Ok Lets go.
I've got it for the 360.
Graphics are a little lack luster. I like the size of the characters on the screen and the environments are cool. But everything looks a little chunky and the colours/lighting don't pop out. I have to say, it's dated looking. The animations though are fairly decent and the sound effects are good and there are lots of voice dialogue. Apparently the PS3 version has better visuals but choppier frame rate. The PC version is best of all if you've got a good pc that can support it.
Gameplay the 360 version controls well. If you've played KoTOR or Mass Effect on 360 then you'll feel at home. I much prefer this then point and click as it makes the game feel more action based and I've grown to prefer that to point&click play.
Combat is more action based then previous games. You have more freedom to run about. You press the button to swing and the animation of the swing lets you know when you can swing again. Alternatively you can just hold the button down with a target selected and go at it. You have special attacks that you can attach to other buttons and trigger them as well. You can have two weapon sets to flip between and if that's not enough you can pause combat to issue orders to your party or let the AI control them. So far I've been letting the AI do it's thing (as I'm not particularly attached to any of them) and it's been working well enough.
Inventory management isn't bad. It works well for handling equipment between the party but it's a little clunky looking compared to say Fallout 3, which provides more information on the screen at once. The ability to flag items as junk though and then auto sell all your junk at once though is awesome.
The story. Haven't played enough to really get a grip on it. However so far it feels pretty organic. Let me explain that. In past Bioware games you generally knew exactly where you had to go. Hell you practically only had one place to go. You'd go there, they'd give you a quest, you'd go to the next pointer etc... There were very little other things to do that cropped up along the way and the whole time it felt like you were a dog on a leash.
This would be the opposite to games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 where you are basically unleashed into the world with little direction of where to go. You stumble into quests, people proposition you for help, you are free to choose what you want to tackle and often how you want to tackle things. The game flows very organically around you.
I'm happy to say that Dragon Age has much more of this organic feel to it. It feels much more like a breathing world and less like a game on constant pause waiting for you to do something (that is still often the case mind you, but it doesn't feel like that).
Overall I'm very happy with Dragon Age thus far. It's not the best looking game, not in a long shot and it's got a few rough edges. But if things continue to progress I can easily see myself putting the 50+ hrs into this game that they say are typical for an average play.
Of the 3 (360, PS3, PC) the PC is the best version feature for feature. It's got the best graphics, different modes of play (top down and over the shoulder) and also supports player mods. The 360 and PS3 play the same but make trades offs between graphics and frame rate. They also won't support player mods, but do have the official mods. Personally I went with the 360 version because I just seem to do most of my gaming on the couch. My computer could handle it but I find I just don't play on my computer that often. So if I'm dropping $70 for a game I want to get it for the format I use the most.
I'm also seeing myself already playing through it again with a different character or even as the same type just to see how different choices play out. They dialogue choices are probably some of the best I've seen in a CRPG yet. There are some obvious good/evil responses. But most of them are gray. There are plenty of choices you make early on that have longer reaching results and it's awesome to see a game play out that way.
I'm playing a Dwarf Noble Warrior. The Dwarf Nobles are a nasty group. No wonder the Dwarfs are placed on hard times. They are all a bunch of back stabbing bastards. Not really any different from human nobles of the time I guess. Only the Dwarfs have much smaller numbers and should be uniting not cutting thin.
Waiting for my copy to turn up in the post, good review though mate ansd gives me something to look forward to since im also getting the xbox360 version(pc dosent have a big enough harddrive to install it atm and i need a new monitor to get the best of the resolution).
I got it, too. I'm not impressed with the graphics and opening sequence. The ads and teasers were much, much cooler.
Seanchai
I've been playing it a few hours a night since Tuesday (xbox too...). Just got out of the mostly linear opening arc myself. It does rather slam you with characters early on, seeing as you can only have a party of four.
You can see its relationship to Mass Effect, but it rather pales in comparison in so many ways... not least of which is YOU never talk.
Skills are driving me a bit nuts however. Seems like you get one skill point every four levels or so, meaning if you realized you absolutely need to know how to sweet talk someone at level 5 (like I did...) you are fucking SOL for another three levels. Given that there are some 40 odd skills and, from what I can tell a 'mere' twenty levels it just seems weak sauce.
I've gotten massive amounts of loot, but its all crap and sells for peanuts apparently.
Not a bad game, but not quite where the trailers were at and not nearly what I'd expect to see from the people putting out Mass Effect 2 later on.
Minor irritation: I got the 'special edition' with lots of 'downloadable content'. Seeing as how there are two disks in the box I can't see why they didn't just put the 'downloadable' content on the fucking second disk?! That is some irritating shit right there, man.
I think they didnt put it on the second disc because the special edition isnt available everywhere yet the dragon armour and stone prisoner mission are available to all and the other special stuff is just a download code(and the items arent much use really like the ones on the dragon age journeys flash game), am i right in thinking the extra disc is basically a bunch of making of's and behind the scenes crap?
Quote from: Broken-Serenity;342372I think they didnt put it on the second disc because the special edition isnt available everywhere yet the dragon armour and stone prisoner mission are available to all and the other special stuff is just a download code(and the items arent much use really like the ones on the dragon age journeys flash game), am i right in thinking the extra disc is basically a bunch of making of's and behind the scenes crap?
But see: I'm paying big bucks for that shit and now I've got to haul the xbox and tv across the house just to plug into live for five minutes, then BACK across the house to play...
And yeah, I got a second disc of 'features' that I couldn't care about. Like... wallpaper or some shit. Plus what you said.
funny thing is the dragon armour and stone prisoner are both on the marketplace already along with some new piece of content they want you to buy aswell so other than some pretty useless trinkets everything else is available for download for less than it costs for the special edition :)
Also the items sold as exclusive are due to be packaged together as downloadable content in about a month so again there wasnt much point in making them temporary exclusives really.
I just hope mass effect 2's exclusive stuff stays exclusive abit longer.
I don't know what extra content the you are getting. But I bought retail off the shelf (not pre-order) and it came with unlock codes for the dragon armour, and the stone golem with regular game. The only content that I have to buy currently would be some mage tower quest IIR.
Oh also for anyone interested there is a flash game at http://www.dragonagejourneys.com/ and if you play through that you can get some more item's that get attached to your EA account. There are two medallions and a Dragon Helm.
I absolutely agree that the skill choices feel very limiting. However the idea is that you use the party to flush it out so that the game isn't a one man show. This game is based around a group effort not a Hero complex game. So yes it's different but I actually enjoy it. Before every Bioware game the group felt unimportant to the story beyond being fodder in combat. Now the group experience feels complete.
