Dragon Age: Origins thread II

[Guy Kilmore]

Eh, that can be said for just about any RPG game.

Zelda falls into that series. Legend of Dragoon, Ogre Battle 64, Most Final Fantasies, Golden Sun, almost every 3D platformer, hell GTA IV fits many pieces in that chart too.

Most fantasy has the similar structure, it's the motive behind the story that makes them fun to play.

Yeah, when I see things like that, I feel like people are missing the "why" things are going on and are just focusing on the "what".

[Relic]

the Circle of Magi thing is becoming frustrating. Not liking this fade bit at all. I've had a full inventory for a couple of hours now and there's no end to this in sight.

=(

[Ratty]

Right now I'm in orzamar and i can;t decide who to support based on the scant evidence for either candidate for the throne. I hear that you can support both sides for a while, but I'm not sure how to manage this.

[Guy Kilmore]

Right now I'm in orzamar and i can;t decide who to support based on the scant evidence for either candidate for the throne. I hear that you can support both sides for a while, but I'm not sure how to manage this.

If you want, the Dwarf Noble Origin reveals alot about what is going on.

SPOILER: Noble Dwarf Origin

Belan is the Dwarf Noble's brother and he got the throne by either manipulating/framing you into killing your older brother and disinherenting you. The other dude is the only one who tried to show you mercy and promises to counter Belan at every turn.

[Decius]

Right now I'm in orzamar and i can;t decide who to support based on the scant evidence for either candidate for the throne. I hear that you can support both sides for a while, but I'm not sure how to manage this.

SPOILER: Game ending

Well, the Prince is a real bastard, he is the one killing your brother and framing you in the Dwarven Noble Origin story - he also tries to start a rebellion if you don't back him. The other guy is a pretty decent and nice fellow and will step down willingly if you don't back him.

However, once you beat the game you see what your actions have wrought. If you back the Prince he will dissolve the Assembly and rule as tyrant, but he will be improve things for the castless and be a pretty decent ruler.

The other guy (can't remember his name) however will be a very conservative (as in "follow the old ways" and weak ruler, and there will be another civil war a few years later. Oh, and if you allowed the Chantry to establish itself in Ozimmar there will also be a religious uprising he can't quell to boot.

Basically there is no real good ending for the Dwarves.

[Slurktan]

Could use some help here

SPOILER: Issue

So I've just cleared Redcliffe and the Mage tower and now I see I've got a shitload of quests for Denerim with a few in the Alienage. However when I get there, the Alienage is apparently blocked off. Is there a way to get in there besides waiting for the later chapter of the game where it is required to go there? Seems odd to me that a quest you start in Lothering cannot be finished until the end of the game

[a wooden chair]

Could use some help here

SPOILER: Issue

So I've just cleared Redcliffe and the Mage tower and now I see I've got a shitload of quests for Denerim with a few in the Alienage. However when I get there, the Alienage is apparently blocked off. Is there a way to get in there besides waiting for the later chapter of the game where it is required to go there? Seems odd to me that a quest you start in Lothering cannot be finished until the end of the game

Sadly that's exactly how it is. You'll need to wait for later once the Alienage is open to you, and you'll know when because someone will actually tell you "Go to the Alienage".

On the upside I beat the game for my first time after about 30 hours of play on Normal. Party was my human noble fighter (Berserker/Champion) who used two-handers, Alistair as a Templar/Champion tank, Wynn as a Spirit Healer / Arcane warrior, and my trusty Maxbari who will always show my character love and adoration no matter what he does.

As I gushed before I love this game. The character interactions I got to deal with on my first playthrough are fantastic, especially when you team the whining Alistair with the doting grandmotherly Wynn.. although she and Oghrim have some great conversations too when I had to drag him around the deep roads.

The cons I've run into after a full playthrough are this..

1) Load Times: Holy crap, so many loads and often for just 20 seconds of scripted scene (I refuse to say cinematics as it isn't cinema and it uses the in game engine), and often times the loads would take upwards of 5-6 minutes for my computer. Strangely enough everything else jacked up to maximum ran just fine on my dated 3 year old POS EXCEPT the load times..

2) Couple bugged quests that wouldn't finish: Ran into a few that bugged and wouldn't let me finish due to letting me leave an area before the cutscene kicked in etc. I'll see if it happens again on my second playthrough..

3) Hard to navigate some conversations: Not so much a con as it is frustrating and I've got to spoiler where I ran into this.

SPOILER: Convo Navigation. This -WILL- spoil parts of the Landsmeet if you read it.

I got the Queen and Alistair to agree to marry but could not get this to stick during the Landsmeet. I acquired so much ammo to use against Loghain and didn't get to use it all OR manage to get Alistair or the Queen to marry after they agreed to it. Conversation options that seeminly said the exact same thing either made the landsmeet outright fail, or work in my favor, but that hardly makes sense for some of it. Saying "She speaks the truth" as opposed to "her father is crazy" even after she just stated as much gives you a vastly different outcome than the other.

