Dragon Age 2 Demo feedback thread
#2301
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:25
#2302
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:26
Now for some complaints. The normal mapping on the characters ears looked a little strange in general. I also noticed in my first playthrough. There were some strange sparkly artifacts on Westley ears during cutscenes. It only happened the first time though. The Sibling got killed off way to soon. You get thrown into this and as you're trying to take it all in. You don't really get to experience the siblings. Or become attached to them. So when one dies. I found myself not caring. It didn't seem to have any emotional impact. It was more like well Mama's mad at me Oh well. It was Nice meeting you.
Over all loved it. I really wish this was the direction the first game took. I really enjoyed the combat. It did feel faster and more fluid. Yet just out of habit I kept pausing it. Just to look around. In the first game I tried playing as an Elf Rouge and a human Noble Warrior. Yet I would always quit and go back to playing a Mage. So far I'm looking forward to playing all classes. Mage is still my favorite though. March 8th can't come quick enough.
#2303
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:26
Modifié par AtlanteanEmperor, 23 février 2011 - 07:29 .
#2304
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:28
I have no idea who pushed bioware to release the sequel so fast and why they had to jump the gun, Im just very very disappointed, i cant go on and on explaining my self ill just post few Dragon age Origins screenshot and they will speak for them selves, i cant bother posting DOA2 screens i just cant...Enjoy what once was, and i dont understand lol why the hell are there video setting for the game when on max it still looks plain and flat, no effects, no shine, no bloom, no lightning, no details on the walls, floors, items... just flat..
And dont pull me for my tongue to go about the super simplified and none challenging gameplay with overwhelming power of spells...Cant wait for all does bought score of awesomeness on gametrailers, ign and gamespot one the same template all 8 and 9's...I bought DAO and all the DLC and loved it, this ill download, if you know what i mean, good luck Bioware and i hope you come back to us next time with the good old dragon age...
And dont go on me but this but that but but, that too many BUTS!
http://www.abload.de...6-1022-j7cl.png
http://www.abload.de...2-3121-bf90.jpg
http://www.31012.com...00-36-54-15.jpg
http://www.31012.com...00-29-58-48.jpg
http://www.31012.com...00-37-17-95.jpg
#2305
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:29
AtlanteanEmperor wrote...
Okay, so, I can't even get the game to run. I've run the installer like three times, and every time I try to start the game I get "The program can't start because d3dx9_43.dll is missing from your computer". Do I just have to suffer through another 5 hour download, or what?
Check out the tech support section for the demo...it's a common issue and instructions are found there.
#2306
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:29
Flemeth- What can be done, with a choiccee soo hard, when it seems fate per chance will guide your way ~cackle~ lol
She's like the best part of the game
#2307
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:29
Beaner28 wrote...
Console button mashing crap. The demo was garbage. Calling this an RPG is a joke. DragonEAge, it seems. I don't know if BioWare sucks now or Electronic Arts has gutted another developer. Tell me when BioWare makes RPGs again.
it just a demo. u have problems. plus pc games suck that why they made it more console friendly. console games is where the money is.
#2308
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:29
Garak2 wrote...
I liked the demo well enough but it wasn't perfect. The combat was nice but the camera was not (I played on the PC). Maybe it's easy, on the consoles, to swing the camera around with the right analog stick while running and attacking with the left stick but with the keyboard and mouse, it's just a pain to do that. Why can't we PC gamers get an overhead view so we don't have to constantly adjust the camera? Also, the graphics don't look that much better than the first game. ME1 has better graphics I think.
Anyway, I will likely get it someday but I won't pay $60 for a PC game, there are no license fees for a PC game so the $60 price tag isn't justified.
Did you try to hold down the right mouse button to roate the camera around?
With that, I didn't find it was to difficult to use the camera.
#2309
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:29
AtlanteanEmperor wrote...
Okay, so, I can't even get the game to run. I've run the installer like three times, and every time I try to start the game I get "The program can't start because d3dx9_43.dll is missing from your computer". Do I just have to suffer through another 5 hour download, or what?
download this and install it and your game will work. This happend to me too. No need to re download it or re install it.
www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx
Modifié par Borcth, 23 février 2011 - 07:30 .
