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Dragon Age II

Hopefully a good sized expansion drops, I feel like I'm cleaving through this game. I need to find that Prima guide, I need help on leveling up my companions properly.
 
Downloaded the demo, fired it up.

Got through about 15 seconds before I exited in disgust, the graphics are terrible, the combat is uninteresting, and the game doesn't have a first-person mode.

I'll stick to Oblivion and New Vegas when I get a hankering for some RPGs, thank you very much.

Riddleofsteel said:
I need to find that Prima guide, I need help on leveling up my companions properly.
Click to expand...

Couldn't resist mate.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dragon+age+wiki
 
Alex. said:
Downloaded the demo, fired it up.

Got through about 15 seconds before I exited in disgust, the graphics are terrible, the combat is uninteresting, and the game doesn't have a first-person mode.

I'll stick to Oblivion and New Vegas when I get a hankering for some RPGs, thank you very much.
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Give it more than 15 seconds, man. The graphics in the demo are pretty ordinary, but people here are stating the full-game looks much better, particularly in DX11. But if first-person RPGs are your thing then yeah, probably not much here for you.
 
Killa_2327 said:
Just beat it. I really enjoyed this game, more than the original honestly.
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How? The original was an epic journey, with very memorable characters (Alistar/Morrigan especially). It felt like the Lord of the Rings of an rpg game in tierms of the journey and scale, very epic.

This one is on a much much smaller scale, in both size and length, with no characters that really stand out compared to some from DA:O. It doesn't feel that epic really, and being contained in the city of Kirkwall mostly it just lacks the expanse you got from the first one.
 
My g/f seems to be liking this one better too. I got it on steam so haven't played it myself yet but it seems to have much better graphics - and the streamlining the inventory is a plus. Also a huge plus for the voiced character. She totally loves movies so it's better if your character has a voice. Also of you are micromanagy (not a real world but you get the idea) DA:O can be a real waste of time.

The haters of this new game might not want to hear but they made these changes to boost sales IMHO. Mass Effect 2 was clearly the more fun and popular game in the eyes of most so they made it play more like that..

If DA:O had been a bigger hit then they wouldn't have messed with it. I notice that the console version get better user ratings when they have far inferior graphics and the control is more clunky. This tells me its mostly haters bringing the rating down..
 
About 26 hours in and early on the 3rd Act. The game is still fun and the 'streamlining' fixes many of the gameplay issues I had with the original. I'm actually looking forward to replaying this game to experiment with other classes/skills, unlike the original where there were too many highly frustrating moments and playing it once was enough. The difficulty on normal is easier than the first game, so it leaves the game more accessible to non-RPG gamers while catering to more hardcore players with the higher difficulty settings.

The demo no way indicates the quality of the full game. If anything it's a testament to Bioware that they managed to make this game under the pressure from EA to rush it and release it so quickly.
 
GuyClinch said:
Mass Effect 2 was clearly the more fun and popular game in the eyes of most so they made it play more like that..
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I disagree. This game needs to be played at least on Hard, whereupon it becomes a party based RPG, and plays nothing like Mass Effect 2.

Throughout Origins, even on the highest difficulty setting, I was on cruise control. In fact, I played Origins exactly the same way I played Mass Effect 2. Now Dragon Age 2 on the other hand feels a lot more like Baldur's Gate, which makes me wonder why so many people seem to think DA2 was consolized I'm still trying to work that one out? I don't see it myself. DA 2 is much more hardcore than Origins.
 
Drexion said:
About 26 hours in and early on the 3rd Act. The game is still fun and the 'streamlining' fixes many of the gameplay issues I had with the original. I'm actually looking forward to replaying this game to experiment with other classes/skills, unlike the original where there were too many highly frustrating moments and playing it once was enough. The difficulty on normal is easier than the first game, so it leaves the game more accessible to non-RPG gamers while catering to more hardcore players with the higher difficulty settings.

