Dragon Age: Origns - Maigrets Perspective

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Maigrets
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Installed a lot of mods today and the game is perfect. 'Rock On!' I'll list the mods tomorrow or thereabouts.

The only trouble I'm having is in combat I keep losing my cursor as it's so small, especially when there are a group of enemies, or I accidentally click on another party member by mistake and wonder why I'm not doing anything.

A few screenshots
Pandora. Human Noble, Rogue specializing in dual wielding and archery, a bit of thievery and mayhem. Suits her name...lol
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Happy Fang...covered in blood from killing rats.
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Ostagar
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Duncan took my dog... :-( Can I borrow one of yours? Sniff...
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Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Pandora looks beautiful, and do not worry you will get Fang back. ( As if you did not know that. :grin: )

Edit: As for using both Dual Wielding and Archery, it can be done but do not forget that you need High Dexterity for Archery and for Dual Wielding you need high Dex but also high Cunning. In order to wear to highest tier of Light armour I think you also need at least a strength of 20. It is not always easy to decide where to put points, but when you reach the Fade you can get several free points in there.


Attributes
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote:Pandora looks beautiful, and do not worry you will get Fang back. ( As if you did not know that. :grin: )

Edit: As for using both Dual Wielding and Archery, it can be done but do not forget that you need High Dexterity for Archery and for Dual Wielding you need high Dex but also high Cunning. In order to wear to highest tier of Light armour I think you also need at least a strength of 20. It is not always easy to decide where to put points, but when you reach the Fade you can get several free points in there.


Attributes
Thanks. :) Yeah, I know I'll get him back lol.

I'm putting most points into Cunning and Dexterity and a couple into Strength so far. For archery and dual wield as well as Herbalism and lockpicking etc. The descriptions more or less tell you what you need, even some points in magic for rogues can be necessary at some point. Not a lot different to most "real" rpg's.

I haven't actually used a bow yet (I have two) because I have no arrows and was unable to find or buy any. Then I looked it up and found that normal arrows are unlimited and don't show in the quiver slot, which is unusual. Apparently, you only need to buy special arrows..ice, fire and others.

EDIT: I see a mod on the most downloaded list called Skip the Fade. What's so bad about the Fade? One of those areas that everyone hates it seems (there's always at least one in any game.) Perhaps when I get there I will also want this mod, but not now...lol

Here's a list of installed mods so far:

Utils:
DA CharGenMorph Complier
DAO Mod Manager


Textures:
Mabari Recolours - using Hyena version
Map Textures
Theta HD Textures
Circles Be Gone (makes them transparent, not invisible)


UI:
FtG UI Mod Fonts
Icons - Unique jewellery Rings
The Icons Project
FtG Quickbar

Hair and Cosmetic:
Anto Hair
Bidelle's Cosmetics
Dragon Age Redesigned (no companions)
Eyebrow Presets
Hairstyle Day
Pineappletree's Vibrant Colours
White Teeth
CC Extra Tints and Tones
Fantasy Elves Presets


Others:
Less Barking
Extended Dog Talents
Madd Gift Guide
MerAnne's Camp Storage

SweetFX - Origins Enhanced Preset from the SweetFX site

Probably will add these later:
Wolf Shop
Improved Atmosphere (next playthrough)
Change Your Hero Hair and Face
Probably a body relpacer mod
Companion improvement mods?
....and whatever else I can find
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:Thanks. :) Yeah, I know I'll get him back lol.

