Dragon Age Review by CDA - scans

[fastpunk]

Hey just a random note was looking a Morrigan's page and I realized something I've seen her before...
Compare photo here http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Morrigan
To photo here http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bastila_Shan
Same eyes, same lips, nose is close, same basic facial structure. This game just went back into the shit pile.

(EDIT Fucking spellcheck)

You ain't seen nothing yet. Watch:

Not saying the characters are going to be anything alike in terms of personality, but the visual resemblance is pretty obvious.

Also, regarding the mag review, gotta say it raised my interest in DA:O a bit. The game might be worth picking up when it hits the bargain bin.

 

[Moray]

Not saying the characters are going to be anything alike in terms of personality, but the visual resemblance is pretty obvious.

Also, regarding the mag review, gotta say it raised my interest in DA:O a bit. The game might be worth picking up when it hits the bargain bin.

At least based on the preview video for the Leilana character, she doesn't appear to be a total copy of Imoen (differing personality): Imoen wasn't exactly the sort of character to slaughter a few chaps while completely devoid of emotion; and she didn't have some lame attempted British accent, either.

Still, the recycling of characters that Bioware can't seem to stop is pretty damn lame.

 

[aries202]

I want to thank Roxor for his fine translation of the review from CDA.

This review is indeed very great; it got me interested in the game again,. very definetely, it did. Especially the old-school part, and the part about the tactical combat. And definetely what's being written about the dialogue, and story, too.

I think he review does not mention that even if the health is regenerating fast after combat and slow during combat, your companions and you will (still) get wounds, permanent even, maybe, if and when these combats do not get treated back at back.

You could have a situation where one of your npcs would have a wounded eye, another one a wounded leg, and the third one a wounded arm, and yourself a wounded head; these wounds seriously will affect your stats and abilities.

edit:
Pickpocketing and setting traps and few minor skills more can be learned by anyone in Ferelden, i.e. a mage or noble. Lockpicking can't. Lockpicking is a talent or skill unique to roques (thieves) in Ferelden and thus in DA: Origins. The devs. wanted rogues to matter in this game. Only rogues can pick locks, i.e. open locked doors and chests unless of course you have a key...

 

[Volourn]

"The idea actually comes from the latest Final fantasy. Yep, that'ss a huge inspiration for Bioware it seems."

You wanna know something hilarious? PST was HEAVILY influence by FF. R00fles!


"Even mages can pickpocket, find and disable traps which makes rogues totally useless?"

Idiot. Perhaps, you shoudl realize that DA thieves do NOT equal D&D thieves. Different games, different rules. Dumbass.


"Only 64 spells?"

And? Very few non D&D games tend to have 100s of spells. LMAO ARC had how many, btw? Heck, PST (a D&D game) had how many? Not all games can be BG-IWD-NWN.


"Actually the whole lets start again because my party sucks bussiness went out of style shortly after the SSI Goldbox games. Those were unforgiving enough to make you get stuck for not adding some obscure skill to your party."

No.

 

[Trash]

No.

Yes. Hardly any rpg is difficult enough that you can't breeze through it with a less than optimal build. Thankfully, since I loathe munchkins.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

"The devs claim that DA takes 120 hours to complete with all the sidequests. Even if they're exaggerating, it would appear that not too much - after 26 hours and getting to something that looks like a final boss fight, it came out that I completed only 34% of the game, while exploring 86% of the map. Plus, I spent a lot more time with it, since I had a lot of reloadings caused by deaths."

This whole bit seems kind of odd. 34% of the game completed with 86% of the map explored? Unless he was avoiding sidequests on purpose that is kind of confusing.

Thanks for the translation though. Makes me slightly more hopeful for the game. Disappointed it doesn't ship with the editor though.

Addendum: Oh god, just thought of something. What if the game completion percentage is based on alternate dialogs and shit too? Then it's actually a 26 hour game that they bullshit into longer because you didn't buttsex this chick while that other chick watches, best replay the game.

