Played it, liked it. Story is bland and predictable but serves its purpose. Combat gets boring with time tho. And there is not much to do other than combat. Also quests seem very MMORPG inspired. I miss puzzles and riddles from older rpgs...
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Dragon Age impressions
- Thread starter baronjohn
- Start date
foobie-bletch
Novice
Uh, I just played this pile of shit. It's very generic heroic fantasy with a Great Evil to defeat as a main quest, tons of nameless enemies to defeat, inability to walk ten feet without getting into a cutscene, childish NPCs with silly antics, and so on.
Dialogue is very verbose and bores me to death, it all speaks of some crappy lore for yet another generic-high-fantasy universe. There's no way to refuse to take part in certain main-quest events.
Enemies have over 9000 hit points, I kept hitting them over and over with spells which took, like, 5% of their HP. And there's a cooldown timer for spells, just like some MMORPG.
Party members are annoying as fuck: Allistair - a whiny little bitch that can't stop complaining how everything seems scary for him; Morrigan's a stereotypical butch lesbian feminazi. Can't go on for five minutes without having to hear their inane banter. Reminded me of NWN2 with Neeshka and the dwarf, whatever its name was.
After a few hours I gave up, since the game is very linear and I simply didn't like the generic main quest.
Dialogue is very verbose and bores me to death, it all speaks of some crappy lore for yet another generic-high-fantasy universe. There's no way to refuse to take part in certain main-quest events.
Enemies have over 9000 hit points, I kept hitting them over and over with spells which took, like, 5% of their HP. And there's a cooldown timer for spells, just like some MMORPG.
Party members are annoying as fuck: Allistair - a whiny little bitch that can't stop complaining how everything seems scary for him; Morrigan's a stereotypical butch lesbian feminazi. Can't go on for five minutes without having to hear their inane banter. Reminded me of NWN2 with Neeshka and the dwarf, whatever its name was.
After a few hours I gave up, since the game is very linear and I simply didn't like the generic main quest.
Coyote
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2009
- Messages
- 1,149
Multi-headed Cow said:
Great! I started gaming in the late '80s/early '90s, so most modern games look pretty damn good to me regardless of what settings I use (in terms of graphics, anyway. Art direction, on the other hand...). It always strikes me as absurd when someone points to a modern game and says it looks like shit because there have been other games with better graphics within the past 2-5 years. I guess anything below 95th percentile is the new "shit".
Vibalist said:
Good to hear. Yeah, I'm using XP. Didn't even think to mention OS because everyone I know without an uber gaming rig uses XP over Vista.
Dnny said:
Also good to hear. Though, I have to say, I'm surprised to hear that about BL; this laptop runs it with loading times of 10- seconds - as compared to say, Gothic 2, which has 30+ second loading times.
Anyway, thanks for the help, all. (Achievement unlocked: Codex channelled towards productive ends)
I like it so far.
Prior to playing it, I was expecting something like KOTOR, hoping for something like BG 2 and fearing it would turn into something like Ass Effect.
Visuals look good, especially the interiors. Camera is average - I appreciate the isometric view option, but further zooming out should have been possible, to increase visibility. Sound effects are OK, but are not comparable to BG 2 quality. Voice acting is not Bloodlines special, but it's not bad. Pathfinding has some issues (with obstacles).
User interface and inventory are well implemented. I like the difficulty scaling and the fact that the moron helpers like quest indicators are optional and can be turned off. They should have made permanent death and auto regeneration optional as well. I don't get it how game developers don't realize that the best thing is allowing the player to have as much control over the options as possible, so anybody from a drooling ESF moron to Cleveland Mark Blakemore can enjoy the game. DA beats the competition here, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Character system is well implemented. Though there are only three classes, different skills and talents support a variety of different play styles. Mages are favored (as they are in DnD), as expected.
There is a plenty of use for non combat skills. Dialogue has many persuasion and intimidation skill checks (as well as a few Cunning stat checks, some other skills are checked once or twice). Money (and loot) is much more scarce than in other RPGs, where you become filthy rich by midgame, so lockpicking is essential and stealing could be useful as well. Alchemy, trap making and poison making are useful. Survival helps with tactical planning.
Combat is challenging, calls for the use of talents and tactical planning. It doesn't come close to the tactical depth of turn based gems like JA 2, but it requires significantly more tactics than recent RPGs like NWN, NWN 2, KOTORs and The Twitcher. Auto health regeneration and the lack of permanent death are an issue. (Semi)-permanent injuries are a good idea, as injury kits are not easy to come by. AI is better than in other RT RPGs, but pathfinding algorithm doesn't handle obstacles well. Tactical slots and orders are a good idea, but an action queue should have been present.