I'm putting most points into Cunning and Dexterity and a couple into Strength so far. For archery and dual wield as well as Herbalism and lockpicking etc. The descriptions more or less tell you what you need, even some points in magic for rogues can be necessary at some point. Not a lot different to most "real" rpg's.
Yeah I guess so, it might influence things differently then other games, but truly huge differences are not present.
Maigrets wrote:I haven't actually used a bow yet (I have two) because I have no arrows and was unable to find or buy any. Then I looked it up and found that normal arrows are unlimited and don't show in the quiver slot, which is unusual. Apparently, you only need to buy special arrows..ice, fire and others.
Personally I think it is handy that you have at least unlimited normal arrows if you run out of special arrows. But you do not always have to buy special arrows ( But that is better if a merchant has them. ) you will find them as loot as well ... albeit that it is an amount of around 20 or so. ( Still useful in a pinch. :) )
Maigrets wrote:EDIT: I see a mod on the most downloaded list called Skip the Fade. What's so bad about the Fade? One of those areas that everyone hates it seems (there's always at least one in any game.) Perhaps when I get there I will also want this mod, but not now...lol
Well I like the fade, it is a great chance to rack up quit a lot of experience for your character and you will be able to get quit a few free attribute points. ( Until nearly the end of the Fade quest line you will be without your companions so you have to be more careful. ) Finding out how to get through areas in the fade by means of the shape-shifting spells you need to find and get is great as well in my opinion. My guess would be that a mod like that would be useful if some one has played the game lets say 10+ times.
Maigrets wrote:Here's a list of installed mods so far:

Utils:
DA CharGenMorph Complier
DAO Mod Manager
Now them ... Duhh. :)
Maigrets wrote:Textures:
Mabari Recolours - using Hyena version
Map Textures
Theta HD Textures
Circles Be Gone (makes them transparent, not invisible)
I almost used the Hyena as well, but then remembered that it would not make the Mabari War paint from Wardens in Black look as good as on the Rotweiler version. Map Textures make the map look a lot better then the default one. And I am not using the Theta textures ... but I have to thank you for pointing out the CBG transparent version mod for the ground rings. I only knew the No Ground Rings Mod. :)
Maigrets wrote:UI:
FtG UI Mod Fonts
Icons - Unique jewellery Rings
The Icons Project
FtG Quickbar

Hair and Cosmetic:
Anto Hair
Bidelle's Cosmetics
Dragon Age Redesigned (no companions)
Eyebrow Presets
Hairstyle Day
Pineappletree's Vibrant Colours
White Teeth
CC Extra Tints and Tones
Fantasy Elves Presets
Hmm I know these from some where. :)
Maigrets wrote:Others:
Less Barking
Extended Dog Talents
Madd Gift Guide
MerAnne's Camp Storage
I use most of those with exception of Less Barking.
Maigrets wrote:SweetFX - Origins Enhanced Preset from the SweetFX site
I do not use that one, but it is a useful one for those who are looking for a brighter game world. :)
Maigrets wrote:Probably will add these later:
Wolf Shop
Improved Atmosphere (next playthrough)
Change Your Hero Hair and Face
Probably a body relpacer mod
Companion improvement mods?
....and whatever else I can find
No need for me to mention the use of IA. ( Darn it I still did. :grin: ) The Change Your Hero Hair and Face is familiar to me but I have no need for it myself, nor do I need a body mod for this game. ( Simply because I think the default bodies look good enough. ) As for companion improvement mods etcetera ... sure there is no reason not to use them if you find a good one.
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote: Well I like the fade, it is a great chance to rack up quit a lot of experience for your character and you will be able to get quit a few free attribute points. ( Until nearly the end of the Fade quest line you will be without your companions so you have to be more careful. ) Finding out how to get through areas in the fade by means of the shape-shifting spells you need to find and get is great as well in my opinion. My guess would be that a mod like that would be useful if some one has played the game lets say 10+ times.
Oh, well then, I'm all for shape shifting spells. I really like that kind of thing. So, there are parts where I play solo.....is that where you fought the golem? I remember you said you barely survived...lol
I almost used the Hyena as well, but then remembered that it would not make the Mabari War paint from Wardens in Black look as good as on the Rotweiler version. Map Textures make the map look a lot better then the default one. And I am not using the Theta textures ... but I have to thank you for pointing out the CBG transparent version mod for the ground rings. I only knew the No Ground Rings Mod. :)
:) I'll see when I get the war paint for Fang, but I can change his texture easily enough if it doesn't look good. It would be like he went to the dog groomer.... :grin: I also found this mod, The Mystery of the Missing Kaddis Adds tattoos that were not in the game, but are in the Toolset. You need to use the console to get them.
No need for me to mention the use of IA. ( Darn it I still did. :grin: ) The Change Your Hero Hair and Face is familiar to me but I have no need for it myself, nor do I need a body mod for this game. ( Simply because I think the default bodies look good enough. ) As for companion improvement mods etcetera ... sure there is no reason not to use them if you find a good one.
I found the solution to losing my cursor among the combatants in battle. Bigger Mouse Cursors

Also a Respec mod if I decide I don't like my stats somewhere down the road. Apparently it works well without issues.
Character Respecialization

I agree entirely about the bodies looking good and in general see no need to change them. However, my female Human Noble who is supposed to be fit and athletic looks like a weakling with skinny arms and legs and too wide shoulders. I don't want, or need a nude mod which is all you'll get on the Nexus, and they have no armour or clothing meshes, so it's pointless unless you want to run around nude all the time. I don't.

