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[Shrennin]

anyone else get that feeling?

I can see where you're coming from, but I don't really get that feeling with an original BioWare IP.

In Mass Effect and Dragon Age there is no true canon so every time you create another character that character is just as canon as your original (although your original may always seem special).

However, in KotOR there is a certain canon so the replayability for that is drastically limited for me because I want to play the canon version. Luckily in TOR there probably won't be any canon forced by Lucas Arts because it's an MMO and a personal story.

 

[timetokill]

anyone else get that feeling?

No, because I don't play very "good" characters (see above) and that is usually what seems to be desired by the designers.

 

[golem]

I think someone said they wanted to read the codex online?

http://da-codex.appspot.com/

 

[Pancakes]

I had planned to play a complete bastard my second time through but instead ended up just having a bit of a short fuse and a generally cocky attitude (ruined Cammen Hamstercheeks life, for one, by 'sampling the goods'; golden).

Holy shit.

I didn't know you could do that :lol.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Just got the game today and am excited to start playing, even though I have maddening dial-up speeds at the moment so I won't be playing online.
Can some kind sir direct me towards the worthwhile mods for this game? I think I remember seeing a texture one and also one to make the woman look 'better' more like the CG or something, I can't fully remember.
Oh and how do you force AF in games like this using CCC or some other means, I don't see any settings for it in the config.

 

[viewtifulsub]

Just got the game today and am excited to start playing, even though I have maddening dial-up speeds at the moment so I won't be playing online.

The only online content is DLC, which is to be downloaded to be added to your single player campaign.

Can some kind sir direct me towards the worthwhile mods for this game? I think I remember seeing a texture one and also one to make the woman look 'better' more like the CG or something, I can't fully remember.

This post

Oh and how do you force AF in games like this using CCC or some other means, I don't see any settings for it in the config.

Launcher > Configure > Video settings on the left(?)

 

[Fredescu]

Can some kind sir direct me towards the worthwhile mods for this game? I think I remember seeing a texture one and also one to make the woman look 'better' more like the CG or something, I can't fully remember.
Oh and how do you force AF in games like this using CCC or some other means, I don't see any settings for it in the config.

You can force AF in the ini file under <documents>\Bioware\Dragon Age\Settings\DragonAge.ini. There's a line: "AnisotropicFilteringLevel=".

The only mod I'd start with is the camp storage chest personally. Save the others for later.

 

[I should be doing hw]

The only online content is DLC, which is to be downloaded to be added to your single player campaign.

Oh? I was under the impression you could play with friends online in some capacity. I always thought this was an MMO when I first heard of it and ignored it since. So I'm completely wrong? :lol
Thanks btw.

 

[Brashnir]

Oh? I was under the impression you could play with friends online in some capacity. I always thought this was an MMO when I first heard of it and ignored it since. So I'm completely wrong? :lol
Thanks btw.

It's a party-based single-player game like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc. Enjoy.

 

[ntropy]

bg had multiplayer. what was the service called? heat.com? i forgot

 

[viewtifulsub]

Finished it a few hours ago.

DA:O felt like the original Baldur's Gate quite a bit. A medieval fantasy rpg on a new engine from a small Canadian company. An immersive and grand adventure, though with a number of glaring flaws.

+ The major supporting cast members are fantastic, and the best of Bioware's to date. Alistair in particular despite the friendly attitude and clumsy personality, has a heart.
+ Party banter. Well done
+ Minimalistic background noises in various villages/cities. The merchant loudly selling their wares, the apprentice knights practicing their swordsmanship; very reminiscent of BG.
+ The origin stories seem to be the key aspect of the game, and I thought they were also well done. Seeing WRPG main characteres were to reflect you, you were able to create a proper history than just being thrown into the story
+ Lore and history of Felderan was well detailed and interesting (nug)
+ The move away from the strict DND (dice rolls, THAC0 etc) rules. One of the few things i didn't really enjoy that much in old WRPGs

- Without proper tactics configured by the user, AI party members were more of an annoyance than actual assistance
- Mages. Everything about them. I was able to control the battlefield with the Blood Wound spell alone. Was even worse when you up against one (instant aoe cc + fireball = death)
- The frustrating difficulty spikes. At times enemies would be cannon fodder until you came across a few mages that force you to quick load after every dying failure to attempt to reach them
- The deep roads & fade


All in all a great but flawed RPG. I hope that Bioware choose to follow up Dragon Age with a proper sequel; revisiting the game and fixing a number of the flaws to produce another Baldur's Gate 2.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Wow, wtf have I been smoking. No idea where that notion came from either.

