Dragon Age.
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Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
Finaly someone with some sense posting.It's funny people should mention The Witcher, as I thought that was let down by truly atrocious combat.
I haven't played witcher enhanced edition, but for the first one the combat was one of the most repetitive combat i've ever seen, and the main reason why i stopped playing it halfway through.
Very true - that's why I haven't continued with my blood mage, I couldn't roleplay him properly. The game allows you to be very ruthless (my new Dwarfish Noble
), but you always have to fully identify yourself as a Warden, else the story gets stupid...Finaly someone with some sense posting.
I haven't played witcher enhanced edition, but for the first one the combat was one of the most repetitive combat i've ever seen, and the main reason why i stopped playing it halfway through.
I played the enhanced edition. I think combat isn't that repetitive. In fact, it's been less repetitive than what I've been doing in DA until now (triple shield bash + double shield bash + shield bash, repeat, rinse). Playing with a pure combat witcher or combat + Aard gives a different experience from using Igni and a very different experience if you max out Yirden. The latter is harder, but it makes for some funny tactics. But the combat isn't the good part in The Witcher. The good part is immersion in a world, story line, choices. In DA, immersion is average at best, story feels a bit forced but I haven't managed to go far enough yet, and choices are worthless. It's also damn linear.
Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
You might be right. IIRC i played as a pure combat witcher and it was dull. However i played as a mage in DA and i gotta say combat is almost never repetitive. It was usually: cast a lasting area damage - make sure your idiot party doesnt go inside the storm - then cast nonlasting area damage - then some wuss atack spells and mana almost ran out - afterwhich comes the PANIC part because every enemy that is not dead is now atacking you, so everyone in the party must do their best to protect you during which you also have to cast healing stuff and pray you won't die - oh also fleeing is part of the tactic.
Of course this is not on easy difficulty. I am told that on easy, playing as the mage is a cakewalk.
Of course this is not on easy difficulty. I am told that on easy, playing as the mage is a cakewalk.
PhroX
Deity
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I guess for me, it comes down to preferring a tactical style of combat, rather than the Witcher's more action based one. You say you're only using three abilities in DA, which suggests to me that you're only controlling one character, and I can see that could be a bit boring, but with the difficulty turned up, and manually controlling all 4 characters then I find it to be great fun.
Regarding the linearity, well, that doesn't bother me at all. If the story's entertaining (which, for me it is) and the combat can keep me occupied (which it can), then thats all I really ask for from an RPG. Indeed, the really non-linear ones like Oblivion tend to be the worst IMO, cos the worlds they create are dead and boring. Sure, you can do anything, but very little of it's fun. That said, if well made, I have no problem with non-linearity: both linear and non-linear RPGs can be good or bad.
I'm not saying DA is an all time classic like some people (especially reviewers) seem to think - it can't compare to the likes of BG1&2, PS:T, FO1&2 etc - but do I think it's a very good game.
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
I agree with that lack of not being allowed to choose your morality. The game sets you on rails, linearity is ok, but this game is to rigid with it. I thought for sure at the grey wardens ceremony you would be able to say no and opt or fight your way out(I mean, that ceremony was just wrong and ammoral IMO, I felt evil for participating) because it was freaking occultic and cruel, but the game makes you be evil in that particular instance, and I felt like it totally clashed with how my character wanted to be, and how I perceived Allistar.
playing the game now... got an Elf Mage (yeah yeah, like Majoring in Pyschology for Chrissakes!)
actually I started with a Rogue, but realized early that the combat would get tough and the mages would be key to learn thoroughly.
I'm playing on HARD on Xbox 360. I gotta say the game is disappointing in many ways (graphics, glitchy, idiotic codex and other menu problems, closed in, linear dungeons)
BUT I'm well hooked to it because of the combat and the story. Combat can get annoying as well with character positioning and the sometimes screwy Tactics, but playing on Hard with a gamepad really challenges you... just about every battle now (level 12) I can lose if I'm not careful.
overall though, I'd have to say the game is highly overrated, as they really haven't done anything they didn't do in KOTOR, except for adding the NPC tactics...