Normally it wouldn't bother me too much, but I noticed the disproportion from the start and I wanted to change it if at all possible. Since it's a 3rd person game and I have to see the character from the back a lot of the time, Pandora looks like a starving waif, especially in that starting light armour.

BUT, I came across this on the Bioware Social site. I don't know why it's not on the Nexus, but I'd bet a lot of people would like it. It's only for females, Human, Elf and Dwarf, and it edits the actual armours and clothing not the body itself:
Changes, specifically:
* span of characters' shoulders was reduced.
* in some cases thickness of arms was increased, to match what could be expected from physically active characters.
* hand size was reduced to 90% of the original.
* the overall outline of bodies was adjusted to match shape of characters included in body mods like Natural Bodies/Realistic Look.
* gender-specific variants were added for massive armour models.
* default single mesh for light armour was replaced by 3 separate variants to better match variants created by armour textures.

The changes are subtle, but noticeable and look much better IMHO. I doubt I'd ever play a Dwarf but I got those as well.
Female Proportions Fix Forum Page
Direct Mod Links:
Human Female - 2 variations
Dwarven Female
Female Elf

Probably won't interest you either, but there is an underwear retexture that is made for the above mod. Improved Underwear

Others I'm thinking about installing are the No Helmet Hack, Lock Bash, Open Lock Spells, Universal Dye Kit, and Kirkwall Exports (maybe later though.)
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:Oh, well then, I'm all for shape shifting spells. I really like that kind of thing. So, there are parts where I play solo.....is that where you fought the golem? I remember you said you barely survived...lol
In the Fade you will have to play alone until just before you can reach the end Boss of the Fade. Just before you will fight the End Boss in the Fade you will have to rescue the companions you hat in your group before you where pulled into the Fade. How to free them depends on the choices you make, but once you do free a companion then they will disappear and join you again in the area where you will find the end Boss of the Fade.

And yeah that is where you will most likely find your first Golem fight. :)
Maigrets wrote: :) I'll see when I get the war paint for Fang, but I can change his texture easily enough if it doesn't look good. It would be like he went to the dog groomer.... :grin: I also found this mod, The Mystery of the Missing Kaddis Adds tattoos that were not in the game, but are in the Toolset. You need to use the console to get them.
I know the mod and I use it as well, all though I wonder why I installed it after having found the Wardens in Black mod. The Warpaints from The Mystery of the Missing Kaddis can be found as loot unless you also add the merchant add on. But the Warpaint and necklace I used on Galzra and now on Nelaros can only be found in the Wardens in Black mod. But I advice you against using it the first time and especially below Hard/Nightmare difficulty. Or with out using a mod like Flash Creatures Rescale. ( Which is what I now use. )

On Hard difficulty around level 16 the Wardens in Black mod was not longer to overpowered in my opinion, and certainly not on Nightmare. On nightmare there where already a few moments that where hazardous. But now that I use the Flash Creature mod ( And some other combat enhancing mods. ) even playing on Normal is very dangerous if you make the wrong Decision. Yesterday I played through the Stone Prisoner so that I would have the Golem Shale as a companion already. Zhai and three other companions also hat armour and such from the Wardens in Black mod, ( One way or the other. ) but even though the items from that mod are way more powerful then what you can get in the default game ... Zhai and three companions got killed twice in that village and came maybe two times close to it. ( Granted they where all only level 9 but still. )
Maigrets wrote:I found the solution to losing my cursor among the combatants in battle. Bigger Mouse Cursors

