Capcom Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

[Machocruz]

I like to have two mages in the party, one that prioritizes support with healing, a buff, and high halidom in primary slots, the other AoE offense. Then me as a melee oriented Mystic Knight and another melee pawn.

 

[The Fish]

This play through of Dragon's Dogma cracked me up.

http://www.videogamer.com/videos/dragons_dogma_episode_4.html

 

[StaticSpine]

Stuff for sale in The Black Cat. It is expensive, but it has worse stats comparing to stuff I bought from the smith and found in dungeons. What's the point?

 

[Delterius]

Stuff for sale in The Black Cat. It is expensive, but it has worse stats comparing to stuff I bought from the smith and found in dungeons. What's the point?

Some are costumes, others have unique abilities. Like resistances across the board. What really makes it pointless though are bitterblack loot.

 

[StaticSpine]

Triggered a quest where

Spoiler

duke's wife invites you to her bedroom, betrays you and later gives you keys to get out of prison. Wow that's was a lame love story Arisen seems so weak-willed in those cutscenes.

Funny thing - you can escape the prison through the duke's castle main entrance, nobody gives a shit.

 

[Delterius]

Triggered a quest where

Spoiler

duke's wife invites you to her bedroom, betrays you and later gives you keys to get out of prison. Wow that's was a lame love story Arisen seems so weak-willed in those cutscenes.

Funny thing - you can escape the prison through the duke's castle main entrance, nobody gives a shit.

Spoiler

Yeah, that's part of a bigger subplot you'll only be able to understand later on. The love story itself wasn't very well implemented and I think that original plans to make the game three times larger than it turned out to be may have something to do with this. Its just a theory, but think that at one point, in some developer's head you were supposed to distance yourself from Gran Soren for a while, which would explain the impunity.

 

[StaticSpine]

wow, the game has C&C

Spoiler

I've found a grimoire for dude in Crand Soren and he appeared when I fought the quest griffin in the tower and helped me. That was unexpected.

 

[Damned Registrations]

wow, the game has C&C

Spoiler

I've found a grimoire for dude in Crand Soren and he appeared when I fought the quest griffin in the tower and helped me. That was unexpected.

Not only that, but

Spoiler

If you give him a forged copy of the book instead, he still shows up to help you, but isn't able to and is rather confused/dissapointed.

 

[Hobo Elf]

wow, the game has C&C

Spoiler

I've found a grimoire for dude in Crand Soren and he appeared when I fought the quest griffin in the tower and helped me. That was unexpected.

Not only that, but

Spoiler

If you give him a forged copy of the book instead, he still shows up to help you, but isn't able to and is rather confused/dissapointed.

Let's not forget the classic

Spoiler

jewing the Duke out of his ring by giving him a forgery. I mean, there is no reason NOT to keep it since it improves your cast speed. Might as well pocket that shit.

 

[Delterius]

There's also:

Spoiler

Buying women's clothes to do the northern bandit's quests. Too bad those aren't very interesting, but still.

 

[Damned Registrations]

wow, the game has C&C

Spoiler

I've found a grimoire for dude in Crand Soren and he appeared when I fought the quest griffin in the tower and helped me. That was unexpected.

Not only that, but

Spoiler

If you give him a forged copy of the book instead, he still shows up to help you, but isn't able to and is rather confused/dissapointed.

Let's not forget the classic

Spoiler

jewing the Duke out of his ring by giving him a forgery. I mean, there is no reason NOT to keep it since it improves your cast speed. Might as well pocket that shit.

Spoiler

Actually there is a reason not to keep it; if you keep it, he'll be unable to open the chest with your reward in it later on. Which is probably a shit item anyways, but if you're not a caster...

 

[Ebonsword]

wow, the game has C&C

Spoiler

I've found a grimoire for dude in Crand Soren and he appeared when I fought the quest griffin in the tower and helped me. That was unexpected.

Not only that, but

Spoiler

If you give him a forged copy of the book instead, he still shows up to help you, but isn't able to and is rather confused/dissapointed.

Let's not forget the classic

Spoiler

jewing the Duke out of his ring by giving him a forgery. I mean, there is no reason NOT to keep it since it improves your cast speed. Might as well pocket that shit.

Spoiler

Actually there is a reason not to keep it; if you keep it, he'll be unable to open the chest with your reward in it later on. Which is probably a shit item anyways, but if you're not a caster...

Not a problem because

Spoiler

since you have the ring, you can sneak into the treasure room later and open the chest yourself.

 

[Damned Registrations]

That never worked for me.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

 

[Cyberarmy]

"There are also no plans to release it in the west, according to what a Capcom UK representative told Eurogamer."

