That was a excellent, well written piece.
You know, the darkspawn always looked like idiots to me. That why I love DA2 look of the Darkspawn, they look and act like mindless idiots.
The Shriek(DA2) darkspawn scares me though.
My (calm, measured, and detailed) concerns about DA2 (that have absolutely nothing to do with The Witcher 2)/An open letter to BioWare
Débuté par
Exyle19
, févr. 26 2011 10:41
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#177
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:19
Mage One
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I commend you on the well-written post, OP. To be frank, the people criticising the length bring to mind one of the party banters between Morrigan and Alistair. I will say no more on that. John, in my mind it is much to your and Bioware's credit that you've been responding as you have
I agree greatly with you as regards the art style. (And the strength of the dialogue wheel vs. text) I personally think the new design is entirely too stylized. That said, I don't necessarily think it's less dark or gritty, but then I didn't find DA: O to be much of either. It is, however, much less, "realistic." (To the extent the world of a fantasy game can be called realistic.) To my mind it seems they have done so much right in this game in fixing, or attempting to fix, serious issues Dragon Age: Origins suffered from, and as much as I liked the "realism" in the game, I have to admit the look of the world was bland or repetitive in many places. I think, perhaps, in trying to correct this they decided there should be no sacred cows, and so cut away (what I think of as) more of the old style than was really necessary. In doing do I worry they created not a unique visual style, but a style that gets used frequently in stylized, rather than more grounded, fantasy instead.
This is not to say I don't like anything they've done. The increased frequency of the art style found in the loading screens, previously found only in DA: O only in the intro, was a a decision I'm very happy with, for example. I also like the fact that they took efforts to differentiate the races more in terms of accents and visuals, even if I have decidedly mixed feelings regarding the new look of the Qunari. I suppose my biggest worry regarding Dragon Age II is that they'll create a game that improves on DA: O greatly on a technical level, but misses completely it's heart. I don't think that will prove to be the case, though. Either way, I'll see whether or not I'm right when I play.
I agree greatly with you as regards the art style. (And the strength of the dialogue wheel vs. text) I personally think the new design is entirely too stylized. That said, I don't necessarily think it's less dark or gritty, but then I didn't find DA: O to be much of either. It is, however, much less, "realistic." (To the extent the world of a fantasy game can be called realistic.) To my mind it seems they have done so much right in this game in fixing, or attempting to fix, serious issues Dragon Age: Origins suffered from, and as much as I liked the "realism" in the game, I have to admit the look of the world was bland or repetitive in many places. I think, perhaps, in trying to correct this they decided there should be no sacred cows, and so cut away (what I think of as) more of the old style than was really necessary. In doing do I worry they created not a unique visual style, but a style that gets used frequently in stylized, rather than more grounded, fantasy instead.
This is not to say I don't like anything they've done. The increased frequency of the art style found in the loading screens, previously found only in DA: O only in the intro, was a a decision I'm very happy with, for example. I also like the fact that they took efforts to differentiate the races more in terms of accents and visuals, even if I have decidedly mixed feelings regarding the new look of the Qunari. I suppose my biggest worry regarding Dragon Age II is that they'll create a game that improves on DA: O greatly on a technical level, but misses completely it's heart. I don't think that will prove to be the case, though. Either way, I'll see whether or not I'm right when I play.
Modifié par Mage One, 27 février 2011 - 04:43 .
#178
Posté 27 février 2011 - 06:05
swan_tower
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It's a mark of how good this thread is that a) I came back to read the new comments and 
now want to post again.
So: having thought more about the visuals, I'm in the camp that didn't really find the darkspawn all that disturbing before, but do agree they maybe look less disturbing now. *However*, I remember the developers saying they were bothered by the fact that the different types of darkspawn in DA:O didn't look like they had sprung from a single mutagenic disease. They looked almost completely unrelated to one another. I am very curious to get a closer look at, say, genlocks next to hurlocks, to see if they look more related now than before.
To make them really creepy, what I would like to see is something that video games -- even if written solely for the PC -- can't quite pull off yet, because *movies* are only starting to get a handle on it: realistic movement. Animated movement is always too fluid, too floaty, not enough sense of bones and joints interacting with the ground. But if you want creepy, then twisted-but-real-looking movement goes a lot further (for me, anyway) than a weird-looking face. The day our home electronics can animate that kind of thing without frying their processors is the day I'll really be scared by the monsters on my screen.
