Don't Worry, Dragon Age II Is For You, Too
Don't Worry, Dragon Age II Is For You, Too
Preview - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Thu 18 November 2010, 10:27:12
Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age II... Kotaku claims in their latest preview of Dragon Age II.
<h4>PC Differences</h4>
There are some changes PC fans should know, about how their version will differ. First, and this is sort of a non-difference, but the PC game won't be made separately this time. All versions of the game are being made by BioWare's internal teams.
The bigger change, however, is that the game will no longer support an overhead tactical view on any platform. This was an art and combat-design decision, the BioWare rep told me today. Support for that Baldur's Gate-style view forced the artists to design rooms and scenes that didn't have important things on their ceilings and skies — which top-down players wouldn't see.
Of course you wouldn't want that. Also keep in mind that the isometric view greatly disturbs the single most important RPG element: the cinematic flow.
It also forced the designers into an awkward spot where they had to accommodate top-down turn-taking players and behind-the-back action-first players. By catering to the more reckless of those playing styles, the designers were forced to make the game's difficulty fairly low. Making all players play from some sort of from-the-rear camera view alleviates that.
Wait, what? The fact that you could play the game on autopilot for 99% of the time was actually caused by the viewpoints? Who would have thought.
But! PC gamers, your version will include a special option to zoom the camera out, just not up. Console gamers won't get that.
The PC version will also handle combat commands a little differently, letting a player click to issue a continued attack command, instead of forcing them to button-mash (or mouse-click like maniacs, as it were). Leave that to the console gamers.
Autopilot. Watch the particle effects while waiting for your victory.
What to make of all this? Dragon Age II's lack of depth may have been exaggerated. I'd seen concerns that BioWare was abandoning its roots by making DAII more of a Mass Effect kind of game. I don't see that happening as egregiously here as I think some had feared. This series has been altered for a wider audience, but dumbed down? Sold out? I don't see that. There are classic PC RPG roots here. They're just a little more buried than before.
Yes, what to make of all this? They just burry a portion of their PC RPG roots with every game but they don't sell out, the game will still be deep with ... depth and complexity and so on and then you push a button and something awesome happens.
Spotted at: GB
<h4>PC Differences</h4>
There are some changes PC fans should know, about how their version will differ. First, and this is sort of a non-difference, but the PC game won't be made separately this time. All versions of the game are being made by BioWare's internal teams.
The bigger change, however, is that the game will no longer support an overhead tactical view on any platform. This was an art and combat-design decision, the BioWare rep told me today. Support for that Baldur's Gate-style view forced the artists to design rooms and scenes that didn't have important things on their ceilings and skies — which top-down players wouldn't see.
It also forced the designers into an awkward spot where they had to accommodate top-down turn-taking players and behind-the-back action-first players. By catering to the more reckless of those playing styles, the designers were forced to make the game's difficulty fairly low. Making all players play from some sort of from-the-rear camera view alleviates that.
But! PC gamers, your version will include a special option to zoom the camera out, just not up. Console gamers won't get that.
The PC version will also handle combat commands a little differently, letting a player click to issue a continued attack command, instead of forcing them to button-mash (or mouse-click like maniacs, as it were). Leave that to the console gamers.
What to make of all this? Dragon Age II's lack of depth may have been exaggerated. I'd seen concerns that BioWare was abandoning its roots by making DAII more of a Mass Effect kind of game. I don't see that happening as egregiously here as I think some had feared. This series has been altered for a wider audience, but dumbed down? Sold out? I don't see that. There are classic PC RPG roots here. They're just a little more buried than before.
Spotted at: GB
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