Volourn Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Yup, sure it does. Since I have experienced the best and the worst of RPG cities. But, hey, Mr. I Will Spam & Troll DA2 Threads At All Costs Even Though I Will Never Play the Game R00fles! How's your trolling experiement going? Very well, I imagine. DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.
Spider Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 The wording doesn't strike you as odd? To me it sounds like a PR piece. Why would a regular user even care to comment if you buy used or not? Other peoples shopping habits are the last thing on my mind when I'm writing a small review. I don't think it feels like a PR piece. Maybe in the context, but not in and of itself. I can see how a regular user could think of something like that since the whole "project $10" has been targeting the used market from the get go.
Raithe Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 and there's now a 1.01 patch available now.. but I think it's geared to a few "unlock the game" issues rather then in-game stuff. "Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."
GreasyDogMeat Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Red Lantern District Inn = The Blooming Rose Also Viscounts Keep and I think the Alley map (used for the gas plot, for example). Did you count the Disused Path underground in the Docks? (I'm thinking its unique, but my memory...hazy - maybe its the Merchant there throwing me off). Also the Approach to the Wounded Coast (the ambush site for Aveline's re-intro after the first year and the escaped Mages quest) I don't think is used for anything other than the Approach to the Wounded Coast. There's the Generic Outside Map (used for the Ironbark quest, the last map in the Ketojan quest, etc) I'm assuming the Dock House is the generic interior used for the two foundries and a lot of the thieves quest? Forgot those. Also the beach section for a number of quests including the Q'nari mage quest. Even adding those it is still JUST hitting 30 unique areas. And yeah, the Dock House = the generic interior for the foundry etc.
RPGmasterBoo Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) Best RPG cities: Athkatla > Vizima > Sigil > VtM Bloodlines Santa Monica Hub > Baldur's Gate > Gothic Old Camp > some of ME2's locations But really Athkatla is leaps and bounds in front of the rest. Vizima can get a little monotonous, Sigil isn't exactly cohesive, Santa Monica is tiny etc... Urban locations are really difficult to do well and really easy to be too small/bland/sparse. Cities are simply too dynamic and resource intesive for a genre like RPG that requires a lot of unique content. Especially in the day and age of pimped graphics. I was rooting for an city set RPG for a while but I also think that sort of project has a huge chance to fail. Which is why I'm quite interested how the World of Darkness MMO will work out. I predict it will suck because of this, or at most be no better than other MMO's. Edited March 23, 2011 by RPGmasterBoo Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life
AutomaticMeat Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 This pretty much sums up my opinion of the game. I think 2.5 is probably a bit too low, but the majority of his criticisms I would agree with. I'm really struggling with how little I like this game. Usually with Bioware I'm guaranteed at least an averagely enjoyable game, but this has managed to consistently bore/irritate me all the way through. Which I suppose is impressive in itself.
Slowtrain Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Best RPG cities: Athkatla > Vizima > Sigil > VtM Bloodlines Santa Monica Hub > Baldur's Gate > Gothic Old Camp > some of ME2's locations I'd added Vivec to that list. Maybe even the number 1 spot. Bethesda gets a lot of things wrong in rpgs, but that one they nailed. Notice how I can belittle your beliefs without calling you names. It's a useful skill to have particularly where you aren't allowed to call people names. It's a mistake to get too drawn in/worked up. I mean it's not life or death, it's just two guys posting their thoughts on a message board. If it were personal or face to face all the usual restraints would be in place, and we would never have reached this place in the first place. Try to remember that.
Hurlshort Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The problem with Kirkwall is you have games like Assassin's Creed with actual bustling cities, and for some reason every RPG still has the bad economic downturn look. I like Kirkwall myself. I thought the art for the city was very solid, and it seems like a decent sized city. I haven't played enough to be certain, but it is already better than the DA human and dwarf cities.
Hell Kitty Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The first time I got to a city in Assassin's Creed my first thought was "Why can't RPG cities look like this?" I didn't mind Kirkwall, but it would have been nice if between acts it actually felt like several years had passed.
