The 'Buying Dragon Age: Origins' thread.

I'm considering getting a Dragon Age pre-order from the EA website now that I found a 10 pound off voucher online, turning the deluxe edition pre-order into a 29.99 incl VAT purchase.

What is keeping me is that I've read that games will expire after 6 months to a year after you purchased them and then you cannot redownload them anymore. I'm not sure how true that is though and whether their policy has since changed.

I won RA3:Uprising in one of their competitions at the start of the year and that's still available on EADM, but I wouldn't know for how long.

If there is such a clause, I'd probably go for a hard copy instead.

Can someone enlighten me please?

Found this on Wikipedia:

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Users are given one year from the time of purchase to download a game. This period can be extended by five years, via the Extended Download Service, by paying a $6 US fee.[6] This is unlike most other digital distribution platforms which allow users to re-download their purchases in the future without limitations. There currently is no option for you to make a personal backup of the downloaded software. This means that after one year if you need to reinstall the software/game that you must repay the full price. Some users have questioned the legality of such a practice.

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Source: The EADM FAQ.

Basically (from my understanding) you have a year to enjoy the game, you pay a little more and you can have 5 years to enjoy the game. After that? Tough luck. :no:

That's poor :no:

Thanks for the info Monk, I'll see if I can get it elsewhere, like amazon, gamestop or direct2drive (which has a 5 year anniversary and cheap games as a result for the moment btw).
Any other places worthwhile checking for preorder bonus goodies?

Anytime Factionheir, i was actually surprised EA is doing such a thing. I had thought they were moving away from this kinda DRM, but it looks like they still regard digital media as an evil thing.

I normally pre-order from Amazon since they give me $10 off my next game purchase when the game ships (they also have a bonus item for DA, unique boots) Amazon is actually where I pre-ordered my copy from for the 360, it's amazing what 5 months of solid news can do for a game, isn't it? :laugh4:

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Any other places worthwhile checking for preorder bonus goodies?

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Maybe someone else can name one, but you've hit most the places that I check for new releases. :yes:

Yeah, might go for amazon, though not sure how to get those 10 bucks off :grin:

Also found an exclusive on game.co.uk, but no codes for that site, and I don't want to dish out an extra 10 pounds.
That place also doesn't have the digital version, but just the hardcopy collector's edition. Problem is that the UK one seems to be a mere plastic box, rather than the tin one others get so not really worth it.

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

Yeah, might go for amazon, though not sure how to get those 10 bucks off :grin:

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It's sorta like a store credit, when the game ships they will deposit the amount in your amazon account within a couple days. When you next buy a game it should automatically deduct 10 dollars from the price when you're in checkout. Works the same way as gift cards, i believe. :yes:

edit: it should say that on the product page, perhaps amazon uk doesnt have that promotion? :shrug:

Amazon don't do offers like that in the UK. The US site won't send games outside the country either.

The UK options for Dragon Age are poor indeed. £39.99/£49.99 (PC/console) for the Game exclusive collector's edition with the special items and a load of junk in an undescribed plastic box, versus various prices for the standard edition which has no special items. Here's the current prices for the UK PC standard edition.

All editions do come with the bonus Shale character and quest, unless they are sold second hand and the code has already been used.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

Amazon don't do offers like that in the UK. The US site won't send games outside the country either.

The UK options for Dragon Age are poor indeed. £39.99/£49.99 (PC/console) for the Game exclusive collector's edition with the special items and a load of junk in an undescribed plastic box, versus various prices for the standard edition which has no special items. Here's the current prices for the UK PC standard edition.

All editions do come with the bonus Shale character and quest, unless they are sold second hand and the code has already been used.

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:thumbsdown:

I was afraid of that when i looked up amazon uk after i made my post. Absolutely terrible.

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Originally Posted by Monk

Anytime Factionheir, i was actually surprised EA is doing such a thing. I had thought they were moving away from this kinda DRM, but it looks like they still regard digital media as an evil thing.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

All editions do come with the bonus Shale character and quest, unless they are sold second hand and the code has already been used.

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DLC is the new DRM for EA. I had thought maybe they'd wised up too, but we were fools.

The new plan seems to be to sell bare-bones games and let you download the actual content via DLC. Is that any better than just forcing you to use online activation to play? Maybe... just a little. You still have to go online. And you still have to register and validate your copy of the game to get the DLC. I don't know how "bare-bones" the retail Dragon Age will be, since it's not out yet. But I do know that the Sims3 was extremely limited in what was available out of the box. Most items could only be had once you "activated" the game. Bah! :soapbox:

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Originally Posted by Monk

:thumbsdown:

I was afraid of that when i looked up amazon uk after i made my post. Absolutely terrible.

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Amazon.uk are allergic to giving discounts of any sort. They're one of 1,200+ retailers on the Department of Work and Pensions employee discount scheme. When I look them up they proudly offer me a whopping 0% cashback on all of my purchases! One wonders why they agreed to become part of the scheme.

