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[water_wendi]

Wow.. i need heals so bad. im just after the first boss and Morrigan is pretty much useless on Nightmare since enemies resist just about spell you toss at them. i know this because i dropped the difficulty and enemies are getting all these different status effect :lol The most annoying thing is i have to go past those two cutscenes (skippable at least) with the battle beginning immediately afterward.

 

[Aptos]

This game is brutally difficult, even on Normal. It's that, or I missed a whole zone of leveling. :/ After

Spoiler

The Battle of Ostagar

I decided to first travel to

Spoiler

Redcliffe and enlist the help of Arl Eamon

, the part where you

Spoiler

defend the onslaught of undead

was nearly impossible for me, I ended up being able to even finish it by

Spoiler

kiting one to four undead up the hill to the knights after I let all the militia die

. Then in the

Spoiler

Castle

I get my butt whipped again!

It's not that all my party dies, but just one or two die every time and it seems like the only way to deal with this is to buy a TON of Health Poultices and a TON of injury kits. I usually never have any trouble with games even on the hardest difficulty, am I just not understanding something, or is this game really that hard?

EDIT:
Questions -
1) Is there a way to see the debuffs on enemies?
2) Is there a way to see the levels of enemies?
3) Is there a way to grind out some levels?
4) Is the DLC (i.e. stone prisoner and wardens' keep) high level or low level?

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Game is fucking vast, i've not felt like this with a game since Arcanum. (biggest crpg ever).

And dorfs are totally a homage to warhammer dwarfs.

 

[dollartaco]

How do you get the war hound?

Spoiler

I completed the camp quest for the medicine and he told me to "come back in a day or two." Then the battle...

 

[shintoki]

Even though I know most of you just got it, And I'm not in anyway saying it's better than BG2. But did they actually deliver a project deemed worthy of the successor?

I normally wait till I can get most games for cheap, but all these positive impressions are tempting me.

 

[quaere]

About 7 hours in...everything about this game is so worn and familiar.

The environments are complete generic fantasy. I could have cut and pasted them together and I have no creative artistic talent whatsoever.

As for the mechanics, party interaction, and scenario design, I don't really get the talk of this as the first successor to BGII (a game I've never played), as if there was nothing in the middle. This game feels like the team cloned KOTOR in a different setting and a few gameplay tweaks.

KOTOR is one of my top 5 favorite games, so I'm clearly enjoying this title. But treating it as some sort of revelation, especially in context of Bioware's past work, is a bit ridiculous.

 

[Honolulu]

Swords for everyone!

I'll definetly pick up this spiritual successor of Baldur's G... I mean Dragon Age: Origins.
It's been too long since a fantasy rpg of this caliber was released. topdown isometricesque view all the way for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AsZnCtnr-k

 

[Zeliard]

The guy is playing the console version. It's locked in a third-person view, spell/ability/item selection is limited and the enemy encounters are fewer and far easier, so of course it'll feel like KOTOR.

 

[Shins]

KOTOR bores me to death. The combat is shit, the game lacks options and depth, and it's just a watered down product all around. Jade Empire is flawed as hell. Mass Effect, while good, is nowhere approaching greatness considering it has a considerable lack of depth.

In what way is it ridiculous to surmise that Dragon Age is better than their past efforts? I find those games flawed as hell and lacking any depth whatsoever. For the first time since BG2 (or hell, NWN, which I've played very little of to begin with) Bioware has taken steps to not dumb the gameplay down.

You say you never played and you question why we say it is BG2's successor? LOL.

PS KOTOR sucks.

ought to take your faith as seriously as you take this game imo

 

[water_wendi]

The guy is playing the console version. It's locked in a third-person view, spell/ability/item selection is limited and the enemy encounters are fewer and far easier, so of course it'll feel like KOTOR.