 

[Brashnir]

- Mages. Everything about them. I was able to control the battlefield with the Blood Wound spell alone. Was even worse when you up against one (instant aoe cc + fireball = death)

yeah, I can't help but agree with this one. Facing a group of enemies with multiple mages can be a nightmare if they pick spells in a synergistic way. PC mages are also ridiculously overpowered once you get to a certain level. I'm about 25-30 hours in, and I really regret picking a melee class with my character. It really limits what I can do with the rest of my party. I pretty much have to have two mages (I use one as CC, one as healer primarily, though they each have some ability to do both), and I'm too much of a loot whore to not take a thief, so I have to either gimp my group or forego loot if I want to use any of the melee characters

I know magic was broken in D&D, which led to it being broken in the BG games, but starting with a fresh slate, there's no reason they had to make it so completely broken again.

I'm still really enjoying the game, but this is one area where they really failed.

 

[Killthee]

yeah, I can't help but agree with this one. Facing a group of enemies with multiple mages can be a nightmare if they pick spells in a synergistic way. PC mages are also ridiculously overpowered once you get to a certain level. I'm about 25-30 hours in, and I really regret picking a melee class with my character. It really limits what I can do with the rest of my party. I pretty much have to have two mages (I use one as CC, one as healer primarily, though they each have some ability to do both), and I'm too much of a loot whore to not take a thief, so I have to either gimp my group or forego loot if I want to use any of the melee characters

I know magic was broken in D&D, which led to it being broken in the BG games, but starting with a fresh slate, there's no reason they had to make it so completely broken again.

I'm still really enjoying the game, but this is one area where they really failed.

Dump the thief and use the Open Lock Spells Mod.

 

[Brashnir]

Dump the thief and use the Open Lock Spells Mod.

sorry, not using cheats.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

sorry, not using cheats.

You don't have to.

 

[Brashnir]

You don't have to.

I know, which is why I'm not.

 

[kitzkozan]

Finished it a few hours ago.

DA:O felt like the original Baldur's Gate quite a bit. A medieval fantasy rpg on a new engine from a small Canadian company. An immersive and grand adventure, though with a number of glaring flaws.

+ The major supporting cast members are fantastic, and the best of Bioware's to date. Alistair in particular despite the friendly attitude and clumsy personality, has a heart.
+ Party banter. Well done
+ Minimalistic background noises in various villages/cities. The merchant loudly selling their wares, the apprentice knights practicing their swordsmanship; very reminiscent of BG.
+ The origin stories seem to be the key aspect of the game, and I thought they were also well done. Seeing WRPG main characteres were to reflect you, you were able to create a proper history than just being thrown into the story
+ Lore and history of Felderan was well detailed and interesting (nug)
+ The move away from the strict DND (dice rolls, THAC0 etc) rules. One of the few things i didn't really enjoy that much in old WRPGs

- Without proper tactics configured by the user, AI party members were more of an annoyance than actual assistance
- Mages. Everything about them. I was able to control the battlefield with the Blood Wound spell alone. Was even worse when you up against one (instant aoe cc + fireball = death)
- The frustrating difficulty spikes. At times enemies would be cannon fodder until you came across a few mages that force you to quick load after every dying failure to attempt to reach them
- The deep roads & fade


All in all a great but flawed RPG. I hope that Bioware choose to follow up Dragon Age with a proper sequel; revisiting the game and fixing a number of the flaws to produce another Baldur's Gate 2.

