Immediate reactions

[Ragin Cajun]

I'm running a mage and can't disagree more. I have the Grey Warden as my tank and have his taunt skill set up if anyone attacks me. Yet I continually pull aggro off the tank (no aggro meters so hard to tell).

Now, I haven't played with a tanking character so possibly it's dialed it to where mobs are just more "attracted" to the main character?

[Ned Flanders]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fable Do you mean the ability to program additional if/then statements into your party AI? Because if so, I have to question whether it's a good expenditure to buy something that should be free to players in order to tweak their party behavior most effectively. It's as though Bioware were telling me, "We'll give you a better interface if your lead character buys it as a skill."

That is how I'm interpreting it, but I'm just getting started and as a rogue, have other skills of higher interest.

I certainly see your point though. Not sure of the motivations behind this or if my thoughts on how it works are accurate. But reading the combat tactics skill description sure makes it sound that way. Level 1 and 2 add one additional slot while levels 3 and 4 add two additional slots each. So, investing in all four levels will create six additional if/then statements for each character, bringing the total to nine.

I'm not going to question if it is a good or bad thing, because it is optional. Similar to a review I read where the reviewer was knocking the gift giving system as a way to cheat the game. It's not as if the game is requiring one to use the gift system. I see it as a way to fall back if something you do creates the opposite reaction you were expecting and it is going to be a game changer.

[Aqua-chan]

I had the same issue Crenshinibon had - though given my main character was down to a minuscule amount of health at that point, and had been spamming special abilities throughout the entire fight, I'd just assumed either my Rogue had generated more Threat than Alistair or the creature's AI was to pursue a target that was near-death. Eventually it did lay off, though why I can't say.

It's really hard to discern with my having encountered just one of them. Since then I've been fighting mobs of human enemies that seem to share a generic AI that I haven't had trouble countering... However, Morrigan doesn't seem to get much flak even when enemies come from behind, and I would presume that she'd have a pretty significant amount of Threat under her belt as well.

[Ned Flanders]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aqua-chan I had the same issue Crenshinibon had - though given my main character was down to a minuscule amount of health at that point, and had been spamming special abilities throughout the entire fight, I'd just assumed either my Rogue had generated more Threat than Alistair or the creature's AI was to pursue a target that was near-death. Eventually it did lay off, though why I can't say. It's really hard to discern with my having encountered just one of them. Since then I've been fighting mobs of human enemies that seem to share a generic AI that I haven't had trouble countering... However, Morrigan doesn't seem to get much flak even when enemies come from behind, and I would presume that she'd have a pretty significant amount of Threat under her belt as well.

Interesting point about the enemy AI targeting a PC 'near death'. I wonder if moving the taunt feature higher up on the tactics page would influence this. Or for that matter, how the order/priority that tactics are stacked for your character(s) can influence the behavior/AI of our enemies.

[Nightmare]

I'm currently exploring the Wilds outside of the first Grey Warden camp, after playing through the Human Noble origin with a Rogue. The origin was...predictable, but still enjoyable and had some nice touches.

I'm occasionally finding that the overhead camera view isn't as useful sometimes, especially with enemies are attacking you with ranged weapons. Ranged weapons have ranges beyond the view distance of the overhead cam, so to see/target them, its necessary to scroll into a more over-the-shoulder view. Thankfully, its simple and smooth to change in and out of the views.

I like dialogue and conversations so far. In the human noble origin, I could be the nice, respectful boy, or a completely foul, spoiled rich kid. Or a combination.

More as I progress.

[Revi]

Mixed impressions.

Playing a dualwielding fighter as my first character, and quickly discovering the uselessness of this build. But at the same time I am already completely hooked. The visuals, the music, the voice acting, the way everything and everyone reacts to your character and heritage... everything is so beautiful and immersive. It has me really immersed in the story instead of wondering why I forgot to spend that 1 point in Dexterity.

When I met my mother (as human noble), I expected her to be bland and annoying, as old people tend to be in RPGs. But quite the contrary was the case, she actually turned out to have a wry sense of humor, and a short while later turned out to also be able to deliver quite an asskicking when armed with a mace!

The dog is also a riot. His dialogues and the way you can understand perfectly what he means when he barks is really funny!

Alistair is also worthy of mention, I think. For a 'generic human male sidekick,' he is definately the friendliest and most intelligent guy I've met in an RPG so far. His voicing is funny in a non-annoying kind of way, his dialogue varies between funny and very serious, and his skills as a tank and impressive stats make him one of my most useful party members. I must say I like him a lot more than Morrigan.

I believe at the moment the biggest loser in my party is my main character!

Every character you meet in this game is going to do something with you, annoy you, make you angry, or make you love them. Really, excellent character and dialogue writing I haven't seen since BGII.

This is the deep RPG experience I was hoping for when I bought NWN2, and contrary to that game, this game really delivers!

The only downside I've run into so far is the lack of actual 'use' of physical damage talents. Unless you're packing a whole lot of stamina to keep up some of the more powerful ones consistenly, most of them seem don't really seem to deliver. Maybe I'll speak differently by the time I've increased all my melee stats well over 25, and have obtained talents like Whirlwind.

[Ragin Cajun]

I'm noticing that the fallen cleric turned rogue that joins you early on is pretty useless. I like keeping a rogue in the group. I was unable to disarm traps because the guide says to right click on them. Well, right clicking makes her walk to that spot...not disarm a trap. Doesn't appear to give a "disarm" option either.

