Dragon Age 2

[Monte Carlo]

In that interview Mike Laidlaw says that you find out that the country is on the brink of war, and we find out what choices your character made to get there.

 

So, whatever choices you make at the end the country is at the brink of war. QED, Bioware's concept of choice.

 

It worked for Alpha Protocol.

 

But hey, if "I know a part of the ending" is equivalent to "there's no choice in the game at all" then that's your perogative.

 

 

Maybe you've had your blinders on for a while now, but you do realize that in every BioWare game (and arguably any game), any choices you get to make are just the ones that the designers let you make.

 

Stop being so smug, look at what I said in context as opposed to scoring points.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Top down view may indeed be cut for 'performance issues'

 

 

(also a lot of other infos from a GameStar preview)

[Volourn]

Bet half the info there is wrong. Better stick to wait til reading whatb the BIo guys says.

[Thorton_AP]

Stop being so smug, look at what I said in context as opposed to scoring points.

 

I'm not the one stating QED when discussing the player's choice.

[Tale]

Top down view may indeed be cut for 'performance issues'

 

 

(also a lot of other infos from a GameStar preview)

Don't mind me, just seething in rage behind a keyboard.

 

 

In name only!

 

 

 

I see talk of choice. In my mind, the important part of choice is including the choices your players will want to choose. How many people really wanted to tell old beardyface to piss off when he stabbed Jory? Not cool, dude. Not cool at all.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Tale

[Gromnir]

am not bothered by horned q. if the bio folks thinks q looks kewler with horns, then horns it is. one o' the complaints we heard regarding da were regarding the lack o' differentiation 'mongst character race models. dwarves, for example, were denigrated as distorted human models. if bio wants to make deathclaws furry, then we expect that we will get some explanation 'bout how deathclaws has always been furry and we simply did not realize/notice. doesn't seem like a major change, and it sure as heck ain't worthy o' being considered a major improvement. nevertheless, am not worried that bio added horns to some/all q anymore than we were disturbed by furry deathclaws.

 

as for the removal o' the top-down pov, Gromnir continues to be amazed that such a suggested "improvement" is not getting more attention. even if the info is suspect, am disturbed by the lack o' response from pc fans. no top-down view for the da2 pc version = no da2 purchase by Gromnir; this is not a negotiable point. many new da2 features/improvements appears to be little more than resource saving devices, but we would probable endure such stuff as we enjoyed da:o. recognizing all the other "improvements," lack o' top-down pov would make us wonder why bio does not rename da2 more appropriate: Mass Effect: Thedas.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Meshugger]

Considering the rumors of removing features, what is going to be added in DA2, gameplay-wise?

[Gromnir]

Considering the rumors of removing features, what is going to be added in DA2, gameplay-wise?

 

actually, am not too concerned on the gameplay improvements. for instance, reducing the number o' spells and allowing for modified spells is sounding like a good thing... particularly as we recommended doing such many years ago when da were still in early development. there will, no doubt, be many gameplay improvements both noticeable and hidden. sometimes a significant gameplay improvement needs only be an alteration o' behind-the-scenes numbers crunching. if bio has a fault regarding gameplay improvements it is that they typically tries too hard to improve that which needs not be improved. bio's attempts to streamline ME2 character generation and development choices along with their desire to infuse more of a shooter "feel" to the game were improvements we coulda' done without.

 

Gromnir enjoys cooking. one o' the most useful skills in cooking is the ability to do nothing. so often the desire to add salt, stir pot, and/or peek in oven will only serve to futz up foods that not otherwise need futzing. biowarians developers needs to better learn when Not to stir the pot.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited August 4, 2010 by Gromnir

[HoonDing]

Top down view may indeed be cut for 'performance issues'

[Monte Carlo]

Like I say, I wasn't buying it anyway but the removal of the tactical view is A Bridge Too Far and signals that the barbarians are indeed at the gates. Fix bayonets!

[Orogun01]

I see myself in the future; not buying DA2

[WorstUsernameEver]

Personally I'm still waiting Bioware's word on the subject, but if they cut top down view, I don't see myself buying the game until it hits bargain bin price (by that time I'll have gathered enough feedback to decide wisely anyway).

