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  1. #1
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    I understand people are interested in plot, story, and etc but what about depth? The thing I liked about switching from Paladin/fighter to rogue in DnD based games is the additional depth it offered. Instead of simply strapping on as much metal as possible and slogging through things I discovered how the use of diplomacy, stealth, ambush, and etc opened up far more possibilities. Now I'm more able to "lead" a group and obtain better rewards.

    Does the base campaign in Origins offer this too?


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  2. #2

    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by FactionHeir View Post
    Lastly, they really ought to allow you to click through dialogue rather than forcing you to wait through it all. Mainly for subsequent playthroughs.
    You can do that on the xbox version. Thanks to the completely different control setups I can't guess what it'd be on the PC other than to say it's not ok and it's not cancel.


    I played ~2 hours last night and completed the mage origin story. The thumb for gameplay is tentatively pointed upwards, the one for presentation is slanting downwards. At the moment the lasting first impression is the considerable shock how archaic the game is in terms of looks, audio, style and atmosphere. I'd expected much more from the people behind Mass Effect.

    Gameplay ... well it's Baldur's Gate in 3D. Enough said. Area of effect, friendly fire, a need for tactics if you don't want to turn into a pool of giblets, and a strong need for a rogue to open locked chests. I can tell it's going to improve vastly once I have more spells and a proper party; right now I've spent much of my time running about (away?) on my low-level lonesome wondering if my two offensive spells will recharge before my health runs out.

    It's all terribly generic fantasy so far; I expect that to change shortly.

    Presentation, yeah. The two year old Mass Effect slaughters this game blindfolded with both hands tied behind its back in all categories of presentation. The first thing that hit me when the game started running was that it looks like Neverwinter Nights 2, i.e. old, badly outdated, and filled with plastic people who look wrongly proportioned. There's some decidedly blergh voice acting on the minor people. Oh well, I don't care so much about that - I've played and loved worse and it's the experience which matters. The blood splatter overlays on the characters look stupid and there's no option to turn them off, which means they show up in cutscenes and conversations.

    It's the conversations which are really getting me. Gone are the animated, dynamic conversations which made Mass Effect special. We're back to Bethesda style barely animated barbie doll heads paired with selectable lines of cringeworthy dialogue. I'm afraid I am skipping dialogue in all but the more important conversations; I read entire chunks of dialogue in the time it takes the mediocre actors to get three words out and there's no reason for me to sit and watch instead.

    That said, there was one bit of conversation I did like (minor spoiler for the mage origin story)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Sloth. He's one of the few where I sat and let the conversations play out. Loved his voice and enjoyed his dialogue.


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    Gah! I sound so negative when I did enjoy my play time! I spent most of my day at work thinking about what I would do in the game once I got home.
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  3. #3
    Member Member Zenicetus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vladimir View Post
    I understand people are interested in plot, story, and etc but what about depth? The thing I liked about switching from Paladin/fighter to rogue in DnD based games is the additional depth it offered. Instead of simply strapping on as much metal as possible and slogging through things I discovered how the use of diplomacy, stealth, ambush, and etc opened up far more possibilities. Now I'm more able to "lead" a group and obtain better rewards.

    Does the base campaign in Origins offer this too?
    Well, it's definitely a tactics-intensive game if you want to play it that way. And in some boss battles you really do have to play it that way. You'll party-wipe if you just charge in with swords and spells blazing. How deep you get into the combat depends on how much you want to micro-manage using the pause key.

    Ambushes of a sort are possible. You can have party members hold position on one side of a doorway, then send a controlled character through to lead enemies back into the room where you're party is waiting. Outdoors is a little trickier because you go into combat mode at fairly long range, although that helps archers and spellcasters. One nice thing, although it's a bit of a cheat for the player, is that you can spot and target most enemies for a first strike, before they'll notice you. So it's possible to scout out the battle before it starts, and look for the best tactical position.

    Remember with this type of game you can very easily swap control between the different party members. I'm playing as a mage because I think it's ideal for a tactical overview and control of the battles, but I'll often switch to the Rogue in the party (when there is one), for initial scouting, or to make the first strike and get things rolling.

    There are opportunities to use diplomacy, in the form of threats or persuasion. I haven't paid much attention to how this works in terms of your stats (dialogs are always based around your main character as the leader), and it probably also depends on where you stand with all the various conflicts between factions. Anyway, I've been able to use diplomacy in dialog choices to avoid a fight, or achieve a goal through persuasion that could only be done that way.
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  4. #4
    The Abominable Senior Member Hexxagon Champion Monk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by Zenicetus View Post
    There are opportunities to use diplomacy, in the form of threats or persuasion. I haven't paid much attention to how this works in terms of your stats (dialogs are always based around your main character as the leader), and it probably also depends on where you stand with all the various conflicts between factions. Anyway, I've been able to use diplomacy in dialog choices to avoid a fight, or achieve a goal through persuasion that could only be done that way.
    You'll need the Coercion skill which opens up the possibility of using Persuasion and Intimidation.

    Persuasion is where you use your willy good looks and a Cunning check to smooth talk someone, while Intimidation is where you cross your arms, stare angrily and pass a Strength check to force someone to do what you want. Both can have the same outcome but with radically different effects. So if you've got a warrior as your party lead you'll probably be doing a lot of intimidating.
    Yeah, I understand the rationale for it (get a Rogue in your party!), but it's still frustrating. Even when you *do* have a Rogue in the party, you have to manually take control and have the Rogue open the crate. I remember another game (NWN? NWN2?) where if you tried to open something as a non-Rogue party leader, the Rogue would just push you aside and say "here, let me do that." Maybe it has something to do with encountering trapped chests later in the game? That auto-open design did get my Rogue zapped a few times in that earlier game.
    Yes, KOTOR had a similiar set up. If you ran into a locked door you had to manually switch to your security expert to slice through. I actually really loved how in Mass Effect you didn't have to switch, if you had the lock-picker in party you could just walk up and do it automatically. It's been a small annoyance.

