Steam version of Dragon Age: in a bit of a pickle...

[manveruppd]

I'm having a bit of trouble with this game. I bought the digital deluxe edition on Steam a while ago, but launching the game and checking the in-game store shows me all the various bits of DLC as available to buy, so they're presumably not in my installed copy of the game even though the digital deluxe should include a couple of them! I'm guessing that registering the game to my Bioware/EA profile will let the game know which bits of DLC I already own, so I went to Bioware's website to log in and that's where the real confusion started...

I had an old Bioware forum account from years back, and a couple of years back (when I bought Burnout Paradise and had to register it) I opened an EA account with the same username but a different email address.

So I try to log into my Bioware account, but for some reason I can't! Then I realize that the new Bioware login system uses EA's accounts, so I log in using my EA account's email address (doesn't let you use your username) and password. So that works but all the stuff I had accrued on my old Bioware account is, of course, GONE! I'm not talking about forum posts and pointless things like that, but about Bioware games that I had registered to my account, so I'm no longer a registered owner of those games. Moreover, for the life of me I couldn't find the page within Bioware's site where you used to go in order to register games - there used to be a link you clicked on, then you'd choose your game, enter the CD key and hey, presto! It'd be registered. Then if you went to the Bioware store while logged in it would know which games/expansion packs you already owned, so I was hoping I could do the same with Dragon Age. However, not only are all the games I previously registered on my old Bioware account (which I can't log into though Bioware's new site), not only does their new "social" website not have a place where you can register your games, but the Bioware store seems to only sell crappy merchandise rather than games nowadays!

Then, desperately trying to find out how to get into my old account, the real bizarreness started: I've discovered that if I browse Bioware's website using Opera rather than Chrome, then clicking the "Forums" tab will take me to the OLD forums.bioware.com site, where I CAN log in using my old account, rather than the new social.bioware.com site that Chrome sends me to! It's very strange, I don't know why it happens, but I tried it over and over again and even though www.bioware.com displays in exactly the same way in both browsers, clicking the "forums" link sends you to completely different places!

So, using Opera I logged into my old account, and it was still there, and looking at my account settings I discovered that it was even, supposedly, linked to my EA master account! This despite the fact that I can log into both accounts concurrently through different browsers! As an experiment, I even entered different personal information in each account, just to test whether they'd update each other automatically, but no, they seem to be completely separate!

So yeah, to cut a long story short: where the **** do I go to register Dragon Age, will that unlock the DLC for use in-game, and which of the 2 CD keys that Steam pops up should I use: the one called "Cd key" or the one called "Game CD key"?

 

[Amnesia]

maybe one of the browsers isn't loading the page correctly...sorry i can't help with your problem.

 

[orderoftheflame]

It was a while since I did it, but I think you have to download your Deluxe Edition DLC in game. Have you checked for any free DLCs in the list?

 

[ic1male]

It is such a horrendous pickle that Bioware social site and the way you have to muck about with the DLC. They should have just done it through the Steam DLC system.

Anyroad, from what I can remember, I'm sure you have to do it via the game itself. When you log in to the game, there might be an option to enter keys and activate the DLC.

 

[stooeh]

The new(ish) bioware social site does not track any of the old games you own, just ME2, DA stuff and warhammer afaik.

Log in with your EA account on the social site and you can go here to redeem stuff http://social.bioware.com/redeem/

If you right click the game in steam library and view CD key you can see the promo code as well as game CD keys.

Can register games at http://social.bioware.com/user_bw_games_register.php

Edit: and one final link to your downloadable content - http://social.bioware.com/user_entitlements.php Should be able to download the DA O stuff from in the game.

 

[manveruppd]

Christ on a bike, it sounds so complicated!!! I'm not even sure which key is for the game and which for the DLC! Steam shows me a "Dragon Age Origins Deluxe CD Key" AND a "Dragon Age Origins Deluxe Game CD Key"

I was just about the try the links you said, and got scared off by the terrifying "WARNING: Redeeming a code will use it permanently; make sure you are logged in to this site with the same email address that you are using for your in-game account!" messsage - it had a yellow background like hazard signs and everything! Made me double- and triple-check that I was logged into the new account rather than the old one, and then I just froze trying to decide which of Steam's CD keys to use...

Oh well, if it doesn't work for any reason I'll just acquire it from elsewhere in a manner which is against forum rules to mention and play it without bothering with the complexities of registration... I paid for it so I don't feel any moral qualms about it, but it's becoming a joke, so many games which I bought at full price and couldn't play because of DRM! I had to resort to roundabout means to play The Witcher (my CD key wasn't being recognised by either Atari's or CDP's site, probably blacklisted, and they wouldn't answer my emails), NWN1 (my CD key was illegible and Atari was no help), and several old Ubisoft games (wouldn't launch cause I have CD emulation software installed).

