue Fixes (ZDF)
Leliana Fixes
Morrigan Restoration Pack (MRP)
Dialogue Tweaks (bugs addressed, tweaks are not)
Tiny Fixes
A Lost Nug Quest Fix
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
Ancient Elven Boots Fix
Fang at Tier 7
Golem Registry and Shapers Life Reward Fix
Shale will come for me - Restoration Fix
Templar Armor Fixes
The Gnawed Notebook
Her Hammer is her... uh.. never mind
Fixed political support in "A Paragon of her Kind"
Cammen's Lament Quest Fix
A Fallen Templar Quest Fix

 

SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE

Any morph or texture mods
Any mods that strictly address combat mechanics
Any Awakening mods
Any mods for other DA:O DLC

 

NOT COMPATIBLE

Mods that modify companion dialogues.

 

 

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:

 

This fixpack was developed on the Steam Ultimate Edition version of the game.

 

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:

 

(Will update this when I've decided how to implement release).

 

 

README 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, 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.

 

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 be under that companion's section... unless they depend on and would spoil a late game event, in which case you'll find it listed in the respective late game section.

 

GL000: GLOBAL (4 Fixes)
CM000: CIRCLE MAGE ORIGIN (5 Fixes)
DE000: DALISH ELF ORIGIN (2 Fixes)
DN000: DWARF NOBLE ORIGIN (18 Fixes)
HN000: HUMAN NOBLE ORIGIN (1 Fix)
AL000: ALISTAIR (7 Fixes)
DO000: DOG (1 Fix)
LE000: LELIANA (28 Fixes)
MO000: MORRIGAN (35 Fixes)
OG000: OGHREN (21 Fixes)
SC000: SECRET COMPANION (1 Fix)
SH000: SHALE (1 Fix)
ST000: STEN (15 Fixes)
WY000: WYNNE (5 Fixes)
ZE000: ZEVRAN (15 Fixes)
IB000: INTERPARTY BANTERS (15 Fixes)
OS000: OSTAGAR (14 Fixes)
LO000: LOTHERING (18 Fixes)
BF000: BRECILIAN FOREST / NATURE OF THE BEAST (41 Fixes)
CT000: CIRCLE TOWER / BROKEN CIRCLE (24 Fixes)
RE000: REDCLIFFE / THE ARL OF REDCLIFFE (43 Fixes)
DE000: DENERIM (Excluding Crime Wave and Endgame) (20 Fixes)

CW000: CRIME WAVE (21 Fixes)
BI000: BLACKSTONE IRREGULARS QUESTS (7 Fixes)
CH000: CHANTER'S BOARD QUESTS (10 Fixes)
MC000: MAGE COLLECTIVE QUESTS (5 Fixes)
RA000: RANDOM AND SCRIPTED ENCOUNTERS (5 Fixes)
FI000: FAVORS FOR INTERESTED PARTIES (6 Fixes)
UR000: HAVEN / THE URN OF SACRED ASHES (28 Fixes)
OR000: ORZAMMAR / A PARAGON OF HER KIND (98 Fixes)
RQ000: RESCUE THE QUEEN (13 Fixes)
CA000: CAPTURED! (8 Fixes)
UA000: DENERIM ALIENAGE / UNREST IN THE ALIENAGE (32 Fixes)
LA000: LANDSMEET (and Post Landsmeet up to Dark Ritual) (22 Fixes)
DR000: DARK RITUAL (14 Fixes)
FB000: FINAL BATTLE (12 Fixes)
CO000: CORONATION (6 Fixes)
PC000: POST-CORONATION (18 Fixes)
FU000: FUNERAL (7 Fixes)
SL000: SLIDESHOW / EPILOGUE (15 Fixes)
PI000: PLOT ITEM REMOVAL (15 Fixes)
IF000: ITEM FIXES (19 Fixes)
IR000: ITEM RESTORATIONS (13 Fixes)
RD000: REDACTED FROM PREVIOUS VERSIONS (1 Redaction)

 

Total: 709 Fixes

Edited June 10, 2017 by Qwinn