I would drop the small canadian developer quote. Bioware was small until 2 years ago,but it's obvious by the massive credits of Dragon Age that this isn't the case anymore. :lol

Otherwise,Dragon Age is just as flawed as Mass effect or Jade empire.Bioware just doesn't hire the best possible game designer(or can't) and they always hit and miss when it come to executing their ideas.

It's not so bad for a single player game,since you can always create a sequel and improve upon the flawed original by using user feedback.It seem as this will be the case with Mass effect 2,so the same can definitively happen for a sequel to Dragon Age.

It's much harder for a mmorpg,where the patience of the customer will be rather short.I just don't know if they can hang with Blizzard in the mmorpg field...

 

[Dennis]

I would drop the small canadian developer quote. Bioware was small until 2 years ago,but it's obvious by the massive credits of Dragon Age that this isn't the case anymore. :lol

Otherwise,Dragon Age is just as flawed as Mass effect or Jade empire.Bioware just doesn't hire the best possible game designer(or can't) and they always hit and miss when it come to executing their ideas.

It's not so bad for a single player game,since you can always create a sequel and improve upon the flawed original by using user feedback.It seem as this will be the case with Mass effect 2,so the same can definitively happen for a sequel to Dragon Age.

It's much harder for a mmorpg,where the patience of the customer will be rather short.I just don't know if they can hang with Blizzard in the mmorpg field...

Yeah, you are pretty much entirely wrong about everything.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect are two of the greatest RPGs to come out in a long time, and while they are not perfect they are certainly not "just as flawed as Jade Empire".

 

[Wallach]

yeah, I can't help but agree with this one. Facing a group of enemies with multiple mages can be a nightmare if they pick spells in a synergistic way. PC mages are also ridiculously overpowered once you get to a certain level. I'm about 25-30 hours in, and I really regret picking a melee class with my character. It really limits what I can do with the rest of my party. I pretty much have to have two mages (I use one as CC, one as healer primarily, though they each have some ability to do both), and I'm too much of a loot whore to not take a thief, so I have to either gimp my group or forego loot if I want to use any of the melee characters

I know magic was broken in D&D, which led to it being broken in the BG games, but starting with a fresh slate, there's no reason they had to make it so completely broken again.

I'm still really enjoying the game, but this is one area where they really failed.

Mages are great (and taken as a whole, far too flexible) but definitely not necessary. Rogues technically do more damage on a single-target basis if you're building them well. I wouldn't worry about running just one Mage at all in this game. Heck, you've got people out there soloing Nightmare with 2H Warriors.

 

[kaizoku]

mages are indeed awesome, I mainly used the disabling spells, like cone of cold which freezs, sleep+waking nightmare was an awesome combination, so funny to see it work on a big group of enemies.

I think I could get by without them though. my rogue archer had lots of useful abilities, stunning large groups, lowering armour, and the bard specialisation turned out pretty cool. the last song lets you stun any enemy who approaches you so the rest of your team can wipe out everyone in relative safety.

one thing I would like in my 2nd playthrough, nevermind sequel, is th ability for my main character to use tactics. It seems whoever I control ignores whatever I've set. Can I not set some tactics then sit back and watch my team do the job for me?

 

[I should be doing hw]

Played for a couple of hours and overall I think I'm liking it. I'm still in the unavoidable boring beggining of WRPGs though. Voice acting is great, Tim Curry was like a "woah wtf awesome" moment as well as that guy in the library who's name I've never known. I recognized his voice from way back.
Chatting the Elf chick into bed was cool, minus the fact that you see nothing other than them waking up later. Also you can be gay in this game can't you, I could just tell by the way that other was looking/talking to me and the "come to my room" option. :lol
Not feeling the graphics engine at all on this though. I have it maxed out and forced 16x AF and it still looks pretty shitty, I expected more from such a recent game and from Bioware too. I'm downloading texture mods as I type this. My main gripe is the AA though, it's very noticeable especially in dialog.
Overall I know it's going to get better so hopefully I can get over the graphics soon.

 

[WaltJay]

I gotta say, going in my 2nd playthrough now... I hate the Mage's Tower/Fade thing most of all.

