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Forum posts were made by game developers. Please do not take posts out of context. While these individuals will have special insight into certain game-related questions, they are by no means the final authority. Please read the full topic and all its replies before forming an opinion. Remember, all things are subject to change.
-{ Wednesday, 10 March 2010 }-
The Future of the Codex, a View Toward Improving the Franchise
I can see both sides of it. On the one hand, how awesome is it to hear Leonard Nimoy explaining things in Civilization IV or Star Trek: Online? On the other hand, however, you've got a voice talking at you while you're trying to read. I don't know about all y'all, but I tend to read faster than I talk, so a voice reading a Codex entry will never be as fast as me reading it.
Another thing that has to be taken into account is space. Voice files take up a bunch of space, and the more Codex entries you have, the more space you'll need.
And let's not forget testing. Now you have to make sure each Codex entry plays when it's supposed to. Sure, you can go through whatever tool is used to make the Codex entries and play the VO from there, but does it still work in-game, which all the players will be worried about?
How about cost? Voice acting costs a lot of money, not just for an actor to come in, but for studio time for all the recording and listening and editing and spiffying up.
There's a lot to think about when considering something like this. It's not a simple, cheap, or fast thing that we'd have to plan for.
And what kind of voice would be needed for the Codex? In ME, it's a computer file being read by a computer, but what would it be in DA? A journal from some ancient explorer who documented these things for the first time? The PC's voice? A companion's? A completely different narrator's voice?
Stanley Woo | Wed Mar 10 00:45:20 2010
I can see both sides of it. On the one hand, how awesome is it to hear Leonard Nimoy explaining things in Civilization IV or Star Trek: Online? On the other hand, however, you've got a voice talking at you while you're trying to read. I don't know about all y'all, but I tend to read faster than I talk, so a voice reading a Codex entry will never be as fast as me reading it.
Another thing that has to be taken into account is space. Voice files take up a bunch of space, and the more Codex entries you have, the more space you'll need.
And let's not forget testing. Now you have to make sure each Codex entry plays when it's supposed to. Sure, you can go through whatever tool is used to make the Codex entries and play the VO from there, but does it still work in-game, which all the players will be worried about?
How about cost? Voice acting costs a lot of money, not just for an actor to come in, but for studio time for all the recording and listening and editing and spiffying up.
There's a lot to think about when considering something like this. It's not a simple, cheap, or fast thing that we'd have to plan for.
And what kind of voice would be needed for the Codex? In ME, it's a computer file being read by a computer, but what would it be in DA? A journal from some ancient explorer who documented these things for the first time? The PC's voice? A companion's? A completely different narrator's voice?
-{ Tuesday, 09 March 2010 }-
Dev Question: Standout Moments (SPOILERS)
[
You fish where they'll bite :)
This post sat in the Official Campaign forum for an hour with no replies. As soon as I moved it over here, replies started coming. I even edited the opening paragraph to say this was an exception to the usual rule. Since previous Dev Questions have been in General Discussion, I figured it was more likely to be seen and get a good number of responses over here.
]
Victor Wachter | Tue Mar 9 23:30:23 2010
[
CybAnt1 wrote...
Just a quick question. Since this is the one & only subforum with the NO SPOILER warning, and yet this thread invites spoilers, shouldn't it be in one of the *all the other* subforums that *do* allow spoilers? Just wondering. Not that I mind. There's nothing that could be spoiled for me, but I could inadvertently spoil something for someone else.
You fish where they'll bite :)
This post sat in the Official Campaign forum for an hour with no replies. As soon as I moved it over here, replies started coming. I even edited the opening paragraph to say this was an exception to the usual rule. Since previous Dev Questions have been in General Discussion, I figured it was more likely to be seen and get a good number of responses over here.
]
Dev Question: Standout Moments (SPOILERS)
[Hello Dragon Age fans,
It's time for another dev question. This week, we want to invite a more freeform discussion, and so we will have no poll attached to this one.
SPOILERS WARNING: This will inevitably be a spoiler-heavy topic. If you have not yet finished Dragon Age: Origins and don't want the story spoiled for you, stop reading right now! It's posted here, since I suspect that people have become accustomed to the Dev Questions being in General Discussion, so this is an exception to the usual rule.
Future stories can stretch across the world and across time within the era known as the Dragon Age, but we'd like them to carry familiar themes and ideas. So we invite you to talk about the stand-out moments of the Dragon Age story. What discoveries about the world of Thedas etched themselves into your memory. What events or comments in the game would you like to see followed through or expanded on?