Broken-Serenity: You missed my point. I don't keep my Xbox hooked up to the internet for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the simple fact that my modem is across the house! If nothing else, I demand the convienence that I fucking paid for. This needing to download the shit seperately (with a code!) is not unlike ordering a pizza and having the delivery man call you and tell you its ready for pickup. Sure, you still get pizza but that's not all you were paying for.
That said: I beat the Broken Circle quest line last night. I've noticed Leilani can't stay alive for shit, but beyond that none of the various boss fights proved all that challenging, though the 'mage tower' portion of the Fade was brutal to get through. Large numbers of mages in rooms with no real ability to set up the fight? Tactically all the advantages belonged to the game.
Im the same with my xbox and the connection to the net in the house(not quite the other side of the house but still a fair distance) i used to use my xbox online alot but since getting the xbox 360 ive strangely become more into offline gaming on the console and avoid getting online with it except for updates and whatnot every couple weeks.
Glad to see its a good rpg though as i feared the console version would end up being changed abit to much from the pc version somehow(less rpg more dynasty warriors style action game), but it appears they kept the rpg and just tweaked the tactical stuff.
Yeah. I actually prefer NOT to go online for gaming most of the time, though if I were to list out all the Online Only games I have on my computer you'd think I was lying about that...
I frequently find other people in online gaming to be sort of 'anti-fun', playing specifically for the purpose of ruining someone elses enjoyment. I like fighters and shooters where you don't/can't build anything up for that sort of play but find it particularly asinine in 'deeper' games (eve online, freesky, etc) or even RPGs, where you may tend to identify more closely with your character to enjoy someone 'killing you' then 'teabagging' your corpse... or camping it.
I find it's silly to not have the 360 connect all the time. I don't play any online games really. But just so much easier to get updates, demo's, streaming video to my tv from my computer etc... It's just so easy to keep it online I fail to see why you wouldn't. Even if you have to get a wireless adapter, seems a small price to pay for the convenience of not having to constantly move it to your hookup just to get updates and what not.
What turned me off playing online games was the realisation that alot of the people who i ran into online only baught the game for the shitty online mode and had never even bothered to play the storyline! seriously why pay whatever retail is for a videogame these days if your only gonna bother with the usually crapy online part? its like buying a dvd for the extras instead of the movie, even worse is when they try to "school" you on what the game is about even though they really dont have a clue having never bothered to play it(this was hilarious on mechassault2 for xbox).
Im kinda glad bioware and most other rpg makers refuse to add multiplayer to any of there games as it gives me a nice excuse to avoid xboxlive and online except for updates, as for mmo's i tend to avoid any pvp servers and content so rarely run into the same kind of idiots as console multiplayer modes.
I've played more of the game now. I like most of it, but the graphic are terrible, considering. They remind me of Dungeon Seige - you know, that game that came out in seven years ago.
Seanchai
Yeah the graphics are absolutely dated looking. Also now that I'm 10+hrs into it the dialogue, while still interesting is like all previous Bioware games starting to get a little transparent. Instead of good/netural/evile! it's become yes man, relucant, I don't wanna and I'll do what I fucking please. Which is a 100% improvement don't get me wrong.
Dragon Age is a lot of fun. But I'm starting to think that Bioware's game model is getting dated and I'd be reluctant to jump on the Dragon Age 2 train if it's just essentially the same game with prettier graphics.
Gotta say on the PC the graphics are pretty damn nice, wonder if they gimped it for the consoles.
I am rather enjoying the game at the moment.
This YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNyvFKws3tQ) looks more like what I'm seeing when I play it via the 360 on a big HDTV.
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;342947I've played more of the game now. I like most of it, but the graphic are terrible, considering. They remind me of Dungeon Seige - you know, that game that came out in seven years ago.
Seanchai
The really amusing part of this (and by that, I mean it really pisses me off) is that the game won't run at all on my system that runs CoD4 with no problems at all.
Played DA on a PC then blogged about it and the PS3 version. Sounds like the XBox is shakiest. The PC graphics were good and fast on a pretty modest Radeon HD4770. My mate's PS3 lost frames in mass combat but he loved the game.
It's a good game, and I'm enjoying it, but it's basically the vidgame equivalent to a fantasy heartbreaker.
It's obvious they've poured some real heart into this, but the end product is as generic and uninspiring as they come. The rule system is terrible, the setting cliche, as is everything else in it, from the storyline to the game conventions.
In some ways, it's nice to see a return to the form of a bit more old-school sort of game, but in other ways it's a bit too much a return to form, because it feels so much like I've been here, done that already.
And the one point where I most wanted them to cleave to roots, the game system, is the one point where they didn't at all. This isn't D&D, this is a lame version of True20 but with MMO mechanics in place of D20 ones. The character structure is slow to advance, forces specialization over flexibility, and the gear system is simultaneously fiddly, yet completely dull.
The editor is also a massive disappointment compared to their last one in NWN1, mainly because it doesn't fucking work, and the install process is the exact opposite of user friendly. Why the hell do I need an SQL server just to make a damn game module?
Frankly, for all the attempts to ape the artifacts of their past, I think Mass Effect was the far better roleplaying game, despite that game trying so hard to be it's future.
Quote from: tellius;343048Gotta say on the PC the graphics are pretty damn nice, wonder if they gimped it for the consoles.
I am rather enjoying the game at the moment.
The 360 version was roundly criticized for poor textures. I'm also playing it on PC, and it's gorgeous - the face and character animations, especially.
It's a damn tough game on Normal difficulty, too.
-O
I have it for the PS3 and the graphics are extremely poor, considering what the system is capable of. I have played for about 20 minutes so far and I am really not interested in playing any more.
Quote from: obryn;343581The 360 version was roundly criticized for poor textures. I'm also playing it on PC, and it's gorgeous - the face and character animations, especially.
It's a damn tough game on Normal difficulty, too.
-O
A lot of the environment detail on PC is pretty bad too, it's hit or miss. Character models are great though.
Quote from: RockViper;343583I have played for about 20 minutes so far and I am really not interested in playing any more.
Although the graphics never get any better, I found it got to be much more interesting and fun the more I played.
Seanchai
Once the map opens up a bit and you can roam back and forth the game picks up. However, that 'opening railroad' is a long tough one. I think I wanted to take the game back a few times during the first hour or so.
Again: its not bad, but its something of a let down vs. Mass Effect. Also: I'm getting tired of having 8-10 really cool characters and being able to pick... 3.
Seriously: Expand game play a bit and allow us to get a bit more use out of our parties. Its not 'hard', and it might shake up that old familiarity of design problem you've got.
I can understand only allowing you to have 3 on the screen at any time for programing reasons. But why not allow you to switch those 3 out more easily then only at camp. How about letting you flip them on the fly basically anytime you aren't in combat or locked into some story path. How about letting you designate equipment between more then the 4 tagged characters.
