MrBrown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Sounds like the major difference between Normal and Nightmare is positioning and constant movement. My two-hander using Warrior seems to be performing about equally in normal, as Azure's does in Nightmare. Either I've levelled him badly, or there's not much difference in enemy stats.
Azure79 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 @Tigranes I pause a lot. It's necessary in nightmare since re-positioning and avoiding enemy attacks is crucial. I usually have party members on hold so they don't go running off willy nilly on their own. Sometimes kiting is necessary, but it's more like when threat is transferred to somewhere I don't want it so I take control of that character and run around avoiding attacks until threat is gone. I haven't found any pure spell combos like there were in DAO. It's exactly like Nepenthe said. Each character class has special skills that put enemies in certain states. Other classes can take advantage of that. @trulez Yes, the game was pretty hard in the beginning on nightmare. I also found myself kiting a lot with a mage. I was pretty dissapointed at first and thought about just playing on normal, but as I upgraded abilities a lot of stuff started opening up and it started to get fun. Aveline was a lifesaver in the beginning as she can tank and survive really well. This gave me some time to take out enemies on the flanks and learn some of the combos. Hope you aren't too put off. It definitely gets more interesting as you go along. @MrBrown I went exclusively two handed and vanguard. Seems to be working out very well. I'm thinking of taking some battlemaster skills for the stamina regen later plus some from the berserker tree for more damage.
WDeranged Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I've been playing on hard and I'm finding enough of a challenge, I'm enjoying the faster combat but the camera annoys the hell out of me, if they extended it just a bit more I'd be happy but I'm constantly finding myself feeling cramped. There is definitely a fair amount of strategy to the fights, I slogged through Origins on nightmare mode and DA2 is still whipping me quite often on hard, after the first few hours I seriously doubt anyone is going to win by click spamming or repeatedly pressing A. The plot is OK so far, I like the new character designs and general vibe, I especially like those gigantic emaciated statues, meant to crush the spirits of Tevinter slaves as they arrived to Kirkwall. Ultimately Bio have dumbed the game down, not by the cataclysmic amount some people think but they did go too far, there's no doubt you're playing a ported console game, I want my strategic cam and full inventory control back
MrBrown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 The story is really slow to develop. For the first 10 hours, you're basically just doing stuff that either introduces stuff in the world, hints at later plot developments or sets up allegiances. _All_ the stories develop in acts, so you won't, as an example, just pick up Valygar, get this companion quest, go do his quest, get his whole story, and be done with it. Later on, there are a lot more development, twists, and so on. Some of them are kinda generic, some are really cheesy, but I've run into a few that were really, really good. (No, dunno about the ending yet.)
sorophx Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 The story is really slow to develop. I'd say that's a good thing. Walsingham said: I was struggling to understand ths until I noticed you are from Finland. And having been educated solely by mkreku in this respect I am convinced that Finland essentially IS the wh40k universe.
Majek Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 It's a good thing if it has an interesting start. And all this info Azure still makes me believe it's not really tactical just tedious and somewhat annoying. So i might try Nightmare and Hard but i'll probably just forget about trying to find some good challenge in combat and play on Normal. Maybe they'll be other stuff that i'll like. 1.13 killed off Ja2.
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I will say this about the framing sequences. They're awful. It's 1/2 rapid fire recap, 1/2 vague foreboding. I make this judgement early. It may actually prove itself later, but the two that show up near the end of Act 1 were just painful. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
MrBrown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I will say this about the framing sequences. They're awful. It's 1/2 rapid fire recap, 1/2 vague foreboding. I make this judgement early. It may actually prove itself later, but the two that show up near the end of Act 1 were just painful. It seems to me it'd work better, if there were more of it. If gameplay was more linear, and after 10 hours of sidequesting you wouldn't suddenly remember "oh, there was that thing". It's foreboding I guess, because there's several possibilities on how the game will end.
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 By foreboding I mean Cassandra's "He had to have known what was down there!" and "You know what he did!" It's that stupid Omniscient Council of Vagueness. It doesn't make me anticipate what's going to happen, it just makes me feel like I'm trapped in a room with a couple of pretentious douchenozzles telling each other in-jokes. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
Morgoth Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Just bought a EADM key for 15 Rain makes everything better.
