Dragon Age II

[-Sho-]

Bioware at Comic-on .

To resume :

1. BioWare wants to improve the graphics.
During our play session, BioWare candidly admitted that Dragon Age Origins wasn't the best-looking game around, on console or PC. For the sequel the developer is refining the graphics engine and adjusting the art style with the goal of creating something instantly recognizable as Dragon Age. You should be able to look at a screenshot and tell what it is without any caption, BioWare says. The engine is also being improved to allow for more characters and creatures onscreen, which should allow for more epic battles. While there was some initial skepticism in the gaming community when the first Dragon Age 2 screenshots were released, what we saw today looked just fine. The character models have a subtle comic book look to them, which we liked.

2. The combat is being refined.
The combat in Dragon Age Origins was very tactical, allowing you to issue orders to the folks in your party. For the sequel, BioWare is aiming to keep that tactical aspect but also make it more action packed, if players wish it to be. Today we got a taste of the new combat system with a mountaintop battle against an army of orcs. They might have been imps or goblins or demons, actually. We're not nerdy enough to know the difference.

Different attacks are mapped to the X, Y, and B buttons of your controller (we were playing on an Xbox 360). Hawk, the hero of the game, had a typical sword swipe mapped to X, a thrust mapped to Y, and a twirl that would take down all the enemies around him mapped to B. By holding the right trigger you can access a second set of attacks, so it seems you'll have six moves available to you at a time. Each move has a recharge time, so you can't just keep mashing the X button to chop through enemies.

Speaking of chopping through enemies, you literally do that. The violence is quite visceral, as a sword swipe might leave just an enemy's torso or even their feet standing before you.

With the bumpers you can switch between characters in your party. Anyone you're not controlling will be handled by the AI. If the action is getting a little too hectic you can still stop it and issue commands to your party by holding the left trigger. This ability seems to work much like the squad commands in Mass Effect. You can also pause the action to carefully set spell target areas. Alongside our hero Hawk we had a female mage fighting with us in this battle. Her fire spells deal damage in a radius, and we were able to pause the fight and move the circle of death around the battlefield before casting.

We also got to see the new conversation system. Dialogue has been simplified so that you only have up to three choices. Each choice is represented by an icon that indicates whether or it's a "good," "nasty," or "badass" choice. Good choices are represented by an olive branch, nasty by a Greek comedy mask, and badass by a red fist. This is an easy way to gauge what response your dialogue choices will produce.

At key points in conversation you'll have the opportunity to let your companions handle a situation. When a fresh group of orcs approach, for instance, you can decide whether or not you want Hawk or his female companion to take care of them. Whomever you choose will dispatch them all in one shot during the cut scene.

We only got a small glimpse at what Dragon Age 2 has to offer, but it was enough to whet our appetite. The combat was satisfying and seems to offer something for action fans and more thoughtful gamers.

A couple other things we noticed:

- The intro cut scene recaps the story of Dragon Age Origins, so newcomers should be able to jump right in.
- The title screen already has a "Downloadable Content" option.

Source

So .

1 - Well i don't mind as long as the story/characters/development/gameplay are amazing .

2 - Hope they put more "Tactical choice"
For console users , dunno if it's a good thing to change the battle system .

"Dialogue has been simplified so that you only have up to three choices. Each choice is represented by an icon that indicates whether or it's a "good," "nasty," or "badass" choice. Good choices are represented by an olive branch, nasty by a Greek comedy mask, and badass by a red fist. This is an easy way to gauge what response your dialogue choices will produce."

Eh ? does it means that we only got 3 choices for every dialogue .

Like .

Leliana : "Do you like my song?"

Warden's choice :

- "Yes i really do"
- "Na , it stinks , better listening my dog"
- "Hell yeah i want to be in the group too"

And the color effect , i find it too easy to be a saint now .


"The title screen already has a "Downloadable Content" option."

Really not surprised .

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by -Sho-

"Dialogue has been simplified so that you only have up to three choices. Each choice is represented by an icon that indicates whether or it's a "good," "nasty," or "badass" choice. Good choices are represented by an olive branch, nasty by a Greek comedy mask, and badass by a red fist. This is an easy way to gauge what response your dialogue choices will produce."

