Dragon Age:Origins

[Geo Da Sponge]

The combat seems to work fairly well; the ability to implement your own ideas to the AI is nice (eg. when characters health<50%, use least powerful healing item). I would add, however, that you really need to put in one for healing items as soon as possible, since the AI characters don't use them as standard. Plus you have to wait for your character to level up to buy them more slots for tactics.

Plus the game seems to do a good job of showing a bunch of warriors doing their best to kill eachother rather than the bunch of pirouettes, whirls and flashy moves you get in most games. In particular, I like the pommel strike and shield bash attacks, because they seem much more practical than most RPG special attacks. Oh yes, and the rogue ability which is pretty much 'kick in the balls'.

 

[Jay Cee]

I don't understand the appeal of this brand of combat.
It attempts to portray a visceral and powerful feel but whenever I use it, it feels clunky and monotonous.

It's acceptable in certain genres such as an MMORPG, which require balance, but in a single player open world narrative based game, it makes little sense.

I imagine it's a designing art that I either don't understand or needs to be thrown in the sea of obsolescence.

I'm kind of with you on this, I've always loved Bioware games despite the gameplay, not because of it. Their greatest achievement is usually creating a story that overcomes my annoyances with the combat system and all. That's why I love the Mass Effect series more, but it's really a matter of personal preference. It might be because I never played and was never familiar with D&D and its rules while many early Bioware fans were, but it always kind of annoyed me.

In general, Dragon Age Origins has been pretty good, although quite difficult so far (still tweaking the composition of my squad). One thing that has been really annoying me is the blood splatter on your characters in cut scenes - it just looks so juvenile.

Oh god I'm always perplexed by the micro-management organization. It's PAINFULLY laborious, and almost feels lazy on the designers part. I admit that there is probably a demographic for this sort of thing but I honestly can't believe that there is no one at Bioware who find it unintuitive.

Maybe a more helpful squad organization method in Mass Effect. Although I hear M.E 2 utilizes a new method so when I manage to whore myself out to as many people as I would need to to buy the bloody thing I can be safe in the knowledge that it wont make me faff around with Garrus' luggage for half an hour.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

The game's awesome. The combat can be both action orientated and tactical. For the lesser goons you can just go and charge in, feel like a badass, but when a huge Ogre attacks, you better be prepared 'cause he ain't goin' down without a fight. If you've played KOTOR, you're already familiar with the games combat system. If you haven't played KOTOR then it will take a few minutes until you get the hang of it.

There's also a deep "strategy" system for your companions so you don't have to constantly switch to them and cast spells.

The narration and the way events unfold are both extremely well done and so are the characters. Near the end of the game you'll actually end up carrying for your fellow party members. The characters aren't just there to help you kill monsters then stay silent for the rest of the game, they actually have personalities and are driven by specific purposes.

The game is about 100 hours long, so don't attempt to complete it in one sitting 'cause that ain't gonna happen.

Giving the amount of content this game provides and the astounding quality of it, 49.99 seems like a low price.

Get it, get it now and stop depraving yourself from this great experience.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Looks really great, but what does this game have against headwear? I've been looking at screens of player characters and party members, I dont think I've seen a single helmet or any other headgear on any of them. Most people probably dont care but it's really a standard thing to have in an RPG, especially if it has so much character custumization like this game claims to have. So anyone of you who have the game, correct me if I'm wrong here.

There is headwear in the game, it's just that all of the screenshots of characters were taken from dialogue and cutscenes, during which time, all headwear is removed so that you can actually see your character's face (and other peoples' faces obviously).

Now, as for those of you who don't know how to "stack" actions in Dragon Age. Go to the tactics screen (while controlling a character other than your own), and you'll find several options that allow party members to string actions together, making it that much easier to get your mages to use spell combos and such. While I have dabbled a little in the game with this system, I generally prefer to pick one of the default AI packages (which are pretty damn good on their own anyway) and take control of each party member whenever I have to. It's not because I don't trust the AI or because I can't work out the tactics screen, it's just that as an RTS and RPG fan, I'm more comfortable with giving direct orders to my party members.

 

[TheDoctor455]

I don't understand the appeal of this brand of combat.
It attempts to portray a visceral and powerful feel but whenever I use it, it feels clunky and monotonous.

