Dragon Age II.

[Mario]

Here is the official Dragon Age II readme file.

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Dragon Age™ II
Readme File - March 2011
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Welcome!

http://www.dragonage.com/

Contents:
- System Requirements
- Digital Retail Installation
- Installation Instructions
- Uninstallation Instructions
- Online Features
- Optimizing Performance
- Known Issues
- Support & Troubleshooting


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System Requirements
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Windows 7 / Windows Vista
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OS: Windows 7
Windows Vista with SP2
CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or equivalent) or greater
1.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 (or equivalent) or greater
RAM: 1.5 GB or greater
HD: 7 GB of hard drive space required
Video: ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256MB
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB
WEI: 4.5 (Windows Experience Index)

Windows XP
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OS: Windows XP with SP3
CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or equivalent) or greater
1.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 (or equivalent) or greater
RAM: 1 GB or greater
HD: 7 GB of hard drive space required
Video: ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256MB
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB

NOTES: For best results, make sure the latest drivers for both your video and audio cards are installed.

Laptop or mobile versions of the above supported video cards have not had extensive testing and may have driver or other performance issues. As such, they are not officially supported in Dragon Age II.


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Digital Retail Installation
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Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased this game for instructions on how to install the game or how to download and reinstall another copy of the game.

Note: If you would like additional information about your game as well as tips and patches, please visit www.ea.com or www.eastore.com.


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Installation Instructions
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IMPORTANT: Be sure to have the latest drivers for both your video and sound card installed.

Avoid running any other programs in the background, as this may conflict with the game or hinder its performance. If you encounter any problems during installation, try shutting down or disabling these programs.

To install Dragon Age II:
1. The Windows AutoPlay feature should launch Setup from the disc. If the disc does not automatically launch when inserted into the drive, you may have the AutoPlay feature disabled. If this occurs, browse to the location of the Dragon Age II DVD-ROM using Windows Explorer and double-click the "Setup.exe" application in the root.
2. Follow the instructions that appear.

If you are having difficulties with the CD Key provided with Dragon Age II or require any other type of technical support, please refer to the "Support & Troubleshooting" section, below.


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Uninstallation Instructions
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To uninstall Dragon Age II from Windows 7 or Windows Vista:

1. Access the Dragon Age II Uninstaller in one of the following ways:
- via the Dragon Age II Launcher
- from the Dragon Age II Start Menu item (if selected at install time)
- from the Control Panel's "Programs and Features" applet
2. Run the Dragon Age II Uninstaller
3. Follow the on-screen instructions

To uninstall Dragon Age II from Windows XP:

1. Access the Dragon Age II Uninstaller in one of the following ways:
- via the Dragon Age II Launcher
- from the Dragon Age II Start Menu item (if selected at install time)
- from the Control Panel's "Add/Remove Programs" applet
2. Run the Dragon Age II Uninstaller
3. Follow the on-screen instructions


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Online Features
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EA Account
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In order to take advantage of the online features of Dragon Age II, you'll need to create or log in to an EA Account.

If you are already a member of the Dragon Age community at http://social.bioware.com or have played and logged in to Dragon Age: Origins, you should use that account information.

You may also already have an EA Account if you've played other EA games with online features, joined an EA web community, or purchased software from the EA Store. Please log in with this account information. In other games or EA sites, this is sometimes referred to as your EA Master Account or Nucleus Account.

You should always use your existing account to log in. If you need help, please select the ‘Manage Account / Forgot Password’ link on Dragon Age II's login screen.

Achievements
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As you play Dragon Age II, you will unlock achievements. Achievements provide you with a badge of honor for accomplishing certain tasks. See the achievements you have earned (and which you are missing) by selecting Extras from the Main Menu and then selecting Achievements.

If you are logged in, the game will automatically synchronize your Achievements record with your online profile on the Dragon Age community website (http://social.bioware.com).

Unlockables
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Dragon Age II comes with additional bonus items that will unlock through activity either in the game or on the community site.

