Dragon Age: Origins

[Reginald]

My character is called Pissflaps.

 

[Shakermaker]

I do. I did, but it just takes me to my account.

You have to log on in-game. At the final stage of the creation progress there is a log in button in the down left corner of the screen.

 

[StardogChampion]

The character creator sucks. Quite disappointing.

 

[Warbie]

I expected more from the charatcer builder - not being able to change starting skills is a little annoying (my Dwarf warrior has dual weilding which is not right!) - but i'm still pretty excited for the game. RPGs aren't beating down our door these days and anything co-op and d&d-like is a nice change. Once you're crawling through a dungeon with a few mates, knee deep in kobolds or whatever, things will fall into place.

 

[Top Secret]

Apparently some north euro mag has reviewed the game giving it an 8/10.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

Well that was a big let down. I expected it to be much better but it's not much better than Mass Effects and Oblivions character creator. Hopefully someone will mod some better looking characters like they did for Fallout 3. I'm still getting this on release although i wished Bioware would keep quite about this game everything they've done so far has been putting me off this game.

 

[Letters]

You know that thread on the "uncanny valley" we had not too long ago? Yeah, this game appears to be one of the worst offenders I've ever seen... it's all waaaay down there in that valley! All the characters look just plain creepy. Add to that the fact your guy won't actually be voicing his owns lines and it's like you're gonna be playing a walking corpse.

This is still an almost mandatory buy for me, of course. Just saying...

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I've been trying to avoid most of the details on this game but are you saying that we are going to play as a mute? I'd hoped RPG's had progressed since then. Why didn't Bioware just stick to using the Unreal Engine instead of making their own half-assed engine.

 

[Paulaner]

are you saying that we are going to play as a mute?

From what I'm reading on BioWare forums, the matter is purely technical. Dragon Age is very long, the characters have a lot of lines, and to voice the main character for every gender/race combination, the length of the game and the number of lines should have been reduced. Totally understandable. Thank god they decided to stay for a long, rich game.
I don't see many party-based RPG with free character generation having voice over for the main guy.

Why didn't Bioware just stick to using the Unreal Engine instead of making their own half-assed engine.

In my opinion, the Unreal Engine is not suitable for Baldur's Gate-like games, where the preferred camera angle is over the whole party. Mass Effect and Dragon Age are very different games.

 

[Kadayi]

From what I'm reading on BioWare forums, the matter is purely technical. Dragon Age is very long, the characters have a lot of lines, and to voice the main character for every gender/race combination, the length of the game and the number of lines should have been reduced. Totally understandable. Thank god they decided to stay for a long, rich game.

If only MS had shipped the 360 with a built in HD-DVD drive as well as an internal hard drive then these issues of 'space' (or staying on the right side of M$ draconian 360 licensing penalties regarding extra DVDs) then these issues wouldn't arise. Short sighted bastards....

 

[VictimOfScience]

Its just weird that there is a creator like this at all given most of the fans will likely play from a far away vantage point as was used in Baldur's Gate. There would never be any need to create a specific face for your character because you would never get that close--the portraits were enough. I don't zoom in on NWN either.

 

[Eejit]

Maybe it will use the NWN2 method where you do get closeups of your character during some conversations and depending on what camera angle you use during gameplay.

 

[Paulaner]

Maybe it will use the NWN2 method where you do get closeups of your character during some conversations and depending on what camera angle you use during gameplay.

Agreed. In my opinion, BioWare had to catch the best of both worlds: they needed a light and fast engine, because most of the game will be played far above the whole party showing large areas (and small characters), but with enough detail to have good-looking sceneries and bodies during fights, animations and close-ups. Not an easy task.

 

[mortiz-Redux]

So many games...so little money

 

[jimbo118]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Age:_Origins#Reception

Dragon Age received a positive review from Game Informer, which gave it 9/10, as well as a positive review from PC Gamer UK, awarding it 94%, calling it the "RPG of the decade''.

RPG of the decade eh?

 

[Eejit]

Well the RPGs developed in the 00's has been pretty mediocre for RPGs compared to the 90's (I count BG2 as a 90's game) so that's hardly a high bar to reach. At least if you're talking about full games rather than expansions.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Yeah, CRPGs have been sorely lacking in the last 10 years or so. I blame shooters.

That said, I can't wait to sit down for a LONG weekend to play as much as I can of this one right away.

 

[CptStern]

kotor 1 and 2? Elder scrolls Oblivion, the witcher I'm sure there are others

 

[Krynn72]

If this game is better than both Kotor games, I will eat my mouse.

I'm still really conflicted about this game. It looks so bad, but everyone is saying its so good. But all the reviewers who have reviewed it so far take money from developers in exchange for positive reviews, so I cant trust them. But then it is Bioware, and they've made really good RPGs before so I cant see how they'd screw this one up. But then I see videos of it again, and it looks so awful.

God damn this game is ****ing with me. I need a demo. I usually dont bother with demos, but I think I may actually need one before deciding to get this or not, and thats a first for me.

