A lot of the time it just felt like the background had no context. Okay so there was some big bad empire not so long ago. So? Is this a history lesson?
If you want me to care about this big bad empire then make me go visit some ruins, or see kind of monument to their crimes. In Fallout 3 I am much more likely to care about the cause of the apocalypse because the apocalypse is entirely relevant to the experiences of my character, yet the majority of the background in DA:O has very little relevance to your character.
A lot of the time it just felt like the background had no context. Okay so there was some big bad empire not so long ago. So? Is this a history lesson?
If you want me to care about this big bad empire then make me go visit some ruins, or see kind of monument to their crimes. In Fallout 3 I am much more likely to care about the cause of the apocalypse because the apocalypse is entirely relevant to the experiences of my character, yet the majority of the background in DA:O has very little relevance to your character.
Yeah, because FO3 put so much thought into the backgrounds. Little Lamplight anyone?
Spoit on
0
-Loki-Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining.Registered Userregular
A lot of the time it just felt like the background had no context. Okay so there was some big bad empire not so long ago. So? Is this a history lesson?
I'm pretty sure that was the point. You weren't meant to care about the Tevinter Imperium, just understand what it was. It was just there to help explain what the Archdemon was.
-Loki- on
0
MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
If they decide to go with a new protagonist, I'd really rather they stick with that and decide to focus more on introducing new characters instead of bringing back old ones.
I'd take it a step further and wish that they'd just make a clean break with each game, and simplify the C&C to be self contained, rather than accumulating a bunch of baggage with each new game
Yes. Yes.
I want to focus as little as possible on Origins and the occurences therein in Dragon Age 2, personally.
There's some pretty major stuff in Origins that kind of has to be touched on, but on the whole, yes. Personal story should be personal.
I remember the main codex entry I was interested in was the Brood Mother, because that was some disturbing.....yeah
Man, when I was slowly finding out about the Brood mothers, it was like
:?::xo_OD:
That poem is by far the best/creepiest moment I've heard in a game.
First Day they come and catch everyone one
Second day they beat us and eat some for meat
Third day, the men are all gnawed on again
fourth day we wait and fear four our fate
Fifth day they return and it's another girl's turn
sixth day her screams we hear in our dreams
seventh day she grew as in her mouth they spew
eighth day we hated as she is violated
Ninth day day she grins...as she devours her kin
now she does feast, as she's become the beast
If they decide to go with a new protagonist, I'd really rather they stick with that and decide to focus more on introducing new characters instead of bringing back old ones.
I'd take it a step further and wish that they'd just make a clean break with each game, and simplify the C&C to be self contained, rather than accumulating a bunch of baggage with each new game
Yes. Yes.
I want to focus as little as possible on Origins and the occurences therein in Dragon Age 2, personally.
As long as they make it clear thats what they are doing...I wasn't a big fan of growing attached to my character in DA:Origins after 60 hours .
If they decide to go with a new protagonist, I'd really rather they stick with that and decide to focus more on introducing new characters instead of bringing back old ones.
I'd take it a step further and wish that they'd just make a clean break with each game, and simplify the C&C to be self contained, rather than accumulating a bunch of baggage with each new game
Yes. Yes.
I want to focus as little as possible on Origins and the occurences therein in Dragon Age 2, personally.
There's some pretty major stuff in Origins that kind of has to be touched on, but on the whole, yes. Personal story should be personal.
The only stuff in Origins that needs to be touched on is stuff that pertains to the setting/world itself, not so much Origins uniquely.
You guys are unnecessarily negative about a game that not only isn't out yet, but that you haven't seen in action. Now, complaining about Origins I can get behind. Unless you want me to whine over how much I didn't like Mass Effect, I can do that too.
Something pointed out on another forum about the IGN preview
One interesting wrinkle is that the game keeps track of which responses are most frequently chosen by the player, which affects the rest of the dialogue. I typically go for the direct approach, so my Hawke says, "There's no time to argue. We go south."
Had I chosen the more rogueish responses though, he would have said, "If it's south or die... I'll take south."
Spoit! Keep Little Lamplight out of this thread! I already froth at the mouth when it's brought up in the Fallout thread!