They're also trying to get me to buy a Kindle even though you can't buy books for it if you are outside the US due to restrictions on the inbuilt Kindle shop. Also you'd need a power converter before you could plug it in to charge. Oh - and you'd get hit for massive customs charges! And they advertise this right on their main page too.

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Originally Posted by Xiahou

I don't know how "bare-bones" the retail Dragon Age will be, since it's not out yet.

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I've seen a few folk talking about their advance review copies. It seems like a massive game, they're estimating around 60 hours to complete it on one of the several paths.

I'm quite disgusted by the Game exclusive nature of the collector's edition. They're an expensive place these days to say the least. I only want the extra items and the base game, I don't care about art books and stuff.

EDIT: Heh, by some coincidence the one who's talking the most about his Dragon Age review copy mentioned how long he's played: 121 hours and still increasing. He doesn't say how much of that was for a single playthrough but he does say that he's still finding new material.

I have to say, don't do it.

I used the service for Spore and it uses a very bad download programme with no proxy/router support, also, the download time period then was only a month, so officially, I own Spore, but no way of downloading it or obtaining it by any legal method.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

EDIT: Heh, by some coincidence the one who's talking the most about his Dragon Age review copy mentioned how long he's played: 121 hours and still increasing. He doesn't say how much of that was for a single playthrough but he does say that he's still finding new material.

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...We're gonna need bigger guns. :sweatdrop:

So where are you getting it from Frog?

Used EA link to get Northern Strike for BF2142. Bad idea.

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Originally Posted by Monk

...We're gonna need bigger guns. :sweatdrop:

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It does look as though that's one full playthrough, one partial, and some general messing around rather than a single playthrough.

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

So where are you getting it from Frog?

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There's a 59 page long thread on the quarter to three forums. A guy named Desslock has been posting loads of impressions in the last 10 or so pages. I'd link directly except the thread's full of swearing and other things we don't permit on the org, far too much of it even to give a link with a warning. It's a "hunt it down for yourself at your own risk" jobby.

The audience over at Qt3 have been incredibly sceptical (polite understatement!) of Dragon Age so anything positive coming out of there holds a lot of weight for me. The posters there contains a lot of industry folk - developers, reviewers and other such connections - so they're generally a more critical audience. I've gone from totally repulsed to tempted to pre-order.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

A guy named Desslock has been posting loads of impressions in the last 10 or so pages.

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Desslock is a bit of an RPG legend. I believe he recently became PC Gamer's (US) official RPG reviewer/columnist. I'd take anything he says with much less salt that the average forumer.

-edit-

Ugh, draconian DRM and greedy DLC. As much as I love RPGs, and as much a I love Bioware, I just dunno.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Desslock is a bit of an RPG legend. I believe he recently became PC Gamer's (US) official RPG reviewer/columnist. I'd take anything he says with much less salt that the average forumer.

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That's him. He's doing the Dragon Age review for PC Gamer. I only have his forum based reviews and comments to go by but he does appear to have very sound taste. If the game were the immature, insulting trite load of teenage wannabe 'mature' that the marketing has made it appear then he'd have said so. Instead he's praised the plot, characters and decisions, saying that they are well realised, properly mature, and anything but the usual "I am a saint/I eat puppies" Bioware stuff. I almost dare hope that Dragon Age might, might be mature in the way Planescape: Torment was.

He also reports that the combat is challenging on the normal difficulty, and requires tactics and thought on the part of the player. It's being compared to Baldur's Gate, as is the party system.

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Ugh, draconian DRM and greedy DLC. As much as I love RPGs, and as much a I love Bioware, I just dunno.

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And that's why I would get the xbox version. Well that and the 32 inch HD TV and comfy seat versus a computer chair and a 14 inch monitor.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

I've gone from totally repulsed to tempted to pre-order.

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Interesting to see I'm not the only one pulling a 180 on DA lately. As recently as a month ago I was still of the opinion that this game was not worth my money, time, or even contempt. It's a strange then to completely change tunes and preorder it (which is something i don't do often), but speaks volumes to how terrible the PR for Dragon Age was at the mid-point in the year.*

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And that's why I would get the xbox version. Well that and the 32 inch HD TV and comfy seat versus a computer chair and a 14 inch monitor.

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The PC Mass Effect had a similar stink about it if i recall, which is what ultimately led me to finally consider the 360. DA looks to be following that path as well, unfortunately. If you got a console, you should definitely look into DA in that fashion.





*"HEY! GUYS! YOU CAN SLEEP WITH THAT CHICK! SERIOUSLY! ISN'T THAT AWESOME!? *chest bump* YEAH!"

I don't have a 360, but why would it be better other than having a bigger screen?

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

And that's why I would get the xbox version. Well that and the 32 inch HD TV and comfy seat versus a computer chair and a 14 inch monitor.

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Or you could just do what I did and plug the computer up to your TV, since it is an LCD.

Problem solved.

I just did some more research and it seems that Stardock's Impulse store gives you the items contained in the hardcopy collector's edition!
http://www.impulsedriven.com/dragonagece

Or maybe I order it and they then tell me it was an error* :grin:

Certainly better to get 3 items rather than 1 exclusive :yes:


*Those are not listed as part of the digital CE for either EADM nor D2D.