Encounter design could be much better. DA doesn't suffer from pointless easy encounters like other modern RPGs, but often that difficulty is accomplished by throwing a swarm of boring generic opponents (generic archers, generic mages, generic fighters, generic rogues, generic animals, etc.) at the player. As a contrast, revenant encounters (and, as a rule, encounters containing 'orange' or 'yellow' named opponents, rather than a horde of 'white' ones) are difficult the right way (and quite frustrating). So far I haven't had an encounter as memorable, as e.g. twisted rune or Kangaxx in BG 2. So, DA has the most challenging combat of all IE games I have played, but BG 2 combat was more fun. DA combat trumps over other RT RPGs though.
Story, dialogues and characters are fine. They are nothing special, but they are not bad either. Many motives are borrowed from George RR Martin's books, but Martin's depth is not present. Thankfully, I haven't encountered any cringeworthy Bethesda level dialogue. Overall, writing adds to the positive gameplay experience. Compared to other Bioware games, DA probably has the best written dialogues and characters. It doesn't reach writing of Obsidian's KOTOR 2 and NWN 2: MOTB though.
So far I have encountered more choices and consequences than in any Bioware game, and I think that I'm at about half of the game with my first character.
Overall verdict is: as far as RPG elements are concerned, Dragon Age is by far the best Bioware RPG. As a game, I still give advantage to BG2 because of the superior encounter design, but that might change, as I haven't reached Orzammar yet.
Prior to playing it, I was expecting something like KOTOR, hoping for something like BG 2 and fearing it would turn into something like Ass Effect.
Visuals look good, especially the interiors. Camera is average - I appreciate the isometric view option, but further zooming out should have been possible, to increase visibility. Sound effects are OK, but are not comparable to BG 2 quality. Voice acting is not Bloodlines special, but it's not bad. Pathfinding has some issues (with obstacles).
User interface and inventory are well implemented. I like the difficulty scaling and the fact that the moron helpers like quest indicators are optional and can be turned off. They should have made permanent death and auto regeneration optional as well. I don't get it how game developers don't realize that the best thing is allowing the player to have as much control over the options as possible, so anybody from a drooling ESF moron to Cleveland Mark Blakemore can enjoy the game. DA beats the competition here, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Character system is well implemented. Though there are only three classes, different skills and talents support a variety of different play styles. Mages are favored (as they are in DnD), as expected.
There is a plenty of use for non combat skills. Dialogue has many persuasion and intimidation skill checks (as well as a few Cunning stat checks, some other skills are checked once or twice). Money (and loot) is much more scarce than in other RPGs, where you become filthy rich by midgame, so lockpicking is essential and stealing could be useful as well. Alchemy, trap making and poison making are useful. Survival helps with tactical planning.
Combat is challenging, calls for the use of talents and tactical planning. It doesn't come close to the tactical depth of turn based gems like JA 2, but it requires significantly more tactics than recent RPGs like NWN, NWN 2, KOTORs and The Twitcher. Auto health regeneration and the lack of permanent death are an issue. (Semi)-permanent injuries are a good idea, as injury kits are not easy to come by. AI is better than in other RT RPGs, but pathfinding algorithm doesn't handle obstacles well. Tactical slots and orders are a good idea, but an action queue should have been present.
Encounter design could be much better. DA doesn't suffer from pointless easy encounters like other modern RPGs, but often that difficulty is accomplished by throwing a swarm of boring generic opponents (generic archers, generic mages, generic fighters, generic rogues, generic animals, etc.) at the player. As a contrast, revenant encounters (and, as a rule, encounters containing 'orange' or 'yellow' named opponents, rather than a horde of 'white' ones) are difficult the right way (and quite frustrating). So far I haven't had an encounter as memorable, as e.g. twisted rune or Kangaxx in BG 2. So, DA has the most challenging combat of all IE games I have played, but BG 2 combat was more fun. DA combat trumps over other RT RPGs though.
Story, dialogues and characters are fine. They are nothing special, but they are not bad either. Many motives are borrowed from George RR Martin's books, but Martin's depth is not present. Thankfully, I haven't encountered any cringeworthy Bethesda level dialogue. Overall, writing adds to the positive gameplay experience. Compared to other Bioware games, DA probably has the best written dialogues and characters. It doesn't reach writing of Obsidian's KOTOR 2 and NWN 2: MOTB though.
So far I have encountered more choices and consequences than in any Bioware game, and I think that I'm at about half of the game with my first character.