My take on environments and the codex is different in a game than with say comics or movies. The thing about comparing comix/movies to video games is that the environment in comix/movies are static, the audience cannot explore them and we are subject to the whims of the art or camera director.
A video game is slightly different, while we still have an art director, the player usually has the ability to explore the environment directly. I almost consider it akin to going on a trip to a World Wonder: You don't have to understand the history of the pyramids, Big Ben, Great Wall of China, ect to appreciate the beauty they project. But to understand the meaning behind them, you need to be told or read to learn the deeper meaning.
That's why I like the codex, it's an addition to the depth of the story. However, that being said, I agree that the codex should not be a crutch to story telling and should simply be a way to apply depth. Luckily, I feel Bioware accomplishes this IMO.
Mild Confusion on
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
I think you guys are trying to make up for all the bad mouthing in the past couple pages ;-)
Lol, I'm just trying to latch onto something that's actually fun to debate/talk about. Peoples opinions on art, environments, and codex is interesting. People going, "oh noes! DA2 is going to suxxorz!" is not interesting.
Mild Confusion on
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
Well, in that case I like the codex. You don't need to use it but it's there in case you want to know something about the world. I do think that the environment is important to the story. What comes to mind for me is Demon's Souls, where there are two one minute cut scenes in the entire game (unless you count the one where you get ground into the wall by the Dragon God) but the world itself tells you everything you need to know. I'd like it if I could learn about the game world just by looking around me.
It's sort of hard to explain everything in Dragon Age's world just through the world though. It would be hard enough explaining stuff like the other nations i.e. Antiva, Tevinter. These kinds of facts might be relevant to the roleplayers, who may or may not use them for their character (i.e. they could be some educated noble or a Chantry rejecting Dalish Elf). It's sort of hard to describe all of the Chantry's practices for example without significant use of text. The only alternative would be some exposition character (see Tali from Mass Effect 1), but that ends up feeling just as artificial since some characters, such as the human noble origin, would be expected to know the beliefs and history of the Chantry in most cases.
Well, I'm not saying that everything should be told through looking at trees. I'd just like there to be some atmosphere. Even in the Dead Trenches I didn't really feel anything for the world itself. All I got was "this is a red tunnel." And then "this is a red tunnel with a crazy dwarf in it," which was about as close as it came. They can tell the little things through details in the world. I don't want one of my companions to tell me "This is a [blank] place. You should feel [blank].", I'd like to feel it myself. As every English teacher ever has said at some point in their life, "Show, don't tell."
I'll concede that the camera direction could have been better, there were a lot of missed opportunities to have nice sweeping angles on some of the terrain. An example would be the Circle tower, if you look at it from the dock, you see the outline of this very majestic building off in the distance. But when you get on the boat, all the camera does is zoom in slightly.
In comparison to say Lord of the Rings, we get wide sweeping shots of Saurumon chanting on his tower and those two giant statues that Arogon says are his ancestors. The sense of scale and theme that those structure were important in convened in the camera word without the need for exposition. Same with the mines of Moria, the huge open space and wide shot showed that it would be a sight to behold if it was a real place.
So yeah, I can agree that better in game camera work could have improved the story telling.
Mild Confusion on
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
0
MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
edited August 2010
The codex is a supplement and should be treated as such. It's a place for information interesting enough to be included in the game, but not directly relevant enough to be integrated into any particular scene or area. But there is certainly a lot of potential for relevant information to be integrated into the environment in a manner both more concise and more elaborate than is possible through text.
I'll concede that the camera direction could have been better, there were a lot of missed opportunities to have nice sweeping angles on some of the terrain. An example would be the Circle tower, if you look at it from the dock, you see the outline of this very majestic building off in the distance. But when you get on the boat, all the camera does is zoom in slightly.
In comparison to say Lord of the Rings, we get wide sweeping shots of Saurumon chanting on his tower and those two giant statues that Arogon says are his ancestors. The sense of scale and theme that those structure were important in convened in the camera word without the need for exposition. Same with the mines of Moria, the huge open space and wide shot showed that it would be a sight to behold if it was a real place.
So yeah, I can agree that better in game camera work could have improved the story telling.
I'll concede that the camera direction could have been better, there were a lot of missed opportunities to have nice sweeping angles on some of the terrain. An example would be the Circle tower, if you look at it from the dock, you see the outline of this very majestic building off in the distance. But when you get on the boat, all the camera does is zoom in slightly.