I will say, though, that I'd like to see the weapons and armor toned back to something vaguely realistic. I get that bigger = easier to see, but the designs just aren't doing it for me; they do start looking cartoony. Then again, this also comes back to movement: I'd like realistic weapons paired with more realistic motion, a sense of weight and body mechanics behind the action. However, since I'd prefer not to buy a new supercomputer just to get at the story (which is my real reason for playing the game), I can deal with the over-the-top look of combat. It's more exciting than the "shuffle shuffle shuffle oh crap the hurlock just ran past me turn shuffle shuffle" tedium of before, and I consider that a good thing. Closing moves ftw.
now want to post again.So: having thought more about the visuals, I'm in the camp that didn't really find the darkspawn all that disturbing before, but do agree they maybe look less disturbing now. *However*, I remember the developers saying they were bothered by the fact that the different types of darkspawn in DA:O didn't look like they had sprung from a single mutagenic disease. They looked almost completely unrelated to one another. I am very curious to get a closer look at, say, genlocks next to hurlocks, to see if they look more related now than before.
To make them really creepy, what I would like to see is something that video games -- even if written solely for the PC -- can't quite pull off yet, because *movies* are only starting to get a handle on it: realistic movement. Animated movement is always too fluid, too floaty, not enough sense of bones and joints interacting with the ground. But if you want creepy, then twisted-but-real-looking movement goes a lot further (for me, anyway) than a weird-looking face. The day our home electronics can animate that kind of thing without frying their processors is the day I'll really be scared by the monsters on my screen.
I will say, though, that I'd like to see the weapons and armor toned back to something vaguely realistic. I get that bigger = easier to see, but the designs just aren't doing it for me; they do start looking cartoony. Then again, this also comes back to movement: I'd like realistic weapons paired with more realistic motion, a sense of weight and body mechanics behind the action. However, since I'd prefer not to buy a new supercomputer just to get at the story (which is my real reason for playing the game), I can deal with the over-the-top look of combat. It's more exciting than the "shuffle shuffle shuffle oh crap the hurlock just ran past me turn shuffle shuffle" tedium of before, and I consider that a good thing. Closing moves ftw.
#179
Posté 27 février 2011 - 06:08
swan_tower
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[deleted because of accidental double-post]
Modifié par swan_tower, 27 février 2011 - 06:08 .
#180
Posté 27 février 2011 - 06:17
marcusgs221
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The new graphic style while different from DAO has potential to be really cool in its own right. While it does look a bit more animated than the previous title i think that the overall tone of the game is set by the story, player actions, and "feel" of the world. The new darkspawn look less like LOTR style orcs and have a look thats more their own. Its hard to judge a game from a demo but so far so good cant wait for the release.
#181
Posté 27 février 2011 - 06:56
robotnist
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i think i pretty much said (or tried to say) everything you have said here, just less eloquently.
great piece, it kept me reading interested the whole time. and i was thinking about my own experiences with the darkspawn as well and remember being freaked out by them when i first saw them.
and as i remember bioware saying that they wanted a visual style that they could own and be identified with, i felt like saying this was like forgetting that they had a great mass of lore written and created for DA. the affect that DAO had on me was that even though the GFX may not have been the best because the game had been in development for so long, and must have skipped many hadrware and software tech, it was the world that was created that gave the game life.
so in point of fact here, in which you make, i feel the same way. the world was done in a way that made me think i was reading about some long lost european nation that had incredibly found a way to harness magic, and that had many tragic historical events. the political inclinations of the different countries, the ferelden culture and hierarchy. i loved the impact that the language had on me, the invention of words to describe the different titles of ferelden as in the teyrns and banns etc...
and the era that were playing in, this "Dragon Age" isn't even the best of times. all of the griffins have died out, most of the Calinhad line is gone and losing control on the country. mages and elves are some of the lowest on the social totem pole. and not until recently the grey wardens werent held in high regard, and in fact are now barely tolerated and have even dwindled down to too few in numbers.
it was a real and gritty world in DAO i totally agree. but for some reason, after playing the demo i'm not nearly as skeptical as i was when i found out about all the changes, or even as much as you exyle19. and its odd because ferelden and thedas is much beloved to me. i just feel like bioware made a aesthetic change to DA that will only allow others to enjpy it, because to me the major elements of RP'ing are still in tact for DA2. and until we get a chance to play DA2, adn we get to walk around the huge city of kirkwall and get to meet some of its denizens, we wont know how DA2 will feel compared to DAO.