Or how about at the very least if you are stuck having to leave characters in the camp give it a reason. Perhaps they are there to guard the camp from random attacks. Instead of always having the random encounter pop up on your adventuring group what if some of the time the random encounter attacked your base camp and you could fend it off.
What about a camp equipment trunk so you could store loot beyond ditching runes.
There's plenty of goodness but all these little nit picks keep cropping up in this game.
This just came out for the ps3 over here, and it's messy. A very very rough game in technical terms. In fact it runs poorly from the HD as well which surprises me - especially compared to the likes of Oblivion which, as a console port also, was much smoother.
The lack of choices in character creation (again comparable to Oblivion) is startling to me and I'm not sure my healer mage is really all that fun to play.
Graphically its a mixed bag. I can tolerate the quality, but it doesn't feel like an rpg considering its pedigree. The setting is interesting - much better than the mish mash world that was Oblivion (unfortunately the plot ruined that game for me).
Not sure what to make of this so far, I've just become a Grey Warden and am lighting the beacons.
It crashed my ps3 last night so it won't be long till its headed to gamestop
Quote from: RockViper;344419It crashed my ps3 last night so it won't be long till its headed to gamestop
I don't think it's a bad game. But there's no way the install to ps3 hd option has done so properly. It's still reading half the game (at least given the size of installed data is only 2gb) off the disk. That needs fixing.
I'm still a bit dismayed at the lack of character class options. Even though a number of people can join your party and you can control them all, you end up with people who are the same as you. Morrigan has pretty much stolen my thunder in that respect so that doesn't make me as the player feel especially unique or special.
The combat tactics is a good idea that seems well implemented and simple aside from one glaring flaw: you get nowhere near enough slots. I can't program my mage to support and maintain his mana independently. This means I have to constantly invest skill points in that skill that gives you additional slots. This is mind numbingly stupid; you should get a free slot each time you level up on top of your skill points. There is absolutely no reason to deny the player this at all.
Apparently pressing r1 and l1 simultaneously selects all your party at once, but i have no idea how that works or why i would want to do it.
Ghost:
What about the plot ruined the world for you, just as a point of curiousity?
If Morrigan is stealing your thunder as a healer mage what on earth do you think if Wynne?
But yes: the number of additional characters does ensure that any given role you have is do-able by an NPC. I believe that is viewed as a feature: If you see yourself as the party mage, don't take Morrigan along. If you think you are a tank, don't take Alistar, if you think you are a rogue, don't take Liliana or Zevran... they are there for the players who AREN"T doing those things.
Strangely: Despite suckign wind against enemy mages, and playing a DPS fighter (once again... why do all games seem to assume theives make better fighters? Not quite as much here, but still...), I never took Morrigan in my party. Things looked up when I started making Liliana use a bow... but I've been playing with party compesition a bit recently due to issues with Xbox Live and the downloadable content (namely: I had to scrap all of my previous acheivements and save games to use an entirely new gamertag to log into live and get said content. Whee!!! Programming for idiots, I tells ya. Would improve microsoft's output considerably if someone donated a few copies to them...)
Quote from: Spike;344602Ghost:
What about the plot ruined the world for you, just as a point of curiousity?
If Morrigan is stealing your thunder as a healer mage what on earth do you think if Wynne?
But yes: the number of additional characters does ensure that any given role you have is do-able by an NPC. I believe that is viewed as a feature: If you see yourself as the party mage, don't take Morrigan along. If you think you are a tank, don't take Alistar, if you think you are a rogue, don't take Liliana or Zevran... they are there for the players who AREN"T doing those things.
Strangely: Despite suckign wind against enemy mages, and playing a DPS fighter (once again... why do all games seem to assume theives make better fighters? Not quite as much here, but still...), I never took Morrigan in my party. Things looked up when I started making Liliana use a bow... but I've been playing with party compesition a bit recently due to issues with Xbox Live and the downloadable content (namely: I had to scrap all of my previous acheivements and save games to use an entirely new gamertag to log into live and get said content. Whee!!! Programming for idiots, I tells ya. Would improve microsoft's output considerably if someone donated a few copies to them...)
What I didn't like about oblivion, aside from velociraptors in dresses was the actual Oblivion plane. Hated it. Hated going there. Hated it's denizens. Hated it. Other than that the actual world is kinda bland but filled with just bizarre words. So is DA, really, but the setting seems a bit deeper and you have a purpose that you can get to grips with much better. Plus I'd rather be in the Fade than Oblivion. In many other respects it is very impressive, but i couldn't get into the world.
I don't say Morrigan steals my thunder per se, it's just she is a mage and there really is nothing unique about her in game terms at all. This is true, afaict, for all party members. They are direct class builds that any player character could emulate. That's a bit of a shame for me.
I also don't think the healer build is that good. Heal takes too long to recharge and most of the other support spells i can see are basically crap. the glyphs are useless. I can cast multiples of paralysis but it's cooldown is insane which renders it pointless. Rejuvenate does bugger all as well. I should think being a combat mage is much much more fun.
I have no problems with the characters themselves just that they are pretty much cookie cutter pc builds in mechanical terms. I'm also not entirely happy having chosen to play a support/healer mage. I had hoped that would be a more interesting choice but the spell choices beyond combat magic aren't much fun it would seem.
The 3 had DLC problems too. Really it seems the console versions got short shrift. I don't necessarily mind the graphic quality but audio sync problems and graphics going tits up i draw the line at. Fortunately these problems are rare enough not to affect the game and it is engaging, if overwhelming trying to learn 4 characters to play at once (you kinda have to, the tactics are badly implemented given they supply nowhere near enough slots).
Ah, I misread: I thought the plot of DRAGON AGE was ruining the world for you.
Being an old school player of Daggerfall on up to Oblivion, I find the world slightly less bland than you did, but I too hated Oblivion (seriously: It gets HARDER to cross the countryside the more you level up... what?!)
I'm not sure what to make about your complaints regarding the class builds. Mechanically just about any game is going to get dull in the mechanics of building. I use Wynne exclusively for my healing (as compared to my roommate who plays a mage healer backing up Wynne), and the ONLY issue with her healing is not that it is hard to do, but that she'll burn through her Mana and just stop.... unless you tell her to drink a potion.
Morrigan is the offensive mage build, but having seen a PC offensive mage in action, there is little 'dull' there. Inferno, Blizzards, viral plague bombing, raising corpses to fight for you... and we haven't even discussed shape changing. If anything there are TOO MANY options for offensive spell casting (just like you can't be a great dual wielder AND a great sword and board warrior, or you can't be a great backstabber AND a great archer... only mages got like... four routes of awesome.. which makes up for the lack of great mage gear I suppose).
I did enjoy the Fade myself, but I didn't mind the Oblivion realm other than the sort of sameness after umpteen iterations of it... which DA avoids by only letting you in the Fade... twice?