I agree 100%. That section put me to sleep until

Spoiler

I got the ability to shape shift into a golem. At least then I had some fun throwing boulders and wrecking havoc as a one man army!

Even though I got this game at launch, I only started getting into it over the holiday break. I think I'm up to 22 hours in barely a week played (mage, btw). While certain stuff bothers me, like loot in general (1. its lame and 2. it seems like I never have enough room in my inventory to hold all this lame loot before I can sell it), I really like it overall. Little things like the party banter really helps with keeping me engaged. Plus, BioWare really has a knack for making interesting and entertaining characters. I'd like to nominate Shale for the HK-47 Award for Best Sidekick in a BioWare Game for DA:O.

 

[Minsc]

Played for a couple of hours and overall I think I'm liking it. I'm still in the unavoidable boring beggining of WRPGs though. Voice acting is great, Tim Curry was like a "woah wtf awesome" moment as well as that guy in the library who's name I've never known. I recognized his voice from way back.
Chatting the Elf chick into bed was cool, minus the fact that you see nothing other than them waking up later. Also you can be gay in this game can't you, I could just tell by the way that other was looking/talking to me and the "come to my room" option. :lol
Not feeling the graphics engine at all on this though. I have it maxed out and forced 16x AF and it still looks pretty shitty, I expected more from such a recent game and from Bioware too. I'm downloading texture mods as I type this. My main gripe is the AA though, it's very noticeable especially in dialog.
Overall I know it's going to get better so hopefully I can get over the graphics soon.

Anti-Aliasing? Maybe you mean the blurring? I don't notice any AA problems, but if I look close, there's sometimes a break in the soft-focus background against people's strands of hair or whatever.

The graphics shouldn't come as any surprise, it's not like you'll find any screenshots which would have made you feel fooled, it's always been a weaker point, and I actually think the engine is pretty good, the way you can zoom in and out on the fly, and the zippiness of it all.

You should play NWN2 again if you want to see poor graphics, it's come a long way from that!

 

[I should be doing hw]

Anti-Aliasing? Maybe you mean the blurring? I don't notice any AA problems, but if I look close, there's sometimes a break in the soft-focus background against people's strands of hair or whatever.

The graphics shouldn't come as any surprise, it's not like you'll find any screenshots which would have made you feel fooled, it's always been a weaker point, and I actually think the engine is pretty good, the way you can zoom in and out on the fly, and the zippiness of it all.

You should play NWN2 again if you want to see poor graphics, it's come a long way from that!

I meant what I said, but the blurring is something I'm not really a fan of in general but every game now has it pretty much so I'll have to cope.
I've been in blackout/ignorance over this game since it was announced. For some reason, don't ask how, I had it in my head this was an MMO so I completely switched off. I bought it on a whim after learning it wasn't and my reaction is just reflex after getting a new PC and expecting everything to be amazing now :lol

 

[K.Jack]

too. I'm downloading texture mods as I type this. My main gripe is the AA though, it's very noticeable especially in dialog.

Get the JBTextures.

 

[Basileus777]

Get the JBTextures.

I wouldn't recommend that. JBTextures causes a host of problems, including serious issues in Denerim and the Dead Trenches.

 

[Wallach]

I meant what I said, but the blurring is something I'm not really a fan of in general but every game now has it pretty much so I'll have to cope.
I've been in blackout/ignorance over this game since it was announced. For some reason, don't ask how, I had it in my head this was an MMO so I completely switched off. I bought it on a whim after learning it wasn't and my reaction is just reflex after getting a new PC and expecting everything to be amazing now :lol

The blurring isn't really AA's fault at all. The texture quality is just hit or miss sometimes, filtering won't fix that.