Also, she's gained one level but was unable to open about 70% of the chests in the mage tower quest line due to insufficient skill. Being that this is the very first chain quest you do...and she's not up to snuff...not a good thing.

[endboss]

A cleric/rogue sounds like the worst possible class combination.

[fable]

Quote:

Originally Posted by endboss A cleric/rogue sounds like the worst possible class combination.

I'd kind of be interested to see if it could work, but it doesn't sound as though they're giving it a chance. I mean, think about it. What would it look like? Several different ideas spring to mind:

Friar Tuck type. Amiable, sincere, hardworking cleric, but good with a weapon and able to do basic rogue-like activities.

Rotten child: Brought up in the gutter, she's a pickpocket, a thief, a snitch, someone who distrusts everybody but has developed good control. She has basic clerical spells because the only person who ever treated her nicely was a priest, with whom she stayed and learned from for a year. Only to find his throat slit one evening when she came home from her pickpocketing rounds.

Falstaff: Jolly, fat, good-natured, a cutpurse, amoral thief who will stoop to almost anything. Imitated a cleric for a while when the heat became too great and he joined a monastery; discovered a talent for blessing and healing. Found it hilarious.

...and you could go on. But not in DA:O.

[FireFox2000]

I find it enjoyable but it has too much of an MMO feel for me...The story is good and the characterization is what is to be expected of Bioware (excellent). However I feel that the classes and spells and such are too..limited. DnD allows you to customize so much more.

[Nightmare]

I really do like the whole setup for the Party Camp...sort of like the Ebon Hawk in the KotOR games.

The NPCs as a whole seem pretty well rounded and written. My favourite (so far) is Alistair and your dog; I enjoy Alistair's humour and the dog has interesting interactions with the other NPCs.

I've gotten the hang of the combat system, and now (about 10+ hours in) I'm finally getting around to figuring all the enchanting stuff and the like. The equipment levels for various armour and weapons is nice, I'm constantly completely broke because of buying new items.

As a whole though, the hours are disappearing as I get sucked in. Which I consider to be high praise for the game!

[Kipi]

Bought the game yesterday, but have only been able to play it couple of hours with my XBox (yes, my computer can't run the game)

Started as Dwarf commoner and Fighter. The introduction part was very well made, though it gave me a impression of a being a bit too linear to my taste. Though that's minor disadvantage.

The interaction really shines on this game. Can't remember any RPG game since PS:T where one dialogue took several minutes to complete, with even interesting content. The voice acting is also very good so far, as all the texts are spoken and thus far haven't noticed that same voice has used more than once (*Cough*TES*Cough*Fallout 3*Cough*). Also, at least the game gaved me an impression that what replies you select actually really matters, as most games just tend to give tons of replies but the result is always the same.

Graphics seems very well done, though I don't but too much weight on them in terms of rating games. But, nice graphics is always a plus if the rest of the content doesn't suffer from it. And in DAO the content doesn't.

Controls seems okay to me, though the scrolling of your party members does at times make your head to ache. Couple of times my party member died because he was grouped by several enemies at the same time, and I wasn't able to switch to him fast enough for healing. I didn't have any problems with controls being too sensitive. Though at times targeting is a bit difficult, as quite often I end up starting conversation with my party member when I was trying to loot the corpse on the ground. Not sure if the same problem exists in PC version, but XBox version does have that problem.

A small gripe also comes from the small MMO feeling. The character generation and leveling up doesn't feel to give you much options, and the skills can be compared more to talents in WoW than actual skills in RPGs. Can't say how useful different skills are, as I have only played so little, but hopefully the skill system end up being better when I get more comfortable with it.

And now, back to DOA

[Crenshinibon]

This game is VERY addictive. Like Kipi said, the dialog is actually quite lengthy and interesting. The interaction between group members is often times hilarious, not to mention some little things like (spoiler): the mabari marking a landmark as his territory and gaining a combat bonus while in the area.

So far I am pleased. The game is certainly interactive in combat as well, whether you're microing or choosing a strategic location to handle your fights. I did notice that certain specializations are easily found, though I'm not sure if they are an alternative to having someone teach it to you or perform a quest to earn it. As far as synergy goes, the Shapeshifter goes the worst with all the mages since he/she can't even sustain the spells while in a different form. Don't get me wrong, I like the class, but it looks like a less flexible version of the Arcane Warrior, who, unlike the Shapeshifter, can actually use spells AND fight at the same time.

Some characters actually DO take notice when you try to loot chests, or so I've found out. Once I got off with a warning and when I attempted again, was met with hostile comments, though no actual combat. Some of the scenery, or rather combat introductions are rather impressive (spoiler): such as the campsite in the forest really being the feasting grounds of a shade.

[fable]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crenshinibon Some characters actually DO take notice when you try to loot chests, or so I've found out. Once I got off with a warning and when I attempted again, was met with hostile comments, though no actual combat.

Glad to hear someone found that--because it's not making any sense to me that my mage can steal stuff from rooms right in front of their occupants. But surely, if you were warned, that warning means nothing if it isn't followed up after you loot a chest? I think the only game I've encountered that made "if it isn't nailed down, grab it" a moral negative was Ultima VIIa. A shame the developers couldn't find a way of creating simple roleplayed mechanisms to deal with this in DA:O, though that may have to do with the kiddies not wanting their fun spoiled.

[Crenshinibon]

I still wasn't able to take the contents of the chest, but this person said that she would be telling the one in charge of this, so I have to assume that I might be met with hostility later, or will lose out on some quests or dialog options.