Dragon Age impressions

[Dionysus]

Well my CE arrived today, wow very unimpressive.

The box is quite small. Its a tin case but who cares. The map is about the cheapest cloth I have ever seen its already unraveling at the edges. The manual is about 30 pages without really anything interesting in it.

It's your fault. It was obvious that the CE wasn't worth +30% of the normal price. You are a rube and you should feel bad.

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

Impression: Never before have I seen a game so clearly want to be an MMO when it comes to interface, and some basic mechanics.

What an interesting statement to make. I, for one, would like to see your reasons because I have a pretty strong hunch that your reasons are pretty shitty ones.

My reasons for saying that? Because I went from playing Aion on a private shard to installing and beginning the Mage Origin...only to notice that from the power bars to the cool-downs to the way buffs were handled that the game's interfaces were almost exactly the same.


So I thought to myself, 'gee, that's kind of weird', and played a bit more. And it's true. The story-telling and all that is old-school Bioware, but I've never seen one of their projects play more like an MMO when it comes to combat.



So I said it here. You don't like it, go to a different thread or another site altogether where they'll slobber all over it without pointing out anything that bugs them.

 

[MetalCraze]

I was just wondering why the seasoned hardcore players of the codex wouldn't just crank it directly to the hardest setting

And you got your answer - there is no point in playing at harder difficulty because all it does is nerfing your party while adding cheats to enemy party isntead of making the AI better so all "STRATEGERY" ends up in casting healing spell 1 additional time.

Hmmm. Apparently in Fallout you can't ignore the quest either. Oh well, should've put in some "no, lol" option followed by a gameover screen - lol choices. happens a lot in Jrpgs, best genre evar

You are being forced to join the retarded jedi organisation after quite some time into the game and all 4 choices lead to the same outcome - it's all about the way they put it. Nobody forces you to accept Overseer's quest - much like origin story it's a fucking premise and you start with it. See the difference?
And re-read this completely 3 times because you have a problem giving a good example by bringing in completely unrelated games.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

and all 4 choices lead to the same outcome - it's all about the way they put it.

These aren't choices at all, not even fake choices. These are just "tones" you're selecting for a forced part of the story (the main part, joining them) for the daily dose of larping. These are not fake choices with same outcome, because it's pretty fucking obvious the guy is going to join them, the game doesn't pretend anything else. Like the other guy said, maybe some people would feel better if the game didn't offer a choice at all and instead had the PC automatically say something. For me, it's the same shit.

Nobody forces you to accept Overseer's quest - much like origin story it's a fucking premise and you start with it. See the difference

The overseer's quest is the main objective (which you can ignore and do sidequests forever, I guess), like whatever the wardens ask of you will be. The origins are like the character living in the vault. Your main objective isn't to live in the vault / be a city elf forever. Something happens and sets you onto the main quest. Fallout just doesn't bother showing what your guy did before the Overseer calls you. Perhaps his origin was Plumber, or something.

And re-read this completely 3 times because you have a problem giving a good example by bringing in completely unrelated games.

Like...? Fallout? It's a crpg too (DA IS CONSOLE RPG LOLOLO - yes, hilarious.)

 

[oldmanpaco]

I am very angry about RPGs. And that I live in the Ukraine. And that because of radiation poisoning I only have one testicle. And because Voloum will not return my private messages. And because there is no god. And because Cleve keeps moving the Grimore release date. And because SMA does not post pictures anymore. And because VD has not released the combat demo for AoD. And some other stuff.

 

[draexem]

My reasons for saying that? Because I went from playing Aion on a private shard to installing and beginning the Mage Origin...only to notice that from the power bars to the cool-downs to the way buffs were handled that the game's interfaces were almost exactly the same.

You'll have to explain the way buffs are handled, but both power bars and cooldowns did not originate from MMOs and are not unique to that genre. I've played JRPGs with cool down periods. The game I played a couple of days ago (Valkyrie profile 2) had a cool down period every time you used an item or cast a spell. It could also be argued that cool down periods are the natural evolution of the old rest system in Baldur's Gate.

Just because stuff is included in MMOs doesn't mean it originated from MMOs, and it doesn't mean that games which exhibit the same properties are developed with the MMO genre in mind. To pick on a couple of things like this and state that the game wants to be an MMO is pretty ludicrous.