Overall verdict is: as far as RPG elements are concerned, Dragon Age is by far the best Bioware RPG. As a game, I still give advantage to BG2 because of the superior encounter design, but that might change, as I haven't reached Orzammar yet.
Volourn
Pretty Princess
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2003
- Messages
- 24,986
"It doesn't reach writing of Obsidian's KOTOR 2 "
KOTOR2 has oevrrated writing. It was okay but nothing special. Definitely not as deep as people.
DA's wriitng - barring a few immature stuff - is much better. MOTB, on the other hand, that game was aweosme.
KOTOR2 has oevrrated writing. It was okay but nothing special. Definitely not as deep as people.
DA's wriitng - barring a few immature stuff - is much better. MOTB, on the other hand, that game was aweosme.
relootz said:
Pretty much yeah. And DAs writing is certainly not better than KotORII's.
I can't help being annoyed at BioWare's business model (besides what's mentioned here). The seem intented on pleasing everybody; hardcore RPG-fans, gay romance fans, and casual console gamers. You'd think that would piss everybody off, since the result is a truely bland game, but it doesn't. BioWare is evidently amazingly good at producing an entertainment level that makes you like the game despite it's bullshit. It's just so fucking sad, to see all that wasted potential... Five years of development time.
DreadMessiah
Liturgist
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,217
I especially love the talk before a fight and being bunched up yet the enemy is wonderfully positioned lol. Exchanging fireballs is fun! Also at the start of such fights I pause then enter commands then unpause which sometimes leaves my party doing nothing while enemy wizards unleash nasty spells. Boss battles suck too. Run around kill lesser minions, potion use, run around hitting the boss for minute after minute while drinking down potions. So Epic!
DreadMessiah said:
If that sums up you're combat in Dragon Age, your tactics are pretty retarded. The combat is the one part of the game that's quite enjoyable. It even succeeds in exactly what I wrote about above.
Volourn
Pretty Princess
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2003
- Messages
- 24,986
"Pretty much yeah. And DAs writing is certainly not better than KotORII's."
yes, it is. Absolutely no contest. Sorry, 'but the force is evi evil evil evil eveil evil that must be destroyedl' is NOT good writing.It's one dimensional boring shit.
If youa re gonna praise an Obsidian game's writing, stick with MOTB. That's actually worthwhile.
"I especially love the talk before a fight and being bunched up yet the enemy is wonderfully positioned lol. Exchanging fireballs is fun! Also at the start of such fights I pause then enter commands then unpause which sometimes leaves my party doing nothing while enemy wizards unleash nasty spells. Boss battles suck too. Run around kill lesser minions, potion use, run around hitting the boss for minute after minute while drinking down potions. So Epic!"
Hey, everybody, another pussy crying about how hard the game is. Man up, mother fucker! Or GTFO!
DA is not your steroetypical pussified BG/FO/TOEE/JE/KOTOR/NWN2/ES/EOTB/U/GOW bullshit.
tHIS IS THE NEW FUCKIN' REAL AHRDCORE SHIT!
If you cna't handle the heat either get out of the kicthen... or play on easy. Crying like a little bitch girl or boy only shows you've successfully been skooled in a real hardcore game.
yes, it is. Absolutely no contest. Sorry, 'but the force is evi evil evil evil eveil evil that must be destroyedl' is NOT good writing.It's one dimensional boring shit.
If youa re gonna praise an Obsidian game's writing, stick with MOTB. That's actually worthwhile.
"I especially love the talk before a fight and being bunched up yet the enemy is wonderfully positioned lol. Exchanging fireballs is fun! Also at the start of such fights I pause then enter commands then unpause which sometimes leaves my party doing nothing while enemy wizards unleash nasty spells. Boss battles suck too. Run around kill lesser minions, potion use, run around hitting the boss for minute after minute while drinking down potions. So Epic!"
Hey, everybody, another pussy crying about how hard the game is. Man up, mother fucker! Or GTFO!
DA is not your steroetypical pussified BG/FO/TOEE/JE/KOTOR/NWN2/ES/EOTB/U/GOW bullshit.
tHIS IS THE NEW FUCKIN' REAL AHRDCORE SHIT!
If you cna't handle the heat either get out of the kicthen... or play on easy. Crying like a little bitch girl or boy only shows you've successfully been skooled in a real hardcore game.
foobie-bletch
Novice
Kinda' slept through the time since Troika fell. Did any True RPG come this way, or was it all asinine like MA, KOTOR2 and such?
