Dragon Age: Origins thread II

[mvorman]

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.

That's a shame that you had to resort to setting the game difficulty to easy and beat the game that way, you missed out on a rarity noone has seen on the PC for a while: a classic, challenging, uncompromising RPG experience unseen since the old Baldur's Gate days. As satisfying as DA's writing and characters are, on a gaming context I can't tell you how refreshing it is to be confronted by a genuinely challenging RPG five years into the World of Warcraft casual gaming dark age. I started my first game set to hard and wiped repeatedly in the tower of Ishan and was compelled to learn how to manage and effectively plan each battle thoroughly. Halfway through my second campaign, I can honestly tell everyone that there is simply no more gratifying an RPG experience than Dragon Age except for Demons Souls on the PS3 (which I highly recommend).

For anyone having a hard time with the game's challenge, take time to learn and experiment with the character's tactics slots (for healers the "jump to tactic" conditional is a huge boon for looping through heals until all members are above 75% health for example) and make a habit of hitting the "H" key to put your party on "free" or "follow" mode then pausing the game frequently to give out specific targets/instructions.

Also keep in mind that rogues are potentially one of the most imbalanced classes in the game with clever use of traps, poisons and those ridiculously overpowered bombs. A lot of rogue players on the bioware forums lament how useless the rogues seem to be whilst never even bothering with poisons. Although all classes can (and should) learn poison and trap skills, no other class really has a compelling reason to raise their Cunning, which governs the effectiveness of traps and bombs.

I play on the PC and I'm told that pausing the game and managing the characters tactically is awkward and frustrating on consoles and that maybe the case, but I'd say give it a whirl anyway. There's a dearth of simplistic, easy and unrewarding RPGs out there (many of them from Bioware itself) and Dragon Age's combat has a depth that is as compelling as it is rare nowadays.

[Slurktan]

I'm not at home so I can't check but was just thinking today.... is there a "solo mode" button in this game like there was in KOTR? By that I mean so your person can run off by themselves instead of having the whole group clumsily following and hitting traps? I went through the Blood Mage house in Denerim last night and it was fricken annoying.

It's probably right there in the interface but I was too lazy to look last night.

[Relic]

I'm not at home so I can't check but was just thinking today.... is there a "solo mode" button in this game like there was in KOTR? By that I mean so your person can run off by themselves instead of having the whole group clumsily following and hitting traps? I went through the Blood Mage house in Denerim last night and it was fricken annoying.

It's probably right there in the interface but I was too lazy to look last night.

Hold Position is an option available on the console. You can't leave the area you are in without your party tho.

[kungtotte]

Yes, it's the right-hand button below the party member display (the left-hand button is "select all"). So hit the "select all" button, and then the hold button, and your party will stay put.

[amicoa]

Twenty hours in with a mage lvl 15 no second class yet, but still doing fine. playing on 360 and I gotta say the spell combos are FREAKIN AWSOME!

grease with fireball + firestorm is insane damage I think it killed Allister like 5 times and i have him on cautious.

[Odie]

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? :( )

If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, try to psyche yourself up for a replay as a female human noble. You'll still need a lot of Persuasion, though, to pull it off.

[Slurktan]

Thanks for the replies all, found that button and used it well.

So I'm just going through the caverns and does it strike anybody else just how much like Final Fantasy 12 DA:O is? The fights are fun, but the fifteenth time you do the exact same strategy in a row it just gets tedious.

[Third Knight on the Left]

That's a shame that you had to resort to setting the game difficulty to easy and beat the game that way, you missed out on a rarity noone has seen on the PC for a while: a classic, challenging, uncompromising RPG experience unseen since the old Baldur's Gate days. As satisfying as DA's writing and characters are, on a gaming context I can't tell you how refreshing it is to be confronted by a genuinely challenging RPG five years into the World of Warcraft casual gaming dark age. I started my first game set to hard and wiped repeatedly in the tower of Ishan and was compelled to learn how to manage and effectively plan each battle thoroughly. Halfway through my second campaign, I can honestly tell everyone that there is simply no more gratifying an RPG experience than Dragon Age except for Demons Souls on the PS3 (which I highly recommend).