[HoonDing]

Personally I'm still waiting Bioware's word on the subject, but if they cut top down view, I don't see myself buying the game until it hits bargain bin price (by that time I'll have gathered enough feedback to decide wisely anyway).

Strange though, that the Bio boards aren't ablaze as one'd expect it to be if there were even the slightest rumour about this.

 

That said, over-the-shoulder or top-down doesn't make a difference to me, I'm more concerned whether the fighting is against the same level-scaled mobs over and over again.

[entrerix]

unless the game is totally different than part 1 I dont know how I could play it without top down view.... placing spells would be a nightmare....

[Orogun01]

Personally I'm still waiting Bioware's word on the subject, but if they cut top down view, I don't see myself buying the game until it hits bargain bin price (by that time I'll have gathered enough feedback to decide wisely anyway).

Strange though, that the Bio boards aren't ablaze as one'd expect it to be if there were even the slightest rumour about this.

 

That said, over-the-shoulder or top-down doesn't make a difference to me, I'm more concerned whether the fighting is against the same level-scaled mobs over and over again.

That's probably because the BioBoards are full of the post-ME biofans.

 

CRPGs simply require isometric view, how am i gonna see Leliana surrounded by Darkspawn otherwise?

[HoonDing]

I'm guessing it'd be only for the console version?

[Tale]

I'm guessing it'd be only for the console version?

How do they cut something from a version that never had it?

[greylord]

I actually completely loved DAO and DAA. I don't think I played a lot of it with top down, so if they remove it I'm still going to get DA2. I've also been playing since the BG1 days, but maybe I'm an oddity in that I am going to plan on getting it (as long as it's DRM isn't like the first ME) regardless.

[mr insomniac]

Playing through Origins again now, and I have to say the top-down view makes a big difference. Unless Bio comes up with a better way of selecting targets or keeping your party members out of the way when you're trying to click on some loot or open a door, I say keep it.

[Spider]

As I said before:if they cut the top down view, my interest in this game is quickly approaching nil. And this from someone who loved both the original game and the expansion. I even bought both Warden's Keep and Return to Ostagar because I liked the gameplay that much and I felt Bio deserved it.

 

But everything I've seen so far is just changing or removing the aspects that made me like the game so much.

[Tigranes]

Got to wait until official confirmation, of course. But god, if true, we are steadily seeing a picture of a completely raped DA.

 

Think about it. You have "every talent/spell is executed immediately", more gory death animations and the like, and the removal of the top down view - what you get is, basically, the game saying you want to control one character, you want to go around doing cool stuff on the battlefield, while the AI controlled party brings everything else down. It lets you be COOL and be IN THE ACTION, sure, but good bye to tactical party combat.

 

Obviously I'll turn around and say good show if it turns out not to be true, but it's not encouraging that every tidbit of info so far comes together very cohesively to paint a general picture of where they're going - they won't be markeitng 'spiritual successor of BG2' on this one. And I won't be getting it.

 

edit: Oh, there are positives too in that link, though, awesome! Less warrior-ish rogues, and companion interjection/involvement in some dialogues.

[Volourn]

"But god, if true, we are steadily seeing a picture of a completely raped DA. "

 

Rape is forced sexual intercourse. This isn't happening here.

 

Anyways, top down view was the only good thing that the PC version had over the console version.

 

This, of course, is not to be belived until BIo confirms it.

 

This will effect my decision to get the PC evrsion because I wanmted to keep with the tatical aspect of the game.

 

 

"but it's not encouraging that every tidbit of info so far comes together very cohesively to paint a general picture of where they're going -"

 

Except, a huge aprt of what we've ehard about the game through the media has been either flat out lies or half truths. *shrug*

 

 

"companion interjection/involvement in some dialogues."

 

Not surprising since this was in DA1....

[Oblarg]

It would be really hard to make DA:O worse.

[GhostofAnakin]

It would be really hard to make DA:O worse.

 

I'm an oddity. I actually prefer Origins to either ME games.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Also, if the game looks like the way it does at release, including environments and new enemy designs, I just don't understand what Bioware is doing.