Dragon Age sequel official

[Ranulf]

DOUBLE PASS, bitches.

Multi-pass!

[Murbella]

Yup. It is. More control over my character’s direct actions is a good thing.

And how does having to push A every second to auto attack improve control over pushing A once to auto attack your target? I’d rather be paying attention to using abilities, positioning and party stuff than auto attacking personally.

[MattKeil]

And how does having to push A every second to auto attack improve control over pushing A once to auto attack your target? I’d rather be paying attention to using abilities, positioning and party stuff than auto attacking personally.

Because it makes it more like a hack and slash. It also allows an interrupt whenever I want. I can stop after two attacks and use the final (stronger) combo hit to attack a different enemy. I can create flow in how my character moves and attacks because their responses are instant, as opposed to the “click and hope they get around to it” gameplay of the first game.

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

[TimJames]

Because it makes it more like a hack and slash. It also allows an interrupt whenever I want. I can stop after two attacks and use the final (stronger) combo hit to attack a different enemy. I can create flow in how my character moves and attacks because their responses are instant, as opposed to the “click and hope they get around to it” gameplay of the first game.

Oh so that’s why the tooltip for one of the rogue special abilities said its damage was proportional to the last few attacks or something.

[frank_austin]

Because it makes it more like a hack and slash. It also allows an interrupt whenever I want. I can stop after two attacks and use the final (stronger) combo hit to attack a different enemy. I can create flow in how my character moves and attacks because their responses are instant, as opposed to the “click and hope they get around to it” gameplay of the first game.

To be fair - you can interrupt with autoattack just as easily. The combo hit swing change is great, but you can also do that while autoattacking.

You should try the PC demo, because you can still do all of this and it involves less button mashing. As I said earlier, I love the responsiveness in combat, but when I played on 360 I didn’t really have fun just hitting A over and over again.

[Murbella]

Because it makes it more like a hack and slash. It also allows an interrupt whenever I want. I can stop after two attacks and use the final (stronger) combo hit to attack a different enemy. I can create flow in how my character moves and attacks because their responses are instant, as opposed to the “click and hope they get around to it” gameplay of the first game.

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

You kind of hit the nail on the head there. Fans of the original game were looking for a tactical rpg and got a mindless hack and slash.

Thankfully, while massively disappointing, it is still quite fun, but i can’t help but feel betrayed by my favorite rpg developer who sold out.

[zengonzo]

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

Wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of the first game’s combat, as such, but this one wasn’t doing it for me.

I wouldn’t mind having to click for each attack, but I don’t feel like the action supports that sort of attention. It felt like I was doing the same swing over, and over, and over.

I’m not sure I can pick out what it would require - a combo animation? Some kind of switch-ups? Something to fool me into thinking I’m doing more than rhythmic tapping. Fable seems to keep me going, so whatever that is.

Something about the special attacks, too - it felt like more of a chore to have to keep up whack-whacking, while glancing over to see if superwhack was ready yet. Maybe if it were more intuitive, or if there were a signal?

I don’t have a problem with the game being actiony over strategical, but it doesn’t feel fully competent action-wise, either.

[Stridergg]

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

And clearly, that’s the way to create a sequel to a highly successful game. :)

/sarcasm (just in case)

BTW, the console version does seem to be an improvement of sorts to DAO on consoles because DAO on consoles was kind of stuck in between tactical and action gameplay. DA2 on consoles moved closer to the action side of things and it’s probably an improvement. The problem with the PC version is that DAO used to be firmly on the tactical side and DA2 moved into that weird in-between genres position. Heh, maybe DA3 on PC will be a nice action game completely free of its tactical roots. :)

Disclaimer: I’ve never played neither DAO nor DA2 on a console.

[TimJames]

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

We’ve had this discussion. The change hits us poor pathetic old school gamers harder because there are literally no other games like this anymore. If someone doesn’t like it, who cares? There are hundreds of other AAA action games out there with a decent story, and enough action RPGs to satisfy everyone. But the marginal value of another party-based tactical combat RPG is very high to those of us who like that kind of thing. There’s more to it than “we each want different things and what I want is ‘better’ and I win this time.”

I don’t blame them for making changes. We’re a dying breed and very few people give a shit about what we like. I just think the nonchalant attitude from fellow gamers is a little clueless. You’d think videogame nerds would have grown up with enough social exclusion to sympathize with the inferiority complex. :)

In the end I don’t let it keep me up at night. We snuck one last old-school RPG in there that no one expected. (Suckers!) Now bring on Dawn of War III here.

[zengonzo]

Now there was a Paragon response.

Next time just shoot the pitch barrel.

[Shellfishguy]

We’ve had this discussion. The change hits us poor pathetic old school gamers harder because there are literally no other games like this anymore. If someone doesn’t like it, who cares? There are hundreds of other AAA action games out there with a decent story, and enough action RPGs to satisfy everyone. But the marginal value of another party-based tactical combat RPG is very high to those of us who like that kind of thing. There’s more to it than “we each want different things and what I want is ‘better’ and I win this time.”

