So Dragon Age: Origins is rather fun so far

[Delterius]

She didn't have to tell the whole truth, just that What's-his-face was detaining her and we rescued her.

Indeed. And isn't it ironical that, by stabbing me in the back, she made sure I would never willingly do her any favor again?

I don't think you quite understand what is going on. By telling her on Cauthrien, you're risking her life. You're also betraying her first. These are what matter first and foremost. Ultimately this is all because she can't risk leaving you and Eamon to your own designs. Getting her support isn't a matter of friendship or willingness, it has to be a pact because otherwise its just too much of a risk. A pact which hangs entirely on wether or not people know what will be her stance on the Landsmeet. In short, she can't let people know that you rescued her.

 

[Erebus]

By telling her on Cauthrien, you're risking her life.

Her life would be in much greater danger if a score of guardsmen attacked a group she's a part of, now, wouldn't it ?

Besides, Cauthrien clearly lets Loghain do her thinking for her. It's very unlikely she would have told anyone else about the whole thing.

You're also betraying her first.

I'm not familiar with the subtleties of hostage-rescuing in the real world, but I believe a hostage that turned on her rescuers because they didn't do things exactly the way she wanted them to would be frowned upon.

Ultimately this is all because she can't risk leaving you and Eamon to your own designs. Getting her support isn't a matter of friendship or willingness, it has to be a pact because otherwise its just too much of a risk.

That's nice and good, but as it turns out, she should have spent a little more time worrying about getting my support.

 

[DemonKing]

I decided to start my long-standing ambition to play all 6 Origin stories last night (I finished the game once as a Human Warrior on release). I have to say that it looks pretty good on my newish system in 1080p and sounds decent. I'm also enjoying actually getting to pick what I'm going to say instead of a "tone" ala ME and DA2. Might have to do a full replay afterall.

I guess DA2 clouded my judgement of the series a bit but I have to say Origins itself has held up quite nicely four years or so after release so far.

 

[Gurkog]

after playing 2 DAO would seem like incline... when it really is just a bit higher on the slope of decline

 

[DalekFlay]

I'm playing this for the second time finally and am I nuts or does it look really good? Maybe it's because I play pretty zoomed out but the game still looks really detailed and well designed so far, much better than a lot of Xbox focused shit we have gotten since.

As for everything else it's the same good but not amazing that it was 4 years ago. Playing a mage this time, works a lot better with the tactics system.

 

[felipepepe]

I think it has good art design, but bad execution. Like, Morrigan's deisgn is really good, but her model has uncanny valley all over her...

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Just remember to turn off the blood decals in the Options.

 

[Gozma]

Are any of the little DLC modules at the level of the main game? All the DLC for it I tried is just terrible EA-mandated loot handouts with writing that's embarrassing even in the midst of Bioware normal

Most annoying element of the design: Leilana's voice actress is bananas unsuitable and you have to have a rogue to open locks, so you p. much gotta put Zevran in any party, unless the PC is the rogue. Also I thought Zevran was voiced by the guy that does Archer and Coach McGurk but he isn't

I think the Codex has its opinion of DA backwards. Codex thinks it has "good combat" but it's a bad RPG. I think it has terrible combat with all the problems of Baldur's Gate 1/2 plus imported stupidities from MMOs, but the C&C stuff is pretty remarkable - the origins thing is great in particular, and how the origins get wrapped back into the trunk of the game.

 

[Elfberserker]

This might be bit late, but I liked DAO

I think Origins chapters were fun to play and was good idea.
Of course they weren't totally faultless like boring mage origin, but they let you Roleplay your character better.

As for main game.
It still kept me on grips up to about after Lothering and one or two of faction places, but they are just damn too long.
Most of time the dragon temple, Deep roads and to extension elven forest would be much better, if they had just made them shorter.

I think it's better to have few good fights than ton of mook level fights every two minutes.

The plot was a bit cliche, but lets be honest there have worse plots. Loghain was decent antagonists and darkspawn provided sufficient motive to solve every problem in the Fereldran.
Yes, darkspawn were bit boring in Origins and archdemon could have better villain even some sort of personality or hivemind speaker thingie rather than the beast he was...Then again we have seen games that attempt to write deep villain, only to find their plot hilariously stupid or other such nonsense.

The archdemon had simple goal, but You didn't start questioning about it or archdemon faiingl to appear as thought provoking villain.
It was a beast that had to put down and indeed it was very grueling path where your party toughens their heart for simple beasts.

