Dragon Age 3

[Miasma]

Okay thanks.

[Tannhauser]

More tips:

-Don't try to gather every ore and herb, it will drive you banannas.
-Make a note of the location of rare herbs.  You can come back and they respawn.
-Common herbs can be bought at some of your castles.
-Tier Two schematics can initially be found in Val Royeaux.  You have to confront the Templars and Chantry first though.
-Tier Three armor schematics can be found -You don't get rune enchantment until later .
-If you read all the notes, you get an idea of whats going on in the zone and will meet some of the writers.
-Don't bother with shard collecting unless you just enjoy it because it's not worth the trouble .
-Talk to everyone of the main Inquisition as well as your companions after each major story.  Sera is a hoot!
-You can finish the storyline and then go back to the world.  Wish I had known that.

[Phildo]

Also, you can safely ignore any requisition requests that aren't directly related to stronghold improvements or class specializations.  They just give you influence, which you'll have in abundance by the end of the game without trying hard.

[Paelos]

Oh and remember to have fun and not grind. It's easy to fall into the grind in the game but you don't have to. If you're not having fun, do something else in another zone. This game is literally about the journey. The story is basically silliness.

[lamaros]

I'm still waiting to hear what some of you regard as a Western RPG with a great story that also has an open world and an excellent combat system and characters that you don't think are cliches.

Why want/expect them all in one game? I played hundreds of hours of Skyrim without giving much of a shit about the quality of the characters or 'story' at all.

And crafting is the worst thing in every game it is in, even when it's not poorly done (which it always is).

[Paelos]

Mount and Blade has all of those except the story. Which mods can add.

[lamaros]

Mount and Blade has characters? Granted I only played before the official release, but it was already a great game there. It was a great game just on the combat system.

[tmp]

And crafting is the worst thing in every game it is in, even when it's not poorly done (which it always is).

Pfft, if nothing else it's good if you like to play dress up with your computer dolls.

For the actual worst thing in every game press left, up, circle then right trigger.

[Khaldun]

I'm still waiting to hear what some of you regard as a Western RPG with a great story that also has an open world and an excellent combat system and characters that you don't think are cliches.

Yes, I too am holding out for people complaining about one thing to produce a perfect elixir of youth and vitality.

What the fuck are you on ?

To answer your question if you're not just being a fucking douchebag, I can't think of ANY game that fits that description.  Doesn't detract from pieces of shit that have tried.  (To answer more completely, the Neverwinter Story that had underdark and udrentide was pretty much a lovely game.  Shame it wasn't open world or it might fit your bill.)

Oh, and it's HARD for Skyrim to do story properly because the way they craft an actual game is to give you a world to fuck around in.  Really, really hard to make a story that'll carry you along if you decide "Fuck the World Ending SOON, I'm off to Learn Blacksmithing."   

Oh dear, you caught me out, I'm just being a fucking douchebag.

Or not.

Here's the thing. When I read a game-specific thread where some people love it and some people don't, I try to leave room for what people feel. Or if I don't leave room for it (see Far Cry 3) I try to confess and even think about the peculiarity of my own reactions. Like, what is bugging me? And to try and wall that off. Saying, "This thing is shit and that judgment permits no room for someone to think otherwise"? I dunno, I feel like if I'm going to bother to say anything, I need to say something that admits to the possibility of a conversation. Maybe a conversation that says, "Ok, what are all the ways that most of us hate (or love) this thing?" But when I get a sense that the room is weirder or bigger than that, at that point, I think I have to think a bit differently.

[rk47]

Ironwood, try the swimming animation. I hear it's great.

[Phildo]

Ironwood, try the swimming animation. I hear it's great.

Boo this man!

[Azuredream]

Well, I just made it to Skyhold. And.. I address all my people in the same hideous beige pajamas that I've been wearing to the War Room sessions. I had to go and google search this because it bugged me so much, and I have indeed found out that you are stuck in those same pajamas across all playthroughs forever and there are no alternatives. Didn't ME let you change your casual wear? Is this not the same company? It wouldn't even bug me so much if they weren't so stupid looking, but god I hate them so much.

