Dragon Age for consoles

[Raapys]

Not sure if this is a repost.

BioWare's upcoming Dragon Age RPG franchise will eventually extend its reach to consoles following its PC debut next year, the developer has revealed.

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53624

 

[NiM82]

At least it seems in this case it's designed for PC, ported to consoles as opposed to vice versa.

 

[Castanova]

I can't wait to find out the first "feature" which the PC version is saddled with in order to accommodate the console port. Then again, maybe we already know - only 4 party members?

 

[sportforredneck]

only 4 party members?

What's the big deal with only four party members? I don't understand it. It doesn't make that much of a difference, since normally you don't even want that many people around you because they are uninteresting and merely serve as meatshields.

 

[WalterKinde]

Well that didn't last long so much for being PC exclusive.

 

[NiM82]

I doubt the reduced party size has anything do with it being consolised, more likely it's due to the fact there will be a smaller character pool overall, by virtue of them (presumably) having to have all the lines voice acted. Provided the game is built for a party that size, I don't really see why it's so big a deal.

 

[Lurkar]

I could give about two shits about it being ported to consoles, so long as that's how the port is working - PC to console, not the other way around. So long as it's developed with the PC in mind, I'm good.

 

[pkt-zer0]

In before skyway going "I told you so".

 

[Jaesun]

I wonder how many game design decisions were changed knowing this would be ported to consoles.

 

[Erzherzog]

To be fair, no one said that the game they're working on right now will be ported.

 

[Volourn]

"I doubt the reduced party size has anything do with it being consolised,"

It wasn't 'reduced'. it was always 4-6 party members, and it was awhile back when it was confirmed to be 4 characters.

'Consolization' is a myth. Anything a PC can do for games cna be done for consoles. Period.

 

[DemonKing]

It may not mean that DA:Origins will be released on consoles, it could just be that there will be a line of Dragon Age games releases on consoles (eg Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance or all the crappy console Far Cry games which bore no relation to the PC version).

In any event, the fact that it is being released on conscles after the PC release is promising.

FEAR for example was an awesome PC game when it was released...the fact that a console version came out several months afterwards didn't change that.

'Consolization' is a myth. Anything a PC can do for games cna be done for consoles. Period.

Yep - I love how those fancy Direct X 10 effects look on a console...sorry Volo but you're dead wrong.

 

[fastpunk]

I wonder how many game design decisions were changed knowing this would be ported to consoles.

 

[Micmu]

'Consolization' is a myth. Anything a PC can do for games cna be done for consoles. Period.

Yeah that's why there are so many Diablo clones on consoles.

 

[Mareus]

only 4 party members?

What's the big deal with only four party members? I don't understand it. It doesn't make that much of a difference, since normally you don't even want that many people around you because they are uninteresting and merely serve as meatshields.

4 party members are not enough because you need to have at least 2 tanks, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage. That is already 5 and you could also use one multi class character (tank/healer or tank/healer/mage or healer/mage) which makes the ideal of 6 characters. In NWN2 for example the ideal "ready for everything" paty for me was 1 tank, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage. However such party would easily get pawned on open territory because you lacked at least 1 more tank. So what did you have to do when you had open territory battles? You had to dump the thief or mage or the healer so you could make room for another tank. But the problem is that you need all of them. You need a thief for disarming traps and lockpicking, you need a healer if you don't want to rest every 10 minutes and you need a mage if you run on some tougher enemy. Yes, NWN2 was a piece of cake, because you could just run over a trap and rest, you could bash most of the crates and if you got badly wounded you could just rest again, but that is bad for roleplaying and 6 party memebers would solve the problem. Also going back and forward from the inn to the mission every time you need some class you left behind is not contributing to roleplaying and when they even force you to have some characters/classes with you it's even worse. I just hope they add the cheat function like NWN2 where you could chose how many party members you want with you.

 

[MetalCraze]

I bet they are already dumbing down DA for consoles right now. How predictable.

 

[sportforredneck]

4 party members are not enough because you need to have at least 2 tanks, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage.

Perfectly sensical explanation you had. But since the game has only 4 party members, wouldn't they try to make the game suit that, rather than make it as though there should be more party members?

 

[Volourn]

"4 party members are not enough because you need to have at least 2 tanks, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage."

There is no fuckin' 'healer' base class is in DA. There's only 3.

