79 réponses à ce sujet

[Poyzinblud]

Recently I returned Bioware/EA's 'Dragon Age: Origins' back to Gamestop. I considered buying it back several times, but decided that it simply wasn't worth it. I'd like to give my honest feedback as to why, and what I think could help in the making of a sequel/expansion.

First and foremost: I purchased this game for the Xbox 360, and had no access to the toolkit. I realize this could have had a negative impact on my gaming experience, but please bear with me.

1. Your Alignment - Minor Spoilers
Unlike Star Wars, or Mass Effect, Dragon Age has no alignment; it only has the rating of how much your characters LIKE you. While there's the distinct advantage of not actually having to classify your character as 'good' or 'evil', it occasionally blurs the line between what good and evil actually IS. Why should I NOT pour Dragon's Blood into the Urn of Sacred Ash? Why shouldn't I kill a bandit instead of letting them run free? 
This also means that there's no specialities for being good/evil. In Knights of the Old Republic, your alignment pitted you with the class advancement you would choose; Jedi class or Sith class, and it made a really big (and awesome) difference. I see no reason why alignment shouldn't be put in and given some bearing.

2. classes
Three classes simply aren't enough for me. YES, I know that there's technically a total of 12 classes when you include the sub-classes, but here's the thing; Sub-classes are rubbish. I'm sorry to say, but I hated them all.
What a 'sub-class' was was 4 semi-distinct powers that could or could not be chosen that would distinguish you. Four powers? The moment I chose the Reaver class, my immediate thoughts became 'I destroyed a relic for THIS?' I felt jipped! 
Please; give sub-classes their own bearing with more abilities, and BETTER abilities; they're supposed to be a sort of advancement from the base classes.
As for classes themselves; more abilities! As a Warrior, there are 3 sections; Dual Swords, Sword and Shield, and Two-Handed Sword. No matter what of those you use, those other two sections are USELESS to you! I finished off Dual Swords at a relatively low level and just began wondering what to do next; work on my Templar class?

3. Weapons and Armor
For one; change arrows. They're ridiculously expensive for such small quantities. That the given quantities been x10 or x20, I would've stocked up and given someone a bow. As it was, if you're asking for 36silver for a single arrow, I'm obliged to say 'blow it out your rear'.
I'd also like to suggest more sets of armor. I realize that there ARE a good number of suits of armor, but please keep in mind that most sets are recolored meshes of their predacessors, but because of a different 'material' listed, its stats are different, many look at it as a new armor entirely; it isn't. Some real NEW armor would be wonderful.

4. Talents
Talents are nice, but there are conceptual gaps. I looked at my Warrior, who was not only a Berserker, but a Reaver, and just began thinking... "Traps? No, that's more for Rogues. Poison Making? Ditto. Herbalism?! That's for Mages! I don't work with plants!"
What happened to Blacksmithing? I realize that Herbalism requires a lot less work, but Blacksmithing could've been put into the game in order to use metals and minerals found while journeying to improve the armor's quality, add rune slots, or even make new armor! What happened to Blacksmithing? To Leatherworking? This game has all of the MMORPG qualities, but the absence of essential staples!

5. Party. Interaction. - SPOILERS
Party interaction was the biggest chore I'd ever gone through, I'm sorry to say. I chose to have my relationship with Morrigan (what gamer DOESN'T want the hot-but-dangerous Gothicesque chick?) and it was going great until the sex happened. From there, the real IMMERSION came into play; she began to hate me, want to distance herself from me, and tried to break things off with me. "Like EVERY woman I've ever been with!" I thought to myself with a chuckle before the novelty wore down.
But I digress. The kicker was that with Morrigan, after succumbing to her demands to 'fall out of love with' her (however that works I don't know), all ties are broken off instantaneously. She was happy to talk to me, she didn't need some time away from me to collect herself, or ANYTHING.
In fact? After we broke off the romance, she went ahead with the default 'friend- not lover' script, asking me to be her friend, saying it's nice to have a friend, etc... What?! Had she just forgotten the intimacy, or am I suffering from retrograde amnesia? 

6. Bugs - Minor Spoilers
The game was bugged to all hell. I hate to say it, but what FINALLY got me to trade in my wonderful copy was not being able to complete 'The Elven Ritual' and 'The Mage's Treasure'. I had no Juggernaut Armor, and several unfinishable quests in my journal. These two were the real icing on the cake amidst a volley of quests that left me at dead ends due to bugged performances.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not a bug snob. I've played through KotOR I and II more times than I care to remember, and I've indulged in the glitches found in Mass Effect-- frustrating or otherwise. I'm no stranger to bugs, and I accept them for the most part, but when a finished product doesn't allow me to complete the quests it's given me, I feel cheated.