The demo no way indicates the quality of the full game. If anything it's a testament to Bioware that they managed to make this game under the pressure from EA to rush it and release it so quickly.
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It's amazing what they were able to accomplish in such little time!
 
Just finished playthrough number one... Team was Rogue/Isabella/Merrill/Bethany(Anders)

That was fun. Really stupid, but REALLY fun.

Might go rogue archer next and try a REAL party... XD
 
Stiler said:
How? The original was an epic journey, with very memorable characters (Alistar/Morrigan especially). It felt like the Lord of the Rings of an rpg game in tierms of the journey and scale, very epic.

This one is on a much much smaller scale, in both size and length, with no characters that really stand out compared to some from DA:O. It doesn't feel that epic really, and being contained in the city of Kirkwall mostly it just lacks the expanse you got from the first one.
Click to expand...

While I agree the Alistair and Morrigan banter was great, the game was not epic. When I started it again hoping to get back into it as a warrior I had high hopes for a grand journey with great battles and a sense of real impending doom. I got none of that. I was very disappointed.
 
Dallows said:
While I agree the Alistair and Morrigan banter was great, the game was not epic. When I started it again hoping to get back into it as a warrior I had high hopes for a grand journey with great battles and a sense of real impending doom. I got none of that. I was very disappointed.
Click to expand...

DA:O is infinitely more epic than a lot of games that have been released lately. I know I got my money's worth out of it.

If you really want to play a good game, play Xenogears, it's for sale on the PSN store.

I'd wager that Xenogears is better than any PC game released in the last 13 years.
 
Fail said:
I'd wager that Xenogears is better than any PC game released in the last 13 years.
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If they tweaked the encounter rate Xenogears would indisputably have the all time RPG crown. It's still my #1 but god the frequency of random battles is maddening (sewers, I'm looking at YOU). I wonder if there is a PC emulator that will let you cheat and replay it without random battles.
 
Fail said:
DA:O is infinitely more epic than a lot of games that have been released lately. I know I got my money's worth out of it.

If you really want to play a good game, play Xenogears, it's for sale on the PSN store.

I'd wager that Xenogears is better than any PC game released in the last 13 years.
Click to expand...

ANY PC game? Uhhh...Deus Ex 1, System Shock 2....they come to mind. Sorry.
 
WabeWalker said:
I disagree. This game needs to be played at least on Hard, whereupon it becomes a party based RPG, and plays nothing like Mass Effect 2.

Throughout Origins, even on the highest difficulty setting, I was on cruise control. In fact, I played Origins exactly the same way I played Mass Effect 2. Now Dragon Age 2 on the other hand feels a lot more like Baldur's Gate, which makes me wonder why so many people seem to think DA2 was consolized I'm still trying to work that one out? I don't see it myself. DA 2 is much more hardcore than Origins.
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You're off your rocker. This game is a lot less-like baldur's gate and a lot more casual oriented.

You can't equip each character with any item (aside from weapons/trinkets). You play on ANYTHING other then nightmare and there is no friendly fire at all, so you can spam AOE AOE AOE (in DA:O FF was on both hard and nightmare, on hard it was like 50% dmg, nightmare it was full).

On top of this, the way enemies spawn from THIN AIR and come in waves around the player it makes it extremely difficult to actually set up tactics in terms of planning wheire to use your aoes, plan for enemies to attack, etc. It's more hap hazard spamming aoe this that and running around the battlefield kiting shit like an mmo.

Dallows said:
While I agree the Alistair and Morrigan banter was great, the game was not epic. When I started it again hoping to get back into it as a warrior I had high hopes for a grand journey with great battles and a sense of real impending doom. I got none of that. I was very disappointed.
Click to expand...

Did we play the same game? Wasn't epic? How so? In DA:O your set on an actual adventure, facing a world-changing event (the blight) with an actual villian (Archdemon). On top of this you travel from many varied places, going form a small town (or whatever depending on your Origin story), to a long forgotten Temple tucked away in the mountains, to a forest holding secrets, into the dark underground of the deep roads, slipping into the unknown of the Fade, etc.