 

[Houston3000]

yeah, I can't help but agree with this one. Facing a group of enemies with multiple mages can be a nightmare if they pick spells in a synergistic way. PC mages are also ridiculously overpowered once you get to a certain level. I'm about 25-30 hours in, and I really regret picking a melee class with my character. It really limits what I can do with the rest of my party. I pretty much have to have two mages (I use one as CC, one as healer primarily, though they each have some ability to do both), and I'm too much of a loot whore to not take a thief, so I have to either gimp my group or forego loot if I want to use any of the melee characters

I know magic was broken in D&D, which led to it being broken in the BG games, but starting with a fresh slate, there's no reason they had to make it so completely broken again.

I'm still really enjoying the game, but this is one area where they really failed.

I'm in the same boat sort of... I chose a Rogue for my main character. Playing now, about 30 hours in (around level 12/13 or so) I feel a little bit pigeonholed on my party selection. I have myself, Alistair as my tank, Morrigan as my DPS/CC, and Wynn as my healer/buffer.

I'm fully aware I can do without Morrigan's utility but it's fun and I don't want to kick her out of my party. Alistair is absolutely required, I can't imagine not having a tank in this game so he's in. Wynn, unfortunately, is extraordinarily useful but not much fun to play with... her entire role is auto-casting buffs and healing with the occasional rock fist thrown in to shatter enemies. I'm thinking of teaching Morrigan how to do the most basic heals and replacing Wynn with Sten, Leilana, or Zevrhan and then just relying more on potions than I have been.

For my second playthrough I'm definitely rolling a Tank warrior or a Mage with some healing...

 

[kitzkozan]

Yeah, you are pretty much entirely wrong about everything.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect are two of the greatest RPGs to come out in a long time, and while they are not perfect they are certainly not "just as flawed as Jade Empire".

I'm mostly talking about implementing your ideas(mostly related to the gameplay) in the game. :lol

Jade empire failed to properly implemented the combat system(and it's an action rpg).It was too simplistic,lacked fundamental in timing/reacting,you simply had to block and unload hits after hits,etc.Dunno why they invented a language when there's plenty of Chinese dialect.

Mass effect also failed on numerous front,beginning with the UI and inventory system.The Mako combat was as braindead easy as fighting in Jade empire,where you just jump to dodge missile/acid spit and fire away. :lol Let's not talk of the sidequests...

It's not for nothing if Bioware completely remade the UI for ME 2 and had to redesign the vehicle gameplay(and overhaul the shooting aspect of the game as well or scrap the elevator loading or nearly getting rid of the uncharted worlds).

Dragon Age mostly failed on game balance,where mage have far more impact and control over the action.It's nowhere near as tactical as it was hyped to be. This dark fantasy world wasn't so dark either and the art direction doesn't support this either(while Demon's soul art direction does portray a dark and depressing world).

That doesn't stop Mass effect and Dragon from being better game,but they were flawed.Jade empire just wasn't that interesting in general,thanks to weak teammates and dialogues(even the story was meh imo).

 

[McHuj]

I'm in the same boat sort of... I chose a Rogue for my main character. Playing now, about 30 hours in (around level 12/13 or so) I feel a little bit pigeonholed on my party selection. I have myself, Alistair as my tank, Morrigan as my DPS/CC, and Wynn as my healer/buffer.

I'm fully aware I can do without Morrigan's utility but it's fun and I don't want to kick her out of my party. Alistair is absolutely required, I can't imagine not having a tank in this game so he's in. Wynn, unfortunately, is extraordinarily useful but not much fun to play with... her entire role is auto-casting buffs and healing with the occasional rock fist thrown in to shatter enemies. I'm thinking of teaching Morrigan how to do the most basic heals and replacing Wynn with Sten, Leilana, or Zevrhan and then just relying more on potions than I have been.

I actually beat the game with the almost exact setup. My character was a rogue, I loved his mark for death and stun abilities. I thought the two mage setup made a lot of the fights almost too easy. I ended up letting Wynne get the lighting spells so she could do some more significant damage.

 

[Doytch]

Two mages are in no way a necessity. I beat the game on Hard with an archer Warden, Alistair tank, Shale in DPS mode, and Morrigan doing DPS/CC/healing. I manually controlled everyone, maybe that makes a difference.

 

[Zachack]

Quick question, is there any point in hanging onto gemstones that I find? Do I need them at some point?

