Seconded. For a variety of reasons, but mostly because everything's really expensive.
taumel - I didn't ditch Dragon Age 2 because it wasn't Dragon Age 1. I ditched it because I found the combat and sidequests really, really boring. But whatever. You enjoyed it, I didn't, end of.
@Darth Marsden
I disagree, DA2 had a number of enjoyable side quests and you found the combats boring? If you setup your camera correctly, which i agree could have been tweaked even further, then the combats actually were combats and they were manageable. Instead of the slow mow, thing, DA offered. This tactical map imported from the 80s for some strange reason, maybe because they didn't have the time to implement it properly, felt so displaced.
@Darth Marsden
It will take me some time but i'll post a list of all the side quests and then you can mark which ones you disliked and say for which reasons. Just to get a better understanding of what you disliked about them. Then we have some more precise data we can talk about.
@Darth Marsden
It will take me some time but i'll post a list of all the side quests and then you can mark which ones you disliked and say for which reasons. Just to get a better understanding of what you disliked about them. Then we have some more precise data we can talk about.
Please, for the sake of everyone's sanity, do not do this. It's cool that you like DA2, but that would just be a waste of time.
I just bought Excel and already invested more than half of the evening into the work, i'll guess i spend the night on it a well. We need so sort this out, now. I just need to rearrange things so that we have more space for the details.
Beside of this, the thread reactivated my interest in the game. Maybe i'll replay it, if i can find some time. The main game as well as the DLC had really nice characters. Kirkwall gave me kind of a The Bard's Tale feeling.
The Arishok was a impressive combination of raw power and being different and ominous.
The confused mage in the first DLC reminded me of the Dying Earth.
Please, for the love of Jehovah, do not spend time listing all the sidequests to try and prove a point. Just let it go. This discussion got old a page ago and neither of us are getting anywhere.
At least EAs support is kinda working. Okay I had to lie to them to get into a livechat but I now have the "Bring Down The Sky" DLC for ME1 (Steamversion) installed. What really annoys me is that the other DLC seems to only be available on Origin and even if I wanted to I cannot register my Steamcopy of ME1 on Origin. (ME2 works though)
Also: I would have to buy DLC for ME2 from Bioware paying 5 times the money I spent on ME2. I don't think I will.
The impressions I've been getting from playing the PC version of ME3 and reading about the corners Bioware is cutting is making me truly beginning to Hate Bioware, It's like they spent even less time with the PC version of DA2.
I have my problems to fully dislike ElectronicArts as a gamer because they started great, published some of the best games ever made and they still do (Dead Space, Dragon Age 2). I always liked their geometric logo. They even published Deluxe Paint. Games from big publishers were really different those days.
I have my problems to fully dislike ElectronicArts as a gamer because they started great, published some of the best games ever made and they still do (Dead Space, Dragon Age 2). .
You may tell us all what you liked about Dragon Age 2, and you'd better make it good!
Hey, i gave my best but you know how people on the internet sometimes tend to be. Honestly, you could torture me, a bit, and i still wouldn't say DA2 is bad because it isn't, especially for adventure gamers who should be into dialogues, story telling, art, etc. Anyway as i suggested before, watch a playthrough or just buy it.
Hey, i gave my best but you know how people on the internet sometimes tend to be. Honestly, you could torture me, a bit, and i still wouldn't say DA2 is bad because it isn't, especially for adventure gamers who should be into dialogues, story telling, art, etc. Anyway as i suggested before, watch a playthrough or just buy it.
A good adventure game isn't just a story or dialog. What's special about adventure games is that it uses these things to create new mechanics that are otherwise impossible. Adventure games and RPGs are certainly *more narrative* genres than any other, but their form of narrative is mechanically driven. If the story is solid but the mechanics are bollocks, or if the story isn't told properly *with* the mechanics, then there's no point to them.
I never said that it's just about that, and imo the puzzle design is a very important aspect of a adventure game, but they can be very important ingredients. So important that depending on how good they are other aspects more step into the background. But saying so the mechanics in DA2 are completely fine. Could some aspects be better? Of course. Are some so awful that you can't enjoy the game or value its strengths? In no way.
So they took away the tactical map which makes the combats less tactical and more action oriented. The tactical map in DA was poorly designed and superfluos. They could have implemented a better 3D camera view for certain situations to enhance the current implementation but it's not a big deal because the game works good enough and you still can enjoy combats. If you care about combats than it would be much more important to improve the AI of your party members as that's were DA and DA2 lack more.