#2310
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:30
That doesn't mean it's a bad thing, just not 100% what I expected. Once we get our hands on the real game we can judge more deeply. Plus, once the mods come out everything will turn out for the better or at least more different....
Modifié par Tystone, 23 février 2011 - 07:31 .
#2311
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:30
AtlanteanEmperor wrote...
Just finished download, and I'm really excited that it's finally working!! Can't wait two more weeks...
People have said there is a direct x update or something??
#2312
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:32
#2313
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:34
darkblueglass wrote...
Garak2 wrote...
I liked the demo well enough but it wasn't perfect. The combat was nice but the camera was not (I played on the PC). Maybe it's easy, on the consoles, to swing the camera around with the right analog stick while running and attacking with the left stick but with the keyboard and mouse, it's just a pain to do that. Why can't we PC gamers get an overhead view so we don't have to constantly adjust the camera? Also, the graphics don't look that much better than the first game. ME1 has better graphics I think.
Anyway, I will likely get it someday but I won't pay $60 for a PC game, there are no license fees for a PC game so the $60 price tag isn't justified.
Did you try to hold down the right mouse button to roate the camera around?
With that, I didn't find it was to difficult to use the camera.
Of course but I could never see enough it seemed. I wanted to pull back further so I could concetrate on battle commands instead of camera manipulation. I don't remember having this problem with DAO.
#2314
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:36
dshoub wrote...
(Reposting here because I didn't know there was a dedicated thread for it)
I downloaded and played the DA2 demo and I was sorely disappointed. While it seems Bioware is maintaining their record of an excellent story driven plot, the graphics and combat gameplay leave a bitter taste in my mouth. I can understand having that sort of fast-paced combat style for the console versions of the game, but as a big fan of Origins, I was less than enthusiastic about the altered style of combat. It comes off as twitchy and impulsive, and the strategic feel that Origins had seems to have slipped through the cracks.
I think I could look past the change in combat style and simply chalk it up to the developers trying new things, if not for the atrocious graphics. I was hoping the earlier gameplay screenshots were just beta footage but apparently not. Who’s brilliant flippin' idea was it to take an incredibly designed, horrific, gruesome enemy and turn them into a bunch of demented looking clowns? Because honestly when I saw the new hurlocks the first thing that popped into my head was a clown. It's absolutely ridiculous, and that’s just the beginning. The entire feel of the graphics seems to have been dulled. Gone are the crisp, realistic looking images, the gritty feel of a land under siege by a horde of beasties. It's all been replaced by cartoonish villains, anime-influenced character designs (the seeker could have come from FFX) and a landscape that looks so polished, it could only exist in a snow globe.
Hey Bioware, whatever happened to taking an amazing game, using that design as a base and creating an incredible sequel? You did so well with Mass Effect 2, changing details here and there but leaving the core "feel" of the game, what made it so wonderful, intact. But yet with DA2 it seems you have decided to take a different path, a path I think can safely be called Seppuku. For those reading this, yes I am exaggerating, I don't think screwing up DA2 will kill Bioware, and in a few months when TOR comes out people will probably forget all about DA2 anyway, but I just feel let down. I loved Dragon Age: Origins so much, and to have it's name slapped onto this, well to be blunt, it really sucks.
I'm not angry Bioware, I'm just disappointed.
Graphics still looked the same to me as in DA:O, though I can agree with you on the Hurlocks (I prefer the previous design). Design-wise, I think its really a IMO thing, its not really gonna affect the gameplay much, unless the game gets really laggy. DA:O on the PS3 starts to lag when you spam spells, though DA2 works fine. Compared to DA:O I like the more-action-based strategy. It does make the battle seems more epic, than just spamming spells and freezing enemies in DA:O, since mages are the only class that really does huge damage.
The strategy is still there though, if you try fighting the Orge in the demo w/o stunning it and just by mashing attack button you're gonna get wiped. Rogues have been improved - No more walking around an enemy just to flank it, and getting whacked back cuz you are doing more damage than your tank. Warriors have more AOE skills that cost little stamina, plus more threat transferring skills, but they don't feel overpowered (yet). Mages still deal insane damage, though extremely weak physically, Rangers are (FINALLY) useful, having skills that deal more damage than before.
