16 réponses à ce sujet

[Avispex]

I bought DA:O on release day.  Never bought Awakenings or most of the DLC packs.   It is currently installed.

I recently found a good deal on Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition.  I bought the physical version, so I have the discs, although when I bought the first version years ago I used the EA Download Manager to download a digital version so I wouldn't need the disc.  Now Origin seems to have replaced that and I no longer know if this will still work. I went online and entered the redeem codes and the DLC started automatically downloading and installing.  However, I don't see that Awakenings is downloading or installing.

What is the best way to upgrade my current install to include my original game saves and settings with all of the new DLC and Awakenings as well?  Will the Origins system do it or do I need the discs?  Do I need to use the discs?  Do I need to create a whole new install from scratch since my existing game is already patched to 1.05?

Thanks!

[ShinsFortress]

Regardless of media, it has been reported that installing DAO:UE "on top" of an existing installation of DAO can cause problems. I am not sure how moving from a digital download format like Steam affects things, as I always use retail discs whenever possible. Given the nature of such things (I have used Steam for other titles when I had no choice) it is possibe that the saves may be stored in a different location.  I would suggest (sorry if any are too obvious!):-

1)  back-up your save files and folders (include your profile file if you wish to keep track of Achievements).
2)  uninstall DAO completely.
3)  install DAO:UE from the discs.
4)  log into the site here and check http://social.biowar...ntitlements.php for what you should have*.
5)  update to 1.05 via http://social.biowar...page/da-patches .  UE comes as 1.04 already (good), but 1.05 helps more with some issues mainly to do with DLC and authentication.
6)  start the new game installation, do a dummy/test save, exit the game and then check where the new saves are.
7)  bring into the save game file area your backed up saves.  For physical disc installations it's usually a sub-folder of the Bioware folders under "My Documents"**.
8)  start the game again, log in, wait for any remaining DLC (if there is any oustanding) to download and authenticate*.

You should be good to go!

* If you have a top internet connection and Bioware is not busy this may be very quick or almost instantaneous.
** this may have a different name/structure depending on which version of Microsoft Windows you have.

Modifié par ShinsFortress, 30 décembre 2011 - 02:32 .

[Avispex]

Holy hell! My dragon age folder in c: Program files is 15.4 GB and the one in Documents is over 5 GB. That is without Awakenings.

[Avispex]

OK, so I put in the disc hoping that the auto run would bring up some kind of configuration/ launcher that said "You already have DA:0 installed, would you like to just install Awakenings?"

That didn't happen. In fact, it seemed to recognize my existing install and not do anything in the way of offering an install option for just Awakenings. I sure hate to do a complete uninstall of everything just to put on an expansion pack. This is getting a bit too involved for my first cup of coffee before work. I'll think on this for a bit.

Thanks.

[ShinsFortress]

No problem.

And don't worry, you don't have to back-up all those GB of "documents". My Dragon Age documents on my updated Microsoft Window Vista Ultimate (32-bit)*, with all my characters, profile/achievements info and overrides; is only 100 or so MB. Peanuts to back-up. Not having access to your PC to see I can't tell what you can ignore on your own setup. Anyway, a good uninstaller should provide you with the option to keep your saves.

So for me everything I need to back up is in C:\\Users\\*your_login_name*\\Documents\\BioWare\\Dragon Age and is only about 100MB.  And I'm sure I don't need most of that!

PS:  I cannot stress strongly enough that one should uninstall whatever iteration of DAO one currently has before trying to install DAO:UE on top.

Modifié par ShinsFortress, 30 décembre 2011 - 04:03 .

[Thandal N'Lyman]

I've done full un-/re-installs over half-a-dozen times, (mostly when I was trying some fancy tricks to overcome problems with the 1.03 patch)  plus signficant tweaks with a"UE-over-previous install" effort.

While there are ways to get it done by-hand, (I was finally able to get rid of an erroneous and annoying "Available Content" message on the Downloadable Content menu) the absolute easiest way is:

0.  Back-up your "Characters" folder which contains your saves.  (On a retail disc install, this is: "\\[user's douments]\\BioWare\\Dragon Age\\Characters".  Not sure if it's any different under a Steam install.)