Also: My cheat for Oblivion: Make a custom class where all your class skills are 'dump skills' you never plan on actually using. THis way you can play the entire game at 'level one' and still be an utter badass with your 100% weapon and armor and magic skills... and if the lack of HP or sweet gear drops gets old, you can CHOSE to level up those same class skills to 'ding' just enough to get what you want without overpowering the world around you...
Its wrong but it feels... sooooo.... right.
what spell raises the dead?
I'd have to ask my room-mate, but I think its in the entropy school.
Note: THis provides a zombie 'pet' to fight on your side. There is a seperate spell, which Wynne should have already, that 'raises' the dead party members to keep fighting. Revive I think its called. It's a template, which means it can hit multiple party members at once, if they died close enough together.
This game isn't balanced at all. And there are some phenomenally stupid things in it. Such as the abandoned camp in the forest that's a trap that kills off your entire party except you. This leaves you to fight a Shade that I couldn't damage as my character isn't a fighter, he's a healer. I guess the devs didn't assume that peopel would play such a character, despite giving us the option. I must say I'm pretty gobsmacked at such amateurish game design. Things like this really spoil it.
I'ts fortunate that I'm fairly forgiving of big rpg's because there's an awful lot of really stupid stuff in this game. The spells are a joke to be frank: cooldown times and mana costs are completely out of whack. Despite the options available it clearly favours characters who can fight. There's a lot of stuff you can pick up and learn but in order to do so, such as the specialisations, you have to find the person who can unlock the means to do so. I have no idea where i'd find someone who can teach spirit healer.
Played both console and PC versions. Console versions were fairly gimped, unfortunately, and not ported by Bioware themselves (noted an extra title screen on the 360 version from a company I've never heard of -- outsourced port, I guess).
Easy mode on PC == Normal mode on console. Less enemies on the 360 version, very poor textures and framerates, and no tactical view. The game is also much less challenging and tactically engaging IMO, due to the reduced difficulty and the control scheme. In the PC version they actually had to increase the default stats for NPC party members in the first patch because people were having such trouble moving forward through the campaign -- though it's probably these people never played a classic CRPG in their life and so the whole "needing to use tactics" thing took them off-guard. The tactical feel on the PC version is a much welcome change of pace from Mass Effect and Fallout 3's "action RPG" schtick.
I didn't really expect anything else, since it was in development for PC as an exclusive and their hand was forced by EA and marketing considerations when deciding to port to consoles.
Differences in versions aside, it's a far better game than NWN (1 or 2) in terms of plot, dialogue, and how the mechanics are handled. The ruleset is very much an opaque PC game ruleset and not a tabletop ruleset (thank you
God), so it flows much better than games based on traditional tabletop systems. I'm finding the dialogue and world, though a bit "generic" in the fantasy sense, extremely well-polished and filled-up compared to Mass Effect, which had a great main-plot, but a very underdeveloped world when it came to exploration and side-quests.
Graphically, the PC version is gorgeous, and I see no real reason to beat on it for subpar graphics until you've had a chance to play it on a capable machine (which doesn't take much, since I'm running on a 4 year old processor and a 9800GT I got for around 140 USD). Sure, it's not going to be Unreal Engine 3.0 pretty, but RPGs have never been graphical powerhouses compared to FPSes.
Overall, an improvement over Mass Effect (which I also liked very much), with a nice return to when CRPGs were challenging and required a bit of thought, with enough decent writing and voice-acting to make Bethesda's last few efforts look amateurish.
QuoteI'ts fortunate that I'm fairly forgiving of big rpg's because there's an awful lot of really stupid stuff in this game. The spells are a joke to be frank: cooldown times and mana costs are completely out of whack. Despite the options available it clearly favours characters who can fight. There's a lot of stuff you can pick up and learn but in order to do so, such as the specialisations, you have to find the person who can unlock the means to do so. I have no idea where i'd find someone who can teach spirit healer.
Heard of mana potions?
Also, I'm running with two mages in my party, atm. They're a very useful and powerful class -- I'm absolutely tearing shit up and I've only got one fighter -- so I don't think there's any imbalance. It just takes a bit of thought when choosing which spells to use, but that's what the space-bar (or command menu on the consoles) is for -- you can pause and think about your next move. Applying buffs and debuffs at the right time as well as managing your area-affect spells is essential and can mean the difference between a clean wipe and a TPK. It's also a good idea to cast spells in succession -- basically, area effect, debuff, buff party, heal, area effect, debuff, etc and keep cycling so your cooldown times don't burden your mage's abilities too much.
Personally, I'm finding each class fits nicely into a party dynamic that each gives them their own niche without stepping on each other's toes too much.
Also, playing with a controller makes the game much more finnicky, IMO, but it was originally meant to be a PC game in the first place, and EA forced Bioware to release it on consoles, so what can you expect with the decision to port it left in the hands of EA?
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344627what spell raises the dead?
Which one? There's one that brings a "dead" party member back into the fight, and one that raises an enemy as a zombie. I think that one's in the Mind school, counterintuitively.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344664This game isn't balanced at all. And there are some phenomenally stupid things in it. Such as the abandoned camp in the forest that's a trap that kills off your entire party except you. This leaves you to fight a Shade that I couldn't damage as my character isn't a fighter, he's a healer. I guess the devs didn't assume that peopel would play such a character, despite giving us the option. I must say I'm pretty gobsmacked at such amateurish game design. Things like this really spoil it.
You don't always get sucked in. You have a good chance to avoid it with a high Will. Really, the best way to deal with that little situation is to completely avoid it. Reload, and don't go there again! It's like a classic Gygaxian Killer Room.
IMO, it's a pretty good example of proficient game design. Much like the chests scattered here and there, you can't always solve all the problems right away with your main character. If you could, it'd kill replay value.
QuoteI'ts fortunate that I'm fairly forgiving of big rpg's because there's an awful lot of really stupid stuff in this game. The spells are a joke to be frank: cooldown times and mana costs are completely out of whack. Despite the options available it clearly favours characters who can fight. There's a lot of stuff you can pick up and learn but in order to do so, such as the specialisations, you have to find the person who can unlock the means to do so. I have no idea where i'd find someone who can teach spirit healer.
:O
I've played as all three classes, and of the three, I'd say it's spellcasting that makes the game a cakewalk. IMO, Rogue is the hardest to work with, but it really pays off. The key is that you need to keep a good spread of spells. Just like in D&D, obsessive focus on just one category of spells is a losing strategy. Even if you love Fire, pick up Winter's Grasp. Even if you're a healer, learn some Elemental or Entropy spells for damage.
Quote from: Spike;344622Being an old school player of Daggerfall on up to Oblivion, I find the world slightly less bland than you did, but I too hated Oblivion (seriously: It gets HARDER to cross the countryside the more you level up... what?!) ...