Hmm some more research...it seems the North American DDE gets the 3 hard copy CE items while the UK one doesn't and they cost exactly the same!

I in fact checked on Direct2Drive. Their US site offers for 65.95 (40.41 GBP) and of course their exclusive preorder item. Their UK site offers for 39.99 which does not include the 3 CE items.

Problem is that D2D US only accepts US and Canada IP addresses. I would like to know whether I could use a proxy (or have an American friend) to buy it (as a "gift") and then play it from the UK without the need of a proxy? Anyone have any experience with that?

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

I don't have a 360, but why would it be better other than having a bigger screen?

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Lots of reasons, some of which are personal. Because often games which come out on both platforms are made for the console and then ported across. That means the interfaces, controls etc work better on the console, and that performance tends to be more steady. There are fewer bugs. There can never be problems with hardware or drivers. Because I don't need to install, probably won't need to patch, and certainly won't have to update any drivers and such. Because my console is set up in a relaxed atmosphere whereas my PC is in a study. Because my xbox is on the other side of the room whereas I have to sit next to my PC with it's DVD drive and fans which, although as quiet as I could find when building it, still put out more noise than is comfortable when gaming. Above all there's no objectionable DRM nonsense like limited activations.

After a decade and a half of being a PC gamer I'm finding that there's less and less that appeals to me there. These days strategy games are the only genre where my PC holds sway, and the odd RPG which is kept PC exclusive like Dragansang. The things the PC does offer above the modern console generation, like mods, don't interest me much.

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Originally Posted by Beskar

Or you could just do what I did and plug the computer up to your TV, since it is an LCD.

Problem solved.

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I don't want to carry my PC halfway across my house each time I want to play. The PC needs to stay in this room if it's to serve its other functions. Plus I still have the other reasons above.

Heard back from Stardock:

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Hello,

While we do not advocate circumventing the region restriction in this way, there is nothing we can do if you are able to get it to work. We will not be able to transfer the registration for your friend, so he/she would need to use the gifting option.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

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Looks like someone's going to get my custom (that is, unless D2D's US division reply the same):grin:

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

I don't want to carry my PC halfway across my house each time I want to play. The PC needs to stay in this room if it's to serve its other functions.

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Being honest, only thing I dislike about PC's is the DRM nonsense, but ultimately, I would like to see far more PC gaming again.

I don't see why consoles have to be different to PC's, there is no reason for them to be. If you have the specifications required the run the games, it should be it. They have "Games for Windows Live", just having something like that, which allows you to play all Xbox games, etc, would be really great.

Make all the controller stuff like USB and other opensource formats, and it would really develop gaming to a new level.

Got word back from Direct2Drive US store:

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Thank you for contacting Direct2Drive Support.
Unfortunately, this game is available to US and Canada Residents only. Download Store staff are not able to make exceptions. This option is not able to be manually overriden. You must be physically located in the US or Canada at the time of purchase and download.

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Looks like Impulse is the way to go for UK people :grin:

Just as a heads-up for those also wanting to use Stardock's Impulse. Use the coupon code SURVEY-2009 for a 20% off until the 1st of November :grin:

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

Just as a heads-up for those also wanting to use Stardock's Impulse. Use the coupon code SURVEY-2009 for a 20% off until the 1st of November :grin:

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For those out there interested in the PC version, that means you can snag the Deluxe Digital Edition (The same as a collector's off Amazon) for $51 USD after using this promotion code. That's the same price as the normal edition so unless you hate digital media and Impulse (or you just wanna get a console version) there's no excuse not to take advantage.

Maybe the fact that the game is being marketed as a frat boy RPG? Or, at least for that one video and press preview.

Not to take away from the deal you pointed out - if the game appeals then Impulse is the way to go. Perhaps I'm just haunted by the specter of ETW.

CR

An *actual* frat boy RPG has a perverse appeal to me.

Equip my +5 moxie cargo shorts.
Level up Beer Pong skill.
Use my ipod to play Bob Marley songs for +1 manna.

/ok, basically what I'm saying is I like Kingdom of Loathing

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Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit

Maybe the fact that the game is being marketed as a frat boy RPG? Or, at least for that one video and press preview.

Not to take away from the deal you pointed out - if the game appeals then Impulse is the way to go. Perhaps I'm just haunted by the specter of ETW.

CR

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I know what you mean. I think it was around April where I was close to declaring Dragon Age my worst enemy due to their PR campaign. But over the year(last couple months especially) i've been watching it.

It actually looks, dare I say it, good. I dunno what possessed Bioware to take the marketing route they did earlier in the year but it nearly killed my interest. :dizzy2:

I take it you ended up getting a copy too? :grin:

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

I take it you ended up getting a copy too? :grin:

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As a matter of fact, I did. Canceled my 360 pre-order and grabbed a deluxe ed off Impulse for $10 cheaper. How could I refuse? :beam:

Does anyone know how big the download for Dragon Age will be? I heard 15GB quoted at one place which is completely impossible for me as I'm on a 20GB per month bandwidth cap. Impulse doesn't list a size on it's game page.

