Dragon Age: Origins

Maximilian

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

I've the box sitting here on my desk, waiting for the ol' Christmas holidays to come around.
Though it is proving difficult to resist the more I hear others going on about it.

Why do that to yourself Rev? It's great. Feels more like BG than Neverwinter Nights. Really enjoying it.

nesf

Tragedy wrote: »

BG1 and BG2, in terms of the main quest, were linear to the hilt. However, how each zone/area was presented(in the first half of the games anyway) were very open.

I mean, you start off BG2 in Athkatla, a huge sprawling city almost any of which you can explore from the start. Very different from Denerim, which is one small market place and a couple of back alleys.

Know what I mean? It's still fun, but I enjoy the other approach more. The city feels more real and vibrant, which helps when getting sucked into an RPG.

And if you compare Redcliffe to ... cant remember the name of the town being assaulted by animals. Anyhoo, both are the same general idea but the town in BG2 has much more to see and do - but probably the same amount of quests.

Has anyone compared it to a patched NWN2 yet?

I know what you mean. I honestly didn't find it bothered me when playing. I mean there is a lot of depth to that one small marketplace in Denerim, it's very dense quest wise while most of Athkatla was such side streets with little in them. I'm not sure if actually having to navigate through a complicated Denerim to find the back alleys to do the quests would be more fun tbh (and I know you're not actually suggesting this kind of "realism").

I suppose for me it's shaped by my pen & paper experiences, i.e. episodic action with quick "loading screens" between zones rather than the kind of marathon running around one had to do in Morrowind. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Morrowind but it never really grabbed me in the same way as DA has and I'd put that partially down to the linear/tightly woven plot elements that kept it feeling like the main story was going the whole time.

Tragedy

I found every inch of Athkatla was used by quest designers, every building that had a door(in general) had a purpose. The Denerim marketplace was: One empty warehouse, one very small tavern, two(?) traders - and I think that's it? It had a handful of NPC's to talk to, and every single quest in the zone was a fairly generic - coulda been taken from WoW - quest.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing as I enjoy quests like that, but imho it isn't anywhere close to be a spiritual successor to BG2. It's more like a successor to NWN than anything else!

nesf

I can see where you're coming from, sometimes it felt like WoW with a quest helper and no one camping mobs. That said, it really didn't bother me because it never felt like a grind.

I suppose in these games I look for two things. Challenging tactical combat at higher difficulty levels and a good story to be told to me. I'm fairly happy on both counts. A more open ended gaming experience would have been nice but the set piece nature of this made for more interesting fights and less plot holes (though I imagine I could find plenty if I cared to look).

anonymous_joe

nesf wrote: »

Just take a step back from the fight and think about tactics. Is kiting them an option? (Grab aggro with the tank and run around the room letting ranged dps nuke the target) Can you pull them around a corner so you can get rid of some of the melee dps before the boss mob can get to you. Have you tried getting Force Field for your Mage and casting it on the tank after the tank has aggro?

And so on.

The game is so much fun on Hard btw, I'm looking forward to Nightmare!

The spikes are a pain though, but only because of the need for tactics which often aren't that obvious.

As an ex-WoW raider I loathe tanking and love DPS with a mild fondness for healing. I really found that I'd have preferred a more indepth version of one rather than having to do all at once. Also, bosses without threat meters feels weird.

Raphael wrote: »

Mobs in MW didn't level with you, that was just Oblivion.

Aye, which at times was a pain in the arse when you walked into the wrong dungeon. :pac:

I did love coming back for revenge.

Tragedy wrote: »

BG1 and BG2, in terms of the main quest, were linear to the hilt. However, how each zone/area was presented(in the first half of the games anyway) were very open.

I mean, you start off BG2 in Athkatla, a huge sprawling city almost any of which you can explore from the start. Very different from Denerim, which is one small market place and a couple of back alleys.

Know what I mean? It's still fun, but I enjoy the other approach more. The city feels more real and vibrant, which helps when getting sucked into an RPG.

And if you compare Redcliffe to ... cant remember the name of the town being assaulted by animals. Anyhoo, both are the same general idea but the town in BG2 has much more to see and do - but probably the same amount of quests.

Has anyone compared it to a patched NWN2 yet?

In fairness a lot of emphasis on shineh visuals and less on gameplay at times.

Then again, just how long was BG2? 200 hours?

Rev Hellfire

Maximilian wrote: »

Why do that to yourself Rev? It's great. Feels more like BG than Neverwinter Nights. Really enjoying it.

Other than been a masochist

I am wondering...

Tragedy

anonymous_joe wrote: »

In fairness a lot of emphasis on shineh visuals and less on gameplay at times.

Then again, just how long was BG2? 200 hours?

God knows to tell the truth, there was so much ancilliary stuff to soak up in BG2 that you could power through if you wanted, or spend hours doing/reading.

Maximilian

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

Other than been a masochist

I am wondering...

Seriously, as a game it feels like BG3.

Rev Hellfire

Maximilian wrote: »

Seriously, as a game it feels like BG3.

I've caved...

Maximilian

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

I've caved...

Its for the best

Tragedy

Why do people keep calling it BG3? It's more like an alternative NWN2 to be honest. Feels more like a sequel to NWN than NWN2 does, and shares feck all with the way BG2 was presented as a game.

If i recall correctly, you loved NWN Rev

Rev Hellfire

Tragedy wrote: »

If i recall correctly, you loved NWN Rev

Indeed I do.
The multplayer aspect was key for it, the solo less so (not to say that there weren't some excellent solo modules). Which is why I think BG is a fairer comparison.