Still like the game though. But I liked both DA 1&2 so I was pretty confident I was going to like it. Under the suggestions of people here I made a ranged rogue and the combat is pretty good from that perspective. I think I prefer the slower paced top-down Baldur's Gate style combat, so I still like DA:O's combat better. But this is an improvement over 2, definitely.

[tmp]

Didn't ME let you change your casual wear? Is this not the same company?

It's like Hawke's house wear in DA2 which you also couldn't change, iirc. That ME did it different... ME did lot of things different. It was also a different BW team.

[rk47]

A more competent team too.

[Azuredream]

Can't argue with that.

Oh, the other thing I hated. When
Anyway, I'm falling into the trap of only coming here to bitch about things I don't like but I definitely am having fun. I'm playing a female Dalish Inquisitor who is constantly correcting people about all this 'Herald' nonsense and that I am in fact an elf who worships different gods. She's been very annoyed that nobody really seems to care or take her seriously about it. Kinda wish there's an option to send somebody out on a war room mission to say 'I'm not the Herald of whats-her-face, gawd.'

[rk47]

It really doesn't matter in the end brah.
I told them I'm an atheist too, they still sang song and praises about me. Kumbayaaaaa~
That singing by the campfire scene made me laugh outloud.
Thanks Black Sister Teresa, you totally changed the mood.
Then came Solas with a giant McGuffin out of nowhere. Well done! Audaciously divinely well done!

[tmp]

Then came Solas with a giant McGuffin out of nowhere. Well done! Audaciously divinely well done!

Later on you can get explanation from him just how he oh-so-conveniently knew of that place, but it's fairly obvious even on the in-game level that should be trusted as far as you can throw him.

[Paelos]

Mount and Blade has characters? Granted I only played before the official release, but it was already a great game there. It was a great game just on the combat system.

Sort of. Most of that is modded. I consider character and story to be linked honestly. Mods do a better job of adding those elements back in with Kings, Bandit Lords, minor factions, and whatnot. You start to have rivals as they sack your shit, plus you have companions with personalities that like and hate your actions.

[Ceryse]

Well, I just made it to Skyhold. And.. I address all my people in the same hideous beige pajamas that I've been wearing to the War Room sessions. I had to go and google search this because it bugged me so much, and I have indeed found out that you are stuck in those same pajamas across all playthroughs forever and there are no alternatives. Didn't ME let you change your casual wear? Is this not the same company? It wouldn't even bug me so much if they weren't so stupid looking, but god I hate them so much.

Use the CheatEngine table for this game. I'm serious. I used it for this game because they added two features that improved my enjoyment massively; wearing your armour set in Skyhold instead of the pajamas, and proper zoom function. With the latter.. it's a massive improvement on the game. In combat or out of combat you can basically zoom in as much as you want, or as far out as you want. Once you find a zoom level you enjoy, the impact on your game is surprising. I used it to pull my zoom out and even the combat felt better (I only played ranged characters, though, so the combat wasn't complete ass to start with).

[Paelos]

Is there a reason why games restrict your zoom out? That would be the first thing I want as a PC player is the ability to zoom out a lot.

[Bunk]

If I had to guess? Console performance issues, and they don't want to give PC players something consoles don't get?

My piece of advice on this game - If you want to play melee, just use a controller.

[Paelos]

If I had to guess? Console performance issues, and they don't want to give PC players something consoles don't get?

My piece of advice on this game - If you want to play melee, just use a controller.

My main problem with that line of thinking is that if PC gamers want it, someone can mod it.

[tmp]

Is there a reason why games restrict your zoom out? That would be the first thing I want as a PC player is the ability to zoom out a lot.

