Name: Diversified Follower Armors
Version: 0.95b
Date: 10/1//2011
Category: Armor
Author: ishmaeltheforsaken (with Maria Caliban)
Source: http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2645
Forum: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/307/index/7028623
Project Page: http://social.bioware.com/project/4564/

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Requirements:
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Dragon Age II

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Description:
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This mod unlocks equipment slots for companions and populates the world with several unique armors for each of them.

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Details:
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0. Thanks

Before I go any further, I need to give special thanks to marquiseondore, who was a tremendous help at being awesome and educating me on how to make a decent tintmap; to tmp7704 who provided the breakthrough necessary to make Varric's tints work properly; and to Maria Caliban, who wrote the item descriptions, and is also awesome and amazing and purple and pretty much my favorite ever.




I. What Does This Mod Do?

This mod does many things. First, it unlocks equipment slots for the companions, allowing you to equip your party with anything you find (within the limits imposed by stat and class restrictins). I added this feature so that the end-user didn't have to do anything but install my mod to make it work.

Second, it replaces the game's default companion armor upgrades with unique chestpieces based on the companion's unique outfit(s). For example, when first acquiring an upgrade for Merrill, you will not get an upgrade to her follower armor. Instead, you will recieve a new armor, restricted to Merrill, with appropriate stats and a unique appearance.

Third, it replaces the companion armors themselves with chestpieces that don't have any magical properties, but that scale to the follower's level. This does several things. It eliminates the issue of follower armor stats stacking with normal armor stats. It also ensures that you'll always be able to give your companions their unique appearances with level-appropriate armor values. I added this feature because I realized that most companions don't recieve their first upgrade until Act II, leaving them either naked or with invisible bodies due to wearing armor that doesn't support their race.




II. Wow, ish! That sounds pretty cool! Can I just use it as is?

Yes. Though I had several requirements and recommendations during the alpha stage, I consider this release to be feature-complete. You don't have to download anything else to make it work, and everything works as it should right out of the box.

There is one thing to consider: I have included two versions of apr_base.gda, the file that controls each companions appearance. The first file sets each companions "nude" appearance to their original unique appearances. When they aren't wearing any armor, they will look like they would in a vanilla game. The second file sets their "nude" appearance to the standard nude model for their race. This is more like Origins, but it can create some... interesting effects, such as a companion appearing naked until you actually recruit them and give them something to wear. If you'd like to use the nude file, what I suggest is this: use the file for the default appearances until you've recruited all your companions, and then replace it with the nude file.




III. Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this! What's done? What's left to do?

It's almost entirely done. All the companions are finished, their item-slots are unlocked, and all character-breaking bugs are squashed. There are a few outstanding issues, like the cost of the vendor-bought armors. I'll get around to that :P



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Installation
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Uninstall any previous version of my mod you may have before commencing installation of a new release

Extract this archive and place the folder "Diversified Follower Armors" into your "packages/core/override" folder, overwriting if prompted.

Choose ONE of the apr_base.gda files contained within the "Appearance 2DAs" folder (either "Default appearances" or "Nude"). Place the file you choose in the "Diversified Follower Armors" folder alongside the .erf.

OPTIONAL: Start a new game. This step is necessary if your followers have already gained stats because of their default follower armors. If you don't mind the follower armor stats stacking with the regular armor (the stats won't improve further once my mod is installed), then everything will be fine on a game already-in-progress. But to have everything work absolutely perfectly, a new game is recommended.

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Un-Installation:
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Delete the folder from your override directory. If you've received any of the armors and wish to gain back the regular upgrades, you'll need to use Vaddi to respawn them.

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Incompatibility:
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This is incompatible with anything that changes the follower armor upgrades. In addition, there is some overlap with mods like dragonagefun's "Equip Your Party." My mod does many of the same things simply because it requires those things as a foundation. Using both at the same time will *probably* not break anything. If you DO use dragonagefun's mod, I recommend that you do NOT use either of the "apr_base.gda" files included with my mod.

It WILL work with re-textures, but there is an astronomically high probability that it will look weird and/or horrendous. You should probably not try to use any re-textures while using my mod.

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Known Issues:
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* None! (at the moment)

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History:
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10/1/2011, 0.95b - fixed issue with "Default Appearances" apr_base causing hand and foot clipping on certain companions; fixed issue with followers appearing undressed prior to the player having a chance to equip them when using the "Nude" apr_base

6/21/2011, 0.94b - fixed issue with Merrill's third armor (Keeper's Blood Robes) disappearing on load

6/15/2011, 0.93b - fixed issue with Bethany and Carver's Grey Warden appearances; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

5/28/2011, 0.92b - added Sebastian's armors; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

5/22/2011, 0.91b - fixed issue with gear appearing out of order (may not apply if you're already in Act II); created unibody mesh for Aveline; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

5/17/2011, 0.9b - beta release!; added many new features; reworked documentation; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

5/5/2011, 0.8a - added the Twins' armors; added nude textures for Varric; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

4/28/2011, 0.7a - added Varric's armors; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

4/19/2011, 0.6a - added Fenris's armors; added more item descriptions (thanks Maria!)

4/17/2011, 0.5a - added Anders's armors; added icons

4/15/2011, 0.4a - added Aveline's armors; touched up Merrill's tints; began adding item descriptions

4/14/2011, 0.3a - added Isabela's armors; included documentation

4/12/2011, 0.2a - added Merrill's final armor

4/11/2011, 0.1a - initial release, featuring Merrill's first three robes

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Contact:
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Contact me at the BSN, username: ishmaeltheforsaken

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Credits:
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Thanks to BioWare for creating Dragon Age II
Thanks to marquiseondore for helping with my tinting issues
Thanks to Maria Caliban for helping with some coloring choices and naming some armors and writing item descriptions
Thanks to hoorayforicecream for additional armor name inspiration
Thanks to Emperor Iaius I for providing me with a breakthrough
Thanks to tmp7704 for providing me with a breakthrough
Thanks to dragonagefun for his "Equip Your Party" mod, which prvoided several insights that went into my "foundation" system
Thanks to the Merrill thread for being such cool peeps
Thanks to InsanitySorrow for his ReadMe Generator this file is based on

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Tools Used:
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Insanity's ReadMe Generator
Photoshop
pyGFF
GDApp
ERFv3 Packer
TlkEdit

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Licensing/Legal:
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You must contact me and obtain my permission before re-packaging any part of this mod. If I do not respond within 2 weeks, feel free to do whatever you like with this mod.