7. Storyline - SPOILERS
The storyline was riveting-- to a point. You want to fight Loghain, you want to fight the Darkspawn Blight! Sensational! If you're Human, you want to kill Arl Howe, too! Yay for having enemies; I'm sold!
But then, I find that I'm sent on SIDEQUEST after SIDEQUEST that each turned into their own mega-chain of quests that became intolerable.
"We need you to revive Arl Eamon!" I was sold. Find the Urn of Sacred Ash, and maybe the Supermage to save the Arl's wife from needing to be sacrificed. This was fine! I was on it like white on rice! It was number 1 & 2 on my to-do list, and I was ready to haul butt.
I arrive to the Mage's Tower and find myself put into a complete and utter daze. I have about 6-7 quests needed to find this damn Mage, and the FADE?! Oh dear, I wish I had the option to just give up and succumb to the mediocrity of forced puzzles and sidestepping puzzles.
But I continued and made it to... The forest. What's this? I can't pass? The ELVES need help now?! I don't care about the Elves, I don't care about Werewolves! Let me get to this damn Urn and leave me be! But unfortunately for me, I'm required to help the pointy-eared bastards out and pretend like I don't want their people slaughtered so I can loot their valuables.
SO, I get THAT done, and I make my way to the next town, where I can uncover a conspiracy and go to the REAL village where the MOUNTAIN is where I can get the urn to revive the Arl that I wouldn't mind seeing fall into a coffin by now. What do I end up seeing? ANOTHER SIDEQUEST! Cultists looking for my help! Isn't there a scenic route in this game where I can bypass the sidequests in favor of getting the king better? 
Long story short: I loved the idea of amassing an army to help you in your main quest, but if you make that part of the main quest, it gets infuriating. This wasn't the killing blow of my tiring with the game, but this was what made me really wonder if it was worth playing on.

8. Sex Scene - Minor Spoiler
I've heard stories from Amish Mormons (not really) that sounded more erotic that what the 'sex scene' entailed. The characters were distant in fear of killing everything with clipping, and everything looked so very sterile between them; there was no well-placed shadows to give it an artistic look, or any shot that made it look even the slightest bit erotic; it reminded me of the awkward moment between a friend and I where I mentioned I'm an atheist and he has a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies.
Give it some UMPH! Figure out what kind of look you want to go for; erotic, sensual, romantic, sleazy, kinky, loving, or anything, just don't dick around with two people standing around in their loincloths looking like they belong in seminary. Just give it an angle and go with it.

9. Body Language
After I played Dragon Age, I tried out Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. The biggest difference for me was the significant increase in BODY LANGUAGE. Strong gestures, physical reactions, etc. In Dragon Age, you'd get some sterile hand movements that looked like they were waving plastic pieces of mannequins around and didn't want to risk bending their own fingers move than 20º angles.
I realize bulky armor might've encumbered some of our Heroes, but there comes a point where you just need to bite the bullet and work with the clipping issues. I hadn't seen a character with a closed fist, or pointing, or even shrugging with his/her arms out. They just stood there like mannequins with a dreadfully limited range of motion.

10 Water
When you can't step into a puddle because the developers didn't include any interaction with water in the coding; it's a problem!

This is my honest critique. I know some/all of you may not agree, and that's more than in your power. I thank you for reading this.

Modifié par Poyzinblud, 20 décembre 2009 - 07:31 .

[VanDraegon]

A spoiler fill post in the no spoiler forum....brilliant. You didnt like it, fine. Move on, dont disregard the forum rules to rant about the game.

[LaztRezort]

I'm not going to argue opinions, since each to there own and all that, but there is one factual fallacy here:

Poyzinblud wrote...

For one; change arrows. They're ridiculously expensive for such small quantities. That the given quantities been x10 or x20, I would've stocked up and given someone a bow. As it was, if you're asking for 36silver for a single arrow, I'm obliged to say 'blow it out your rear'.

The ammo you buy are special, magical ammunition, not regular ammo.  An archer has an unlimited supply of regular ammunition, no need to buy magical ones to use archery.

[Bullets McDeath]

There's alot I would disagree with and correct here, but it seems kinda pointless since your mind is already made up to the point where you sold it back. The game's not for everyone but it seems like it was your preconceptions of what the game was that ruined it for you. If you just let it be itself, it's quite a wonderful game.

