24 réponses à ce sujet

[Drasill]

"I got Awakenings, the expansion pack for Dragon Age: Origins last night, and I've played it for a few hours.  There's some sort of plot against me, and I'm told that someone named the Dark Wolf might be able to gather more information.

At this point, I didn't think anything of it; "Dark Wolf" is a fairly generic fantasy name and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the White Wolf we all know and love.

But then this afternoon I was given a message by someone who said that it had been given to her by this Wolf guy, only now I have a little more information about him.  He's Wolf of Rivain.  "Rivain," not "Rivian," but I think we're out of the realm of coincidence. 

Nice that the Bioware guys want to tip their hat to Geralt (and CDPR).  I can't wait to meet this Dark Wolf guy.  I wonder if he has any interesting scars?"

http://www.thewitche...p?topic=28123.0

[zeIex]

Noticed

But this guy had his helmet on, so he keeps his secret....

[Drasill]

Its cool that they did that. The Witcher was definitely an awesome game and I've heard people say it influenced some things in Dragon Age to extent.

[lisakover]

The Dark Wolf is a very popular character in Dragon Age: Origins, I'm sure you've already met them.

[AntiChri5]

People dont know who the Dark Wolf is?

[dan107]

Geralt is the White Wolf of Rivia, not Rivian. One of the defining features of his character is that he tries to stay out of politics and human affairs and stick to the monster slaying. So if it's a reference, it's a VERY thickly veiled one.

That said, The Witcher is without a doubt one of the best RPGs ever made and has some elements in it that have not been surpassed by any game since, not even by Bioware's games. Anyone that liked DA should definitely check it out.

[Little Paw]

Drasill wrote...

Its cool that they did that. The Witcher was definitely an awesome game and I've heard people say it influenced some things in Dragon Age to extent.

The Witcher is indeed incredible, and TW2 will be out soon enough!!!

[searanox]

dan107 wrote...

Geralt is the White Wolf of Rivia, not Rivian. One of the defining features of his character is that he tries to stay out of politics and human affairs and stick to the monster slaying. So if it's a reference, it's a VERY thickly veiled one.

I think you kind of missed the joke.

[Ferret A Baudoin]

I really enjoyed the heck out of the Witcher. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

[Petsura]

searanox wrote...
I think you kind of missed the joke.

He didn't try to get it in the first place.

[Awildawn]

Petsura wrote...

searanox wrote...
I think you kind of missed the joke.

He didn't try to get it in the first place.

Well, they seem to enjoy Bioware way to design CRPG too.

[ModerateOsprey]

I have ordered the Witcher from Amazon in anticipation of the second one. I am really looking forward to get involved in that over Easter Weekend

[Vim]

I really liked NWN & DA:O, but the Witcher calls to me in a way that DA unfortunately does not. I am very much a story driven gamer at this point in my life and the Witcher had a tight plot matched to a gritty realism that I've seen nowhere else. Bioware has certainly flirted with those things, but has instead placed a greater premium on creating more choices than they can properly support. This has resulted in countless dropped plot threads that negatively impact the immersiveness of the game for me. I don't need 10 million choices (most of which have no effect, and a lot of the rest are only partially supported), the silly (non-linear) ability to cross the entire kingdom multiple times before the attack on redcliffe village at nightfall, or a half dozen new companions for each expansion. What I do want is for those choices I make to have a meaningful effect on the game, and for any relationships I establish within the game to be fully supported, instead of falling through the cracks.

[Maria Caliban]

Heh. I didn't catch that at all.

[Awildawn]

I like both.

It's true that Bioware plots sometimes seem less complex then what we were given in the witcher. But I'm fairly sure that this is related to the amounts of liberty the player is given to create his character. I, for one, was happy with the correlation between origins, the choices the player make and the ending of DaO even though it could have been more clear that being an elf wasn't sasy.



