Mod Beginner - Very Confused

[LittleWillow]

As stated in the title, I'm new at this. I've looked through the Wiki (including the "For Dummies" page) but the more I read, the more confused I get. I'm not that great with computers. Example, when it says "extract file" I'm all like "Umm... do what now?" Yeah. It's that bad. :P

 

I'm also confused about the mod managers. I saw DAO-Modmanager, CharGenMorph Compiler, and DAModder in the popular download list. It looks like mods are different kinds of files, and maybe those managers all work with different kinds? I also saw others in the forums mention an Override folder. There is no override folder within my game files that I could find.

 

Anyway... I have looked through the list of the popular nexus mods and have found some I'd like to try. If someone would be so kind as to give me a simplified walkthrough for them, I would be so grateful. I don't know if they're all downloaded and installed the same way, so I'll include several here.

 

Ferelden Models - Unique Character Faces and Presets

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=3295

 

Better Sex Cutscenes - WIP

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=548

 

Quests and Legends

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=2040

 

More Hairstyles

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=392

 

Make CONSOLE commands visible

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=1110

 

Dahlialynns Alistair Epilogues - The Royal Wedding

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=1839

 

Cullen romance option - Mage Origin

http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=1949

[Thandal]

Welcome, LittleWillow!

 

As noted elsewhere, mods for DA come in many, many different forms. You might want to read this article to get your bearings, then come back to ask questions about speicfic issues you might have.

 

Using Dragon Age Mods for Dummies

 

You're in for some fun. DA is an excellent game, and the right mods make it all the better.

 

Happy (modded) Gaming! :thumbsup:

[amycus]

:biggrin: Um, Thandal, he did say that he read that page, but still didnt quite get it.

 

For your specific questions:

1)What do they mean with "extract files"?

- It means that you use software like winrar to "extract" a .zip or .rar file. For example: If you download a mod you might just get a file that is named "nameofdownloadedmod.zip". If you have winrar installed you can just double-click this .zip file to open it much like any folder. Then just select all the files that has been opened with winrar, and drag and drop it to the designated folder, and winrar will "extract" those files for you to that folder.

 

2) What mod manager should I use?

-Whichever you want, they can all be used to install your mods. Though personally I think that "DAModder" is the easiest one. Just download it, and extract its content to an empty folder. The next time you want to install any mod, you just have to run the .exe of DAModder, and drag and drop your downloaded modfile straight to the DAModder window, and it will do the whole installation for you - with some exceptions for the more complicated mods, but DAModder usually tells you if it wasnt able to install a mod correctly.

 

If we use "make console commands visible", as an easy example:

Go to http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=1110#content

Press the green "download" button, and then press "Angel_console_fix_fonts_er" to download.

 

What you get is a .zip file, and you can now choose to either install it manually by just extracting the content and (by following the readme of the mod):

Put it in ~/Documents/BioWare/Dragon Age/packages/core/data/

 

Or, you can just start up DAModder, and drag and drop the .zip file straight to the DAModder window, and it should install it for you.

 

Remember, not all mods install exactly the same way, so remember to always read the readme for each mod

Edited February 13, 2012 by amycus

[Thandal]

:biggrin: Um, Thandal, he did say that he read that page, but still didnt quite get it.

Sorry, totally missed that part. :facepalm: :tongue:

 

And excellent point about reading the instructions for each mod, and not just to drag-n-drop things to a Manager.

At least half the ones the OP listed won't work that way. :whistling:

[LittleWillow]

I tried downloading one just now, no mod manager, and I got a "Windows can't download this file" message.

 

If I use a manager, am I supposed to put it in a Dragon Age folder after I download it?

 

EDIT: That manager doesn't want to take any of the mods I try to download.

 

Can someone pleeeease just give me a step-by-step walkthrough on these? Meaning, tell me "Click on this. Then, click on this. Then click this." Apparently it's the only way I'm going to get this right. I just can't comprehend any of this. :facepalm:

Edited February 13, 2012 by LittleWillow

[Thandal]

@LittleWillow;

 

We might (I repeat "might") be able to do this, if you would pick a mod to try.

 

I don't think anyone wants to try to teach you everything you need to know about all the different types of mods people have created for Dragon Age. That Nexus Wiki article covers the basics for most of them, but it does depend on the player having a general understanding of Windows file and folder structure, and how mods for for games work in general.

 

But depending on your willingness to learn, may we help you get one working. :whistling:

[amycus]

I tried downloading one just now, no mod manager, and I got a "Windows can't download this file" message.

 

If I use a manager, am I supposed to put it in a Dragon Age folder after I download it?

 

EDIT: That manager doesn't want to take any of the mods I try to download.

 

Can someone pleeeease just give me a step-by-step walkthrough on these? Meaning, tell me "Click on this. Then, click on this. Then click this." Apparently it's the only way I'm going to get this right. I just can't comprehend any of this. :facepalm:

Is a video tutorial enough for "More hairstyles"? :happy: It shows you how to install mods with DAModder (in this case "more hairstyles")

(not my vid, just remembered I had seen a vid like this before while looking for dragon age videos)

 

Not all mods can be installed like this, but roughly 90% of all the mods on dragonagenexus should be possible to install by using the same method.

Edited February 14, 2012 by amycus

[Thandal]

Reminder: Mods that affect the PC's appearance, especially at the Character Creator (CC) stage, are very different from others. They require some means of managing the changes to the CharGenMorphCfg.xml file. (If you're using multiple appearance mods, the difficulty is compounded. :laugh: )

[LittleWillow]

You know... I never thought to look on Youtube for tutorials. :facepalm:

 

That really helped. Things look slightly different on my laptop than they did on the tutorial creator's computer, but I was still able to figure it out from there.

 

Many thanks to both of you for your help! And patience. :tongue:

[LittleWillow]

Okay... more problems. :wallbash:

 

Trying to download the "Better Sex Cutscenes" and it doesn't work with the modder. The instructions say to use 7-zip. It looks like there's a bunch of places to download that from. Are they all different or something? I couldn't find a tutorial on Youtube for this one.