I wouldn't mind a cheap(ish) deluxe edition from Impulse as the British only special edition is rubbish in comparison to all the others and is stupidly expensive to boot! From early accounts it appears that the PC and console versions will play somewhat differently due to the changes in camera modes and group controls. I can see myself happily playing a high difficulty strategic style playthrough on the PC and an easier, more fun oriented one on my xbox, swapping between platforms depending on what mood I'm in and what time I have available.

Steam offers it too now starting today, but again the cut version for UK people.

Impulse is still the best deal with gifting and 20% off.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

Does anyone know how big the download for Dragon Age will be? I heard 15GB quoted at one place which is completely impossible for me as I'm on a 20GB per month bandwidth cap. Impulse doesn't list a size on it's game page.

I wouldn't mind a cheap(ish) deluxe edition from Impulse as the British only special edition is rubbish in comparison to all the others and is stupidly expensive to boot! From early accounts it appears that the PC and console versions will play somewhat differently due to the changes in camera modes and group controls. I can see myself happily playing a high difficulty strategic style playthrough on the PC and an easier, more fun oriented one on my xbox, swapping between platforms depending on what mood I'm in and what time I have available.

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I think it might be anywhere from 15bg-20gb. System requirements over at the DA forums claim it to need 20gb. :dizzy2:

Great. :nixes the plan to buy the cheaper Impulse PC copy at release and pick up a console copy later on when it's cheaper: That means I'm stuck with no way to get any of the special extras unless I pay crazy amounts for Game's cut-down rip-off of a collector's edition. The basic Dragon Age game is already more expensive than I'm used to paying for new games, PC or console. I'm having a hard enough time psyching myself up to part with £38 for the basic xbox version - I do not want to support the fat price increase that's magically been slapped on games recently. Last year I've have had the PC version for £17.99 and the console one for £29.99 if I shopped around. Now it's £25 and £38.99 at absolute best, with the collector's edition being £39.99 and £49.99 respectively.

:sighs: I expect the UK will see much of this content as paid for downloads so we'll have to pay for something the rest of the world got for free. Worse, many of these extras could count as seperate DLCs so it's likely to add up to being very expensive. The absolute low is that if I wait until a month or two after release when the game's cheaper I might not even get the 'bonus' character and dungeon that's included with every release copy.

This game's a pain in the rear. First I felt sick each time I heard it mentioned because of the dire marketing. Now, when word of mouth has undone most of that damage, the exploitation of a select part of the audience makes me queasy. It's like they do not want me to play the thing!

NB: Yes, I know the extras won't dramatically alter the game experience so in the end they don't matter hugely. Thing is, why should I pay more in order to get less than most will? Especially if I'll probably then have to pay a second time if I want to see the content?

NB2: And yes, if I'm that squeamish about the console price I could get the cheaper PC version. Problem: the PC version is overpriced for a PC game and I don't feel happy about paying that much for it either, especially when it's not my platform of choice for this game.

:thumbsdown:

Dragon Age: Origins - Digital Deluxe (UK) is apparently on Steam for £40.

The standard edition is £30

Just reading now, the differences is amazing (in a laughing way)

Steam Exclusive Item

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Wicked Oath

Countess Luciana of Antiva lived as a virtual prisoner in her husband’s castle until an elven slave offered her a way out. The slave magically bound a small amount of the countess’s blood into a ring in return for a promise of freedom. The countess agreed, and the count was found stabbed soon afterwards, this ring lying beside him. Neither Luciana nor the slave were seen again.

Adds +10% to critical strike damage
Improves armor penetration by 2
Adds +1 to combat stamina regeneration

Pre-order special content:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Memory Band

Made by the Formari, these lyrium-infused rings are supposed to help apprentices retain their lessons. They work rather well -- too well, perhaps, as less capable students sometimes wear three or four per finger.

Adds +1% to XP
Adds one skill point

Additional Content in Dragon Age: Orgins (Not sure what this even means, guessing over Xbawks version)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Blood Dragon Armor

Commissioned by an infamous Nevarran dragon hunter, this armor was crafted in a time when dragons had almost been hunted to extinction. Infused with their blood, the armor gained notoriety after the hunter died at the hands of men rather than the dragons it was designed to protect him from.

Grants exceptional protection in combat
Armor will be usable in BioWare's upcoming science fiction epic, Mass Effect 2


The Stone Prisoner

The darkspawn-infested village of Honnleath holds a secret: the forgotten stone figure at the town’s heart is a powerful golem frozen in time. Free the creature and reveal a storied quest to unlock its power and mysterious past.

Download The Stone Prisoner and gain access to Shale, a mighty stone golem who can join the party and travel throughout Dragon Age: Origins. One of the most powerful characters in the game, Shale comes with a rich back story, extensive voice acting, and a unique follower quest to explore. The Stone Prisoner also includes new environments, items, and hours of additional gameplay that adds to the Dragon Age: Origins campaign.