Also: My cheat for Oblivion: Make a custom class where all your class skills are 'dump skills' you never plan on actually using. THis way you can play the entire game at 'level one' and still be an utter badass with your 100% weapon and armor and magic skills... and if the lack of HP or sweet gear drops gets old, you can CHOSE to level up those same class skills to 'ding' just enough to get what you want without overpowering the world around you...
Its wrong but it feels... sooooo.... right.
Yeah, that was on the annoying side, but I understood it to appeal to more casual gamers. (My wife would have never gotten into Oblivion if the game hadn't been level-scaled, and it turned into her favorite game.) I prefer less scaling, and fortunately, on the PC version, there are a number of fixes for it. My personal fave is Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, which changes ... well, damn near everything about the game. There's still some level adjustment, but not much at all - it was tweaked very well, IMO, once it hit later versions.
Modding Oblivion was at least half the fun, and it kept the game interesting to my wife and me for at least a year and a half. While I love the game, it's just not as awesome without extras like the AF Leveling mod (leveling makes sense!), Qarl's Texture Pak 3 (insanely gorgeous graphics), Quest Award Leveling (quest items level with you), Natural Environments, and Illumination Within (for lit windows at night).
It turns a good game into a completely compelling open world.
-O
QuoteQuote from: Peregrin;344691Played both console and PC versions. Console versions were fairly gimped, unfortunately, and not ported by Bioware themselves (noted an extra title screen on the 360 version from a company I've never heard of -- outsourced port, I guess).
Edge of reason. Didn't occur to me that Bioware wouldn't be responsible for the port. That's a shame, Bioware are capable of much better. Despite the laothsome iteration of the Star Wars universe, KOTOR stands the test of time and has an excellent combat system.
QuoteEasy mode on PC == Normal mode on console. Less enemies on the 360 version, very poor textures and framerates, and no tactical view. The game is also much less challenging and tactically engaging IMO, due to the reduced difficulty and the control scheme. In the PC version they actually had to increase the default stats for NPC party members in the first patch because people were having such trouble moving forward through the campaign -- though it's probably these people never played a classic CRPG in their life and so the whole "needing to use tactics" thing took them off-guard. The tactical feel on the PC version is a much welcome change of pace from Mass Effect and Fallout 3's "action RPG" schtick.
I don't mind the graphics in game too much. They aren't great during most cut scenes, but some environments are lacklustre (like the forest). The game world seems quite small tbh.
The problem with combat is that the two sides just mash into each other leaving me with no control over anything unless i constantly flip between people and move them. That's what tactics are for, but they are poorly implemented. Friendly fire doesn't really help. Neither do half the support spells.
QuoteI didn't really expect anything else, since it was in development for PC as an exclusive and their hand was forced by EA and marketing considerations when deciding to port to consoles.
That's not the impression, obviously, given to console gamers.
QuoteGraphically, the PC version is gorgeous, and I see no real reason to beat on it for subpar graphics until you've had a chance to play it on a capable machine (which doesn't take much, since I'm running on a 4 year old processor and a 9800GT I got for around 140 USD). Sure, it's not going to be Unreal Engine 3.0 pretty, but RPGs have never been graphical powerhouses compared to FPSes.
I haven't beaten on the pc version, i've never played nor will i since my machine cant run it.
QuoteOverall, an improvement over Mass Effect (which I also liked very much), with a nice return to when CRPGs were challenging and required a bit of thought, with enough decent writing and voice-acting to make Bethesda's last few efforts look amateurish.
Sorry, but Fallout 3 puts this in the shade.
QuoteHeard of mana potions?
Having to constantly rely on potions to perform spells is not smart game design. You burn through mana too quickly, potions or otherwise.
QuoteAlso, I'm running with two mages in my party, atm. They're a very useful and powerful class -- I'm absolutely tearing shit up and I've only got one fighter -- so I don't think there's any imbalance.
depends what spells you use. offensive mages are much more powerful and fun compared to the crap support powers you can get. The game doesn't even give you enough info on the spells effects.
I'm not terribly happy about having to discover how to to unlock specialisations. Why give the player the means to do so (ie the point at level 7) and then force him to guess the secret that allows him to access it?
Quote from: obryn;344694You don't always get sucked in. You have a good chance to avoid it with a high Will. Really, the best way to deal with that little situation is to completely avoid it. Reload, and don't go there again! It's like a classic Gygaxian Killer Room.
I think it's an example of some of the worst game design I've ever seen. I'd be hard pressed to think of anything more stupid than to force the player into a situation that, at best, is a massive inconvenience.
Forcing me to reload my last save? Might as well have a sequence that causes the game to just shut down. It's just that stupid.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344715I'm not terribly happy about having to discover how to to unlock specialisations. Why give the player the means to do so (ie the point at level 7) and then force him to guess the secret that allows him to access it?
Specializations are based on your profile, not the specific character. If you unlock Champion, you can use it for any Fighter you make, as soon as they hit level 7.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344717I think it's an example of some of the worst game design I've ever seen. I'd be hard pressed to think of anything more stupid than to force the player into a situation that, at best, is a massive inconvenience.
Forcing me to reload my last save? Might as well have a sequence that causes the game to just shut down. It's just that stupid.
Like I said, it's not deadly for every kind of character - and many characters can even resist the spell of the lure. Just like my dwarf fighter can't open locked chests or heal his allies, a mage without offensive spells of any kind is hurting when running solo. I like the choices I make when building my character to have consequences. That's what this is - a consequence.
-O
Quote from: obryn;344785Specializations are based on your profile, not the specific character. If you unlock Champion, you can use it for any Fighter you make, as soon as they hit level 7.
Like I said, it's not deadly for every kind of character - and many characters can even resist the spell of the lure. Just like my dwarf fighter can't open locked chests or heal his allies, a mage without offensive spells of any kind is hurting when running solo. I like the choices I make when building my character to have consequences. That's what this is - a consequence.
-O
There's a lot of really really stupid stuff in this game that spoils it. That's about all i can say to sum it up. In all other respects its quite fun. But there are times when the decision making from the devs leaves me scratching my head. Morrigan for instance: here's a character that resents you doing anything to help anyone it seems. Now that would be fine were it not for the fact that if you played the game her way you'd end up not doing half the quests. That's rather stupid IMO.
I've also noticed there are times when the game swarms you with mobs; this just doesn't work well on the console version at all.
I think the control scheme from KOTOR was vastly superior, and that's an old game!
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344788There's a lot of really really stupid stuff in this game that spoils it. That's about all i can say to sum it up. In all other respects its quite fun. But there are times when the decision making from the devs leaves me scratching my head. Morrigan for instance: here's a character that resents you doing anything to help anyone it seems. Now that would be fine were it not for the fact that if you played the game her way you'd end up not doing half the quests. That's rather stupid IMO.
