Like the title states I have no idea how to use mods. Is there anyting special that i need, a way to download them from nexus, or something to unzip them, and how and where to instal them or any other special programs. Any information would help along with were to download anyting i might need.
I have no idea how to use mods any help?
Débuté par
aaronjew
, janv. 23 2010 11:20
Retour en haut
#2
Posté 23 janvier 2010 - 11:33
Whisa
-
- Members
- 202 messages
You can click on the "projects" button at the top to get to a lot of mods.
The majority will have in their description how to put the files in the correct place. There's really no single way to do it; certain files can just be put in a folder and be done while others require a few other tweaks. The ones I've installed have had the instructions very clearly outlined step by step and I've had no problem following them without previous experience ^^;
The majority will have in their description how to put the files in the correct place. There's really no single way to do it; certain files can just be put in a folder and be done while others require a few other tweaks. The ones I've installed have had the instructions very clearly outlined step by step and I've had no problem following them without previous experience ^^;
#3
Posté 23 janvier 2010 - 11:34
LyonVanguard
-
- Members
- 231 messages
Go to Dragon Age Nexus. It is much better than the projects page here.
You can also find installation guides in many of the mod pages.
You can also find installation guides in many of the mod pages.
#4
Posté 23 janvier 2010 - 11:36
ponozsticka
-
- Members
- 453 messages
.dazip need to be installed through DAUpdater (/Dragon Age/bin_ship) most of mods Ive downloaded can be installed this way.
However there was one (for long haircuts) that needed to be copied into Override folder.
As Whisa said those that are not .dazip type ussualy have instalation instruction
However there was one (for long haircuts) that needed to be copied into Override folder.
As Whisa said those that are not .dazip type ussualy have instalation instruction
#5
Posté 23 janvier 2010 - 11:38
keldz
-
- Members
- 15 messages
I am also having a mod problem. I have them installed with DA Modder. But when I open the game to play only about half of them show up in gameplay. Can anyone help with this?
#6
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 12:26
Miriel Amarinth
-
- Members
- 390 messages
I suggest starting by getting DAmodder: http://www.dragonage...file.php?id=286
It's a simple tool that lets you manage your mods 'the easy way'. It has the advantage over DAupdater (the default module installer that comes with the basic dragon age game) that it can handle both .zip and .dazip files, and it allows you to uninstall mods as well.
To use it simply unzip the latest version of DAmodder anywhere on the same harddrive as your Dragon Age game. Then run DAmodder.exe. You can install mods by clicking Install and browsing to the location of the mod file. At the bottom right you can switch it to search for either zip files or dazip files.
Next I suggest going over the mods and seeing which ones you'd like. You can browse by category, file name, but also show the Top Rated files. The last option is an excellent way to grab some high quality mods if you don't have a lot of time to go over each one seperately. If you have more specific ideas of things you'd like to change in the game you could browse by category or use the keyword search function.
A few general tips on downloading and installing mods:
- always download the latest version, unless there's a good reason not to (like incompatibility with a different mod)
- look for positive endorsements from other users, high rated files are usually older (meaning there's been time to iron out the bugs) and better overall quality
- always read the "description" section as it may contain important information about installation and compatibility with other mods
- check which format the mod files are in. The preferred format is .dazip - if that is not available it's .zip. Files in other formats require manual installation.
- check out the comments section if you want to know more about a mod or if you run into any problems. There's a good chance someone else already had the same problem before you and you might find a way to fix it.
What is the difference between dazip and zip?
From what I've been able to gather the main difference between dazip and zip mods is the install location. Dazip mods are integrated into the game install folder itself and show up on the ingame tab "Downloadable Content" where you choose to disable them if need be. Zip mods are put in the packages/core/overide folder under My Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age, they don't show up as installed content and the only way to disable them is by uninstalling them using DAmodder, or by deleting the mod folder manually.
There's probably more complicated differences in the way they work, but since I'm not a modder myself I can't really tell you. Both mod types work equally well though.
Installing mods manually:
If you come across any mods that aren't in the .dazip or .zip format or a mod is not compatible with DAmodder (it will give you an error message if so), you will need to install the mod manually. The first thing to do is extract the files from the archive, either using winzip, winrar or 7-zip (the latter is a free utility). Next open the readme file or look up the mod description on dragonnexus for installation instructions. It should tell you where the extracted archive files need to go.
A note on mods that change the character creator:
There are several mods that add more options to the game's character creator. There's something special about these mods. In order for them to function properly they need a file called "chargenmorphcfg.xml". Each mod comes with its own version of this file. A small problem arises when you try to use 2 or more mods that affect the character creator, because you're left with two versions of the file "chargenmorphcfg.xml" while Dragon Age can only handle one at a time (it will load one and disregard the other).