 

[Steveh_monkey]

It's all rather confusing, I bought the Deluxe edition through steam a while ago and ran into a few problems. Here's what I suggest.

Create/pick a Bioware accout through which you're going to play the game through. This is the account through which you will log in to while in the game. Start a new game without any of the DLC and start playing for a little bit, maybe just till you get to lvl 2 or something.

Log into the same account on the Bioware website. I don't understand the problems you're having with the browsers, I'm guessing you will sort that out yourself.

Once into the website there should be some sort of thing which will allow you to look at your games and characters. You should be able to see the character you created and played with in the game.

Once you've done this you should now at least know that the two accounts are the same and you are looking at the correct account.

The steam account comes with two CD keys I think. One is called the "Deluxe Game CD key". This is the key used to redeem the DLC. You enter it somewhere in the website. Where I can't exactly remember. Your account should now have the DLC registered and you may be able to log into the game and start DLing the DLC.

However, when you log into the game the DLC will probably not show up and the game will say you still need to purchase it. This is a common problem with the Dragon age content service that is installed with the game and doesn't always work properly when installed with Steam. There's plenty of info about how to fix that on the web if you google it. It's a bit complicated but it works in the end.

I hope that helps.

PS You will need to start a new game to start playing witht the DLC. It's annoying but it's worth it the end. I put a lot of hours into the game before my hard Drive died and I lost my accout. I was near the end and couldn't be bothered to play through the whole game again through .

 

[Tefal]

Now compare this to piracy.

Download >install >play.

 

[Ravenger]

Now compare this to piracy.

Download >install >play.

Sounds like Steam, except Steam is

Download >play.

The Steam DLC system is excellent, it integrates the DLC into your game download so when you re-download a game all the DLC installs along with it seamlessly.

It's by far the best experience I've had with buying and installing DLC, it's a shame EA and Bioware don't use it, instead opting for a far clunkier system of their own.

 

[unknownsock]

Sounds like Steam, except Steam is

Download >play.

The Steam DLC system is excellent, it integrates the DLC into your game download so when you re-download a game all the DLC installs along with it seamlessly.

It's by far the best experience I've had with buying and installing DLC, it's a shame EA and Bioware don't use it, instead opting for a far clunkier system of their own.

You still have to install Steam content

From what i remember you register stuff on the site, then after that everything appears in your game automatically.

 

[LokiS]

I don't know if this helps much but I bought the Steam Deluxe edition when it came out too, I'm planning to play through the game soon but to get all the DLC and X-pack would cost a lot more then just buying the Ultimate Edition that has it all.

Might just be easier to buy the Ultimate edition and just make a new account, that is if your wanting the DLC and X-pack.

 

[manveruppd]

Log into the same account on the Bioware website. I don't understand the problems you're having with the browsers, I'm guessing you will sort that out yourself.

I don't think anyone understands the problem I'm having with the browsers, it's probably beyond all human comprehension! But it's not an issue as I definitely know which browser logs me into my old Bioware forums account and which one into the new EA master account.

Thanks for the detailed advice though, I'll try it your way, and if it doesn't work I'm resorting to piracy

The Steam DLC system is excellent, it integrates the DLC into your game download so when you re-download a game all the DLC installs along with it seamlessly.

It's by far the best experience I've had with buying and installing DLC, it's a shame EA and Bioware don't use it, instead opting for a far clunkier system of their own.

Indeed, Steam is the only system of DRM I can stand - it's transparent, lightweight, and forgiving! It was a bit clunky in the beginning when it would take entire minutes to sign in and offline mode didn't work properly, but nowadays it's the next best thing to having no DRM at all. I don't understand why any publisher who sells games through Steam would encumber them with more DRM of their own (like Relic who make you sign into GFWL as well as Steam, or others who put limited installations into their games)

The annoying thing is you just KNOW that they only reason EA decided to superimpose their own system of registering the game and buying DLC instead of integrating it with Steam is so they can force you to have an account with them, buy the DLC directly from them so they don't have to pay 15% to Valve, and give them your email address so they can spam you with adverts for DA2.

I still live in fear that I might get banned from Steam for some non-existent reason one day and lose all my games though... Maybe a piece of malware on my computer that my antivirus missed gets mistaken for an aimbot or something, or my account gets hacked, or something like that. I've heard a lot of players getting VAC-banned for cheating even though they swear on their mothers' graves they hadn't cheated. I've often thought it might be worthwhile having 2-3 different accounts to spread your games through, in order to minimise the damage were something like that to happen, but I'm just too lazy.