Dragon Age

[Storm Rider]

So it's basically the Max Payne model. Take 5 years to develop the first game, then churn out the sequel in a year.

[KvP]

A lot of games are like that, mainly because of engine building. A real, proper, functioning engine from scratch requires at least a year and a half of focused effort, usually 2 or 3.

[Storm Rider]

Yeah, I know. I was just being snide.

[Johnny C]

Two years, Byran you dick.

[Johnny C]

Also - and I just want to be clear - are you dissing Bioware for making sequels more quickly?

[Storm Rider]

Dragon Age came out in November of 2009. If Dragon Age 2 comes out in February of 2011, that makes it 15 months since the release of the first game.

And no, that's not a diss of their current development cycle, it's more of me mocking how it took them 6 years to finally get the first game finished. Although I do think that Mass Effect 2 makes it a lot harder for me to go back to Dragon Age in retrospect.

[Ozymandias]

ME2 is just a superior game all around to basically any other action RPG ever.

I can't play ME1, FO3, or Dragon Age anymore just because they're not ME2.

[Scandanavian War Machine]

Yeah, I'm with ya on that one, Ozy.

I mean, I could go back and play F3 because it's just different enough to not quite be comparable, but I traded in Dragon Age (without even ever beating the damn thing!) because I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to it.

[Tom]

Alrighty, so I should play those first before I play ME2 so I don't ruin them for myself?

[KvP]

Depends. ME2 and Dragon Age are very different games. ME2 is a a third-person action RPG. Dragon Age is a traditional party-based tactical RPG. I like ME2 more than DA not because I think it's a better RPG in some sort of technical sense, but because I found the setting and plot of Dragon Age to be pretty boring, and I strongly disliked the party influence system, which has been compared by a lot of people to a dating sim. In terms of sheer stimulation ME2 is more involved. But your actual preference may result from whether you like sci-fi or fantasy more (I like the former), whether you like to control your entire party or just your main character, whether you like third-person shooter combat or more tactical combat, whether you like full VA for the player character, etc.

[Storm Rider]

That's what put me off of DA in comparison to ME most significantly: it felt really really weird to have my character not say anything anymore. I know that the potential player characters in DA are much more diverse than ME, but I think that having the main character be fully voiced adds a huge amount to those games.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

and I strongly disliked the party influence system, which has been compared by a lot of people to a dating sim.

I just started playing Dragon Age yesterday, and have quickly become frustrated with the withering looks I get from Morrigan every time I rescue a cat from a tree and what not.  You'd think this is something she'd get used to, but no, whenever I try and do something nice for someone else she takes it as some kind of personal insult.

I like the idea of the mechanic more than I like its actual execution.

[KvP]

I don't really mind an influence system, in fact I think it's something that more RPGs ought to implement. It's just that the "gifting" mechanic is specifically designed to, if gamed just right, essentially cancel out whatever mistakes you might actually have to feel the consequences of w/r/t influence. The only characters who weren't at +85 influence with me at the end of the game were the characters I didn't even bother with - the old woman, the stoic giant, and the fey elf.

[LTK]

and I strongly disliked the party influence system, which has been compared by a lot of people to a dating sim.

I just started playing Dragon Age yesterday, and have quickly become frustrated with the withering looks I get from Morrigan every time I rescue a cat from a tree and what not.  You'd think this is something she'd get used to, but no, whenever I try and do something nice for someone else she takes it as some kind of personal insult.

I like the idea of the mechanic more than I like its actual execution.

Don't worry, she'll soften up eventually. You get a lot of crap from her in Lothering but for the rest she won't nag on you as much. Besides, it doesn't matter much what they think of your actions, because that'll be nullified by what you can gain in gifts and camp dialogue. Just tell them what they like to hear. I've been playing like the pope would and I romanced Morrigan nonetheless.

[snalin]

playing like the pope would

Does this mean killing every mage you come over? Since that's what the pope would do, if he hadn't just burned the DVD in the first place.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

Also is this game supposed to be incredibly hard, because I am dying at least one for every single goddamn fight.

For some of the bigger encounters I just end up lowering the difficulty to easy, and the difference between that and normal is just so big it's ridiculous.

[Johnny C]

Not getting killed all the time takes a hefty amount of strategy and requires you to greatly consider the makeup of your party and the way you distribute attributes and skills.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

Well that explains it then, because my "strategy" usually consists of stabbin' stuff in the back as my main dude and switching to my party only for the purpose of healing.