 

[Eejit]

kotor 1 and 2? Elder scrolls Oblivion, the witcher I'm sure there are others

kotor 1 and 2 are pretty good, Oblivion is meh, Witcher ain't bad. None matching Planescape or BG2 though.

 

[jimbo118]

whispers* Fallout 3?

 

[CptStern]

But all the reviewers who have reviewed it so far take money from developers in exchange for positive reviews, so I cant trust them.

that's not really true. what they do is offer an exclusive review to be published before the game is released. so if they want an excluisive (this only works with magazines) then they have to dole out positive reviews. I dont think money actualy changes hands as that can straddle the legality line

But then it is Bioware, and they've made really good RPGs before so I cant see how they'd screw this one up. But then I see videos of it again, and it looks so awful.

agreed the video looks like generic shit that makes me want to poke out my eyes. really I dont care if the game is about dwarves and elves dont ****ing put them on cinematic videos they just look bizarre and unbelieveable as anything except walking ashtray holders. I could easily kill 30 or so Gimlis before they dragged me down ..and even then I could easily ourun them with their tiny little legs. I ****ing hate Tolkien for unleashing the goddam leprechauns and pointy eared faggits on this world

 

[Krynn72]

Agreed. I want someone to make a game from A Song of Ice and Fire. Thats a similar fantasy world, but its so much better because its pretty much only humans.

Also, I'm pretty sure that there was some magazine who admitted to taking money for a favorable review. I might be making that up, but I could have sworn I saw an article on it somewheres.

 

[CptStern]

if you saw an article somewhere I probably posted it

 

[Paulaner]

It looks so bad [...] I see videos of it again, and it looks so awful.

Guys, I don't understand what's wrong with those videos. Shiny graphics and animations and, most of all, the characters fight, speak and move with personality. And the whole thing has the word "epic storytelling" over it. From those videos I know that this is exactly the RPG I need.

 

[Krynn72]

Some of the videos of the characters talking didnt seem that way at all. They looked stiff and didnt match the voice acting. Maybe I just saw an old video that didnt have any animations finished, but they looked like oblivion npcs.

But... having just looked up some videos on youtube, they seem a lot better than I recalled. In fact, the gameplay seems to be pretty fun too. And after using the character creator, I think i'll go ahead and preorder.


EDIT: Wait, in this video he just said that they combined elements of typical high fanstasy, and elements of darker fantasy like George R.R. Martin... who wrote the A Song of Ice and Fire books I mentioned in my last post. AWESOME. That series is amazing because of the dark tones and horrifying choices characters make in it. If it even has a fraction of that in this game... I will love it. Even before watching this, I built a character in the demo editor that I based off one of the characters in aSoIF. SOOOO pre-ordered. Im actually excited for this now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH8dEmgPZh8

 

[Paulaner]

Tim Curry doing the voice over? Tim Curry as "Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show"? Wow.

 

[CR0M]

I was going to post a load of opinionated twaddle (as usual) about how famous actors suck up budget best used for development. Then I remembered Gabrial Knight: Sins of the Fathers. Tim Curry, Michael Dorn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Mark Hamill all in the same game, a great game no less. There is hope yet.

 

[CptStern]

cant remember if this was posted or not but here's hilights from the PC Gamer UK review:

"Thus begins Dragon age, one of the most enormous and astonishing of games. It's an unashamed high-fantasy RPG, rooted in the most traditional soil, yet set in a highly original world."

"This is not a game that can be simply explained. How does it begin? It begins in six completely different ways, and each of these can be met with a wildly different approach."

"Whether you play as a human, elf or dwarf, a rogue, warrior or mage, a noble or a commoner, Dragon Age requires a smart use of your wits and weapons"

"You can approach combat in a couple of ways, depending upon your personal preferences and the difficulty to which you've set the game. In theory, setting it to easy should let you fight in real-time, where you select opponents and issue instructions from a row of tiled attacks, spells and special items familiar to any MMO player, as the fight happens."

"As you and your party level up, at levels 7 and 14 you get a point to spend on a sub-specialism that opens up new talent trees. A warrior, for instance, can choose to be a berserker or champion, among others. A mage might opt for shapeshifting., allowing her to morph into an animal during battle. A superbly useful talent for a rogue is ranger, which allows you to call an animal to join your party."

"Humans are the dominant race in Ferelden. Dominant in some extremely unpleasant ways. Until a few hundred years ago elves were the slaves of humans. In theory they have been freed, but those who live in cities remain second-class citizens, forced to live in slums, either begging or finding menial work in human houses. A small number of elves broke away to live in the Dales, these "dalish" elves are attempting to recover their lost culture. Bitter and vengeful, they kill all humans who wander into their territory. The dwarves live in the Frostback Mountains. Mages are feared and loathed by all. Your first two hours playing as a human noble will have almost nothing in common with those of a dwarf commoner or Dalish elf. While you're taught the basics of combat, and introduced to party mechanics, the rest is unique."