...which is why you don't listen to her, or leave her behind at camp. I just can't see NPCs with conflicting personalities as detrimental to an immersive RPG. Not all of the NPCs will match with your play-style, and not all of them will like whatever it is you're doing in the game. I don't see that as an inherently stupid design decision.
QuoteI've also noticed there are times when the game swarms you with mobs; this just doesn't work well on the console version at all.
Yep, that'd suck... I am growing very reliant on the top-down Baldur's Gate-style view for big combats. I don't know how I'd do some of the crazier fights without it. It's disappointing they don't include that on the console version.
QuoteI think the control scheme from KOTOR was vastly superior, and that's an old game!
I can't speak to it on the console, but I think DA is improved on the PC - especially the above-mentioned top-down angle...
-O
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344664This game isn't balanced at all. And there are some phenomenally stupid things in it. Such as the abandoned camp in the forest that's a trap that kills off your entire party except you. This leaves you to fight a Shade that I couldn't damage as my character isn't a fighter, he's a healer. I guess the devs didn't assume that peopel would play such a character, despite giving us the option. I must say I'm pretty gobsmacked at such amateurish game design. Things like this really spoil it.
I'ts fortunate that I'm fairly forgiving of big rpg's because there's an awful lot of really stupid stuff in this game. The spells are a joke to be frank: cooldown times and mana costs are completely out of whack. Despite the options available it clearly favours characters who can fight. There's a lot of stuff you can pick up and learn but in order to do so, such as the specialisations, you have to find the person who can unlock the means to do so. I have no idea where i'd find someone who can teach spirit healer.
Yes, the abandoned camp is stupid. Moreso: Everyone but you dies and you have to spend Injury Kits to repair their death damage once they get back up! Even a healer should have SOME damage dealing potential, man!
Spirit healer: Wynne teaches it (MOST specialities are available from party members if they like you. Leiliana teachs bard, Zevram teaches assassin, Ogren teaches berserker, Alistar teaches Templar, Morrigan teaches Shapeshifter)
It is also for sale in a book from the magic shop (and maybe from teh dwarf merchant in camp...). They don't SAY they teach specialities, but when you use them you get specialities. I KNOW the book from Denerim teaches spirit healer.
Blood Mage and Reaver both come from evil NPC choices (BM from the desire demon in teh fade in Redcliffe and Reaver from Kolgar on the way to Andraste's ashes). Ranger is only available in book form from teh Dwarf in camp, and Berserker is in book form from the dwarf merchant in denerim. Duellist is from a book (Dwarf in Camp?) or from the chick in the whorehouse in Denerim who you can have a three or foursome with.
Next question?
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344717I think it's an example of some of the worst game design I've ever seen. I'd be hard pressed to think of anything more stupid than to force the player into a situation that, at best, is a massive inconvenience.
Forcing me to reload my last save? Might as well have a sequence that causes the game to just shut down. It's just that stupid.
I am fairly certain that there is a 'stamina/mana' regenerating spell available in the 'healer area' of mage spells. It even comes in 'all party members' flavor.
Also: the comment about NPC stats: yeah. At the high end you need one or more stats above 30... fighters will need at the end of the day a strength of roughly 42. Hard to do for the NPCs without leaving them gimped in just about everything else, like Constitution (for hit points) or will (to resist those damn pesky spells...)...
If they started any lower than they do I imagine the game was damn near unplayable. Unless you really carefully manage your specialized roles for the party members they play very broken (making Leliana into a dagger/stealth/lockpicky rogue almost destroyed her and thus game play with her in the party. Give her a bow and she can still contribute to fights AND open locks... stuff like that...weird, as she doesn't actually start with a bow, but she has a bow talent...)
Tbh i finished the nature of the best quest line with the dalish elves in the forest. It sums up my feelings about the game I think: I didn't feel 'good' completing it. It just felt awkward and rather dull. The whole thing in the ruins (where about 16 skeletons just spawn around you at one point and mob you) is borderline tedious. I would have had to schlep all the way back to the Dalish camp to get more supplies. The camp didn't sell flasks so my herbalism was useless. Constatnly burning through mana potions and having to manage the team in huge fights just gets awkward.
I gave leliana a bow, but the ai will change how she fights regardless of her tactics. I find Alistair a huge liability no matter how I program him. I thought the tactics idea at first was fun, but the lack of slots (having to buy them with skill points is a bad idea IMO) and the general crap nature of the ai makes combat not fun. That's the problem: you control a single character where the game is scaled around a party of 4. Consequently you just get overwhelmed. Area effect attacks and friendly fire just add to the misery. I imagine the pC version is vastly superior. It's all compounded by the general miserable nature of the graphics as well.
Not quite the game I was expecting and Im not sure what I want to do with it. I really was expecting something like Oblivion but it kinda plays like an awkward and over complicated version of the Marvel game.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344854Not quite the game I was expecting and Im not sure what I want to do with it.
Clearly, sell it.
Seanchai
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344854Not quite the game I was expecting and Im not sure what I want to do with it. I really was expecting something like Oblivion but it kinda plays like an awkward and over complicated version of the Marvel game.
All your criticisms are your criticisms and I'm not trying to diminish them. What I'm curious about though is where did you get the inclination that this game in any way shape or form would be anything even remotely close to Playing Oblivion. Did you not read anything on the net prior to it's release, play any of the Bioware games before or even read the back of the box?
I'm not even trying to defend this game, though I do actually enjoy it despite it's many flaws. I'm just really curious at where you felt mislead that it's not spiritual or competitor to Oblivion.
Quote from: kryyst;344943All your criticisms are your criticisms and I'm not trying to diminish them. What I'm curious about though is where did you get the inclination that this game in any way shape or form would be anything even remotely close to Playing Oblivion. Did you not read anything on the net prior to it's release, play any of the Bioware games before or even read the back of the box?
I'm not even trying to defend this game, though I do actually enjoy it despite it's many flaws. I'm just really curious at where you felt mislead that it's not spiritual or competitor to Oblivion.
I don't mind that it's not like Oblivion, though I expected more options in terms o character creation than what was provided. In Oblivion you can custom create your own class. Here you have three choices.
I'd have been happy if this game had played more like KOTOR which worked just fine on the xbox. But unfortunately the combat in the console version is just awkward and messy and hard to control.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344945I don't mind that it's not like Oblivion, though I expected more options in terms o character creation than what was provided. In Oblivion you can custom create your own class. Here you have three choices.
I'd have been happy if this game had played more like KOTOR which worked just fine on the xbox. But unfortunately the combat in the console version is just awkward and messy and hard to control.
Fair enough, but I knew that going in. The console version is definitely more of a cluster when it comes to controls. But I'm just not finding it to be that much of a pain most of the time - note that it's far from ideal. It is however very much a game of you controlling 1 character and then hoping the group does the right thing. About the only time I control a group member is to force them to take a healing potion. Scripting that event either results in them taking potions to late and dying or taking them way to often resulting in everyone else dying.
