Dragon Age story/plot discussion

[thepixiesrock]

Yeah so whenever you unlock one of the specializations, it applies to previous saves, so if you save it before you unlock it, you can unlock it and then just reload you save and it will still be unlocked. That way whatever you had to give up or do to unlock it you won't have had to.

[thepixiesrock]

Also I haven't noticed load times being nearly that long on the 360

[HoonDing]

Human noble origin is nice. But I wish I could control the camera with the mouse. When I'm moving around my character, it feels like an old Tomb Raider game.

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

So, I've gone to level 11 and dabbled in a lot of the quest areas with my combat-centric dex rogue (duelist with TWF), and tentatively I'm inclined to say my concerns about rogue combat balance were at least somewhat justified.

 

The early levels were tough. I swear there was a point in the game where my character would've lost a 1v1 with a standard Genlock. Frequent misses, mediocre damage even with backstab, almost nonexistent dodge/parry chance, and fragility associated with light armor were the order of the day. This may be somewhat alleviated by playing a strength-heavy rogue, which I'll experiment with later.

 

They definitely improve with level though. The feat letting you add cunning to damage at level 8 represented a turning point in the combat effectiveness of my character, and the combat-centric specializations have some promising abilities at higher levels. Additionally, over time you can cheese your main character with more powerful items than the rest of the party. Combine those and my character can finally deal out some death and avoid getting owned instantly when enemies attack him. Also, even the most basic poison can also make a significant difference in the outcome of a fight.

 

That said, a lot of these cool abilities seem like basic functionality that the class should've had out of the gate. For example, poison is great, but it's a skill + item hunt + limited use buff that helps to bring rogues closer to the abilities warriors have all day. The ability to inflict damage and avoid death is pretty fundamental in such a combat-heavy game, not a nice bonus. Leveling is an experience of "oh, now I've filled another gaping hole in my character's abilities," whereas warriors get basic functionality pretty much out of the gate and simply improve with time.

 

It's not like my character is getting much mileage out of his rogue abilities either. Without putting feats into lockpicking or many points into cunning, I can probably count the chests my character was able to unlock on one hand. Social skills are occasionally useful, but usually you'll end up fighting the guy later with more reinforcements anyway.

 

All this is to say I'm not terribly surprised.

 

This is also somewhat separate from my opinion of the game itself, which I've been quite enjoying thus far. Predictably it can be a bit of a slog to advance the plot via room after room of large battles, but there's just enough actual story to keep me engaged. It also seems like the best writing in a Bio game thus far to me, with the NPCs by and large being fairly entertaining.

 

I will say that I find myself wishing it did something new with the WRPG formula beyond "kick down door, slay monster, get better at kicking down doors and slaying monsters, repeat." I'd say it's pretty clear Bio wasn't trying to innovate with gameplay though. As such, it's hard to call that a legitimate point against it.

[alanschu]

ERrr, you can't control the camera with the mouse?

 

 

As for loading times, some people have commented on the official forums that if they alt-tab a fair bit, they notice longer loading times. I never had an issue with load times at work, but I had a boatload of memory and a decent processor.

 

Oerwinde, does restarting the game reduce the loading times?

[Monte Carlo]

^ This was my concern with the rogue, am wondering if they're any better via the archery route as back-up characters?

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

^ This was my concern with the rogue, am wondering if they're any better via the archery route as back-up characters?

 

Haven't explored archery yet, I tend to be a melee guy.

[HoonDing]

ERrr, you can't control the camera with the mouse?

I can zoom in/out, but not turn the camera with the mouse.

 

Movement is like in Drakensang, but in Drakensang it was possible to control the camera with the mouse too by clicking & holding right-mouse button.

 

I also think spell descriptions are a bit vague. Damage seems to be determined by Magic attribute, but how exactly? I wants numbers & mechanics.

 

All the manual says is basically "higher is better" but I knew that already.

Edited November 5, 2009 by virumor

[alanschu]

So, I've gone to level 11 and dabbled in a lot of the quest areas with my combat-centric dex rogue (duelist with TWF), and tentatively I'm inclined to say my concerns about rogue combat balance were at least somewhat justified.

 

The early levels were tough. I swear there was a point in the game where my character would've lost a 1v1 with a standard Genlock. Frequent misses, mediocre damage even with backstab, almost nonexistent dodge/parry chance, and fragility associated with light armor were the order of the day. This may be somewhat alleviated by playing a strength-heavy rogue, which I'll experiment with later.

 

Hmmm, I didn't find the start to be overly difficult personally. Especially if I had a party member, ANY party member with me. Slide in behind the guy and you can deal out some pretty sweet damage. Toss in a stun after a few hits to make sure they don't turn around. I did have some growing pains at the start, but that seemed to be more related to the group as a whole and me not expecting that the game might be somewhat challenging.

 

That said, a lot of these cool abilities seem like basic functionality that the class should've had out of the gate. For example, poison is great, but it's a skill + item hunt + limited use buff that helps to bring rogues closer to the abilities warriors have all day. The ability to inflict damage and avoid death is pretty fundamental in such a combat-heavy game, not a nice bonus. Leveling is an experience of "oh, now I've filled another gaping hole in my character's abilities," whereas warriors get basic functionality pretty much out of the gate and simply improve with time.

 

Hmmm, didn't notice that. Especially once I got Alistair up to tanking form. Alistair typically hovered around 10-15% of all damage done in the party, while Morrigan and myself each split off about 40% each. Though I tended to put my points split into Dex and cunning, with some strength and willpower. Though I used the strength so that I could get swords, not so much better armor.