Eh ? does it means that we only got 3 choices for every dialogue .

Like .

Leliana : "Do you like my song?"

Warden's choice :

- "Yes i really do"
- "Na , it stinks , better listening my dog"
- "Hell yeah i want to be in the group too"

And the color effect , i find it too easy to be a saint now .

Yeah, I was worried about that part.

It was interesting to mold your character as you saw fit, at least with the other roleplayable replies available. This feels like a step back.

But if the conversations are well-written, then I guess that's what really matters in the end.

[kujoe]

Anyone else caught the preview on Joystiq?

Here's an excerpt about the structure of the story.

As you know if you've been paying attention to the game, the sequel's story revolves around a character named Hawke, not the customized, silent Gray Warden protagonist of the first game. While you're still able to customize your appearance and your class, Dragon Age 2 consists of Hawke's story, not just one you're making up.

And here's the catch: Someone else is actually making it up. The main characters of Dragon Age 2 are actually Cassandra and Verik, two people ten years down the line from the first game, that have to save a world on the brink of war not by fighting their own battles, but by finding out just what Hawke's been up to since Dragon Age: Origins. In other words, the game is told in flashback, by a not-always reliable third party. Which means that if Hawke's story is flashier, grittier, or more fanciful than the first game, that's okay -- anything that might be a lie probably is. "We wanted to see what happened if a legend is exaggerated," said Laidlaw during the demonstration.

....

That framed narrative is the key, however -- BioWare isn't just turning the sequel into "Dragon Effect," it's actually baking a story into the game that allows the developers to go bigger cinematically and thematically. We don't yet know how Hawke's story will play out -- Laidlaw promised that players would make decisions that show how "the Chantry's fallen to pieces" and the world is brought to war. But however it's done, we'll be hearing about it from an NPC as we play.

That's quite the interesting narrative setup to say the least.


source

[Keroko]

I could not restrain a profound squee of glee at reading the words "the Chantry's fallen to pieces."

[Who]

Originally Posted by Keroko

I couldn't not restrain a profound squee of glee at reading the words "the Chantry's fallen to pieces."

Tis a good day to be an apostate, indeed.

[BetoJR]

Yes, it is.

[-Sho-]

News :

Anyone who signs up for the Dragon Age 2 newsletter (sign-up available here)from now until 7PM PST Sunday July 25 will receive a code via e-mail for a Dragon Age 2 weapon in September

Hurry up guys , sorry i didn't saw this news until now

Game Informer has posted a new interactive map. They say,

"Thedas is full of important locations with long histories. We only saw a handful of them in Dragon Age: Origins, and Dragon Age II will reveal even more about the continent's mysteries. If you want to know more about the significant places in the world (and maybe get some clues as to how they figure into Dragon Age II), check out our interactive map of Thedas."

Damn it if we can travel on all the locations

Game Informer continues their coverage of Dragon Age 2 with a look at the new artistic vision the guys at Bioware have been working on.

"During our trip to BioWare’s offices, we had the chance to sit down with the company’s senior artist Matt Goldman and talk about the visuals behind Dragon Age II and learn a bit more about the team’s creative direction. Here are some of the highlights in Goldman’s own words."

Hmmm it's ok , a lot of spines there

Waiting for the female vers .

Btw , Debut trailer = 8/17/10 !

[Keroko]

*checks interactive map* Par Vollen? F-yeah! Now that is something I have been looking forward too ever since I send my warden off with Sten to journey with him to his homeland. And he Tevinter Imperium too? Oooh, yes. Finally we get to hear the other side of the story.

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by Who

Tis a good day to be an apostate, indeed.

You're starting to sound like Morrigan.

I'm not sure what to make of the character design so far. I mean, it looks good... but it also looks highly unique, as if that's the only piece of armour available for him.

Perhaps, Bioware is just going to make it customizable ala Mass Effect 2?

Man, I hope not! Surely, with other classes available to the player character, there will also be different kinds of equipment available.

[Nightengale]

Originally Posted by kujoe

You're starting to sound like Morrigan.

I'm not sure what to make of the character design so far. I mean, it looks good... but it also looks highly unique, as if that's the only piece of armour available for him.