Dragon Age is definitely a game that's not for everyone though and while I do enjoy it in-spite of itself I do feel that ultimately it's a let down. In many ways from a technical perspective this game feels like it should fall some place before Baldurs Gate 1. What keeps me going is that I like killing things and I'm enjoying the overall story. Though the individual stories are often lame. Plus it's the first RPG of this kind that I get to kill dragons at fairly regular intervals. Hell it's the first game of this nature that you regularly get to tackle foes much bigger then human sized regularly.
What would really go a long way to easing the experience would be to just give every character enough tactics slots to work with. I just do not understand the thinking behind forcing the player to buy them with skill points when you absolutely need them in order to have your party work in combat.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;344956What would really go a long way to easing the experience would be to just give every character enough tactics slots to work with. I just do not understand the thinking behind forcing the player to buy them with skill points when you absolutely need them in order to have your party work in combat.
If you have it on PC, there's a mod which unlocks 12 slots for each character. If not, I'm not sure what to tell you.
For Leilana, in the upper-right corner, where it says Default, change it to Ranged. She will stick with her bow no matter what.
-O
Quote from: kryyst;344951Hell it's the first game of this nature that you regularly get to tackle foes much bigger then human sized regularly.
True, sadly. Fallout 3 had those behemoths, but you only encountered maybe 3-4 in the entire game (which means 1 every 10-20 hours of gameplay). I like fighting beasties, though, and DA is fulfilling that desire quite nicely.
Quote from: Peregrin;345003True, sadly. Fallout 3 had those behemoths, but you only encountered maybe 3-4 in the entire game (which means 1 every 10-20 hours of gameplay). I like fighting beasties, though, and DA is fulfilling that desire quite nicely.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1096-Dragon-Age-Origins
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345019http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1096-Dragon-Age-Origins
Yes, and...?
It's just Yahtzee. I've known about him since before he became internet famous. Not to mention he says the game is one of the best RPGs available if you're into them.
Quote from: Peregrin;345083Yes, and...?
It's just Yahtzee. I've known about him since before he became internet famous. Not to mention he says the game is one of the best RPGs available if you're into them.
and what?
It is one of the best rpgs available, but then there are so few to choose from.
Really the only thing that lets this game down is the combat. It just doesn't work on the console. I just got to a point, en route to the Cirlce of mages, where i was ambushed by about 20 mobs. How on earth do you deal with that? The ai just cannot cope.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345087How on earth do you deal with that? The ai just cannot cope.
Pausing combat and lots of micromanaging tactics. The preset options for AI tactics also helps immensely if you don't want to have to micromanage in real-time. Not sure how it works on consoles, but that's how I've been doing it on PC. I have a friend who's been playing it on the 360 and loving it, but I don't know how far they've gotten.
I like the micromanagement, though, since my two other favorite RPGs of the last few years (Mass Effect and Fallout 3) were more run-and-gun and didn't really require much thinking, and DA's focus on party tactics and positioning is a welcome change of pace.
Quote from: Peregrin;345097Pausing combat and lots of micromanaging tactics. The preset options for AI tactics also helps immensely if you don't want to have to micromanage in real-time. Not sure how it works on consoles, but that's how I've been doing it on PC. I have a friend who's been playing it on the 360 and loving it, but I don't know how far they've gotten.
I like the micromanagement, though, since my two other favorite RPGs of the last few years (Mass Effect and Fallout 3) were more run-and-gun and didn't really require much thinking, and DA's focus on party tactics and positioning is a welcome change of pace.
I got to the point where you meet Zavran. The resultant ambush was just ridiculous.
Maybe there are players who revel in this kind of thing, but for me the micromanagement is just awkward amd cumbersome while trying to guess which tactics to program amongst 4 people to fight at least 3 times that many is not enjoyable and difficult. KotoR wasn't like this, neither was ME.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345137I got to the point where you meet Zavran. The resultant ambush was just ridiculous.
Maybe there are players who revel in this kind of thing, but for me the micromanagement is just awkward amd cumbersome while trying to guess which tactics to program amongst 4 people to fight at least 3 times that many is not enjoyable and difficult. KotoR wasn't like this, neither was ME.
So sell the fucking game already. Jesus.
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;345157So sell the fucking game already. Jesus.
Seanchai
So stop reading the fucking thread already. Jesus.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345159So stop reading the fucking thread already. Jesus.
I like Dragon Age. This is a thread about Dragon Age. Clearly, it's not the second coming. But why you think it's worth torturing yourself over, I have no clue. Oh, wait, yes, I do: 'cause, if I recall correctly, this is your modus operandi.
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;345172I like Dragon Age. This is a thread about Dragon Age. Clearly, it's not the second coming. But why you think it's worth torturing yourself over, I have no clue. Oh, wait, yes, I do: 'cause, if I recall correctly, this is your modus operandi.
Seanchai
then, your MO must be reading threads that upset you.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345137I got to the point where you meet Zavran. The resultant ambush was just ridiculous.
Maybe there are players who revel in this kind of thing, but for me the micromanagement is just awkward amd cumbersome while trying to guess which tactics to program amongst 4 people to fight at least 3 times that many is not enjoyable and difficult. KotoR wasn't like this, neither was ME.
No, KotOR wasn't like this, but then again, KotOR was a veritable cakewalk. I never had a fight in that where I felt I was at risk of dying. Evidently, you don't enjoy difficult games. That's fine - but I have no idea why you're still playing it if it's not your cup of tea. I love a challenge, and DA:O is just about perfect for me.
Try something else, for goodness sake. Dragon Age is not for you. I just grabbed a copy of Torchlight - it's another awesome game, and may be more your style. You can also snag it for free, try it for 2 hours, and pay $20 if you like it.
-O
Quote from: obryn;345194No, KotOR wasn't like this, but then again, KotOR was a veritable cakewalk. I never had a fight in that where I felt I was at risk of dying. Evidently, you don't enjoy difficult games. That's fine - but I have no idea why you're still playing it if it's not your cup of tea. I love a challenge, and DA:O is just about perfect for me.
Try something else, for goodness sake. Dragon Age is not for you. I just grabbed a copy of Torchlight - it's another awesome game, and may be more your style. You can also snag it for free, try it for 2 hours, and pay $20 if you like it.
-O
the difficulty in DA isn't difficulty born of a proper challenge. it's difficulty caused by the mechanics. that's the wrong kind of difficulty.
it isn't a question of 'try something else'. you can't send a game back to the shop just because it's not well made or because you don't like it.
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;345254the difficulty in DA isn't difficulty born of a proper challenge. it's difficulty caused by the mechanics. that's the wrong kind of difficulty.
it isn't a question of 'try something else'. you can't send a game back to the shop just because it's not well made or because you don't like it.