and i can't wait to find out.
great piece, it kept me reading interested the whole time. and i was thinking about my own experiences with the darkspawn as well and remember being freaked out by them when i first saw them.
and as i remember bioware saying that they wanted a visual style that they could own and be identified with, i felt like saying this was like forgetting that they had a great mass of lore written and created for DA. the affect that DAO had on me was that even though the GFX may not have been the best because the game had been in development for so long, and must have skipped many hadrware and software tech, it was the world that was created that gave the game life.
so in point of fact here, in which you make, i feel the same way. the world was done in a way that made me think i was reading about some long lost european nation that had incredibly found a way to harness magic, and that had many tragic historical events. the political inclinations of the different countries, the ferelden culture and hierarchy. i loved the impact that the language had on me, the invention of words to describe the different titles of ferelden as in the teyrns and banns etc...
and the era that were playing in, this "Dragon Age" isn't even the best of times. all of the griffins have died out, most of the Calinhad line is gone and losing control on the country. mages and elves are some of the lowest on the social totem pole. and not until recently the grey wardens werent held in high regard, and in fact are now barely tolerated and have even dwindled down to too few in numbers.
it was a real and gritty world in DAO i totally agree. but for some reason, after playing the demo i'm not nearly as skeptical as i was when i found out about all the changes, or even as much as you exyle19. and its odd because ferelden and thedas is much beloved to me. i just feel like bioware made a aesthetic change to DA that will only allow others to enjpy it, because to me the major elements of RP'ing are still in tact for DA2. and until we get a chance to play DA2, adn we get to walk around the huge city of kirkwall and get to meet some of its denizens, we wont know how DA2 will feel compared to DAO.
and i can't wait to find out.
#182
Posté 27 février 2011 - 07:16
TaHol
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I want to thank OP for a very well written post. Was not difficult to read, but heck, I'm not English-speaker so I read English better than write. And I agree all of it, totally. But my concern in design are not darkspawn but characters. It is not fair to judge just by demo, and I'm not a nitpicker in anyway, but the faces of characters bothered me. I liked the way DA:O looked, but I often said myself they should sack the person who designed armors etc. Or maybe designer just had a different taste than me, but anyways, I just loved characters faces. And after some modding they were even more beautiful. My Wardens were georgeus.
Now when I played the demo I couldn't help thinking there is something I don't like in textures, how their faces looked like (I'm not going in fan-service department, I know men want to see certain things so let them even I don't like it). Their faces are very emotionless in my eyes. I don't know how to put this better, there just is something...doll-like in all of them. And chargen worries me, I'm afraid it will be as basic as in ME2. I want to have options when making my Hawke, and I want him to look good (can't help that, that's my inner artist there:crying:)
Many people have disliked the new battle system, in my eyes it is still the same as before. It just looks different due it's speed. Someone said something about lots of cutsceens, and I was annoyed about that in demo too. But we'll see when we have the game in our hands. Perhaps it was just in prologue.
Now when I played the demo I couldn't help thinking there is something I don't like in textures, how their faces looked like (I'm not going in fan-service department, I know men want to see certain things so let them even I don't like it). Their faces are very emotionless in my eyes. I don't know how to put this better, there just is something...doll-like in all of them. And chargen worries me, I'm afraid it will be as basic as in ME2. I want to have options when making my Hawke, and I want him to look good (can't help that, that's my inner artist there:crying:)
Many people have disliked the new battle system, in my eyes it is still the same as before. It just looks different due it's speed. Someone said something about lots of cutsceens, and I was annoyed about that in demo too. But we'll see when we have the game in our hands. Perhaps it was just in prologue.
Modifié par TaHol, 27 février 2011 - 07:25 .
#183
Posté 27 février 2011 - 07:42
robotnist
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Noviere wrote...
The only thing I dislike about the new art style is the darkspawn. After experiencing them in motion during the demo, they seem silly, rather than fearsome.
There's definitely a zombie vibe to them... Minus the revulsion. I don't know how else to describe them. If there was a children's TV show based on 28 Days Later, that's what the zombies would look like.
lol, they look like, the ogre, is about to say, "hey there fella (or 'gal'), lets point down the swords and talk this over a nice hot cup of coffee.
and then of course we notice he tries to poison us and when hes looking at a flower blooming on the hillside, we switch the cups. once he realizes we poisoned him and he starts dying, he just says, matter of factly, "inconceivable!!!"...
