http://social.bioware.com/project/469/vareon said:
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Dragon Age: Origins |OT| Letting The Fade fade out of memory
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
Been trying to wrap this up finally. Playing 360 version but I will be jumping into the PC build for a second playthrough(Tinkering around with some mods already, the respec and Expanded Tooltips are a total necessity and make the experience FAR more compelling. Amazing how much more understanding is to be had with all these skills than the vanilla Bioware descriptions ever led on...)
Also just finished the Brecilian forest section and while most of the other 'major choices' seemed pretty black and white given my role playing mood, I hafta say that this one left me really wavering. Love the game, and easilly surpasses my other previous options as my GotY contender.
In 1 month will Mass Effect 2 end up solidifying itself as GotY 2010 already as well????
The promise of more DLC is nice, but I'd rather get a Throne of Bhaal-esque expansion than a few scattered bonus quest zones.
Also just finished the Brecilian forest section and while most of the other 'major choices' seemed pretty black and white given my role playing mood, I hafta say that this one left me really wavering. Love the game, and easilly surpasses my other previous options as my GotY contender.
In 1 month will Mass Effect 2 end up solidifying itself as GotY 2010 already as well????
The promise of more DLC is nice, but I'd rather get a Throne of Bhaal-esque expansion than a few scattered bonus quest zones.
Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
So what's the word on new player-made quests? How does the toolset (and its potential for new content) compare to, say, NWN1 or 2?
Do The Mario
Unconfirmed Member
Downloading the Mac Version as we type.
The download is just shy of 9gb and will take some time.
Going to be running it on a 13 Mac Book Pro with 4gb Ram so I will post some impressions over the next few days for any curious mac users (It is also the first time I will be running a game on my mac).
Have yet to play DA on any other format so really looking forward to it (BG and BGII are my favourite games of all time).
The download is just shy of 9gb and will take some time.
Going to be running it on a 13 Mac Book Pro with 4gb Ram so I will post some impressions over the next few days for any curious mac users (It is also the first time I will be running a game on my mac).
Have yet to play DA on any other format so really looking forward to it (BG and BGII are my favourite games of all time).
Basileus777
Member
Chairman Yang said:
It's my understanding that the toolset is capable, but not anything close to being as easy to use as NWN1's. You'll see quests and content come out, but I wouldn't expect it to be anything like NWN1 in terms of volume.
So I've stayed away from this game till now because I generally don't find traditional high fantasy very interesting. That's the main reason I've never played any WRPGs other than Mass Effect and Fallout 3.
But, I went ahead and rented the PS3 version in order to decide whether I should buy it on PC. I'm a little bit into the human noble story and plan to start an elf rogue just to get another glimpse during this rental. It's turning out like it could be a pretty cool game (not fucking amazing yet just "pretty cool"), but I have a couple issues that I hope don't exist in the PC version.
...also,
Otherwise it's looking like a solid game.
But, I went ahead and rented the PS3 version in order to decide whether I should buy it on PC. I'm a little bit into the human noble story and plan to start an elf rogue just to get another glimpse during this rental. It's turning out like it could be a pretty cool game (not fucking amazing yet just "pretty cool"), but I have a couple issues that I hope don't exist in the PC version.
- The game looks like shit on PS3: Not only do the environments look like a messy PS2 game, but the framerate almost always looks like it's below 30fps, even in towns. It just looks bad.
- Do I have more control over my party in combat on PC?: Ripping off Final Fantasy XII for the console versions was a smart move in my opinion, but I'm finding it hard to coordinate my party as a whole. Does the PC version give you complete individual control?
...also,
I don't like the art style at all.
Pancakes
hot, steaming, as melted butter slips into the cracks, drizzled with sticky sweet syrup OH GOD
Fucking aye. Alister (my main tank) was fighting a shit ton of Darkspawn and when the Ogre charged Alister, he got stuck in the wall. The mobs ignored him, destroyed my party, and my last save was about an hour back /sigh.
I hate this game sometimes.
I hate this game sometimes.