No example is too big or too small. For example, a standout moment for me is when in Redcliffe with Leliana, she tells you that she once rode the sails of a windmill. According to her, it did not end well. It's small, but I'd love to know why she found herself in that situation. On the larger scale, I would also love to learn more about the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.
So, let's hear yours!]
Victor Wachter | Tue Mar 9 21:30:23 2010
[Hello Dragon Age fans,
It's time for another dev question. This week, we want to invite a more freeform discussion, and so we will have no poll attached to this one.
SPOILERS WARNING: This will inevitably be a spoiler-heavy topic. If you have not yet finished Dragon Age: Origins and don't want the story spoiled for you, stop reading right now! It's posted here, since I suspect that people have become accustomed to the Dev Questions being in General Discussion, so this is an exception to the usual rule.
Future stories can stretch across the world and across time within the era known as the Dragon Age, but we'd like them to carry familiar themes and ideas. So we invite you to talk about the stand-out moments of the Dragon Age story. What discoveries about the world of Thedas etched themselves into your memory. What events or comments in the game would you like to see followed through or expanded on?
No example is too big or too small. For example, a standout moment for me is when in Redcliffe with Leliana, she tells you that she once rode the sails of a windmill. According to her, it did not end well. It's small, but I'd love to know why she found herself in that situation. On the larger scale, I would also love to learn more about the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.
So, let's hear yours!]
Custom headmorph for player character
I'm told that core/override is itself overridden by the module/override folder, not the other way around. The only exceptions are some core resources that are loaded before the game accesses the addins directory. That you got this to work at all (and that we've used it internally) indicates that isn't happening for default_player.
I suspect more rigorous testing would bear this out, but I may also be misunderstanding what you are saying, (Fever, take everything I say with a grain of salt.)
Craig Graff | Tue Mar 9 18:45:05 2010
I'm told that core/override is itself overridden by the module/override folder, not the other way around. The only exceptions are some core resources that are loaded before the game accesses the addins directory. That you got this to work at all (and that we've used it internally) indicates that isn't happening for default_player.
I suspect more rigorous testing would bear this out, but I may also be misunderstanding what you are saying, (Fever, take everything I say with a grain of salt.)
Setting Default World Map
Most likely.
Craig Graff | Tue Mar 9 15:45:05 2010
So, is the game not reading it because the image is too large?
Most likely.
Custom headmorph for player character
It appears in packages/core/override.
You will want to move it from there to your module/override directory. Instead of opening a local copy, you can also try editing the original file directly, so long as you restore the original once you have exported. That way you will at least have your custom version in the resource history.
Craig Graff | Tue Mar 9 07:45:05 2010
It appears in packages/core/override.
You will want to move it from there to your module/override directory. Instead of opening a local copy, you can also try editing the original file directly, so long as you restore the original once you have exported. That way you will at least have your custom version in the resource history.
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for PC and Xbox 360
I had to check with the Dev team to make sure, hence the delay.
Yes, if you play Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings out of the box, you will get the patch automatically.
If you get patch 1.03 you automatically get all previous patch material included, so you do not need to get Patch 1.01, then 1.01a, then 1.02, etc. Getting Patch 1.03 will update you fully.
Chris Priestly | Tue Mar 9 01:00:24 2010
I had to check with the Dev team to make sure, hence the delay.
Yes, if you play Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings out of the box, you will get the patch automatically.
If you get patch 1.03 you automatically get all previous patch material included, so you do not need to get Patch 1.01, then 1.01a, then 1.02, etc. Getting Patch 1.03 will update you fully.
Custom headmorph for player character
You are probably better off making a custom version of default_player.utc and placing the exported version in the \\module\\override\\ folder of your module.
Craig Graff | Tue Mar 9 07:45:05 2010
You are probably better off making a custom version of default_player.utc and placing the exported version in the \\module\\override\\ folder of your module.
-{ Monday, 08 March 2010 }-
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for PC and Xbox 360
No fighting here. Stay on topic.
Chris Priestly | Mon Mar 8 23:30:17 2010
No fighting here. Stay on topic.
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for PC and Xbox 360
No. Awakening works just liek Origin. You would need to install and activate, but after that you do not need to be connected.
Chris Priestly | Mon Mar 8 22:01:24 2010
Curlain wrote...