Its not just the view that makes it feel like KotOR. Its a ton of stuff including the gameplay mechanics. Its as if KotOR and Wow had a baby. And there is nothing wrong with that. DA has its own identity.

edit: And something else about the 3D isometric view.. i hate it. Its unwieldy. The view only scrolls maybe 30 feet ahead of your party so sometimes enemies line up under the PAUSED message and i cannot click them or get a handle on what lay past the front 5 guys. Also everytime i go to that mode i end up trying to scroll it back further or tilt it up higher.. it feels wrong to me. The one thing i do love about it is how smoothly it switches between the two viewpoints. im beginning to think that 3D isometric will never be done right.. it wasnt done right with NWN2 and it still doesnt feel right in DA.

 

[quaere]

For the first time since BG2 (or hell, NWN, which I've played very little of to begin with) Bioware has taken steps to not dumb the gameplay down.

If there's additional combat depth, it's not especially evident in the first 7 hours of play (which admittedly is very early in the game). I don't think abilities unlock at a different rate in the console version, do they?

One thing is for sure, the narrative methods, interactions with NPCs, and other party members remains essentially identical to KOTOR.

 

[rampur]

am i the only one that finds the game difficult on normal?

 

[Odious Tea]

Ugh. Spent all day during school related stuff. It's now midnight. I can either sacrifice some sleep or have a few conversations/decapitations before calling it a night.

Oh, who am I kidding? Time to wreck some fools with (s)words.

 

[-tetsuo-]

About 7 hours in...everything about this game is so worn and familiar.

The environments are complete generic fantasy. I could have cut and pasted them together and I have no creative artistic talent whatsoever.

As for the mechanics, party interaction, and scenario design, I don't really get the talk of this as the first successor to BGII (a game I've never played), as if there was nothing in the middle. This game feels like the team cloned KOTOR in a different setting and a few gameplay tweaks.

KOTOR is one of my top 5 favorite games, so I'm clearly enjoying this title. But treating it as some sort of revelation, especially in context of Bioware's past work, is a bit ridiculous.

Combat in Dragon Age is much better than KotOR

 

[Loam]

Oh god I must be doing something wrong, there can be no other explanation.

Im currently

Spoiler

in the ice temple attempting to retrieve some chicks ashes

and im getting rolled by almost every encounter.

My god its even set to easy! This damn game is just merciless.

 

[water_wendi]

am i the only one that finds the game difficult on normal?

i think the main problem is the lack of a healer the first 7 hours of the game. It might even be longer than 7 hours since i still havent received a character that can heal or buff yet. No heals really inflates the difficulty. That Dwarf Casteless origin story was freaking brutal with no support.. reminds me of trying to solo bosses in Wow.

 

[UrokeJoe]

Anyone else having problems installing to the hdd on the 360? I just tried a few times and it wouldn't install??

 

[FlyinJ]

In the 360 version, is there any way to tell your party members to walk to a certain spot on the floor? Or a way to tell all of them to follow you when in combat?

I've held the left trigger and toggled to the guy I wanted to move to a spot, pointed where I wanted him to go, and the game make a "BONK" noise as if that was not possible.

Arranging your guys to not get friendly fired is a total pain in the ass without this...

 

[-tetsuo-]

i think the main problem is the lack of a healer the first 7 hours of the game. It might even be longer than 7 hours since i still havent received a character that can heal or buff yet. No heals really inflates the difficulty. That Dwarf Casteless origin story was freaking brutal with no support.. reminds me of trying to solo bosses in Wow.

Tell me about it

 

[Vaporak]

Question for the other PC gamers; do you know of anyway to edit the isometric camera so you can scroll it around freely? As much as I like being able to go in for an closer camera, it is absolutely not worth getting rid of scrollable isometric view to me.

 

[water_wendi]

Tell me about it

i havent bothered to go back and play the warrior that is stuck in

Spoiler

under Berachts shop

. i refuse to lower the difficulty :lol With a rogue it was much easier since me and whatshisname could just stealth and practically stunlock people until they were dead :lol Focus fire ftw! i also love the backstab animation

edit:

Question for the other PC gamers; do you know of anyway to edit the isometric camera so you can scroll it around freely? As much as I like being able to go in for an closer camera, it is absolutely not worth getting rid of scrollable isometric view to me.