AND NOW FOR A HUGE AWESOME HINT ON HOW TO GET GOLD GOLD GOLD!!!
actually it's real simple... I was getting annoyed about the low level of cash. all you gotta do is run around with Leliana and STEAL from every single person you see. there is absolutely NO negative side effect or anything else... it's really a wonder to me why they even incorporated the stealing at all?? it's so stupid.
Leliana can walk up to anybody in the game, stand in their face, and steal from them. you either get some cash, some items (impossible to tell what they are with the stupid Menu set-up on the Xbox), or it says Stealing Success and doesn't give you anything, or Stealing Failure and nothing happens.....
also, get the Dwarven Merchants Belt and have someone wear it all the time. it has to be on when the enemies are killed.
actually I started with a Rogue, but realized early that the combat would get tough and the mages would be key to learn thoroughly.
I'm playing on HARD on Xbox 360. I gotta say the game is disappointing in many ways (graphics, glitchy, idiotic codex and other menu problems, closed in, linear dungeons)
BUT I'm well hooked to it because of the combat and the story. Combat can get annoying as well with character positioning and the sometimes screwy Tactics, but playing on Hard with a gamepad really challenges you... just about every battle now (level 12) I can lose if I'm not careful.
overall though, I'd have to say the game is highly overrated, as they really haven't done anything they didn't do in KOTOR, except for adding the NPC tactics...
AND NOW FOR A HUGE AWESOME HINT ON HOW TO GET GOLD GOLD GOLD!!!
actually it's real simple... I was getting annoyed about the low level of cash. all you gotta do is run around with Leliana and STEAL from every single person you see. there is absolutely NO negative side effect or anything else... it's really a wonder to me why they even incorporated the stealing at all?? it's so stupid.
Leliana can walk up to anybody in the game, stand in their face, and steal from them. you either get some cash, some items (impossible to tell what they are with the stupid Menu set-up on the Xbox), or it says Stealing Success and doesn't give you anything, or Stealing Failure and nothing happens.....
also, get the Dwarven Merchants Belt and have someone wear it all the time. it has to be on when the enemies are killed.
I understand this, but I think DA fails on the tactical combat too. There's no way to block an enemy. Put 3 characters in front of a door and 1 in the back, and enemies manage to get through! In the end, in difficult combats I will control more than one character, but if I switch from one to the next, the ai controlling the rest of the party goes nuts: Particularly if I keep an archer far away and control him, then the melee characters will decide they must go near him where they are worthless so I must take back control and tell them to keep fighting in melee...
YMMV. I'd enjoy it more if orders be turn based, it would be much less chaotic for my taste. Here, you give an orderto strike, you strike and your opponent who moved 5 meters away is struck by your sword... This makes immersion difficult. My main gripe with the combat is it feels totally artificial and I can't get any immersion feeling in it. While I feel immersed in NetHack, so go figure.
I don't really mind linearity. The Witcher is quite linear, but it doesn't give you that feeling because there are a few significant choices here and there. I find the Elder Scrolls series lacking in terms of story and interaction with the world.
I think my biggest gripe is that I don't feel Ferelden is real or inhabited. The main and best source of interaction with the world is, or should be, NPC's, and DA tries to do something great with it, when your party members chat together. Unfortunately, if you turn sound off and use the text, you miss it because you'll never even see most of it. I believe that this makes it hard for me to enjoy the game: I can't enter it or feel immersed. Most of the time, I can't see the point in joining a side quest, or talking to a character because they all look bland to me. I still have to find an enemy NPC as despicable as the Wizard of Yendor. Loghain is too far away and there's too little interaction with him for me to be able to hate him and rejoice in the perspective of fighting him later on.
I think the tactics are good, but it takes time and patience.
some hints what worked for me (say my most traditional party: Alistair, Leliana, my AOE damage mage, and Wynne):
1. put the party on 'hold position' instead of 'free movement'
2. move Alistair through the door and trigger the attack
3. cast taunt with Alistair
4. let Wynne case a paralysis glyph on the floor just in front of Alistair (should stop the first wave and then block everyone else behind as well)
5. cast forcefield on Alistair
6. start casting Inferno with my mage while Wynne casts Earthquake
7. watch the carnage and cast fireball and blizzard in there if needed.