Azure79 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Somewhere in Act 2, some complaints I want the DAO camera back please. I had thought it was ok, but in close quarters it's a hassle trying to get a good view of the battle. I keep trying to pan out more than I can and sometimes the camera becomes wonky or spins like crazy. Also because of the limited camera angles, sometimes I just can't get AOE abilities right where I want them. This is frustrating and I think Bioware needlessly nerfed the camera. The itemization is pretty bland. There are unique items with backstories, but a lot of the stuff I pick up are just named 'ring' or 'amulet' or 'armor' etc. Also why all these junk items? You can't use/equip em, you can just sell them for a pittance. Seems like they could have spent the time making more interesting items players could actually equip. I'm tired of traversing the same city and the three or four outside locations again and again. Especially when a lot of these areas are cut and paste jobs. More variety in locales would be most welcome. Really missing that iso-camera view
MrBrown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Really missing that iso-camera view You have used the right mouse button to change the view, right? I got used to it once I figured that out
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) I still miss the detached camera. It's hard to position some AoEs on open ground precisely. However, it helps that if you pause, select an AoE, then change characters, you can aim the AoE from the other character's position. It's a brilliant little feature. Edited March 10, 2011 by Tale "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
Lexx Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) So, who agrees on the PC Gamer review? Dragon Age 2 is not what you expect. Hell, even during preview sessions, I hadn’t anticipated it being this much of a traditional sequel. But by locking down the context – the world and the politics – BioWare were free to fill their creation with more character and vitality than any title in recent memory. The best RPG of this decade? Nine more years will tell, but for now, yes. 94%, PC Gamer. Edited March 10, 2011 by Lexx "only when you no-life you can exist forever, because what does not live cannot die."
sorophx Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 sounds like a joke, it's like calling every subsequent title "best game of the decade for now" all the way to 2021 not sure what he means by vitality though Walsingham said: I was struggling to understand ths until I noticed you are from Finland. And having been educated solely by mkreku in this respect I am convinced that Finland essentially IS the wh40k universe.
Majek Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I never agree with anything written by PCGamer. 1.13 killed off Ja2.
Meshugger Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 The girlfriend started to play it today on the PS3. She played as a female mage, coming as far as meeting up with the family . So far, she liked that she only had to run, press a button, and run some more (casual difficulty) and the fact that there's little thinking needed. But she's in it for the story, so that response was expected. But one thing did strike me though. What's with the dwarf in the intro? No beard, jewelry and a snazzy attitude. That doesn't really fit in a world that tries to represent itself as dark. "Some men see things as they are and say why?""I dream things that never were and say why not?"- George Bernard Shaw"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."- Friedrich Nietzsche "The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it." - Some guy
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Varric was born on the surface. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
Meshugger Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Varric was born on the surface. Why would that matter? He still seems inconsistent with the world presented. Unless DA2 is wacky-darky.....or something. "Some men see things as they are and say why?""I dream things that never were and say why not?"- George Bernard Shaw"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."- Friedrich Nietzsche "The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it." - Some guy
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Well, for one thing, I absolutely fail to see the connection you're making. Beards are dark? How does that make sense? Second, that's why he's different from the stereotype. He was raised apart from tradition. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
Majek Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) I really don't understand where you're going with this Mesh o.O? Edited March 10, 2011 by Majek 1.13 killed off Ja2.
WDeranged Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I had a good three hour session when I got home today, I should be leaving for the Derp Roads soon, so far I'm still enjoying the game despite the re-used locations and minor railroading, I badly wanted to turn down the quest to free the Qunari mage, sod it, none of my business I thought , but Bioware thought differently. It's dawning on me how much I really enjoy the combat, I like arcadey plumes of gore and loud noises so it suits me, I just find it hard to forgive the lack of wide area strategy and the use of spawning waves.
Meshugger Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I really don't understand where you're going with this Mesh o.O? He looks like and talks like he's been on Bondi beach while the world outside is burning. Inconsistency. That's my point. Maybe it changes later, but his presentation in the beginning felt way off. "Some men see things as they are and say why?""I dream things that never were and say why not?"- George Bernard Shaw"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."- Friedrich Nietzsche "The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it." - Some guy
Tale Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) Ahh, maybe I see the mistake. You hear "dark" and think it's the end of the world. It's not really dark and it's definitely not that kind of dark. Lothering (where the game starts) is not the world. He's a merchant prince in a fairly rich city. Edited March 10, 2011 by Tale "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
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