19 réponses à ce sujet

[Brockololly]

Don't think this was posted anywhere but its another preview on the DA2 rogue action that most sites have had a preview about. This time from Play.tm- now with plenty of button pressing awesomeness.

Some quotes:

Hardened Dragon Age: Origins fans might baulk at BioWare's decision to take Dragon Age II in a more action-oriented direction, removing the focus from the  more considered tactical pace of the first game. However, the truth is  that you can still pause the game, think out your strategy and then resume the action to see your decisions executed.


For gamers with shorter attention spans meanwhile, Dragon Age II appears to strike the perfect balance between cerebral tactics and all-out hack and slash action, presenting players with the opportunity to plan  carefully or wade in brandishing a sword and get slicing in what  BioWare's Dr. Ray Muzyka has dubbed as "a shot of adrenaline" for the RPG franchise.

While we're not entirely sure what the motivation is for dismembering a  few feeble enemies, the ensuing massacre is suitably gory and the  control system proves to be massively intuitive, even for a  button-mashing action player more accustomed to less tactical fare.

Targeting Hayder himself, we put BioWare's "press a button and  something awesome happens" mantra to the test, pressing X, Y or B to mix up the special attacks. These abilities gradually recharge over time,  so unleashing them at the right moment is key to a good strategy. While  you're waiting for these moves to recharge, you're able to hammer the A  button for a volley of sword swipes, which you can intersperse with a  lethal special.

You can also tap A with a direction for an evasive roll, which is handy when you're surrounded by enemies. And with  Hayder's obedient minions quickly surrounding our party, managing  Hawke's attacks while your AI buddies pitch in is integral in finishing  off the battle with aplomb. Isabela and Varric deal with the lackeys and
start chaining together attacks upon the ringleader, as we dig in with  as many special moves as possible.

Pressing X executes an  explosive roundhouse kick and sword slash, B is a devious backstab move, which is devastating at close-quarters and finally, Y gives Hawke some  extra breathing room as he performs an evasive backflip that's perfect  for when the action is getting too intense. Combining these actions is a key aspect in Dragon Age II's combat and tactics.

With an increased emphasis on action, Dragon Age II still has plenty of  room for the tactics and expert storytelling that BioWare has made its  signature. It's this balance of the action and RPG elements that'll be a challenge to get right, but if the Canadian developer pulls it off,  DAII could potentially satisfy the appetites of both the discerning RPG  aficionado and hardcore action fan. In its current state, we can see  that there's a way to go before its finished, but Dragon Age II is still looking good, building upon the sturdy RPG foundations laid by its  forebear.

Its funny- all these previews say how its still tactical yet don't expound on playing tactical at all beyond saying that the AI tactics are still there. Beyond that, it sounds awfully like a button masher-on the consoles at least- but hey, if its press a button and something awesome happens, thats good then, right?

Modifié par Brockololly, 11 décembre 2010 - 05:48 .

[Mike Laidlaw]

slimgrin wrote...

Dave of Canada wrote...

andar91 wrote...

@Dave:  What do you mean?  A and autoattack is the same basic attack.  And the game's stat-based so it'll go off of your primary statistic and the weapon you have equipped.  Unless you were kidding, in which case...hahahahaha.

I meant...
Will auto-attack result in faster attacking than what pressing the A button can yield? Vice-versa? Damage output in general.

This is exactly what I've been wondering about this game. If it does, then it's officially 'twitchy'.

Someone call Laidlaw...

Huh? Wha? You want to know if auto attack is slower than push to attack? It's not. And there's no active dodge. There's abilities that you can activate to mitigate damage, but it's not something you do all the time.

But anyway, for attacking, the two interfaces are in parity, because it would suck to be penalized in terms of DPS just because you couldn't mash a button. Also mouse button mash doesn't work very well on PC for reasons I outlined in another thread when Maria asked.

