Dragon Age: Origins - Gen. Discussion & Info

In some way this make me feel like I made my character in Origins for nothing since I can't even play him in DA2
 
[quote name='Just-Joe']In some way this make me feel like I made my character in Origins for nothing since I can't even play him in DA2[/QUOTE]


I'm sure there's no default physical appearance. My guess is they'll be doing something like Mass Effect where you play as a set character that is customizable. I REALLY hope you can create a female character...
 
They did announce last week that you will want to keep your save file as it will take what happened in the first game and shape the events of the new game with that. Also it seems they're "sampling" Alpha Protocol's dialog system as you will see the tone of your choice but not see the actual words until they're spoken by your character.

http://kotaku.com/5585473/dragon-age-2-following-in-mass-effects-footsteps

Ashesinfall, Bioware said in the official announcement that Hawke could be a man or woman.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']They did announce last week that you will want to keep your save file as it will take what happened in the first game and shape the events of the new game with that. Also it seems they're "sampling" Alpha Protocol's dialog system as you will see the tone of your choice but not see the actual words until they're spoken by your character.

http://kotaku.com/5585473/dragon-age-2-following-in-mass-effects-footsteps[/QUOTE]


Sounds good. I liked Alpha and loved its dialogue. It was really engaging.
 
It sounds to me more like Mass Effect's dialogue wheel, where you see a short preview phrase that doesn't necessary correspond to the actual response-- rather than just choosing a tone or emotion.
 
[quote name='Ashesinfall']Leliana's any good?[/QUOTE]
I liked Leliana in the main game, but I wasn't all that impressed with the DLC. Annoying difficulty spikes - being able to explore and upgrade equipment = frustration. I bumped it down to casual and rushed through it.
 
It was the opposite for me-- I found Leliana kind of annoying in the main game but playing through her "origin story" made me appreciate her much more as a character.

There were some pretty annoying difficulty spikes. And for God's sake, don't forget to stock up on healing poultices before the final section-- I wasn't keeping track and suddenly found myself with no poultices and no chance to make or buy more, causing me to have to play the last mage fight a few times before I finally lucked through it.
 
Just got the new DA 2 Game Informer today. I haven't read it yet, but I skimmed through the screenshots and thought they were a little disappointing.

I don't want to read the whole thing yet, but I'll post some of the screenshot caption info:

"Not done with Morrigan's story"

Hawke can be either gender

No more silent hero, unfolds Mass Effect-like conversation system

Darkspawn are still a threat

DAII begins as the events of Origins are still taking place, so you may see some familiar events from a different angle

Describes a scene with Flemeth returning as a dragon

Warrior, rogue, and mage are the 3 base classes but with more specializations

Magic spells can now deal finishing blows, like making an ogre explode with crushing prison

Sorry if this is old news

Edit - Also GI lists a Spring 2011 release date
 
Hope my GI is at home waiting for me. Although, my subscription may have ended with the last issue...

Should play more DA this weekend...
 
I just started playing a week or two ago and this game is f-ing crazy! I started as a human mage and went to redcliffe and thought, "ho-hum... nothing much outside of story." But then I wanted to save conor and went to the circle of magi and the game blew up. The options are just endless... shapeshifting, trap-making, herbalist, magic, squad controls.... it was a bit overwhelming but I caught on. Now its damn good. I have some random questions for you DA:O veterans, but its late and I was just really impressed and wanted to say that much.
 
If there's anything positive to take from ME2 that can be applied to Dragon Age's sequel is the game definitely needs a bit more "life" to its dialogue scenes. I liked how ME2 made everything feel more cinematic with changing camera angles and characters that moved around a bit more than the typical statue to statue conversations in DA. Also, inventory and item collection again needs to be addressed in DA2. Doesn't have to do what Mass Effect 2 did, but anything would be appreciated.

In both franchises though I think Bioware needs to get on the ball with character development. They make great back stories and introductory sequences but only 1-2 characters in either game manage to be emotionally engaging or terribly interesting beyond their personal history.

I'd also like to seem them bridge the disconnect between the main narrative and the subplots a bit better. When you're told the entire world or galaxy is in danger at the start of the game and then when your playthrough is nearly finished and you are only just getting back to the big issue, it feels a bit off balance.