A powerful new party member to aid in the epic quest to save Ferelden from the Blight
New areas, including the troubled village of Honnleath
New achievements, items, and unique insights into the Dragon Age: Origins storyline

Deluxe content:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Warden's Keep

Some claim the fortress of Soldier’s Peak is corrupted and overrun by demons. Others whisper of betrayal and the spirits of murdered Grey Wardens. Whatever the truth, Soldier’s Peak is no place for the living.

Relive the darkest hour of the Grey Wardens with all-new content that adds to the main Dragon Age: Origins campaign. This downloadable adventure reveals secrets hidden for generations, and includes unique achievements, unlockable character abilities, powerful items, and much more!

New quests - discover what really happened to the Grey Wardens of old and what led to their expulsion from Ferelden
New features - a base of operations with party storage. Inventory full? Stash new items as well as loot from the main Dragon Age: Origins campaign
New items and abilities - talents and spells from the Power of Blood school, unique achievements, and powerful items including a set of Grey Warden Commander armor


Digital Soundtrack

Includes a collection of tracks from the score of Dragon Age: Origins


Wallpapers

Includes a collection of wallpapers for your desktop background

I gotta 'fess up—Steam has kinda won me over, especially after trying some other download services. Steam stole my heart when I had to swap out motherboards, changed the drive letter on my storage drive (where Steam resides, along with my other fat games) and worked flawlessly, despite the drive change. Every other app went berserk, and needed hand-holding, register-tweaking and long walks before they would behave. Steam is robust in this sense.

So DA is available on Steam now? I guess I'll plonk down for it, like the RPG catamite that I am.

I only used Impluse for Demigod and I had a very very bad experience with it. I didn't even know about Impluse till that game either.

With Steam, its been only good, especially with the deals. Also, I like my games up to date and patched, it usually makes sure they are working right (unless it is Empire:Total War, but that is not Steam's fault)

I guess I've been lucky, both download services have worked wonderfully for me and I've been skipping happily along without a care in the world. But then, my computer is fairly new(ish) so maybe Steam and Impulse just love my set up.

Impulse was fussy when I tried to sign up, but since then its been great. Steam's one and only failing with me was its implementation in ETW which was sloppy and ham-handed at best.

Oh there is a character creator too. Why did no one say about that? You evil people.

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Originally Posted by Beskar

Oh there is a character creator too. Why did no one say about that? You evil people.

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I like to hoard news? :idea2: :laugh4:

Yes, there's a character creator to let you toy around with some ideas for your first go. For PC users you can directly save and import this character into the game from the creator (or so Bioware boasts!), console players are out of luck however.

Bioware also launched a beta version of a new social site to go hand in hand with the creation tool. They are meaning it to be a place for people to upload characters to show off, as well as an easy "go to" for modding. So far people seem to like it. :shrug:

I found the character creator very limited. Only ended up going for was a basically default choice. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Beskar

I found the character creator very limited. Only ended up going for was a basically default choice. :shrug:

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I found it to be a step up from the Mass Effect creator, but still not as in-depth as others (especially an mmo creator, such as Aion's). IMHO it suits the purpose.

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Originally Posted by Monk

I found it to be a step up from the Mass Effect creator, but still not as in-depth as others (especially an mmo creator, such as Aion's). IMHO it suits the purpose.

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Hopefully it is pretty easy to mod. Those bodies have a lot to be desired. I didn't know females look like wide surfboards with two odd looking bumps on them.

Well frog, you can pre-order a physical copy (this is what I think you are looking at) from Poland (all in English). Their collector's edition is in the steelbox with cloth map and extra items and what not comes at about 55 or so pounds with shipping. Of course it won't arrive on release day...

Or if you want it faster, get it from Germany or Spain, but pay an even larger premium.

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

Well frog, you can pre-order a physical copy (this is what I think you are looking at) from Poland (all in English). Their collector's edition is in the steelbox with cloth map and extra items and what not comes at about 55 or so pounds with shipping. Of course it won't arrive on release day...

Or if you want it faster, get it from Germany or Spain, but pay an even larger premium.

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Yes, it'll have to be a physical edition. The download is too big; I'd use up my month's allowance of bandwidth and then spend the rest of November being charged each time I used more.

Importing is something I had already considered and decided against. Unless the place sending it marked the value down a la VideoGamesPlus of Canada I'd get hit by import tax and the last time I fell foul of that it ended up costing me almost as much as the item was worth thanks to the unavoidable 'service' charges piled on top of the VAT. Plus with the postal disruption I might never see the game. Anything that's unusual or clearly valuable tends to disappear from this city's depot during strikes.

There aren't many options and they will all leave me feeling bad. Just a matter of picking my flavour of financial abuse. If this weren't a Bioware RPG I'd leave the game on the shelf.

What internet do you use, Frogeggbeast? I mean even talktalk is free unlimited internet, what kind of service are you using? o_O

Virgin, talktalk, Sky, BT, etc are all unlimited, how did you get pigeon holed into 3rd rate fixed internet?