Basileus777
Member
burgerdog said:
Mods don't interfere with achievements, you'll be fine.
Pudding Tame
Member
Out of curiosity, would it technically be possible for BioWare to release a texture pack upgrade for the 360 via DLC? Or would there be hardware or performance issues that would not make it feasible?
I pretty much decided to randomly take a plunge in the 360 version (the only version that I can play at the moment). This should be somewhat of a new experience for me, as I never really played any of the '90s WRPGs (although, I did play all of the 2000 Bioware RPGs). So far, I just got finished with the Human Noble origin story and so far it has been pretty interesting.
I also named my pooch "Carth" for some cheap laughs on my part.
I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I decided to play as a female Rogue that can dual wield. From what I gathered, Stealth + Back attacks are part of the bread and butter of a Rogue. Personally, this is a slight change of pace from the front-line tank approach that I usually do in other RPGs. For a couple of situations in the intro, I used stealth to sneak past the ensuing brawl and completely decimated an annoying archer or mage with great satisfaction. For stats, am I correct in assuming that Dex and Cunning should get the lion's share and strength should only be raised for equipment purposes? Or am I just making a huge mistake by starting off as a Rogue to begin with?
I also named my pooch "Carth" for some cheap laughs on my part.
I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I decided to play as a female Rogue that can dual wield. From what I gathered, Stealth + Back attacks are part of the bread and butter of a Rogue. Personally, this is a slight change of pace from the front-line tank approach that I usually do in other RPGs. For a couple of situations in the intro, I used stealth to sneak past the ensuing brawl and completely decimated an annoying archer or mage with great satisfaction. For stats, am I correct in assuming that Dex and Cunning should get the lion's share and strength should only be raised for equipment purposes? Or am I just making a huge mistake by starting off as a Rogue to begin with?
Sinatar said:
How much control?
Also, how far does each origin story go? In the human noble story I just did the joining to be a Grey Warden.
Also, I'll say again, the PS3 version did not look good at all. Would the PC version look any better on this rig?
2.4GHz Quad Core CPU
GeForce 8800 512MB GPU
3GB RAM
Don't know too much about the console versions and how they play, but I would say you have total control. On top of having a mouse (which is the biggest factor, I would thin) you're also able to switch between characters via F1-F4. You can use their respective abilities with the number keys, pause like a madman, or even turn tactics off completely if you want to do everything yourself (which would only serve to make things a bit more tedious, in my opinion...). You can also get a better view of the battle field with the bird's eye view. I would hazard a guess that the camera controls overall are better as well.RedSwirl said:
Watch some gameplay videos of the PC version if the above isn't giving you a clear idea of things.
Rufus said:
Like I said above, the console version plays a lot like Final Fantasy XII. Dragon Age seems to have ripped the tactics system directly from that game. You can switch between guys with the shoulder buttons but it's cyclical and I find it pretty tedious. You can also pause with the radial menu but because of the previous issue and the fact that you have a quick action menu a-la Phantasy Star Online, it doesn't help much.
Lastly, for some reason I can't play WRPGs sitting on a couch in front of a big TV screen. I tried it with Fallout 3 and had to pull a chair into the middle of the home theater. These games feel like they are meant to be played at a desk in front of a computer.
If this is all in fact rectified on the PC then my last remaining issue on Dragon Age is the art style. For some reason the box art is the only thing from it that I find appealing at all.
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
sweetwasabi said:
It plays pretty much like Knights of the Old Republic.
I named my dog Bohemond.
Mine's called Woofbert.
Welp, that can't be helped. I don't mind it, but I wouldn't call it good, either. What annoys me more is the lack of variety in the character models and hairstyles. But this game has been ages in development and the amount of stuff that made it in is more than respectable, so I'm more than willing to excuse that as well. Eh, I just like the game for what it is. Here's hoping Dragon Age too won't take another 5 years...RedSwirl said:
So I checked out this video of the game supposedly maxed out on the same video card I've got: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ9AZZdCP0g.
It looks like the only things that will really be better are the resolution, frame rate, and combat.