#184
Posté 27 février 2011 - 08:07
lost lupus
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8 pages and not enough talk about how Ogres arent blue and awesome anymore 
#185
Posté 27 février 2011 - 08:33
Sappy69
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To the OP: Much thanks for a thread well worth reading. Just to add a few bits:
I'm pretty sure the fixed armor for companions was tied into the "Hawke = human only" thing. Think about it: in DAO each set of armor (with a few exceptions) had to have 7 different models created for it: human male/female, elf male/female, dwarf male/female, and qunari male. This was to account for all the different possible body types each set of armor had to potentially be worn by. Now, since Hawke can only be human male/female, each set of armor you pick up only has to have 2 different models created for it. This reduces the amount of work required by the art guys considerably.
Note that I'm not excusing Bioware for going in this direction, just providing a likely explanation (or a major contributing factor) of why they went in this direction. Personally, I have mixed feelings on this change. I do prefer more customizability over less. However, I also like unique looks for my companions. My companions are special; they shouldn't look like other NPC's in the game. I liked how they went with Morrigan in DAO: she had a unique costume that only she could wear, but you had the choice of using that or giving her something else entirely to wear. I also hoped completing Leliana's Song would give me a unique-looking armor model for Leliana to wear, but sadly that never happened. I really hope that in DA3, they do something similar to my above-mentioned example of how they handled armor with Morrigan (assuming we go back to being able to play multiple races).
Re: Darkspawn's new look
I'm not a fan of how the darkspawn look in DA2. Now, I'm not one of those players who're opposed to any type of change. I'm tolerant of art changes as long as it's reasonable. For example, I didn't mind Isabela looking different because she was a minor character in DAO, so changing her was ok. I draw the line at major characters.
However, I dislike the new darkspawn not because they're different - it's because they're worse. DAO's darkspawn were acceptable to me as common, monstrous adversaries. They looked mean, savage, and tough (not so tough that a hero couldn't deal with them, but certainly tough enough for your average soldier). However, DA2's darkspawn look comical. I view them more as clowns, mostly because their armor makes them look like rejects at an S&M convention. Their "wobbly" walk doesn't help either.
I really liked the direction they were taking with the darkspawn in Awakening with the Disciples. However, I see why they didn't go in this direction for DA2 - Awakening's Disciples were intelligent, so it made sense that their armor was more well-kept and functional.
ashez2ashes wrote...
marcusgs221 wrote...
2- fixed armor for everyone. i know there is a rune system inplace but i always enjoy finding and compleating sets of armor, but this may just be me.
.
This is a big issue for me. It also really devalues loot. And loot is FUN when it changes your appearance. I'm sort of mystified by this decision. I'm not a fan of WoW but loot that changes your appearance is the main reason people play that game, and on a business standpoint getting rid of it for your companions makes no sense.
Maybe it was a time constraint thing.
I'm pretty sure the fixed armor for companions was tied into the "Hawke = human only" thing. Think about it: in DAO each set of armor (with a few exceptions) had to have 7 different models created for it: human male/female, elf male/female, dwarf male/female, and qunari male. This was to account for all the different possible body types each set of armor had to potentially be worn by. Now, since Hawke can only be human male/female, each set of armor you pick up only has to have 2 different models created for it. This reduces the amount of work required by the art guys considerably.
Note that I'm not excusing Bioware for going in this direction, just providing a likely explanation (or a major contributing factor) of why they went in this direction. Personally, I have mixed feelings on this change. I do prefer more customizability over less. However, I also like unique looks for my companions. My companions are special; they shouldn't look like other NPC's in the game. I liked how they went with Morrigan in DAO: she had a unique costume that only she could wear, but you had the choice of using that or giving her something else entirely to wear. I also hoped completing Leliana's Song would give me a unique-looking armor model for Leliana to wear, but sadly that never happened. I really hope that in DA3, they do something similar to my above-mentioned example of how they handled armor with Morrigan (assuming we go back to being able to play multiple races).
Re: Darkspawn's new look
I'm not a fan of how the darkspawn look in DA2. Now, I'm not one of those players who're opposed to any type of change. I'm tolerant of art changes as long as it's reasonable. For example, I didn't mind Isabela looking different because she was a minor character in DAO, so changing her was ok. I draw the line at major characters.
