Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

[frogbeastegg]

for the love of god, play the PC version. .

Swapping versions wouldn't fix any of the real issues, only the more superficial ones that were more immediately noticable in my mage playthrough. The thought of slogging a third time through the overly lengthy tunnel dungeons of Orzamar, and the tunnel dungeon in the Elven ruin, and the annoying to traverse tunnel dungeon with sky for ceiling that is the second half of the Elven forest, and the tunnel dungeon with trippy effects that is the fade, and the tunnel dungeon in a circle that is the mage tower, and the tunnel dungeon of the dragon layer, and ... Ugh!

Yes, I really, really hate these corridor obsessed area designs! Especially ones with such drab visuals and plodding "Go the long way just because" design. What is it with modern RPGs and creating more confined spaces than their predecessors? Why are more open and free areas like the Kokari Wilds or the first area of the forest so rare in modern RPGS? I was tired of it by Oblivion, sick to death of it by Fallout 3, and by Dragon Age the mere thought of a tunnel dungeon fills me with loathing. :thinks longingly of the open spaces of Baldur's Gate:

EDIT: Here, an overworld map of Baldur's Gate which displays maps of each main area. Look at all that open space where you are free to wander about as you will! That made the tunnel dungeons feel like a change of pace and something special. Since the advent of 3D RPGs even the outdoor areas have been closer to corridors than spaces.

[Scienter]

frogbeastegg, your post makes me want to play Morrowind again. I loved that game so much.

[Vladimir]

frogbeastegg, your post makes me want to play Morrowind again. I loved that game so much.

Agreed. Perhaps the cost of modern, realistic game design limits their openness. Most people are confined enough in their daily lives that they don't want to pay for the pleasure of being forced down another hallway. (Another rogue plug) Openness allows you to exercise a little creative thought as you go about solving a particular meat and bone problem. The wilds were a fun area and some areas were quite tricky if your party didn't have a long range punch.

[DisruptorX]

Yes, I really, really hate these corridor obsessed area designs! Especially ones with such drab visuals and plodding "Go the long way just because" design. What is it with modern RPGs and creating more confined spaces than their predecessors? Why are more open and free areas like the Kokari Wilds or the first area of the forest so rare in modern RPGS? I was tired of it by Oblivion, sick to death of it by Fallout 3, and by Dragon Age the mere thought of a tunnel dungeon fills me with loathing. :thinks longingly of the open spaces of Baldur's Gate:

True. BG 2 didn't have any of those areas, though. And you are forgetting how absolutely atrocious the dungeons in BG 1 were, due to the pathfinding and characters blocking each other. BG 1 had a good number of dungeons. And BG 2 was mostly dungeons, and fantastic.

Now, I love BG 1, and would love to see more games with great open areas to explore. I didn't really like the open area battles that do exist in Dragon Age, though, since you can't chokepoint.

[al Roumi]

Also, in BG 1 and 2, you had to trudge around to discover those areas. Better role-playing yes, but some times arduous. Then again, the fact you can't fast travel out of a dungeon in DAO is simply a pain in the .

Thing is, BG2 had a lot of "loose" content which is probably not seen as "concentrated" enough with narrative and action. I have never been that enthused with DAO's plot, it's almost too brash and obvious. BG wasn't neccessarily subtle but it was deeper I felt (it could just be that i was more impressionable when I played BG1 and 2).

I certainly can't face even a 2nd play through of DAO, the length of those dungeons is too great and too repetitive.

The silly pantomine-style hyper-gothic full plate armour is far too much for me (what is going on with those pauldrons????). Plus, not having played an MMO ever (i can't be the only one, surely!?), the whole combat system with "tanks", "dps" and "agro" is farcical, naf and too constricting for me.

/walking stick waving rant

[frogbeastegg]

And you are forgetting how absolutely atrocious the dungeons in BG 1 were, due to the pathfinding and characters blocking each other.

No, I'm not forgetting anything. In the depths of dark and stormy nights, unbeknownst to my waking mind I probably have nightmares about a group of adventures clanking about in armour, struggling to line up in a simple 2 rank formation as the phrase "You must gather your party before venturing forth." endlessly loops.

In fact BG might have been the very first stirrings of what grew into my dislike for tunnel dungeons. I didn't enjoy the dungeons in BGII much either; my fonder memories of the game are all linked to plot, character, or the freeform wonder of exploring areas like the starting city and taking on subquests. My general dislike of the dungeon crawling aspect of the BG series is the reason I didn't like Icewind Dale much. An entire game full of tunnel dungeons, gah!

Plus, not having played an MMO ever (i can't be the only one, surely!?)

You are not alone.