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10-29-2009, 09:51 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Halifax NS Canada
Posts: 182
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Originally Posted by Brother None  's a legal requirement for them Yanks, bra'.
Just click a random day and month and scroll down for the year. I'm pretty sure no one ever fills out their actual birth date. | When met with an age gate I always fill out the very oldest age it supports. For the purpose of age gating I am over 100 years old. Besides I only have to fart around with one drop menu, the year.
| Some amended (CPU) parts to System Requirements, but the GPUs are STILL WRONG
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10-30-2009, 07:36 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: south Texas
Posts: 69
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Originally Posted by fable The more-or-less consensus of those who participated here in a discussion of DA:O more than a month ago was that the PR folks were utterly inept, and that the programmers they involved in their efforts should have been kept behind closed doors. It looks like it probably has many of the elements of a decent RPG, but whether it will be one or not, remains to be seen in about a week's time. | Hmmm? I wouldn't mind scanning through such a thread, if it's not too much trouble to suggest either a good search criteria set, or even a direct link? Meanwhile, has everyone seen the changes?
The originally published (in Bioware's DA:O forum) system requirement proposal was inflated a great deal at the upper, "Recommended" end, and confusing as could be at the lower, "Minimum" end. There also were some dumb & ignorant video card suggestions listed.
The amended requirements are only changed regarding the CPUs, and the stupid video card choices remain unchanged.
In case it missed your attention, a Radeon X850 is twice as fast as a Geforce 6600 GT, so either the Geforce named is wrong, and should be a 6800 Ultra, or the Radeon named should be the X700, or a little of both, such as a Geforce 6800 Vanilla and an X800 GT.
The cards named for Vista minimums are an even worse mismatch than one being half the speed of the other. The X1550 is closer to one third of the speed of a 7600 GT, and ATI's Radeon X1650 XT is the correct equivalent, or else the Geforce should be a 7300 GS!
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. Kiwi
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10-30-2009, 09:56 AM
|  | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
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Originally Posted by Kiwi Hmmm? I wouldn't mind scanning through such a thread, if it's not too much trouble to suggest either a good search criteria set, or even a direct link? | As for the possibility of a decent RPG in the offing, here's one thread. Here's another. They both relate to Buck's experience with a beta candidate. If you go back further in that forum, you'll find plenty of threads criticizing and poking rabid fun at DA:O's incredibly poor PR, and the inane comments of its programmers who were apparently corralled into joining the effort to appeal to 10-year-olds.
EDIT: Just noticed a PC Gamer UK review. A reviewer there gave DA:O a 94%, and wrote, "This is the most enormously detailed game world I've experienced, its history stretching back thousands of years, its cultures vivid, beautiful and flawed, the battles enormous, the humour superb." Then he changed his pants, called his psychiatrist, took some valium, and had a nice lie down.
Is it just me, or are these kiddie reviewers finding it harder and harder to scale Mt. Everest with every new title that they must praise more and more slavishly? Is X truly better than all other games ever made, and Y truly better than even X, and Z truly, inevitably, all so terribly greater than the sum of the everything in the universe? Where do you go from there? And why should anybody in their right mind believe anything a person who thrashes about in that fashion commits to paper?
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Last edited by fable; 10-30-2009 at 11:36 AM.
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10-30-2009, 12:32 PM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kernow (Cornwall), UK
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Is it just me, or are these kiddie reviewers finding it harder and harder to scale Mt. Everest with every new title that they must praise more and more slavishly?
| Their problem is though Fable that if they write a review which is in any way negative the game company whines and threatens to withdraw its advertising; which, as we saw with Gamespot, leads to the reviewer being forced out and a grovelling apology issued and a new, slavish, review published. So with the threat of unemployment hanging over their heads, is it any surprise reviewers trot out puerile, meaningless, drivel?
It's been like that for years of course, which is why the more perceptive and discerning gamers come to GB for reviews of games. 
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10-30-2009, 03:32 PM
|  | Moderator and Twisted Sister | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: The maelstrom where chaos merges with lucidity
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I suppose.. to be somewhat fair to those reviewers.. If the threat of unemployment hangs over their heads, can we really, truly blame them for writing some of that drivel? I mean, perhaps they went into the gig thinking they could write objective, critical reviews, only to find out that had been deceived. If that's the case.. well we all need to eat.
Plenty of jobs out there require the selling of one's soul in one way or another, and while most of us would prefer to avoid such situations, it's not always possible.
All of that being said, however, I come to GB for my reviews. And, if I check out a review from somewhere like Gamespot, I read between the lines and employ my own critical lens.