DreadMessiah
Liturgist
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,217
It is not hard just boring after awhile. I play on nightmare not easy difficulty. I get a kick out of the speech then fight is all. My party is bunched up while the enemy is tactically positioned? Yeah okay... The other combat is easy even on nightmare since the enemy does not use enough nasty spells/talents. Try three golems rapeing your party with hurl then earthquake then slam attacks. Had that happen once. Got chained with hurled boudlers golems ran in and earthquaked then slamed my still barely standing warrior to death. Setting traps for mobs makes it too easy so I mostly charge in for a little bit of a challenge. When enemies use their abilities and chain them your party will get raped on nightmare. I still play the game just laugh at the sillyness.
relootz
Scholar
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2009
- Messages
- 4,478
The difficulty of the game heavily relies on your party as well. Having 2 mages instead of one makes things a lot easier. Spells seem to be the only thing that really hurt bosses and paralysing is excellent to clear out the lower mobs before you take on the boss.
Crowd Control comes to sRPG. This isn't a bad thing, but becomes very tiresome when they throw zerglings at you at every encounter.
I foresee stun grenades & tear gas in modern setting rpg.
Afghan Age!
I foresee stun grenades & tear gas in modern setting rpg.
Afghan Age!
Fat Dragon
Arbiter
Just finished up the Orzammar quest arc. It was pretty damned fun. The city itself has great art direction, a lot of nice eye candy there. Really enjoyed the storyline there, too, ended up siding with that jackass Bhelon, though I was definitely caught off guard with what happened immediately after I gave him the crown, didn't see that coming. The Deep Roads dungeons did drag a bit at times, but there were a lot of nice tough fights placed around in there, nearly shat my pants when I came across a Genlock patrol accompanied by two Ogres. Broodmother made for a good boss fight at the end of it all.
I also came across something called a Glass Phylactory, and like a dumbass broke it open and got a surprise raping from a Revenant, those fuckers are brutal.
I also came across something called a Glass Phylactory, and like a dumbass broke it open and got a surprise raping from a Revenant, those fuckers are brutal.
Inziladun
Magister
Is it cheating that I played through the Dwarf Noble Origin just so I had a better understanding of who to support? It seems like you were kind of rushed into picking sides without really knowing anything about any of the parties. Soon as you get to Orzammar you got bastards for both Harrowmont and Bhelen begging you back them.
Only some dude in the tavern gave me info on the parties and it was vague at best. Did I miss something?
Only some dude in the tavern gave me info on the parties and it was vague at best. Did I miss something?
theverybigslayer
Liturgist
And what about nowadays' favourite rpg element? Are there lots of barrels to smash?
Fat Dragon
Arbiter
I didn't get too much info on them either. I'm guessing it was intentional, you had to choose who to support based on what the citizens said about them and what their representatives tell you when trying to get you on their sides (and they're not trustworthy at all); keeps you from being able to predict what type of king the person would actually end up being. I ended up siding with Bhelon because I didn't like all the false propaganda Harrowmont was spreading about me with those criers, thinking he was just a corrupt jackass.Inziladun said:
Turned out to be totally wrong about the guy too and felt pretty bad for him when Bhelon made his first decision as king.
Inziladun said:
Get used to being served the background lore through the codex rather than dialogue. There were some letters and journals to be found iirc. I didn't read most of them, but there was sth about Balen poisoning his brother or somesuch and doing other nasty stuff.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,159
The Harrowmont ending goes something like:
Also, did I pick an extremely crappy origin (male city elf) or was the entire 'your origin will effect how the world and everybody responds to you!' complete bollocks? Very few NPCS took note of the fact that I was an elf and even fewer cared about it. Even the Dalish Elf clan you help barely said anything about me being an elf. The only thing that really seemed to change was the very small amount of time you spend in the alienage late in the game when it finally opens up in Denerim.
He isn't able to do much 'cos of continuing rebellion for Bhelon (yes, even though he's dead, people still fight in his name), Harrowmont continues to support the dwarfs' isolation from the rest of the world, and he is eventually assassinated which causes yet another war for the throne.
Also, did I pick an extremely crappy origin (male city elf) or was the entire 'your origin will effect how the world and everybody responds to you!' complete bollocks? Very few NPCS took note of the fact that I was an elf and even fewer cared about it. Even the Dalish Elf clan you help barely said anything about me being an elf. The only thing that really seemed to change was the very small amount of time you spend in the alienage late in the game when it finally opens up in Denerim.
Stereotypical Villain
Arcane
One thing that has been bugging me since i started playing: Where the hell can i unlock the arcane warrior (or what ever the hell it's called)?
Freelance Henchman
Arcane
Stereotypical Villain said:
There's an item in the werewolf lair/ruins that does it.
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