Also a Respec mod if I decide I don't like my stats somewhere down the road. Apparently it works well without issues.
Character Respecialization
Personally I have no real problem in seeing my cursor but on the Bioware forums I have seen many people mention this problem, so it is a good thing that a mod like that exists. As for the Character Respecialization mod ... yeah that is very handy to have. Should you find out later in the game you do not like a decision you made you can at least fix it with that mod. :)
Maigrets wrote:I agree entirely about the bodies looking good and in general see no need to change them. However, my female Human Noble who is supposed to be fit and athletic looks like a weakling with skinny arms and legs and too wide shoulders. I don't want, or need a nude mod which is all you'll get on the Nexus, and they have no armour or clothing meshes, so it's pointless unless you want to run around nude all the time. I don't.
LoL me neither. :grin:
Maigrets wrote:Normally it wouldn't bother me too much, but I noticed the disproportion from the start and I wanted to change it if at all possible. Since it's a 3rd person game and I have to see the character from the back a lot of the time, Pandora looks like a starving waif, especially in that starting light armour.

BUT, I came across this on the Bioware Social site. I don't know why it's not on the Nexus, but I'd bet a lot of people would like it. It's only for females, Human, Elf and Dwarf, and it edits the actual armours and clothing not the body itself:
Changes, specifically:
* span of characters' shoulders was reduced.
* in some cases thickness of arms was increased, to match what could be expected from physically active characters.
* hand size was reduced to 90% of the original.
* the overall outline of bodies was adjusted to match shape of characters included in body mods like Natural Bodies/Realistic Look.
* gender-specific variants were added for massive armour models.
* default single mesh for light armour was replaced by 3 separate variants to better match variants created by armour textures.

The changes are subtle, but noticeable and look much better IMHO. I doubt I'd ever play a Dwarf but I got those as well.
Female Proportions Fix Forum Page
Direct Mod Links:
Human Female - 2 variations
Dwarven Female
Female Elf
Hmm I never knew about those mods, thank you for the links to those. :)
Maigrets wrote:Probably won't interest you either, but there is an underwear retexture that is made for the above mod. Improved Underwear
Well if it is made for the above mods then it is best to also bookmark that one. :)
Maigrets wrote:Others I'm thinking about installing are the No Helmet Hack, Lock Bash, Open Lock Spells, Universal Dye Kit, and Kirkwall Exports (maybe later though.)
I use custom made armour mods so the No Helmet Hack would more the likely not work for me. And unless you do not want to take Lock picking ... why would you install the Lock Bash ( Which I used with Rhaegos. ) and/or the Open lock spell mod?

I have thought about the Universal Dye Kit mod but in the end decided to keep that one for a future play through. As for the Kirkwall Exports mod ... well I have installed because it was a requirement for mods to change the look of Sten and for a armour mod for Sten.
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote:
I use custom made armour mods so the No Helmet Hack would more the likely not work for me. And unless you do not want to take Lock picking ... why would you install the Lock Bash ( Which I used with Rhaegos. ) and/or the Open lock spell mod?
Well, I installed the spell mod because I am going to start a mage character as well, and if I don't have a Rogue in my party at any point I need to be able to unlock chests. I decided against Lock Bash in the end though.

I just finished my proving quest and have become a Grey Warden, but have discovered a problem with Fang. I can't talk with him as he no longer has dialogue options. I don't know when this started, but it's definitely been since he was taken away by Duncan. Before Ostegar I talked to him a number of times, but now if I click on him now I just get a message that just says he barks happily. The dog mods I'm using have been fine until this point so maybe this is supposed to happen for a reason, or it's a bug which will be :-( The extra skills mod is working as I've leveled him up several times and the extra slot is working so I don't know at this point. I'll see what happens. I might have to go back a few saves.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:Well, I installed the spell mod because I am going to start a mage character as well, and if I don't have a Rogue in my party at any point I need to be able to unlock chests. I decided against Lock Bash in the end though.
Ah so that is why, then it makes sense. I have tried a Mage as well next to the first version of Rhaegos and it was fun, I got the mage up to around level 7 or 8. Before I finally decided to give the Rogue class a chance I almost started a Mage again.
Maigrets wrote:I just finished my proving quest and have become a Grey Warden, but have discovered a problem with Fang. I can't talk with him as he no longer has dialogue options. I don't know when this started, but it's definitely been since he was taken away by Duncan. Before Ostegar I talked to him a number of times, but now if I click on him now I just get a message that just says he barks happily. The dog mods I'm using have been fine until this point so maybe this is supposed to happen for a reason, or it's a bug which will be :-( The extra skills mod is working as I've leveled him up several times and the extra slot is working so I don't know at this point. I'll see what happens. I might have to go back a few saves.
Hmm that sounds like it could be bug, because I do use the same Dog Mods and I never hat any problems with it so far? I am pretty sure that you already tried this, but did you try to exit the game and steam completely and then restart the game with the last save game? With Wynne in the group I sometimes noticed that after a battle she hat some kind of Blue smoke effect around herself that would not go away no matter how long I waited in game. But it was gone after I hat quit and reloaded the game.

