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Dragon Age Thread - Where is your maker now?

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    Blackbird SR-71CBlackbird SR-71C Registered User regular
    Dragon Age Origins:
    I just completed my Joining.

    Damn it Duncan, what a waste! At least TRY to force some Darkspawn blood down his throat, he might've been able to become a grey warden!

    I'm also disappointed about one of my first side quests - I found out about a ritual to summon some kind of wish-granting monster, promptly did exactly that, beat it up and got...some boots with an extremely weak enchantment that I will never be able to wear as I am no mage. Thanks game...

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    BionicPenguinBionicPenguin Registered User regular
    You're, what, an hour or two into the game? I think maybe you don't realize how long DAO is if you were expecting something cool this early.

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    Blackbird SR-71CBlackbird SR-71C Registered User regular
    You're, what, an hour or two into the game? I think maybe you don't realize how long DAO is if you were expecting something cool this early.

    I'm just making fun of the lore/gameplay disconnect

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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    I really should go back to DA:O and finish my City Elf playthrough.

    I had already finish two dungeons at that point so it shouldn't be too bad.

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    BionicPenguinBionicPenguin Registered User regular
    I tried going back to DAO a few months ago, but it's just so slooooooooow.

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    Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    Dragon Age Origins is probably the one Bioware game I've replayed the most.

    I usually get about halfway through Dragon Age II and then have to spend the rest of the game fighting the urge to just quit.

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Spoit wrote: »
    Let's see what I have on my kindle:

    Dresden, which okay yeah has romance, but he is terrible about women
    Scott Lynch, ditto
    Steven Brust, the protagonist has been divorced for most of the series
    The Black Company, ahahahahaha
    Glen Cook's detective series, nope

    Huh I haven't really read that much fantasy these past few years

    Croaker and the Lady is what, then?

    Or Raven and Darling?

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Also, on PSN there's an off for Inquisition with a bunch of preorder doodads for ten bucks more. Pretty enticing, not gonna lie.

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    vsovevsove ....also yes. Registered User regular
    Also, on PSN there's an off for Inquisition with a bunch of preorder doodads for ten bucks more. Pretty enticing, not gonna lie.

    You should buy a bunch, just in case the first one doesn't work.

    WATCH THIS SPACE.
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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    A bunch, here in, means smashing the buy button until my controller breaks, ja?

    You guys get cash from digital purchases on stuff like PSN and XBL, right?

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    Blackbird SR-71CBlackbird SR-71C Registered User regular
    So far I'm enjoying the combat in Origins better than the one in DA2. It's not flawless, you can still abuse the AI by kiting melee enemies (though you do run out of space eventually and they'll hit you) but at least here it isn't required.

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    BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    It is only required in the Airshok duel. That is the only time you have to kite in DA2.

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    Blackbird SR-71CBlackbird SR-71C Registered User regular
    Blackjack wrote: »
    It is only required in the Airshok duel. That is the only time you have to kite in DA2.

    Have you played an Rogue (Archer) build on nightmare difficulty?

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    Atlas in ChainsAtlas in Chains Registered User regular
    Blackjack wrote: »
    It is only required in the Airshok duel. That is the only time you have to kite in DA2.

    I play exclusively on Nightmare for all Bioware games because I hate myself. I cannot beat the intro to DA2 without kiting on certain classes, much less some of the tougher fights.

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    hippofanthippofant ティンク Registered User regular
    Blackjack wrote: »
    It is only required in the Airshok duel. That is the only time you have to kite in DA2.

    I play exclusively on Nightmare for all Bioware games because I hate myself. I cannot beat the intro to DA2 without kiting on certain classes, much less some of the tougher fights.

    I might be insane, but IIRC, you can't die in the intro to DA2? Don't you just get your health back when you fall low, or is that only on non-Nightmare difficulties?

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    Blackbird SR-71CBlackbird SR-71C Registered User regular
    Wow, these mages are terrible. They constantly set my party on fire when I'm not micromanaging them.