GhostofAnakin Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The first time I got to a city in Assassin's Creed my first thought was "Why can't RPG cities look like this?" This is where my lack of game designing knowledge comes in, but I've always wondered why that was the case. Why can't RPGs be as visually stunning as other genre games, especially now that developers of RPGs have made it a point to turn their games into "action-RPGs". So if they're going more action oriented, why do a lot of the environments still look like basic stuff you'd see in RPGs from a decade ago? "Console exclusive is such a harsh word." - Darque"Console exclusive is two words Darque." - Nartwak (in response to Darque's observation)
Orogun01 Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The first time I got to a city in Assassin's Creed my first thought was "Why can't RPG cities look like this?" This is where my lack of game designing knowledge comes in, but I've always wondered why that was the case. Why can't RPGs be as visually stunning as other genre games, especially now that developers of RPGs have made it a point to turn their games into "action-RPGs". So if they're going more action oriented, why do a lot of the environments still look like basic stuff you'd see in RPGs from a decade ago? It's a trade off between mechanics and dialog vs. Visuals. They spent a lot of resources on the dialog aspect; specially the stack up system which was a complete waste IMO. Also I remember a lot JRPG having stunning environment but limited choices, even the previous Gen JRPGs have beautiful visuals. I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"* *If you can't tell, it's you.
Wrath of Dagon Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The problem with Kirkwall is you have games like Assassin's Creed with actual bustling cities, and for some reason every RPG still has the bad economic downturn look. I like Kirkwall myself. I thought the art for the city was very solid, and it seems like a decent sized city. I haven't played enough to be certain, but it is already better than the DA human and dwarf cities. Just one AC game sells 8 million copies, to say nothing of the entire franchise. There's no RPG that sells anything like that, so basically they can't afford it. Plus the RPG developers (and there're only a few) just happen to be not that good with graphics and stuff. We'll see about DS3. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
Hurlshort Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The problem with Kirkwall is you have games like Assassin's Creed with actual bustling cities, and for some reason every RPG still has the bad economic downturn look. I like Kirkwall myself. I thought the art for the city was very solid, and it seems like a decent sized city. I haven't played enough to be certain, but it is already better than the DA human and dwarf cities. Just one AC game sells 8 million copies, to say nothing of the entire franchise. There's no RPG that sells anything like that, so basically they can't afford it. Plus the RPG developers (and there're only a few) just happen to be not that good with graphics and stuff. We'll see about DS3. I'm not sure I buy that fully. The Hitman game had huge crowd tech. and I don't think those sell way more than a Bioware game. Plus they had no way of knowing AC would be a huge hit, it was a gamble and a new IP. Maybe an RPG could sell numbers like that if they made their games look like AC. I buy the limited resources argument a bit more. I get that an RPG needs to focus on different things than an action game, but since DA2 has clearly been 'action-ized' to appeal to a wider audience, it would be nice if we got some of the best parts of being an action game as well.
Azure79 Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 I would love to see a RPG city similar to Venice in Assassin's Creed 2. Just add in some more interactivity with quests, NPCs, roving street gangs at night and random encounters. Even keep the climbing mechanics for your thief party members so they can sneak into places and steal things. I would even forgo the isometric viewpoint if it meant having a great RPG in that kind of environment.