CAPCOM!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!

 

[DragoFireheart]

Crapcom can't do anything right.

Morons.

 

[Amn Nom]

Just some stuff from the developer team interview in Dengeki PlayStation:

- players can log in and switch between multiple servers
- players can create multiple characters in a single account
- on PC specs; obviously players with high-spec PCs will be able to enjoy better graphics, but basically if you’re running a decent 3-year-old PC that met the recommended requirements of most games then you’d likely be all right
- the game design is catered towards long-term continual play; there are levelling dungeons and areas, item-based hunts/quests, as well as random/limited quests/events that pop up when viewing notices in the lobby
- can form parties with pawns or other players; like in DD/DA, the pawns are AI-controlled, but you can easily ask another player to join in
- no voice chat
- there will be three expansions to the game
- DDON is not linked with DD/DA storyline
- while the Dragon was an antagonist in DD, it is not so in DDON as the players will take up the role of Arisen who are protecting the White Dragon
- yes you still get a main pawn
- the pawn-Arisen relationship is still in the game; you can dress up your pawn, equip your pawn with poor armour/decent weapon etc.
- Fighter = short-range attacker, Hunter = long-range attacker, Priest = healing and recovery, Shield Sage = tank
- in-game party of a maximum of four members; you can play with pawns or other Arisen (mix and match pawn-Arisen combination as you like), or even play solo
- you can still rent out and hire pawns, this feature is still retained from DD
- character generator is also like DD/DA’s customisation system, but with more additions; make handsome guys, cute girls, whatever you fancy
- basically all the gear and equipment in DD/DA are present in the game, along with a lot more new stuff - more than 1,000 pieces in total; you can also craft new gear with materials
- pawns can also craft gear; think of hiring and renting out pawns that specialise in crafting
- armour system is maintained (the clothing and armour layers) with the added fun of customisation!!!!
- the skill system from DD/DA is retained; need to purchase new skills with discipline points
- no, there is no Ur-Dragon-like boss
- but there are raids with eight players!
- more vocations to be added in the future; rather than base and hybrid vocations, let’s just say that there’s a wider range of vocations compared to previously
- you can swap vocations at any time
- you can even get the NPC armour like Iris’ and Leo’s
- emotes and clans will be introduced
- the team is confident that if you’ve enjoyed DD/DA then you will enjoy DDON

Stole that from another forum. Bolded is what caught my attention. Dragon's Dogma raids gets me hard just thinking about it.

 

[StaticSpine]

I somehow got an awesome warrior sword (gryphic victory) early in the game and I've been using it for the last 20 hours or so:D

Will there be a better sword?

 

[Machocruz]

They probably saw how Dragon Age Indigestion won multiple GoTYs over here and thought "Why cast our pearls before those swine?"

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Fighter = short-range attacker, Hunter = long-range attacker, Priest = healing and recovery, Shield Sage = tank

meh. The interesting vocations mixed roles.

 

[Utgard-Loki]

good god this game is a terrible mix of good ideas, but the worst part has got to be the pawns. yeah no, don't hit the wolf that is raping my asshole, just stand around and do nothing. perfect.
the class system is garbage. serious fucking garbage.
the class restrictions of skills and items are arbitrary as fuck and often make no sense (wanna wear this hat? too bad, rangers only, jackass)
the classes themselves are garbage. either you play one of the three optimal mixed vocations and shit all over the enemies(two of which are magic users, which means more often than not you will enjoy frames in the sub 10 range. amazing) , play one of the advanced ones and still have a p easy time, or you play a warrior where all you do is jump and light attack in an attempt to make the enemy ai take pity on you until you get enough money and loot to drip feed yourself with magic steroids.




...

goty goty goty will complete it 9 times.

I somehow got an awesome warrior sword (gryphic victory) early in the game and I've been using it for the last 20 hours or so:D

Will there be a better sword?

a bunch. i recommend holding on to weapons with status effects.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

but the worst part has got to be the pawns. yeah no, don't hit the wolf that is raping my asshole, just stand around and do nothing. perfect.

I can understand why a lot of folks might dislike the way Pawns work...the mechanics behind them aren't exactly clear nor well-documented in the game. But for the most part, well-trained pawns with the proper inclinations are extremely effective in battle.

Something like your example can happen easily, however, if proper attention isn't paid to inclinations and Bestiary Knowledge. My guess is that your pawns were untrained (probably only 1 star in whatever you were fighting; has not acquired a lot of techniques from watching an Arisen with a similar vocation/moveset) and had inclinations that disfavored protection of the Arisen (e.g. Scather, Challenger, Pioneer).