In order to get 2 or more character-creator-mods to cooperate peacefully you will need what is called a "compatibility patch" for the chargenmorph file. Usually the authors of such mods are aware of this and will provide a chargenmorph file that lets you use several mods together. The info is usually in the description of the mod or in the readme, so read these carefully.
What to do when a mod doesn't appear to be working
Some equipment mods are supposed deliver the equipment straight to your inventory, but for whatever reason they may not spawn the equipment properly the first time you load your game. There is an easy trick to force the mod to re-spawn the equipment, using the following steps:
- save the game
- disable the mod (either disable under the DLC tab or uninstall the mod temporarily using DAmodder)
- load your last save, ignore the error about missing modules and click Force Load
- save the game again as a new savegame file
- reenable the mod (or if you uninstalled it, reinstall it using DAmodder)
- load the save game you made earlier with the mod disabled
You should now have the equipment in your inventory. If it still doesn't work there may be a bug or compatibility issue.
I could type a lot more, but I think this sums up most of the basics on modding Dragon Age that I've experienced in the past few weeks. The best thing about the mods is that you can completely tailor the game to your personal preference and I think it's well worth the effort. I can't help but give a few recommendations on mods that I think are absolutely top-notch:
- More Hairstyles + Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors = my current avatar was done with those hair/face mods
- Stamina Potion - should have been in the core game IMHO
- NoFollowersAutolevel - allows you to set all attributes, skills, talents of your companions yourself
- LockBash / OpenLockSpells - respectively gives warriors / mages the ability to open locked doors and chests
- Black Templar Armor - looks great!
- Leliana + Morrigan from the Sacred Ashes CG
package
Oh and have fun modding.
It's a simple tool that lets you manage your mods 'the easy way'. It has the advantage over DAupdater (the default module installer that comes with the basic dragon age game) that it can handle both .zip and .dazip files, and it allows you to uninstall mods as well.
To use it simply unzip the latest version of DAmodder anywhere on the same harddrive as your Dragon Age game. Then run DAmodder.exe. You can install mods by clicking Install and browsing to the location of the mod file. At the bottom right you can switch it to search for either zip files or dazip files.
Next I suggest going over the mods and seeing which ones you'd like. You can browse by category, file name, but also show the Top Rated files. The last option is an excellent way to grab some high quality mods if you don't have a lot of time to go over each one seperately. If you have more specific ideas of things you'd like to change in the game you could browse by category or use the keyword search function.
A few general tips on downloading and installing mods:
- always download the latest version, unless there's a good reason not to (like incompatibility with a different mod)
- look for positive endorsements from other users, high rated files are usually older (meaning there's been time to iron out the bugs) and better overall quality
- always read the "description" section as it may contain important information about installation and compatibility with other mods
- check which format the mod files are in. The preferred format is .dazip - if that is not available it's .zip. Files in other formats require manual installation.
- check out the comments section if you want to know more about a mod or if you run into any problems. There's a good chance someone else already had the same problem before you and you might find a way to fix it.
What is the difference between dazip and zip?
From what I've been able to gather the main difference between dazip and zip mods is the install location. Dazip mods are integrated into the game install folder itself and show up on the ingame tab "Downloadable Content" where you choose to disable them if need be. Zip mods are put in the packages/core/overide folder under My Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age, they don't show up as installed content and the only way to disable them is by uninstalling them using DAmodder, or by deleting the mod folder manually.
There's probably more complicated differences in the way they work, but since I'm not a modder myself I can't really tell you. Both mod types work equally well though.
Installing mods manually:
If you come across any mods that aren't in the .dazip or .zip format or a mod is not compatible with DAmodder (it will give you an error message if so), you will need to install the mod manually. The first thing to do is extract the files from the archive, either using winzip, winrar or 7-zip (the latter is a free utility). Next open the readme file or look up the mod description on dragonnexus for installation instructions. It should tell you where the extracted archive files need to go.
A note on mods that change the character creator:
There are several mods that add more options to the game's character creator. There's something special about these mods. In order for them to function properly they need a file called "chargenmorphcfg.xml". Each mod comes with its own version of this file. A small problem arises when you try to use 2 or more mods that affect the character creator, because you're left with two versions of the file "chargenmorphcfg.xml" while Dragon Age can only handle one at a time (it will load one and disregard the other).
In order to get 2 or more character-creator-mods to cooperate peacefully you will need what is called a "compatibility patch" for the chargenmorph file. Usually the authors of such mods are aware of this and will provide a chargenmorph file that lets you use several mods together. The info is usually in the description of the mod or in the readme, so read these carefully.