Overall: Like the new action theme, other classes being more useful, skill trees no longer require you taking skills you never use. Definitely will get this game.
#2315
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:36
First thing to note is that there doesn't appear to be dodge/miss mechanics, or at least they are not stated in the derived statistics. I like what has been done with the mage's staff attack. It's actually useful now, and somehow more satisfying than shooting a bolt of colour with a staff. That's about where the good news ends.
Heal spells have massive cooldowns, so you have to make them count (wait for hp to drop before using). The same can be said for practically every other ability, so the mage is using staff attack quite a lot until around level 4-5. There aren't any spells in the creation talent tree for heals over time, stamina or mana regen. It's also not clear to what extent there will be combinable spell effects. At present, the DA2 mage is a mere shadow of DAO mage greatness, which I firmly believe could have been improved upon considerably anyway.
Mage feels like the weakest of the lot at this point, but it could just be down to limited talents etc.
Rogue archer is very powerful. Does a LOT of damage and some nice AoE's. Knockback is nice too, as a ranged class. I like what i've seen of the ranger/archer class thus far.
Rogue melee is not bad. It seems to lack the same player-driven finesse of origins. You don't even have to position yourself to backstab.
Melee classes tend to look like they're "skating" over the surface in combat.
Character movements etc are still not fluid, and it's even more apparent now that there's no real delay between issuing a command and it happening, as was the case in DAO to a mild extent.
2H warrior combat sounds more visceral, and some attacks which slice enemies in half do help in that regard, but the effect wore off quickly.
Early warrior is very boring. Level 6 warrior was far more able, and basically a killing machine.
Perhaps the only significant difference between Origins and DA2 for Warriors and Rogues, is that you seem to have an infinite pool of stamina and it regenerates much faster in combat than in Origins.
As a result I constantly found myself waiting for cooldowns, rather than actually being particularly selective about which abilities to use in the situation.
Thus I suppose I can only conclude that combat is far less like a general, and more like an unthinking spartan. It's very button-mash friendly on this difficulty.
Mage AoE spells don't do friendly fire damage, at least not on the demo difficulty. Hopefully higher difficulty settings will turn FF on. The demo is so easy I think an 8 year old who's never played an RPG before could manage it after two, maybe three attempts.
Combat is otherwise okay. It doesn't immediately feel significantly different to Origins, except for the lack of a proper isometric viewpoint. I'd definitely pass on this game if you couldn't zoom out to the meagre distance you can in the PC version. It just barely offers enough tactical field of view to be passable. Any less and you'd basically be stuck in over the shoulder or extended 3rd person. I suspect the console versions of this game will suffer poor reviews in this regard.
The graphics are okay. It's not an improvement on Origins, and the art direction has become rather bland. Hurlock's and ogres don't look like twisted creatures of the darkspawn. Most of the grit and darkness has gone. I think that might have something to do with getting this game approved by classification boards for their revised target audience.
Party banter was very limited and most of the characters lacked the charm or wit of Origins characters. What i've seen is more like a bad B grade hollywood movie. Isabella's character is so obviously targeted at the adolescent teenage boy it's not funny. The jokes are puerile and not even vaguely tongue in cheek. She's about as subtle as a hammer to the face. Maybe that's more a reflection of her character, I just hope all female romances aren't like that in the full game.
The minimap and level design in the prologue is VERY linear. You can't possibly get lost, or be left wondering which direction you should head in. So far the game feels FIRMLY on rails. I hope this doesn't continue into the full version, or this game will have lost all of it's exploration appeal, not that DAO had a lot of it either, it did make an effort to conceal it however; in DA2 it's in unashamedly in plain sight. There's also nothing you can do to stop one of your family members from dying, which seems to be based on what class you choose, i.e. you can't really impact who dies. Not really impressed by that, as it indicates that NOTHING was learned from Origins feedback. The minimap clearly shows a barrier to explorable terrain, but that's even more accentuated by the presence of physical obstacles in your way, i.e. a fence of rocks.