Afaik, there is no way to change it and its so annoying. Maybe a mod will fix this.

 

[Erudite]

As for the mechanics, party interaction, and scenario design, I don't really get the talk of this as the first successor to BGII (a game I've never played), as if there was nothing in the middle. This game feels like the team cloned KOTOR in a different setting and a few gameplay tweaks.

Maybe it's because I'm playing on the PC, but even on normal, the combat actually has some depth to it, and requires strategy compared to that of Kotor. I can't just run into battles mindlessly and expect to come out alive. Even when I do set up traps, use buffs, potions, and pause to micromanage as much as possible, I'll often come out with only a party member or two alive more often than not. In Kotor, I rarely had to pause, never used a single trap, and rarely did I use the stat buffs- This all coming from a recently finished 3rd play through on Hard.

 

[Zzoram]

Tell me about it

I can't get past the 4 thugs. I die without taking even 1 of them out. I have no idea what to do. Normal difficulty.

 

[bigswords]

Silly question for the 360 version I inputted the Dragon Armor DLC code , quest. Is the prisoner of stone DLC in the box?

 

[quaere]

Maybe it's because I'm playing on the PC, but even on normal, the combat actually has some depth to it, and requires strategy compared to that of Kotor. I can't just run into battles mindlessly and expect to come out alive. Even when I do set up traps, use buffs, potions, and pause to micromanage as much as possible, I'll often come out with only a party member or two alive more often than not. In Kotor, I rarely had to pause, never used a single trap, and rarely did I use the stat buffs- This all coming from a recently finished 3rd play through on Hard.

It does seem to have been a lie that console difficulty was adjusted only for the control limitations. The ports are easier, period.

 

[bathala]

Silly question for the 360 version I inputted the Dragon Armor DLC code , quest. Is the prisoner of stone DLC in the box?

do u mean inside the case? there's a card for it and it should in the case(I got regular)

the mission for it will appear on the map. I'm just on my way to do the mission

 

[Doytch]

Just passed the first town on the map (Lothering), and really, MotB was better. At least, its beginning was. I'm obviously gonna keep playing, but people who are trying to compare this to Kotor or something are missing the more obvious parallel here, and the one which was a better game.

I also don't like how everything about the combat system is so obscured. This stance gives + to this and - to this, but how much? Is it worth it to use it on a full/low health enemy? Everything is obscured in some weird attempt to make everything more palatable since there's no numbers and no "2d6"s anywhere, but it just makes it confusing.

 

[bigswords]

do u mean inside the case? there's a card for it and it should in the case(I got regular)

the mission for it will appear on the map. I'm just on my way to do the mission

Wait do you mean I have to flip the card for the Dragon Armor DLC to get the prisoner of the stone DLC?

I only have 1 card in the box...

 

[Zzoram]

am i the only one that finds the game difficult on normal?

Nope. Normal is so hard :lol Demon's Souls has got nothing on Dragon Age when it comes to difficulty. I still prefer Demon's Souls for gameplay, but Dragon Age has pretty sweet dialogue/story.

 

[markot]

You can scroll around with the isometric view, keep middle mouse button (scroll wheel) clicked, or just move mouse to edges.

 

[Kintaro]

I'm butting heads with Redcliffe's Castle on my Berserker, so I felt like starting an Elf in the city. A Black Elf (don't see those too often eh) fighting against the man. Fun stuff. Didn't score with random whores though like some others did or something. Maybe I missed some stuff. =x

 

[water_wendi]

I can't get past the 4 thugs. I die without taking even 1 of them out. I have no idea what to do. Normal difficulty.

If its the part im thinking of..