EDIT: If the reloading does not help and if you are not a member on the Bioware forums yet ( Or do not want to be. ) then I could ask for you on those forums what could be happening?

EDIT 2: Is this happening out side of the party camp site? Because if so then that is normal, you can not always talk to your companions outside the party camp site. Meaning that there are moments that the dialogue menu does not come up ... neither for the dog or the other companions. ( I have that at times as well on occasion. )
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote: Hmm that sounds like it could be bug, because I do use the same Dog Mods and I never hat any problems with it so far? I am pretty sure that you already tried this, but did you try to exit the game and steam completely and then restart the game with the last save game? With Wynne in the group I sometimes noticed that after a battle she hat some kind of Blue smoke effect around herself that would not go away no matter how long I waited in game. But it was gone after I hat quit and reloaded the game.
No, I haven't reloaded the game or that save yet. I started my Elf Mage and got to the same point now as Pandora which is just before the Battle at Ostagar. As with most games I found the mage line quite difficult in places because the enemies are as fast, or faster than I am and a mage is a glass cannon. I'm still frustrated with the combat mechanics when there are several enemies at once, plus companions and myself. Finding the enemy to click on in that group is annoying at times and keeping control of the character I want to control has made me boil more than once. ;-((

This is what made me stop playing before, but I've gotten a lot further this time and the rest of the game seems more than worth it, so I'll persevere. I am only level 5 or 6. The graphics are beautiful, even before I added the face mods, the story, and importantly, the writing is better than most rpg's, and the NPC's etc have emotion and "character." Plus, the game has consequences and choices, so I'll try to master the combat. It just doesn't feel natural like other 3rd person games.
EDIT: If the reloading does not help and if you are not a member on the Bioware forums yet ( Or do not want to be. ) then I could ask for you on those forums what could be happening?
LOL, I've been reading those forums, DA:O and DA:I for awhile and like other game forums they are a minefield. thanks, :) but don't bother asking. I searched for ages on Google and the forums and there was no mention of anything like it so I "think" it may be related to your comment below. I played until Ostagar with my mage and got the healing herb for the dog handler thinking I would get the dog soon after so I could test it. But, now I have wait until the big battle is over. :-(
EDIT 2: Is this happening out side of the party camp site? Because if so then that is normal, you can not always talk to your companions outside the party camp site. Meaning that there are moments that the dialogue menu does not come up ... neither for the dog or the other companions. ( I have that at times as well on occasion. )
I'm not at a party camp. As mentioned above I'm at Ostagar just before the battle of the Tower of Ishal and I can't talk to Fang anywhere inside Ostagar, or outside. Mind you I haven't tried talking to the other companions again since we got back from The Wilds either, except for quest purposes so perhaps that is the reason. I just assumed they would have dialogue all the time.

It's too late to check now, but next time I play I'll take note .

