A Tale of Orzammar Module

The December issue of PC Gamer comes with this official Bioware module for free on the DVD.

Has anyone tried this out?

Isn't that just in Europe?

I got it in the US issue.

You already have it?

Well what are you waiting for? Hurry up and try it, I want to know if it's worth blowing $9.99 on that issue.

Probably trying to figure out how to install the fool thing. The instructions say there is a DAZIP file which is what you point Dragon Age's DaUpdater.exe at. There is no such file. It's got a self extracting zip which contains something that looks a lot like the module (and the instructions).

Ten bucks for an issue of PC Gamer??? Five bucks more and I think you can get a subscription.

Originally Posted by Zloth
Ten bucks for an issue of PC Gamer??? Five bucks more and I think you can get a subscription.

Yeah they're pretty expensive, the copies that include the discs have a newsstand price of either $8.99 or $9.99. I sometimes buy them at the airport if I have a long flight.

I'll definitely buy this if it has a decent size dungeon, or at least some unique enemies.

Here's what I've been told to do (funny, since I don't have it, yet) :

- launch the self-extracting file.
- zip all the content of its extracted folder, and perhaps an .xml file too, but not the - folder itself.
- rename this zip file extension as ".dazip".
- drag and drop in the DaUpdater.exe, select and install.


fingers crossed and knock on wood.

Yep, it works - somebody on the GameSpot forums suggested the same thing. You do definitely need the manifest.xml file.

Just one problem, Bioware installs the files to your profile. Since the DAUpdater must be run as an admin, that means any content that gets put in by the DAUpdater is exclusive to the admin account. That means you MUST run Dragon Age as an admin to see it. Amazingly stupid. Data like this is exactly why the ProgramData folder exists. In fact, BioWare is using that folder for it's own downloadable content!

Hmmm… I wonder if this would start working if I put the dazip along side Bioware's content…. nope, no joy. Man, what an incredibly stupid thing to do. Is all player-made content going to be this way?

Originally Posted by JDR13
You already have it?

Well what are you waiting for? Hurry up and try it, I want to know if it's worth blowing $9.99 on that issue.

I'll have to install the game first, I suppose.

But first, I must finish Drakensang!

As the result of this thread I purchased the UK December issue of PC Gamer specifcally for this mod. It is not there !!!

There is no such mod on the disc, nor referred to in the magazine. It would be great if some one who has issue 207, December 09 could point out where I have missed it.

Perhaps those who have it could confirm which issue of the magazine they are talking about please and the country it was purchased in?

Thanks

Isn't this what was discussed somewhere else in this site a week ago or so? It's not an 'official' DA module. It's basically the guys at the magazine making a module with the toolset (if it's the same thing that was discussed before)

It is a bioware module, from what I have read.

And it is in the US PC Gamer, as I said above.

UPDATE: here is a link with more info. Beware the large noise from the whiners.

http://daforums.bioware.com/forums/v…orum=135&sp=15

Originally Posted by Thrasher
It is a bioware module, from what I have read.

And it is in the US PC Gamer, as I said above.

UPDATE: here is a link with more info. Beware the large noise from the whiners.

http://daforums.bioware.com/forums/v…orum=135&sp=15

No it's the same thing I was saying. From the Bioware rep:

Relax guys, this is a short stand-alone adventure, not an expansion of the main game. It doesn't have VO, it re-uses existing areas from the main campaign and there's not a lot of polish. It's just something put together in collaboration with the magazine as an example of the kind of content that can be made using the toolset.

I thought games and mods for games couldn't be placed into the ProgramFolders anymore? since Vista and Windows 7 don't like this at all?

I guess, you mean that Bioware installs the file into your C:/user/ account…?

Isn't it there where mods go when they wake up? i.e. when they've finished downloading and being installed?

Originally Posted by wolfing
No it's the same thing I was saying. From the Bioware rep:

So what part of the word "collaboration" don't you understand? Bioware worked on it, so no it is a bioware module.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
So what part of the word "collaboration" don't you understand? Bioware worked on it, so no it is a bioware module.

I don't see it as such. Basically like, me calling customer service to resolve a question about the toolset while I'm developing a module wouldn't make it "Bioware official module".
It's basically a toolset example, nothing more.

How do you know that that was the nature of relationship, or are you just making this up? It's my understanding that Bioware also was also responsible for content, not just toolset advice, or reused assets.

Instead of arguing about how it was made, how about somebody giving it a try? Then you can tell the rest of us if it's worth getting.

Originally Posted by aries100
I thought games and mods for games couldn't be placed into the ProgramFolders anymore? since Vista and Windows 7 don't like this at all?

I guess, you mean that Bioware installs the file into your C:/user/ account…?

Isn't it there where mods go when they wake up? i.e. when they've finished downloading and being installed?

They don't belong in the "Program Files" directory, really, since they are just data files and they are supposed to be modified from time to time. However, if you put them in a user directory, they become exclusive to that user. If you put modules there, you have to install them for each user on the machine that wants to play the module. ProgramData is the folder for data that changes but is supposed to be visible to all users of the machine.

So an exe, a dll, and big hunks of data that aren't going to change go in Program Files. Files that change but are specific to the user, like save games, screenshots, and login info for their web pages would go in the user area. Files that change but are meant to be shared go in ProgramData. That's why the DLC modules are there. They don't want you to have to download those for each person that plays the game on your machine so the put them in the common data area.

I can probably get the thing into my normal user directory buy turning off the security, running it, then turning security back on. I find it pretty sad that I have to do that, though. Especially since I'll likely need to do that for every single module I download.

I played through some of it last night (no idea how much of it because I have no idea how long it will be). I definitely wouldn't pay $10 for it. Like the post on the boards said, there is no voice acting other that normal character voices you hear when fighting or acknowledging commands. It goes under "other campaigns" on the main menu screen so it's not part of the game's storyline at all. You make a character for the module and that character is immediatly bumped up to level 6.

You can probably find player made modules that are just as good and much cheaper.