 

 

It's not like my character is getting much mileage out of his rogue abilities either. Without putting feats into lockpicking or many points into cunning, I can probably count the chests my character was able to unlock on one hand. Social skills are occasionally useful, but usually you'll end up fighting the guy later with more reinforcements anyway.

 

I found the social skills to be pretty useful. Which situations did you find you fought the guy later with more reinforcements anyway after using them? If that happened, I wonder if you actually failed the Intimidate/Persuade check. And yes, if you don't put points into lockpicking or cunning, you're going to struggle with opening locked items (I think it also helps with spotting and disarming traps too IIRC).

[alanschu]

I can zoom in/out, but not turn the camera with the mouse.

 

Movement is like in Drakensang, but in Drakensang it was possible to control the camera with the mouse too by clicking & holding right-mouse button.

 

Hmmm, I'm not at work right now (sick ), but maybe try the middle mouse button to turn the camera?

 

I'm sure you can turn the camera with the mouse because that would definitely drive me insane too! Hahaha.

[Hurlshort]

I control the camera by holding the right mouse button down and moving it.

[Purkake]

I control the camera by holding the right mouse button down and moving it.

 

Epic fail, Virumor

[HoonDing]

[alanschu]

I'm confused. What exactly was it you were doing?

 

Clicking and holding but not moving it?!

[HoonDing]

I was just following my *Dutch* manual which doesn't even mention camera control with the mouse. So I assumed right-mouse button was only for attacking.

 

Anyway, let's draw a line under this. Nothing to see here.

[Volourn]

"also think spell descriptions are a bit vague. Damage seems to be determined by Magic attribute, but how exactly? I wants numbers & mechanics. "

 

For more detailed info, read the character stat/skill pages and then click on indivdual stats and stuff pressing x. Just as the screens suggest you do. You cna even learn exactly waht the different injury penalties are this way.

[alanschu]

I think he was more referring to spells that wouldn't be referring to buffs.

 

There's no estimate as to how much damage a direct damage spell will do, or how much magic/spellpower affects it.

[Maria Caliban]

Complaint: After first battle and [place where Morrigan takes you], Alistair urges you to go to [story location X], and it's a death trap. Moreover, it's a death trap that if you leave, will result in everyone there dying. I think BioWare fumbled with that one. If they're going to have a follow urge you to head to X, then X should be something person might reasonably survive or at least be able to leave and come back when stronger.

[alanschu]

Haha, I have no idea where you're talking about

[Volourn]

"Complaint: After first battle and [place where Morrigan takes you], Alistair urges you to go to [story location X], and it's a death trap. Moreover, it's a death trap that if you leave, will result in everyone there dying. I think BioWare fumbled with that one. If they're going to have a follow urge you to head to X, then X should be something person might reasonably survive or at least be able to leave and come back when stronger. "

 

Game too tough for you? Go play tiddlywinks.

 

P.S. More seriously, the game does a lot of fubar to make itself even tougher. ie. after fighting SPOILER you move on only to have to fight a bunch of SPOILERS.

[alanschu]

Hehe, attack of the spoilers. And yes, we're referring to automobile parts

[Deraldin]

Complaint: After first battle and [place where Morrigan takes you], Alistair urges you to go to [story location X], and it's a death trap. Moreover, it's a death trap that if you leave, will result in everyone there dying. I think BioWare fumbled with that one. If they're going to have a follow urge you to head to X, then X should be something person might reasonably survive or at least be able to leave and come back when stronger.

 

Hah! That's the first place I went with my first character. Outside was easy enough, although somewhat time consuming. It could have been a lot more dangerous had there been more focus on me, but I managed to keep almost everyone alive. Inside seems to be a little tougher. I've only gotten a few rooms inside though. Anything that has the ability to take you down for extended lengths of time and do damage can go to hell. I'm looking at you wolves/spiders/mabari!

[Maria Caliban]

Haha, I have no idea where you're talking about

 

Where does Alistair urge you to seek help after the Battle of Ostigar? "We should seek out XX in YY, he's well-respected and can help us."

 

 

Game too tough for you? Go play tiddlywinks.

 

P.S. More seriously, the game does a lot of fubar to make itself even tougher. ie. after fighting SPOILER you move on only to have to fight a bunch of SPOILERS.

 

I didn't go there first, but to the Circle Tower to pick up a follower. Glad I did as well.

 

Hah! That's the first place I went with my first character. Outside was easy enough, although somewhat time consuming. It could have been a lot more dangerous had there been more focus on me, but I managed to keep almost everyone alive. Inside seems to be a little tougher. I've only gotten a few rooms inside though. Anything that has the ability to take you down for extended lengths of time and do damage can go to hell. I'm looking at you wolves/spiders/mabari!

 

Yes. In a place packed with the undead, the most powerful creatures are the warhounds. Which makes me wonder: if the guard dogs are so powerful, how did the place get packed with the undead?

 

I found the battle in the open very difficult. My only AOE was sleep, and nothing keeps the allies from swarming a bunch of different targets and waking them all up.

Edited November 5, 2009 by Maria Caliban

[alanschu]

Ah okay, I know where you're talking about. I thought so, but I never tried leaving there. It was the first place I went too, and yeah, inside is pretty tough I found.

 

 

And yes, the ability "Overwhelm" sucks ass Deraldin!

[Maria Caliban]

If you leave, everyone dies. You also can't leave the Kenloch when you get there, but that's okay as it's much easier.