I'm with BT, one of the mid-tier packages. It's changed an awful lot since I first signed up for it (back when 512kb broadband was considered good!) so I don't know precisely which package it's labelled as right now or the full feature list but I do know the parts which concern me: 20GB bandwidth cap, up to 20MB depending on what your phone line can handle, unlimited access, wifi included, digital vault. I don't care about internet phone and other such stuff. There's a lot of it been added to the package or altered over the years; I don't take much notice unless it's something I will use.

AFAIK there's only one BT package with unlimited bandwidth and it costs nearly £10 a month more and since I rarely use anything close to my full 20GB limit upgrading never felt worth it. The service is as solid as a rock; it's been down twice in all the years I've had it so I've never felt inclined to change provider either.

I can exceed my bandwidth cap for one month without paying. I'm charged if I do it for two months in close succession. Unfortunately I (knowingly and purposefully) went over the cap recently thanks to needing to download a tonne of stuff after reinstalling windows. :cough: I managed to use 38GB :cough: Since I knew I wouldn't be charged that time and had no expectations of other large downloads there was no reason not to go hell for leather and grab everything at once.

Considering Poland is in the EU, there would be no import fees I think.

Here's where you can view all of the race/class origin stories.

Another reviewer in the quarter to three thread is saying that it's the best Bioware RPG hands down, combining the best aspects of all of their previous games. I don't know who this guy is so I'm not taking it too much to heart, however it's good to see there's a fair amount of agreement out there that this game is worth playing.

I've booked the week off to play this. :feels geektastically sad: Well I had a week I needed to take before the start of December and there you go. It's not like I intend to do nothing but play games. Having done that I thought I'd better do something about securing a copy so I pre-ordered the vanilla xbox version from shopto because they're cheapest out of the places I use and I can get some cashback with them because of who I work for. If the postal strikes sabotage my delivery then I shall pick up a vanilla PC copy on my way home from work.

I've also made peace with the fact that I'm not going to see any of the bonus content. I'm not buying the DLC unless it's ultra amazing with cherries on top. It's the only way I can tolerate the pricing for the base game, especially when the word is that each DLC quest will cost £5.99 or £7.99!

O Froggie, wisest of mods, could you change the name of this thread to reflect the fact that it has become the primary Dragon Age discussion area?

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

It's not like I intend to do nothing but play games.

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Yeah, there will probably be at least a little eating and sleeping in there somewhere too. :tongue2:

I'm still kind of torn on Dragon Age... I think the game looks good, but I really don't like EA, plus I'm concerned about their new DLC approach, and I don't know what platform I'd want it on yet either (PC/PS3). I think, for me, the wise choice is going to be to hold off and wait for some more reviews and impressions to come in- post release. :shrug:

Overall I quite like what I'm reading about the game but its got 2 drawbacks:
1. Confirmed no multiplayer of any shape or form
2. Confirmed game is a DLC content base (NPC interaction having an OOC phrase that tells you to get a DLC to go further with them), so that any additions will be in the form of DLC.

The first DLC comes with the deluxe edition.
I know the Steam version comes without secuROM which is great, however, I will be upset if the DLC is through EA Downloader junk, as that doesn't work with my internet.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

O Froggie, wisest of mods, could you change the name of this thread to reflect the fact that it has become the primary Dragon Age discussion area?

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I've renamed it to ... well, everyone will have noticed what it's now called.

When the game's in our hands a new topic might be the best approach. Gameplay impressions and reviews without needing to wade through all of this. We'll see how it stands in 3 weeks time.

I can't run the character creator without my PC warning me that it is getting too hot after a short time (by the time I reach the stat distribution screen). Had the same problem with NWN2 - it became unplayable due to the overheating it caused. In both cases, it seems strange as the graphics are frankly nothing much to write home about. I guess I will have to pass on this game.

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

Overall I quite like what I'm reading about the game but its got 2 drawbacks:
1. Confirmed no multiplayer of any shape or form
2. Confirmed game is a DLC content base (NPC interaction having an OOC phrase that tells you to get a DLC to go further with them), so that any additions will be in the form of DLC.

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Seriously? I can't imagine how they could've come up with a more ham fisted approach to content than that. :dizzy2:

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Originally Posted by econ21

I can't run the character creator without my PC warning me that it is getting too hot after a short time (by the time I reach the stat distribution screen). Had the same problem with NWN2 - it became unplayable due to the overheating it caused. In both cases, it seems strange as the graphics are frankly nothing much to write home about. I guess I will have to pass on this game.

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Might be something to do with your computer. As it sounds like a laptop, make sure it is set-up with clear air passages, and put a DVD case at the back of it, so air can get underneath the laptop as well (usually a fan there too.)

That usually solves it.

Open up your laptop and give it a clean. My old laptop used to shut down when playing nwn1 when thing started to get heated due to dust and nonfunctioning fan.

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Originally Posted by FactionHeir

Overall I quite like what I'm reading about the game but its got 2 drawbacks:
1. Confirmed no multiplayer of any shape or form
2. Confirmed game is a DLC content base (NPC interaction having an OOC phrase that tells you to get a DLC to go further with them), so that any additions will be in the form of DLC.