See the unlockable items you have earned (and a small portion of those that are missing) by selecting Extras from the Main Menu and then selecting Achievements. Many more items are hidden and only appear on this screen after you’ve unlocked them.

Visit the Dragon Age community website to learn how to unlock this bonus content (http://social.bioware.com/promos).

Account Options
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The Account Options screen controls preferences related to the game’s online features. To reach the Account Options window from gameplay, press the ESC key, choose the Options item from the menu, and then select Account in the Options window.

To reach the Online Options window from the main menu, press the Options item on the main menu, and then select Account in the Options window.

Upload Gameplay Feedback:
By enabling this feature, you are allowing the game to send usability information to us to help prioritize improvements for the game through future patches and updates.

The information sent cannot personally identify you; we collect aggregate statistical information only. In other words, we may collect data that says 'one more game load of this area' and 'one more death in this area' that is then ultimately aggregated to provide us with data like '75% of players are dying in this area.' We do not collect data like 'you, Joe Smith, have died in this area.'

The information collected adheres to EA's terms of service and privacy policy guidelines presented at the time of account creation (identified in the End-User License Agreement before you enter the game). Information is only collected in regions/countries where it is permitted by law.

In all cases, by deselecting this option (no checkmark), you can opt out of sending this information.

We thank all our fans in advance for considering providing us with this valuable information. It helps us to continue improving Dragon Age II and our future titles.

Upload Character Profile:
The 'upload character profile' option will automatically send your game character’s progress to your online profile on the Dragon Age community site (http://social.bioware.com). Data sent includes your character record sheet, your character paper doll image (full body view), your character avatar image (head view), and your character statistics (number of kills, etc). You can also use your customized avatar image as your community profile image.

The game will send updates on your character to the the community site during gameplay and thus only works if you are logged in. We recommended that you also enable the 'always log me in' option in the login window if you wish to take advantage of this feature.

Always Log Me In:
Select this option to have the game automatically connect to the Dragon Age servers each time you start the game. If no EA Account is associated with the game, the login window will appear.

The "always log me in" option also exists on the login pop-up window itself and becomes available to select/deselect once you fill in the email and password fields. If you deselect this option, the game will no longer attempt to automatically log in or prompt you to log in. You can then manually login by selecting the ‘log in’ option on the main menu.

Linked to EA Account:
If you are logged in, this field will remind you which EA account you are linked to. This should be the same account you use to log in to the Dragon Age community site at http://social.bioware.com.

Customer Support Information:
If you are experiencing technical issues and need to contact customer support, you may be asked to select this option and provide the customer support agent additional information on your current game installation. This screen contains version numbers of the main game and any additional content.

Downloadable Content (DLC)
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You can view a list of additional content currently installed and successfully loaded/active by selecting the Downloadable Content option from the game's Main Menu. From this screen, you can also visit the additional content store or redeem codes provided. On the left-hand side of this screen, you can see all the content you have loaded/active. On the right-hand side, it displays an icon identifying this content, the version number, release date, content description.

View Available Content:
This will open a web browser that will take you to the Dragon Age community website (http://social.bioware.com) where you can view additional content for download (DLC).

Redeem EA Code:
This will open a web browser and take you to the Dragon Age community website (http://social.bioware.com) where you can redeem codes provided.


For more information about these online features, please visit the Dragon Age website at http://www.dragonage.com/


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Optimizing Performance
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We recommend you close all running programs before launching Dragon Age II.

Graphics Performance
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Always make sure you have the latest video drivers from your video card manufacturer.

If you experience performance issues while playing the game, try changing the following settings one by one until performance improves. These settings can be found under the Video section of the configuration utility or the Video section of the in-game Options menu:

- Anti-Aliasing: Disable anti-aliasing. It can be very demanding, especially on levels with higher detail.
- Resolution: Lower the resolution.
- Graphics Detail: Lower settings offer less graphics detail and lower-quality shadows but will allow the game to run faster.
- VSync: For best performance, leave this disabled. Only enable VSync if you notice excessive tearing artifacts.