Throughout the story there was a sense of the Blight taking over, making it's march upon the cities up to that final last stand that you make.

How can you say that wasn't "epic?" That fits the very definition of epic.

The levels of DA were varied, it gave a sense of a long-journey, like Lord of the Rings. Whereas in DA2 it's Kirkwall mostly with just a few outlying areas.
 
Stiler said:
Did we play the same game? Wasn't epic? How so? In DA:O your set on an actual adventure, facing a world-changing event (the blight) with an actual villian (Archdemon). On top of this you travel from many varied places, going form a small town (or whatever depending on your Origin story), to a long forgotten Temple tucked away in the mountains, to a forest holding secrets, into the dark underground of the deep roads, slipping into the unknown of the Fade, etc.

Throughout the story there was a sense of the Blight taking over, making it's march upon the cities up to that final last stand that you make.

How can you say that wasn't "epic?" That fits the very definition of epic.

The levels of DA were varied, it gave a sense of a long-journey, like Lord of the Rings. Whereas in DA2 it's Kirkwall mostly with just a few outlying areas.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I just don't throw around the word "epic" like everyone else. It might loosely fit the description but it doesn't really feel that way. I felt no sense of doom, the places I traveled to were interesting, for 10 minutes.

Most of my efforts felt like annoying chores to get people to side with against their will to fight the blight which sought to destroy the world.

The final fight at Denerim was boring, the fight with the Archdemon was boring, it was all just boring. The more I look back on Origins and think about what COULD have been, the more disappointed I am.

There were no large battles, hardly any real conflict with the blight and darkspawn. So much missed potential.

Stop comparing Origins to Lotr, really. And DA2 is a completely different game as well.

It was a good game, but an honest let down. Maybe I hyped it on my own too much.
 
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Just finished it. That sucked. I asked earlier in this thread - Do you ever leave Kirkwall and someone replied simply with "Yes." Now I know they were only referring to those couple of zones outside of the city. This whole time I was expecting to leave the city and continue, and perhaps maybe a story line would start. It was just rinse and repeat over and over again.

I would not recommend it.
 
Playing this makes me want to go back and finish DA:O, but the first few hours of Origins is something I've played and re-played SO many times I just don't see myself sticking with it. That, and Origins seems kind of tame compared to 2. I just wish 2 was longer. Anyone else in this spot?
 
My mate wrote this on Metacritic, it sums it up for me too

"While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever. The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge. Unless you're on hard mode, there is nothing to discuss as far as combat goes, you may as well be watching a film. For which matter, the story is far, far below Bioware's standards. Ploddingly written with a conversation wheel that not only dumbs down decisions to their smallest parts with "GOOD BAD SILLY"~esque replies, but are poorly written as they are. Voice acting is a nice touch, however, though it's frequently done without emotion. I'd like to write more on the game, but after a mere few hours with it I honestly have no drive to play it any more. That didn't happen until Orzammar with DA:O. Graphics are an utter trainwreck. I'm not even going to go into this. Game outright bugs out, runs horribly or doesn't run at all, despite looking awful WITH an optional HD fix. Utterly pathetic showing on PC. If you want the game, do not buy it now. Wait for a sale or a GOTY version with a reduced pricetag. Putting out a game that's blatantly this unfinished and rushed in a year that has many, many blockbuster titles that look stellar is quite frankly a ludicrious move, and Bioware have proven in the past that they are better than this tripe."
 
question, what's hard like? Do they just multiply the enemy hitpoint bar and divide yours?
 
So I finally got to the Deep Roads... There better be some epic plot twist coming that changes everything because Kirkwall has been seriously underwhelming.

The only truly enjoyable part of the game so far? The same amusing banter/dialogue and I got a real kick out of all the DA:O references.
 
Parmenides said:
question, what's hard like? Do they just multiply the enemy hitpoint bar and divide yours?
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I have no idea how Bioware works the numbers, but Hard simply forces you to put some thought into how you level up your party, and how you work them on the battlefield. I've got some custom tactics now that are based solely on cross-class combos, and I'm starting to clean up.

