Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I know Bio will probably expand on this in the sequel (or not), but Morrigan's end could've been more specific. I felt like that pretty much for every end. As in, the few lines of text was very much like "what, thats it?" I wonder will Bioware add a npc to DA in a patch, who will start advertising the new DLC?
Morgoth Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 This DLC seems to me pretty wothless as it doesn't add a new storyline or anything. It's just another spot on the map where you get fighting through masses of darkspawn, then have maybe some dude talking to about some artefact, and that's it. I prefer a full expansion pack a'la ToB or HoTU a lot more. Rain makes everything better.
Humanoid Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 A DLC I'd buy is one that provided an alternate storyline progression between the end of each origin story and the point where the world map opens up - i.e. a parallel exclusive path to the Ostagar-Wilds-Ishal line. As it stands that part of the game rapidly becomes an irritating bottleneck on every playthrough after the first, whereas decent options (or at least passable illusions thereof) exist prior and following on from that arc. Possible hooks include perhaps having an alternate ending to each origin where you get captured, or another one where, say, you manage to escape your conscription while journeying to Ostagar - anything of the sort really, because Ostagar is starting to feel like Irenicus' Dungeon. L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G
HoonDing Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 Dog Armour DLC is coming closer & closer... The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
Monte Carlo Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 OK, I've not quite finished but I'm near the end engaged in one of the sub-final-but-not-quite battles. It's a complete homage to LotR (Peter Jackson's vision, naturally) but I say that in a "and that's OK" sort of way. All in all it's been a blast, am looking forward to the end, and playing it again. There's stuff I didn't really get into but should have (er, enchanting weapons properly) but the game mechanics are like a roadkill pizza - hey it's pizza (yum!) but there's bits of roadkill in it (eeeew!). Well done Bio, I stand by my 8/10. Sort out the (currently dodgy) looking expansion DLC strategy and support the modding community - it could easily rise to a 9/10. Cheers MC
HoonDing Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I'll try to finish it this night... I've just gathered all allies. No idea how much game there is still left. I'm getting a bit burnt out, bashing shields into monstrous faces & shattering mooks to smithereens for nearly 60 hours... I already have a Dalish Elf & Elven mage ready for future replays. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
Morgoth Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) I'll try to finish it this night... I've just gathered all allies. No idea how much game there is still left. I'm getting a bit burnt out, bashing shields into monstrous faces & shattering mooks to smithereens for nearly 60 hours... I already have a Dalish Elf & Elven mage ready for future replays. 60 hours? You must be doing something wrong. I finished it in 30 hours but still did pretty much everything. Edited November 20, 2009 by Morgoth Rain makes everything better.
Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) I finished it in 30 hours but still did pretty much everything. It took me about 65h and I didn't do the mage/mercenary quests at all! Edited November 20, 2009 by Slinky
Morgoth Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 What mage/mercenary quest? Rain makes everything better.
Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 The ones you get from mages and mercenaries like the quests you get from the chantry board.
Volourn Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I'm at 50 hours, and just finished gathering allies and completing as many side quests I could. People who are tkaing this long are likely taking our time, enjoying the game, and aren't rushing through so they cna brag how short the game is. btw, That's 50 hours not counting reloads. I spend my time reading the codex, inetratcing with party members, going back and forth from various areas, and just enjoying the scenery, and sexing up my girlfriend (which I'm not allowed to now though can still make it out :). DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.
Morgoth Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) The ones you get from mages and mercenaries like the quests you get from the chantry board. I only did the chantry boards in Denerim. I didn't bother to do every single dip**** quests, because many deemed to be uninteresting to me. I also did the Shale quest, but that was totally worthless. Edit: 30 hours is what the savegame says. That's probably 50 hours with all the dying and loading times. Edited November 20, 2009 by Morgoth Rain makes everything better.
Monte Carlo Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 ^ I'm probably more like Volourn (gasp), I sort of chill out, sometimes re-play a particularly interesting battle for fun, travel around buying stuff and doing side quests... just like BG2 in fact. I did one character to level 11, then did a restart (currently level 20) and another origin out of curiosity. This is generally how I play CRPGs, DA is well set up for my meandering style. I don't really like getting to the end. In fact, I'd love a "re-spawn tougher monsters" mod so I could have some more combat. So, with that in mind I'm at about 70 hours and have enjoyed almost all of it, I have both DLC quests (which adds about 2.5 hours including travelling to Soldier's Peak for the merchants there after I've finished that quest). On my next run-through I'm going to do everything. Why? because I'll be a rogue and I want to be the highest level possible before the end... and no chest unlocked! Cheers MC
Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I'd love a "re-spawn tougher monsters" mod so I could have some more combat. Okay, that was the last whine about the amount of combat in DA from me. I promise.