1.  Run the built-in uninstall routine.  It should offer to keep your saves and settings.  Say "Yes".

2.  Make a new install from your UE discs.

3.  Activate the new install using the CD-Key on the back of the manual.

4.  Activate the new DLC install using the key provided on the UE insert (or in an email, depending on method of acquisiton.)

5.  Verify that your saves are still there.  If so, you can delete the back-up you made in Step 0.  If not, place that back-up folder in the appropriate path, which should now be the one I described above.

The single biggest difference I've found between the original Disc+DLC install and the UE install is that with the UE, the "\\addins" folder is now placed with the rest of the basic game under "\\Program Files [(x86)]\\Dragon Age", rather than under the individual player's profile.

Modifié par Thandal NLyman, 31 décembre 2011 - 09:50 .

[ShinsFortress]

Regarding "4": I have actually seen people get confused by calling this a key; getting into endless trouble after trying to double-register and complaining to the nines because they can't tell the difference, even when it's there on the paperwork, between a CD-key and a code for redeemable 'bonus' DLC.

[Avispex]

Thanks for that Thandal. I ended up doing pretty much exactly what you suggested and it mostly worked. The Awakenings never showed up, so I think I will have to do this again, but I am in no rush and I feel like it should be possible to keep my saves and update the damn game somehow, so I will keep trying,

[RaenImrahl]

Avispex wrote...

Thanks for that Thandal. I ended up doing pretty much exactly what you suggested and it mostly worked. The Awakenings never showed up, so I think I will have to do this again, but I am in no rush and I feel like it should be possible to keep my saves and update the damn game somehow, so I will keep trying,

You can easily backup the files under My Documents>BioWare>Dragon Age>Characters to some other location, wipe the game, and then copy them back to that location.  That will include all of your saved games.

One note on reinstalling... I've found it helpful to reboot after doing the uninstall, to make sure changes to the registry are enforced.  See the link in my sig, below.  Good luck!

RI

P.S.  If you continue to have problems with Awakening, there are some old forum posts in the "Solutions Roundup", also linked before.

[Avispex]

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to work through the links.I have not succeeded in getting the game up and runn, which is frustrating, but I feel like there has to be a solution somewhere.

I have tried every combination of installs, uninstalls, patching, DLC downloading, back up file copying over that I can think of and still no success.

Here is what I can tell you. I have had to pull out my original Dragon Age collector's edition disc and reinstall from that. Then I upgraded to version 1.05 and downlaoded all of the items and DLC I am eligible for. Since most of that is to my EA/ Bioware account, even the stuff I only got with the Ultimate Edition installed also. Except for Awakenings.

Then I copy my old character save games from my backup folder on my G drive to the new folder in my documents...

Then I try to open one of my old save games and it says that it can not load because it is missing some content and lists various items like the tal_storage_chest etc. So I go copy all of my extra downloaded content from that backup directory to the new one and it still doesn't work.

As for the Ultimate Edition, I can not install from the discs, period. There may be something wrong with the disc, but it just fails part way through the install. I tried several times.

So, I tried copying the contents of the disc so I could try installing from that. something could not be read so that did not work either.

So I tried using the EA Download manager. That upgraded to Origin. Then it downloaded a 27 GB file, which I told it to save, but which it apparently didn't. At first I thought this worked. It seemed like I was able to start a game and maybe even patch it. But I was never able to successfully copy and launch one of my save games. However, now when I try installing from Origin it just says there is a problem with my installation and I should reinstall. Except that the dam installation files are all gone and I have to download the full 27 gb again.

I tried this about 7 times over the last 10 days.

Current status, I have a working install, minus Awakening, but still can not play any of my old saves.

So, frustrated? A bit.

Still grateful for any help though, especially with finding out exactly which files need to be completely deleted from my system so there is no record of anything dragon, age, or origins anywhere on my computer aside from my backup folder on my G drive. Registry, profile, log, you name it, I want it gone so I can do a full reset install from th eOrigin BEta and see if I can get all of my old save games and content to finally work.

[Avispex]

This may be a helpful first step---
https://help.ea.com/...s?showhome=true

[RaenImrahl]

Whoof.  Okay.  A lot of what you're saying makes sense... here's why:

Avispex wrote...
Here is what I can tell you. I have had to pull out my original Dragon Age collector's edition disc and reinstall from that. Then I upgraded to version 1.05 and downlaoded all of the items and DLC I am eligible for. Since most of that is to my EA/ Bioware account, even the stuff I only got with the Ultimate Edition installed also. Except for Awakenings.