 

[ever]

Reviewers often speed through the game for obvious reasons.

 

[Perfect Fool]

It seems that similarly to the way that DnD 3.5e allows anyone to take cross-classed skills

No it's not, try reading harder. Besides DnD 3 is not a good example as it is pretty shit. Because of the way multiclassing works too.

Mages and Fighters can select pickpocket and lockpicking as skills in DA, but can only ever open simple locks or pickpocket morons

There are only 4 grades of skills max - which means that fighters and mages can pickpocket and disable traps just as easily as any rogue as this makes skill checks ridiculously limited. Also re-read what previewer said.

Rogues can specialize in lockpicking and open complicated locks that non-specialists can't.

Nope - everyone can, that's the point.

I'm afraid that you're wrong. Sorry!

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Rogue

Rogue specific talents: Deft Hands, Improved Tools, Master Lockpicking, Master Trap Disarm, Stealth, Stealthed Item Use, Combat Stealth, Master Stealth.

Also, the Cunning attribute is tied to lockpicking and picking pockets. Without ranks in the attribute, doing any thief stuff will be severely limited. Sure, mages and fighters could put points into cunning, but then they'd be pretty crap at their main job, and still not able to pick difficult locks and tough traps as they don't have access to the related talents.

3.5e DnD is alright if the combat rules are implimented correctly. ToEE and KOTC managed to have fun and solid combat systems, anyway.

KOTC has 3 classes BTW, gameplay is hardly dumbed down by not offering the same classes over and over again with changed names and a couple of mostly pointless abilities. Weapon User/Skill User/Magic User pretty much covers all three bases, anything else is just a mixture of them to one degree or another.

Personally, I'd prefer none, but if you're going to have classes, then 3 is plenty as long as they're sufficiently customizable.

They are not. Not only classes have the exactly same set of skills - the amount of parameters is very small too - there are no non-combat stats and all persuade/intimidate/diplomacy is now the exactly same 1 skill that only has 4 grades and there is no CHA to influence it because there is no such stat in a game.

DA feels like a DnD3.5 dumbed down to the max with everything stolen from Sword Coast.

I think Cunning will work like CHA for dialogue purposes. It's great to have multiple skills for conversation, but fallout managed OK with just speech and wasn't a completely shit game.

I really can't pass judgment on the DA setting as I've not read Gaider's book or much of the game background, but I'm not exactly brimming with enthusiasm about it. Still, if the game really offers as much C&C and as they're suggesting, I'm willing to put up with substandard RTwP combat and give it a spin.

Everything seemed that much more interesting when I learned that becoming a GheyJediSpectre involves drinking a slow and fatal poison that eventually burns out the character's brain this time. I Just hope there isn't a cure anywhere, sacrifice without consequence is a sin that Bioware has been guilty of in the past, I want my character to be properly doomed this time :twisted:

 

[MetalCraze]

You're missing a part about a very primitive skill system with only 4 grades. Even with rogue specific talents rogue looks pretty useless. Master lockpicking, master trap disarm? That's basically like a 5th grade of only 2 skills that make rogue any different. Meaning that even a mage can disable any trap unless it's superhard which won't happen up until the end of the game obviously. DnD from which they steal and dumb down had shittons of grades of a single skill (easily over 25+ at later lvls) so it was much harder to excel at it than take only 2 grades and BANG you as a dumb fighter excel at disarming all medium traps. Oh wait there is no INT stat.

Don't try to excuse the dumbing down of DA. They are dumbing it down, not removing some unimportant things (like INT, CHA and whatnot). I truly can't see what so positive people see in this game - looks exactly like a yet another Bioware KOTOR-inspired game, even more primitive than countless Diablo-clones - just because a mainstream cocksucking magazine praised a yet another console game (and calling it challenging while saying that it has regen of HP and mana IN combat haha) - decline.
I think reviewer explained tactics as being able to control all your characters in combat and set scripts for them - which isn't really reassuring.