BTW I found a really excellent morph of Alistair. He now has black hair, a stubble beard and tattoo. It makes him look and sound, strangely enough, a lot more mature. It's an optional file in this mod: Ceriden's Refuge House and Camp Replacement I haven't tried the camp part, but there are also morphs for some of the other companions as well.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:No, I haven't reloaded the game or that save yet. I started my Elf Mage and got to the same point now as Pandora which is just before the Battle at Ostagar. As with most games I found the mage line quite difficult in places because the enemies are as fast, or faster than I am and a mage is a glass cannon. I'm still frustrated with the combat mechanics when there are several enemies at once, plus companions and myself. Finding the enemy to click on in that group is annoying at times and keeping control of the character I want to control has made me boil more than once. ;-((

This is what made me stop playing before, but I've gotten a lot further this time and the rest of the game seems more than worth it, so I'll persevere. I am only level 5 or 6. The graphics are beautiful, even before I added the face mods, the story, and importantly, the writing is better than most rpg's, and the NPC's etc have emotion and "character." Plus, the game has consequences and choices, so I'll try to master the combat. It just doesn't feel natural like other 3rd person games.
Are you using EMAT, and if so did you activate it like I mentioned before?
Maigrets wrote:LOL, I've been reading those forums, DA:O and DA:I for awhile and like other game forums they are a minefield. thanks, :) but don't bother asking. I searched for ages on Google and the forums and there was no mention of anything like it so I "think" it may be related to your comment below. I played until Ostagar with my mage and got the healing herb for the dog handler thinking I would get the dog soon after so I could test it. But, now I have wait until the big battle is over. :-(
LoL yeah I was a bit disappointed about that fact as well when I got there with Zhai. :grin:
Maigrets wrote:I'm not at a party camp. As mentioned above I'm at Ostagar just before the battle of the Tower of Ishal and I can't talk to Fang anywhere inside Ostagar, or outside. Mind you I haven't tried talking to the other companions again since we got back from The Wilds either, except for quest purposes so perhaps that is the reason. I just assumed they would have dialogue all the time.
No they do not.
Maigrets wrote:BTW I found a really excellent morph of Alistair. He now has black hair, a stubble beard and tattoo. It makes him look and sound, strangely enough, a lot more mature. It's an optional file in this mod: Ceriden's Refuge House and Camp Replacement I haven't tried the camp part, but there are also morphs for some of the other companions as well.
Hmm I will take a look at that mod, thanks. :)
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Okay I checked out the Ceridens Refuge mod and it certainly is nice. I will place a few screenshots of it in my DAO thread after this post. It has several storage capabilities and items and it is a nice change from the normal party camp site. But unlike the default party camp your main character will first have to leave the house and then click the button to select the companions you want to have with you. Since it does not interfere with the default party camp site ( Meaning it is placed in a location of it self. ) I think I will keep it installed and try to remember to go their instead of the default camp site. :grin:
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote: Are you using EMAT, and if so did you activate it like I mentioned before?
I am, but I'm pretty sure I forgot to activate it for my mage. I did activate it for Pandora and I'm finding using a bow and dual weapons to be very good and not so confusing if the enemies can be separated. I can snipe from a distance without my companions running off into melee before the enemy comes close.

I hope EMAT does something for magic users since the escape from the Chantry was getting on my nerves. ;-(( The worst part was the spiders. I couldn't get away from them fast enough to cast a spell before they "webbed" me, or almost one hit killed me by blocking me against a wall. Three at a time didn't help either and they see me from quite a distance...lol

Oh, and the Open Lock Spells work perfectly. I only needed the first level and it was worth using a point. There were a number of chests I needed to unlock when I was escaping the Chantry and during the Wilds part. There was no Rogue available during those times, at least not when I was solo.

Although, now I think about it I believe Lilly is a Rogue and perhaps Daveth, but I didn't check the followers stats then anyway because I'm so used to doing all that stuff myself in other games.

EDIT:

Just found this. ELF the Cat
Summonable and just follows you around. Can't die and doesn't fight. Can change it's fur colour and it can be asked to change into other animal forms...just for fun.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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BTW: I tried sending you a PM on the Nexus to mention the site was back online but it failed so I guess your inbox is full.
Maigrets wrote:I am, but I'm pretty sure I forgot to activate it for my mage. I did activate it for Pandora and I'm finding using a bow and dual weapons to be very good and not so confusing if the enemies can be separated. I can snipe from a distance without my companions running off into melee before the enemy comes close.
Yeah archery is very useful in this game, that is why I like to have Leliana with me. She and either Morrigan or Wynne attack and support from a distance while Zhai ... Alistair or Sten and Nelaros fight up close. But things are getting more dangerous so I am not sure if I will pick up Archery as well with Zhai any time soon. I will have to think about that a bit more. :)
Maigrets wrote:I hope EMAT does something for magic users since the escape from the Chantry was getting on my nerves. ;-(( The worst part was the spiders. I couldn't get away from them fast enough to cast a spell before they "webbed" me, or almost one hit killed me by blocking me against a wall. Three at a time didn't help either and they see me from quite a distance...lol
Well once you have enough tactic slots and use the right tactical rules with a balanced set of spells then mages can be and will become very dangerous. But if you face a Templar one way or the other then you need to watch out. ( And no matter what you will face templars in a certain area ... alone. )
Maigrets wrote:Oh, and the Open Lock Spells work perfectly. I only needed the first level and it was worth using a point. There were a number of chests I needed to unlock when I was escaping the Chantry and during the Wilds part. There was no Rogue available during those times, at least not when I was solo.