Next time out, I'm playing on Nightmare.
 
being limited to Kirkwall is a turn off for sure, i'd imagine, how the fuck can that be epic?
 
RoboticPotPie said:
So I finally got to the Deep Roads... There better be some epic plot twist coming that changes everything because Kirkwall has been seriously underwhelming.

The only truly enjoyable part of the game so far? The same amusing banter/dialogue and I got a real kick out of all the DA:O references.
Click to expand...

I know how you feel about not liking an area, because in Origins, I hated The Fade - every second of it.

My Origin story took place in The Fade, and it was a chore making my way through it. My first quest in Origins was The Circle of Magi, and right away I had to re-enter The Fade. Then, after that, to save The Arle of Redcliffe's son they wanted me to go into The Fade again! And honestly I'm not a huge admirer of the Dwarven area either. Actually, having to bounce back and forth across Ferelden seemed kind of silly, like going on vacation with Chevy Chase and criss crossing the map multiple times, as though totally lost.

Now Kirkwall, on the other hand, is much less haphazard. I feel more connected to the drama, like being a player in a soap opera - many of the reviewers highlighted this in their reviews, but I needed to experience it for myself. It just makes more sense to me.

But the best thing of all, I love it that they time shifted the plot, and kept the drama within the same city.

What is drama?

Drama = Change.

Watch a group of people waiting for a bus to come along. It's boring. But why is it boring? Because no change is happening.

Of course areas in Kirkwall are going to be 'recycled' - that's the whole point. Your world is changing, and you get to see it change, and you're at the center of that change. Unlike the silly build an army plot in Origins, this plot actually does focus on change, and because there's more change, the story is more dramatic in consequence. This game is intelligent, not stupid like in Origins, and for me it's a huge turn on.
 
I can't buy this based on the demo, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, Elder Scrolls V telling me to hold off and save my money for something worthwhile. :/

Even if the gameplay was good, the graphics are so bad I was cringing.
 
This is still eluding me. I can pretty much figure out how to level up everyone but Fenris. I stuck to the 2h skill tree with him but now I need to branch out. Anyone care to share how they leveled Fenris? Also, does the party AI know when to complete a combo? Like, can I give Sebastian (archery) or Varric the ability to chain hits and have them know when to finish off the combo via a tactic? Thanks.
 
Riddleofsteel said:
This is still eluding me. I can pretty much figure out how to level up everyone but Fenris. I stuck to the 2h skill tree with him but now I need to branch out. Anyone care to share how they leveled Fenris? Also, does the party AI know when to complete a combo? Like, can I give Sebastian (archery) or Varric the ability to chain hits and have them know when to finish off the combo via a tactic? Thanks.
Click to expand...

You have to setup custom tactics for your two party members - one must begin the combo, and the other must complete it.

For example:

Set a tactic for Aveline to Shield Bash a Boss.
Set a tactic for Aveline to Shield Bash a Lieutenant.
Set a tactic for Aveline to Sheild Bash a Normal.

This will cause her to search the field of battle for the strongest NPC and Shield Bash him to initiate a Stagger.

Now for your Mage: In the very first tactic slot, have the Mage search for a Staggered target. If a Staggered target is located, then have the Mage execute a Chain Lightning in order to finish the combo.

You're done.

I do this playing as a rogue, and my Fighter and my Mage, all on their own, do massive amounts of damage. It's quite a spectacle, looking over and seeing a huge damage number hovering over a character who has just been hit by the combo - you weren't even expecting it to happen!

To play on Hard, in real time, I think it might be mandatory to work combos using custom tactics. In fact, it would be clever to level up according to cross-class combo availability. The official gameguide has a really nice chart explaining, on one page, how every combo works. So far, that one page, has been the most helpful to me.
 
