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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Gaming The Inquisition's Here and It's Here To Stay: The Dragon Age Series

Discussion in 'Community' started by DocRevan, Jul 13, 2008.

  1. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2002
    I wanted to buy it when I heard the words "Bioware RPG". :p
     
  2. -polymath-

    -polymath- SFF:F/TV Trivia Host star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Jun 7, 2007
    Indeed...indeed. ;)
     
  3. Aragorn327

    Aragorn327 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    [image=http://www.tssznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/boxart02.jpg]

    :p
     
  4. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2002
    ^ The exception that proves the rule.
     
  5. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    BioWare are the video game equivalent of the Coen Brothers for me right now. When they come out with something, I buy it.

    Also:

    Absolutely phenomenal cut scene up over at Destructoid.

    It's great that we'll be getting "The Warden's Keep" DLC expansion right on launch day, too. Six new abilities, new items, and a base where players can trade with merchants, for 560 Microsoft points (or $7). The primary content for this game was finalized a long time ago (most likely in the spring), because the last 3-5 months of a game are testing for bug-errors, framerate, etc., and physically manufacturing the game. Therefore, there hasn't been any new content made since like June. So BioWare then has four options: Pay all the designers to do nothing while the game is tested and debugged; move them to other projects; fire them all; or put them to work on new content that -- since the content for the game has already gotten finalized -- will logically be DLC.

    Personally, I like the DLC option over firing people, or paying them for nothing. And it's been confirmed that they'll be supporting this game over the next two years with further expansions. Win-win.


    EDIT: Looks like all three LCE editions (PS3, Xbox 360, and PC) are now completely sold out on Amazon.
     
  6. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    I'm totally done with collector editions, no matter how many bells and whistles they throw in it. It's not the price, it's just that I don't think I've ever used or cared about the extra content once I get the game, be it physical or virtual.

    Plus all the large cardboard, tin and plastic boxes take up too much room.

    /rant
     
  7. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2002
    100% agree. I've never once been even slightly interested in purchasing one.
     
  8. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    I don't have a problem with this. I love seeing a game supported after it's done, and it looks like Dragon Age will have some long legs with DLC.
     
  9. Aragorn327

    Aragorn327 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    Character creator's up on File Planet.
     
  10. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    Downloading!
     
  11. Aragorn327

    Aragorn327 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    I ended up having an annoying glitchy artifact over about a quarter of my character, so 360 version it is!
     
  12. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    Looks all right on mine.. not had much of a play since I had to fly out the door to work.

    The facial models are a step up from Mass Effect at least.
     
  13. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    Direct link to the Character Creator. BioWare's site was getting absolutely mobbed earlier today. No registration necessary, at least for downloading.

    This CC is a nice tool, not too difficult to use, and not a lot of time is needed to create some real good-looking characters. I like the utility of it -- it's much easier to make a good-looking character without having to spend an extra hour tweaking things, like in certain games whose titles rhyme with "Oblivion." I had kinda hoped for more hairstyles. There are actually some male hairstyles that would work for women, too. Could've more options in a few areas, but overall it's pretty damn good. That you can finally turn the head completely around really helps. The limited rotation in Mass Effect was annoying. Though I can't make out the eye colors...they all just look "black" to me. Is anyone else having that problem? Also, there's no slider to specify how far out the mouth sticks. Everyone looks like they have something stuck behind their top lip.


    Not me...all the extra DLC alone in this one is gonna make it worth it. Plus, as most folks who bought the Mass Effect LCE will surely testify, it was jam-packed with interesting BTS information, both in print form and on the bonus DVD. As someone who's a major BioWare groupie these days, getting that inside look into their creative process was worth the extra ten bucks. Now, for some other games...agreed, their LCEs suck. But given the pedigree, I think this one's gonna be well worth the upgrade.
     
  14. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    Oh yeah, I love behind the scenes docs for games. Working in software development I find it really interesting. Once I realised they almost always end up on YouTube though, buying the LCE became a lot less appealing.
     
  15. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    wowza... seems like my computer'll actually run it. amazing. utterly amazing.
     