HoonDing Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) I'd add Verdistis from Divine Divinity, Aleroth from Divinity 2: FOV and Ferdok/Nadoret from Drakensang to the list. Outside the fantasy realm, Anachronox is a great sci-fi city, which completely blows away the CItadel from ME in every aspect. I would love to see a RPG city similar to Venice in Assassin's Creed 2. Just add in some more interactivity with quests, NPCs, roving street gangs at night and random encounters. Even keep the climbing mechanics for your thief party members so they can sneak into places and steal things. Venetica has that. Edited March 24, 2011 by virumor The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
RPGmasterBoo Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 It would take a massive hi risk investment for us to get a game like that. I don't see it happening, the limited appeal of the genre could never return that kind of money. A new generation of MMO's perhaps, if they put more depth to their retarded gameplay. Otherwise all we'd get is pretty cardboard scenery. Even with the money, It takes mad skillz to make a good city. When you're spending huge amounts of time in a single area you're bound to notice every single error and repetition. Especially if that area is a city, and since we're all (or mostly) city people here, its easy for the entire experience to feel wrong. Much easier to sell "the wilderness" to a fat geek whose only patch of green is the mold growing on the week old pizza that litters his gaming area. Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life
HoonDing Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Rockstar could easily pull it off, especially since all it takes to be considered a RPG nowadays is adding some skill bars to characters. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
Wrath of Dagon Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The problem with Kirkwall is you have games like Assassin's Creed with actual bustling cities, and for some reason every RPG still has the bad economic downturn look. I like Kirkwall myself. I thought the art for the city was very solid, and it seems like a decent sized city. I haven't played enough to be certain, but it is already better than the DA human and dwarf cities. Just one AC game sells 8 million copies, to say nothing of the entire franchise. There's no RPG that sells anything like that, so basically they can't afford it. Plus the RPG developers (and there're only a few) just happen to be not that good with graphics and stuff. We'll see about DS3. I'm not sure I buy that fully. The Hitman game had huge crowd tech. and I don't think those sell way more than a Bioware game. Plus they had no way of knowing AC would be a huge hit, it was a gamble and a new IP. Maybe an RPG could sell numbers like that if they made their games look like AC. I buy the limited resources argument a bit more. I get that an RPG needs to focus on different things than an action game, but since DA2 has clearly been 'action-ized' to appeal to a wider audience, it would be nice if we got some of the best parts of being an action game as well. They wouldn't know for sure AC would be a hit, but it was definitely planned as a big budget IP by Ubisoft, who has that kind of money to throw around. So they chose the genre they thought would have the widest appeal, and it sure ain't RPG's, as Boo said. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
Monte Carlo Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 This pretty much sums up my opinion of the game. I think 2.5 is probably a bit too low, but the majority of his criticisms I would agree with. I'm really struggling with how little I like this game. Usually with Bioware I'm guaranteed at least an averagely enjoyable game, but this has managed to consistently bore/irritate me all the way through. Which I suppose is impressive in itself. Wow. I mean... wow. That guy blades the game to pieces. I suspect he's off the Bioware Christmas card list, and read the comments (along the lines of "about time a games reviewer stuck it to The Man").
Guest The Architect Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 According to this guy dark side Phil who reviews games on YouTube the ending of his playthrough on DA2 really sucked. For those of you who've finished it, how was the ending in your playthrough? Also, does anyone know if you have to download the DLC for Dragon Age to know what happens to your character, or can you find out what happens to them in the second one without downloading it?
Tale Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Three things can happen to your character in Dragon Age Origins. Dead: DAO. Left to a realm beyond the fade: Witch Hunt. Otherwise disappeared: Dragon Age 2 I felt the ending was fine. I thought Act 3 felt rushed and silly. But the ending itself was fine. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
Wrath of Dagon Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 This pretty much sums up my opinion of the game. I think 2.5 is probably a bit too low, but the majority of his criticisms I would agree with. I'm really struggling with how little I like this game. Usually with Bioware I'm guaranteed at least an averagely enjoyable game, but this has managed to consistently bore/irritate me all the way through. Which I suppose is impressive in itself. Wow. I mean... wow. That guy blades the game to pieces. I suspect he's off the Bioware Christmas card list, and read the comments (along the lines of "about time a games reviewer stuck it to The Man"). It does seem like a very good review. Of course I have a bad case of confirmation bias. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
RPGmasterBoo Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The review is seems good, the grade most likely isn't. 2.5 out of 10 means irredeemably broken, crashes every 2 minutes, 10 years too late - that sorta thing. Even Might and Magic IX got more than that and it was borderline unplayable. A mediocre game should get 5-6, this way you wouldn't get angry fans spouting accusations of "flaming" etc. The important thing is to reach a mostly general consensus that the game sucks, which is bound to affect its sales - which already aren't spectacular from what I'm reading. The only way to communicate with Bioware and EA people is to slap them on the face - with a wallet. Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life
Wrath of Dagon Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Depends on his grading scale, if 5 means average, 2.5 would mean bad, 0 would be completely unplayable. Besides, he really hates the game, why say it's just mediocre? "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
Raithe Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 The concept of the game was good, the idea of consquences over time in a single city could have been great. The execution just kind of sucked. The city could have been developed better, the three acts didn't really feel gelled together... And whilst there were nice things about some of the c&c... There was a whole bunch that didn't feel as if they really mattered regardless of which way you went. The waves of enemies and drop in from the sky did suck. I had some fun, I had a lot of disapointment. "Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."
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