This being said, I loved the witcher because all the sidequests felt intertwined with the main plot and I also loved playing Geralt. But what of the people who have wanted to play Trish or a female witcher ? CD projekt chose to use a character that would leave aside most of the women players for the satisfaction of male players.



In the end, I feel that both Bio and Cd Projekt gave us great games with clear cut design decisions that I respect and I only want to play their next game.

[rumination888]

They say the Witcher 2 will be less linear. I hope the the quality of the story doesn't diminish because of that.
Too many people nowadays use the word "linear" in a negative fashion.

[Crixt]

All I got from this is that the OP didn't become the dark wolf in DA:O.

[crysischaos]

ModerateOsprey wrote...

I have ordered the Witcher from Amazon in anticipation of the second one. I am really looking forward to get involved in that over Easter Weekend

Are you getting the Enhaced Edition or the original release?  Make sure you grab the latest patches, and the free patch to the enhanced edition if you ordered the original release.  One of the latest patches also removes the DRM.  Enjoy it, it's a great game

[Vim]

Awildawn: Agreed. In one sense, DA's strengths are also its weaknesses. The ability to choose a female character and/or a different class or background is something DA has over the Witcher. If playing Geralt isn't your cup of tea than the Witcher has nothing to offer you.  The Witcher also doesn't have any companions you can bring along. 

Nevertheless all the choices available in DA require additional resources to properly support. And Bioware/EA doesn't seem to be willing to allocate the needed resources. The unfortunate result is lots of dropped plot hooks and story inconsistencies. The vast majority of them are minor. But some of them are significant enough that you get a lot of upset fans venting on this forum.

One of the things I love about the Witcher is that the world feels lived in. It's not like DA where everything stops when you're not around and everyone just stands around waiting for you to return. Witcher has a day/night cycle, weather, and the npc's have schedules. Most of them will get up out of their beds after the sun rises, eat breakfast, go to work and do what ever their tasks are. If they're outside they banter with other NPC's as well as the player. If it starts to rain and they're outside then they head for cover until the rain stops.  As the sun starts to drop they head home, eat dinner and go to bed. 

There are drinking contests, gambling contests and fist fights.  Instead of romances with companions you have romances with NPC's, two major ones and about a dozen potential minor flings.  The inns all have a rich variety of colorful NPC's. The soundtrack is awesome. And the epilogue is simply the single most satisfying ending I've ever experienced in a fantasy video game. (I seriously think all video game companies should study the Witcher's ending, because I find most game epilogues to be a bit of a disappointing letdown. DA's wasn't bad, but not in the same league as the Witcher's.)  All that time and energy that wasn't put into different player character backgrounds or companions was instead put into making the world as rich & detailed as possible in a very tightly integrated way.
 
I'm not saying that the path Bioware has taken is wrong.  It's just that I feel they need to do a better job of supporting all the choices they offer.  If they lack the resources to properly support all the choices they create, then either their company bean counters need to allocate more resources, or they should seriously consider cutting back so that the story doesn't suffer imho.

rumination888: I agree with you 100%.  Non-linearity is all fine and good, but it shouldn't be taken to such an extreme that the logical consistency of the story is damaged.  My main beef with the non-linearity in DA:O is the non-existent impact of travelling across the country and back on the status of supposedly urgent quests.  So like you I don't necessarily see "non-linear stories" to be the great thing that software marketing departments tout them to be.

[Little Paw]

rumination888 wrote...

They say the Witcher 2 will be less linear. I hope the the quality of the story doesn't diminish because of that.
Too many people nowadays use the word "linear" in a negative fashion.

I agree...I did not find The Witcher to be THAT linear. One area a ta time, but doing the quests in the order you like is not linear by definition.
But less "linear" if that is what they are saying, might be good, especially if the world is a big place and not treated as ACTS and areas.

Modifié par Little Paw, 02 avril 2010 - 12:36 .