"Whether you play as a male or female, there are various characters with whom you can fall in love. However this isn't a genderless universe, and a gay relationship will be recognised as such."

"The ending, which is different depending upon how you've played, manages to deliver on the anticipation built up, surprising you with new twists, and creating an appropriate sense of scale."

The reviewer took 80 hours (over the course of 2 months playing it) to complete it with a first playthrough. He goes on to say:

"This is the most enormously detailed game world I've experienced, its history stretching back thousands of years, its cultures vivid, beautiful and flawed, the battles enormous, the humour superb. Roleplaying games now have a great deal to live up to."

94/100

 

[Warbie]

That tipped me over the edge, Sterny. Pre-ordered.

Fear my dwarf warrior :cheers:

 

[jimbo118]

I think you already posted that Stern. Someone did anyway.

 

[CptStern]

That tipped me over the edge, Sterny. Pre-ordered.

Fear my dwarf warrior :cheers:

I would have thought you were sold on the game months ago. also your dwarf warrior will make an excellent cup holder for my beer <sets beer cup on midget Warbie's head>

I think you already posted that Stern. Someone did anyway.

it was probably me ..I'm going senile .....yes you can use it, just give it back to me when you're done

 

[Warbie]

I would have thought you were sold on the game months ago.

It was always going to be a purchase at some point, but not a day one buy.

Oh, never make fun of someone who can bite your nuts off without having to bend

 

[VictimOfScience]

This has been a day one buy for me since it was first announced and heralded as the "spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate." Words cannot adequately convey my excitement.

 

[CptStern]

I bet you say that to all the boys

 

[CptStern]

Details on Dragon Age social features:

http://kotaku.com/5390868/bioware-reveals-dragon-ages-massively-single+player-details

The PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Dragon Age: Origins will all connect to Bioware's new "Social" website, which will collect data from player's games. The type of data gathered differs between the console and PC versions, but all will share some features. Players of any version of Dragon Age will be able to link their copy of of the game to BioWare's site. The Social site requires users to create a free account. Once the game and the site are linked, a record of the player's accomplishments in the game and the status of their ever-evolving character will appear on the Social site.

The most basic manifestation of that appears in the player's character screen

Sharing stats and updating an online avatar version of your character isn't itself a feature that would amaze avid users of something like the Halo-tracking Bungie.net. But Melo and his team have more elaborate plans than that.

"One of the things we started to look at was the way you could share your story," Melo said. "That really ties to the core of the game. The game radically challenges based on the decisions you're making along the way and the party members you have with you. We were trying to figure out how to create these water-cooler moments that people could talk about without spoiling it for people...we wanted to have a way that complements that instead of random [forum] threads."

To help players share their stories, the data-tracking will also snatch details on what the player has accomplished in the game

massive hype or not, this game sounds awesome

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

I'm officially excited about this game. That takes a lot.

 

[Kadayi]

Having read the full review and listened to the recent PCGamer podcast I get the feeling that Walker was overwhelmed by the amount of back content to the game in terms of setting & history, and being an unrepentant fan of minutiae gave it massive points for that. There's very little in there about the game itself in terms of how it plays & the detailed mechanics, or how the plot unfolds etc etc. The combat is allegedly ass achingly hard at times even on easy, which doesn't really scream 94% game to me.

I sense another GTA IV in the works, wherein every reviewer is bowled over by the sheer amount of Cake they are given, to the extent that they all scream 'Best Cake ever!!!' even though its not really a quality Cake. :|

 

[kineaesth]

every reviewer is bowled over by the sheer amount of Cake they are given, to the extent that they all scream 'Best Cake ever!!!' even though its not really a quality Cake. :|

This is a fabulous analogy.

 

[Laivasse]

I was close to preordering DA last the other night, when a fit of boozed up optimism overrode all my misgivings. I was just sober enough to decide to check some trailers on Steam beforehand. As a result, I arrived on the 'MARILYN MANSON WTF??'-bandwagon (a few months later than everyone else) and my money stayed stapled inside my wallet.

I happened to hear the PC Gamer UK podcast last night as well. Is that the same John Walker who wrote for RPS about how his response to Dragon Age at E3 was that it looked 'AWFUL' and 'pathetic'?? I'm going to keep an eye out for PCG around here because I want to see if he explains how his opinion has revolved so drastically. Sadly the podcast was light on detail, containing so much unbridled gushing that I thought it might be just a very coincidental namesake. The John Walker in the podcast also made some highly twattish assertions that made me want to punch him in the face, so I'm even less inclined to think his taste would coincide with my own. It would be nice to see an overwhelmingly positive review from someone who professes to approach DA from my own perspective - that of being a victim of the 'BG successor' hype, only to be very underwhelmed by everything I've seen - because then I might be playing this for Christmas. However, at this stage I'm not sure if there's enough eloquence or earnestness in the world to convince me to look beyond the bargain bin for it.

btw NPCs sell you DLC lol