I honestly wish I could understand what you get out of this

Oh look I have a different opinion from people who like dumbed-down Bioware shit, I must be attention-whoring and trolling. Not like those people who jerk that promising game best evar #23324 off, they are productive posters with great opinions.

 

[Perfect Fool]

You're missing a part about a very primitive skill system with only 4 grades. Even with rogue specific talents rogue looks pretty useless. Master lockpicking, master trap disarm? That's basically like a 5th grade of only 2 skills that make rogue any different. Meaning that even a mage can disable any trap unless it's superhard which won't happen up until the end of the game obviously. DnD from which they steal and dumb down had shittons of grades of a single skill (easily over 25+ at later lvls) so it was much harder to excel at it than take only 2 grades and BANG you as a dumb fighter excel at disarming all medium traps. Oh wait there is no INT stat.

But there is a Cunning stat, which is a combination of INT and CHA.

The thief talent provides a boost to all lock picking attempts, not an additional 5th level, you have the mechanics around the wrong way.

Judging from what the blurbs on the rogue page says, lock picking is based on the cunning attribute, which is then modified by the skill rank and the related talents (which provide a large boost both to the skill's effect and the base attribute related to the skill).

So a character with a cunning of 16 and a skill rank of 1 might open locks with a score equal to his base cunning, one with locks 2 and the same attribute would open with a skill of 21 and with the rogue "thieves tools" talent on top of that would open with a rank of 31.

The numbers above are simply off the top of my head, but that's in essence how the system appears to work from the information provided in the wiki.

Don't try to excuse the dumbing down of DA. They are dumbing it down, not removing some unimportant things (like INT, CHA and whatnot). I truly can't see what so positive people see in this game - looks exactly like a yet another Bioware KOTOR-inspired game, even more primitive than countless Diablo-clones - just because a mainstream cocksucking magazine praised a yet another console game (and calling it challenging while saying that it has regen of HP and mana IN combat haha) - decline.
I think reviewer explained tactics as being able to control all your characters in combat and set scripts for them - which isn't really reassuring.

You can choose to set scripts for followers in combat and have the AI handle them, or disable the AI completely and micro manage everything in the PC version. The console version seems to be dumbed down, though.

No top down viewpoint, less enemys on screen, no click to move, only drive cam like KOTOR. Apparently, the consoletard versions of the game will be pretty shit, but the PC's obvious superiority in controls should make the combat pretty similar in style to BG if you don't play the game in the optional retardo-shoulder-cam-immersive-exploration-mode.

 

[Nael]

Great white shark with no fins versus panda!

WHO WILL WIN???

 

[Gay-Lussac]

I honestly wish I could understand what you get out of this

Oh look I have a different opinion from people who like dumbed-down Bioware shit, I must be attention-whoring and trolling. Not like those people who jerk that promising game best evar #23324 off, they are productive posters with great opinions.

Calm down friend this might be a new concept to you but not everything people say is criticism. I genuinely wondered about what do you get out of saying everything is shit. Why do you feel the need to voice your opinion on everything, things will continue to be shit (at least for you) regardless won't they? Dare I say life will go on even if people don't know how bad their taste is or how much of a hypocrite they are. I think it's time for you to move on skyway, a world out there awaits to see your beautiful flower blossom.

 

[Nael]

Fine...

One retarded shark and TWO pandas.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Are they on land or in the water? I realize the shark has no fins but this is important.

 

[Nael]

Are they on land or in the water? I realize the shark has no fins but this is important.

Where no one can hear them scream:

Volourn's vagina.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

Are they on land or in the water? I realize the shark has no fins but this is important.

Where no one can hear them scream:

Volourn's vagina.

I don't want to play anymore...