In comparison to say Lord of the Rings, we get wide sweeping shots of Saurumon chanting on his tower and those two giant statues that Arogon says are his ancestors. The sense of scale and theme that those structure were important in convened in the camera word without the need for exposition. Same with the mines of Moria, the huge open space and wide shot showed that it would be a sight to behold if it was a real place.
So yeah, I can agree that better in game camera work could have improved the story telling.
Tell Vsove, that's his job.
im sure he's read this and said "goddamit i was gonna sneak out of work early and go to the thai place down the road"
Something pointed out on another forum about the IGN preview
One interesting wrinkle is that the game keeps track of which responses are most frequently chosen by the player, which affects the rest of the dialogue. I typically go for the direct approach, so my Hawke says, "There's no time to argue. We go south."
Had I chosen the more rogueish responses though, he would have said, "If it's south or die... I'll take south."
I just watched the trailer and I have to say that I really liked the look of Hawke's Staffsword. If Bioware is adding more/different weapontypes I'll be one happy guy. Hell, the trailer also made me hope that if Arcane Warriors are still in for Da2 they'll be far more fun to play as than they were in DA, considering that Hawke sure seemed to be some kind of Mage/Warrior hybrid.
Hawke isn't really using a staff sword, just a greatsword that's closer to an actual real world one whilst still being exaggerated. Actual two handed swords were typically gripped with one hand on the hilt (which was, by the way, much longer than what is normally indicated. Not quite as long as Hawkes but still) and the other hand at a grip higher up past the cross guard, designed for such.
Actually using such a weapon resembles spear fighting in some ways.
Hawke isn't really using a staff sword, just a greatsword that's closer to an actual real world one whilst still being exaggerated. Actual two handed swords were typically gripped with one hand on the hilt (which was, by the way, much longer than what is normally indicated. Not quite as long as Hawkes but still) and the other hand at a grip higher up past the cross guard, designed for such.
Actually using such a weapon resembles spear fighting in some ways.
I think it's closer to a staff or a spear than a greatsword, considering that it lacks any significant crossguard
And look at how he holds it in the trailer, with only one hand riding high up on the hilt near the blade. The pommel is so high that it's behind his head
Of course I imagine the idea is that it's a bit of all these things, which is cool
Hawke isn't really using a staff sword, just a greatsword that's closer to an actual real world one whilst still being exaggerated. Actual two handed swords were typically gripped with one hand on the hilt (which was, by the way, much longer than what is normally indicated. Not quite as long as Hawkes but still) and the other hand at a grip higher up past the cross guard, designed for such.
Actually using such a weapon resembles spear fighting in some ways.
I think it's closer to a staff or a spear than a greatsword, considering that it lacks any significant crossguard
And look at how he holds it in the trailer, with only one hand riding high up on the hilt near the blade. The pommel is so high that it's behind his head
Well I think how he holds it has more to do with the fact that any hunk of metal, now matter how huge, is always wielded as though it's fucking weightless in fantasy cinematic combat.
Hand summoning isn't even a summoning, those are Hawke's hands (look at the armor). Also, I think a "ripping enemies apart with magic" was mentioned from the Comicon demo as one of the new Mage finishing moves, which leads me to believe that's what we saw in the trailer.
Did anyone else besides me make a sword and board warrior, but instead of defensive, made them offensive? I loved the whole 300 vibe and shield bashes, but I pumped my strength to maximum. You do a suprising amount of damage as a dps sword and board type. You got decent survivability too.
I normally prefer 2h types, but the swing animation was too slow and off balance for my taste.
Mild Confusion on
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
That's pretty much what my dwarf warrior was. I let Alistair tank while I ran around stabbing things while they flocked to him because of Taunt. It was fun and it worked surprisingly well; it's the only playthrough I actually beat Ser Cauthrien the first time.
Posts
If you want me to care about this big bad empire then make me go visit some ruins, or see kind of monument to their crimes. In Fallout 3 I am much more likely to care about the cause of the apocalypse because the apocalypse is entirely relevant to the experiences of my character, yet the majority of the background in DA:O has very little relevance to your character.
https://medium.com/@alascii
Yeah, because FO3 put so much thought into the backgrounds. Little Lamplight anyone?
