885 réponses à ce sujet

[Lord_Valandil]

_Loc_N_lol_ wrote...

Gill Kaiser wrote...

Peter Thomas wrote...

Currently friendly fire is all or nothing, and only on Nightmare difficulty.

I think this a major mistake. At least add it to Hard as well...

I concur. seriously.

Why do you want friendly fire so badly?
If you truly want a difficult experience, then play it on Nightmare.

Or at least, let us choose if we want it or not in the options menu. I don't really like it.

Modifié par Lord_Valandil, 09 septembre 2010 - 01:46 .

[Khayness]

Is crafting limited to a certain present party member, or can be used wherever and whenever it seems reasonable (like the party camp) upon acquiring?

Running all the way in and out from Vigil's Keep in Awakening was tiresome.

[Peter Thomas]

ralphfromdk wrote...

Will we be able to make a "Hybrid" or what ever you might want to call it, like the Hawke from the trailer for example, melee 2hander, with some magic attacks, or are those maybe from equipment..?

i'm asking because i would really really like to make a character like Trailer Hawke xD

The trailer Hawke was a Mage wielding a staff. That is one of the concept staffs, but I can't say for certain if that exact model will end up in the final game. that's an art direction issue. A Mage in melee will use his staff in melee attacks instead of shooting projectiles.

[Peter Thomas]

TMZuk wrote...

You mean... a swing with a twohander hits more opponents?

Yes. Currently the default attacks hit everything in a 120 degree arc in front of the character out to a certain distance (which may or may not be upgradable).

[Peter Thomas]

jhawke wrote...

Peter, thank you very much for taking the time to answer all of our questions. I'm sure I can speak for all of us here in saying that we really appreciate what you are doing.

I had a few more questions, if you don't mind.

1. I know that you can't comment on the specializations yet, but whether or not there still will be something called Arcane Warrior, will it be possible in DA2 to build a true "Battle Mage" or "Warrior Mage?"

That is, a mage who can wear heavy armor like warriors, can learn warrior and/or rogue skills, can use melee weapons other than staffs ( like swords ) and can learn weapon talents for that weapon.

IOW, will I be able to create a mage who can wear heavy armor, wield Sword and Shield with S+S weapon talents, and fight like a warrior. Or, a mage who can DW like a rogue?

Without getting into specifics, could you at least tell us if it will be "possible" to do the above?

Unfortunately most of it will not (which I've explained in other responses). ... But at least one thing should be.

2.  Also, will Mages get staff finishing moves if they use their staffs ( or staff/swords ) in melee?  How about spell finishing moves?

The scope of the deathblow system has not been determined yet, but deathblows trigger off of basic attacks and abilities and we intend them to be spread across all classes.

[Peter Thomas]

Chairon de Celeste wrote...

!) gda changes easily break each other easilly in da o -
that can be avoided to some extent if they get an extra folder
within the override directory structure. In some cases though
modifiacations must be merged into a single gda file alteration
to circumvent being able to just activate one of either modifications.
An entry to a modder faq wich explains the rules and priorities
of the engine, what works what fails, in wich folders it expets
a file to be, would be great here:

This is a tools question which I can't comment on.

2) Is adding keyboard inport support as an alternate to
the conversation wheel still work in flux or not, please?

This is a UI question.

[HTTP 404]

will this thread be compiled into a Q and A?

[Khayness]

HTTP 404 wrote...

will this thread be compiled into a Q and A?

Just hit the BioWare staff comments only button.

[Peter Thomas]

Lyssistr wrote...

 Many thanks for your reply, one thing however, I feel that point 1. is somewhat "dodged". Micromanaging makes fights always easier anyhow, when the choice is available.

However, it is clear that some games cannot be completed without micromanagement. Sure this depends on the player skill etc but I can't imagine e.g. a couple of fights in BG/BG II to be completed without micromanagement, even on easy. Sure if you tune things to the hardest difficulty mode, micromanagement becomes more useful but 
this doesn't necessarily mean that battles are designed around micromanaged parties.

So my question is more about your design philosophy, when designing combat and how it is tuned around "hard fights", did you do that with a micromanaged party in mind or rather with aRPG combat in mind? Or to put it more directly is this a RTWP game, where the "WP" part is a necessity? 