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Holy crap. They've reached a new low.

Is there any word on a demo? I'm a little concerned about whether my older PC and new-ish video card will be able to handle it. I can run things like Bioshock and Mass Effect just fine, but some of the screen shots look graphically intense. I've had a few games like NWN2 bog down when the screen is full of characters all throwing spells at once, but maybe Dragon Age is better optimized for the lower game rendering settings. Without a demo, I'll probably have to wait to read a bunch of user reviews on lower-end PC's.

Also, is there anything in the character editor that can serve as a preview of the graphics load? Does your created character get to run around in an environment, or are you just rotating a 3D mannequin when choosing options?

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Originally Posted by Zenicetus

Also, is there anything in the character editor that can serve as a preview of the graphics load? Does your created character get to run around in an environment, or are you just rotating a 3D mannequin when choosing options?

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Just the rotating mannequin, I think - I stopped during that stage but there is a movie at the start that might have got my computer all hot and bothered. It's hard to believe the bland mannequin was so intensive on the graphics. From my experience, the editor might be enough to warn you off buying the game for fear of the graphics load.

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Originally Posted by Beskar

Might be something to do with your computer. As it sounds like a laptop, make sure it is set-up with clear air passages, and put a DVD case at the back of it, so air can get underneath the laptop as well (usually a fan there too.)

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Yes, something to do with my computer, I am sure. It gets too hot - a 3 year old desktop (P4 3.4GHz) it does not cope as well with games as it should. I upgraded the graphics card (Geforce 7800 GS), PSU and RAM (3 GB) but it struggles. Most games are ok if I lower the graphics below the higher end settings automatically recommended. It's just NWN2 - and now this Dragon Age character creator - that gets things so hot I get warned (by SpeedFan or something). Periodically opening it up and cleaning up the dust and vents helps avert a melt down, but not enough to allow me to play NWN2. (Strangely, NWN2 worked ok when it first came out - but now when I try to go back to it, it goes bananas. Maybe the new graphics card?)

They've got DLC ready to sell the day it comes out?! The inquisitive smilie does not express my frustration.

Bah, what with it coming from EA, I'm just not getting it.

CR

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Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit

They've got DLC ready to sell the day it comes out?! The inquisitive smilie does not express my frustration.

Bah, what with it coming from EA, I'm just not getting it.

CR

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The funny thing is, EA's been a lot better about this lately. Now they're starting to backslide again. :soapbox:

I'll probably get this anyway, though, since Bioware could probably sell a box with a rabid badger in it and I'd buy it on release day. :shame:

Had it preordered from amazon.co.uk (just for an extra item, plus its cheaper than Norway), but now it seems two DLCs (Blood Dragon Armour & Stone Prison) are not included in the standard edition in the UK (Bioware have said every copy will have those two, but the lack of confirmation has gotten many people worried, especially since the Collector's Edition in UK was trimmed down compared to North American one.)

So I ended up saying fudge it and just as well bought the Digital Deluxe Edition on Steam, so I got it all. But can't say that EA is creating brand loyalty. Wondering if EA & Activision are competing to see who are the biggest douches in the gaming industry.

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Originally Posted by Krusader

Had it preordered from amazon.co.uk (just for an extra item, plus its cheaper than Norway), but now it seems two DLCs (Blood Dragon Armour & Stone Prison) are not included in the standard edition in the UK (Bioware have said every copy will have those two, but the lack of confirmation has gotten many people worried, especially since the Collector's Edition in UK was trimmed down compared to North American one.)

So I ended up saying fudge it and just as well bought the Digital Deluxe Edition on Steam, so I got it all. But can't say that EA is creating brand loyalty. Wondering if EA & Activision are competing to see who are the biggest :daisy: in the gaming industry.

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It certainly seems like Bioware wants one thing for DLC and EA is pushing something completely different. The fact that it's so hard to get confirmation on what edition includes which DLCs based on region alone makes the entire situation quite confusing and tiring. :dizzy2:

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Originally Posted by Zenicetus

Is there any word on a demo?

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The demo, I think came in the form of a character creator, like the one for Spore.
Create a character, choose a class, and save it, for the time until you get the game in can actually use it.

Wait a minute! What's going on here? It's like a bad dream.

What are these mean things everyone is saying about my game? It's supposed to be the best single-player RPG [7] EVAR and everyone's dogging it.

What's it like? Is it good? Please tell me it's good.

:sweatdrop:

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Originally Posted by Krusader

now it seems two DLCs (Blood Dragon Armour & Stone Prison) are not included in the standard edition in the UK

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What!? ~:pissed: I know it doesn't list those on the game's info page for most websites but it's supposed to be as standard to the game as the inclusion of the manual or disc! If I find confirmation of this before release then I'm cancelling my preorder and I shall pick the game up second hand and cheap, since that's what this particular content was supposed to encourage people not to do.

Next they'll announce that the UK doesn't get a box or anything. We'll get the disc in a paper wallet and be grateful for it.