 

[Volourn]

DA > BG+BG2+PST+IWD+IWD2+TOSC+GBG+ALL ELSE EXCEPT NWN

 

[Jaesun]

Hey it's Volourn!

Anyways, Hiya! Its me, Imoen!

I wonder if the game still has the enemy AI that completely ignores the barely armored Mage?

*innovation*

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I think I prefer that AI to the AI that goes straight for the mage and ignores everything else.

 

[Perfect Fool]

DA > BG+BG2+PST+IWD+IWD2+TOSC+GBG+ALL ELSE EXCEPT NWN

That actually got me to chuckle, I didn't realize that you were such a master of irony!

Do you have any more jokes, or are you a one trick pony?

 

[piydek]

From the review:

There are four difficulty levels, and even the 'normal' (second) one is rather demanding. Fortunately, you can change it at any given time. Unfortunately, even if you have problems with fights on the lowest difficulty, then, well, tough luck. There is also no attribute re-specing like in MMOs, so if you're not satisfied with your character build, you're toast. I'd like to believe this is temporary, because the current system may prove frustrating for many players

Now, this is just retarded. No mercy for a journalist/player that says shit like this. Fuck, i just can't believe how easy today's games are and how unwilling to make any effort in playing a game today's general gaming public is. Most of the games are completely pointless and impossible to play because of this.

BUT, not only that - he also demands re-specing? That's another level of retardation. Just like he "jokingly" said - if you fuck up your build - "tough luck" - well yes, you idiot, exactly. Don't these people realize that with "features" like ultra easy difficulty you take all the meaning out of playing a game, re-specing takes the meaning out of specing itself etc. It seems everyone indeed is crazy about games that play themselves.

 

[Jim Cojones]

"DA > BG+BG2+PST+IWD+IWD2+TOSC+GBG+ALL ELSE EXCEPT NWN"
No.

 

[Trash]

Oh look I have a different opinion from people who like dumbed-down Bioware shit, I must be attention-whoring and trolling. Not like those people who jerk that promising game best evar #23324 off, they are productive posters with great opinions.

You're not having a different opinion or even having a discussion of any sorts. You're just pissing and moaning for bitching's sake. Either you get off on all the attention it brings or you're actually taking yourself so seriously that you can't even see what a parody you've become.

 

[Arem]

From DA forum...

We're working on a walkthrough guide to put on the site with some images - but in the meantime, off of the Main Menu there is a Downloadable Content option (you'll see this on any MM images from the game out on the net).
Selecting that will take you to the DLC manager screen and show you the available content on the left hand side. Clicking on any item will give you more detailed information on the right hand side including price etc.
Clicking the Buy or Download button (depending on whether it is paid/free) will bring up a confirmation box and accepting that it will begin the download.
You can follow the donwload & install progress, and once complete you that content is now active for when you start a new game, resume your last game, or load a previous save.
You can also get at the same DLC store from within the game itself - as in running around. There is a DLC tab in the journal. And you can grab new DLC while playing the game, and continue playing while it is downloading.
There are also special NPCs we will add to the game over time which you may encounter, who will tell you a bit of lore and background on a DLC item and whome you can grab that DLC from, by talking to them. These tend to be the quest givers associated with the start of that DLC - for example, TSP and WK have this. More on that later.

Anyways...

Characters will appear in game the same way all NPC characters appear in game. They will be in whatever place set in the game for them with a "quest available" notification over them. You go and speak to them (the exact same way you would go and speak to any standard in game NPC) and learn of their quest.

If it sounds like something you would want to do, you can select the download choice and purchase the game from within the game (no annoying having to quit, go to a site, download, run, etc. It all occurs behind the scenes if you choose it to).

If you choose not to buy it, or may want to think about it and do it later, the NPC will wait at the point until you return and choose to download. If you don't want to, no problem. If you do want to, we make it as easy as possible for you to do so.

I have just saved 50€. Thanks Bioware!

 

[Trash]

Fuck that shit.