Dragon Age 2 - Catch All

Certis wrote:

Definitely in wait and see mode here. Karla played through Dragon Age twice and she's totally fine with a more restricted main character choice. I am too if they leverage it into a better story with voice acting.

Regardless, I definitely do NOT want to carry over my dude from the first game. I spent a lot of time with that guy and he got pretty badass. Unless they would knock him on the head and make him forget his abilities or some other unsatisfying contrivance, I don't see how it would work well. A fresh start in a new part of the world would be a good way to go. Kind of like the Elder Scrolls series focusing on different provinces for each game.

Yeah, I'm totally fine with not carrying over my character. My Warden's story is done and as you say, there's no really satisfying way I can think of to wind back an existing character to a point where you need to start building him again.

garion333 wrote:

I started to reply, but I realized this is neither the time nor the place to get into this discussion. Suffice it to say that I agree with you in some cases and in others I think that the more cinematic, voice acted stuff can be done effectively and involve choice. Personally, I think the amount of choices you were given in Origins was actually pretty limited even if you had 7 dialog options to choose from, it was all smoke and mirrors to the fact you only had 3 flavors of choices in the end.

That^. Really, they want to make a sequel, and make it enough of a clean break that new players can come in easily and don't feel left out from missing the first game. You have to have a reasonably inflexible 'core' plot and flavour added by the player. Similar to ME2, the choices you made in origins are the minor details, you defeated the blight and the archdemon, and certain events always happen.

Another thing about having a break from origins is it lets them create new characters without any baggage. If they had your warden, they would likely have most of your allies in there too playing their greatest hits, making the same jokes and the same comments, which would be boring to me. Chances are you'll meet some of them through the course of DA2, again similar to Mass Effect2.

I don't want my games to be an endless wave of fan service, and Bioware games have some diehard fans for their characters (look at their forums). I want them to be interesting

MrDeVil909 wrote:
Nightmare wrote:
Scratched wrote:

http://kotaku.com/5582435/dragon-age...

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke's rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

Like Mass Effect, you play a set human character, but you can choose your gender.

Not as psyched about this :(

Agreed. The whole origin aspect of DA was great, now you are limited to a human character? That's disappointing. Not enough to put me off totally, but it's giving me pause.

*edit*

Although, to be less of a downer at least this means your character can be voice acted.

Ugh. Yeah this is a big turn-off at first glance. The whole point of DA for me was the spiritual successor to BG2: your story with your own character.

On a plus side, I like the fact that you get a 10 year timespan, instead of an "epic story" which any legendary hero can take their 2 weeks' vacation off from Kinko's to experience.

Hey it's Bioware. They're like the Pixar of RPGs - not a bad one yet after all these years. I'll keep doing the Day 1 purchases with them until they make a bad game (and do NOT mention the excellent and very underrated Jade Empire or you'll make Wu the Lotus Blossom cry).

Pex-Corrh wrote:

While I'm not at all pleased that I can't continue my character's story, the ending of DA:O did tie up all the loose ends rather nicely. All except one.

Spoiler:

$50 says Hawke is Morrigan's child.

(Not sure if we're tagging DA:O events as spoilers in here or not...)

Scratched put a spoiler warning in the OP, I think we don't really need to bother with spoiler tags when talking about a sequel in it's thread.

Well, people can do spoiler tags if they want, I just wouldn't feel sympathetic to anyone claiming they weren't warned there might be DA:O spoilers. Not that I really think there's that much to spoil in that game, you get the forces agreed by the treaties, you deal with the treachery and civil war, defeat the blight/archdemon. Once you've finished Ostagar you essentially have a great big checklist of things that will make up the rest of the game.

Wait?! What!? You defeat the Archdemon?

I'm wondering if there was any foreshadowing done in origins I missed out on. Mass Effect 1 did their story development quite well, initially you're chasing Saren, then you learn he's a puppet of the real threat. In origins you learn the dragons are making a bit of a comeback in numbers, but they didn't seem to be portrayed as a big threat to the world because origins was about the blight. Because it's called Dragon Age and has lots of pictures of dragons in publicity, I'm wondering if I missed something or I'm trying to look too hard.

Am I expecting too much, or trying to be too clever when a big dragon threat could just be lots of fire breathing lizards, no need for complex plots and deception. There seems like plenty of plotting and characters to go around on the humanoid races that are enough of a threat, and would be a weak defence against dragons.

I'm pretty sure my favorite RPG in the past 10 years is Mass Effect 2 so I'm all for the voice acted main character and the "Mass Effect Wheel". Maybe I like fewer dialogue choices I'm not sure but I very much do like being able to sit back and listen to the characters carry on a conversation. If DA2 has a set main character but doesn't have him voice acted, I'll be sad.

Rat Boy wrote:
Pex-Corrh wrote:

While I'm not at all pleased that I can't continue my character's story, the ending of DA:O did tie up all the loose ends rather nicely. All except one.

Spoiler:

$50 says Hawke is Morrigan's child.

(Not sure if we're tagging DA:O events as spoilers in here or not...)

I'm not sure about that plot point...