Judging by that video the console version doesn't sacrifice as much as I'd thought. Only differences I saw were that on consoles you only get six slots for hotkeys, you have to cycle through party members instead of selecting each one instantly, and switching equipment is probably more complicated.
I guess I'll just have to accept that I don't like the visuals of Dragon Age at all even though everything else about the game is pretty solid. I'll jump on it if it shows up under $30 during Steam's holiday sale, but EA's only putting out one game at a time. First Mirror's Edge, now Need for Speed Shift.
It looks like the only things that will really be better are the resolution, frame rate, and combat.
Judging by that video the console version doesn't sacrifice as much as I'd thought. Only differences I saw were that on consoles you only get six slots for hotkeys, you have to cycle through party members instead of selecting each one instantly, and switching equipment is probably more complicated.
I guess I'll just have to accept that I don't like the visuals of Dragon Age at all even though everything else about the game is pretty solid. I'll jump on it if it shows up under $30 during Steam's holiday sale, but EA's only putting out one game at a time. First Mirror's Edge, now Need for Speed Shift.
RedSwirl said:
I only skipped through that video but it seemed like the player never zoomed out into top-down view. I've never played the console versions, but in most of my battles I immediately zoom out to get a good view of exactly what's going on.
I think it's a pretty big difference, but still playing purely in 3rd-person is fine.
Pankaks said:
Rule #1 when playing a RPG's.
Keep 2 alternating saves one before impending battles and after their completion. Keep an additional trailing save that is hours old just in case a questline is bugged.
Take for instance the ending to Fallout 3 where it is possible to have an error prevent you from ending the game because you still have too many open quest lines which are increasing the games file size.
If all you're saves are near that end, you're fucked but I saved myself a lot of pain because I keep a trailing save that allowed me to finish up everything before re-attempting the ending.
Pancakes
hot, steaming, as melted butter slips into the cracks, drizzled with sticky sweet syrup OH GOD
Atrus said:
Yea you're right.
Speaking of ending errors
(Obvious End spoilers incoming)
I had Alister sacrifice himself to kill the Archdemon (No Morrigon loving) and yet for some reason the ending text still said he was alive and ruled with a "common touch" =/
LCfiner said:
By all that is holy in the world, I took your advice and bought the Mac version of this game and it's amazing when compared to the PS3 version. When playing on the console, this game was my GotY, and it completely sucks compared to the Mac. You guys kept calling the console version "gimped" and I was originally thinking, "PC-elitists...how much better can it really be?" Wow, were you guys right. I absolutely stand corrected. It's not just the graphics that are substantially better (even at medium settings on my iMac with a paltry 9400m), but the frame rate is significantly increased (hovers slightly over 30 FPS 90% of the time) and the gameplay is vastly superior. Man, I really had no idea it would be this level of improvement...
Do The Mario
Unconfirmed Member
Playing the mac version, some brief impressions after a few hours.
Specs:
OS: Snow Leopard 10.6.2
Processor: 2.26ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4gb
Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce 9400m
Performance:
As expected nothing special, playing with the settings on a combination medium and low. The framerate noticeably dips and the textures are nothing to write home about. Still the game remains perfectly playable and looks decent when zoomed out in the top down view (which is the view that I have been playing the game in).
The left hand side of my MBP also gets quite hot.
Opinion:
While the top down view is ideal for combat it makes it harder to traverse the landscape, see ahead and it can be difficult to recognise landmarks. I am sure I will come to a better mix of camera angles after a few more hours.
The game appears to be a very solid fantasy RPG, Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale are some of my favourite games of all time. However, I have not played a game with this kind of depth in years. The combination of work and law school has left very little time to play games so I have grown accustom to titles such as: Mario Kart, House of the Dead, Professor Layton and Mario Galaxy etc that can be picked up and played for 30mins.
I hope that after a few more hours I can immerse myself in Dragon Age but it has been difficult so far.
Specs:
OS: Snow Leopard 10.6.2
Processor: 2.26ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4gb
Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce 9400m
Performance:
As expected nothing special, playing with the settings on a combination medium and low. The framerate noticeably dips and the textures are nothing to write home about. Still the game remains perfectly playable and looks decent when zoomed out in the top down view (which is the view that I have been playing the game in).