    I also find it funny how using a "flame weapon" buff on my party sets my dog's whole body on fire.

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    RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    Blackjack wrote: »
    It is only required in the Airshok duel. That is the only time you have to kite in DA2.

    Have you played an Rogue (Archer) build on nightmare difficulty?

    I really don't know why I'd play the suboptimal Rogue on Nightmare unless I'm deliberately forcing myself to kite all enemies.

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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Well, as far as Nightmare difficulty goes for DA2 I always got the impression that it wasn't all that well balanced.

    Since they had to release it after the game came and and even then they had to make some tweaks at first because it was initially way too difficult.

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    BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    I will take everyone's word on kiting in Nightmare because I like to play in game modes that are actually fun. ;) I've never gone above Hard and there's definitely no kiting then.

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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    The Friendly Fire numbers alone are enough for me not to want to play on Nightmare.

    Dragkonias on
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    Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Apparently Morrigan will show a more human side in this one.

    Also theres this fun bit from her profile on the main site:
    This Witch of the Wilds arrived in Orlais rather suddenly three years ago as the newly-appointed “arcane advisor” to Empress Celene. In this role, Morrigan presents a source of information unfiltered by religious dogma, and satisfies Celene’s life-long curiosity about magic.

    Getting freaky with elves and palling around with an apostate, I'm really starting to like this Celene. She sounds very open minded.

    Of course she could be a horrible hypocrite who is harshly speaking against these things and then living a hedonistic lifestyle behind doors. Thats probably more likely.

    Dr. Chaos on
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    Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    I did a nightmare run once. I got all the way through DA:O and all the DLC, except for the Harvester. Seriously, fuck that fight.

    I then went on to playing DA2 on nightmare. About half way through another soul-crushing defeat, I asked myself if I was having fun. I said no and then turned the difficulty down a bit.

    What's interesting is that ME2 and especially 3 are crazy fun for me on the hardest difficulty and I can't bring myself to play on less than insanity.

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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Yeah, I think it tends to be on a game to game basis.

    Some games I have to play on hard or higher or they bore to me. Mass Effect is a good example.

    Others tend to be a slog if I play on too high a difficulty.


    I'm really good at actions games and how long fights take tend to be a matter of skill/reflex most of the time. And usually, finishing a fight as quickly as you can is part of the game itself.

    More tactical games on the other hand tend to be endurance runs. Where basically the challenge comes from keeping your damage/resources properly managed while you fight against much sturdier opponents. I tend to be less a fan of that.

    Dragkonias on
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    RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    Blackjack wrote: »
    I will take everyone's word on kiting in Nightmare because I like to play in game modes that are actually fun. ;) I've never gone above Hard and there's definitely no kiting then.

    Nightmare in DA2 is absolutely not fun, especially at low levels when you don't really have any options for doing anything other than THE BEST POSSIBLE OPTIMAL CHOICES. There's no real build flexibility, you have to play a mage(for healing,) take Aveline and Anders and Varric and turn every battle into a slog where you're trying very very hard not to die and there's SO MANY inconsequential battles that are complete roadblocks.

    Hard in DA2 is a lot of fun because you have to play smart but you can still win with most options. Nightmare just blows.

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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Yeah. I guess that's a big part of it too.

    I don't mind when harder difficulties need you to use your options more efficiently. Or even use abilities in ways you wouldn't have to at lower levels.

    But I hate when they limit the amount of options you have.

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    RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    Yeah. I guess that's a big part of it too.

    I don't mind when harder difficulties need you to use your options more efficiently. Or even use abilities in ways you wouldn't have to at lower levels.

    But I hate when they limit the amount of options you have.

    Exactly. ME2 Insanity is a perfect example of a really good difficulty mode, where all enemies have armor/shields which changes the properties of every fight in a big way and changes the valuation of a lot of skills while most skills are still useful. Or Devil May Cry, where the highest difficulties give enemies new skills, new AI behaviours, change up the timing, and change up enemy spawns to make fights you were very comfortable with become completely uncomfortable.