Guess I'd better get acquainted with combat tactic slots and whatnot.

But damned if that quest to get the urn of Andraste's ashes didn't include one of the hardest dungeons I've ever had to get through in a video game.

[Zombiedude]

Oh it wasn't that hard.

[est]

If you think that's hard then you're fucked when you get back outside.

[LTK]

Hey, there's a patch out for Dragon Age. It's supposed to fix the long load times. The load times ARRRGGGGHHHH

Well that explains it then, because my "strategy" usually consists of stabbin' stuff in the back as my main dude and switching to my party only for the purpose of healing.

Guess I'd better get acquainted with combat tactic slots and whatnot.

But damned if that quest to get the urn of Andraste's ashes didn't include one of the hardest dungeons I've ever had to get through in a video game.

You've got Wynne, right? It's easier to just set healing and buffing to auto in the tactics. Heal, Group Heal, Regenerate, Rejuvenate, Heroic Offense, there are enough slots to fill up with all those abilities so you don't have to issue any orders. Myself, I chose only the Spirit Healer and the two top rows of Creation spells for healing and the rest for offensive and mana spells.

A question: Did any of you actively craft and use balms, poisons and traps in combat? I never saw any use in them, and I only used Morrigan's herbalism for health and mana potions. Frostrocks and deathroots and glamour charms were just crap clogging up my inventory, and the only instances where I used poison coating was with Zevran, just because I had to do something with all of them. It made things die slightly quicker but it was never the deciding factor.

Also: I thought it was pretty funny that the Denerim guards were fooled by my guard disguise, but remained completely oblivious to my glowing blue and lightning arcing starmetal sword and Redcliffe shield.

[KvP]

As a melee rogue, poisons can make a lot of difference.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

You've got Wynne, right?

Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh...

[snalin]

uuuuh?

Are you doing Andraste's ashes before you've finished the alliance quests? Unless the "Uuuuuhhhh" is about "why should I care about an old bitch", you should go to the tower of magi first. A healer npc is neeeeeded for this game, so if you have her, use her, or respec Morrigan if you only want one mage around.

You also need to know how to tank, how to crowd control, and how to prioritize whom to target. After that, things get fairly easy.

And if you're having troubles with the dungeon before the ashes, you won't have a chance in hell against the boss.

[LTK]

You also need to know how to tank, how to crowd control, and how to prioritize whom to target. After that, things get fairly easy.

I have no idea what you just said, but in spite of that I was able to hold my own in combat fairly well. You learn as you go.

Anyway, I just finished the game as a male human noble warrior with shield skills and templar/champion specializations. Man, did that make an awesome looking character: Warden Commander Armor set, Helm of Honnleath, Starfang and Duncan's Shield. I have to say, when you've spent half the game fighting undead, werewolves and demons, the darkspawn can be crushed like bugs. The archdemon gave me a bit of trouble, it killed Wynne, Morrigan and Zevran but I was able to finish him off on my own because I spammed crafting health potions earlier. The rest of the darkspawn that it summoned would have given me more trouble if the archdemon didn't keep killing them himself, so I could easily take out the remaining 1/6 of its health with regular attacks and Holy Smite.

Well, that was fun. Maybe I'll replay it in a year or two, I'd like to do a Dwarf commoner rogue or an elf mage.

[Alex C]

You also need to know how to tank, how to crowd control, and how to prioritize whom to target. After that, things get fairly easy.

I have no idea what you just said, but in spite of that I was able to hold my own in combat fairly well.

It means to ignore that silly cunt with the shield until everyone with pajamas, 2 handers or dual wielding is already dead.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

So I've been familiarizing myself with the elements of combat that aren't using special attacks 'til the stamina well runs dry and pressing A repeatedly.  It's created a noticeable increase in my ability to not die.

Also, I have Wynn now.  She is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

[snalin]

She gets better.

Then better again.

[LTK]

I gave her Mana Clash, holy damn.

[E. Spaceman]

i actually don't use Wynne at all, i gave Morrigan the spirit healer spec for mass healing and she serves me better. Plus Wynne is an unbearably boring character to have in yr party

[LTK]

Well, only if you never hear her talking to Zevran. Or Oghren.

[snalin]

Zevran and Wynne is the best combo ever. She's quite funny with Allistair as well, although it gets a bit bizarre when they two minutes after slaughtering their way through thirty bandits start talking about if she can iron his shirts. I guess you get kinda used to killing after a couple of hundreds, but that used to it?