That's my 2 cents anyways.
 
LOL.

It figures I finally find a solid worthwhile new age RPG rooted in well balanced traditional elements only to find Bioware is convinced ME2's questionable formula is the irrefutable evolution of the genre itself. A damn shame. I was never a fan of shield & sword medieval times RPGs to begin with and DA:O converted me into a fan almost instantaneously. They really hit the mark with this one IMO especially when walking into a different part of a city just on the assumption it'll trigger a random conversation amongst your party members is one of your favorite aspects about the game itself. An underrated aspect that should have been a staple in the genre from the very beginning.

Ah well... keep milkin' the money train while it lasts I suppose. I personally can't wait until said formula wears out its welcome but at least I haven't beaten the game yet so I have plenty of DLC and Awakenings to look forward to in the future.
 
Since I enjoy Mass Effect and Dragon age. Would I like Jade Empire? I like Kung-Fu stuff and I like Bioware, it would seem like a no brainer.
 
Question for those who have completed Liliana's Song

I have just woke up at the Chantry and I have 5 of the 6 pieces of the special armor. Am I ok and will find the 6th piece in the next section or did I miss one?

Also here's some help for getting that 25p optional quest achievement. Had to go to the GameFAQ's board for DA since no one has a guide for the non-Awakening DLC yet. Made sure to bathe afterwards. :)

To get the achievement you must fully wreck the guard's career. You must:

plant all 3 fenced items from the chests on him
place the body of the slain snitch next to him
place the women's underwear from the noble on him
place the ring picked up from the slain mage once you find the mage's stash on the guard
 
Don't leave the Chantry! The last piece of the Battledress is actually in a chest (or desk or something) right behind where you gain control at the beginning of the Chantry.
 
I greatly enjoyed Jade Empire myself. It has a slightly different vibe than the other titles, but I personally feel as though if you liked Dragon Age and Mass Effect then you should appreciate it. Plus the fact that you enjoy 'Kung-fu stuff' as you said, leads me to believe that you would have a great time with Jade Empire.

It is so cheap to just pick one up at a used game shop, if you can find it, I highly recommend picking it up.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']
Don't leave the Chantry! The last piece of the Battledress is actually in a chest (or desk or something) right behind where you gain control at the beginning of the Chantry.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks that's why I asked before I went any further.
 
[quote name='js1']Since I enjoy Mass Effect and Dragon age. Would I like Jade Empire? I like Kung-Fu stuff and I like Bioware, it would seem like a no brainer.[/QUOTE]

While it's probably my least favorite Bioware game I have played, it's still one of the greats. The fighting system is refreshing compared to what Bioware usually has in their games and of course the story and characters can hold their own. Other than the traditional atrocious load times, there's no reason why you shouldn't get it.
 
Well I finished Leiliana and got all 3 achievements, then I started up my game where I was and left to do Warden's Keep to get the chest, went back to finish the Elf quest, and now I'm going to do the last DLC I've bought (probably not going to touch Darkspawn unless it goes on sale) Return to Ostagar before working on finishing the game (still have to do the Mage and Dwarf quests before starting up the end game.)

Anyhow, questions about Return to Ostagar:
1. How many achievments are tied to it? They're all hidden I assume.
2. Are they all easy to get, or are a couple of them missable
like the ones involving the guard and the armor in Leiliana?
Thanks again.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']Anyhow, questions about Return to Ostagar:
1. How many achievments are tied to it? They're all hidden I assume.
[/QUOTE]
IIRC there is just one 25G nonmissable achievement for finishing the mission.

As for the patch, it's great that it's going to be there for future players but so far out from release it's hard not to think that this all came ridiculously late. And it sucks that you still can't take DLC armor into Awakening.
 
Also is it possible to romance 2 characters in the same playthrough? (say I'm already with Morrigan and want to try to get with Leiliana) Will this cause any drastic end-game changing things, super piss Morrigan off, or any other consequences?
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']Also is it possible to romance 2 characters in the same playthrough? (say I'm already with Morrigan and want to try to get with Leiliana) Will this cause any drastic end-game changing things, super piss Morrigan off, or any other consequences?[/QUOTE]
It's possible to do three of the four romances in any playthrough, since there is one character who won't romance a man and one who won't romance a woman. There definitely are consequences in terms of your love interest confronting you if you cheat on them, certain dialogue sequences playing out differently if the character involved is a current or former love interest, etc., but nothing earth-shattering for the plot.
 