 

[Durante]

Reading this thread I really hope they don't listen to people that want "mages fixed". This is the first RPG since Baldur's Gate 2 where magic is as powerful, varied and volatile as it should be. Being able to annihilate groups of dozens of enemies before they even reach your party by a well-planned, well-timed, well-positioned barrage of powerful spells is one of my greatest joys in gaming.

 

[steadfast]

Reading this thread I really hope they don't listen to people that want "mages fixed". This is the first RPG since Baldur's Gate 2 where magic is as powerful, varied and volatile as it should be. Being able to annihilate groups of dozens of enemies before they even reach your party by a well-planned, well-timed, well-positioned barrage of powerful spells is one of my greatest joys in gaming.

Agreed. This isn't WoW; all classes don't need to be homogenized. Every player and group can beat what the game throws at you. The differences being strategy and approach. I LOVE that you have to approach things differently depending on your group makeup. It's what makes replays that much more satisfying.

Mages are fine.

 

[Walshicus]

I had planned to play a complete bastard my second time through but instead ended up just having a bit of a short fuse and a generally cocky attitude (ruined Cammen Hamstercheeks life, for one, by 'sampling the goods'; golden).

Don't remember that one, and can't find anything by searching the name...

 

[Wallach]

Reading this thread I really hope they don't listen to people that want "mages fixed". This is the first RPG since Baldur's Gate 2 where magic is as powerful, varied and volatile as it should be. Being able to annihilate groups of dozens of enemies before they even reach your party by a well-planned, well-timed, well-positioned barrage of powerful spells is one of my greatest joys in gaming.

I don't mind Mage power in DA:O, really. I just think it should be a more limited resource. The bigger problem is that you can just chain Lyrium potions until you're blue in the face (and tummy), whereas there are no potions that restore stamina (which would allow Warriors/Rogues to continue high-level output like Mages). It makes Blood Mages' ability to tap into health for a casting resource a little too irrelevant, when it should be the focal point of the specialization.

 

[Doytch]

I don't mind Mage power in DA:O, really. I just think it should be a more limited resource. The bigger problem is that you can just chain Lyrium potions until you're blue in the face (and tummy), whereas there are no potions that restore stamina (which would allow Warriors/Rogues to continue high-level output like Mages). It makes Blood Mages' ability to tap into health for a casting resource a little too irrelevant, when it should be the focal point of the specialization.

Exactly. Which is why I love the concept of the Lyrium addiction system in the Nightmare Plus mod. BW should work something like that into the game with an xpack/sequel, since there is basis for it in the lore.

 

[Wallach]

Exactly. Which is why I love the concept of the Lyrium addiction system in the Nightmare Plus mod. BW should work something like that into the game with an xpack/sequel, since there is basis for it in the lore.

It was originally part of the game, just removed during development. Apparently the negative affects of Lyrium addiction were quite scary depending on how far you went.

 

[Doytch]

It was originally part of the game, just removed during development. Apparently the negative affects of Lyrium addiction were quite scary depending on how far you went.

Nightmare Plus' current system. I think it's kind of lax personally. I played through the game usually only ever using one pot per battle if it was absolutely necessary. Can't remember ever using two in a fight.

Lyrium Addiction System

*
Combat Situation
o
User drinks 1 potion: start 180s cooldown (30s out of combat), no negative effects
o
User drinks no more potions during those 180/30s, remove cooldown
o
User drinks 2nd potion during cooldown, set permanent addiction (req. cure addition potion), no negative effects

*
Negative Effects (level 3+)
o
Start giving negative effects for each new level until level 20
o
For each level of addiction (Mild, Severe, Serious, Deadly) the game applies x number of negative effects associated with that addiction level
o
Negative effects scale from -2% magic resistance upwards to -100% to all resistance and -30 to magic/willpower at level 19
o
Each level of addiction reduces Lyrium potion mana restored by 5%
o
Each point in Willpower reduces Lyrium Addiction System negative effects by 1%
+
Makes willpower a more important attribute for mages

