Dragon Age Central

Quote: Posted 01/05/09 17:50 (GMT) by LdyShayna
I'm not sure if you can answer this little bit of speculation or not, but I thought I'd throw it out anyway. I had been assuming that Morrigan would already have an advanced class - some sort of shifter class. Was I wrong and this is actually an innate ability on her part?

Similarly, I was starting to assume both Wynne (Spirit Healer) and Alistair (Templar) would already have advanced classes when they join you. Should I step back from these assumptions?

Those characters already have specializations, yes. This does not mean that you can't simply choose to buy their talents from their regular class lists or give them other specializations once they become eligible.

Quote: Posted 01/05/09 17:36 (GMT) by lollers1
Whos jumping to conclusions chris? Someone asked me to clear up my original post, so I did. Am I allowed to have opinions?

...

Once again, Chris was answering the question as to whether or not you could control the level-up of your party members. So your response "so no auto levelup option?" was an inference based solely on the fact that nobody had said there was such a thing.

You may indeed have your own opinions. We never suggested you could not. It would be keen if they were actually based on something, however.

I think you'll find out once the game is released what the side quests are like, and I think you'll find them awesome and fun. I certainly do.

I always love how people leap to erroneous conclusions when explicit info is not available (nor asked for in this instance).

Well, there is also the Game Info tab. It says "Players: 1" there... unless someone wonders whether or not that is deceptive, I think it should be pretty self-explanatory.

Quote: Posted 01/05/09 17:16 (GMT) by lollers1
So no auto level option?

The point of NPCs class and leveling on rails is to simulate NPCs as intelligent free willed characters and more incentive to try for good relationships/persuade/intimidate skills to convince people to change their training. The balance should be easier to take care of with only 3 characters in the group at a time. Think of it this way, if you wanted to play as a human rogue, form your little band of adventurers and then when you level up, have one of your party ask or demand you multi-class to mage or fighter... how would you react? It is a way to give NPCs that extra depth, but it's a choice between role play depth and tactical depth imo. I can't think of a way to have the best of both leveling models for NPCs.

Err... yes, there is auto-levelling, but it's at your option. If you would prefer your party members to follow their own path, then go to it. If other people would rather not, I'm not sure why that would concern you.

Well, when you meet the party NPCs they already have started along their own paths (for example, Morrigan is already a mage). You cannot choose to make her a fighter type character as she is already a mage type character. However, what sort of mage she is (her specializations, her spells, etc) are at your control as you level her up.

Is that more clear?

The blood that you see on the PC and NPCs in the screenshots and video is someone else's blood (or maybe a little of their own thrown in). It does clear up with time or by visiting/resting at your camp.

You control the party member's leveling up the same way you do the PC's leveling up. You can choose to select a specialization for any NPC as long as they have the prerequisites for that class, just like for the PC.

We do have 2 handed weapons like greatswords and battle axes for example, but we do not have polearms, etc in Dragon Age Origins. Sorry.

Except in Colorado where there will be a new version with VO in a a cross between Welsh and Urdu and poorly drawn Cantonese subtitles.

Get learnin'.

Quote: Posted 01/05/09 13:50 (GMT) by Juhy

lol, reminds me of Penny Arcade's "Your mother is a classy lady!"

And yeah, you cant tell us to which languages it will be translated just yet, but you could tell us whether it will be possible to get the english version regardless of where you buy. I mean, that has nothing to do with translations (which you cant comment on yet), but rather with the game package

What you fail to seem to understand is that they are linked. Until we know what languages will be available in what areas, I cannot say what languages will be available in what areas.

If you want me to say that an English version will be available in North America, I can do that. Beyond that all other languages and whether English versions will be available in traditionally non-English areas will have to wait until I know.

Not furry. Due to the presence of geo-thermal heat, magma, etc there is no need for fur underground. That is why I suggested the cross with the mole rat.

I'll suggest a nug update and we'll see what happens.

Quote: Posted 01/05/09 04:58 (GMT) by Virgil Romanus
Take Killian's example. You're a peasant whose lived a life of poor nutrition on an isolated farm with you're outnumbered by a group of bandits who, at the very least, have more experience than you in combat and who likely wield better weapons. Unless you're some brilliant prodigy or just unspeakably lucky, the ought to end up with your corpse decorating your field. Video game heroes, by the nature of the feats they perform, can't avoid being special.

I'd say that's correct. As was mentioned earlier in the thread, some folks seem to be getting confused about the nature of "special".

The protaganist is going to be special in some way, simply by virtue of being extraordinary. This is heroic fantasy, which we've said many times. Thus the protaganist is special to some extent. Being the protaganist of a story means, at the very least, that he is the beneficiary of some kind of luck, no? He is singled out to be at the center of the tale's events, because of fate or whatever else you might have in mind.

Where I say he is not a Chosen One is because the hero in Dragon Age is not solely gifted with the power to deal with the threat at hand. He had not been anointed by the gods or destiny or prophecy or anything else to be where he is. Chosen One stories can be just fine, too, and we've done plenty. But not being a Chosen One doesn't mean you should be relegated to being a nobody -- like a said, it's still heroic fantasy.

Beyond that, if the problem one has is because it's a story and not a simulation -- where a setting and time and everything else are all simulated in order to provide a player the option to be anybody and do anything -- then they're looking in the wrong place. Bioware has never done that, and may never. We are interested in storytelling first and foremost, and while that doesn't preclude having choices and agency in directing your character's fate it does mean that you can't make choices that are beyond the scope of the story we're telling.

Does this "alienate" some players? Maybe -- but as someone said above me so does any design decision. Arguing about this like this is some decision that hasn't been made, that this game could still be anything you wished if you just argued long enough for it strikes me as a bit futile. We make design decisions that will enhance the kind of game we're making and the story we're trying to tell. Ultimately I would think it's better to concentrate on what we do well rather than trying to appeal to absolutely everyone.

Quote: Posted 01/04/09 22:23 (GMT) by Killian Kalthorne
I was thinking more along the lines of being a random peasant of sorts, trying to make ends meet when the some low level baddies show up. Instead of begging for adventurers to help, because there aren't any around, you take your trusty farm implement, like a sickle or scythe, and try to fight the baddies the best you can.

You learn of a much larger plot when going about and you learn new skills along the way. Once you have made a small name of yourself you may get invited to a faction, depending on your race, gender, and disposition you have played the character, which will give you a mix of advantages and disadvantages, or you can continue your exploration of the world on your own.

That is a fine enough story. The story we are telling involves you being a Grey Warden. That is, however, only part of the story -- the choices you have relate to other things than whether or not you are a Grey Warden, and there are plenty of them. Having a game that allows you the freedom to do any old thing you like involves some compromises that we just don't like to make. Oblivion is indeed the sort of game that does that well, and we're pretty happy to let them (and other RPG's of that type) go on doing that.