In this world of "complex and grey morally" dominating media world with hilarioulsy grimdark or just bad works of media, sometimes simple stories are refreshing.
Namely being elite big ass vermin hunter with magically weapons.

 

[Roguey]

all the problems of Baldur's Gate 1/2

It doesn't have all the problems. None of the downsides of vancian casting, and no battles that require hard counters (though hard counters exist in its shit system).

I thought it had some all right combat encounters that are brought down by a sea of filler plus the bad system.

 

[Infinitron]

I think the Codex has its opinion of DA backwards. Codex thinks it has "good combat" but it's a bad RPG.

I don't think this is the typical Codexian opinion of DA:O at all. I do agree, however, that the typical Edgydexer doesn't appreciate DA:O's C&C and generally content-rich nature enough.

(There are people who liked that DA:O's combat didn't have the IE engine's six-second rounds, though.)

 

[Gozma]

Yes, darkspawn were bit boring in Origins and archdemon could have better villain even some sort of personality or hivemind speaker thingie rather than the beast he was...Then again we have seen games that attempt to write deep villain, only to find their plot hilariously stupid or other such nonsense.

The archdemon had simple goal, but You didn't start questioning about it or archdemon faiingl to appear as thought provoking villain.
It was a beast that had to put down and indeed it was very grueling path where your party toughens their heart for simple beasts.

In this world of "complex and grey morally" dominating media world with hilarioulsy grimdark or just bad works of media, sometimes simple stories are refreshing.

The not-orcs thing being basically a natural disaster is there so a wider range of PC archetypes work in the narrative. It's fine.

all the problems of Baldur's Gate 1/2

It doesn't have all the problems. None of the downsides of vancian casting, and no battles that require hard counters (though hard counters exist in its shit system).

It's like you're telling me a shit sandwich was extra bad because the bread had burnt sesame seeds. Except Baldur's Gate is a ten foot high stack of shit sandwiches in this metaphor

 

[DalekFlay]

Are any of the little DLC modules at the level of the main game? All the DLC for it I tried is just terrible EA-mandated loot handouts with writing that's embarrassing even in the midst of Bioware normal

The Stone Prisoner is definitely worth playing and having, it's a good couple missions and locations, and Shale is a fun party member (though I don't use him often because he has limited abilities). You might as well play Warden's Keep as well, it gives you a storage container and a decent mission/location as well. All the other add-on DLC sucks ass. Of the mini-campaigns I remember Leiliana's being the only fun one, and even that one was pretty limited and worthless in the end. The Morrigan one supposedly adds to her story and is the only one with new areas and enemies, but I remember being pretty bored with it. I dunno. I'll probably replay it after I finish my main game replay.

Most annoying element of the design: Leilana's voice actress is bananas unsuitable

Never understood the complains about her, honestly. The actress is actually French so I assume she knows how to sound French, and she reads the lines well, a bit of naive sarcasm which is intended. I'm not someone who's picky about voice acting though, in general.

 

[Volourn]

"None of the downsides of vancian casting,"

Fuck off you little piece of shit. Vancian casting si fukkin' awesome.


"and no battles that require hard counters (though hard counters exist in its shit system)."

Nothing wrong with 'hard counters'. Again, FUCK OFF.

 

[Roguey]

"Fuck off you little piece of shit. Vancian casting si fukkin' awesome."

Vancian casting has upsides and downsides. It isn't perfect.

"Nothing wrong with 'hard counters'. Again, FUCK OFF."

Mana clash is an extraordinarily bad spell because it makes fighting enemy mages in DA:O completely trivia. Use ability, instant win.

 

[Delterius]

Mana clash is an extraordinarily bad spell because it makes fighting enemy mages in DA:O completely trivia. Use ability, instant win.

So hard counters are defined as abilities which cause instant wins?

 

[Roguey]

Mana clash is an extraordinarily bad spell because it makes fighting enemy mages in DA:O completely trivia. Use ability, instant win.

So hard counters are defined as abilities which cause instant wins?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hard+counter

A strategy that utterly dominates another strategy, leaving no question of the outcome.

Compare to soft counter. In a soft counter, the strategy being countered can still be victorious through skill or luck. There is no chance of this when a hard counter is used.

