Dragon Age 2 official announcement

[WrightOfWay]

Some more info from a guy who read the article in "Game Informer" magazine.

Can you link where you got that? I'm curious whether anything else was said

[Jurus]

Link

[Deluge]

Huh. Sounds like a weird bastardization of Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fable and The Name of the Wind. I'll still check it out, but I have some concerns.

[Mackaxx]

Huh. Sounds like a weird bastardization of Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fable and The Name of the Wind. I'll still check it out, but I have some concerns.

Sounds like early marketing to me. I'd wait the year and a bit until the thing hits to judge. Most things will be different and not worth having whined about.

[Jurus]

Full scans of the article here

[Tobin]

Full scans of the article here

They're not at that link anymore, but I found them on another site.

Not sure I like the art changes (battle scenes), looks....lower quality to me somehow.

Not thrilled with the character limitations, but I understand that the ME style works for them.

I never minded the "silent PC" - let me have my own voice in my head for conversations.

[Mackaxx]

Not sure I like the art changes (battle scenes), looks....lower quality to me somehow.

It certainly is but I'm fairly certain its just because the shots are from a game tahts not there yet in terms of development. Everything is very very sparse too in the sets the scenes are taking place in. Makes me think the release date may be a touch ambitious but who knows, maybe that bits easy.

[Tobin]

Hope you're right Mac, :(

I'm doing another HNoble playthrough - this time with the Ser Gilmore NPC mod (player made).

They did a really good job, almost pro level. Only one convo bug, but that's it so far.

I've been dragging Rory around with me everywhere and they've built cut scenes/convos for him nearly to the degree of Alistair (he even gets his own Fade episode, but it's just him crying about being alone). I've been working steadily toward the romance option they have for him, but I'm at nearly 80 and he's still playing a little hard to get...

There is a point where he asks if you have been able to relax and do your 'favorite passtime'. There are about 6 responses that range from singing, to journal writing, to 'weapons are all I need!' I said something about painting, but not having the supplies. A few 'nights' later, he stops me in camp and says: "close your eyes and hold out your hand" and gives me a watercolor set with brushes and paper. I actually blushed, it was so silly!

[DemonKing]

It seems like a step backwards for me to go from the (albeit fairly minimal) options in Dragon age to limiting you to a human, voiced character with an emotion wheel to respond to dialog.

It's clear why they do it - it's simply quicker and easier to design a game when you know everyone is going to have the same race/background but I hate how it's delivered to players as if it is a "feature".

I hope they don't take any further ME2 "innovations" on board - that game was clearly constructed so that individual designers could go off and come up with a bunch of unrelated content which could then be shoe-horned into the full game. The actually main quest line could probably have been completed in <5 hours!

I guess the problem is with EA ruling the roost now constant expansions/sequels are expected and this is the only way they can produce them to schedule.

[Wras]

Intrigued that the story line will take place over "a decade".

Let's hope they don't do it the same way Assassin's Creed 2 did :P

The thing I loved so much about Dragon Age is that it had the feel of an MMORPG, while just being an RPG, so it satisfied my itch to play in a big fantasy world, but it was still single player. I know, doesn't make much sense, but there it is.

What I'd like to see, if at all possible, is just more. Massive worlds, more places to go, bigger maps for areas (and not just have it cut in half as in 'here's the city, here's the big sprawling dungeon'.) Just... more. But realistically I'd like more armor. I liked that you weren't just going to find 'sexy chestplate of the BAMF' in a random barrel around the world- you had to work for it- but so few of the armor sets outside of DLC looked interesting. Leliana looks best in either her default robes or Leather Armor; this shouldn't be the case.

And, as said, I want my choices to make a difference enough that I feel bad for impacting the world in the wrong way. I want the way the world is shaped, literally, to be different if I do A or B. But that's just me. DA:O is one of my favorite games ever, and I am not ashamed of admitting I'm a fanboy, so bring on DA2!

[Centrist Simon Steele]

My only hope for this game is that they make it good this time. The last one sucked balls.

On a side note, anyone else hate the Mass Effect wheel because you were hitting X to get through conversations then the wheel pops up and X chooses whatever option the wheel was sitting on? Pisses me off! It's an easy fix. A selects the choice, X skips dialogue. Come on Bioware quit making shitty shit.

[Tobin]

My only hope for this game is that they make it good this time. The last one sucked balls.

On a side note, anyone else hate the Mass Effect wheel because you were hitting X to get through conversations then the wheel pops up and X chooses whatever option the wheel was sitting on? Pisses me off! It's an easy fix. A selects the choice, X skips dialogue. Come on Bioware quit making shitty shit.

Well, they said that they learned from their mistakes - so they're building console and PC versions at the same time instead of doing a port.