Spoiler:

Isn't DA2 set ten years after DA:O? Her child, if she indeed had one, would only be a kid.

A wizard did it.

Five Facts About Hawke In Dragon Age II

1. Hawke will be a voiced character.
Unlike Dragon Age: Origins, the player's character in Dragon Age II will be fully voiced. This opens the door for a more cinematic approach to dialogue and creates an identity for the character outside of the text you see on-screen. It also eliminates those awkward scenarios where you feel like your character should be reacting, but instead just stares blankly without so much as a grunt.

2. Hawke is human.
Yes, that means that you won't be able to select Hawke's race. However, just because that one aspect of Hawke's backstory is set doesn't mean BioWare is eliminating character creation. You can still choose your class and customize your appearance. When we visited BioWare's studio, we only saw (and heard) the male Hawke in action, but the team promises that players can select either gender for the character.

3. Hawke didn't just survive the blight...he escaped it.
As the Grey Warden from Dragon Age: Origins was fighting darkspawn, Hawke was living in Lothering. Fans will remember that the small village was raided and destroyed (an event that occurred off-screen in Origins), and Hawke was one of the survivors. However, rather than stay and fight the darkspawn menace, Hawke flees Ferelden and heads north.

4. Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall.
Kirkwall is a major population center in the Free Marches, a collection of city-states north of Ferelden. This means that at least some of the action in Dragon Age II will be set in Kirkwall itself, though Hawke will also spend time in other areas of the Free Marches. What exactly Hawke does to earn the honorary title of Champion, however, is up to you.

5. Hawke drives the story.
Dragon Age II is not about killing an ancient evil or about quelling another blight; Hawke is the driving force behind the narrative. Over the course of the game's 10-year timeline, players' actions and choices will determine Hawke's history, relationships, and regrets...all in service to answering the larger question: Who is the Champion of Kirkwall?[/size]

From Game Informer's site.

So this is kind of a parallel story. I was expecting that. Would make sense since the game is called Dragon Age which refers to the timeline of the world.

5. Hawke drives the story.
Dragon Age II is not about killing an ancient evil or about quelling another blight; Hawke is the driving force behind the narrative. Over the course of the game's 10-year timeline, players' actions and choices will determine Hawke's history, relationships, and regrets...all in service to answering the larger question: Who is the Champion of Kirkwall?

That is interesting to me. It's might be a case of "I'll believe it when i see it" but most game's stories are reactive to events rather than the player being proactive. Having proper player agency for the plotline, even if it's smoke and mirrors, could make a good experience.

I really like what I'm hearing. Mass Effect 2 + Dragon Age: Origins = Dragon Age 2! Now all they need is a Miranda character in tight pants.

garion333 wrote:
Five Facts About Hawke In Dragon Age II

1. Hawke will be a voiced character.
This is probably a plus. I have yet to hear a poorly voiced character from Bioware, particularly around their lead characters.

2. Hawke is human.
I usually play humans anyway, so this is really not a big deal for me personally, but still it sucks for those who play nonhumans. Don't be surprised if we get another of those awkward sex scenes again.

3. Hawke didn't just survive the blight...he escaped it.
Well there goes the spoiler about

Spoiler:

this being Morrigan's baby

.

4. Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall.
Note that it's Champion and not Grey Warden which can't have kids. As mentioned above, I would not be surprised if we get something Fable-ish in the 10 year story.

5. Hawke drives the story.
As long as he can stop the reapers, I'm fine with this.
[/size]

From Game Informer's site.

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

VTSupie wrote:

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

They need to get her on the GWJ podcast.

Budo wrote:

5. Hawke drives the story.
As long as he can stop the reapers, I'm fine with this.

VTSupie wrote:

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

Jennifer Hale...Bunk, I'll be in mine, etc.

garion333 wrote:
Five Facts About Hawke In Dragon Age II

4. Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall.
Kirkwall is a major population center in the Free Marches, a collection of city-states north of Ferelden. This means that at least some of the action in Dragon Age II will be set in Kirkwall itself, though Hawke will also spend time in other areas of the Free Marches. What exactly Hawke does to earn the honorary title of Champion, however, is up to you.

5. Hawke drives the story.
Dragon Age II is not about killing an ancient evil or about quelling another blight; Hawke is the driving force behind the narrative. Over the course of the game's 10-year timeline, players' actions and choices will determine Hawke's history, relationships, and regrets...all in service to answering the larger question: Who is the Champion of Kirkwall?[/size]

Silly point no. 5, should have read point no 4 first

Quintin_Stone wrote:
VTSupie wrote:

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

They need to get her on the GWJ podcast.

Are you trying to get the site crashed?

Rat Boy wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:
VTSupie wrote:

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

They need to get her on the GWJ podcast.

Are you trying to get the site crashed?

Just think of what it would do to *Legion*.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:
VTSupie wrote:

FemHawke better be the same voice actress as FemShepard. That would make me happy.

They need to get her on the GWJ podcast.

Are you trying to get the site crashed?

Just think of what it would do to *Legion*.

On second thought, let's get a roundtable discussion going with Jennifer Hale, Felicia Day, and...whatever female cast member of Firefly's available. That ought to do it.