[Little Paw]

Good post Vim.
I for one found that The Witcher was far more immersive than DA. As I have stated the Disney'ish and overly colorful look of DA is less immersive to me and as you say the The Witcher looks more lived in, and it is very gritty.
I am finding Awakenings darker and more gritty though and I am enjoying it a lot.
I love both games...best fantasy games I have played, and I would put Oblivion up there but it can be a bit long a grating.

Modifié par Little Paw, 02 avril 2010 - 12:40 .

[Little Paw]

Awildawn wrote...

I like both.
It's true that Bioware plots sometimes seem less complex then what we were given in the witcher. But I'm fairly sure that this is related to the amounts of liberty the player is given to create his character. I, for one, was happy with the correlation between origins, the choices the player make and the ending of DaO even though it could have been more clear that being an elf wasn't sasy.

This being said, I loved the witcher because all the sidequests felt intertwined with the main plot and I also loved playing Geralt. But what of the people who have wanted to play Trish or a female witcher ? CD projekt chose to use a character that would leave aside most of the women players for the satisfaction of male players.

In the end, I feel that both Bio and Cd Projekt gave us great games with clear cut design decisions that I respect and I only want to play their next game.

It's based on a book so playing other characters would not have made much sense.
I hope they never introduce the ability to play anyone other than Geralt.
It was the best mature game I have ever played. Male driven, agreed, but I am not complaining.

[Igerly]

@Vim: Funny, I came here through google search of "witcher ending disappointing"



Imo DA:O's ending was much more immersive. On one hand, I was really impressed by the choice I had to make in the end of DA, on the other, the possibility to talk to the people from my party after the game was much more impressive, then a single phrase by a side-character of the Witcher. Overall, the DA's ending left me with feeling, that something actually went on after the game was finished...

On the other hand, I must confess, that playing the actual game I had more fun with Witcher. Some of the (already mentioned) reasons would be the fact that the world is much more immersive (where the only colour in DA's world would come from the companions you run with in DA, the colour in Witcher would be all around); and the fact that combat was much more fun in the Witcher . Then, again, romances in the Witcher were a no-brainer mostly...



As a side note, I have to say that the world, most of the (often lovable) details, atmosphere and lots (I mean LOTS) of quotes were actually very faithfully copied from the book (the one I know quite well and like a lot) by CD Projekt. For me the problems with this approach were the fact that the scenario was quite predictable and some choices felt as if these were already made for you by the book. It also means, that the scenario (including its consistency) was much easier for CD Projekt, than for Bioware, so comparing them directly is not that honest.

[asaiasai]

I have played both The Witcher and DAO/A both have things to offer the player and both are contenders for my favorite game of all time. I do have to give the nod to Bioware for allowing me to play any sex of character i want, and the effort expended to try to provide me with multiple choices and then tie all the choices together. The Witcher is a bit more graphic in yes the world feels lived in more adult and not just in the romance department, but in general, less cartoony more gritty, very depressing. What i think CDProject did well is while Geralt is a bad ass he is no hero and the world will remind him of that at every turn, that slap in the face or just a barely contained contempt.



In an ideal world i would like to take DAO and stuff it into TW universe or at least some elements of each game. Character customization from DAO the melee combat of TW (skill is king). The romances of DAO and put them into the "R" rated TW universe. TW was a game for adults both in concept and in visual presentation where as DAO is an adult story in a "PG-13" universe and it does loose something there.



As a person who believes it is necesary to support what you like the best you can i have Pre ordered DA2 from Amazon already, and as soon as TW2 is up i will do the same. Yes i know they both are going to be released at roughly the same time so the decision as to which game i play first will be a tough one. I may just play TW2 first as if DA2 is as good as DAO was see you folks in 8 months when i come up for air 22 characters later.



In reality though with the limits of character (no origin stories) it may be only feasable to only wring out 6 DA2 characters tops. One of each class male and female that is six. So maybe i will play TW2 first, jeez i can not even get to the end of a post with out changing my mind.



See! SEE! what you guys are doing to me, now all i need is a spanking and someone to make me write bad checks to i will feel right at home.



Asai