However, I dislike the new darkspawn not because they're different - it's because they're worse. DAO's darkspawn were acceptable to me as common, monstrous adversaries. They looked mean, savage, and tough (not so tough that a hero couldn't deal with them, but certainly tough enough for your average soldier). However, DA2's darkspawn look comical. I view them more as clowns, mostly because their armor makes them look like rejects at an S&M convention. Their "wobbly" walk doesn't help either.I really liked the direction they were taking with the darkspawn in Awakening with the Disciples. However, I see why they didn't go in this direction for DA2 - Awakening's Disciples were intelligent, so it made sense that their armor was more well-kept and functional.
#186
Posté 27 février 2011 - 08:36
Leon481
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Really, that was a great post.
I don't mind the new art style too much. It is a new country and that itself is reason enough to want to go a new direction. I do agree that the demo felt a bit less gritty and realistic, but I just attributed that to the shiny, polished graphics. The graphics in Origins were slightly rough and that made the world feel rough. This being more polished makes it feel kind of unrealistically shiny, or at least that's the best way I can describe it. It's a minor thing, but it does have a noticeable affect on atmosphere.
I'm willing to wait and see how it works out in the actual gameplay before I make any full judgements though. It may work out fine in the long run. It's hard to tell from the demo and a few videos.
As for the darkspawn, I can live with it, so long as they are just part of a small part of the game. They do look less menacing and far less detailed than the ones in Origins, but they look close enough to the originals to not break the immersion.
I don't mind the new art style too much. It is a new country and that itself is reason enough to want to go a new direction. I do agree that the demo felt a bit less gritty and realistic, but I just attributed that to the shiny, polished graphics. The graphics in Origins were slightly rough and that made the world feel rough. This being more polished makes it feel kind of unrealistically shiny, or at least that's the best way I can describe it. It's a minor thing, but it does have a noticeable affect on atmosphere.
I'm willing to wait and see how it works out in the actual gameplay before I make any full judgements though. It may work out fine in the long run. It's hard to tell from the demo and a few videos.
As for the darkspawn, I can live with it, so long as they are just part of a small part of the game. They do look less menacing and far less detailed than the ones in Origins, but they look close enough to the originals to not break the immersion.
Modifié par Leon481, 27 février 2011 - 08:42 .
#187
Posté 27 février 2011 - 10:18
Selenora
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Not a native speaker so i won't comment about English punctuation.
A teacher in real life so i won't comment about education.
I will comment tho about the animation and combat. I didnt like much the DS either but it didnt bother me that much. What bothered me at first was that i didnt notice any facial expressions of my char and my companions. I liked how my companions where showing different expressions on different occasions.
I played as a mage first and i was confused with my AOE spells. I was used to click to an enemy to cast a fireball. Now i have to just cast it where i think it would be the best place, depending on where the emenies will gather. And that made me think that i will actually have to think a little bit...
which i liked.....
What i didnt like was that i wasn't able to be in control of the battlefield due to the lack of the isometric camera.
What i adored was Aveline whistling when using taunt...it got me killed from laughing the first time i heard it)
But in general, i will have to wait and see how good this game will be.
A teacher in real life so i won't comment about education.
I will comment tho about the animation and combat. I didnt like much the DS either but it didnt bother me that much. What bothered me at first was that i didnt notice any facial expressions of my char and my companions. I liked how my companions where showing different expressions on different occasions.
I played as a mage first and i was confused with my AOE spells. I was used to click to an enemy to cast a fireball. Now i have to just cast it where i think it would be the best place, depending on where the emenies will gather. And that made me think that i will actually have to think a little bit...
which i liked.....
What i didnt like was that i wasn't able to be in control of the battlefield due to the lack of the isometric camera.
What i adored was Aveline whistling when using taunt...it got me killed from laughing the first time i heard it
)But in general, i will have to wait and see how good this game will be.
#188
Posté 27 février 2011 - 10:32
Maleficent
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god the darkspawn in origins were lord of the rings/stereo orcs/fantasy bad guys the new one's look,and besides who cares we ain't fighting darkspawn in DA2 or we???? even the pc gamer uk and germany reviews don't mention it goddamn liars reviewing the previously shown code and demo to self promote.
#189
Posté 27 février 2011 - 10:40
gelgoog
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I can't express how much I appreciate your civilized criticism, a rare sight these days.