Conversation, as expected, is basically the same as Mass Effect 2. It doesn't even compare to Origins conversation; I loathe it. Most of the time I find myself wanting to choose the dialogue option in the centre, but I know that if you do that in the full version, you won't unlock "friend" or "rival" bonuses. In other words, the only morally interesting choice is also the one that hamstrings you. It will appeal to the ME2 crowd who want to select Red or Blue and not actually read the text. Boring.
So at present the game looks to be about a 7, compared with Origins' 9. There's room for it to wiggle up to 8 through quality story and some surprising developments in gameplay, but everything else is pretty much set in stone.
TLDR Summary: Fears confirmed. Plays like poor imitation of Origins. Dumbed down experience for the masses. 7-8/10.
Modifié par Wivvix, 23 février 2011 - 07:40 .
#2316
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:37
Cons-
The wheel is EBIL! Ok really the paraphrasing but its needed because of the wheel mainly I feel and not just because we have voiced main characters now. I really want to know what *my* character is going to say and not guess on what the icon/paraphrase hint will turn out. I am guessing this game will be better at it than the ME series but I can already see RP grief happening or worse facepalm, maybe double facepalm. Example: When my sibling died the choices really hit a sour note with me.
I do not like the UI much. I preferred origins, more fantasy-like, this seems more post apocalyptic. This will give people eye-strain I think. Things seemed extremely tiny as well. I was playing at a high resolution however perhaps scaling is disabled for demo?
I do not like the new darkspawn look. In Origins they all shared this grimace that I thought was great. Hurlocks now look like undead but bob around like great apes. The Ogre also looked much better in the first game. The new one isn’t *scary* at all, I’m not sure what the intended style change was set to accomplish.
The difficulty has me a bit concerned. The demo was set at normal I think? It reminded me of easy in DAO (after patch). Nightmare sounds terrifying but it is also the only setting with FF. I imagine (hope) we can change difficulty on the fly. I do plan to try them all to find the best match. I just wish FF was set to (Bad word coming hide your eyes Devs) a toggle.
Potions are too slow to drink or something. Three times I had to click Carver to drink one before he finally did. I watched and he had not used any yet so it couldn’t be a cooldown problem. Very frustrating.
Pros-
If the music is any indication it will be awesome like the first. I can’t wait to hear it all!
The voice acting as always is spectacular.
Archer love! Finally…woot. I really REALLY love this. In DA I could go take a nap just firing a regular arrow without a rapid aim bow. And special shots were very slowwww to fire as well and many times by the time I got shooting the mob(s) were beating on my head. Now when I click I shoot! And icing is the force of the attacks many times can knock enemies away or down. Well done!
Shield Bash…Need I say more?
Unsure-
The tactical camera seems too limiting when playing mage for proper aoeing. I hope we will be able to move it a bit more in the full version.
The game was very smooth even in combat but the cut scenes had several loading screen messages that broke the flow. I hope this is just a demo thing and not an indication of my not so good PC.
The Tactics screen was going crazy for me. I would try to set an effect when attacked self melee and it kept setting it to ranged, I didn’t want that. I would have to exit out and start over. I hope again this is a demo thing and not meaning the game doesn’t like something with my pc/mouse/whatever.
Another bug (I think) in tactics, the game had Aveline turning on/off a passive ability. Perception or something like that. Is that right? Do passives now have to be activated and cost mana/stamina? Why call it passive then?
I didn’t try warrior yet. SnB looks solid from running Aveline a bit but I have reservations on 2-handers. Carver is the only one who died in any of my runs. He really seems not so sturdy for a warrior even with some cunning added. Maybe its 2-handers do so much aoe now? It really moved so fast it was hard to see what was what. I did pause but even then I still couldn’t understand how he kept getting so much heat with Aveline taunting.
All imho where relevant.
The rest will have to wait till after March 8th.
Much needed plug- Updated toolset please!
Modifié par FieryDove, 23 février 2011 - 07:39 .
#2317
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:37
Anyways, I enjoy the faster combat (maybe not all of the darkspawn torso explosions, do they really have that much blood in them that they pop like that everytime I hit them?) and SnB and archery were much improved compared to DA:O
#2318
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:38
jedisolo wrote...