*
Cure Addiction potions
o
Can be bought from the Camp Merchant
o
Two free Lesser Cure Addiction potions and one Cure Addiction potion when originally loading the mod
o
30 second cooldowns
o
Potions can only be used out of combat
+
lore: adrenaline levels need to be low for potion to work
o
Reagent requirements for Lyrium Addiction Cure potions as following (lesser/normal/greater/potent)
+
Flask (1/1/1/1)
+
Lifestone (1/1/1/1)
+
Lyrium Dust (1/2/4/8)
+
Concentrator Agent (-/-/1)
o
Each potion cures x levels of addiction
+
Lesser: -2 levels (costs 1g)
+
Normal: -5 levels (costs 2.20g)
+
Greater: -15 levels (costs 6g)
+
Potent: -20 levels (costs 9g)

 

[Trojita]

Damn everytime I think of playing this game, I look at the mods to see if I can make my perfect Morrigan and Leliana. After looking at the mods and then installing some, I end up not playing at the very end.

I think I've come to a realization, the native Morrigan model in the game really doesn't bother me. The mods seem to bother me because of weird facial textures due to the lip sync. I like how the Morrigan artwork but the Sacred Ashes model to me looks pretty damn unattractive.

Leliana though is very unattractive to me ingame and I still can't find a mod I prefer. I would rather keep the same hairstyle, but the one in sacred ashes looks so different. It's weird too because I am usually attracted to red haired characters the most.

I also installed the white teeth mod, but now I feel that this isn't how the game was supposed to be played.

Maybe I should just play the game Vanilla, and if I play another time start using mods that change the look of the game contrary to what the developers had in mind. Maybe the one mod I will use in my vanilla game is the one that makes it so you do more of those cinematic moves more often.

 

[Durante]

I don't mind Mage power in DA:O, really. I just think it should be a more limited resource. The bigger problem is that you can just chain Lyrium potions until you're blue in the face (and tummy), whereas there are no potions that restore stamina (which would allow Warriors/Rogues to continue high-level output like Mages). It makes Blood Mages' ability to tap into health for a casting resource a little too irrelevant, when it should be the focal point of the specialization.

I actually agree with this completely. The current situation also more or less makes the size of your mana pool irrelevant, you're better off just pushing spellpower. But the effectiveness of individual spells is perfectly fine.

I think the problem with party composition is really the 4 character limit. As there are no Clerics in this game, "2 mages" is usually actually "1 mage, 1 cleric" in conventional terms. And that's not strange at all, it just starts to limit your options when you're restriced to 4 characters. With a larger party (like 6) it wouldn't be a problem, and as a side benefit there'd be a lot more fun banter combinations and opportunities

 

[Wallach]

I actually agree with this completely. The current situation also more or less makes the size of your mana pool irrelevant, you're better off just pushing spellpower. But the effectiveness of individual spells is perfectly fine.

I think the problem with party composition is really the 4 character limit. As there are no Clerics in this game, "2 mages" is usually actually "1 mage, 1 cleric" in conventional terms. And that's not strange at all, it just starts to limit your options when you're restriced to 4 characters. With a larger party (like 6) it wouldn't be a problem, and as a side benefit there'd be a lot more fun banter combinations and opportunities

I agree, though I think I would stop at a 5 character party. I love the cross-NPC banter, but 6 would probably be a little overkill (especially if they add another Mage NPC in Awakening).

I don't think I would tone down any of the Mage's potency directly, though maybe a bit higher resistance check against some particularly nasty spells (like Crushing Prison) would be in order. That and fixing some of the other spell oddities, like being able to freeze targets that are immune to ice magic.

 

[Rufus]

Don't remember that one, and can't find anything by searching the name...

He's in the Elven camp, moping about his repeated failure as a hunter, which prevents him from courting his beloved, Gheyna.

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Cammen's_Lament

 

[Minsc]

The blurring isn't really AA's fault at all. The texture quality is just hit or miss sometimes, filtering won't fix that.