And I totally know what you mean by saturday morning cartoon bad guy thing, i feel the same way. It doesn't really bother me that much though considering they are probably not the main enemy of the game.
And I totally know what you mean by saturday morning cartoon bad guy thing, i feel the same way. It doesn't really bother me that much though considering they are probably not the main enemy of the game.
#190
Posté 27 février 2011 - 11:29
Exyle19
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Going back to the art style, I realized earlier that today the art style of the original Destiny trailer for DA2 was much more appealing to me.
Obviously it's not fair to hold a game to the graphical quality of a CG trailer, but it's not the quality that makes the trailer appealing to me. Holding Hawke's face side by side in that trailer against the game, and the differences are pronounced but not overwhelmingly so. It's still clearly the same character.
When I mentioned 'stylized reality' in an earlier post, that was more or less what I had in mind. The trailer seemed to preserve the stylized, over the top and exaggerated aspects of the new art style without delving into the animated territory that the game art has.
Were I pressed to provide an example of what I'd prefer over what I've seen so far, that would be my cited source.
Obviously it's not fair to hold a game to the graphical quality of a CG trailer, but it's not the quality that makes the trailer appealing to me. Holding Hawke's face side by side in that trailer against the game, and the differences are pronounced but not overwhelmingly so. It's still clearly the same character.
When I mentioned 'stylized reality' in an earlier post, that was more or less what I had in mind. The trailer seemed to preserve the stylized, over the top and exaggerated aspects of the new art style without delving into the animated territory that the game art has.
Were I pressed to provide an example of what I'd prefer over what I've seen so far, that would be my cited source.
#191
Posté 27 février 2011 - 11:57
magicwins
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I am surprised that the OP took so much text to deliver a single concern: The darkspawn just don't look terrifying anymore.
#192
Posté 27 février 2011 - 12:39
Twaddlefish
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I noticed the darkspawn looked different, but it was only when I turned on DAO that I realised how drastic it was, and do prefer the old style.
Someone mentioned armour customisation, and I'll address that quickly. I'm sure there's the option of the NPCs' armour being customised to some extent, but to me when half the party was wearing scale mail and Wynne had a tea cosy on her head, it made them stand out...less. On the flip side, the Sentinel/Legionnaire/Warden Commander/Cailan/Whatever the Silver one was set Armour gave a certain...personality to the characters who wore it. I know I can't ask for awesome armour straight from the off, but I'd love to see something that makes your character *look* like they're important enough to warrant being a companion.
Someone mentioned armour customisation, and I'll address that quickly. I'm sure there's the option of the NPCs' armour being customised to some extent, but to me when half the party was wearing scale mail and Wynne had a tea cosy on her head, it made them stand out...less. On the flip side, the Sentinel/Legionnaire/Warden Commander/Cailan/Whatever the Silver one was set Armour gave a certain...personality to the characters who wore it. I know I can't ask for awesome armour straight from the off, but I'd love to see something that makes your character *look* like they're important enough to warrant being a companion.
#193
Posté 27 février 2011 - 12:42
filetemo
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Exyle19 wrote...To me, the darkspawn now put me in the mind of graphic-novel/saturday morning cartoon bad guy goons.
yes, but to me that saturday morning cartoon feel is not by the darkspawn design, but by their animations. The design is fine but they move and behave like Power Rangers baddies. What was their name? Ah, "puddies"
#194
Posté 27 février 2011 - 03:06
Schmoodla
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filetemo wrote...
Exyle19 wrote...To me, the darkspawn now put me in the mind of graphic-novel/saturday morning cartoon bad guy goons.
yes, but to me that saturday morning cartoon feel is not by the darkspawn design, but by their animations. The design is fine but they move and behave like Power Rangers baddies. What was their name? Ah, "puddies"
Yes, their behaviour is... disturbing.
But on the other side, if you remember the genlocks in DAO.. To me, they looked like hyperactive dwarves (although I liked it). The new darkspawn do move, behave differently and have a new look that looks bad for many people, but they look more original. I don't really mind the new looks and animations. Creatures can't be the same in every game. 
#195
Posté 27 février 2011 - 03:46
Aesieru
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Go go power rangers...
New mighty morphing power range...rs
*Ahem*...
"Puddies" a long time since I've heard that.
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I'm glad this thread seems to still be moderately alive.
