Dragon age discussion

[Gfted1]

They arent jumping the conversation, they just read faster than the VO speaks.

[kirottu]

They arent jumping the conversation, they just read faster than the VO speaks.

 

+1

Edited November 20, 2009 by kirottu

[alanschu]

I'm sure that's the case for most people that don't listen to full VO as well.

 

Though I find even with subtitles on, I still listen to the dialogue.

[~Di]

I find full VO a delicious treat, but since I cut my teeth on BG I'm quite used to doing without. It doesn't bother me.

 

I'm stunned at how quickly y'all finished the game. I think I'm at about 50 hours (although truthfully I don't pay much attention to the hours played), and have only done the Redcliff and Urn main quests. (I think I did the Urn quest a bit too soon... a level 12 party with a level 10 tank. Ouch.) I'm doing all the sidequests I can get, spending a lot of time in camp chatting everyone up, and wandering around each new town with different sidekicks to hear the banter. (BTW, why the hell can't we change party members in Denerim??? We could in Lothering and Redcliff. Grrrrr.)

 

Guess I'm just a slowpoke, but I'm really having fun with it. When I take on DA with my mage, now THAT will be a royal beat-down!

Edited November 20, 2009 by ~Di

[Guest Slinky]

They arent jumping the conversation, they just read faster than the VO speaks.

Oh, okay, didn't know some people do that.

[Morgoth]

Yeah, some VO is too slow, and trying to read faster while the chap talks is unbearibly annoying.

 

Especially that Dwarven nutsjob in the Deep Roads was annoying as hell.

[Hurlshort]

I didn't even have subtitles on for my play through of DA. There was a time or two when a slow speaking NPC bothered me, but the overall high quality made it a very pleasant experience to listen to.

[HoonDing]

"Enchantment? Enchantment!"

 

Never gets old for me.

 

But talking to any Tranquil makes me want to pull my hair out.

[CoM_Solaufein]

Me and Leliana got together finally.

 

Did the dwarf quest. That is an amazing area, the best in the game so far. Bioware is good at show casing dwarves and their homes even the ruins of a city.

[Bos_hybrid]

^ 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

 

No, no and no.

 

The only VO that is not necessary is PC and while I think it works for ME, I never want to see it in any other Bio game. All it does is take away VO resources that are better spent on NPCs.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

How about they cut down the useless dialogue before cutting down on full voice acting?

[Oner]

I would hope DA 2 will be less of a lore dump.

[Volourn]

I hope not. The Codex/lore is one of the best parts of the game (as well as ME and JE). I'm sure we'll be travelling to new places so we'll get more codex entries. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it.

[Hurlshort]

I didn't think DA overdid the lore at all. I can see that argument with ME, maybe.

[Monte Carlo]

BTW, why the hell can't we change party members in Denerim??? We could in Lothering and Redcliff. Grrrrr.)

 

Di, whilst in the city the little 'Change Party' icon should glow gold at the top of the GUI, you can just access the 'Cast 'O NPCs' screen automatically. It doesn't work in other areas, you need to access camp.

[Tigranes]

Full VO rarely adds anything for me because video games rarely give me moments good enough to savour. If they were all PS:T, or at least had quirk like Brutal Legend, it would be fine, but i mean, does Dragon Age's dialogue and story ever make you emotional? Stop and think? Get caught in a dilemma? There are some moments where the decisions presented to me makes me stop a little, but that's it. It's all written well enough to be a part of the game, but I'd be terribly bored if I had to sit and listen to it all.

 

I'm trying some different decions in my second playthrough

killing the elves and enlisting the werewolves, etc

and it's nice to have the options. I was disappointed that the 'goodie good' party members didn't give a crap about it, though.

[alanschu]

'goodie good' party members didn't give a crap about it, though.

 

I think this is the misconception. People seem have already pigeon holed the party members as goodie goodie and evil. For instance, there's a way to gain some approval with Leliana by agreeing to the request of a desire demon, and it's hardly a "good" choice.

 

 

does Dragon Age's dialogue and story ever make you emotional? Stop and think? Get caught in a dilemma?