Spoiler

the room with the trap right? Put the one guy in stealth at the end of the long hallway that leads to the door. Tell him to stay put.. on PC its one of the icons underneath your parties portraits on the left. i took my guy.. quicksaved.. then opened the door and used a bow to fire a shot to one of the guy without getting into the room much so i didnt set off the fireball trap (i tried to disarm it but i couldnt even see the damn thing even with the rogue chilling in the doorway for a couple minutes). Once you get their attention.. run back to your friend at the end of the hall. Now you have to focus-fire your party on the enemies one at a time. If you are a warrior, i would suggest taking control of the rogue so you can constantly position him behind the enemy you are targeting. If you look at the red circle at their feet, that empty spot in their rear is where you have to be positioned to do a backstab. Backstabbing will work on its own as long as the rogue is behind the enemy. A different attack animation will occur when you are backstabbing. As soon as you drop one, pick the next enemy for you to gang up on and try to keep your rogue behind the target at all times. Dirty Fighting will stun them for a few seconds if it connects.. so if you have your main character as a rogue you can chain DF to stunlock the target. Hope this helps.

 

[Aedile]

am i the only one that finds the game difficult on normal?

While I know it's impossible in a game that wants mainstream success, the combat system is begging to be turn-based. And that's odd since, as Number 2 mentioned above, the combat resembles WoW at least as much as it does KotOR. (Then again, multiboxing in WoW was never really my thing.) Still, normal is requiring me to play it de facto turn-based with pauses every few seconds during all except the most routine battles.

But did they actually deliver a project deemed worthy of the successor?

I'd say no, but it's still quite possibly the best Bioware game of the post-BG2 era, if only because it isn't as technically limited as the XBOX ports or as relentlessly gamey as ME.

 

[lorddarkflare]

While I know it's impossible in a game that wants mainstream success, the combat system is begging to be turn-based. And that's odd since, as Number 2 mentioned above, the combat resembles WoW at least as much as it does KotOR. (Then again, multiboxing in WoW was never really my thing.) Still, normal is requiring me to play it de facto turn-based with pauses every few seconds during all except the most routine battles.



I'd say no, but it's still quite possibly the best Bioware game of the post-BG2 era, if only because it isn't as technically limited as the XBOX ports or as relentlessly gamey as ME.

Explain (not a challenge, genuinely want to know what you mean).

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

So I went to The Pearl asked the barkeep to Surprise Me and next thing I know I'm naked and standing over a Husky Dwarf. Good times.

 

[Snuggles]

Christ on a cracker, I finally got to play DA tonight and after 5 consecutive hours I love it already. If I didn't have to work early I would play this until the crack of dawn. Is it just me, or did the kid in the human warrior origin make a Colbert reference with the sword of truthiness thing.

 

[Trojita]

The Question IS: PC or 360?

$10 gift card with purchase at best buy, or use my store credit at Toys R Us - but only 360 version for sale there...

My laptop is this
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-x83vm-x1-core/4505-3121_7-33361040.html

Processor 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
Memory 4,096MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
Hard drive 320GB, 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel GM45 Express
Graphics 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS

Can I run this game well? I never understand the comparisons between laptop cards and desktop. L4D2 demo runs great on full settings at max resolution for my screen.

Compared to desktop graphics cards, the 9600M GS is similar to the GeForce 9500 GS (which also descends from the G96 core). The similar named desktop CPU 9600 Series has a 256 bit memory bus and is therefore much faster.

 

[Snapshot King]

Man, some of these fights are geared in such a way that if your setup doesnt fit the scenario you dont have a chance on normal.

In Denerim, the sidequest about

Spoiler

The Secret Blood Mage Enclave

Near the end, theres a room with 3 doors leading into it, with 2 cone of cold mages on the edges and a fireball mage way in the back center. Add a warrior per each "edge" mage and 4 for the fireball one, you can't even fucking walk 5 feet through the door without getting wrecked. Pulling them doesnt work, they wont come into the corridor. Even a mass sleep that knocked 70% of them out wasn't enough because you can't kill the mages fast enough. ARG.

 

[Keio]

Picking this up today in PAL land (for the 360).

Which difficulty should I go for - I've heard the console version is much easier (my friend compared the review builds pc vs 360)?