I am not sure about Lilly myself but Daveth was a rogue alright, but I do not know if he would have been able to pick locks very well. And for a Mage it makes sense to be able to use a open lock spell.
Maigrets wrote:EDIT:

Just found this. ELF the Cat
Summonable and just follows you around. Can't die and doesn't fight. Can change it's fur colour and it can be asked to change into other animal forms...just for fun.
LoL looks like a funny mod, but not something I would use with Zhai. :)
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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BTW: I tried sending you a PM on the Nexus to mention the site was back online but it failed so I guess your inbox is full.
It's not full, only 40% and most of those are old because I haven't bothered deleting them. Must have been another Nexus glitch as it wouldn't let me read yours at first. LOLOL...if I was only that popular to have a full inbox, or cared. Anyway, I sent back a reply re what I talked about before I saw that we're back here.

I'll answer the above post and ask some other stuff tomorrow. It's after 7am and I've been up playing the game since before midnight. :shock: The game decided when to stop....lol. I'm at Redcliffe Castle about to kill the Desire Demon and it crashed as she appeared. Hopefully it was only because of a long session without a break. Otherwise the game has been perfect.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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I couldn't believe this when I discovered it. Talk about attention to details. I found a stick and gave it to Cerebus (my mage's dog) and it became an actual stick I could throw for him to fetch. And he actually does it, it's not just implied. No wonder it took 6 years to make this game. It definitely shows. There are lots of things like this with actual animations that I've never seen in any game.
Fetch
Image

Daeralle. Elven mage. Not such a nice individual at times, but at others it depends on his mood and who he's talking to. The Chantry especially gets under his skin and they are never going to give him a blessing.
Image

My first visit to The Fade, and now I'm there again learning how to live as a mouse...lol I don't mind it as an area, but they might have toned down the blur a bit.
Image
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:I couldn't believe this when I discovered it. Talk about attention to details. I found a stick and gave it to Cerebus (my mage's dog) and it became an actual stick I could throw for him to fetch. And he actually does it, it's not just implied. No wonder it took 6 years to make this game. It definitely shows. There are lots of things like this with actual animations that I've never seen in any game.
See this game has so many things you would not expect, things that help make the game as great as it is. :grin: By the way that is a cool name for the dog.
Maigrets wrote:Daeralle. Elven mage. Not such a nice individual at times, but at others it depends on his mood and who he's talking to. The Chantry especially gets under his skin and they are never going to give him a blessing.
Daeralle looks the part, I also like how the tattoo starts and continues around his left eye.
Maigrets wrote:My first visit to The Fade, and now I'm there again learning how to live as a mouse...lol I don't mind it as an area, but they might have toned down the blur a bit.
That is odd, because it should not be blurry? I went through the Fade 3 times now ( Finished it the third time last night. ) and it was never blurry ... especially not like on your screenshot? Maybe the SweetFX your are using does that?

For me the Fade looks like you can see in my DAO thread. Is everything as blurry on that screenshot? There are enough textures that are poor quality ... but I never saw blurriness like that in the Fade. ( Or any where in game for that matter? )
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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Fessels wrote: That is odd, because it should not be blurry? I went through the Fade 3 times now ( Finished it the third time last night. ) and it was never blurry ... especially not like on your screenshot? Maybe the SweetFX your are using does that?