The demo was excellent and I can't wait till March 8th.
I bet the critics will fawn over every aspect of this mess dribbling from BioWare's butthole like they have for the last ten years for absolutely no reason (except bribes which we know every reviewer takes) while idiots buy it in droves because they literally have no taste. I wish more people could be sensible. Like me.
Modifié par Beaner28, 23 février 2011 - 07:38 .
#2319
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:38
dshoub wrote...
(Reposting here because I didn't know there was a dedicated thread for it)
I downloaded and played the DA2 demo and I was sorely disappointed. While it seems Bioware is maintaining their record of an excellent story driven plot, the graphics and combat gameplay leave a bitter taste in my mouth. I can understand having that sort of fast-paced combat style for the console versions of the game, but as a big fan of Origins, I was less than enthusiastic about the altered style of combat. It comes off as twitchy and impulsive, and the strategic feel that Origins had seems to have slipped through the cracks.
I think I could look past the change in combat style and simply chalk it up to the developers trying new things, if not for the atrocious graphics. I was hoping the earlier gameplay screenshots were just beta footage but apparently not. Who’s brilliant flippin' idea was it to take an incredibly designed, horrific, gruesome enemy and turn them into a bunch of demented looking clowns? Because honestly when I saw the new hurlocks the first thing that popped into my head was a clown. It's absolutely ridiculous, and that’s just the beginning. The entire feel of the graphics seems to have been dulled. Gone are the crisp, realistic looking images, the gritty feel of a land under siege by a horde of beasties. It's all been replaced by cartoonish villains, anime-influenced character designs (the seeker could have come from FFX) and a landscape that looks so polished, it could only exist in a snow globe.
Hey Bioware, whatever happened to taking an amazing game, using that design as a base and creating an incredible sequel? You did so well with Mass Effect 2, changing details here and there but leaving the core "feel" of the game, what made it so wonderful, intact. But yet with DA2 it seems you have decided to take a different path, a path I think can safely be called Seppuku. For those reading this, yes I am exaggerating, I don't think screwing up DA2 will kill Bioware, and in a few months when TOR comes out people will probably forget all about DA2 anyway, but I just feel let down. I loved Dragon Age: Origins so much, and to have it's name slapped onto this, well to be blunt, it really sucks.
I'm not angry Bioware, I'm just disappointed.
2 things about the graphics.
1. Its a Demo. Not up to the same standard as the actual game.
2. Even on PC's, DA:O's graphics was never its strongest aspect <_<.
Modifié par godlike13, 23 février 2011 - 07:38 .
#2320
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:38
#2321
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:40
I've skimmed the forums and noticed that hack/slash players are taking a notice to it, and hardcore RPG players are checking it out, and even more "middle-grounders" are joining the roster. I'm excited that more and more people are joining the fun of DA2! *sigh* just wish there was less criticizing of the game for opinion rather than actual fault, but that's what a forum is for: Opinions!
So, time to put my two cents in, with little to no ranting.
If possible.
Gameplay feels fluid and tactical. Perfect! At any moment I can bum-rush a Darkspawn mob and go gung-ho on everybody, but the moment I feel that my life is getting a bit too low, or there are just too many creatures on screen, I can quick pause the game and issue orders around! Then once all the flashy, death dealing, craziness I've dealt through selective targeting, I can then return to being awesome in some great up close and personal ways!
I was impressed with the "good/sarcastic/evil" dialogue tree that Bioware has implemented here, making choices a bit more apparent to the player, while keeping with the mood so that actual voice overs are varied and different from the options available. I don't have too much of an opinion on this as there are truly so many options for the entirety of the dialogue sections that I feel that it's varied enough to where I'll find something I resonate with or at least can understand.
Can't say much about the inventory as it was locked out, most likely due to the Demo being fairly short and item selection rendered irrelevant. The leveling, which was available, was what is expected from RPGs nowadays, but the skill tree is something I'll have to get used to. I like the take on skill progression, but it's just something I'll have to adapt to coming from Dragon Age and of course Mass Effect.