    Just adding x4 to HP and x4 to enemy damage and flipping the friendly fire toggle only serves to remove options instead of opening up new strategies or plans. Plus DA2 was completely designed with friendly fire turned off, since there's absolutely no way to effectively control enemy movement due to the crappy spawn system, you can't block a door with Aveline and use AoEs beyond that, you can't use greatswords because they'll mince your own party members, it's just infuriating.

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    RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Probably my largest structural complaint about DA2 which ties into the whole difficulty level thing is that the enemies you fight are incredibly boring and don't really have a lot of unique skills. Sure, they have slightly different damage typing or defensive stats, but aside from the boss monsters(Dragons, Ogres/Pride Demons, Varterral, Hybris, and High Dragon) and the two end bosses, all warriors act the same, all rogues act the same, all ranged types act the same, all mages act the same. Spiders don't throw out webs, Templars don't dispel magical attacks, Carta don't unleash traps or fight dirty, Darkspawn don't feel remotely like a threat...

    Which is why I'm really looking forwards to the variety of enemies that they've shown us in DA:I. Since we can actually see information on enemies and react to that, it completely changes how the game is played, and so far it appears like they have a healthy mix of foes to face.

    Addendum: It's a damn shame that the enemy/encounter design in DA2 is so boring because the combat system is leaps and bounds ahead of DA:O. This is why Legacy and Mark of the Assassin are a LOT of fun for me to play.

    Rainfall on
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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    I don't trust Celene a single bit. Return to Ostagar spoilers:
    She had wrapped Cailan around her finger, and planned to marry him to secure Ferelden as part of the Empire.

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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    I don't trust Celene a single bit. Return to Ostagar spoilers:
    She had wrapped Cailan around her finger, and planned to marry him to secure Ferelden as part of the Empire.

    I really don't get Thedas inheritance. Anora is always the actual queen, because she has de facto control of the crown, unless she marries alistair who is the actual king because he's an unacknowledged bastard?

    And either way, Cousland is only a Prince(ss) consort, with no actual legal claim, with the whole 'Only living descendant (as of the landsmeet) of one of the two Teryn-ships in the country' going completely unacknowledged.

    And then there's the pseudo-democracy thing. And then whether an Arl is like a count, or like a marquis?

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Anora is Queen only by marriage. Her tie is shaky, at best.
    Even if the Landsmeet rebelled against Cailain, a lot of the Ferelden Armed Forces would remain loyal to him. This would have the advatage of dividing and weakening Ferelden for conquest if the marriage fell through.

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    Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    Celene: I'm gonna trust this unsympathetic, apostate daughter of the most infamous mage in history, even though I just met her and know that mages have the ability to mind control if they so choose.

    Yeah, you go and do that.

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Honestly? After the past couple of years in Thedas, haveing someone like Morrigan at you side isn't such a bad idea.

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    AistanAistan Tiny Bat Registered User regular
    Until you're walking along a cliff edge and she decides that shoving you off will get you out of her way and to her destination 0.5 seconds faster.

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    MancingtomMancingtom Registered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Especially when one remembers that Morrigan is far from some Xanatos-level mastermind. A player like Celene would run circles around her, and when you take away Morrigan's mystique, she's a very powerful weapon that is very easy to aim.

    Mancingtom on
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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Orlaisian dresses are so huge you'd just parachute down.

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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    Aistan wrote: »
    Until you're walking along a cliff edge and she decides that shoving you off will get you out of her way and to her destination 0.5 seconds faster.

    So...orlesian politics as usual?

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Anyone else find it hilarious this game will have more French accents then another game coming out in the same month that takes place in Paris?

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    Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    Stupid English keniggets!

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    CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Stupid Ferelden keniggets!

    FTFY

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    FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    Also there may be an actual emotional connection between them, just like between the Divine and Leliana.

This discussion has been closed.