  16. Handmaiden Yané

    Handmaiden Yané Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2002
    Haha, so is it lame that I'm kind of upset that main character doesn't have a voice-actor and that his/her words are just text? :p

    I got so spoiled with Mass Effect...
     
  17. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    Really? You get to choose your character's voice in the character creator. I wonder what that's for. [face_thinking]

    Here's my first attempt:

    [image=http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/MedievalSam/games/DAOCharacterCreator2009-10-1417--1.jpg]

    [image=http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/MedievalSam/games/DAOCharacterCreator2009-10-1417-19-.jpg]

    Went for the rogue for the archery and poison abilities mainly. I usually need to play the game for a few minutes to get a feel for the combat before I create my "real" character. I hope the archery is good.
     
  18. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2002
    If it's anything like Neverwinter Nights or Baldur's Gate it will be used when you are in combat. Screams, casting spells, attacks, etc.
     
  19. Aragorn327

    Aragorn327 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    ODST's Rookie strikes again!
     
  20. zacparis

    zacparis VIP star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2003
    That's a shame. Although I suppose that means they can squeeze in more dialogue options, I did read somewhere BioWare saying this is still a "hardcore" RPG.
     
  21. Handmaiden Yané

    Handmaiden Yané Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2002

    I don't know what you mean by this. [face_plain]



    I would be really excited if your character *did* get a voice...and not just for the simple combat yells or whatever.
     
  22. Aragorn327

    Aragorn327 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    In the new Halo, you play the Rookie...who is silent apart from the occasional grunt and such.
     
  23. Handmaiden Yané

    Handmaiden Yané Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2002
    Haha, Halo... :p
     
  24. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2002
    [face_shame_on_you] Link is the classic silent protagonist. None of the ODST crap.
     
  25. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    I actually managed to get the full facial-stubble working. Nice. Stumbled upon it by accident while making a Mage, but apparently choosing a different preset face to build on did the trick. Either that, or fiddling around with different beards during creation somehow messes with the stubble. At least with this new information I finally got my Human Noble to look like I wanted him to look.

    The tattoo bug still bothers me. Unless someone can confirm that despite what you may see when going to "Modify/Delete Character," the actual save you made of say, a Dalish Elf, still looks exactly how you saved it in the first place. Are the changed tattoos and portraits in the Modify/Delete Character function just an illusion, or would some of my characters actually have a different tattoo/portrait if were to (hypothetically) import them into the actual game?


    Yup...remember too that even though Morrowind featured only a small amount of voice-acting, it's certainly considered "hardcore" by anyone's measurement. Dragon Age looks extremely stat-heavy, combined with KotOR's control-system, which is music to my ears.

    It's pretty much the same thing as KotOR, except instead of being mouse-clicks on the PC version, it's a wheel on the 360/PS3 builds. Like, if I were to map "Stone Fist to the 'A' button," I'd press A, and my character performs the action on his own. In Mass Effect, you aim and shoot. In DA:eek:, you select a target and queue up an attack, and your character performs it on the target you selected on their own. It's real similar to the KotOR games (save for the fact that KotOR is turn-based, and DA:eek: is time-based).

    More little things I noticed from watching the gameplay videos:

    There's a hotkey on the screen to switch between two sets of weapons, which is great for me because I usually use a mix of ranged and close-quarter weapons. For example, I could have my two favorite swords on dual-wield for one set, then my best bow-and-arrows for the other set, and I could switch without going into my inventory.

    Also, bodies that have items to loot actually shimmer, so you don't have to waste time checking a body that has no equipment you can use. But I am kinda disappointed that you apparently can't take the weapons from the enemies you kill. That's one thing I hated about Fable. And I love that you can control any member of your party, and if your main character dies, you keep playing and just revive him after the battle.

    I also noticed that the cloth on the Mage seemed to burn longer than the leather and plate armor on the soldiers -- I don't know if the programming is that massively detailed to be able to take into account the types of material someone is wearing, and determine the effect of environmental damage to each individual, or if it was just coincidence. If it is that detailed, I can't wait to see how much effort they put into other areas of the game.

    Oh, and I really like the "Wisp" spell. It makes me pretty confident that the game will have some cool summoning spells.