Steam is still showing the BDA & SP DLCs as part of the standard edition.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

What!? ~:pissed: I know it doesn't list those on the game's info page for most websites but it's supposed to be as standard to the game as the inclusion of the manual or disc! If I find confirmation of this before release then I'm cancelling my preorder and I shall pick the game up second hand and cheap, since that's what this particular content was supposed to encourage people not to do.

Next they'll announce that the UK doesn't get a box or anything. We'll get the disc in a paper wallet and be grateful for it.

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Here's a thread on the official DA:O forums about the UK Standard Edition. Since I had preordered with amazon.co.uk I followed it with interest.
The thread is over 300 posts long though, but seems most players share your sentiments frog. :no:

Short summary is that people are upset since both EA UK Store, GAME & Amazon.co.uk have replied to customer e-mails stating that the DLCs are NOT part of the Standard Edition and GAME saying only on Collectors (On a related note, many UK players seem disgusted that GAME got exclusive distribution rights to the Collector's Edition). People hope its just a glitch and that the retailers don't know what they are talking about, but the lack of Bioware response naturally lead to lots of discussion and worries, although it slowed down after a Bioware rep said they would check into it. The only UK stores that will have DLCs so far it seems is Steam and Direct2Drive.
The prevalent theory (and which would not surprise me) is that EA UK saw a way to get increased sales, by not including DLCs in the Standard Edition they hope people would shell out extra pounds (sp?) for them.

Will admit buying it from Steam does not make me a happy man, but when you got the RPG cravings...

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

What!? ~:pissed: I know it doesn't list those on the game's info page for most websites but it's supposed to be as standard to the game as the inclusion of the manual or disc! If I find confirmation of this before release then I'm cancelling my preorder and I shall pick the game up second hand and cheap, since that's what this particular content was supposed to encourage people not to do.

Next they'll announce that the UK doesn't get a box or anything. We'll get the disc in a paper wallet and be grateful for it.

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:laugh4:

How cute...I mean I don't seem to be the only one who is not a big fan of those newfangled modern marketing techniques.
Even if it's relatively good, I think I'm going to skip this one, not just because of the marketing but a game that looks and plays like an offline MMORPG (including the relatively bad animations etc.) and costs about as much if you want it all due to the huge amount of DLC is just...meh! :shrug:

Think you're overreacting. I believe the game is complete without the DLC and that most DLC will be crap anyway. No need to buy it. I know I won't buy any.

I don't think it's the actual loss of content that is annoying people, it's more the fact that this is content which is complete, there is no reason not to have it released with the game bar money making. I, like most people, have no problem with DLC made after the release of a game however when DLC is made concurrently with the base game it's a disturbing trend.

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Posted 10/23/09 16:42 (GMT) by Stanley Woo

UPDATE:

Hi, everyone. I received a response this morning from DA producer, Fernando Melo, who's been working like crazy to get this cleared up. Thanks to Fernando and Jason Leong for kicking this issue further up the chain.

From what information we've been given, it looks like all versions of the game in the UK--digital download, retail box, collector's edition and standard edition--will have both the Blood Dragon Armour and The Stone Prisoner.

This appears to be a simple miscommunication with some retail sites. EA is now working to correct this misunderstanding by fixing the information on the EA Store and asking retail sites to change the information they have as soon as they can.

Thank you all for bringing this to our attention. We hope this alleviates your concerns regarding the UK versions of Dragon Age Origins.

Remember to stay tuned for the big DA announcement in just a little while!

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Just posted at bioware forum.

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

I don't think it's the actual loss of content that is annoying people, it's more the fact that this is content which is complete, there is no reason not to have it released with the game bar money making. I, like most people, have no problem with DLC made after the release of a game however when DLC is made concurrently with the base game it's a disturbing trend.

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Yes. You can't help but feel like you're buying a bare-bones framework and then being expected to buy all the additional content to flesh it out.

IF I hear that the game is a complete experience out of the box, I may buy it. However, if there are glaring omissions, like dialogue options that result in "buy DLC pack X to enable this response!", I think I'll save my money.

What it really comes down to is that I just don't like DLC. I would much rather buy an physical copy of an expansion than buy/download it piecemeal. :no:

The problem is that they promised - repeatedly and for a very long time - this content would be in every copy except second hand ones where the codes had already been used. Now it appears it's been stealthily removed from the UK version and the UK version alone. A version which has already had most of the bonuses the rest of the world gets removed, and which costs more. Now they won't confirm or deny whether we get the codes; they expect us to buy it and find out once we open the box, at which point we are unable to return it if the content is missing.

It's false advertising and illegal under British law, and anyone buying the game and finding the codes missing would have good grounds to sue. It's also outright greed.

I don't care if the added content is good or not. I care that I'm expected to pay so much for a product that contains less than it should, and which is still being advertised as having more than it probably will.


EDIT: johnhughthom posted while I was typing. Hurrah - good news. Though the sceptic in me wonders if the plan was not not give us the content and the massive outcry forced a rapid change of mind. It shouldn't have taken them over a week to confirm this.