8. smile =)
some other things that will help you perhaps.
in the Tactics screen, I found it helpful to tell my mages to "Wait" if their Mana is less than 25%... this helps a lot to keep them from wasting all their mana before you can get back to them.
using the 'hold position' command... if you know a battle is coming up, then you can position your support units beforehand, and spread them out, so they will be less vulnerable to AOE..
I agree there are a lot of annoying things about the game, but like some others I'm finding the combat keeping me interested.
Am I the only one with the following bug: I equipped a full set of juggernaut armor and now, when I unequip them, while it shows on the paperdoll, my character's model doesn't update properly in-game. He always has that armor on (graphic bug only) no matter what I equip. He even keeps his helmet during conversations and had sex in a full set of armor with helmet.
jUmpSt0p wrote:
I have a very similar party for my second playthrough. Its so powerfull it shouldn't even be allowed. One tactic I use is to have the whole party attact one enemy at a time. Exception would be if I'm facing a lot of archers.
I have a very similar party for my second playthrough. Its so powerfull it shouldn't even be allowed. One tactic I use is to have the whole party attact one enemy at a time. Exception would be if I'm facing a lot of archers.
the problem for me is the way they set up the battles... you often have a cut-scene, and then right after there's a battle. suddenly your entire party is all bunched up, one of your mages is running straight at the enemy, and the AI has some mage waiting halfway across the room
it's freaking ridiculous! I'm trying to conquer the Proving Ground side battles right now, and that's exactly how it works... by the time I get Wynne and Leliana out of the way so I can use my spells, Alistair is already dead.. GAH!
I just won the first battle actually, but it was a serious BISH! Alistair went down, I used a LOT of potions, and at the end Alistair and Wynne were both dead again..
Hard difficulty on console is no joke..
it's freaking ridiculous! I'm trying to conquer the Proving Ground side battles right now, and that's exactly how it works... by the time I get Wynne and Leliana out of the way so I can use my spells, Alistair is already dead.. GAH!
I just won the first battle actually, but it was a serious BISH! Alistair went down, I used a LOT of potions, and at the end Alistair and Wynne were both dead again..
Hard difficulty on console is no joke..
This certainly works, but:
1) Yes. I finally figured this out.
2) Moving someone through the door so he can be attaclked by several opponents when you want the opponent to do exactly that should be a losing tactic in my book. But the movement is coded in such a way that you can't block just after the door.
3) You have to have him taunt opponents who would physically be unable to cross the door. Again, this makes the combat unbelievable to me.
4) Yet another spell you shouldn't need since the opponetn shouldn't be able to get past the door.
5/6/7/8) Yes, great, but the steps before just don't make sense outside of a pure min-max gaming point of view.
I'd like to know if someone played through the whole game more than once? The origins stories obviously, but the whole game? It looks like it will always feel the same no matter what you do/choose.
PhroX
Deity
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TBF, that's probably actually an improvement over the ghastly underwear you usually see in the sex scenes...
TBF, that's probably actually an improvement over the ghastly underwear you usually see in the sex scenes...
Yeah hehe. Well it seems to fix itself with reloads, so it's not too bad. But it happens relatively often and is annoying. It only happens to the main character too for some reason. The most annoying thing is when you get into conversations, usually the helmets are off so you see your character's face (and your party's), but now when the bug happens, my character keeps his full-face juggernaut helmet. The hat looks kindda stupid too with the blue tail on it. It's the full set you find in the elf/werewolf forest. I don't know if there's anything better for a tank yet.
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
I like conversating with other charectors, like in my party, but most of the NPC's are boring as all hell but to get to know what you want and to improve relationtions you have to listen to all there drag on tales, and the game never gives you any options to speed up conversations that aren't rude. But im finally sticking with the human noble warrior story, as a duel wielder. Im level nine, and what Im confused about is why I didnt get a specialization at level 7....
dude you can definitely speed-up conversations..
on the Xbox you just press "X" button.. probably the Square button on PS3.
but go into the menu first and turn ON subtitles.. that way you can read what they say, then skip ahead...
it's nice to let them talk and turn off the subtitles during the really big events though
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