The left hand side of my MBP also gets quite hot.
Opinion:
While the top down view is ideal for combat it makes it harder to traverse the landscape, see ahead and it can be difficult to recognise landmarks. I am sure I will come to a better mix of camera angles after a few more hours.
The game appears to be a very solid fantasy RPG, Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale are some of my favourite games of all time. However, I have not played a game with this kind of depth in years. The combination of work and law school has left very little time to play games so I have grown accustom to titles such as: Mario Kart, House of the Dead, Professor Layton and Mario Galaxy etc that can be picked up and played for 30mins.
I hope that after a few more hours I can immerse myself in Dragon Age but it has been difficult so far.
For cameras, I usually use over the shoulder view for navigation and scouting and top down view for battles.Do The Mario said:
But yeah, the game's definitely not a casual pick up n play game at all. Keep at it though, it's probably the same frustration we all had back when we tried playing Baldur's Gate or Ultima 6/7 for the first time.
I need some help.
I'm at the part where the demons have infested the Magi tower thing. I got caught by the sloth demon and was sent into the fade. I did all the areas, saved my companions, and got all 4 shape shifting abilities. Now I'm in "The Raw Fade" and went through the spirit door to an area with a ship on a tiny lake. There's a scarecrow thing I got a 1+ dexterity from but that's it. It says on the map the scarecrow is a 'hidden room' but I can't figure out how the hell to get in that room. What do I do?
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
i've stayed out of this thread for a while...has the mod community come up with anything cool besides the respec one lately?
Nightmare + mod. http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16mattiewheels said:
Check it out here for the full FAQ and readme of the modifications they're doing to Dragon Age system: http://www.jramods.com/
The most notable things are :
* pulling enemies is harder since enemies near the one attacked will now also be alerted
* lyrium addiction - you can get a permanent addiction (removable but costly) if you use too much lyrium potion in very short time period
* different health potion system - instead of health restored instantly when drinking a potion, it is restored gradually (so instead of healing 50 HP with lesser healing potion, you now heal 150 HP gradually over the span of 30 sec) + constitution increases the HP restored per second from healing potion (this makes CON a much more attractive attribute for tanking warriors since technically with very high CON and a potent health poultice, you can regenerate 20+ HP every second)
* mages now have to go through spell requirements to get to the better OP spells in the game
* enemy mages and archers are rebalanced to not always have the same spellsets and abilities (so that they don't spam your party with scattering shot for instance)
There are also some more, like rebalancing the weapons so that 2-handed warriors are more viable now.
Best thing is, you can install each mod(items, spells, lyrium addiction, etc) separately if you want one but not the other.
HallucinatingElvis
Banned
RedSwirl said:
excuse me!?
Since EB games is run by morons and they sold my brother broken games so I can't play Lost Odyssey or The Last Remnant (really REALLY wanted to play them ) I've been playing this game.
My first instinct -> Human Mage
My second instinct -> Elven Rogue (Go for Ranger type)
My random choice because I'd never do it -> Dwarven Warrior, using 2 handed weapons, going to specialize as either a Berserker/Reaver type
I have a question, is it always worthwhile to take 2 specializations? And is it impossible to have a good/evil combo because some specializations seem to be good only while others are evil only
) I've been playing this game.My first instinct -> Human Mage
My second instinct -> Elven Rogue (Go for Ranger type)
My random choice because I'd never do it -> Dwarven Warrior, using 2 handed weapons, going to specialize as either a Berserker/Reaver type
I have a question, is it always worthwhile to take 2 specializations? And is it impossible to have a good/evil combo because some specializations seem to be good only while others are evil only
lsslave said:
It is beneficial to take 2 specializations because taking one grants permanent passive bonuses depending on which one you select. You get one primary and one secondary permanent bonus, and these apply even if you never spend any points on the talents that spec unlocks.
The specs themselves have no effect on your character's "morality" so feel free to choose whatever you want.