I agree.
That's why i took it back and got an exchange at the store.
Surprised the believed me actually. Most times the shop won't want to know about such problems. Perhaps I'm not the only one.
Anyway, no more DA for me. A shame, as I was really looking forward to a big rpg to get into. I loved Fallout 3 but it's very short compared to Oblivion which, if it weren't for the horrible Oblivion realm missions, would be awesome. I was expecting that level of depth from DA, but it's really just a multiplayer WoW experience with much less depth for one player. Coop would have massively transformed the game. I wonder why they couldn't include it.
Wow.
You seriously just responded, and agreed, with yourself.
Bravo. You've successfully transcended the need for actual other people on a message board.
given this discovery, I'd like to request that you bugger off to your own blog now.
Quote from: J Arcane;345307Wow.
You seriously just responded, and agreed, with yourself.
Bravo. You've successfully transcended the need for actual other people on a message board.
you are all figments of my imagination in the fade.
besides how else do i get any sense if i don't agree with myself :D
Quote from: J Arcane;345307Wow.
You seriously just responded, and agreed, with yourself.
Cocaine's a helluva drug.
Hey all, just signed up so I could put a response up myself.
I have to say that although, as with all games, I see things I wish were different, overall I like the game.
I am on the PC as I prefer the PC by far over console gaming. And after 2 play through's, I am now on Nightmare mode.
The game will not make it past maybe one more play through for me (experience each class once for sure). In that regard, I don't give high marks though, as re-playability is a big thing on my scorecard.
And with all the pretty good voice acting, I was very disappointed that our "main" characters never spoke throughout the game. I would have liked to see them more involved in the story / cutscenes by speaking or having some kind of emotional response to the situation around them.
The way I see the gameplay is that it is all about tactics, simple as that.
Example, I saw a few pages back several people complaining about that camp in the forest where you fall asleep and all that is alive to battle is the mage.
It killed me as well the first two times. Then I thought like some of you, what the heck is going on here.... why is this so hard ?
My son, in his 11 yr old way of looking at things, said to me, "dad, use your healing mage to "revive" the warrior".
LOL, I fell off the chair... it was so simply.... to my kid anyway.
Sure enough, I reloaded (as I save often ), went through the sequence, revived the warrior and he nailed the demon in seconds, while my mage threw a heal on him :)
Anyway, personally, I enjoy any game that can involve the player in the story, and this one worked for me.
Quote from: Peregrin;345571Cocaine's a helluva drug.
i prefer a sense of humour :D
Quote from: GameLover;345620Hey all, just signed up so I could put a response up myself.
I have to say that although, as with all games, I see things I wish were different, overall I like the game.
I am on the PC as I prefer the PC by far over console gaming. And after 2 play through's, I am now on Nightmare mode.
The game will not make it past maybe one more play through for me (experience each class once for sure). In that regard, I don't give high marks though, as re-playability is a big thing on my scorecard.
And with all the pretty good voice acting, I was very disappointed that our "main" characters never spoke throughout the game. I would have liked to see them more involved in the story / cutscenes by speaking or having some kind of emotional response to the situation around them.
The way I see the gameplay is that it is all about tactics, simple as that.
Example, I saw a few pages back several people complaining about that camp in the forest where you fall asleep and all that is alive to battle is the mage.
It killed me as well the first two times. Then I thought like some of you, what the heck is going on here.... why is this so hard ?
My son, in his 11 yr old way of looking at things, said to me, "dad, use your healing mage to "revive" the warrior".
LOL, I fell off the chair... it was so simply.... to my kid anyway.
Sure enough, I reloaded (as I save often ), went through the sequence, revived the warrior and he nailed the demon in seconds, while my mage threw a heal on him :)
Anyway, personally, I enjoy any game that can involve the player in the story, and this one worked for me.
That only works if a) your healing mage is alive and b) can revive people.
It's clear there is a way the game should be played: an order through the missions you should take that works best. Anything else is a dull struggle.
In fact that Torchlight game that was mentioned is ten times the game this is, for half the price.
They should just not have bothered porting to console. Perhaps it's revenge for how crap the pc version of MW2 is :D
Yes, I can agree with that. The game seems to be made in a way that it is "better" to take one path than to take another.
I guess I was lucky in that I made a healer early on prior to the forest questing. I can thank my WOW experience for that :)
Still, overall, I enjoyed the game even though it will become a book end soon enough, which is too bad.
Unless they start releasing all kinds of mission / quest / new story content to be downloaded, this game will not last long term IMHO.
It will be interesting to see what mods, if any, the community comes up with to make the story go on.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading all the comments on the game here and wish you all happy gaming.
Quote from: GameLover;345620Sure enough, I reloaded (as I save often ), went through the sequence, revived the warrior and he nailed the demon in seconds, while my mage threw a heal on him :).
It's why my main character, who was a mage, became a Spiritual Healer as soon as I realized they could Revive. A neat trick, if a bit frustrating waiting for it to refresh.
I'm going to try a non-mage character next time, so I'm curious to see how that'll affect the game.
Seanchai
If you keep Wynne in the party she is a Spiritual Healer.
I played a tank (Champion/Beserker in the end) and had her and Morrigan as my two mages with me for pretty much the entire game. I had little troubles with many of the encounters (with some notable exceptions).
I certainly never hit the point where the entire party wiped during the night at camp. Maybe I chose or just play differently.
I found the game thoroughly enjoyable. I would like to play through again as a mage though.
I finished Assassin's Creed, so I'm back to Dragon Age. I'm going through all the possible origin stories and playing on Nightmare difficulty.
Seanchai
I figured out how to start the game - well, beyond your origin story - with about 27 gold. Made me a happy man.
Seanchai
Kilt me three of them there High Dragons on Nightmare difficulty. Yee-haw!
Seanchai
Looks like there's a new DLC adventure set for March...
Seanchai
Finished the game and have joyfully moved onto Assassins Creed II.
I found Dragon Age lost most of it's appeal about 60% through the game. I just no longer cared about any of the characters or the dialogue. By that time in the game (even earlier really) I had already purchased my train ticket and no longer enjoyed the sights along the way. I just wanted to get to the end and off the damn train. I'm all for a game that tells a good story. The problem is that Dragon Age doesn't tell the story through your actions. It's all done through long winded speeches. I never really felt like I was part of the action more like I was just stuck in the middle of it and carried along. The game started out good but became a one trick pony.
Oddly enough I'm tempted to go through DA again (at a much later date) just to screw everyone over and kill as many people as I can.
I liked it well enough the first play through. I ended up playing it two and a half times. During the latter play through, I skipped all the dialog unless it was something new.
Still, graphics aside, I really enjoyed the game.
Seanchai