This makes sense... Awakening is NOT downloadable content like Stone Prisoner, Darkspawn Chronicles, etc.  It is an *Expansion Pack*... meaning it was designed to be installed like another application, albiet one that requires the "core" game (DA:Origins) to run.  So you won't see it in your list of DLC, nor can you install it like other DLC. 

Avispex wrote...
Then I try to open one of my old save games and it says that it can not load because it is missing some content and lists various items like the tal_storage_chest etc. So I go copy all of my extra downloaded content from that backup directory to the new one and it still doesn't work.

This also makes sense.  You obviously had third-party mods installed when you made your original saved games.  "Mods" do just that... they "modify" game content.  You will *not* be able to play those old saved games unless you reinstall the same mods.

Avispex wrote...
Still grateful for any help though, especially with finding out exactly which files need to be completely deleted from my system so there is no record of anything dragon, age, or origins anywhere on my computer aside from my backup folder on my G drive. Registry, profile, log, you name it, I want it gone so I can do a full reset install from th eOrigin BEta and see if I can get all of my old save games and content to finally work.

Some thoughts on moving forward...

First... I agree, you need to purge everything and start clean with Ultimate Edition.   Your problem will be that the orginal version of Origins and UE put keys in slightly different registry locations-- so digging them out manually will be tedious.   This is one of the few situations where a registry cleaner like CCCleanup would be helpful... I've used it before.  Just make sure you backup your registry first.

Second... when you get everything cleaned out, *reboot*.  In fact, you should reboot anytime you install or uninstall something with this game... it makes sure the registry keys are properly saved.

Third... all of this started because you installed UE on top of an original installation.  So I have hopes that UE will install correctly, from disc, once you get the registry purged and reboot.  If it does not, take troubleshooting one step at a time and resist the urge to manually install DLC or anything like that.  The Ultimate Edition discs have everything you need on them... except for patch 1.05.  Get UE running again, and only then install the patch.

And remeber... unless you install the same mods as you had before, your saved games are lost (or, more specifically, unplayable).    

Modifié par RaenImrahl, 09 janvier 2012 - 10:49 .

[Avispex]

I concur with pretty much everything you have said aside from the third party mods part. I never installed any third party mod except possibly the storage chest which I downloaded from this forum I think and it was supposed to have been programmed by one of the game developers, so I don't consider it to be excatly third party. Everything I had installed was either a pre order bonus, a collector's edition bonus, or one of those items from playing that little web game where if you played the hell out of it you got little in game items, but I don't know if they still have it.

If the uninstaller for the game did a better job of actually uninstalling, I think that would have helped a ton. If the Ultimate Edition installer properly detected the existing installation and cooperated with it as opposed to carpet bombing it, that would have also been slightly helpful. Lastly, if there had been even some slight semblance of any instruction during install of how to do this non destructively, that would have saved me a boatload of time.

However, having said all of that, it appears that in addition to saving my characters folder I will need access to whatever files the game considers "third party mods" both from the original saves, but I also need to know what to do with them to get them to work in the new game. I'm sure it is as easy as copying a few files from here to there, modifying a few files with a text editor, editing the registry a few times, rebooting the computer once or twice, then a few more time consuming and technical steps and presto! Done!

[RaenImrahl]

Avispex wrote...

I concur with pretty much everything you have said aside from the third party mods part. I never installed any third party mod except possibly the storage chest which I downloaded from this forum I think and it was supposed to have been programmed by one of the game developers, so I don't consider it to be excatly third party. Everything I had installed was either a pre order bonus, a collector's edition bonus, or one of those items from playing that little web game where if you played the hell out of it you got little in game items, but I don't know if they still have it.

Understandable misconception.  The party storage chest, while offered by one of the devs, in indeed a third party mods.  Think of it this way, though... if, say, your character had completed the "Warden's Keep" DLC, you would encounter an error when trying to load it, too, until you reinstalled it.  If the party storage chest was the only mod, then you could always reinstall it.

Avispex wrote...
If the uninstaller for the game did a better job of actually uninstalling, I think that would have helped a ton. If the Ultimate Edition installer properly detected the existing installation and cooperated with it as opposed to carpet bombing it, that would have also been slightly helpful. Lastly, if there had been even some slight semblance of any instruction during install of how to do this non destructively, that would have saved me a boatload of time.