Starting my second full run-through next as a bloodmage that wants to ruin the world, and then a final third entire playthrough as a rogue after that.

[gladius]

I'm almost at the end of DUNGEON Age. :|

I'm not even trying anymore. I changed the difficulty to easy and I'm playing on autopilot just to see the ending. Too bad, because a few quests are really awesome and the decisions and confrontations before the final battle are very interesting. A potentially great game ruined by lazy designers.

My party for most of the game: Alistair, Male human fighter (me), Wynne, Morrigan

[stupidguy]

How does this compare to Fallout 3 in terms of funnitude?

[a wooden chair]

I'm enjoying this game as much as I enjoyed Fallout 1 & 2, which I both enjoyed far more than Fallout 3.

Also, anyone get Oberyn Martell vs Gregor vibes during the Ogre finisher animation? How I wish they put in more than 4 types of combat manuevers for humans.

That's another minor gripe I could overlook if it didn't break the beautiful immersion of playing this game for me. I've got a Dragonbone Harness encased killing machine with a two-handed sword that has a DBZ power level so off the charts it isn't even rated with a "Teir" ..and he swings it like a hammer. Not to mention that time he IMPALED a High Dragon through the skull with a big ol' Chasind War Maul. Badass sure, but not very clipping friendly.

Maybe in the future they will release battle animation & finisher updates so you swing maces, axes, swords, greatswords, greataxes, and mauls differently. I can see how cutting corners there would have saved them much time and effort but for a nerd like me it makes many of those scenes where I want to whoop and talk shit at the computer fall up short.

[Winterfell]

Ok, I'm about 20 hours in, going through the Circle of Magi. Anyway, my question is probably found somewhere in the Codex, but I thought someone here might know. What characters/classes can use the various crystals you find throughout the game? Is there a plot point that allows these to be equipped? If so, that's fine, I'll just wait it out. Otherwise, I would just like to know... they are taking up some precious space in my inventory and I'm too poor to afford a backpack yet.

[Ratty]

If you mean the flawed/chipped/Clear/Flawless Crystals in FIre. Ice and Nature etc colours then they are upgrades for Shale the Dwarven war golem you get from the Stone prisoner DLC.

[Winterfell]

If you mean the flawed/chipped/Clear/Flawless Crystals in FIre. Ice and Nature etc colours then they are upgrades for Shale the Dwarven war golem you get from the Stone prisoner DLC.

Ah, many thanks... I haven't done that quest yet... probably should've done it toward the beginning!

[Decius]

Ah, many thanks... I haven't done that quest yet... probably should've done it toward the beginning!

You should, not only is Shale awesome gameplay-wise (great tank), but also a very interesting character storywise/interactionwise. It trying to get Morrigan to teach it Shapeshifting is pretty funny.

[Galactus]

I need to get that DLC. Oh well, I suppose it is for my second playthrough...

[Slurktan]

So it's official: Mages make the game too damn easy. I was running with a Morrigan/Wynne combo for a bit with my Rogue and whatever I felt like bringing but its just too easy. Cone of cold is just way too overpowered especially with the rock spell which kills frozen dudes in one hit. So now I'm running my Rogue with Wynne, Lelianna, and either the Dog or Allistair. One mage brings the difficulty back a bit as generally she is too busy healing to attack stuff. Surprisingly the Archer rogue is proving to be very, very effective.

[gladius]

Finished.

I don't know what to think. I guess I like the story and characters and that is somewhat more important than level design. I'll have to keep the final save, it's obvious that there will be a sequel.

Edited to add:

I'm pathetic, i can't believe I'm crying because a small part of the ending can't go as i want.

[Galactus]

Incidentally, I just learned that ME2 is coming already for the PC too in late Jan/early feb. This will be a good time for RPG's!

[a wooden chair]

Finished.

I don't know what to think. I guess I like the story and characters and that is somewhat more important than level design. I'll have to keep the final save, it's obvious that there will be a sequel.

Edited to add:

I'm pathetic, i can't believe I'm crying because a small part of the ending can't go as i want.

I think that goes to show just how much better this game is (Not perfect, nothing is) in terms of getting you attached to the characters than some others. I haven't had this much emotional investment in a game since when I was younger and it was easier to get attached and immersed into these things. I think it's the fact that Dragon Age for all of its flaws draws you more in like a novel length choose your own adventure book, while most other games released focus more on a flashy hardback cover and illustration and less on the story.

One can only hope they used what they learned from ME and Dragon Age to make ME2 more character driven and gripping than the snoozefest psuedo-fps ME was.

[gladius]

Some final thoughts.

I liked the characters, story and there are some excellent quests

I dislike the fact that you spend more the 80% of the time in dungeons that look and feel more or less the same (enter room, a horde spawns from nothing, kill, move to the next room). There is no place that astonishes you, when you see it for the first time.

I'd give it 7,5 or 8- out of 10.

I almost never replay games, and this won't be an exception. I can't play as evil because i find it stupid and I can't play as a lawfully good idiot that doesn't compromise. (why Alistair, why? :( )