Personally though, I preferred this:
New mighty morphing power range...rs
*Ahem*...
"Puddies" a long time since I've heard that.
---
I'm glad this thread seems to still be moderately alive.
Personally though, I preferred this:
Modifié par Aesieru, 27 février 2011 - 03:48 .
#196
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:04
GMulryan
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hawat333 wrote...
You've had an interesting comparison between the darkspawn art styles. Namely that it's like a cartoon or a graphic novel bad guy. I feel the same for the whole game. <br />
If playing DA:O feels like a hard cover novel, then Dragon Age 2 is a comic book or a cartoon.
This. I had hoped for better. Frankly I can not imagine what DX11 could add to the cartoon world. I still look forward to the game/story.
#197
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:19
Pcrews
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I actually really love the new art direction. When the game is released, who knows? DA2 might have a grittier darker feel to it. I can't judge the whole game based on the two areas I've been exposed to.
#198
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:23
XFemShepX
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I kind of agree with the poster. It's like DA has lost a teensie bit of it's soul.
The darkspawn do not look any scarier to me, they look more cartoonish. There was nothing wrong with the old darkspawn, and their concept was done very well.
As for the manga-ish feel, I agree totally. All I think of when I see 2H Hawke is how ENORMOUS the sword is, and then I think of Final Fantasy. Bioware, I'm glad you're trying to pull from different influences, and I think the art palette and some of the different character makeovers (read: Qunari) are really well done. But in other ways I feel like DA HAS lost some of it's real-world grittiness (I also realize DA-world isn't real, but you get my drift).
I'm hoping that when I play the actual game this will seem less apparent to me, and I won't think of Final Fantasy everytime I see strapping MHawke with a sword that is bigger than him.
The darkspawn do not look any scarier to me, they look more cartoonish. There was nothing wrong with the old darkspawn, and their concept was done very well.
As for the manga-ish feel, I agree totally. All I think of when I see 2H Hawke is how ENORMOUS the sword is, and then I think of Final Fantasy. Bioware, I'm glad you're trying to pull from different influences, and I think the art palette and some of the different character makeovers (read: Qunari) are really well done. But in other ways I feel like DA HAS lost some of it's real-world grittiness (I also realize DA-world isn't real, but you get my drift).
I'm hoping that when I play the actual game this will seem less apparent to me, and I won't think of Final Fantasy everytime I see strapping MHawke with a sword that is bigger than him.
#199
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:43
Duros
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XFemShepX wrote...
I kind of agree with the poster. It's like DA has lost a teensie bit of it's soul.
The darkspawn do not look any scarier to me, they look more cartoonish. There was nothing wrong with the old darkspawn, and their concept was done very well.
As for the manga-ish feel, I agree totally. All I think of when I see 2H Hawke is how ENORMOUS the sword is, and then I think of Final Fantasy. Bioware, I'm glad you're trying to pull from different influences, and I think the art palette and some of the different character makeovers (read: Qunari) are really well done. But in other ways I feel like DA HAS lost some of it's real-world grittiness (I also realize DA-world isn't real, but you get my drift).
I'm hoping that when I play the actual game this will seem less apparent to me, and I won't think of Final Fantasy everytime I see strapping MHawke with a sword that is bigger than him.
King calian + every other two handed weapon in Origins, your opinion and posts from now on are invalid.
#200
Posté 27 février 2011 - 04:48
XFemShepX
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Duros wrote...
XFemShepX wrote...
I kind of agree with the poster. It's like DA has lost a teensie bit of it's soul.
The darkspawn do not look any scarier to me, they look more cartoonish. There was nothing wrong with the old darkspawn, and their concept was done very well.
As for the manga-ish feel, I agree totally. All I think of when I see 2H Hawke is how ENORMOUS the sword is, and then I think of Final Fantasy. Bioware, I'm glad you're trying to pull from different influences, and I think the art palette and some of the different character makeovers (read: Qunari) are really well done. But in other ways I feel like DA HAS lost some of it's real-world grittiness (I also realize DA-world isn't real, but you get my drift).
I'm hoping that when I play the actual game this will seem less apparent to me, and I won't think of Final Fantasy everytime I see strapping MHawke with a sword that is bigger than him.
King calian + every other two handed weapon in Origins, your opinion and posts from now on are invalid.
....right.
I didn't realize how much power and clout you had around here to simply invalidate my posts.