Sorry, I meant a chain combo. Not a cross class combo. Like as a rogue you can chain strikes together and then hit with explosive blade to 'finish' the combo. I wonder if the AI does that automatically.
 
Beta Patch for DA2 is up

http://na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com/...ge2/patch/beta/1.01/DragonAge2-1.01-Beta1.exe


GENERAL

* Fixed save game issues on single core machines

* Fixed game asking for non-existent drives

* Fixed release control issues where some players were unable to unlock correctly

* Fixed a Steam-specific issue related to VO not playing after switching languages**

What does BETA mean?
BETA means:

* Users apply this patch at their own risk. In general, we recommend you only download and apply it if you are affected by the specific issues listed in the patch notes.

* **Steam does not support BETA patches. Steam users will have to wait for the final non-BETA patch before they can take advantage of these fixes. We're working on it but, unfortunately, this will not occur in time for the weekend.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Dra...ragon-Age-II-PC-beta-patch-101-6482838-1.html
 
Riddleofsteel said:
Sorry, I meant a chain combo. Not a cross class combo. Like as a rogue you can chain strikes together and then hit with explosive blade to 'finish' the combo. I wonder if the AI does that automatically.
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Hmm, good question.

I don't think it does. I wonder if there's a way to set that up in custom tactics?
 
Riddleofsteel said:
Not that I could see. If that's the case, it's a pretty depressing oversight.
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Well, let's think about this for a minute. What you're asking is for the game to step in and make a decision for you - in this case you want an automatic usage of an ability when your chain combo has built up. Yeah, I guess I can sort of see that. Although how would the game know which enemy to target with the ability usage? Don't you want to save that for the most powerful guy in the area?

Anyhow, this is exactly the problem I had with Origins. I felt like the game was playing itself, rather than me playing it. I was on cruise control almost the entire time. I'm just not feeling that with DA 2, to say the least.
 
Riddleofsteel said:
This is still eluding me. I can pretty much figure out how to level up everyone but Fenris. I stuck to the 2h skill tree with him but now I need to branch out. Anyone care to share how they leveled Fenris? Also, does the party AI know when to complete a combo? Like, can I give Sebastian (archery) or Varric the ability to chain hits and have them know when to finish off the combo via a tactic? Thanks.
Click to expand...

His personal tree (Tevinter Fugitive) provides a few very nice abilities. In particular, Veneer of Calm is extremely valuable. Aside from that, the Vanguard tree is essential to a DPS warrior because of Cleave.

You can create tactics to perform certain moves only if a target has a particular status effect. I don't think there is any way to make a tactic for using Explosive Strike Sebastian's equivalent shot only when they have 10 combo points.
 
Anyone know the graphical differences between dx11 high and dx11 medium?
 
Dallows said:
Anyone know the graphical differences between dx11 high and dx11 medium?
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I keep on turning Ambient Occlusion off, for about 15 frames worth of improvement, but there seems to be something missing somehow when it's off, so I always turn it back on again - but I'll be damned if I can figure out what the difference is.
 
WabeWalker said:
I keep on turning Ambient Occlusion off, for about 15 frames worth of improvement, but there seems to be something missing somehow when it's off, so I always turn it back on again - but I'll be damned if I can figure out what the difference is.
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Well I found some info on the bioware dragon age 2 blog site. I guess I'll stay at high. I don't have that stuff turned on. Just the high-res pack. I just think there's a driver problem or something. It's all choppy/stuttering when I move around, especially when I pan with the camera, even though I'm 40+ fps.

And before you ask yes I'm using the beta drivers. I'm considering going back though, just to see.
 
I wonder if when they say 1024 vram required do they actually mean that?? I have 768 which is more than fine for the rez I play at.
 
Also VERY HIGH setting are not playable right now for me with my gtx 460/768. with AA and AF maxed out. Or even at 4x on each for that matter.
 
I used no tank. My Hawke is tanking pretty well using the build from this Vanguard guide.

Playing through with Anders/Verric/Merril.. I love the exploding giblets.
 
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