 

So? This isn't really required in order to enjoy VO. People like VO. You could argue it creates a more cinematic experience, which I definitely enjoy. It doesn't have much to do with quality of dialogue at all IMO.

[Tigranes]

I think this is the misconception. People seem have already pigeon holed the party members as goodie goodie and evil. For instance, there's a way to gain some approval with Leliana by agreeing to the request of a desire demon, and it's hardly a "good" choice.

 

Alistair and Wynne are pretty clearly 'good'. Their behaviour and opinions match that of the 'good' party members we've seen in Bio, Obsid and BIS RPGs over the last decade. The likes of Leliana and Sten are more ambiguous, and Alistair is hardly Carth, but it's a fair call to make I think.

 

People like VO. You could argue it creates a more cinematic experience, which I definitely enjoy.

 

I'm sure some do, and it's no skin off their back. You notice I was just speaking for myself.

[Oner]

'goodie good' party members didn't give a crap about it, though.

I think this is the misconception. People seem have already pigeon holed the party members as goodie goodie and evil. For instance, there's a way to gain some approval with Leliana by agreeing to the request of a desire demon, and it's hardly a "good" choice.

Wynne approves of that too actually.

 

I'm an empathic person, but a VO'd PC would make caring for hir a lot easier. It would feel like the char is actually there and all.

[Humanoid]

I'm quite happy with VO as part of the cinematic experience - but talking head sequences don't really fulfil that so I'm not too concerned either way whether the mundane conversations are voiced or not. The Wing Commander speechpacks were fairly pointless, one of the few things in the history of gaming that are a bigger ripoff than DLC, but on the other hand I'm quite fond of the FMV excesses of the sequels.

[alanschu]

Alistair and Wynne are pretty clearly 'good'. Their behaviour and opinions match that of the 'good' party members we've seen in Bio, Obsid and BIS RPGs over the last decade. The likes of Leliana and Sten are more ambiguous, and Alistair is hardly Carth, but it's a fair call to make I think.

 

I think they still do a good job of sticking to their convictions though. Wynne retaliates at the Urn, Alistair doesn't. There's a fair bit of times that Alistair doesn't mind a whole lot if you do more evil things, I assume because he's understanding of what it takes to fight the blight as a Grey Warden. Trained as a Templar though, he'll have issues with things like using Blood Magic.

 

 

Alistair supports you being heroic, but doesn't mind if you do unheroic things a lot of the time. He's mostly indifferent. On the whole, Leliana is pretty "good" too, but they often have their rationalizations for the odd circumstances.

 

Wynne definitely fits the "good" one the tightest, IMO, though I'm surprised that she's okay with the scene I'm describing. Maybe because it involves a Templar. I don't remember her dialogue.

[Oner]

She didn't say anything (Leliana commented), I just got the Wynne approves +4.

[Guest Slinky]

Wynne also approves if you do the mambo with the dalish elf girl, who is having problems with her boyfriend. Maybe Wynne is deep down just bitter old bat?

[Gorth]

I really like most of the game so far, but one thing is infuriating and a sour grape in an otherwise sweet experience. The *&^%$# cut scenes that takes control of my characters in just about every encounter and make them all walk as easy targets into obvious traps and ambushes. It is frustrating. Besides that little vent, I like it very much. It is no BG2, but it is fine game in its own right. Yeah, thats what the cynic said.

[Tigranes]

I think they still do a good job of sticking to their convictions though.

 

I agree, I liked how

wynne was very quick to fight or oppose you at the circle tower, when she is still not sure of your intentions, and how alistair reacts so violently against keeping loghain alive.

I just thought the one particular outcome - the 'other' option in the Brescilian Forest - was not as well accounted for. i.e. the rest of the game sets a standard for reactivity, but this outcome seemed a bit sloppy (you're just dropped in a big fight with the

elven camp

and nobody comments on it, except Morrigan). I do stress that I'm very happy with how it usually works out.

 

The *&^%$# cut scenes that takes control of my characters in just about every encounter and make them all walk as easy targets into obvious traps and ambushes. It is frustrating.

 

It happened in NWNs and KOTORs too, one thing that happened with the whole 3D cinematic turn and is very silly.