Does this mean you are required to have an internet connection in order to be able to play Awakenings? That will be problematic for players without regular internet connection
No. Awakening works just liek Origin. You would need to install and activate, but after that you do not need to be connected.
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for PC and Xbox 360
Sure, but don't expect to play Awakening then.
Chris Priestly | Mon Mar 8 22:01:24 2010
Sylvius the Mad wrote...
I won't be installing this until someone mods back in the shattering of Lieutenants.
Much like the spell nerfs in 1.02, I will no longer accept changes I do not want.
Sure, but don't expect to play Awakening then.
-{ Tuesday, 09 March 2010 }-
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for Xbox 360
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03
We are pleased today to launch Patch 1.03 for Dragon Age: Origins on both the Xbox 360 and PC. You can get this patch for the Xbox 360 by connecting with Xbox Live.
Along with the below content fixes, this patch will prepare your system for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack that launches next week.
Patch Notes:
Chris Priestly | Tue Mar 9 03:30:04 2010
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03
We are pleased today to launch Patch 1.03 for Dragon Age: Origins on both the Xbox 360 and PC. You can get this patch for the Xbox 360 by connecting with Xbox Live.
Along with the below content fixes, this patch will prepare your system for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack that launches next week.
Patch Notes:
- Various changes have been made to code and resources to support the Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening expansion pack. Most of these changes do not affect Origins itself.
- Some players were experiencing increasingly long load times. A major cause of this problem has been fixed.
- At higher levels, non-player characters now receive a bonus to armor penetration. This mitigates an unintentional imbalance with well-armored high-level characters, since armor penetration previously did not scale as aggressively as armor itself did.
- Elite-rank
enemies (lieutenants) can no longer be shattered. This preserves the
intended tactical design of many combat encounters. - Portraits for summoned creatures (like a ranger's wolf) were displaying improperly while in the party camp. This no longer occurs.
-{ Monday, 08 March 2010 }-
Dragon Age: Origins Patch Thread. Nov 06 - Patch 1.01
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03
Patch Notes:
Chris Priestly | Mon Mar 8 21:37:28 2010
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03
Patch Notes:
- Various changes have been made to code and resources to support the Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening expansion pack. Most of these changes do not affect Origins itself.
- Some players were experiencing increasingly long load times. A major cause of this problem has been fixed.
- At higher levels, non-player characters now receive a bonus to armor penetration. This mitigates an unintentional imbalance with well-armored high-level characters, since armor penetration previously did not scale as aggressively as armor itself did.
- Elite-rank enemies (lieutenants) can no longer be shattered. This preserves the intended tactical design of many combat encounters.
- Portraits for summoned creatures (like a ranger's wolf) were displaying improperly while in the party camp. This no longer occurs.
Dragon Age: Origins Patch 1.03 released for PC and Xbox 360
We are pleased today to launch Patch 1.03 for Dragon Age: Origins on both the PC and Xbox 360. You can get this patch by connecting with Xbox Live or going to the Patch page here: http://social.bioware.com/page/da-patches
Along with the below content fixes, this patch will prepare your system for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack that launches next week.
Patch Notes:
Chris Priestly | Mon Mar 8 22:01:24 2010
We are pleased today to launch Patch 1.03 for Dragon Age: Origins on both the PC and Xbox 360. You can get this patch by connecting with Xbox Live or going to the Patch page here: http://social.bioware.com/page/da-patches
Along with the below content fixes, this patch will prepare your system for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack that launches next week.
Patch Notes:
- Various changes have been made to code and resources to support the Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening expansion pack. Most of these changes do not affect Origins itself.
- Some players were experiencing increasingly long load times. A major cause of this problem has been fixed.
- At higher levels, non-player characters now receive a bonus to armor penetration. This mitigates an unintentional imbalance with well-armored high-level characters, since armor penetration previously did not scale as aggressively as armor itself did.
- Elite-rank enemies (lieutenants) can no longer be shattered. This preserves the intended tactical design of many combat encounters.
- Portraits for summoned creatures (like a ranger's wolf) were displaying improperly while in the party camp. This no longer occurs.
(How) Do enemies scale?
[This is a good discussion - but it's not Awakening related. I'm moving it. :)]
Ferret A Baudoin | Mon Mar 8 15:00:44 2010
[This is a good discussion - but it's not Awakening related. I'm moving it. :)]