The PC version of DA2 should have the same basic control set as the current, but the console is getting revamped to make it more fluid and natural feeling.

[HP Loveshaft]

But realistically I'd like more armor. I liked that you weren't just going to find 'sexy chestplate of the BAMF' in a random barrel around the world- you had to work for it- but so few of the armor sets outside of DLC looked interesting. Leliana looks best in either her default robes or Leather Armor; this shouldn't be the case.

I thought Leliana looked pretty awesome in the Ancient Elven Armor. That being said, more armor would be nice. I guess they made a conscious choice to not have armor be too outlandish (outside of the DLC), but I enjoy the crazy WoW style armor. I think there are a lot of armor mods out now, I'll have to try some out for my next playthrough.

[Daeric]

Well, they said that they learned from their mistakes - so they're building console and PC versions at the same time instead of doing a port.

The PC version of DA2 should have the same basic control set as the current, but the console is getting revamped to make it more fluid and natural feeling.

I get the feeling I'm going to have to get the console version as my computer could just run DA and I can't afford to update it, saying that my xbox 360 could do with a decent game bought for it.

[Tobin]

Meh, I would still stick with the PC version - consoles miss out on player mods, and a number of them have been cool/fun/useful.

[Brandon Stark]

After Awakenings, as long as -any- ending from DA:O will be compatible if they're allowing imports, I'll be happy.

[Jurus]

I hope they don't take any further ME2 "innovations" on board - that game was clearly constructed so that individual designers could go off and come up with a bunch of unrelated content which could then be shoe-horned into the full game.

Because DAO didn't have any DLCs, right?

The actually main quest line could probably have been completed in <5 hours!

Which is the case in most games with sidequests including DAO. But ME could not be finished in five hours and I doubt ME2 could (I don't remember if recruiting is essential for the story progression). But even if it could be done, most of the characters including Shepard would die story-wise.

I guess the problem is with EA ruling the roost now constant expansions/sequels are expected and this is the only way they can produce them to schedule.

In popular game franchises sequels are always expected.

I loved so much about Dragon Age is that it had the feel of an MMORPG, while just being an RPG, so it satisfied my itch to play in a big fantasy world, but it was still single player. I know, doesn't make much sense, but there it is. What I'd like to see, if at all possible, is just more. Massive worlds, more places to go, bigger maps for areas (and not just have it cut in half as in 'here's the city, here's the big sprawling dungeon'.) Just... more.

DAO is not an open world game and most likely never will be.

Leliana looks best in either her default robes or Leather Armor;

Actually she looks best if you remove all her armor and let here walk around in her underwear :D

On a side note, anyone else hate the Mass Effect wheel because you were hitting X to get through conversations then the wheel pops up and X chooses whatever option the wheel was sitting on? Pisses me off! It's an easy fix. A selects the choice, X skips dialogue. Come on Bioware quit making shitty shit.

You just have to learn to do it properly. I only skipped the dialogue when I loaded a game and only twice it happened that by skipping I chose an answer.

[Odie]

It seems like a step backwards for me to go from the (albeit fairly minimal) options in Dragon age to limiting you to a human, voiced character with an emotion wheel to respond to dialog.

It's clear why they do it - it's simply quicker and easier to design a game when you know everyone is going to have the same race/background but I hate how it's delivered to players as if it is a "feature".

I hope they don't take any further ME2 "innovations" on board - that game was clearly constructed so that individual designers could go off and come up with a bunch of unrelated content which could then be shoe-horned into the full game. The actually main quest line could probably have been completed in <5 hours!

I guess the problem is with EA ruling the roost now constant expansions/sequels are expected and this is the only way they can produce them to schedule.

This, this, this. A thousand times this.

I could froth at the mouth about DA2, what we know and how people refuse to accept that we've been given information about the game, saying that we "don't know anything". WE KNOW PLENTY TYVM. And it really, really angers me.

I realize this is an irrational response.

[Centrist Simon Steele]

You just have to learn to do it properly. I only skipped the dialogue when I loaded a game and only twice it happened that by skipping I chose an answer.

:dunno:

You mean there's more to skipping conversations than hitting X? Yeah, no one taught me how to properly do that.

[Jon AS]

You mean there's more to skipping conversations than hitting X? Yeah, no one taught me how to properly do that.

In the PC version hitting space skips the current bit of dialogue, but this will not necessarily jump to the next dialogue wheel. The danger then lies with becoming impatient and hitting space more than once in order to get through conversations even faster which inevitably leads to selecting a dialogue option you didn't want. I really don't get why Bioware insisted on using the same button for both, but they've made some other strange and inconvenient choices as well, like the unskippable intro or the absence of a "back" option in the character imporation menu.