Then they reused the levels a number of times. That's true, obviously not your first choice and it could have been done better by investing more time into the project. But they didn't reuse the levels in a completely dumb way and set them up slightly different each time. Secondly it's again nothing i really care about in the first place as i rather do something interesting in a reused environment than doing something boring in a changing one. Moreover i enjoyed walking through certain levels more than once because they were done so beautiful.
Next stop: They reduced the micromanagement. This is a big plus on my list because the implementation in DA was cumbersome and could have been done a lot better plus i prefer progressing in a RPG in the story, dealing with characters, killing some monsters rather than clothing and unclothing party members like Barbies. This is only fun to a certain degree. At some point it starts getting work. Still in DA2 you had full control over your character and were able to customise all the aspects of your party members, except their armor.
I could go on and on, bottom line is that a lot of the critics aren't as valid as it might sound like on a first view. And where the critics are valid it doesn't make DA2 a bad game because it's still good enough and really shines through its strengths. Saying so the german translation and voice acting was one of the best ones i've ever heard, significantly better than the original version which is really rare. The last convincing game in this respect was Bioshock.
So, i think it is a very good game, it's not perfect but way better than some make it sound like.
By the way: if this was the EA forums DM's account would have been banned by now and he would have lost all of his games on Origin...
Which is why I created this thread here instead of asking my original question on the BioWare forums. The only thing I think I've ever posted there is a picture of what my FemShep looks like.
edit: yep. It's on their "Share Your Shepard" thread.
Face code: 743.19E.117.F8A.JDQ.63Q.1DA.711.B65.413.8G3.144
ME2 import:
ME1 screenies:
edit again: As far as Mass Effect goes, it seems that I can only bring myself to play as FemShep while she looks like this. Whenever I hear her voice, even on other peoples' Youtube videos, I always am forced to imagine the words being spoken by this face.
I've entered my Shepherd code in the ME3 demo and was shocked to see that she looks TOTALLY different (and, I might add, pretty stupid) there. I hope that is fixed in the final game, but I don't see much hope. :mad:
edit: oh, I'm not alone. This is pretty much my problem. In fact, that first Shep looks so close to mine, I'd accept her as mine, while the second one is as way off as the user describes.
But hey, that's ME1! That is quite revealing concerning your gaming habits.
But hey, that's ME1! That is quite revealing concerning your gaming habits.
What do you mean?
I just have played enough as this person that when I hear the voice, I see the face in my mind. Also, it helps that quite a lot of other peoples' FemSheps look retarded, so if ever I saw a video of one speaking I would always conclude that mine looked better.
Thinking of the Bioware forums, quite some game forums are rather ugly, especially when considering how professional non gaming forums are designed since years. Some US sites still seem to enjoy confusing their users with muddled designs, lots of images, bang boom bang colours and things like that. I think it was the Runic Games forum a few weeks ago where i felt kind of lost and thought, Rams for sure is a name they never heard of before. Looking at the avatars many gamers use, i doubt they have a decent taste as well, so maybe they just get what they deserve.
How do you get to see this code for the face because I waqnna keep mine.
For Mass Effect 1, you'd have take a screenshot of the positions of the sliders (as there is no face code on ME1) while at the character creation screen.
For Mass Effect 2, when you're creating a character there is a field labelled "Code" at the bottom left of the screen. When you import your ME1 character into ME2, it should then display the proper code in that box. In future, if you have a code, you only need to input it back into that box, and Mass Effect 2 will change the face accordingly.
As someone being interested in SF from the very beginning it's kind of depressing but i don't enjoy the Mass Effect universe nor it's game mechanics. For what it's worth they get good reviews across the net for ME3.
As someone being interested in SF from the very beginning it's kind of depressing but i don't enjoy the Mass Effect universe nor it's game mechanics. For what it's worth they get good reviews across the net for ME3.
Be wary of day one reviews. They are generally horribly inflated.
Comments
taumel - I didn't ditch Dragon Age 2 because it wasn't Dragon Age 1. I ditched it because I found the combat and sidequests really, really boring. But whatever. You enjoyed it, I didn't, end of.
But I hate EA for not releasing games on Steam because of Origin.
I disagree, DA2 had a number of enjoyable side quests and you found the combats boring? If you setup your camera correctly, which i agree could have been tweaked even further, then the combats actually were combats and they were manageable. Instead of the slow mow, thing, DA offered. This tactical map imported from the 80s for some strange reason, maybe because they didn't have the time to implement it properly, felt so displaced.
Yes, I found the combat boring. It was repetitive and there was far too much of it.
Now stop one-upping me!
It will take me some time but i'll post a list of all the side quests and then you can mark which ones you disliked and say for which reasons. Just to get a better understanding of what you disliked about them. Then we have some more precise data we can talk about.