Kirby

humanji wrote: »

I tried doing that, but actually felt really bad when I was evil to people. It's a sad state of affairs when you can't even pretend to be evil.

I usually give my favourite RPG's a couple of run throughs as a goody two shoes guy, a bad guy, and a good guy where the ends justify the means....so I often enjoy being evil.

But I too am finding really difficult to be evil in this one. It's the only RPG where i've come accross this. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the dialogue or the voice acting....or the judgemental stares and scorn from your allies. In other games, you act evil and everybody just goes with the flow. In this, NPC's kind of bark at you.

I started out my mage on my first playthrough as a kind of Dark anti-hero. Needs of the many and all that. But I found myself wussing out and picking the good option due to guilt . Particularly, there is this bit in Redcliffe where

the blacksmith refuses to help the army with repairs because his daughter has been kidnapped into the keep. I just killed him and took the stashed stuff. Alistair wasn't pleased. Later, I ended up rescuing the daughter anyway.....and felt really guilty about it.

Suppose thats the sign of a good game.

Still on my first playthrough and really enjoying it. Picked a mage, and have Alistair as my tank, Morrigan as a damager/debuffer and Lelianna as an archer. It leaves me with only one melee so I rely heavily an Alistair to grab aggro.....but my mage also has heavy crowd control so it works.

With regards difficulty, I'm playing on normal and havent changed difficulties once. I've encountered a few road blocks along the way though. The quick save feature is a life saver. A few times I have had to replay an encounter 8 or 9 times until i get it right. But I like the challenge. The toughest bit so far was definately

when you are on the quest to get the Urn with the ashes in it. When you are in the gauntlet and have to fight shadow versions of your own party. That was hard. Got through it though

Very impressed with the game overall....and I'm not even finished yet. Bioware's stock keeps rising in my eyes. Can't wait for Mass Effect 2 being a huge fan of the first.

Tragedy

I'm playing Blood mage, with Alistair Wynne and Zevran.

Wynne earthquakes, I blizzard, fireball, tempest and blood boil.

Very rarely do enemies make it to melee

nesf

For anyone like me who wishes they could respec companions as to not be forced into bringing certain characters along during a replay of the game this mod will allow you to respec both their talents, skills and specialistions: http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14

anonymous_joe

Finished my first game today.

I rather enjoyed the ending I chose for myself. Lots of pathos and sequel potential.

Kenny_D

Can anyone tell me the price for the pc version in HMV and Gamestop please?

super_furry

Wonder what game EDGE were playing - they gave it 5/10.

C.D.

I think I have to stop reading this thread, absolutely dying to play it. Have bought a new GPU and overclocked my CPU in the hope that I'll be able to max everything out- alas I must wait till holidays before I cave!

I've seen retail copies online for ~€35, but Steam sell the digital deluxe edition for €55. Now I'm old school and love reading RPG manuals in bed (I know, I know...) and would prefer a boxed collector's edition (if they have one), but at the same time I want the DD content- specifically Warden's Keep.

Opinions please? Or am I entirely wrong about this and there is a retail copy with Warden's Keep?

And yes BG2! Arguably the most influential piece of media on my life- I've been waiting for Dragon Age for years..

Kenny_D

Just ordered the PC Version for €24 from littlewoods using the €15 voucher in bargain alerts. Lets hope they honour it

Rev Hellfire

C.D. wrote: »

I've seen retail copies online for ~€35, but Steam sell the digital deluxe edition for €55. Now I'm old school and love reading RPG manuals in bed (I know, I know...) and would prefer a boxed collector's edition (if they have one), but at the same time I want the DD content- specifically Warden's Keep.

Opinions please? Or am I entirely wrong about this and there is a retail copy with Warden's Keep?.

Get the retail copy and then buy the wardens keep with money you saved.
The online editions are a rip off imho

C.D.

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

Get the retail copy and then buy the wardens keep with money you saved.
The online editions are a rip off imho

Thanks, found this. I have been trying to avoid reading about it for obvious reasons, but I did not realise you could buy DLC's- hence the question!

Jilm

For people who preordered did you get the ring "Memory Band" DLC?

Rev Hellfire

C.D. wrote: »

Thanks, found this. I have been trying to avoid reading about it for obvious reasons, but I did not realise you could buy DLC's- hence the question!

fyi the wardens keep costs 6.51 euro.

goodlad

Jilm wrote: »

For people who preordered did you get the ring "Memory Band" DLC?

Yup

TelePaul

Lads, I have a tendency to ignore the other characters in my party. I don't give much thought to their kit or talents, aside from allocating points when they level up. Should I be?

goodlad

Absolutely you should.
It will make all the difference in hard fights.

TelePaul

goodlad wrote: »

Absolutely you should.
It will make all the difference in hard fights.

Ah okay, so play as like, Sten and Morrigan and so on?

nesf

TelePaul wrote: »

Lads, I have a tendency to ignore the other characters in my party. I don't give much thought to their kit or talents, aside from allocating points when they level up. Should I be?

Depends on the difficulty to be honest. The easier the difficulty the more you can ignore them though honestly you should gear them up because otherwise you'll have no use for the vast majority of gear you pick up!

goodlad

TelePaul wrote: »

Ah okay, so play as like, Sten and Morrigan and so on?

While you do have essentially your "main" character.
When it comes to gearing up give attention to all chars your using as if they were your main.

You wont survive the hard fights in the game with only one character in good gear and with proper skills.