I don’t blame them for making changes. We’re a dying breed and very few people give a shit about what we like. I just think the nonchalant attitude from fellow gamers is a little clueless. You’d think videogame nerds would have grown up with enough social exclusion to sympathize with the inferiority complex. :)

In the end I don’t let it keep me up at night. We snuck one last old-school RPG in there that no one expected. (Suckers!) Now bring on Dawn of War III here.

Great way to put it, said it better than I ever could. It just saddens me to see one of my favorite genres one step closer to extinction.

[TimJames]

Now there was a Paragon response.

I’m grinding to try to resolve the endgame spat between Matt and Tom. I don’t want either of them to die.

[Stridergg]

We’ve had this discussion. The change hits us poor pathetic old school gamers harder because there are literally no other games like this anymore. If someone doesn’t like it, who cares? There are hundreds of other AAA action games out there with a decent story, and enough action RPGs to satisfy everyone. But the marginal value of another party-based tactical combat RPG is very high to those of us who like that kind of thing. There’s more to it than “we each want different things and what I want is ‘better’ and I win this time.”

I don’t blame them for making changes. We’re a dying breed and very few people give a shit about what we like. I just think the nonchalant attitude from fellow gamers is a little clueless. You’d think videogame nerds would have grown up with enough social exclusion to sympathize with the inferiority complex. :)

In the end I don’t let it keep me up at night. We snuck one last old-school RPG in there that no one expected. (Suckers!) Now bring on Dawn of War III here.

/applauds

Now there was a Paragon response.

Next time just shoot the pitch barrel.

Lol. And hit A as fast as possible :)

[TimJames]

The funny thing is I didn’t care one bit about Fallout 3 going to first person perspective. I didn’t mind Dawn of War II’s changes because I never played the original. I had little emotional attachment to ME1. But DAO rekindled an old flame I didn’t know existed. It’s a cock tease. With massive cleavage.

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

You kind of hit the nail on the head there. Fans of the original game were looking for a tactical rpg and got a mindless hack and slash.

Thankfully, while massively disappointing, it is still quite fun, but i can’t help but feel betrayed by my favorite rpg developer who sold out.

I’m confused. You can still control your different party members, issue orders while paused, and use various abilities, so what’s the distinction? Why is the first Dragon Age so “tactical” and the second one isn’t?

[TimJames]

I’m confused. You can still control your different party members, issue orders while paused, and use various abilities, so what’s the distinction? Why is the first Dragon Age so “tactical” and the second one isn’t?

Now you guys are just playing a practical joke on me.

In the last 24 hours I must have made ten posts discussing some of the subtleties (as best as I’m able) to other people who said they were “confused.”

[Imryll]

Abilities are cheaper and easier to use, but I see that as a good thing. DA:O was annoying in that you could only really use 1-2 of your abilities on a melee character before running out of stamina, especially later once you had multiple sustained actions going. On a similar note, you can’t spam heal in DA2 (It has a significant cooldown) like you could in DA:O. Isn’t this a big tactical improvement as you really have to be careful with how you engage and take damage?

So being able to spam high damage abilities is good, but it improves balance if the healer can only cast every 60 seconds? Because one style of gameplay is inherently better than another, and if you allow folks to succeed via multiple paths it’s bad?

[malkav11]

Because it makes it more like a hack and slash. It also allows an interrupt whenever I want. I can stop after two attacks and use the final (stronger) combo hit to attack a different enemy. I can create flow in how my character moves and attacks because their responses are instant, as opposed to the “click and hope they get around to it” gameplay of the first game.

Obviously we want very different things out of the game. DA2 is much more interested in delivering what I want, it would seem. Unfortunate for fans of the first game’s methods, but for people who didn’t care at all for the first game, it’s a massive improvement.

If there’s a success strategy in gaming, it’s catering to people who didn’t like the previous game in the franchise over the people who did.

[Jasper_Phillips]

I like that DA2’s gone in a more actiony direction, but sadly it’s not a good action game. Missing are the nuance, positioning, and timing that make a good action game about more than button mashing and cool down cycling. At least the more mobile abilities make things a bit more dynamic than DA1’s “let’s stand here and swing at each other til one drops” schlager-like melee.

What I find really jarring is that they amped character power levels to the point where I feel more like I’m playing Exalted than some supposedly dark and gritty fantasy. Trash mobs everywhere, and then the boss fights were clearly Bosses rather than real enemies, complete with whittling their health bar down forever and mandatory health potions. DA1 had some of this, but mostly it didn’t.

Hopefully these issues were just a facets of it being a demo, and the full game is better.

[Alistair]

Building a better RPG: hands on Dragon Age II's intro

Was this linked? It’s all a plan you see…