If you experience long loading times or hitches during gameplay, we recommend you defragment your hard drive. You can find information on how to defragment your hard drive by searching for "disk defragmenter" in the Windows Help and Support center.

Internet Performance
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This game uses the following TCP and UDP port(s):
TCP PORTS: 80, 8000
UDP PORTS: 80, 8001

Please consult your router or personal firewall documentation for information on how to allow game-related traffic on these ports. If you are attempting to play on a corporate Internet connection, contact your network administrator.


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Known Issues
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Non-North American Keyboards
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If you are playing in English, the keyboard labels referred to in the game apply to North American keyboards. If you have a non-North American keyboard, the game may refer to some keys differently than they are labeled. Notably, on a standard UK keyboard, the default shortcut for the tactics screen (the "\" key in North America) is actually the key labeled "#" near the Enter key.

Balance
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- The warrior's Rally talent does not correctly extend the benefits of sustained modes to other party members.
- The mage's Horror and Petrify spells say that they have a 100% chance of applying against "any enemy." Although these spells are indeed just as likely to apply to a boss-level enemy as a normal-level enemy, some enemies are immune to certain effects, no matter the enemy's rank. For example, ogres of any rank cannot be stunned by any ability and are thus innately immune to Horror.
- The mage's Arcane Wall upgrade indicates that it extends the benefits of Arcane Shield to other party members. Although this is true, the upgrade reduces the effectiveness of Arcane Shield in doing so and applies a reduced version of the effects to other party members.
- Varric's Embellishment talent refers to a movement speed increase. The ability does not affect movement speed but does affect attack speed.
- The secondary penalties applied by status effects like STAGGER, BRITTLE, and DISORIENT (reductions in enemy defense, for example) are smaller than described in the codex. However, the cross-class combo bonuses themselves (extra damage vs. STAGGERED enemies, for example) work as described.
- In rare cases, character statistics can become corrupted in a manner that does not block progress but might make combat easier or more difficult than intended. For example, Hawke might not sustain injuries after falling in combat or might develop a negative damage resistance score.
- Nightmare difficulty adds several effects that are not described in-game, including the following:
1) Attacks from party members that hit more than a single target (including attacks from a two-handed warrior or a weapon-and-shield warrior) are capable of harming fellow party members as well as enemies.
2) Enemy assassins have a chance to steal potions.
3) When enemy assassins strike from stealth, they bypass the victim's armor.
4) Enemy commanders are able to taunt their allies into attacking a single member of the player's party en masse.
5) When party members fall below 10% health, they suffer bleeding damage that will further erode their health unless they are healed.
6) Various enemies become completely immune to certain types of damage; for example, dragons become immune to fire damage.

Plots (Minor Spoilers)
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- Some side plots do not close properly if they are left uncompleted when the story jumps forward in time. They remain open in the journal but cannot be completed in the new timeline. They do not prevent the game from proceeding and can be ignored.
- In some cases, characters in conversation make inaccurate references to earlier events in Dragon Age II or to the events of Dragon Age: Origins, if you imported a saved game.
- In the plot Fools Rush In, it is occasionally possible to pick up a
letter before Isabela tells you to do so. This prevents the plot from progressing. To complete the plot, restore from an earlier save and do not pick up the letter until Isabela says to search the bodies.
- The plot Finders Keepers cannot be completed if you leave the warehouse before finding the crate. This does not block progress in the game as a whole.
- After you acquire the plot Who Needs Rescuing, the plot's opening events sometimes fail to trigger. The plot cannot be completed if this occurs, but this does not block progress in the game's main plot.

Functionality
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- Immediately after launching the game, the main menu may appear unresponsive for up to 30 seconds while connecting to the Dragon Age servers. The menu will respond after the 30 seconds have elapsed.


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Support & Troubleshooting
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U.S. & Canada
http://support.ea.com/

United Kingdom:
http://support.electronicarts.co.uk/

Australia:
http://www.electronicarts.com.au/en-au/support/

Europe:
http://eusupport.ea.com/