For me the Fade looks like you can see in my DAO thread. Is everything as blurry on that screenshot? There are enough textures that are poor quality ... but I never saw blurriness like that in the Fade. ( Or any where in game for that matter? )
It might be SweetFX, but the blur is mainly at the sides of the screen, and clearer in the center. It's a dream state so I thought it was meant to be like that, adding to the ethereal, magical aspect. There's no blur in any other area of the game.

EDIT: In fact it's not SweetFX. I just did a Google search and there are people saying the blur makes them feel sick. You can even see it in Youtube videos....lol, and most of them are console players, so no mods or graphic enhancements.

Maybe it's your video settings that you don't see it. I checked your screenshot and it's definitely not there, and I did ask at the time if it was a poison area.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:It might be SweetFX, but the blur is mainly at the sides of the screen, and clearer in the center. It's a dream state so I thought it was meant to be like that, adding to the ethereal, magical aspect. There's no blur in any other area of the game.
Hmm that is one way of looking at it, but good to hear the Fade is the only place where you have that. :)
Maigrets wrote:EDIT: In fact it's not SweetFX. I just did a Google search and there are people saying the blur makes them feel sick. You can even see it in Youtube videos....lol, and most of them are console players, so no mods or graphic enhancements.
That makes it even stranger, but for what it is worth ... at least you know now that you are not the only one who has that blurriness.
Maigrets wrote:Maybe it's your video settings that you don't see it. I checked your screenshot and it's definitely not there, and I did ask at the time if it was a poison area.
Well I guess that could be a reason why I did not get it, and yeah I remember you asking that. :grin:
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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That makes it even stranger, but for what it is worth ... at least you know now that you are not the only one who has that blurriness.
I was just reading through some of the comments in the Skip the Fade mod and many of them mention the blur and how hard it is on the eyes...lol, so I don't really know why you don't have it.

The reason I was looking at the mod is because the game keeps crashing in the Fade for no discernible reason, and now, having gotten through a good portion of it, I can see a good reason to "Skip" it next time.

I'm not a fan of labyrinthine type levels in games. I find them frustrating and I've read that the crashing issue seems to be a common one in the Fade. I hope the trend doesn't continue when I get out of there because I got all the way to this quest with only one crash, which as I said was probably due to a very long play session. Or at least contributed to it.
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it sayingEnd Of The World Switch PLEASE DO NOT TOUCHthe paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett
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Maigrets wrote:I was just reading through some of the comments in the Skip the Fade mod and many of them mention the blur and how hard it is on the eyes...lol, so I don't really know why you don't have it.
Neither do I, wish I did so that I could tell you and others?
Maigrets wrote:The reason I was looking at the mod is because the game keeps crashing in the Fade for no discernible reason, and now, having gotten through a good portion of it, I can see a good reason to "Skip" it next time.
Hmm this keeps getting more awkward by the day? What the heck am I doing with my computer to not have so many of the problems other players have? :shock:
Maigrets wrote:I'm not a fan of labyrinthine type levels in games.
Well I was ( Still am actually. ) a big fan of the Baldurs Gate / Icewind Dale / Diablo franchise so I am very much used to labyrinthine type levels in games.
Maigrets wrote:I find them frustrating and I've read that the crashing issue seems to be a common one in the Fade.
Now both you and me know why that Skip the fade mod was made, but I only heard the reason for it through you because you do have problems in the Fade? I never investigated deeply on the Fade because I never hat any Bugs in there, sorry. :-(
Maigrets wrote:I hope the trend doesn't continue when I get out of there because I got all the way to this quest with only one crash, which as I said was probably due to a very long play session. Or at least contributed to it.
As mentioned above I am very much used to that type of levels so personally I do not see them as such any more. Dungeons in DAO can and will quit often have more then one level, and passages but I have no idea whether you would see those as labyrinthine type levels. ( I wish I hat known before. ) But now that I know about the fact that you do not like labyrinthine type levels .... be warned then about the quest line in Orzammar. It is most likely one of the longest quest lines and definitely has labyrinthine type levels. But it is better any way to not do the Orzammar quest line before level 18+, so that part of the game should not be a concern for you for some time. :)
Yeah there will always be people who are so * begin sarcasm * brilliant * end sarcasm * that they do not see how stupid they actually are.
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