Supposedly from the GameInformer magazine. Spoiler-marked one of them as it is story-related.

1) We will be able to import our DA:O games into DA2.
Spoiler:

2) We will see Flemeth at some point.

3) Pissing off party members won't always be a bad thing. "They won't necessarily leave. They may still join you, but they're going to try to show you up, and that may influence battle in a different way."

4) We're getting the ME2 conversation wheel, but this time instead of having some dialogue be a particular color the center of the wheel will show a symbol to show what kind of reply it is. (The article uses the examples of them being something like aggressive or sarcastic)

5) The way the story unfolds will be very different compared to the past Bioware games. "Dragon Age II has a framed narrative structure, which means that the exploits of Hawke occured in the past, but are being retold in the present." "Narrators with unique insights into the events in question tell the tale of his past adventures."

6) We may get to see some of the DA:O events at the start from a different perspective. "Dragon Age II begins as the events of Origins are still taking place, so you may see some familiar events from a different angle."

7) Because of the game spanning a decade, we get to see the consequences of our actions sooner, rather than in a little text at the end of the game.

8) The PC version's combat system remains mostly the same. "The PC version implements the same strategic approach afforded by a mouse-and-keyboard control scheme." "Rather than try to mimic the PC experience on consoles, Dragon Age II has a battle system more tailored to the strengths of the PS3 and 360."

It address 2 major points.
Sounds like all the talk of more action-style combat is Console Only (tm). If so, that is totally awesome news. Who cares about console anyway, right

Also importing DA:O saves. It doesn't say what it means, but obviously one is thinking ME1-->2 here.

ME conversation wheel, meh.

Still it sounds much better than before, for the PC fanboys at least.

Edit: A bit more:

PC version will have the same ability to "examine the battlefield closely, make decisions from a top-down view, and direct your party like a general." They say they got to play the Xbox 360 version and they can "confirm that it is faster, more responsive, and more fluid than before. As soon as you press a button, something happens. As a warrior, Hawke threw down special strikes and used a new dash move to slash through darkspawn with ease. It isn't on the Dynasty Warriors side of the spectrum, but with obvious improvements to the targeting system and animations, playing Dragon Age II with a controller finally feels natural."
4) We're getting the ME2 conversation wheel, but this time instead of having some dialogue be a particular color the center of the wheel will show a symbol to show what kind of reply it is. (The article uses the examples of them being something like aggressive or sarcastic)

Aha! Someone at Bioware did pay attention to Alpha Protocol. Good.

BG style combat staying the same for PC - excellent news

Conversation wheel...blech, not so much, but inevitable as soon as they said they had a more static, voiced character.

I'm calling it: If you import a save file from DA:O, you will see your character from the original game in the distance during said "familiar events".

Okay, I'm happy now.

Shadout wrote:

7) Because of the game spanning a decade, we get to see the consequences of our actions sooner, rather than in a little text at the end of the game.

I'm thinking this means we'll see much more variation in plot during the middle of the game, as opposed to the beginning as in Origins. This would be more than a fair trade for me.

My guess is from the start the plan was to come out with more 'main' games and even the Awakenings...EP of a game more quickly than usual, hence the colon in the title. They've probably been working on this stuff in some capacity for as long as they were on DA:Origins, just Origins was the first one they wanted out the door so they finished it first.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Wait?! What!? You defeat the Archdemon?

It's BioWare--you might have made sweet, sweet interspecies love to it at the end.

CheezePavilion wrote:

They've probably been working on this stuff in some capacity for as long as they were on DA:Origins,

I don't know, DA has been in the works for a *long* time, it just wasn't really publicised. I remember reading a NWN modder's blog about experimenting with it, I think.

Also, someone mentioned earlier in the thread that DA:O was done a good while before it was released (around march) to be synchronised with the consoles, there were various tidbits about them cutting Shale from the core game as it was buggy, moved to DLC and fixed, but in time for the release so they bundled it with 1st hand copies. With the main game being done, and I imagine such a complex game (by comparison with a lot of games) being bugfixed, the other teams will move onto other projects, in this case the next in the series.

Scratched wrote:
CheezePavilion wrote:

They've probably been working on this stuff in some capacity for as long as they were on DA:Origins,

I don't know, DA has been in the works for a *long* time, it just wasn't really publicised. I remember reading a NWN modder's blog about experimenting with it, I think.

I remember stuff like that too, which I think supports the idea that there was work done on Dragon Age that wasn't specifically done on Dragon Age: Origins. I wonder if this new 'main' game is a product of some of that early experimentation.

Like there were two 'games' they could have made: Origins where it's, as someone above put it, a two-week vacation, and this one where ten years pass over the course of the game and all that. Rather than try and smush them into one game or only follow one path, maybe they kept developing both and it's Origins that made it out first/got the bulk of the resources.

Not saying they've been sitting on the game for years or something, just that there might be a different, more long-term focused development cycle here than even for a game like Mass Effect. That they were working on Dragon Age for a long time without specifically working on Origins as a discreet title, and this new game has stronger roots in (and more continuous development from) that sort of 'experimentation' phase than the average sequel.