Can't argue with that, for the most part.  This is no excuse... but I suspect (no knowledge or proof) that the EA folks didn't anticipate that so many people who had bought the original Origins would also buy the Ultimate Edition.  Just an unenlightened hunch....

Avispex wrote...
However, having said all of that, it appears that in addition to saving my characters folder I will need access to whatever files the game considers "third party mods" both from the original saves, but I also need to know what to do with them to get them to work in the new game. I'm sure it is as easy as copying a few files from here to there, modifying a few files with a text editor, editing the registry a few times, rebooting the computer once or twice, then a few more time consuming and technical steps and presto! Done!

All of the little freebies for Origins are linked to a page on the Dragon Age Wiki, along with instructions on how to install them.

[Avispex]

OK, I went home last night feeling pretty optimistic. However when I opened up that link to the manual uninstall page I was discouraged to find that it did not help. None of the items to manually remove were anywhere on my system, not in the uninstall information, not in the registry, not in my documents, not in program files, nowhere. I did add the reboot steps between uninstall and install attempts.

In any case, after verifying that Dragon Age Origins and all previous failed attempts had been removed, I put the UE disc i in and tried to install and it failed- same as before. I then started Origin and started the 27 Gig download again and went to bed. I woke up this morning and tried to launch it and the message says "There is a problem with your game's setup. Please reinstall your game."

I doubt it would help, but perhaps an updated install order for the steps involved with a clean origin install of DAO- UE. Do I launch from within ORigin or drom the game directory the first time?

Do I need to reboot?

Do I patch to 1.05 before or after first launch?

Also, at this point I feel like I have tried every combination of the above although I am wondering if I need instructions for a manual uninstall of origin also probably. In the mean time, since I am being prompted to reinstall the game so frequently, is there any way to force this damn program to actually keep the full download so that I do not need to completely re download it every time? There is a setting to keep game installer, but the kept installer is a 2.34 MB folder?

Thanks!

[RaenImrahl]

Avispex wrote...

In the mean time, since I am being prompted to reinstall the game so frequently, is there any way to force this damn program to actually keep the full download so that I do not need to completely re download it every time? There is a setting to keep game installer, but the kept installer is a 2.34 MB folder?

Thanks!

For help with digital downloads, you'll need to see - http://help.ea.com/en/origin

[Avispex]

OK, I am up and running. I will say that the process is not really straightforward because neither the Origins, nor the Dragon Age uninstaller work well. There are instructions for manually uninstalling Dragon Age and Origins which involve manually editing the registry, deleting files from multiple locations, backing up files from certain folders, etc. Even after following those instructions exactly my registry was riddled with EA/ Origins/ and Dragon Age Origins keys. What is the excuse for this?

So, I decided that my ultimate goal was to have a full install of Dragon Age Origins with all of the DLC and Awakenings, plus access to all of my old save games from before I ever purchased the ultimate edition but I did not want to have my disc in the drive to play. I am not sure what the current status of the disc check is for disc installs.

Because I had not done a complete uninstall at the very beginning of this process, I was pretty much doomed to lots of frustration. This was exacerbated by having the disc not install properly because my DVD player has the unique ability to also burn discs and by the fact that no uninstaller related to this product actually worked.

Here is what ultimately worked for me-

I backed up the characters folder in my documents.

I then uninstalled all traces of dragon age from my computer. I also uninstalled all traces of the Origin (replacement for the EA download Manager). I used the uninstallers, followed by the manual uninstall instructions, followed by manually editing every trace of EA Origin and Dragon Age from the registry.

I then downloaded a clean copy of Dragon Age Ultimate edition from Amazon. It came basically free with the Dragon Age pack a week or two ago. When I installed it I used the registration code from the physical copy I had purchased so as not to waste an additional set of install codes. That worked great.

I then patched that clean install to 1.05 and launched the game and let it download and install the rest of the DLC items.

I then used the DA updater to install the other DAZIP items that I had used with my previous games including the storage chest.

Finally I copied my old character saves back into the proper location and I have everything up and running. I have Awakenings and all the DLC content, I don't have the disc in or need to worry about any disc check, I have all of my old character saves just fine, and lastly I have all of the manually installed items and the storage chest back installed.

Thanks everyone who helped me get back to this point.