If you think this game wants to be an MMO, you've never played Dungeon Lords.

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

My reasons for saying that? Because I went from playing Aion on a private shard to installing and beginning the Mage Origin...only to notice that from the power bars to the cool-downs to the way buffs were handled that the game's interfaces were almost exactly the same.

You'll have to explain the way buffs are handled, but both power bars and cooldowns did not originate from MMOs and are not unique to that genre

No, but the way all of the various elements are combined in a certain way in this game is almost definitively like that of an MMO.


In the most stripped down sense, KOTOR had some of the same elements. NWN did too. But none smack you in the face with it in such a perfect storm as I felt after starting up Dragon Age.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Crist, NWN2 had UI somewhat copied from WoW. DA:O looks even like an MMO. Questgivers with exclamation marks? Auto-regenerating health and mana? Cooldowns on abilities? Every class having some sort of "powers" to spam?

Sounds like WoW to me!

I've played JRPGs
If you think this game wants to be an MMO, you've never played Dungeon Lords.

Hoh-hoh. That's a justification for all of the above-mentioned stuff then. It has been in jrpgs! Can my PC have spiky hair and a hugeass sword too?

And we should definately emulate Dungeon Lords, because it was such an shining example of excellent RPG-design.

Shitty design is excused since it has already been present in shitty games before!

I hope not. I always thought joining the villain at the end was retarded. O look you came all the way through but you can join me nao lolz, choices! Pretending that was the PC intention all along requires larping, too

What? You just wrote earlier that you hoped that DA:O would have such an option?

See:

In DA, you're forced to join the wardens, let's see if you're forced to do whatever the wardens tell you to ultimately do (like, "kill the X dragon", and you can finish the game without killing it).

Okey, I'll correct my statement. You hope that in the end you can either join with the dragon or let it go or just bugger off somewhere without killing it. My previous statement still stands - with Biowares trackrecord, that would be a huge surprise, so the skepticism on their C&C is pretty justified, no?

 

[Jaime Lannister]

They forgot the Fallout/Morrowind/Arcanum "no" option, which basically means you need to reload your last save you broke the game lol.

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

They forgot the Fallout/Morrowind/Arcanum "no" option, which basically means you need to reload your last save you broke the game lol.

#3 is gold.

 

[Konjad]

5. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...

 

[Mackerel]

I was hoping to get executed, but if you keep denying him he simply conscripts you. Somewhat better than the above set of flavor options though.

 

[Darth Roxor]

These aren't choices at all, not even fake choices.

You have four dialogue lines to choose that probably lead to the same motherfucking outcome. How is it not a choice (be it a minor one) and how is it not fake? Fake choices don't operate on a yes/no axis, and this is the same kind of fake choice as Mass Effect's 'WHAT DID U SEE SHEPARD!?!?!?! - (A) BIG TROUBLE, (B) OUR DEATH, (C) NOT QUITE CLEAR' and all of that leading to 'PPLZ SLAUGHTERIN' OTHER PPLZ'.

 

[Saxon1974]

Well my CE arrived today, wow very unimpressive.

The box is quite small. Its a tin case but who cares. The map is about the cheapest cloth I have ever seen its already unraveling at the edges. The manual is about 30 pages without really anything interesting in it.

It's your fault. It was obvious that the CE wasn't worth +30% of the normal price. You are a rube and you should feel bad.

I like goodies and I was aware it might not be that great, but I dont mind another 10 or 15 dollars to get the extra stuff. I was more making a comment on the quality of the items, not the lack of them. I think a non cloth map might be better than this one.....

And I also have heard how much back story this game has. Well, why didnt they put any of that into the dam manual?!!!

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

That's what the two paperback masterpieces David Gaider wrote are for.

 

[Azrael the cat]

That's what the two paperback masterpieces David Gaider wrote are for.

Ahh the next next-gen...ultra-long manuals with huge backstory are BACK...but you have to buy them separately and they cost the same as a book.

 

[Trash]

I was just wondering why the seasoned hardcore players of the codex wouldn't just crank it directly to the hardest setting

And you got your answer - there is no point in playing at harder difficulty because all it does is nerfing your party while adding cheats to enemy party isntead of making the AI better so all "STRATEGERY" ends up in casting healing spell 1 additional time.