TheHarlequin Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) OK, I've not quite finished but I'm near the end engaged in one of the sub-final-but-not-quite battles. It's a complete homage to LotR (Peter Jackson's vision, naturally) but I say that in a "and that's OK" sort of way. As someone said in a previous thread bioware should have paid peter jackson royalty fees for all the concepts and art style they stol... ermmm.. borrowed. Some of the video of the large battles are almost movement for movement of the TT and RotK scenes. And theres the dwarf/elf architecture from the flims/LotR artwork. Not that its a bad thing, I loved the LotR movies but they were so obvious about it didn't even try it seems to put their own spin on it. Just cut and paste from the LotR franchise for the most part. *shrugs* Edited November 20, 2009 by TheHarlequin World of Darkness News http://www.wodnews.net --- "I cannot profess to be a theologian; but it seems to me that Christians who believe in a super human Satan have got themselves into a logical impasse with regard to their own religion. For either God can not prevent the mischief of Satan, in which case he is not omnipotent; or else He could do so if he wished, but will not, in which case He is not benevolent. Fortunately, being a pagan witch, I am not called upon to solve this problem." - Doreen Valiente
TheHarlequin Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 Dog Armour DLC is coming closer & closer... If you are implying they are just going to pepper us with little 1hr DLC here and 1hr DLC there for the next year until the EoL for DA1 (becasue we know they are in preproduction for DA2 ATM) then I agree. Some may be worth $5. others not so much. I was disappointed like many with wardens keep and I got shale for free. Will I buy any more DLC for DA? Prob not, if they are all going to be as short and more fluff then substance like WK. Well executed fluff I will admit but fluff none the less. And WK also seems unfinished to boot. (cant re-enter, let the mage live and that plot is left dangling, etc) World of Darkness News http://www.wodnews.net --- "I cannot profess to be a theologian; but it seems to me that Christians who believe in a super human Satan have got themselves into a logical impasse with regard to their own religion. For either God can not prevent the mischief of Satan, in which case he is not omnipotent; or else He could do so if he wished, but will not, in which case He is not benevolent. Fortunately, being a pagan witch, I am not called upon to solve this problem." - Doreen Valiente
HoonDing Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I'd love a "re-spawn tougher monsters" mod so I could have some more combat. Okay, that was the last whine about the amount of combat in DA from me. I promise. I take it you're going for the inevitable Romance Mods? The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
Monte Carlo Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 ^ I put this to the forum... Fully voiced dialogue is a waste of money. I do not, for a moment, want to rob my fellow Briton, the inimitiable Tim Curry, of a penny. However, how much does a fully voiced game cost for chrissakes? I'm hitting Esc through lots of dialogue... some werewolf wants to threaten me? OK, the first taunt voiced is cool... but every single time? Ditto merchants. And peasants. And the guy who sells mushrooms. This money would be better spent elsewhere. Just VO the really important stuff Bioware. Spend the rest on crunchy stuff like a 10 hour XP with a new NPC and skills and stuff. Please. I don't know much about game development, but do (vicariously) about voice talent... the top end pays pretty good and DA:O has some top end VO. Cheers MC
Morgoth Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) Would you rather talk to mute characters, face to face? That would just look awkward. The only option to bypass that is to go NWN isometric style only, where you can't see the character's faces. But that's not gonna happen. Edited November 20, 2009 by Morgoth Rain makes everything better.
Enoch Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I'm approaching 35 hours, having done only the Dalish, Mages, Redcliff pt. 1, Shaletown, and some assorted "we couldn't bother to write quest-giving NPCs so we just stuck them in a sack" quests. But I'm a notorious combat pause-whore, and I have been known to leave the game on and paused for extended stretches while meandering about the house, fixing drinks, chatting with the wife, etc. Oh, and to update a post I made a while back, I did finally get the Leliana music video. Turns out that I had a backlog of conversations that trigger when entering Camp in the queue. Comedy gold.
Wrath of Dagon Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 Whenever I play a game with partial VO, I'm astonished at how much more real the characters with VO seem. Not to mention the jarring nature of the transition. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 I take it you're going for the inevitable Romance Mods? Hell no Some fanmade NWN mod I played years ago had romances. Let's just say that they were exactly what you could expect from a teenage coder.
Volourn Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 "Oh, and to update a post I made a while back, I did finally get the Leliana music video. Turns out that I had a backlog of conversations that trigger when entering Camp in the queue. Comedy gold. " Just listened to it on utube.. all I'll say is... interesting... DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.
alanschu Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 ^ I put this to the forum... Fully voiced dialogue is a waste of money. I do not, for a moment, want to rob my fellow Briton, the inimitiable Tim Curry, of a penny. However, how much does a fully voiced game cost for chrissakes? I'm hitting Esc through lots of dialogue... some werewolf wants to threaten me? OK, the first taunt voiced is cool... but every single time? Ditto merchants. And peasants. And the guy who sells mushrooms. This money would be better spent elsewhere. Just VO the really important stuff Bioware. Spend the rest on crunchy stuff like a 10 hour XP with a new NPC and skills and stuff. Please. I don't know much about game development, but do (vicariously) about voice talent... the top end pays pretty good and DA:O has some top end VO. Cheers MC VO is really important to a lot of people IMO. My roommate specifically says he has a hard time getting into RPGs with a lot of dialogue to read but no VO. In fact, unless I'm in a rush, I wholeheartedly prefer to listen to full VO myself. I found it really hard to get into Anarchronox, because I had become used to games with full VO. Even games like Baldur's Gate which had some lines VO'd, made me wish more lines were VO'd. I think a large part of the people that get huge play times are people that listen to full VO. I also saw a review for DA that commented on the disappointment of a lack of VO for the protagonist (and even disappointment that it went back to the text list for conversations, instead of the dialogue wheel from Mass Effect). Full VO gets a big from me.
Guest Slinky Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 Full VO gets a big from me. +1 I honestly can't figure out why people who jump over conversations as fast they can so they can go back to commit acts of ultraviolence even play RPG's? Isn't world full of Diablos and such for that?
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