Promising. I’m glad that parts of that review agreed with Desslock’s earlier thoughts, specifically the tactical combat. I do hope they provide entertaining challenges, I did get a bit bored of the Mass Effect running and gunning, and NWN2’s fairly easy combat.
Only another month to wait now.
McCrank
1643
Hrmmm, anyone know why Dragon Age comes out two weeks later on the PS3, compared to the other systems?
-Chris
Kunikos
1644
Monk 1 / Druid 29. Done. :) That’s what I played as and it’s awesome since you can wear some nice robes from MotB and get your wisdom bonus to your AC, which reaches up to like +6 or +7 if you crank up your wisdom with items and every level-up bonus. Then put your feats into Natural Spellcasting (cast spells while shapeshifted), and if you have Kaedrin’s mod then get Intuitive Attack (wisdom bonus to attack bonus for unarmed, spear, sling, crossbow), and in epic levels get the Epic Animal Companion then Dragon Companion and Magic Animal Shape.
Kunikos
1645
Some of the fights in MotB were harder, like the twin black dragons, the three death knights, or the elder blue dragon. Really could have used some mindflayers and beholders though.
Sarkus
1646
Most likely because of development issues, I’d guess. Remember, this was a PC only game until sometime this spring when the decision was made to delay the PC release (set for May originally, in theory) in order to produce console versions and do a simultaneous cross platform release. Converting a PC game to the 360 is reportedly easier then converting to the PS3.
Orson Scott Card is writing the Dragon Age comic book.
http://daforums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=696878&forum=135
Boycott away.
True, it could actually be quite tough in places. That said, I didn’t really like the whole NWN2 engine, which makes me kind of biased. Which is a shame really as I did enjoy the actual story of MotB.
Also, why don’t people like Orson Scott Card? I quite enjoyed Ender’s Game.
don’t forget the main enemy in motb, limited resting. Was funny how everyone went from loving tank mages in nwn2 to crying about how they were completely worthless in motb (which they weren’t). It was probably the biggest balancing factor though as no longer could you just blow all of your high level spells on every fight and then rest to get them back right after.
I’m not sure i would consider a monk 1/druid 29 a monk heh. You can search builds on that site and the options are pretty good. Sadly, monk isn’t really my favorite class, but i’d probably go one of the monk/cleric/sacred fist builds myself.
It isn’t a monk, but i’d like to go Bard 9/Blade singer 10/Swift Blade 10/Warlock 1. The blade singer and swift blade prestige classes always interested me, probably because i never could come up with a duelist build that wasn’t horrible.
if i remember right, Orson Scott Card is actually some extremely religious Gay Hater. I still enjoyed Ender’s Game and don’t plan to boycott dragon’s age because OSC (name too long) is somewhat involved in it remotely.
Read this interview to start.
One of the big differences in Dragon Age is that it’s hard to just tank your way through battles, unlike in most (all?) D&D games. Mages are more powerful, but vulnerable, than they’ve been since early D&D.
Whilst he does appear, from the end of that article in particular, to be a bit of a dick, the interviewer seems to be far more interested in writing about herself.
I particularly appreciated, when retorting to Card’s (not unreasonable) comment that there is no ‘pro-rape movement’:
“No,” I say. “There just isn’t much anti.”
But yes, he hasn’t covered himself in glory there.
One of the big differences in Dragon Age is that it’s hard to just tank your way through battles, unlike in most (all?) D&D games. Mages are more powerful, but vulnerable, than they’ve been since early D&D.
It’s funny, usually when I explain why I like RPGs, and Bioware RPGs in particular, I talk about the decent stories etc., but in this case I am finding the combat one of the biggest pulls.
Cubit
1654
This was discussed at much length in the Shadow Complex thread and others. Go read those.
Short version? He isn’t a fan of gay marriage.
First time I’ve read that. Thanks. The first couple pages I thought Card was being fine and the reporter was a bit of a douche. Then the talk of gay marriage started and I thought Card was a jackass, and the reporter was even more of a douche. By the end, I couldn’t decide who I disliked more. Card seems reasonable until homosexuality gets brought up, and then wow, while Donna Minkowitz seems like a passive aggressive ass the entire article.
In contrast to the other D&D games where mages are still super powerful and yet not not vulnerable at all heh.
Will be interesting having my mage(s) be glass cannons instead of just casting premonition or whatever super defense buff and having them tank for my warriors in full plate because they are more survivable (combine that with the active concentration mode and high concentration).
Kunikos
1657
Mages are a lot more vulnerable than Clerics. :P Stupid Death Ward + Freedom of Action + Stone Form buffs. Add in their level 8 and 9 buffs (Righteous Might, Battletide, Greater Visage of the Diety, Undead Foe, etc) and you’ve got an unstoppable killing machine.
But yeah, having more balance in the game is definitely welcome. Permanent haste and premonition was quite the abusable thing for mages.
The achievements look pretty brutal.
Most of them look like the type of thing you’ll unlock just through the course of playing the game to completion. There appears to be many mutually-exclusive achievements that will prevent 100% achievement whoring on a single playthrough, but if the game is good, I’m likely to complete it multiple times anyway.
Again with the binary decisions in a Bioware game. Good/bad, black/white, defend/attack, side A/side B… always with the same shit. Or new shit.
Magic Sympathizer 20
Sided with the mages in “Broken Circle”
Annulment Invoker 20
Sided with the templars in “Broken Circle”
Slayer 20
Sided with the werewolves in “Nature of the Beast”
Poacher 20
Sided with the elves in “Nature of the Beast”
Sacrilegious 20
Sided with the Cult of Andraste in “The Urn Of Sacred Ashes”
Ceremonialist 20
Defied the Cult of Andraste in “The Urn of Sacred Ashes”
Bhelen’s Ally 20
Sided with Bhelen in “A Paragon of Her Kind”
Harrowmont’s Ally 20
Sided with Harrowmont in “A Paragon of Her Kind”
Liberator 20
Destroyed the Anvil of the Void
Pragmatist 20
Preserved the Anvil of the Void
I had some “choose your own adventure” juvenile books with more insteresting and varied paths.