After all, despite endless assertions to the contrary by people who have not played the game, we are not, in fact, a button masher. You can mash if you like, and it feels a hell of a lot more satisfying to do so than it did in Origins, but it's about as effective as doing so when you're trying to call an elevator. Except that our elevator is full of blood.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Wulfram wrote...

Mike Laidlaw wrote...
And there's no active dodge.

My understanding is that if you move out of range before an enemies attack lands, you avoid the damage.  Is that not true?

Yes, it is, but that's different (to my mind anyway) from an active dodge. What you're doing there is moving, as opposed to triggering a specific action designed to get you out of combat. To "dodge" that way requires some pretty intense micro management and doesn't guarantee success, while games that have active dodge (say, God of War) often afford some degree of immunity or other benefit based on the successful execution of an action.

While we have an ability that gets you out of harm's way, it's not universal, nor is it a core game mechanic. It is, however, VERY cool when you manage to backflip clear of an ogre who's about to slam his fists into the ground and take no damage as a result.

Short form: We don't have a dodge button.

[Mike Laidlaw]

filaminstrel wrote...

Again with the evasive roll? I thought the devs said that was a lie?

It think the press see an evade of any sort and assume it's closer to dodge in an action game.

Which is actually kind of a win condition for me. I always wanted to evoke the look and "feel" of an action game while keeping the RPG rules and mechanics. This tells me that we succeeded on the first part of that equation, and I'm -quite- sure that you folks will offer intense evaluations on the latter part.

[Mike Laidlaw]

MerinTB wrote...

To affect my own sanity and get me back to being excited about this game (gah, how long has it been since I was excited?) I should only read Mr. Laidlaw's posts.  Most of the time they reassure me in the right ways.

And that last bit?

It took more than one button press to make it happen, but Mike pressed buttonS and something awesome happened.

Glad I could help. And hooray for people getting my Shining reference! What an amazing scene.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Brockololly wrote...
Hrmph....*insert skeptical face here* We shall see Ser Laidlaw, we shall see....<_<

You know what would probably help? A PC gameplay video.
*nodnod*

[Mike Laidlaw]

Marionetten wrote...
If so, fair enough. Is it too much to ask if mages might get some kind of teleportation spell similar to this in function? It'd be rather nice as a get out of jail free card.

Nah, no mage teleports, but they have ways of countering enemy spells. Dispel Magic is more useful in DA II than it was in Origins, if you ask me.

[Mike Laidlaw]

filaminstrel wrote...
So the roll exists but it's just for battlefield positioning? If it's not evasive, does that lead to the same sort of scenario where your enemy starts swinging and you roll 20 feet away and then you take critical damage from the hit and die?

Nah. That would suck.

Evade is a rogue ability. It can be used with reasonable frequency and the rogue flips backwards about...er...10ish feet from his or her current target. If the enemy was using a big attack, like an ogre raising its hands to do an AOE ground pound, then we evaluate the damage on the "impact event." If you're not there when that event fires, you don't take damage. Easy peasy.

So it's evasive. It's just not an active dodge by my definition, since you can't do it over and over, and it consumes stamina, as opposed to being a core ability.

[Mike Laidlaw]

tmp7704 wrote...

Mike Laidlaw wrote...

Nah, no mage teleports, but they have ways of countering enemy spells. Dispel Magic is more useful in DA II than it was in Origins, if you ask me.

Ehh, Dispel Magic in DAO was basically "lol, gameover" for any NPC mage since it'd pretty much shut them down save for auto-attack. How is it more useful in DA2?

It shames them and then sends photos to the mage's mom.

[Mike Laidlaw]

nightcobra8928 wrote...
about distance...how much distance can a warrior cover in a closing attack? since we don't get ranged abilities (at least as far as i know) would a closing attack be an effective measure against archers and such?

It sure would! You can close roughly as far as a rogue can evade. Warriors can get up in people's faces quite quickly in DA II, and I find charging forward with a shield to be immensely satisfying. The audio team has done a hell of a job with the THUD.

