New Dragon Age discussion thread

[Tigranes]

Not really. But I'm definitely not suggesting DA looks H&S = is H&S. Just saying we dont' know that much about its actual combat gameplay yet.

[Volourn]

It's basically the same as IE, and Aurora outside of have no 6 second rule. You can pause the game whenever you want to select your move. Like BG/NWN2, you can control all characters in combat.

[Nightshape]

Looks awesome. Best RPG since ME, and MOTB.

 

I was wondering when you'd pop up...

 

On another note.

 

Dragon age has been indevelopment for such a long period of time that I find it difficult to be positive or negative, long development cycles don't always indicate that the result will be in anyway, anygood... NWN for example upon release.

Edited August 24, 2008 by Nightshape

[Volourn]

NWN was awesome on release. Most successful BIO game to date for a reason.

[Moatilliatta]

Dragon age has been indevelopment for such a long period of time that I find it difficult to be positive or negative, long development cycles don't always indicate that the result will be in anyway, anygood... NWN for example upon release.

DA has had a seemingly long developement time because it was announced early not because Bio is having trouble or anything.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

The game come sout in 2009. That would make about 5 years of development, right? That's reasonable, depending on the amouont of content.

[Jaesun]

The only thing I am looking forward to in DA is:

 

1. An original (fantasy) RPG setting done by Bio.

2. A return to a somewhat party combat (like BG1/2).

3. The Origin stories.

4. Seeing what Mr. Gaider is doing with this story.

 

So far, I have liked what I have seen. (I still have some reservations but...) I will be buying it and hope for the best.

[Monte Carlo]

Agreed, there is stil much to be learnt about how the combat system works.

 

All I've seen is that you have hotkeys for different combat moves on the bottom toolbar - one I've seen is "Shield Bash" where you get an extra shield attack (I'm presuming you lose any Armour bonus that round). In the video the player pauses, chooses this option and charges the enemy. Meanwhile, another character snipes away at the baddies with a bow, peppering them with arrows (archery looks quite powerful in DA from the little I saw - I predict some Legolas style bowmen characters).

 

As we saw in the previous video, magic-using characters got to use grease / fire / ice spells dynamically, which looked well implemented.

 

Features like this are cool. The acid test is how they all balance and integrate into tactical combat. I don't know if AC absorbs or deflects damage (or both). I don't know how strength / agility style stats impact on bonuses for melee. I don't know if there is the light / heavy armour routes depending on DEX-type bonuses. It ain't D&D, it's new and that's all part of the fun. If the baseline is that you can customise characters buy choosing different tactical / feat packages to provide a variety of fighting styles / tactical outcomes then I'll be happy. I'm alreay happy with the GUI / default combat style which is virtually identinal to the IE, just with zoom and up to date graphics.

 

Cheers

MC

[jaguars4ever]

What they need is female writers to write the romances.

What they need is female characters to have romances. With each other. All the time. With SLI anisotropic filtering.

[Volourn]

"The acid test is how they all balance and integrate into tactical combat. I don't know if AC absorbs or deflects damage (or both). I don't know how strength / agility style stats impact on bonuses for melee. I don't know if there is the light / heavy armour routes depending on DEX-type bonuses."

 

Read the DA forums espicially the BIO dev posts. They have multiple times posted a certain post that lists a bunch of different combat modifiers. There were 10+ things listed, and it wasn't all inclusive either.

 

We know quite a bit of combat, and how it works.

[Monte Carlo]

Read the DA forums espicially the BIO dev posts. They have multiple times posted a certain post that lists a bunch of different combat modifiers. There were 10+ things listed, and it wasn't all inclusive either.

We know quite a bit of combat, and how it works.

 

I can't read those forums, looking for answers amongst all the fawning is especially tiresome.

 

Can you paraphrase for me please?

[Volourn]

If you really want to know the information go the the forums. They're there for a reason, and a quick search under a BIo dve name tag should get you to the thread(s) rather quickly with little worry of the fawning (despite the fact that a huge number of posts are critical of DA so your theory is silly to begin with, L0L).

 

All I'm gonna say is we know LOTS about how DA combat works, and it's not hard to stop the ignorance either. Lots of awesome info, and if BIO stays true to the post in question, DA will be spitting and mocking on the rudimentary passes IE combat with ease, and style both.

[Nightshape]

NWN was awesome on release. Most successful BIO game to date for a reason.

 

I think you're a lonely voice.

 

NWN was a buggy POS.

[Nightshape]

The game come sout in 2009. That would make about 5 years of development, right? That's reasonable, depending on the amouont of content.

 

I'm dubious.

[Monte Carlo]

Vol, I'm not ignorant, I'm lazy. Big difference.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Well, it's coming to consoles, so I might get my hands on it eventually. Not that there'll be nay difference. The game doesn't seem to have such highly defined graphics... the only other difference that comes to mind is the controls. Now that can be a poblem.