Uninformed bullshit presented as fact. As per the Skyway course. Apart from making them stronger hard makes enemies more agressive and makes them use their abilities better. In normal you have a fight in hard the enemy goes straight for the jugular by assaulting your archers and spellcasters. It makes combat pretty interesting. Go play the damn game.

The different origin stories also have different reasons why you become a warden. In the human noble one you basically get drafted. Yes, it's a forced thing but fits perfectly well within the context. You start getting C&C after the origin story is finished.

I also laughed my ass off after killing the giant rats in the kitchen. You have a temporary partymember who basically says how every damn shitty adventure story he ever heard about starts with killing rats.

And I also have heard how much back story this game has. Well, why didnt they put any of that into the dam manual?!!!

It's actually part of the game. You come across information about the gameworld (for which you get XP) all the time and it gets put into a codex which you can read. Kinda like what they did with ME only this seems to be much more expansive.

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

I also laughed my ass off after killing the giant rats in the kitchen. You have a temporary partymember who basically says how every damn shitty adventure story he ever heard about starts with killing rats.

Bard's Tale on Xbox started with your ass getting kicked by a giant rat in a basement.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I also laughed my ass off after killing the giant rats in the kitchen. You have a temporary partymember who basically says how every damn shitty adventure story he ever heard about starts with killing rats.

Bard's Tale on Xbox started with your ass getting kicked by a giant rat in a basement.

I kind of liked that game. The Bard should be the PC in every RPG.

 

[baronjohn]

 

[MetalCraze]

These aren't choices at all, not even fake choices. These are just "tones" you're selecting for a forced part of the story (the main part, joining them) for the daily dose of larping

Yes - and that's what makes the moment crappier - typical Bioware. Waterchip worked because "son we are gonna die, you gotta find the chip" and it didn't feel forced.

The origins are like the character living in the vault

We are talking about Fallouts not Bethesda's shit. And no - try better excuse. Origins are a part of storyline and gameplay you take direct part in - reading intro text about how you were born in the vault isn't.

Fallout? It's a crpg too

And?
Dune 2 and Panzer General are both strategy games too - must mean they are similar.

http://hamand.eggman.us/crap/candc.jpg

They forgot the Fallout/Morrowind/Arcanum "no" option, which basically means you need to reload your last save you broke the game lol.

Sorry - wanting something like in a 10 years old super-last gen game would be like having unrealistic standards.

Apart from making them stronger hard makes enemies more agressive and makes them use their abilities better

Aka it just makes them stronger while nerfing your party.

The different origin stories also have different reasons why you become a warden. In the human noble one you basically get drafted. Yes, it's a forced thing but fits perfectly well within the context.

Oh really - what if I don't want to be a fucking jedi all over again?
Ah sorry I forgot this is a LARPer's game - you must pretend like things matter to your character.

 

[Korgan]

My character's origin:

My dad used to say: "Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!"... he's dead!
I like that.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Jesus, I'm getting slaughtered. Finally beat one tough fight (The one in the Giant Bomb video where the mage was standing in fire), then I got raped by the next fight. DAMN YOU DRAGON AGE

 

[MetalCraze]

Learn to play. With all those auto-regens and auto-resurrects you're getting slaughtered? Haha. BG probably will seem hardcore after this.

 

[kris]

I kind of like it, but need to make some studies to know if there are actually any consequences for your actions. I tried briefly some origin stories, might load and try some different things with the dwarf commoner to see if different things happen.

I played the longest with the dwarf commoner, which I felt really was a different twist compared to the other less original origin stories. IMO.

The dwarf origin have you working for the underworld in the heavy class society of the dwarfs. Everything was well presented and with some reloads I can see if I had alternative solutions to things.

Character faces: I had to mentioned this. I think the faces for all the men looks overall pretty good with quite some variation. I like the big nosed dwarfs. The problem is the women. They are all some kind of very maked up models, some just a bit older models. Including the dwarf women and everyone knows a dwarf woman needs some beard! No seriously, every single woman I seen seems to be taken from a photoshopped magazine cover.

The blood that is splatted on the characters is another positive. I mean it looks hilarious in a really silly way. I especially like how it is evenly splatted over your whole body.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Learn to play. With all those auto-regens and auto-resurrects you're getting slaughtered? Haha. BG probably will seem hardcore after this.

Yeah, those only work outside of combat. Doesn't help during combat.