Game News Dragon Age is too hard; 1st patch makes it easier

[Zeus]

We all know real girl gamers are more:

I didn't know you were a girl.

Got a boyfriend?

 

[Arcanoix]

I've never died on normal, 40% of the game. I wonder what person could find it difficult on easy.

Try doing the High Dragon on Easy mode then get back to me. Then again, this patch fucking kills the game, especially if you install the tool set - doesn't matter before or after - stay with v1.00 or your new saves will be glitched, broken, or just outright dead.

 

[Arcanoix]

We all know real girl gamers are more:

**Fat Gamer chick picture**

I've met two gamer chicks - one was a 90 lbs. 5'2 little devil that did anything and everything I asked within 4 hours of actually meeting her face-to-face (From MySpace to MyPlace, yO!) and the 2nd one is the woman I've been with for the last few years...

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

We all know real girl gamers are more:

 

[GarfunkeL]

Rogue has the feign death ability Azrael. Doesn't it work?

 

[CrusaderTemplar]

Nightmare is easy =/ I did spend most of the time reading and just finished the game today. Then I had to finish it 2 more times using previous saves to see the endings. I'm thinking the 4th one might need to be backtrack a whole lot.

Didn't it only come out a few days ago? And you have finished it 3 times? How short is this thing?

i finished it once and since i made save games often. Reloaded it 2 more times to get the other endings. Just missing one. I think can only be achieved through the "nobles route" Not quite sure.

 

[JrK]

Anyone else playing a rogue? I died in the human noble origins part just because another group suddenly attacked me. No amount of micromanagement and ability usage saved me from that one. I'm thinking the rogue is seriously shafted in the combat department.

 

[Worm]

Haha shit, the idea that you guys who are already planning your second and third playthroughs think you're representative of anything about gaming at large other than RPGcodex are hilarious.

 

[Davaris]

I like the AI here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al61HGGraoc

 

[Volourn]

The only option there is for the enemy to flee somewhere to hide. But, I've seen absolutely no game have AI that advanced to realzie the PC is trying to cheese win. L0LZ

 

[Davaris]

The only option there is for the enemy to flee somewhere to hide. But, I've seen absolutely no game have AI that advanced to realzie the PC is trying to cheese win. L0LZ

if (taking_heaps_of_damage AND not_hurting_enemy)
RunAway()

or better:

if (taking_heaps_of_damage AND not_hurting_enemy)
RunToAllies()

 

[Worm]

There are some enemies that won't pull too. Particularly the abandoned building in denehrim, they'll just stand there in roar, when you like a moron have stuck yourself in combat mode and have no way to regen(and it's not like you can just buy a stack of twenty health potions).

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Ohnoes, combat in RPG's is exploitable.

 

[Worm]

haha, what? Being able to drop a dragon's resistance in BG2 and leave him marked as friendly isn't quite the same as being able to constantly no matter what circle kite your enemies.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

haha, what? Being able to drop a dragon's resistance in BG2 and leave him marked as friendly isn't quite the same as being able to constantly no matter what circle kite your enemies.

Except you could do the exact same thing in any of the IE games. BG2 had even worse exploits, cloudkill for example.

 

[Worm]

BG2 was actually released in the past -- a concept people here have issues with -- you'd certainly hope that some improvements might be made. Though we've got a pretty similar game, with combat they'd hope would resound with the tween World of Warcraft demographic.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

if (taking_heaps_of_damage AND not_hurting_enemy)
RunAway()

I thought about that, but it would turn the game into a benny hill simulator, chasing every enemy with low health. I once installed a mod for Morrowind that does just that. I was forced to hunt down everyone with a bow for miles.

or better:

if (taking_heaps_of_damage AND not_hurting_enemy)
RunToAllies()

That guy is alone, he's fucked. There's not much you can't do against 4 archers, unless you have a long range aoe attack (and even then, they could just spread)

 

[Overweight Manatee]

BG2 was actually released in the past -- a concept people here have issues with -- you'd certainly hope that some improvements might be made. Though we've got a pretty similar game, with combat they'd hope would resound with the tween World of Warcraft demographic.

BG2 had even worse exploits, cloudkill for example.

I have yet to find a spell in DA that can single handedly kill nearly every single enemy in the game with absolutely zero chance of retaliation.

 

[Worm]

Haha, okay so there are no cloudkill exploits in DA:O! GOTY?

You're trying to explain away the kiting by saying you could do the same thing in the infinity engine, ergo, you're a fucking retard. We've got two seperate things, gameplay exploits, and AI exploits. Trying to dismiss one by saying one game had the other is just insane. It's even worse to point out that older games had similar issues, unless you're trying to argue not letting people kite any melee boss in the game is NP complete.

I mean you're not trying to say Dragon Age's balance is better than BG2, right? Where mages are essentially the king class hands down.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

The fact is that if you can run as fast as the enemy you can kite forever. It doesn't matter how smart they are, if they are melee and you are ranged and both are the same speed, the ranged will always win. No amount of AI can win an unwinnable battle. At most you can require the player to use moderately more micro by switching targets, but that in and of itself is exploitable.

 

[Worm]

That's a pretty weak deflection of the video above, fyi.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

That's a pretty weak deflection of the video above, fyi.

Please tell us your non-exploitable AI then.

 

[Jim Cojones]

BG2 was actually released in the past -- a concept people here have issues with -- you'd certainly hope that some improvements might be made. Though we've got a pretty similar game, with combat they'd hope would resound with the tween World of Warcraft demographic.

Oh, there are improvements. In BG your character was faster than almost every enemy (f.e. wolves - roofles!) so you could kite even while soloing the game.

The fact is that if you can run as fast as the enemy you can kite forever. It doesn't matter how smart they are, if they are melee and you are ranged and both are the same speed, the ranged will always win.

I'd like to see you kiting in one of the GoldBox games, Realms of Arkania series, Wizardry series or KotC. There are numerous ways to prevent kiting. Charge attacks, attacks of opportunity, enemies changing from melee to ranged in certain situations, making it possible to hit your party member if he's close to the enemy you're aiming, avoiding adding encounters that have only melee fighters, twisted corridors where it is difficult to maintain distance and be in line to shoot, small locations with no place to run.

 

[MapMan]

I agree there are difficulty spikes. For example after the first city you have to go to(le.. something or lo... something) I went to the woods where i met elves and stuff. There you encounter the first dragon. He was able to kill my entire party in a matter of few seconds. Luckily I was able to taunt him, run away in circles and let my archer and mage kill him. I doubt there was another way to kill him at this stage.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

The fact is that if you can run as fast as the enemy you can kite forever. It doesn't matter how smart they are, if they are melee and you are ranged and both are the same speed, the ranged will always win.

I'd like to see you kiting in one of the GoldBox games, Realms of Arkania series, Wizardry series or KotC. There are numerous ways to prevent kiting. Charge attacks, attacks of opportunity, enemies changing from melee to ranged in certain situations, making it possible to hit your party member if he's close to the enemy you're aiming, avoiding adding encounters that have only melee fighters, twisted corridors where it is difficult to maintain distance and be in line to shoot, small locations with no place to run.

I didn't say it was impossible to do. I said it was impossible to do with purely AI changes. Short of fundamentally changing the gameplay, the melee monster in the linked video had no chance, even had a human player been controlling them.