I was initially referring to the FoV effect during dialog where the background is out of focus, maybe it's just me / ATI, but if you look closely at the background next time, watch the edges of the people's hair, there's a small halo of background that isn't blurred properly and remains in focus by the edge of the hair, and is a little annoying when you notice it.

Although if you haven't noticed it, maybe you shouldn't look for it!

 

[Wallach]

I was initially referring to the FoV effect during dialog where the background is out of focus, maybe it's just me / ATI, but if you look closely at the background next time, watch the edges of the people's hair, there's a small halo of background that isn't blurred properly and remains in focus by the edge of the hair, and is a little annoying when you notice it.

Although if you haven't noticed it, maybe you shouldn't look for it!

Yeah, that happens on nVidia cards too. Just a problem with their FoV implementation I guess.

I kind of wish BioWare would chill out on making new engines. They do it constantly - on one hand it's great to see they don't shy away from making everything in-house, but on the other I'd like to see them take more time and optimize the stuff they have. It often seems like every game comes with a new engine from them.

 

[Houston3000]

Two mages are in no way a necessity. I beat the game on Hard with an archer Warden, Alistair tank, Shale in DPS mode, and Morrigan doing DPS/CC/healing. I manually controlled everyone, maybe that makes a difference.

Yeah, like I said I don't think it's necessary. My friend rolled a mage as his main character and goes around with Alistair (tank), Zev (assassin rogue), and Sten (dps warrior) and it's working out great for him. I just need to get Morrigan some healing spells and live without the buffs from Wynn.

On my next run I'll probably install either the Bash Lock or the Open Lock Spell mod. Both seem fairly balanced from their description. Bash has a chance to destroy the item in the chest (pretty high unless you change it) and requires strength based on lock level and the Spell mod has three skills of varying levels you'd have to devote points into. That way I could have the option of not even carrying around a rogue with me everywhere if I didn't want to. The more options the better IMO, right now I just don't need them since my main is a rogue anyways.

I actually beat the game with the almost exact setup. My character was a rogue, I loved his mark for death and stun abilities. I thought the two mage setup made a lot of the fights almost too easy. I ended up letting Wynne get the lighting spells so she could do some more significant damage.

I usually enjoy setting my characters into specific roles. Which is the main reason I was adverse to giving Morrigan any healing spells to begin with. At this point in the game Wynn is basically Earth Magic (Stone Fist, Earthquake, Petrify) and Creation Magic (Healing, Stamina boosts, and Buffs). Morrigan is Ice Magic, Telekinesis (Mind Blast, Force Field, Crushing Prison) and Sleep Magic (Disorient, Sleep, Horror). Not to mention Wynn's Spirit Healing abilities are super powerful and I definitely don't want to specialize Morrigan Spirit Healer.

 

[Prine]

I would drop the small canadian developer quote. Bioware was small until 2 years ago,but it's obvious by the massive credits of Dragon Age that this isn't the case anymore. :lol

Otherwise,Dragon Age is just as flawed as Mass effect or Jade empire.Bioware just doesn't hire the best possible game designer(or can't) and they always hit and miss when it come to executing their ideas.

It's not so bad for a single player game,since you can always create a sequel and improve upon the flawed original by using user feedback.It seem as this will be the case with Mass effect 2,so the same can definitively happen for a sequel to Dragon Age.

It's much harder for a mmorpg,where the patience of the customer will be rather short.I just don't know if they can hang with Blizzard in the mmorpg field...

No. Absolutely off the mark with you comments about game design. Mass Effect is regarded as one of the best games this gen by many, and won multiple GOTYs from the media.

AS for DALO. Where can i get a good one handed sword? Im getting staffs and bows. I need some good swords for Alister and me. I HATE Dwarven axes and weaponary. They look so weak.

 

[Wallach]

AS for DALO. Where can i get a good one handed sword? Im getting staffs and bows. I need some good swords for Alister and me. I HATE Dwarven axes and weaponary. They look so weak.

Do you have access to the Warden's Keep DLC?

 

[Prine]

Do you have access to the Warden's Keep DLC?

Nope? God Damit.

Time to buy it i suppose?