I'm pretty sure that was the point. You weren't meant to care about the Tevinter Imperium, just understand what it was. It was just there to help explain what the Archdemon was.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
That poem is by far the best/creepiest moment I've heard in a game.
Second day they beat us and eat some for meat
Third day, the men are all gnawed on again
fourth day we wait and fear four our fate
Fifth day they return and it's another girl's turn
sixth day her screams we hear in our dreams
seventh day she grew as in her mouth they spew
eighth day we hated as she is violated
Ninth day day she grins...as she devours her kin
now she does feast, as she's become the beast
As long as they make it clear thats what they are doing...I wasn't a big fan of growing attached to my character in DA:Origins after 60 hours .
The only stuff in Origins that needs to be touched on is stuff that pertains to the setting/world itself, not so much Origins uniquely.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
My take on environments and the codex is different in a game than with say comics or movies. The thing about comparing comix/movies to video games is that the environment in comix/movies are static, the audience cannot explore them and we are subject to the whims of the art or camera director.
A video game is slightly different, while we still have an art director, the player usually has the ability to explore the environment directly. I almost consider it akin to going on a trip to a World Wonder: You don't have to understand the history of the pyramids, Big Ben, Great Wall of China, ect to appreciate the beauty they project. But to understand the meaning behind them, you need to be told or read to learn the deeper meaning.
That's why I like the codex, it's an addition to the depth of the story. However, that being said, I agree that the codex should not be a crutch to story telling and should simply be a way to apply depth. Luckily, I feel Bioware accomplishes this IMO.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
Lol, I'm just trying to latch onto something that's actually fun to debate/talk about. Peoples opinions on art, environments, and codex is interesting. People going, "oh noes! DA2 is going to suxxorz!" is not interesting.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
Steam: CavilatRest
In comparison to say Lord of the Rings, we get wide sweeping shots of Saurumon chanting on his tower and those two giant statues that Arogon says are his ancestors. The sense of scale and theme that those structure were important in convened in the camera word without the need for exposition. Same with the mines of Moria, the huge open space and wide shot showed that it would be a sight to behold if it was a real place.
So yeah, I can agree that better in game camera work could have improved the story telling.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
Tell Vsove, that's his job.
im sure he's read this and said "goddamit i was gonna sneak out of work early and go to the thai place down the road"
Awww jeah.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Naw I think they're probably on level 4 by now.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
That sounds sweeeeeet. :^:
Surprised to see this talk of it so soon.
March 8th.
Actually using such a weapon resembles spear fighting in some ways.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
Sword and Bucket is too bleh...and I don't want to be freakin Legolas.
I think it's closer to a staff or a spear than a greatsword, considering that it lacks any significant crossguard
And look at how he holds it in the trailer, with only one hand riding high up on the hilt near the blade. The pommel is so high that it's behind his head
Of course I imagine the idea is that it's a bit of all these things, which is cool
I like the design of the weapon
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Well I think how he holds it has more to do with the fact that any hunk of metal, now matter how huge, is always wielded as though it's fucking weightless in fantasy cinematic combat.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
That is a gnarled staff complete with magical orb attached to a sword.
Swordstaff.
We might get "technical" and call it a Mage's Swordstaff.
Fixed. I don't know if regular mages can summon hands that rip people apart.
If they can't, I feel ripped off. Literally.
Ha. Do you see what I'm doing here? Because of the demon arms in the trailer?
Ha. Ha ha ha. Ok I'll stop now.
I've pretty much only seen it with hairwitches.
edit: Of course, she did deal with some demons, so maybe that does technically fall under the greater envelope of blood magic.
edit2: Though, specifically, it runs on angel's halos.
edit3: I'm not prepared to make this judgment call until I see a thesis on blood magic time dilation.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
Overall pretty weird.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
Did anyone else besides me make a sword and board warrior, but instead of defensive, made them offensive? I loved the whole 300 vibe and shield bashes, but I pumped my strength to maximum. You do a suprising amount of damage as a dps sword and board type. You got decent survivability too.
I normally prefer 2h types, but the swing animation was too slow and off balance for my taste.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.