[Mike Laidlaw]

filaminstrel wrote...
Hey, thanks for your patience in responding to these endless questions. But uh.. still unclear--

So, when they say, "You can also tap A with a direction for an evasive roll, which is handy when you're surrounded by enemies," they're referring to this? What you're describing sounds like a talent, like Whirlwind or such.

Whey they say that you tap A and push a direction for an evasive roll, they are playing a different game. Or, more likely, making a guess based on other games that have the kind of motion they saw.

Evade is a talent. On the PC, you would press "3" (or whatever you mapped it to) or click the icon.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Wulfram wrote...

So what's the point of being an archer then, if the warriors can teleport right next to you and give you a wallop?

I'll admit, I wouldn't want to be an archer facing down Hawke. That would be a brief vocation.

Though I suspect you've assumed that all characters control the same as the party character. Not so. Not even a little.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Brockololly wrote...

Mike Laidlaw wrote...
 If the enemy was using a big attack, like an ogre raising its hands to do an AOE ground pound, then we evaluate the damage on the "impact event." If you're not there when that event fires, you don't take damage. Easy peasy.

This has been brought up a bit as of late, so, the enemy damage on the PC or companions is not front loaded, while the attacks performed by the PC or companions are front loaded? Hence, why you'd be able to flip out of a ogre attack or an attack by a hurlock when you see their arm raised about to strike?

It's not so much front loaded, so much as large attacks, like the ogre, have deliberate telegraphing so that you can respond to them. Though the party characters are much more snappy about getting their hits in. No more 5-counts before you -finally- fire your archery special move. Man, did that ever bug me.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Shinian2 wrote...

I'm waiting for the game so I can do this:

*press W*

*Hawke moves forward one step*

Awesome.

I would suggest that you toggle into walk mode and play a female Hawke, and do just that. Mmmmrrrrowwwl. Her walk is a prefect blend of strong and sexy to my eyes.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Vylan Antagonist wrote...

So I guess playing on the PC with a 360 controller isn't going to play like the Console version (at least in terms of auto-attack)?

It's not supported, so no, it won't.

We explored it, but it became evident that doing so would present a third layer of input that we did not have time to support.

And, preemptively: no, it's not as easy as you'd think.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Da_Lion_Man wrote...
Mmm... don't really like what I'm reading. I'll still give the game a chance, but it's looking a bit suspicious...

It's true. I heard a rumor that DA II once killed a guy.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Allison W wrote...

No controller support on DA2 is genuinely saddening. I played DAO on PC for mod availability and the fact that it actually wasn't console-oriented, but I'm still most comfortable with a controller in my hands when it comes to faster-paced games (yes, I love twitch RPGs, so sue me for being exactly the kind of gamer the hardcore tacticians here blame for the course the game is taking).

That said, I doubt there'll be any news on certain questions of mine before the Signature Edition preorder date is up, so I'm probably going to have to eat the keyboard-and-mouse controls to keep mod potential.

In theory you could probably set up some sort of mapping where pushing forward on left stick would be read as pressing the W key, but it won't be native in DA II.

Sorry to sadden.

[Mike Laidlaw]

TJPags wrote...
But I'm betting the guy who did write the preview saw something that he interpreted as an evasive roll - perhaps the dash you suggested - and I haven't seen Mike Laidlaw or any other dev state explicitly that there is no such effect which works as a lateral (rather than backflip) dodge move, regardless of what it's actually called.

"Lateral dodge: there is no such effect currently implemented into DA II."
-Mike Laidlaw, Dec 11, 2010

Not to say there couldn't be. And not to say there won't be, but currently, there isn't.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Ryzaki wrote...

...Are you telling me rogues can dodge (special ability or not) but Warriors can't even block? (or get a counterattack special?)

....

*takes a deep breath to stop from screaming in rage about the ridiculousness of that*

*Steeples fingers* Well, if they can, we have yet to show or talk about it, so I would wait and see before letting that scream out.

[Mike Laidlaw]

Maria Caliban wrote...
I wish. It was years ago. I don't think Mike was even on the team then.

If you go far enough back, I was still shipping Jade Empire.