IIRC since DA2 they don't have the "remove tops from the models" thing they had in DAO due to how much extra work that was, and they don't want to risk the camera going above the buildings and such, and leaving you with no view of what's happening to your dudes. And they don't want to risk leaving that in player's hands even more. Yes, it's a pretty stupid decision, one of many.

[Hawkbit]

Getting ready to finally start this up.  Any recommendations on class?  I've played the tank characters in the first two games, thinking of mixing it up this time either 2hd or rogue. 

[Ingmar]

Warriors are really clunky to play in DA:I, particularly the 2h kind. Go with rogue if you're picking between them IMO.

[Ceryse]

I found the mage to be the most enjoyable of a bad combat system.

Also, they seem to have fixed the banter issues (so long as you start a new game or are willing to play for 3-5 hours with no banter at all and hope) and that was one of my major issues with the game. That and pacing. God damn was the game paced badly. Except for the first seven levels you're either woefully under-leveled for things or you just mow through everything, dragons included.

[Samprimary]

Oh and remember to have fun and not grind. It's easy to fall into the grind in the game but you don't have to. If you're not having fun, do something else in another zone. This game is literally about the journey. The story is basically silliness.

I am actually okay with the grind! I'm kind of doing it just to stretch out the game experience and have fun exploring and seeing sights and stuff.

But I am equipped to enjoy it because I was given fair warning by you guys and I knew that these grinds existed and were grinds. I had foreknowledge. If I didn't know then the pacing I was going to force myself through might have driven me bonkers.

[Reg]

My problem is that there are whole zones that I've outleveled and I'm not willing to grind through them just to see them. I think I'm just going to finish off the story and then start a new character to see the stuff I missed first time around.

[Khaldun]

The pacing really is an issue. You hit a point where the game practically yells at you to go ahead and finish the fucking plotline even if there's lots of places on the map you haven't been. There's a sort of "Ok, yeah, we have some dragons for you here and there if you insist on going to those places, but really, just get it over with, ok"?

[Paelos]

I made the mistake of romancing Josephine in my first game. I couldn't even finish it. She's so awful.

[Ceryse]

The pacing really is an issue. You hit a point where the game practically yells at you to go ahead and finish the fucking plotline even if there's lots of places on the map you haven't been. There's a sort of "Ok, yeah, we have some dragons for you here and there if you insist on going to those places, but really, just get it over with, ok"?

Which gets even worse when you consider the game carries on after the main plot is resolved... except you no longer get party banter and the party member quests are no longer accessible to complete. At least, that had been the case. Not sure if that has been changed in patches yet, but it is a fairly stupid thing in a game where you can continue to play after you beat the main plot line as it basically just means you can explore areas in dead silence and no risk in combat due to zone level caps.

[PalmTrees]

I did all the side stuff first in case the main story closed off parts. I never noticed the story stuff had a fixed lvl range. So I went into the 12-15 story as a 21. The biggest challenge in fighting the big bad was going up the stairs after he teleported. Even when level appropriate the game was pretty easy. The only challenge was the one constellation puzzle in the Storm Coast. Enjoyed the game just fine, even though I botched up the DA Keep game import and only got the default choices.

[Sophismata]

And that's one of the two reasons I stopped playing Bioware games. They are too fucking easy.

[Tmon]

First DLC is out http://www.dragonage.com/en_US/dlc/jaws-of-hakkon  Price is $15.  IGN gave it 7.5 and said it was 5-7 hours worth of fetch and carry, find the guy, close the rifts and fight the bad guys.  They did rate the party panter fairly highly.  I suspect that by the time I actually finish a play through this will be part of a bundle so I'm not rushing out to buy it.

[Trippy]

First DLC is out http://www.dragonage.com/en_US/dlc/jaws-of-hakkon  Price is $15.  IGN gave it 7.5 and said it was 5-7 hours worth of fetch and carry, find the guy, close the rifts and fight the bad guys.  They did rate the party panter fairly highly.  I suspect that by the time I actually finish a play through this will be part of a bundle so I'm not rushing out to buy it.

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