 

[-tetsuo-]

I can't get past the 4 thugs. I die without taking even 1 of them out. I have no idea what to do. Normal difficulty.

Every fight I had was near death. I had to use my knockdown's constantly and get my rogue buddy behind for flank attacks. Just focus fire each enemy down, the less damage they output on you the better. I did it on hard.

 

[traveler]

Just got done playing this for about 6 hours. Only Bioware games I've played before are Jade Empire and Mass Effect and, holy hell, does this blow both of them away completely. Combat actually requires thought, there's a great amount of customization in the character building, and the Dwarf Noble origin story was way more enjoyable to me than the entirety of the two aforementioned games' narratives. Can't wait to pick this back up again tomorrow. (PC version, fwiw)

 

[Spruchy]

Morrigan is possibly the best character ever.

 

[Snapshot King]

Morrigan is possibly the best character ever.

She fucking hates me. Everything I do pisses her off. Hell, the only thing I did in the entire game so far that she liked Lothering Spoiler

Spoiler

was threaten to beat the shit out of the head nun to let Sten go

and she only liked that a LITTLE, while Alistair freaked. =(

 

[Soakedjunk]

She fucking hates me. Everything I do pisses her off. Hell, the only thing I did in the entire game so far that she liked Lothering Spoiler

Spoiler

was threaten to beat the shit out of the head nun to let Sten go

and she only liked that a LITTLE, while Alistair freaked. =(

I'm playing the elf mage and I got a bunch of rep with her (+7) for talking about shapeshifting at the camp.

 

[MotherFan]

Ok, last question about requirements because I am thinking of just buying this and putting off my gpu upgrade.


How will this run with high settings on my 1080p HDTV

Phenom II x2 550 @ 3.1ghz
Nvidia 9500gt 1gig
6 gig DDR3 ram

Will I hit 60 fps, or more of a stable 30? How much AA AF should I use? I really want to get this.

 

[Spruchy]

She fucking hates me. Everything I do pisses her off. Hell, the only thing I did in the entire game so far that she liked Lothering Spoiler

Spoiler

was threaten to beat the shit out of the head nun to let Sten go

and she only liked that a LITTLE, while Alistair freaked. =(

I learned after Lothering that i'm probably going to need to shelf her while picking up quests and shower her with gifts or keep her around when I play the tough guy. Otherwise she will hate me for life.

She likes appearance based gifts btw, like clothing and jewelry.

 

[Fredescu]

Just passed the first town on the map (Lothering), and really, MotB was better. At least, its beginning was. I'm obviously gonna keep playing, but people who are trying to compare this to Kotor or something are missing the more obvious parallel here, and the one which was a better game.

Why is a non-Bioware developed expansion the more obvious pararallel to this?

 

[CF_Fighter]

Are the

Spoiler

Blackstone Irregulars

supposed to be like

Spoiler

Blackwater

?

 

[water_wendi]

Finally! After a break i decided to get back in and see if i could finally win that fight

Spoiler

the one with the dog after the cutscene when you get access to the world map

. Before i was trying to support

Spoiler

Dog

but this time i just said "fuck it" and let the guys come to me. Tore them up since they trickled down to me instead of having to fend off 10 at once. Took down

Spoiler

the alpha first

and the rest fell through with only my character falling. The others had high health at end of battle. This is on Nightmare btw. im a tactical genius! :lol

 

[Patryn]

Wait? A lever? Did I miss something in Redcliffe?

Spoiler

I just took my beatings and reloaded, same as I did in BG2. Eventually I figured out that if I micro'd Morrigan and cast Vulnerability Hex on the Rev, Winter's Grasp would actually freeze him. Rinse and repeat with Sten, my rogue main and Alastair beating him down with an occasional lightning thrown in for good measure.

Just wish I could trigger the shatter with Shield Bash on a frozen enemy...

But did I miss something? Could you call in reinforcements or something?

I will admit that this was the first time I was tempted to reduce the difficulty to normal after having played on hard thus far. But then I beat him, and it's all good.