DA looked dated as it is, but if they're not even going to try to make it look better this could turn out bad :cold:

Hopefully those shots are of an early build. I'll still play the hell out of it though.
 
Now that I've beaten the game I'll be pretty disappointed if they decide to resolve the
Morrigan's God Child
arc behind the scenes or without your Origin Warden being present in the sequel. The last thing I want to see is a codex entry or hear about is his mysterious death or unknown whereabouts for the past couple of years. ;(

Pretty hyped about the return of Flemeth especially if she's recruitable though I also hope those shots were of an early build. Ugh. Great game I just wish this DLC would download faster.
 
Did the patch come out tonight? When I put the game in tonight I was prompted for an update, and as you can tell by my posts, I've been playing it daily for the last few days so it's not an old patch. Didn't actually play as I got invited to play Crackdown 2 right afterwards, so just wondering if anyone else saw this tonight.
 
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So glad I'm all finished with this game. It's a really fun game but it's just sad how broken it continues to be. Bioware just can't catch a break. I hope they pull things together for Dragon Age II.
 
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1108057p1.html

IGN has some combat impressions up. I played this on PC instead of 360, so I have no idea if the controls sound the same as DAO. The way they make it sound though, it seems like they are going from a very tactical game to a more action oriented game, which is what I was afraid of, as they'd be looking to make it more 'mainstream' by making things simpler. Of course I could be over-reacting and the controls are just the same. I'd love to know from you 360 folk if it sounds identical or not.
 
[quote name='Ryukahn']http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1108057p1.html

IGN has some combat impressions up. I played this on PC instead of 360, so I have no idea if the controls sound the same as DAO. The way they make it sound though, it seems like they are going from a very tactical game to a more action oriented game, which is what I was afraid of, as they'd be looking to make it more 'mainstream' by making things simpler. Of course I could be over-reacting and the controls are just the same. I'd love to know from you 360 folk if it sounds identical or not.[/QUOTE]

Well, let's see:

Different attacks are mapped to the X, Y, and B buttons of your controller (we were playing on an Xbox 360). Hawk, the hero of the game, had a typical sword swipe mapped to X, a thrust mapped to Y, and a twirl that would take down all the enemies around him mapped to B. By holding the right trigger you can access a second set of attacks, so it seems you'll have six moves available to you at a time. Each move has a recharge time, so you can't just keep mashing the X button to chop through enemies.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty huge difference, and seems like it'd be a pretty large step away from the more meticulous combat of the original. Hell, even the cover art looks like Ninja Gaiden II:

dragon_age_ii_360rpboxart_160w.jpg

If you talk to older gamers, even they'll say DA was a step into a more casual direction compared to Bioware's previous works -- so it's not surprising to see them continue down the same path.

It's not a bad thing, but I'll definitely miss the more in-depth RPGs that seem to be near extinction this generation. Ah well, times are changing and that's something I can deal with -- I only wish Bioware would work on their character writing and development above anything else right now.
 
According to the GI article, it sounds like they are creating completely different combat mechanics so the 360 version is more fluid and streamlined, rather than it was in DA:O. While the PC will have few tweaks, but likely will remain the same. mentioning a reliance on pause and play strategy.
 
The mapping of the 6 moves is exactly the same as DA: O. You can access anyone's skills/talents through their radial trees, but you can only map six to the buttons on the controller.

Questions on importing into Awakening:
I am at the final quest. When I import into Awakening do I only keep what is in my inventory? I'm using the Blood Dragon armor right now and I know that and the other armors/weapons you get in DLC won't work, so do I take everything out of my chest at Warden's Keep and keep it in my inventory, or do I have to be wearing what I want to have in Awakening (meaning I have to swap out the Blood Dragon Armor for I guess Juggernaut and the Starfang sword for something else?) Also do I keep my money? I have like 60-70 gold and have bought all the tome's and potions any of the vendors have.

One final question, where is the sixth backpack increase? There's one left to buy and I can't seem to find it.

Thanks in advance everyone.
 