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testingtest12.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain. | | |
10-30-2009, 06:34 PM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
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Originally Posted by dragon wench I suppose.. to be somewhat fair to those reviewers.. If the threat of unemployment hangs over their heads, can we really, truly blame them for writing some of that drivel? | But DW, you're suggesting we feel sympathy for people (not necessarily the writer of the review quoted above, who might just be immature and brainwashed) that knowingly sell lies. I've met some like these at conferences and conventions in the past. They're scum; they brag about all the perks they get for free by agreeing to write positively about things they've never or barely played. Why should I feel bad for such a person? It's like asking me to feel bad for the shyster lawyer who will lie for any client, gets big ads, and represents anybody. As far as I'm concerned, they're finding a new line of business is good for everyone except that new line of business. Quote:
I mean, perhaps they went into the gig thinking they could write objective, critical reviews, only to find out that had been deceived. If that's the case.. well we all need to eat.
Plenty of jobs out there require the selling of one's soul in one way or another, and while most of us would prefer to avoid such situations, it's not always possible.
| You can always opt out. I won't name names, but back in the 90s one of the magazines (a very well known one, now out of business) I wrote for took one of my reviews and inserted a smaller, very positive review inside it for software I'd never seen. I complained, and was told it wasn't a good idea to feel that way. I told them that it was unethical to put my byline on something I hadn't seen, and while I lost that magazine as part of my paycheck, I've never felt badly about that decision. There are other ways to eat besides selling your body or (as in this case) your soul.
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Last edited by fable; 10-30-2009 at 07:18 PM.
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11-02-2009, 03:35 PM
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BuckGB was just writing me that you can have very extended conversations with some of the NPCs, which I am truly looking forward to when my copy arrives. Hopefully, the conversation will be worth it. 
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11-02-2009, 05:16 PM
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I just got the call from GameStop about the pre-orders being in. I'll be swinging by to pick it up right after work in the morning, so I guess we'll find out soon enough.
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11-02-2009, 06:15 PM
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Same for me. GameSpot called today and said that the game is ready for pickup. I think to celebrate, I'll leave my classes early. 
So, does anyone have an idea as to what their first character will be? What kind of spells/talents you will focus in? What specializations you will take? What race and origin you will take?
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11-02-2009, 06:19 PM
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I know I'm going in as a human rogue, but I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to build it up. BG2 was awfully forgiving in that you could be sort of good in all thieving abilities and still scrape by, but what I've heard about DA:O would indicate you've got to plan your build carefully.
I think I'd like to do a stealth-based character, but skill point allocation is still up in the air at this point.
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11-02-2009, 06:34 PM
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Bah: my copy will be here, Wednesday. Ah, well. It will be interesting to hear the reactions of others, in the meantime. 
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11-02-2009, 06:42 PM
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The rogue seems to be build up quite nicely here since you use cunning for multiple things, such as lock-picking and offense. From what I understand, when you master stealth, you can essentially hide in mid combat, which is very useful indeed. Now, what I'm interested in is the possibility of "backstabbing" with a ranged weapon.
I'd like to try a mage and explore the spell combinations. So far I'm thinking of trying the shapeshifter specialization. From what I gathered, the forms are sustained, so you can only remain in the for a certain period of time. For the second one I'd use an Arcane Warrior, though I'm not sure if the abilities can be used while not in your normal form.
A question about characters: Do we know if any character has more importance to the story than any other? From what I heard, Alistair and Morrigan are considered very important to the story, which, if true, would imply that you should take them both on your first playthrough.
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"Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." | | |
11-02-2009, 07:00 PM
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Hell if I know
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Originally Posted by Crenshinibon Same for me. GameSpot called today and said that the game is ready for pickup. I think to celebrate, I'll leave my classes early.
So, does anyone have an idea as to what their first character will be? What kind of spells/talents you will focus in? What specializations you will take? What race and origin you will take? | Same as every other game. Pure combat tanking all the way. 
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11-02-2009, 07:05 PM
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I absolutely love the concept of warrior mages, so I'll still try to make one despite BioWare saying they'd like to avoid it. I assume you were talking about a warrior, but what of a tank rogue? Since they have high dexterity (bonus to dodge) and the Evasion talent (20% to dodge), it seems that they could take over the tank role pretty well. Essentially, the rogue gains 20% (plus the bonus gained from Dexterity) more life. What I'm wondering is if it's actually possible for a rogue to do more damage than a warrior through the Lethality talent.
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"Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." | | |
11-02-2009, 07:08 PM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Right Off Elsewhere
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Originally Posted by Bloodstalker Same as every other game. Pure combat tanking all the way. | No finesse. Didn't you see in Oblivion that stealth/backstab is the ultimate tactic in these games?
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