Individual fights are implemented by designers whose levels they reside in. That is more a plot/implementation issue. What I deal with are the underlying combat mechanics. In that respect, at lower difficulties you shouldn't have to pause or micromanage to be able to survive a fight. End bosses shouldn't be easy, but should be survivable. Again, though, that would depend on exact implementations, which I can't discuss. As difficulty increases, the need to more optimally use your resources will increase as well. This is where you'd have to more closely manage your party. On the PC you can use the space bar to pause and look around the battlefield and issue orders. On console you pause and do similar with the radial menu. The goal for the system at least is that the higher difficulty levels will require you to use the capabilities of your entire party, not just your player character, to succeed. We haven't balanced everything yet, though.

[jhawke]

Peter Thomas wrote...

jhawke wrote...

Peter, thank you very much for taking the time to answer all of our questions. I'm sure I can speak for all of us here in saying that we really appreciate what you are doing.

I had a few more questions, if you don't mind.

1. I know that you can't comment on the specializations yet, but whether or not there still will be something called Arcane Warrior, will it be possible in DA2 to build a true "Battle Mage" or "Warrior Mage?"

That is, a mage who can wear heavy armor like warriors, can learn warrior and/or rogue skills, can use melee weapons other than staffs ( like swords ) and can learn weapon talents for that weapon.

IOW, will I be able to create a mage who can wear heavy armor, wield Sword and Shield with S+S weapon talents, and fight like a warrior. Or, a mage who can DW like a rogue?

Without getting into specifics, could you at least tell us if it will be "possible" to do the above?

Unfortunately most of it will not (which I've explained in other responses). ... But at least one thing should be.

Thanks Peter.  That's a bit disappointing to hear.  I will be very interested to see what kind of specs will be available for mages, and if any will boost their melee skills.

1.  You did mention "at least one thing should be."  What does that refer to?

2. Also, will there be class restrictions on armor?  Can mages, for example, wear heavy armor to boost their defense?

thanks again.

[Peter Thomas]

BlackVader wrote...

Awesome thread! Thank you, Peter!

The number of specializations per class is not final, I guess...?
Will specializations add a complete 10-talent-tree (same size as the combat styles) or less?
Can we still take more than one specialization?

Can you share any current plans on maximum character level?

I can't talk about specializations or XP right now.

Does the damage of a mage's staff impact the power of his spells directly or does it have a seperate stat (magic/spellpower) to determine the effect of spells again?

The damage a character does in his basic attacks are dependant on his weapon and his primary attribute. Damage for virtually all abilities is based (not necessarily equal to) that base damage number. As you level and get better equipment, the power of your abilities will increase as well. Their descriptions/tooltips will tell you how much damage they do, based on your current stats and equipment.

[Peter Thomas]

The Hardest Thing In The World wrote...

Will items be tiered? I find this very annoying. On one play through, I specifically waited until I'm level 18 before I return to Ostagar. To my disappointment, I still got a level 5 Maric's sword.

Items are still being worked on. Certain items have a set power, whereas other scale depending on what level your character is when they are created. Properties scale with the power level of the item as well.

[Peter Thomas]

In Exile wrote...

Are we allowed to disable tactics and have the entire party user controled on the PC? 

I know improving tactics has been a focus for the Bioware team, but I personally love to micromanage my party and would like to have the opportunity to fully determine all of their actions with no imput from the AI.

I don't know if the AI can be completely disabled in that way.

[Peter Thomas]

AbounI wrote...

Will we keep the right to have two sets of equiped weapons?I mean, IE, a warrior can have in set 1 a sword and a shield, and in the second set, a bow.There was an option to easily change between set 1 or set 2 during the fights.
Hope we will not loose that.

This is a UI related question.

[Peter Thomas]

SteveGarbage wrote...

Thanks a ton for doing this.

I haven't seen these questions asked so I'll give them a try:
1. How is travel handled in DA2? Is it the same type of world map system like in Origins or will there be something new?
2. How does the framed narrative work in terms of tackling major questlines? In Origins, once you cleared Lothering you could choose any one of the four or Denerim. In DA2 will it be similar in that you get to a certain point and are able to choose which part of Hawke's story you want to hear Varric and Cassandra talk about and, by extension, play?

These are plot/story related questions that I can't comment on.

3. Will runes and enchanting be back in a similar form or will weapon and armor modifications be handled in a new way?

The rune system has not been finalized yet, but is intended for all weapons and chest armor.

[Peter Thomas]

Geirahod wrote...