It's acceptable in certain genres such as an MMORPG, which require balance, but in a single player open world narrative based game, it makes little sense.

I imagine it's a designing art that I either don't understand or needs to be thrown in the sea of obsolescence.

I'm kind of with you on this, I've always loved Bioware games despite the gameplay, not because of it. Their greatest achievement is usually creating a story that overcomes my annoyances with the combat system and all. That's why I love the Mass Effect series more, but it's really a matter of personal preference. It might be because I never played and was never familiar with D&D and its rules while many early Bioware fans were, but it always kind of annoyed me.

In general, Dragon Age Origins has been pretty good, although quite difficult so far (still tweaking the composition of my squad). One thing that has been really annoying me is the blood splatter on your characters in cut scenes - it just looks so juvenile.

Oh god I'm always perplexed by the micro-management organization. It's PAINFULLY laborious, and almost feels lazy on the designers part. I admit that there is probably a demographic for this sort of thing but I honestly can't believe that there is no one at Bioware who find it unintuitive.

Maybe a more helpful squad organization method in Mass Effect. Although I hear M.E 2 utilizes a new method so when I manage to whore myself out to as many people as I would need to to buy the bloody thing I can be safe in the knowledge that it wont make me faff around with Garrus' luggage for half an hour.

I will admit that at first the tactics menu can be a little intimidating, but if you just experiment with the various options for a little while, you'll get the hang of it. And managing your character's and your party members' inventory is a staple of the RPG genre. So get used to it.

 

[Poomanchu745]

Why are you making this thread instead of buying the game and playing it? Go get it now! Just be warned you might not get off your computer for the next several months.

 

[kotorfan04]

This game kicked my ass on my first playthrough. Had to play on easy and even then I was doing poorly because almost all my rogues died painful deaths and I didn't teach Morrigan how to heal. So for everyone out there this is a word of advice. HAVE AT LEAST TWO HEALERS! You don't have to bring two healers with you, but if one of your healers dies or leaves you, you at least have back up. Also the space bar is your friend.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Looks really great, but what does this game have against headwear? I've been looking at screens of player characters and party members, I dont think I've seen a single helmet or any other headgear on any of them. Most people probably dont care but it's really a standard thing to have in an RPG, especially if it has so much character custumization like this game claims to have. So anyone of you who have the game, correct me if I'm wrong here.

There is a literal fuckton of headgear, i just think most of its ugly so i dont wear it. i prefer seeing the peoples heads too.
Thee game is awesome. Combat is quite similar to kotor but you cant stack actions. You can make your party fight more tactically though with the combat tactics menu. You can have repond to pretty much everything.
I like the mage class best though. I started on friday with a warrior, got 14 hours in and decided to change to a mage this morning.

 

[CmdrGoob]

PC version or console?

PC version is the best party based RPG combat ever.
Console version is I have no idea because I have the PC version.

 

[Runding]

Keep in mind that the cut scenes automatically take out the helmets so you will not see them in some of the videos.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Yeah, similar to the "pause and play" style of KOTOR but I have not been able to find a way to "stack" actions like KOTOR so far. So maybe more micro-managing is involved.

As near as I can tell, there is no way to stack actions. That said, while it does compare to some ways to KOTOR, it is probably best compared to Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, or, to a lesser extent, Neverwinter Nights.

The reason is simply complexity. KOTOR (and Mass Effect) offer a very limited skill set to manage. Maneuver in either game often accomplishes little, and all of your abilities are generally useful in any given battle. There generally was no "wrong skill to use" at a given moment - simply ones that weren't the best choice.

DAO gives you all the room you'll need to screw everything up. There are a LOT of ways to die in the game, and chances are good you'll experience all of them. In KOTOR, eventually your character becomes so powerful that he literally steamrolls everything that stands in his path - a direct result of the D&D influences. This never happens in DAO. There are a handful of fights that one may call "easy", but by and large your battles rely on far more than simple character level.

Most of the MMO conventions, however, still stand. Crowd control is fantastically useful, using a healer to keep your tank alive is a sound tactic and DPS should do as much damage as possible without attracting attention to themselves. As a free pro-tip, it is probably best if you visit the tower first in your journeys - had I known I could find a healer for my party there I would have had FAR less trouble during the course of the game.

 

[Sneaklemming]

Its like kotor for better or worse