[Kelverin]

EDIT: Shouldn't be hard. Have a contest, or "hire" a few English Literature interns. The best candidate wins. The most difficult part would be choosing between all the submissions.

The most difficult part would be reading more than ten entries without pouring molten lead into my eye sockets.

Alright. You never know, you might get lucky and have a winner in the first couple of entries, anyway don't you have lackeys to do that for you?

 

What they need is female writers to write the romances.

Are you telling me every time I romance a female NPC, the part was written by a man.......I'm gonna get sick

Are there any well known or any at all, female writers at major game studios. Why would anyone think computer geeks know anything about romance anyway?

[Moatilliatta]

1) There is no reason to think that female writers are in any way better at writing romances than male writers.

 

2) Bio has two very visible female writers replying on the Bio forums, Mary Kirby and Sheryl Chee.

I seem to remember that there where a third at some point but she seems to have dissapeared.

[Kelverin]

1) There is no reason to think that female writers are in any way better at writing romances than male writers.

Common sense? Call me crazy but I tend to think that women would be better at writing female characters and romance and men would be better at writing men characters, but what do I know I don't read romance novels/stories so take that for what it's worth (nothing)

2) Bio has two very visible female writers replying on the Bio forums, Mary Kirby and Sheryl Chee.

I seem to remember that there where a third at some point but she seems to have dissapeared.

Thanks.

[RangerSG]

1) There is no reason to think that female writers are in any way better at writing romances than male writers.

Common sense? Call me crazy but I tend to think that women would be better at writing female characters and romance and men would be better at writing men characters, but what do I know I don't read romance novels/stories so take that for what it's worth (nothing)

2) Bio has two very visible female writers replying on the Bio forums, Mary Kirby and Sheryl Chee.

I seem to remember that there where a third at some point but she seems to have dissapeared.

Thanks.

 

That might seem logical, but I've read enough book reviews to see female authors get blasted for writing "Mary Sues" to know that doesn't necessarily hold true. *shrugs* A quality character writer will write quality characters, and it has more to do with understanding the motivations of the character than what gender they are.

[Moatilliatta]

1) There is no reason to think that female writers are in any way better at writing romances than male writers.

Common sense? Call me crazy but I tend to think that women would be better at writing female characters and romance and men would be better at writing men characters, but what do I know I don't read romance novels/stories so take that for what it's worth (nothing)

I think I get where you're coming from but that line of thought is flawed since writers don't write characters from their experience of their self but write them from their experience of others and as such their gender is mostly irrelevant when talking quality of or romances characters.

 

At least that is what I've gathered from listening to their blabberings.

 

@RangerSG

MarySues are more a sign of bad writers than their gender.

It does raise the interesting question of whether we have a lack of quality female writers. But that's not for this thread.

[Volourn]

"I think I get where you're coming from but that line of thought is flawed since writers don't write characters from their experience of their self but write them from their experience of others and as such their gender is mostly irrelevant when talking quality of or romances characters."

 

Actually, one of the things inspiring writers are told is to do your best to write what you know, or have experience. Of course, not always possible like in the case of fantasy but that's why writing often involves lots of research.

[J.E. Sawyer]

... but they are still writing about romantic fantasies after all. My girlfriend read a novel (for amusement) called Fantasy Lover, which is totally insane and yet incredibly popular. It's an absurd novel, but it appeals to the extremes of escapist romantic fantasies. Most romance novels I have seen are totally outlandish, but they are still exceptionally popular. If we wrote about our real-life romantic experiences, they would realistically be terrible disappointments at worst and awkward Enemy at the Gates tales at their best.*

 

* Jean-Jacques Annaud directs the best/most uncomfortable love scenes.

[Moatilliatta]

@Volo

Are you disagreeing with me or...?

My point was that gender is irrelevant as writers get experience from the world around them and that experience is what they know and then they write from what they know.

 

It is true that many writers put parts of themselves into their characters but such part are in my experience in the minority.

 

So what was Sawyer saying with that quote?

 

Edit: Me = bad speller today

Edited August 25, 2008 by Moatilliatta

[Nightshape]

... but they are still writing about romantic fantasies after all. My girlfriend read a novel (for amusement) called Fantasy Lover, which is totally insane and yet incredibly popular. It's an absurd novel, but it appeals to the extremes of escapist romantic fantasies. Most romance novels I have seen are totally outlandish, but they are still exceptionally popular. If we wrote about our real-life romantic experiences, they would realistically be terrible disappointments at worst and awkward Enemy at the Gates tales at their best.*

 

* Jean-Jacques Annaud directs the best/most uncomfortable love scenes.

 

YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!!!

Edited August 25, 2008 by Nightshape