For anyone having a hard time with the game's challenge, take time to learn and experiment with the character's tactics slots (for healers the "jump to tactic" conditional is a huge boon for looping through heals until all members are above 75% health for example) and make a habit of hitting the "H" key to put your party on "free" or "follow" mode then pausing the game frequently to give out specific targets/instructions.

Also keep in mind that rogues are potentially one of the most imbalanced classes in the game with clever use of traps, poisons and those ridiculously overpowered bombs. A lot of rogue players on the bioware forums lament how useless the rogues seem to be whilst never even bothering with poisons. Although all classes can (and should) learn poison and trap skills, no other class really has a compelling reason to raise their Cunning, which governs the effectiveness of traps and bombs.

I play on the PC and I'm told that pausing the game and managing the characters tactically is awkward and frustrating on consoles and that maybe the case, but I'd say give it a whirl anyway. There's a dearth of simplistic, easy and unrewarding RPGs out there (many of them from Bioware itself) and Dragon Age's combat has a depth that is as compelling as it is rare nowadays.

I like 99% of this post the other 1% is annoyingly ignorant.

[Ser Greguh]

I like 99% of this post the other 1% is annoyingly ignorant.

He's probably an EVE player, to whom the most complex and intricate of WOW battles are basically tutorial-level.

[Xanrn]

Well WoW is the MMORPG version of Mcdonalds, Pop Music and Dan Brown.

Its about as casual gaming you can get outside of a something nintendo makes for "all the family".

[Relic]

I'm having issues with my tactics.

My Tank has, in the first tactics line, "Target = Self: Any, Activate: Threaten" which should make him cast Threaten whenever he doesnt have it on. However, that does not work. He never uses threaten unless i do it manually. Any ideas?

[mvorman]

I like 99% of this post the other 1% is annoyingly ignorant.

"Ignorant", huh?

Which 1% of that post did you find uninformed and "ignorant" then? Incidentally, I DID play EVE but I left about a year ago but I STILL play WoW. If you feel that I overstated WoW's influence on PC, then I'd be interested in hearing whatever basis you may have for thinking that way. Because it would be wrong. In fact, it would be ignorant.

If you mean my suggestion on using tactics and traps/bombs, that would be even worse.

[Galactus]

Doing the Redcliff thing, and before reloading and having Jowan save Connor (okay, so he'll probably betray me again, still, he's my old friend from the Mage Tower! I have to give him a chance!) I went in myself (was going to check if Blood Mage was worth it) the fact that you can essentially pick demon-nookie as a reward (which seems to do absolutely nothing) was fun...

[Daeric]

I just absolutely love Alisters reaction to saving Connor by blood magic when you next go to camp, and the way that you can twist it around onto him feeling guilty!

[Galactus]

I acutally went and fetched the Circle, so I didn't have to use Blood Magic.

[a wooden chair]

I'm having issues with my tactics.

My Tank has, in the first tactics line, "Target = Self: Any, Activate: Threaten" which should make him cast Threaten whenever he doesnt have it on. However, that does not work. He never uses threaten unless i do it manually. Any ideas?

I've never run into this issue. What tactics setting are you using? I've never dabbled in custom tactics but setting Alistair to Defensive tactics with an aggressive posture (I prefer my tank charging ahead instead of staying right on my arse like he would in defense posture) garauntees he always has it on, and if he doesn't it gets turned on as soon as combat starts.

If a PC dies I think they don't bother activating anything automatically until the next fight. Maybe set him to defensive tactics and compare how it's automatically set up to your custom tactical build?

[Merentha]

My Tank has, in the first tactics line, "Target = Self: Any, Activate: Threaten" which should make him cast Threaten whenever he doesnt have it on. However, that does not work. He never uses threaten unless i do it manually. Any ideas?