What to do when a mod doesn't appear to be working
Some equipment mods are supposed deliver the equipment straight to your inventory, but for whatever reason they may not spawn the equipment properly the first time you load your game. There is an easy trick to force the mod to re-spawn the equipment, using the following steps:
- save the game
- disable the mod (either disable under the DLC tab or uninstall the mod temporarily using DAmodder)
- load your last save, ignore the error about missing modules and click Force Load
- save the game again as a new savegame file
- reenable the mod (or if you uninstalled it, reinstall it using DAmodder)
- load the save game you made earlier with the mod disabled
You should now have the equipment in your inventory. If it still doesn't work there may be a bug or compatibility issue.
I could type a lot more, but I think this sums up most of the basics on modding Dragon Age that I've experienced in the past few weeks. The best thing about the mods is that you can completely tailor the game to your personal preference and I think it's well worth the effort. I can't help but give a few recommendations on mods that I think are absolutely top-notch:
- More Hairstyles + Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors = my current avatar was done with those hair/face mods
- Stamina Potion - should have been in the core game IMHO
- NoFollowersAutolevel - allows you to set all attributes, skills, talents of your companions yourself
- LockBash / OpenLockSpells - respectively gives warriors / mages the ability to open locked doors and chests
- Black Templar Armor - looks great!
- Leliana + Morrigan from the Sacred Ashes CG
package
Oh and have fun modding.
#7
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 02:16
aaronjew
-
- Members
- 7 messages
thanks Miriel Amarinth, that was more than i expected. and as for the recommendations i downloaded them all. thanks
#8
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 04:33
keldz
-
- Members
- 15 messages
Thanks Miriel. That was really helpful. Specifically the one I am having problems with is More Hairstyles. I am going to try to uninstall it and then try again to get it to work.
#9
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 05:08
aaronjew
-
- Members
- 7 messages
i downloaded the DAmodder and a few mods unzipped the files or whatever. dragged them into the modder and it asked me if i wanted to install them so i did. opened my game nothing. started new character nothing. so miriel what to i do now.
#10
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 05:12
Zabaniya
-
- Members
- 443 messages
Which mod are you talking about specifically? Item mods don't necessarily show up the first time especially when you're on a new character; you have to go back and untick the check box, force load the game, save, then recheck the box and load the game again.
#11
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 05:17
aaronjew
-
- Members
- 7 messages
More Hairstyles + Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors
LockBash / OpenLockSpells
Black Templar Armor
the your personal castle one
LockBash / OpenLockSpells
Black Templar Armor
the your personal castle one
#12
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 05:28
Zabaniya
-
- Members
- 443 messages
I'll go by numbers.
1. Hairstyle should be compatible with DAModder itself. It should be there at the character customization screen; it adds onto the already existing hairstyles. Pineapple's should be extracted into the Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\override\\ folder.
2. Lock Bash is available as soon as you get Bravery (warriors) and Staff Focus (mages), but it overrides the original effects of the talent/spell.
3. Regarding Black Templar Armor, DAModder to install; if it didn't appear, use the method I wrote above.
4. Your personal castle should appear as soon as you can travel on world map or something. Not too sure on this one.
1. Hairstyle should be compatible with DAModder itself. It should be there at the character customization screen; it adds onto the already existing hairstyles. Pineapple's should be extracted into the Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\override\\ folder.
2. Lock Bash is available as soon as you get Bravery (warriors) and Staff Focus (mages), but it overrides the original effects of the talent/spell.
3. Regarding Black Templar Armor, DAModder to install; if it didn't appear, use the method I wrote above.
4. Your personal castle should appear as soon as you can travel on world map or something. Not too sure on this one.
#13
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 12:26
Miriel Amarinth
-
- Members
- 390 messages
keldz wrote...
Thanks Miriel. That was really helpful. Specifically the one I am having problems with is More Hairstyles. I am going to try to uninstall it and then try again to get it to work.
The first thing to check is that you don't have any other mods installed that affect your choices in the character creator. If you do then you'll need to look for a chargenmorph file which is compatible with both those mods.
Secondly there were some mods I downloaded that were zipped up on the wrong level (meaning it was a zip file with more zip files inside), and DAmodder doesn't recognize this, so make sure that the More Hairstyles file you installed from doesn't have other zips inside. If it does then uninstall it from DAmodder, extract the main zip file and reinstall from the correct zip. You'll know you've done it correct if you browse to the My Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/override folder and you see a folder labeled 'more hairstyles' with the mod files inside.
A third option is that you're looking at the wrong races. The mod mainly adds a ton of new hairstyles for female human, and a few different ones for female elf. The hairstyle of my avatar for instance is human-female only, it's not available to elves.
Hope it's one of those three things.
#14
Posté 24 janvier 2010 - 12:39
Miriel Amarinth
-
- Members
- 390 messages
aaronjew wrote...
