'This save data was created with a newer version of the game.'

[SleepyCatTime]

'This save data was created with a newer version of the game. Please download the latest patch and try again'

Hi, I'm having a nightmare trying to figure out how to fix the above statement I keep getting hit with every time I try to open a save!

Two days ago I opened Origin to find the three DA games were no longer downloaded. I keep everything on an external drive as my laptop has very limited space. I spoke to EA help by chat and then phone and they really had no answer as to why this happened, I just had to redownload everything which took pretty much a whole day. My files for all three games were all there still on my external in their folders, it is just on the laptop itself in origin it said I needed to download them...which like I said, I ended up having to.

The NEW issue is as I said, try to open any saves and I get the 'save data/please download new patch' window. I have very limited knowledge of gaming and computers in general, just followed all and anything I could online through google links to boards here and on reddit but nothing I try works.

Used Origin to repair the files, then update the game, both of these multiple times.

I deleted the whole DAI Tools suite, reinstalled that in a new folder. mutiple times. I tried reinstalling only the official patch inside the DAI tools suite. Still nothing. Deleted the merge folder before I attempted to make a new one, nope.

Tried changing the numbers with the update-patch-package and the merged folder version too, tried upping the numbers by 1 and by 2 and even tried a 99 and 98. Nothing.

I just don't know what to do to get this to work again, I'd appreciate the fix very much. The idea of losing all those hours and progress is killing me. Thank you in advance!

[Leora85 · Accepted solution]

@SleepyCatTime Very strange that Origin didn't at least recognise the files already on your hard drive and decide to not redownload them all (you do have Origin set to look at, and install to, the correct drive? Have never tried running a game off an external hard drive so not sure if you have to do anything special to make that work).

If you're using mods, you shouldn't touch the package.mft number in the Patch folder, unless you have to temporarily remove the mod folder. Ideally the number in the merged mod folder package.mft should stay at 1 above the Patch one (which, if memory serves, is 12? So ideally your mod one will be 13).  You should never need to set it as high as 99, if you're still getting the 'newer version of the game' message with the version number that high, something else is probably going on.

Looking at old threads of other people with this issue, some have said that completely uninstalling and reinstalling, or deleting everything but the contents of the 'Data' folder and reinstalling (should only be a small download if you do that), has fixed the issue for them. Probably the last thing you want to do, but hopefully worth a try? 

Although I'm pretty sure you get a different message, it's also worth checking that you have all the same DLC installed (including the free multiplayer ones) as you had when you created the save games. 

[Leora85 · Accepted solution]

@SleepyCatTime Very strange that Origin didn't at least recognise the files already on your hard drive and decide to not redownload them all (you do have Origin set to look at, and install to, the correct drive? Have never tried running a game off an external hard drive so not sure if you have to do anything special to make that work).

If you're using mods, you shouldn't touch the package.mft number in the Patch folder, unless you have to temporarily remove the mod folder. Ideally the number in the merged mod folder package.mft should stay at 1 above the Patch one (which, if memory serves, is 12? So ideally your mod one will be 13).  You should never need to set it as high as 99, if you're still getting the 'newer version of the game' message with the version number that high, something else is probably going on.

Looking at old threads of other people with this issue, some have said that completely uninstalling and reinstalling, or deleting everything but the contents of the 'Data' folder and reinstalling (should only be a small download if you do that), has fixed the issue for them. Probably the last thing you want to do, but hopefully worth a try? 

Although I'm pretty sure you get a different message, it's also worth checking that you have all the same DLC installed (including the free multiplayer ones) as you had when you created the save games. 

[SleepyCatTime]

Hi, thank you very much for your reply!

I'm still really concerned as to why Origin did that to be honest as I don't know if it could ever do it again. I did nothing, no deleting anything, all I did was plug in the external as I normally would, opened Origin and there was all three of them with the arrow icon to show I needed to download them as they weren't there. All my files were there on the external, it's just they had literally disappeared from Origin and needed to be installed again. 

My laptop really is very limited on space and storage so both Origin and the three games are all on the external, when I set up to reinstall DAI and DAO last night (and Origin itself before that) I set the folder for Origin to save to the external and for each DAI and DAO to save to the folders already on the external with all the previous files inside.

The patch and merge patch stood originally at 13 and 14 and I put those back after that suggested fix about changing them I kept seeing wasn't working.

I actually uninstalled Inquisition and Origins again yesterday evening and reinstalled them and after about 18 hours early this morning they are back installed but I received the same 'save data' window as I first wrote about upon opening Inquisition.

Dragon Age 2 which is my only of three without a mod suite is fine, it is only Origins and Inquisition that refuse to load any saves.

DAI gives me the save data window problem and DAO tells me it can't load as the following aren't installed - then lists 3 or 4 of the mods I have for it.

I triple checked all throughout this nightmare that all my DLC and extras are installed as I have game of the year for DAI and DAO is the ultimate. Everything is installed so unfortunately it isn't that!

The idea of uninstalling again is rather daunting as like I said it takes so long and I really don't have the confidence I won't mess up or delete things I shouldn't!

UPDATE:

I have managed to get Origins working. Helpfully when you try to load a save it told me exactly the files that were missing and so I hunted down the last mod that somehow wasn't on the drive anymore and now it works.

Inquisition still is the same though, it has no helpful window to come up with a list to tell me anything. I reinstalled the DAI suite with the same mods as before but still the patch error comes up. I delete the mergepatch file each time I reinstall the suite and mods but am I supposed to delete the patch folder as well? Again, thank you for helping!

[Leora85]

@SleepyCatTime DAO and DAI use completely different engines, so mods work very differently for them, that's why you don't get anything telling you what mods are missing for DAI (DAI doesn't care about what mods you have or don't have, only the version number. This is why you can take your mods out for those parts of the game where they'll cause issues, all you have to do is change your version number). DAO was also much more mod friendly, 

Weird that your normal patch folder was set to 13 (it should be 12), but I doubt that's causing your problem. 

Don't delete your actual patch folder. Just make sure its version number is lower than that of your mod folder.

Unfortunately I don't think I can be any more help, the only reason I know of that the save version message comes up is your version number not matching (or being lower than) that of your save, and since you tried increasing all the way to 99 and it didn't work, it seems that's not the issue. Unless you at some point accidentally added a third digit to that number or something, and I'm not even sure that would work. 

Sorry I can't be more help. 

[SleepyCatTime]

I decided despite worrying I'd still manage to mess things up I tried your idea of deleting all but the data folder and reinstalling. It did take less time than usual but still a long time with all the DLC and it actually worked! So thank you!

[VsIayer]

I was having this issue as well and I managed to fix it. If anyone is also having this issue follow these steps:

• Either delete all the mods or uncheck them via mod manager
• Merge files without any mods
• Go in C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Dragon Age Inquisition\Update\Patch and open package file in note pad
• change version from 12 to 13

And that should work.

[Leora85]

@VsIayer No need to do the empty merge, just change the package.mft in your Patch folder to match that of the patch folder you just removed (ideally that should be 13). Change it back before making a new merge or if you put your mod folder back in. 

The game only looks at the folder with the higher version number in package.mft. This is why the merge folder created by mod manager will have a version number one higher than that in your Patch folder. 

[SpartanXE45]

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@VsIayer wrote:

I was having this issue as well and I managed to fix it. If anyone is also having this issue follow these steps:

• Either delete all the mods or uncheck them via mod manager
• Merge files without any mods
• Go in C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Dragon Age Inquisition\Update\Patch and open package file in note pad
• change version from 12 to 13

And that should work.

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fully fixed my problem with out needing to delete my mods thanks