 

[Morality Games]

Are any of the little DLC modules at the level of the main game? All the DLC for it I tried is just terrible EA-mandated loot handouts with writing that's embarrassing even in the midst of Bioware normal

Most annoying element of the design: Leilana's voice actress is bananas unsuitable and you have to have a rogue to open locks, so you p. much gotta put Zevran in any party, unless the PC is the rogue. Also I thought Zevran was voiced by the guy that does Archer and Coach McGurk but he isn't

I think the Codex has its opinion of DA backwards. Codex thinks it has "good combat" but it's a bad RPG. I think it has terrible combat with all the problems of Baldur's Gate 1/2 plus imported stupidities from MMOs, but the C&C stuff is pretty remarkable - the origins thing is great in particular, and how the origins get wrapped back into the trunk of the game.

Dragon Age: Origins does indeed showcase some of the best realized examples of C&C in a narrative driven RPG; better than Baldur's Gate and equalling and in some ways surpassing Planescape: Torment (while falling short in others and having a substantially inferior narrative). Sadly, it was outside of developer's ability to match the mythical C&C their marketers propagated. People seem to have forgotten that the primary purpose of C&C was to allow the player to put their stamp on the game, not to rewrite the contents of the letter.

 

[Delterius]

Mana clash is an extraordinarily bad spell because it makes fighting enemy mages in DA:O completely trivia. Use ability, instant win.

So hard counters are defined as abilities which cause instant wins?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hard counter

A strategy that utterly dominates another strategy, leaving no question of the outcome.

Compare to soft counter. In a soft counter, the strategy being countered can still be victorious through skill or luck. There is no chance of this when a hard counter is used.

This is a more specific definition than I see being used around here. Meaning that not every 'required' ability is a hard counter, since they do not necessarily win the whole battle for you.

 

[DalekFlay]

Mana clash is an extraordinarily bad spell because it makes fighting enemy mages in DA:O completely trivia. Use ability, instant win.

It's entirely possible to never go down that tree, either on purpose or out of coincidence. I never have, and thus enemy mages are always the most dangerous thing out there, and something you immediately try to neutralize.

I know typical Codex thinking however is that if there is an exploit somewhere in the game, even 50+ hours in and only found through google, the whole game is ruined.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

The Stone Prisoner is definitely worth playing and having, it's a good couple missions and locations, and Shale is a fun party member (though I don't use him often because he has limited abilities). You might as well play Warden's Keep as well, it gives you a storage container and a decent mission/location as well. All the other add-on DLC sucks ass. Of the mini-campaigns I remember Leiliana's being the only fun one, and even that one was pretty limited and worthless in the end. The Morrigan one supposedly adds to her story and is the only one with new areas and enemies, but I remember being pretty bored with it. I dunno. I'll probably replay it after I finish my main game replay.

I found Shale to be by far the best tank in the game, equipped with the right crystals she can tank the high dragon all by herself. I also like her personality/writing and the fact that she's a unique character in terms of abilities and equipment, definitely one of the better Bioware characters for me.

 

[Arkeus]

The problem with DA:O is the best part of the game is the earlier parts. The more you play and the less choices and the less the combat is fun. By the end it just feels like you are trying to force yourself, you just hate all your companions for being annoying dumbasses that /won't shut up/, and you get max level of 26 or so 20hrs before the end so yeah....

Also, there is the case of 'complete lack of tactic during combat in the game', which, huh, doesn't help.

 

[Roguey]

It's entirely possible to never go down that tree, either on purpose or out of coincidence. I never have, and thus enemy mages are always the most dangerous thing out there, and something you immediately try to neutralize.

The caster expels a large amount of mana in direct opposition to enemy spellcasters, who are completely drained of mana and suffer spirit damage proportional to the amount of mana they lost.

Reading that, why wouldn't someone want to take it (other than "I realize this will make it too easy")?

I know typical Codex thinking however is that if there is an exploit somewhere in the game, even 50+ hours in and only found through google, the whole game is ruined.

To paraphrase Josh, game designers are responsible for the bad tools they give you. Mana clash isn't the only one either; cone of cold is also bad, because of a bug that makes its physical resistance check negligible.

 

[Elfberserker]

I thought it was bit odd that the mana clash wasn't high templar level ability.
I mean for ffs these guys are designed to fight mages and mages themselves are superior in same goddammed field.

 

[Arkeus]

I thought it was bit odd that the mana clash wasn't high templar level ability.
I mean for ffs these guys are designed to fight mages and mages themselves are superior in same goddammed field.

DA:O had mages being so much stronger than other classes that it was a joke. Now, lorewise it sort of makes sense- mages are /dangerous/. The issue is that lorewise, mages are also limited by things like Lyrium addiction and so on.

Mechanic-wise, mages got the overpowerdness but none of the drawbacks.