Performance is smooth, and Graphics are neat, at least on the 360 version. As I said, the PC demo was supposedly unfinished download wise, so that was a hilarious mess to watch. The console version was impressive, and although it's not a huge jump over DA's disappointing graphics, it is what I was looking for and satisfies me just fine. The environments seem bland for the time being, and a few character expressions come across as awkward and strange due to the lack of pure CGI rendering. That's not a criticism of Bioware's method as much as it is of the engine and it's limits. Please don't take this as bashing the demo, just stating something that seems noticeable.
Finally, the transitions between cutscene and actual in-game scenes are stiff as to be expected. Which is exactly the point. Bioware developed the game in a little less than two years, so unlike, say a 4 year development, no I don't expect it to have spot on transitions, and that's clearly not Bioware's focus. Would it be nice to see in future installments, sure.
Sound and Voice work in the Demo is nice, if not a little unbalanced at times. From what I've heard, using a headset whilst playing the game has resulted in underwhelming voice volume, however, I simply used my two speaker/base surround sound and found no issue, so it depends on preferences I suppose. The music, whether in battle, or during simple conversation feels like throw backs to DA with the familiar drums and tubas making themselves known during Darkspawn sequences. Cutscene music is also nice, but to be honest I was listening to the tidbits of information rather than the music, so I can only assume it enhanced the experience. To be honest though, I found a strange sound while playing as a female warrior, in that I could have sworn that she was uttering male grunts during basic attacks. Obviously she would utter her witty line as she slew a Darkspawn, but her next attack would seem to sound like a MANLY grunt. Just messed with my ears I suppose.
As a side-line fan of the first Dragon Age (I like some of the parts and potential, but was ultimately disappointed), I was impressed with the Hybrid direction Bioware has taken the sequel. The first was a true RPG in every sense of the genre, but Dragon Age 2's Demo shows that it's willing to open up to newcomers and do it's best to satisfy both Action and RPG players as best it can. While it doesn't do what either "hard-core" fan wants, it takes the fundamentals of both genres and will ultimately succeed in attracting even more fans than ever before. Sure, even as a Demo, certain aspects are less than hoped for, but this Third (counting Jade Empire) Hybrid Bioware game is a step in the right direction in my book. Despite split "genre fan"s reactions, I'm happy with the Demo's impressions of how the game plays and the new story mechanic only glimpsed at in this small section. In other words: I can't wait for the 8th! hmmm that kind of rhymed!
#2322
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:40
#2323
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:40
I LOVE the direction combat went. Kudos for implementing melee combat for mage. (I dig the spinning staves.)
Graphics weren't quite as bad as I was expecting on the xbox. New art direction is great.
Voice acting was decent. In my opinion, Male Hawke needed some pep. A cup of coffee and he'll be good to go.
One thing I want to pick on the combat about: The player damage was a little low. I'd rather cut through more respawning enemies real quick rather than tap the action button a dozen times while fighting a single darkspawn.
Perhaps I could turn down the difficulty and that might do the trick, but I do want a little challenge and consider my actions a bit or I might grow bored.
In short, MORE darkspawn/enemies to fight but less time engaged in a single fight with each of them. (Bosses are an exception.)
Overall I'm satisfied and you still got my purchase. Can't wait!
Modifié par AestiMassEffect, 23 février 2011 - 07:42 .
#2324
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:40
mehh wrote...
There is so much complaining in this thread it makes me brains hurt. Honestly, it's a demo.. A minuscule portion of the game. It had a number of features that were not available that will be available during the actual release so you can quit whining about having to "button mash"; you will be able to toggle auto-swing in the full game.
Anyways, I enjoy the faster combat (maybe not all of the darkspawn torso explosions, do they really have that much blood in them that they pop like that everytime I hit them?) and SnB and archery were much improved compared to DA:O
i totaly agree with u. people are giving reviews like it the full game
#2325
Posté 23 février 2011 - 07:40
godlike13 wrote...
2. Even on PC's, DA:O's graphics was never its strongest aspect <_<.
No, but DA 2's graphics lick balls. The textures are the visual equivalent of fecal matter and I felt like I took a time machine back to 2003 while I was playing.
Modifié par Beaner28, 23 février 2011 - 07:46 .





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