Obviously, this sort of system, while complex and interesting, won't be for everyone. Many players, particularly those who are more attuned to PC gaming and it's history, would prefer an AI that doesn't need to be trained or molded, that is either maximally effective by default or can be scripted to the player's preferences in a more transparent manner (think Dragon Age: Origin's Tactics, or even Infinity Engine AI scripting language). They're just not going to get anything out of molding your Pawn through extended gameplay, where you'll only have an effective fighter after some time (kind of a pain with replays).

the class system is garbage. serious fucking garbage.
the class restrictions of skills and items are arbitrary as fuck and often make no sense (wanna wear this hat? too bad, rangers only, jackass)

The Vocation system is probably one of my favorite parts of the game. Yes, ability and equipment distribution has little in the way of internal logic from a simulationist point of view. It's a lot like older D&D editions wherein Mages (Magic-Users for the truly groggy) couldn't even wield most weaponry or wear any armor.

That said, from a gamist standpoint, these arbitrary restrictions accomplish something most other action-RPGs fail at: creating distinct, interesting playstyles. Playing a Sorcerer is wholly different from playing an Assassin. Mystic Knights differ greatly from Rangers and Magick Archers.

And a lot of these differences are because of arbitrary restrictions. Mages/Sorcerers have few quickly-available defensive techniques at their disposal. They can't dodge-roll and they cant block. And most of their abilities have relatively long charge-times, in which they are mostly immobile. Playing these classes necessitates a lot of situational awareness and forward-thinking that might not be necessary as, say, an Assassin or Strider that are more aggressive and reactive.

Compare to a system like that seen in the Souls games, one that's far less arbitrary. Playing a Mage and a Warrior isn't all that different. Mages can pretty much block or dodge just as well as most melee-focused builds can; strip off enough weight and have a decently upgraded Medium Shield and you have some of the strongest defensive options afforded to any build with very little investment. This leads to homogenized gameplay, where the game feels pretty damn similar between different characters, with only extreme gimmick builds truly breaking the mold. Dodge/block -> hit R1 during enemy recovery frames. A bit reductionist, but close to the truth (Souls games pretty much live on their extreme content density, constantly throwing new stuff at the player to keep them engaged with simple systems over a long period).

the classes themselves are garbage. either you play one of the three optimal mixed vocations and shit all over the enemies(two of which are magic users, which means more often than not you will enjoy frames in the sub 10 range. amazing) , play one of the advanced ones and still have a p easy time, or you play a warrior where all you do is jump and light attack in an attempt to make the enemy ai take pity on you until you get enough money and loot to drip feed yourself with magic steroids.

Certainly the balance between Vocations is pretty poor. Basic Vocations have little to offer over Advanced/Hybrid ones, and the Hybrid Vocations have an order of magnitude more power/versatility than all others in most situations. This game is Josh Sawyer's worst nightmare...balance is not welcome in this dojo.

I still think that most Vocations (save the Mage) at least offer interesting play, though. Even the Warrior, while severely underpowered, does have it's own style, relying on high HP and super-armor frames to tank through blows while charging up mighty attacks. It isn't particularly good (you wouldn't use it to speedrun or fight the Online Ur), but some folks will get a kick out of one-shotting huge monsters with a well-placed Arc of Deliverance or whatnot.

 

[Delterius]

Crapcom can't do anything right.

Morons.

But, its the PC port we've all been hoping for!

 

[BLOBERT]

BROS THE VOCATION SYSTERM I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY UNIQUWE AND FUN

THE ARBITRARYT SHIT DOESNT BOTHER ME AS MUCH CASUE IT IS A GOOFY ASS JAP GAME AT HEART

 

[Krraloth]

I just started this game a couple of days ago and I'm enjoying the shit out of it.
I made a strider cause I'd love to grab on to flying enemies at some point a la Shadow of the Colossus.
My main pawn is a fighter and as traits has challenger and utilitarian, when I was being pinned down by a bandit he did rush in with a shoulder check to save my ass, I thought that was pretty awesome all things considered.

So I had to escort the hydra head with the cart but I took my sweet time exploring a bit fighting bandits. When I finally got to the cart it was night but I didn't want to wait so I started the mission. I have to say: fighting harpies that you hear sing and just zoom inside the light circle without being able to spot them easily made for a pretty involving escort mission. It wasn't too hard but it sure felt like we were in danger.
And then it dawned right in front of Gran Soren, priceless.
I do not paricularily like the flickering shadows but after encountering my first group of bandits I started to filter them out, my wife pointed them out to me when she walked by the tv yesterday.

Is it easy to switch vocations? I plan to try sword and board but I'm not sure if it's feasible and I can't just make another character as it will overwrite this one.