Perhaps, Bioware is just going to make it customizable ala Mass Effect 2?

Man, I hope not! Surely, with other classes available to the player character, there will also be different kinds of equipment available.

I'm sure there's choices, Bioware would be treading on dangerous grounds if even the choice of clothes are limited. I'd expect Bioware to lean towards a more favourable 'default' slate though, with Hawke's voice, default face, fancy armour and weapons to look cooler as a warrior's than a rouge/mage's, kind of like 'default Shepard' is Soldier and Vanderloo.

Besides, it's nothing a few mods can't solve.

[-Sho-]

Quick look at the game in progress :

http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archi...-progress.aspx

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by Nightengale

I'm sure there's choices, Bioware would be treading on dangerous grounds if even the choice of clothes are limited. I'd expect Bioware to lean towards a more favourable 'default' slate though, with Hawke's voice, default face, fancy armour and weapons to look cooler as a warrior's than a rouge/mage's, kind of like 'default Shepard' is Soldier and Vanderloo.

And how Origin's 'marketing Warden' was a silver armored warrior. Yeah, it really looks like they're going the Shepard route.

Nice video, way too early stage to tell us anything concrete, but I always enjoy these behind the scenes looks.

[Irkalla]

My most anticipated game aside from me3, 2011 can't come soon enough. I do hope that they give more thought for the female players this time around tho. The armour designs were really ugly in the first, they ought to try harder to make it more appealing/sexy for the females. I don't mind the me style wheel or the voice, but it's all gonna make the game so much shorter. I heard that the game will be about 50% shorter than origins? Though that might be a good thing. I was kinda annoyed how long the main quests to get the whole alliance together took, especially the dwarfs and the fade thing. I just wanted to die, too much fighting and squatting around, and too little story telling between. Thanks cheese there is a mod for the fade, I could never do that labyrinth again. I really hope they won't tone down the characters interaction on the expense of all the new fighting tweaks, but I am happy that mages are also getting the slow motion killing blow, can't wait to see that.

Can't wait for the trailer either, hopefully we will get to see more companions in it.

[Keroko]

I'm actually glad that Origins didn't have sexy plate. The whole 'armor for ladies should be sexy' thing has always been a pet peeve of mine. It's perfectly fine if the game intends to be fanservicy from the start (like, say, Queen's Blade) but in a game with a serious story, it just looks horribly out of place.

[Irkalla]

I'm not really talking about Queen's blade sexiness plate either, lol. But just, you know, a little more attractive mage robes and armour wouldn't hurt. Or at least more sophisticated, with belts, feathers and other accessories. I liked Morrigan's default outfit for instance, it was pretty neat, just the right balance of skin exposure, with her top more revealing and legs covered with awesome pants, so it didn't scream desperate. I might have a slight occupational psychosis tho, but it really would be nicer to have more womanly gear not just a tin can and some coloured cassock. And I know a lot of girls who played da agree with me as well. Clothes are important, just ask Leliana

[BetoJR]

Yeah, my wife used to complain about the exact same thing: why do the women look so bad in armor? And don't get her started on those mage caps, either...

[Irkalla]

Omg, the headgear! I never wore any because it was so ridiculous. But then I got a mod that makes it invisible even in game play.

[BetoJR]

Unfortunately, there's no mod for the PS3 version... and she had to suffer the outrage 'till the end.

[-Sho-]

Yeah , fortunately there are mod on PC And even some of them are beyond the censorships

[Nightengale]

Looks like they're really taking this 'change in art-direction' thing forward with the new qunari designs. Now it's revealed that a 'few' of them are naturally born with horns, and don themselves with red tribal body-paint, akin to red indian tribals more than who they seemed to represent in the previous game.

http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archi...i-evolved.aspx

Not sure how I'm feeling about this to be honest. On one hand, they're trying to make the difference in races more visually distinctive than just 'big large man with grey-toned skins', but it also seems like they're just going with whatever the hell that works, and just 'tweak' the lore a little bit to fit whatever the team is doing.

Kinda like how in Mass Effect 2, some people are in possession of new security droids and thermal clips when they aren't supposed to, being castaway for decades.