IIRC you only take what the character currently has in their inventory/backpack into Awakening, not the contents of the Warden's Keep chest. And yes, DLC armors will disappear so don't bother with them. You do keep your money I think.

Dragon Age wiki has a list of backpack upgrade locations. Several of them are missable which totally sucks.
 
So the DLC stuff that wouldn't carry over would be:
any rings/charms from preorder
Blood Dragon armor and the helmet from the CE
Starfang sword
Cailan's armor/weapon set
all of Duncan's weapons except for the one you get from the City Elf leader
the possessed Wardon's weapons/armor from Soldier's Peak

Did I miss anything? So basically I need to equip the Juggernaut armor (as I'm a warrior) and find a sword almost as good as Starfang, right?
 
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Anyone know why I got both secret 50g achievements for particular story endings when I should have only gotten credit for one of them? Is that a known glitch?
 
Sounds good. I just finished up Awakenings and now I'm contemplating a new play-through as a human dual wielding rogue or giving Oblivion another shot. Pretty depressing ending for my Warden
considering the fact nearly everyone except Oghren either died or quit along with my character disappearing altogether... again...
but I'm satisfied.

I still have a few bits of DLC left to tear into anyway. I just hope they don't plan on completely writing our Warden off in DA2. I've already grown attached to him. ;(
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']New DLC given stealth announcment during Comic Con. Only Joystiq seemed to play it. It's not a side story, but another in-game DLC. Seems to deal with a lot of magic and golems and is supposed to be really hard.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/27/preview-dragon-age-golems-of-amgarrak-dlc/#continued[/QUOTE]
Very cool. I wonder if they'll go ahead and take it all the way to 1750 seeing as this is most likely the final piece of content for the game.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Very cool. I wonder if they'll go ahead and take it all the way to 1750 seeing as this is most likely the final piece of content for the game.[/QUOTE]

What's the max now? 250 points is the max that can be assigned to any DLC, and Bioware reserved that amount for Awakening. The others have been 25-100.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']DON'T DOWNLOAD THE PATCH!

It's being pulled tomorrow as lots of people, almost all cases being those with 360 slim systems, can't load a game (freezes during load) and can't access their DLC.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/67/index/3194113[/QUOTE]

Has there been another patch to fix this one? I just resumed playing the game again and got prompted for the update. When I started playing, all the tutorials and hints started popping up again, and I was like "What the hell? I already know how to play the game." Fixed it by unchecking the box for hints. Also, the difficulty was switched back to normal, and my encounter with one of the Crows (on my way to save the Queen) was hard as fuck. I check the difficulty, and scaled it back to casual.

I hope I didn't lose any shit for this game, but I didn't have any pre-order bonuses (just the dlc that I bought). By the way, I'm not playing on a Slim.
 
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[quote name='MSUHitman']What's the max now? 250 points is the max that can be assigned to any DLC, and Bioware reserved that amount for Awakening. The others have been 25-100.[/QUOTE]
My understanding is that the max is still 30 DLC achievements worth up to 750 gamerscore (with a couple of exceptions). Only 10 achievements worth up to 250 G can be added at any one time.
 
[quote name='shieryda']Has there been another patch to fix this one? I just resumed playing the game again and got prompted for the update. When I started playing, all the tutorials and hints started popping up again, and I was like "What the hell? I already know how to play the game." Fixed it by unchecking the box for hints. Also, the difficulty was switched back to normal, and my encounter with one of the Crows (on my way to save the Queen) was hard as fuck. I check the difficulty, and scaled it back to casual.

I hope I didn't lose any shit for this game, but I didn't have any pre-order bonuses (just the dlc that I bought). By the way, I'm not playing on a Slim.[/QUOTE]

Bioware/MS forced a rollback to patch 1.03 two days after 1.04 came out. 1.04 won't come out until sometime next month once Bioware fixes it and Microsoft recertifies it. Origins is fine to play right now, though I would wait on starting Awakening until they fix the 1.04 patch if you can.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']My understanding is that the max is still 30 DLC achievements worth up to 750 gamerscore (with a couple of exceptions). Only 10 achievements worth up to 250 G can be added at any one time.[/QUOTE]

My bad on being unclear; I meant what is the current max for Dragon Age right now. I knew the general rules just didn't know how many points Dragon Age is up to currently.
 
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