I'm not sure why that isn't working, but if you always want threaten on, you could save yourself the tactic slot and turn it on manually. It will stay between battles, so just activate it and use the tactic for something else.

[Tobin]

SPOILER: ANSWER

It is entirely dependent on your origin. In the Human Noble origin you actually start with the dog where in every other origin you save the dog and get him later after the battle routine.

I almost want to start a thread on what people have been naming their dogs. My house has a german shepard / bernese mountain dog mix named Max who reminds me very much of the dogs in game. So much so that I named him Maxbari and feel guilty whenever I give the in game dog attention at the expense of the real dog.

I pulled from Watership Down and named him BigWig, :/

If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, try to psyche yourself up for a replay as a female human noble. You'll still need a lot of Persuasion, though, to pull it off.

*starts stockpiling shiney trinkets and buffing Persuasion*

I'm running a human mage and had some trouble off and on. The computer definitely plays my girl better than I do in some places, so I've been hijacking the rogue or dog. This backfires occassionally as the computer seems to enjoy casting 'burning hands' in the middle of the party if I don't keep her out of mana, :bang:

I agree the game is kinda difficult if you're not playing it safe. There have been several times I've run around like a scared little girl stopping only long enough to suck a potion or cast a frost spell.

I'm stuck on the succy and her cabanna boys at the moment, but I did better in the last fight. I have a few of those acid bombs and hucked one in the middle to take some of her shine off.

As for the interface, I didn't have any trouble at all - I played NWN2-Mask, so it was almost identical.

I love the dialog. Since I married a man who is also addicted to sarcasam, I'm pretty much guaranteed to think Alistair should be dressed in chocolate sauce.

Is anyone else having money issues? I seem to be perpetually broke, :(

I've also noticed an unnatural number of familiar names:

Alistair (Allister Thorne, only sexier)

Illiana (Lyanna)

Jory (Jory)

Daveth (Davos)

When I saw the king I said: "Jamie!"

EDIT: because my grammar sucked this morning.

[mvorman]

Alistair (Allister Thorne, only sexier)

Illiana (Lyanna)

Jory (Jory)

Daveth (Davos)

When I saw the king I said: "Jamie!"

EDIT: because my grammar sucked this morning.

Yeah in addition to some of the names and titles ("Ser") a lot of the themes and organizations from a song of ice and fire made it into Dragon Age. Along with the Grey Wardens being basically ASoIaF's Night's Watch, here's a short list of the others:

Antivan Crows (Zhevran)--- The Faceless Men,, Zhevran sells them short but the comparison of Antiva to Bravos is pretty unmistakable, down to the city's canals and legendary byzantine politics.

The Berasaad (Sten) --- The Unsullied. Sten sets this up real slow and I didnt figure it out till my 2nd campaign and I took sten along for my "evil" character. The Berasaad are the qunaari elite warrior slaves and they're conditioned to think and behave much like the unsullied. There's even a suggestion in the game that they had to strangle their own puppies too (like the unsullied).

For many of them you have to really get to know the characters and befriend them (90%+) to open up their companion quests, but thats worthwhile for just about everyone in the game. As much as I love DA:O I kinda wish they had rolled up a genuine ASoIaF game instead. The things I enjoy most about ASoIaF is the absence of traditional high fantasy tropes like dwarves and elves.

Maybe Bioware could have made something like KOTOR, a distant prequel for ASoIaF, set a few hundred years before the events in A Game of Thrones where the player lives through the tumultuous years of the Targaryen invasion.

[Young Wolf]

Plot questions:

Curious, and you can spoiler the answer if you want, what is the story line if you chose a mage?

SPOILER: human rogue

I know for human rogue you get the whole joining the Grey Wardens angle, but Im not sure how that would work for a mage. Im guessing you join the Circle and help out the GWs after Ostagar?