More Hairstyles + Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors
LockBash / OpenLockSpells
Black Templar Armor
the your personal castle one
As Zibaniya already mentioned, most of those mods can be installed with DAmodder. If you use DAmodder you don't need to unzip them first, you use the .dazip or .zip file by either dragging it onto the installer (never did this, but it's supposed to be easiest) or just run damodder.exe and click Install then select the files you want to install. Aside from Black Templar Armor (which may require the kickstart using the method i described for equipment based mods) all of them should work out of the box.
More hairstyles and PT's vibrant colors are a bit of s special story because both fo those mods affect the character creator, which means you need to do some manual file replacing to get them working. After you install them both (More Hairstyles with DAmodder and PT's vibrant colors you can unzip and manually place the folder in your core/overide folder) you will need to go to dragonagenexus and download the More Hairstyles compatibility patch. it's an optional File that is available on the More Hairstyles mod page.
This zip file contains a folder labeled 'pinappletree's vibrant colors'. Inside is a chargenmorph.xml file which you will want to copy to your packages/core/overide folder. Next go into your Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/overide folder and manually delete the chargenmorph.xml files inside both the PT's vibrant colors folder and the More Hairstyles folder. Now both mods should work together happily.
See my post above for what More Hairstyles does (aka it doesnt add new hair for every race and gender). PT vibrant colors should be pretty obvious when it's working as you'll have a huge number of new hair, eye and skin colors (inlcuding glowing eyes and pink hair).
#15
Posté 25 janvier 2010 - 12:05
keldz
-
- Members
- 15 messages
Miriel you seriously deserve an award for explaining tech things in a detailed, understandable way. You rock. I now have things working perfectly.
#16
Posté 25 janvier 2010 - 06:10
keldz
-
- Members
- 15 messages
OK. Now I am completely confused. Last time I opened the game More Hairstyles and PT Vibrant Colors were working. Now, I just opened it and the colors are still there but the More Hairstyles aren't showing up. Any ideas anyone??
#18
Posté 11 février 2010 - 01:05
darrenr22
-
- Members
- 138 messages
I would just like to thank Miriel for all the advice in this thread, which helped me a great deal this morning.
#19
Posté 11 février 2010 - 01:19
Jaymo147
-
- Members
- 211 messages
Create an override folder in your c:/Program Files/Dragon Age/Packages/Core directory.
There is where you put any texture replacers, character morphs, etc...
Also, most mods come in .dazip format (DragonAgezip file), go to C:/Program Files/Dragon Age/binship and run DAUpdater.exe
Honestly, I would stay away from DAModder, it isn't as effective as Timeslip's Oblivion Mod Manager, or the Fallout 3 varient. DAUpdater works like a charm and to unistall go to Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/Addins and delete the folder.
There is where you put any texture replacers, character morphs, etc...
Also, most mods come in .dazip format (DragonAgezip file), go to C:/Program Files/Dragon Age/binship and run DAUpdater.exe
Honestly, I would stay away from DAModder, it isn't as effective as Timeslip's Oblivion Mod Manager, or the Fallout 3 varient. DAUpdater works like a charm and to unistall go to Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/Addins and delete the folder.
Modifié par Jaymo147, 11 février 2010 - 01:21 .
#20
Posté 08 novembre 2010 - 01:04
Brubar
-
- Members
- 4 messages
thanks a lot to Miriel, I managed to see some of the new hairstyles.
I still have a problem though: I see a 10 of them, but there are some other 6 missing hairstyles. When I choose my hair style in character cration screen and reach the "end" of the "slide bar", the last hairstyles don't appear on the character's head: the top of the head gets totally transparent, as if the character had a whole instead of hair.
Am I understood? lol
I had more than 2 mods (the one mentionned above) which included a "chargenmorph.xml" so I deleted all of them and put the single one (from the fix Miriel spoke of) in the override folder. Those other mods that had a "chargenmorph.xml" are:
-Bidelle's Cosmetics /make up
-CS - NEW tints for hairs
which are required (amongst More hairstyles and Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors) for the "The elegant Morrigan" mod to work.
Anyone can help me with those missing hairstyles / holes-in-head-instead-of-hair?
Please! Thanks
I still have a problem though: I see a 10 of them, but there are some other 6 missing hairstyles. When I choose my hair style in character cration screen and reach the "end" of the "slide bar", the last hairstyles don't appear on the character's head: the top of the head gets totally transparent, as if the character had a whole instead of hair.
Am I understood? lol
I had more than 2 mods (the one mentionned above) which included a "chargenmorph.xml" so I deleted all of them and put the single one (from the fix Miriel spoke of) in the override folder. Those other mods that had a "chargenmorph.xml" are:
-Bidelle's Cosmetics /make up
-CS - NEW tints for hairs
which are required (amongst More hairstyles and Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors) for the "The elegant Morrigan" mod to work.
Anyone can help me with those missing hairstyles / holes-in-head-instead-of-hair?
Please! Thanks
Modifié par Brubar, 08 novembre 2010 - 01:06 .