    Progress: 14 hours in game and I still am not even close to halfway done. I finally got my DLC to work and am enjoying that as I speak. I have to be honest, i was expecting the "60 hours of gameplay!" tag-line to be a bit of a joke. After playing this for 3 days I can safely say we're gonna need a bigger boat.

    Discovered a possible bug with the Sten companion quest.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Smooth talk Sten and get him to trust in your leadership and he'll tell you about a lost sword. Problem is, I found the guy who took it from his camp but when he tells me where he sold it, the quest refuses to update. Very annoying. Maybe I need Sten in my party when i confront him?
    Last edited by Monk; 11-05-2009 at 21:34.

  5. #5
    Relentless Bughunter Senior Member FactionHeir's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Found a bug with the Kennel quest
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    If you tell the Kennel Master you want no reward, you don't even get a single point of XP.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    I'm just about to enter the the tower of Ishal. Combat so far has been fairly easy and even though I was not prepared to the Shade in the Wilds, it went down pretty quick without anyone dying. And everyone except my main had 2 injuries at that point
    The fights outside the tower have been a bit tougher as you have a weaker party, so I actually had to use a lesser healing poultice there. Annoying that my team keeps dying and I have to pick up the pieces *grumble*


    Regarding people not turning off their passives, its to do with their tactics. Its usually set to make them enter a mode when something happens, but if you got space for another tactic, definitely have one at the very bottom reading if everything is clear, turn everything off or so. Not sure if that exists though.
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  6. #6
    The Abominable Senior Member Hexxagon Champion Monk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    18 hours in. Already surpassing every expectation i had (but.. seeing as I had very few going in, I guess that explains why I am so happy with the end result!). I'm thankful I have few plans this weekend so I can continue to hack at this game.

    Quote Originally Posted by frogbeastegg
    It's the conversations which are really getting me. Gone are the animated, dynamic conversations which made Mass Effect special. We're back to Bethesda style barely animated barbie doll heads paired with selectable lines of cringeworthy dialogue. I'm afraid I am skipping dialogue in all but the more important conversations; I read entire chunks of dialogue in the time it takes the mediocre actors to get three words out and there's no reason for me to sit and watch instead.
    Really? I haven't felt that at all. Character models aren't as animated as Mass Effect but I wouldn't go so far as to deem them as bad as FO3's, where everyone uses the same two or three 'conversation animations' and it's hard to feel bad when you blow their head off. I've kept subtitles off for the most part since I know what it does to me, it makes me very impatient.

    Edit: Retracted. They are stiff, I simply didn't notice until it was pointed out to me. Guess it doesn't bother me too much?

    @froggy's spoiler

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Agree with you on Sloth, however. He reminded me of something from another game... but i can't put my finger on what.


    @FactionHeir's second spoiler.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The Tower is a tough battle, and it's very drawn out. You're in for a few surprises along the way and I wouldn't dare spoil it for you. Just make sure your party is pretty tough and you stock up on potions from the merchants there. Trust me, you'll need them!
    Last edited by Monk; 11-06-2009 at 06:35.

  7. #7
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Ahh excellent, thank you. One of the big selling points for me is the claim that in-character actions have a substantial affect on the game world.

    Too bad there's no MP. Sounds like you guys could use a "troubleshooter."


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  8. #8
    Spirit King Senior Member seireikhaan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Well, I'm about 14 hours in, and things have opened up a bit.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    I'm finally turning my character around from the default "goody goody" character to a nastier piece of work. Was absolutely psyched to get blood magic specialty, even though its big payoff spells are a ways down the line.
    It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then, the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

  9. #9
    pardon my klatchian Member al Roumi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by Monk View Post
    You'll need the Coercion skill which opens up the possibility of using Persuasion and Intimidation.

    Persuasion is where you use your willy good looks and a Cunning check to smooth talk someone, while Intimidation is where you cross your arms, stare angrily and pass a Strength check to force someone to do what you want. Both can have the same outcome but with radically different effects. So if you've got a warrior as your party lead you'll probably be doing a lot of intimidating.
    I am so glad they dumped Charisma as a stat. I have never, ever, majored investment in it in any rpg, through Baldur's gate to Fallout 3. In fact, i've always crippled the sociability of my characters in favour of their combat lethality.

    I really liked the fact that in Fallout3 you had alternative conversation options based on other stats, skills or perks (how much time does Robotics expert save you in FO3!).

    Maybe I've missed out on certain sides of games by not investing in charisma but I don't know if I would ever find it as satisfying to talk my way out of everything in a game -even if the rewards were equivalent...

    Anyway, thanks for the updates guys, its great to find out about the game whilst waiting for my boxed copy to arrive from Amazon...

  10. #10
    BrownWings: AirViceMarshall Senior Member Furunculus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

    great game, playing it today.

    it is impressive how happily it will run on low end hardware.

    my bro's computer runs it fine, and it is only:
    7900GT
    X2 3800+
    2GB DDR400

    the corollary to that is that it looks worse than oblivion, even tho the latter is at least three years older.
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