And, no, you don't 'need' 2 fighters, a rogue, wizard,a nd cleric in D&D games. FFS, I completed all the 'great' D&D PC games without theives just fine. Not fuckin' needed.

On top fo that, DA is NOT D&D even if it has similarities.

And, as the guy above me states, if there are 4 party members in DA then obviously, dumbass, the game will preusmably be balanced with 4 in mind not 6.

Idiot.

 

[Mareus]

4 party members are not enough because you need to have at least 2 tanks, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage.

Perfectly sensical explanation you had. But since the game has only 4 party members, wouldn't they try to make the game suit that, rather than make it as though there should be more party members?

Well NWN2 made by Obsidian didn't turn out like that. Atleast not for me. However, DA was said to already have less classes then standard DnD game, so I am hoping they will make it work with just 4 party members. It all really depends how the classes work, but if mages will be as week as in NWN2, where an orc can cut him down with 2 blows, I am afraid you will need atleast 2 tanks in the party and then you would have to deal with the same problem as in NWN2. It would be a lot easier just to add 2 more party members. Also don't forget that 6 party members is just better for roleplaying. I mean why would I go fight hundreds of orcs only with 4 characters, when I have 10 other characters waiting in an inn and doing nothing. If they atleast made it look like the nonactive characters have to do some other quests while you are on your own quest it would be much more RPGish. But yeah... it could work with only 4 party members, only it is much less likely it will work.

 

[Volourn]

"but if mages will be as week as in NWN2, where an orc can cut him down with 2 blows"

Your mage is a wuss.My mage is not.



"Also don't forget that 6 party members is just better for roleplaying."

Nonsenical.

With this logic, IWD is a better RPG than FO or BL.

 

[Jasede]

You got to be pretty stupid a mage in NWN 2 to be cut down by an orc, especially knowing youre on the of the most powerful D&D classes that can kill hundreds in a single spell and has tons of magic protections to avoid being hit or detected.

 

[Mareus]

"4 party members are not enough because you need to have at least 2 tanks, 1 healer, 1 thief and 1 mage."

There is no fuckin' 'healer' base class is in DA. There's only 3.

And, no, you don't 'need' 2 fighters, a rogue, wizard,a nd cleric in D&D games. FFS, I completed all the 'great' D&D PC games without theives just fine. Not fuckin' needed.

On top fo that, DA is NOT D&D even if it has similarities.

And, as the guy above me states, if there are 4 party members in DA then obviously, dumbass, the game will preusmably be balanced with 4 in mind not 6.

Idiot.

No one ever said you can't finish NWN2 with 4 party members or any RPG for that matter. Learn to read Volly. As for balancing, read my post above. The problem is not only in battles, problem is also when you have to go back and forth when you could just as easy solved the problem with just having more party members. And the problem is when your nonactive members pick their noses in some inn doing nothing and you are dying because you couldn't bring that tank with you because of some stupid party limit. And when they force some characters on you like in NWN2 it only adds to the pain. But 4 party members can work if they do it right, it's just less likely it will work right.

 

[Mareus]

You got to be pretty stupid a mage in NWN 2 to be cut down by an orc, especially knowing youre on the of the most powerful D&D classes that can kill hundreds in a single spell and has tons of magic protections to avoid being hit or detected.

When you are fighting with 15 orcs with only 4 characters on open territory and when you don't have good overview of the battle because of stupid 3D camera ofcourse it can happen that you get pawned by some orc.

 

[Jasede]

FYI, most dungeon masters I know say the optimal party, whether for RP, a dungeon crawl, or some hardcore hack and slash, is four. Mage, Cleric, Fighter, Rogue. Just four.

Four is good; four can work well as a team because they know each other, can handle every situation, and aren't too many that struggle or strifer over loot arises.

 

[Jasede]

You got to be pretty stupid a mage in NWN 2 to be cut down by an orc, especially knowing youre on the of the most powerful D&D classes that can kill hundreds in a single spell and has tons of magic protections to avoid being hit or detected.

When you are fighting with 15 orcs with only 4 characters on open territory and when you don't have good overview of the battle because of stupid 3D camera ofcourse it can happen that you get pawned by some orc.

You should know that every mage worth his salt would cast invisibility when he's surrounded by many orcs; then gain some distance and cast a disabling spell on them; or just let the fighter handle it.

You don't have to be weak and vulnerable with some basic tactics.