Please, for the sake of everyone's sanity, do not do this. It's cool that you like DA2, but that would just be a waste of time.
Beside of this, the thread reactivated my interest in the game. Maybe i'll replay it, if i can find some time. The main game as well as the DLC had really nice characters. Kirkwall gave me kind of a The Bard's Tale feeling.
The Arishok was a impressive combination of raw power and being different and ominous.
The confused mage in the first DLC reminded me of the Dying Earth.
Beautiful Tallis in the second DLC.
You like the game. I don't.
END OF DISCUSSION.
Please, for the love of Jehovah, do not spend time listing all the sidequests to try and prove a point. Just let it go. This discussion got old a page ago and neither of us are getting anywhere.
Please.
Stop.
Overwrite Windows.
Yup, never, ever post on the €A/Bioware boards. I know I won't.
Not to encourage anyone, but thankfully, a ban on the TTG boards doesn't make you loose your games. Isn't that something??
Also: I would have to buy DLC for ME2 from Bioware paying 5 times the money I spent on ME2. I don't think I will.
You may tell us all what you liked about Dragon Age 2, and you'd better make it good!
Hey, i gave my best but you know how people on the internet sometimes tend to be. Honestly, you could torture me, a bit, and i still wouldn't say DA2 is bad because it isn't, especially for adventure gamers who should be into dialogues, story telling, art, etc. Anyway as i suggested before, watch a playthrough or just buy it.
So they took away the tactical map which makes the combats less tactical and more action oriented. The tactical map in DA was poorly designed and superfluos. They could have implemented a better 3D camera view for certain situations to enhance the current implementation but it's not a big deal because the game works good enough and you still can enjoy combats. If you care about combats than it would be much more important to improve the AI of your party members as that's were DA and DA2 lack more.
Then they reused the levels a number of times. That's true, obviously not your first choice and it could have been done better by investing more time into the project. But they didn't reuse the levels in a completely dumb way and set them up slightly different each time. Secondly it's again nothing i really care about in the first place as i rather do something interesting in a reused environment than doing something boring in a changing one. Moreover i enjoyed walking through certain levels more than once because they were done so beautiful.
Next stop: They reduced the micromanagement. This is a big plus on my list because the implementation in DA was cumbersome and could have been done a lot better plus i prefer progressing in a RPG in the story, dealing with characters, killing some monsters rather than clothing and unclothing party members like Barbies. This is only fun to a certain degree. At some point it starts getting work. Still in DA2 you had full control over your character and were able to customise all the aspects of your party members, except their armor.
I could go on and on, bottom line is that a lot of the critics aren't as valid as it might sound like on a first view. And where the critics are valid it doesn't make DA2 a bad game because it's still good enough and really shines through its strengths. Saying so the german translation and voice acting was one of the best ones i've ever heard, significantly better than the original version which is really rare. The last convincing game in this respect was Bioshock.
So, i think it is a very good game, it's not perfect but way better than some make it sound like.
Its been too long since I last played it, so I figured I might as well start again.
Went for a mostly renegade woman with force powers as her speciality.
Picked the ruthless spacer background.
Should be more fun than being all goody good like last time! XD
Which is why I created this thread here instead of asking my original question on the BioWare forums. The only thing I think I've ever posted there is a picture of what my FemShep looks like.
edit: yep. It's on their "Share Your Shepard" thread.
edit again: As far as Mass Effect goes, it seems that I can only bring myself to play as FemShep while she looks like this. Whenever I hear her voice, even on other peoples' Youtube videos, I always am forced to imagine the words being spoken by this face.
edit: oh, I'm not alone. This is pretty much my problem. In fact, that first Shep looks so close to mine, I'd accept her as mine, while the second one is as way off as the user describes.
But hey, that's ME1! That is quite revealing concerning your gaming habits.
I just have played enough as this person that when I hear the voice, I see the face in my mind. Also, it helps that quite a lot of other peoples' FemSheps look retarded, so if ever I saw a video of one speaking I would always conclude that mine looked better.
Terminous is his name, killing Jedi is his game.
For Mass Effect 1, you'd have take a screenshot of the positions of the sliders (as there is no face code on ME1) while at the character creation screen.
For Mass Effect 2, when you're creating a character there is a field labelled "Code" at the bottom left of the screen. When you import your ME1 character into ME2, it should then display the proper code in that box. In future, if you have a code, you only need to input it back into that box, and Mass Effect 2 will change the face accordingly.
Day 1: Got my lightsaber and a smartass Twi'lek slave girl.
Be wary of day one reviews. They are generally horribly inflated.