Can we disable the autoattack option playing on a pc if we want to?

Thank you ^^.

I don't know if it will be released like that or not.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Peter Thomas wrote...

I don't know if the AI can be completely disabled in that way.

Is it possible to deselect everyone and have the AI run the whole party?

I know you guys had a tool that let you do this for testing purposes in DAO.

[Peter Thomas]

Xewaka wrote...

You mentioned about six "talent trees". In the case of the rogue and warrior, two of these are combat styles. Are the other trees also combat oriented (e.g. maneuvering, armor proficiencies, etc) or do we get "utility" talent trees (such as thievery - pickpocket, lockiping- on rogues or metalsmithing on warriors)?

All the talent trees are abilities that have some bearing on combat.

[Peter Thomas]

jhawke wrote...

1. Will we be able to customize our weapons and armor, both their appearance and their attributes?

Will weapon and armor also be able to "level up" with the character the more we use them?

This way, instead of dropping one weapon or armor for a more powerful one, we can stick with a certain weapon or armor we like. The more we use it, the more powerful it will become. Also, we will be able to customize its appearance ( like color ) and its attributes by taking it to a weapon's smith, for example.

Will anything like that be implemented in DA2?

thanks.

Like DAO, individual items will not have major appearance changes and will not change their stats over the course of the game. The exception is slotting runes into certain types of equipment, giving them those extra properties.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Peter Thomas wrote...

All the talent trees are abilities that have some bearing on combat.

That's nice and vague.

Is it still possible to build a character who eschews combat (a Rogue could do this up to about level 12 in DAO)?

[Loc'n'lol]

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Why do you want friendly fire so badly?

Because no friendly fire is dumb in a game with a coherent, believable (I won't use "realistic" because magic isn't realistic) game mechanics.
I don't want to just taunt and nuke my own guyz.
And if nightmare really ends up being barely possible, I don't really want to use it (at least not for a first playthrough). I enjoy a fight that I can barely win on my first or second try, not a fight I can let the game win for me nor one I need to restart a dozen times because I keep dying.

[Peter Thomas]

Gorgophone wrote...

If rogues still gain a bonus to damage for backstabbing, will their AI tell them to flank enemies on their own? In Origins we had to manually place rogues behind enemies most of the time.

Thanks for answering so many questions!

Being behind an enemy is beneficial, but not necessary for Rogue critical hits. The Rogue also has abilities to ensure his appropriate orientation with the enemy. As to if the AI system itself can be given movement commands to get behind a target, I can't say. That system has not been finalized yet.

[Lord_Valandil]

_Loc_N_lol_ wrote...

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Why do you want friendly fire so badly?

Because no friendly fire is dumb in a game with a coherent, believable (I won't use "realistic" because magic isn't realistic) game mechanics.
I don't want to just taunt and nuke my own guyz.
And if nightmare really ends up being barely possible, I don't really want to use it (at least not for a first playthrough). I enjoy a fight that I can barely win on my first or second try, not a fight I can let the game win for me nor one I need to restart a dozen times because I keep dying.

Well, it isn't dumb. It's a game, after all.
I don't want extreme realism in my games. I really don't have too much time to play, and Friendly Fire would be annoying. For me, at least. I don't want to play on casual.
Make the Friendly Fire optional, and it will be a win-win situation.

[Peter Thomas]

Brockololly wrote...

I keep reading about all of these new features and improvements for the consoles and yet it seems like the PC version is having features chipped away and making it more like the console version- besides mouse and keyboard support and the UI, what differences (if any) will there be for the PC version?

Basically the difference is the autoattack functionality. It will be the same game on all systems. Anything like graphics differences would be an art question. Gameplay, it's the same.

Will the UI be customizable? Meaning, if I don't like the portraits in the lower left as they seem to take up too much space down there could we move them up to the upper left?

That's a UI related question.

How will armor be handled? Will we still have different armor pieces like helmets, robes, boots, gloves and so on, or will we be stuck with "default" style armors like in ME2?

The number of inventory slots on your character will be the same as DAO (except for the arrow slot) and you'll be able to equip various kinds of each of those items on your character, assuming you meet their requirements.

[Peter Thomas]

SoulRebel_1979 wrote...

Will Sandal be a playable character? If not, can you make him a boss fight of epic proportions so we can terminate his life functions by applying sufficient pressure to his blunt skull so as to force its collapse?

I... Er... Hm...