[Realmjumper]

You should have posted in the spoiler forum but at least you warned people. Did you finish the game? You can avoid most of the side quests but it sounds like you got frustrated because they put obstacles in front of your goal. This is true there is a lot of "trash mob" you can say before you get to the juicy middle.



Even towards the end but I won't say anymore as not to ruin it. There is a lot of "crap" in the way but it's part of the game. Hopefully for the sequel they will rectify this by realizing that after I killed a certain super mob I shouldn't be forced to fight weaklings to get to whatever boss I'm trying to get to.



However they at least do make certain boss or sub boss fights interesting and challenging no matter what level you are.

[Poyzinblud]

LaztRezort wrote...

I'm not going to argue opinions, since each to there own and all that, but there is one factual fallacy here:

Poyzinblud wrote...

For one; change arrows. They're ridiculously expensive for such small quantities. That the given quantities been x10 or x20, I would've stocked up and given someone a bow. As it was, if you're asking for 36silver for a single arrow, I'm obliged to say 'blow it out your rear'.

The ammo you buy are special, magical ammunition, not regular ammo.  An archer has an unlimited supply of regular ammunition, no need to buy magical ones to use archery.

Perhaps I never gave arrows much of a chance, but I don't recall seeing my archer using up magical ammunition.

outlaworacle wrote...

There's alot I would disagree with
and correct here, but it seems kinda pointless since your mind is
already made up to the point where you sold it back. The game's not for
everyone but it seems like it was your preconceptions of what the game
was that ruined it for you. If you just let it be itself, it's quite a
wonderful game.

It's not a TERRIBLE game, but it's far underwhelming to what I was expecting. I'll admit, I set my sights a bit high when I first bought the game, but I had set the bar about where I felt EA told me to. Everything everywhere tells me that this game is excellent, it rocks, etc; I set the bar high, wound up disappointed, and went on with my life.

[Poyzinblud]

Realmjumper wrote...

You should have posted in the spoiler forum but at least you warned people. Did you finish the game? You can avoid most of the side quests but it sounds like you got frustrated because they put obstacles in front of your goal. This is true there is a lot of "trash mob" you can say before you get to the juicy middle.

Even towards the end but I won't say anymore as not to ruin it. There is a lot of "crap" in the way but it's part of the game. Hopefully for the sequel they will rectify this by realizing that after I killed a certain super mob I shouldn't be forced to fight weaklings to get to whatever boss I'm trying to get to.

However they at least do make certain boss or sub boss fights interesting and challenging no matter what level you are.

You see, friend, I have no problem with obstacles in the game, but I'd like them to be optional, and to instead give bonuses/make things easier.

For instance: You have the option of enlisting the help of Mages, Templars, Reavers, and the Jews (Shalome, all). You can do storyline quests to help them out and have them fighting by your side in the end, OR you can skip those quests, NOT have them part of the army, and have to take on more troops by yourself.

[Edelwolf]

He's got some valid points, but it didn't bother me so much.



Let's be nice to him because

and it was going great until the sex happened. From there, the real IMMERSION came into play; she began to hate me, want to distance herself from me, and tried to break things off with me. "Like EVERY woman I've ever been with!"

[Poyzinblud]

Edelwolf wrote...

He's got some valid points, but it didn't bother me so much.

Let's be nice to him because

and it was going great until the sex happened. From there, the real IMMERSION came into play; she began to hate me, want to distance herself from me, and tried to break things off with me. "Like EVERY woman I've ever been with!"

T'was a joke, friend. Humor soothes the soul.

[Rainen89]

They are optional the only things you HAVE to do are - treaties + eamon, that's it. Everything you just complained about was an optional choice. Also Morrigan is the only romance like that if you feel the need to be emotionally coddled.

And yes, on the subject of ammunition the type you buy is not meant to be used all the time, it's simply stronger arrows/bolts for a special situation if you have no ammunition equipped you will have infinite ammo. The ones you buy simply do more damage.

Modifié par Rainen89, 20 décembre 2009 - 07:49 .

[T0paze]

Oh, man, just put things in perspective. Do you return all of the RPGs you play? Probably not. How many modern RPGs are better than Dragon Age despite all its objective or alleged faults? Two or three, at most, depending on one's opinion (the Witcher and Fallout 3 are more or less equal rivals; I'm not sure about Mass Effect). So, it it really worth it to bash the game so much?

Modifié par T0paze, 20 décembre 2009 - 08:10 .

[Darth_Trethon]

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Horribly bad idea......do not EVER expect a PC game to not be "bugged all to hell". The console versions of DAO are nearly bug free. A couple of minor issues here and there like a couple of achievements not unlocking on the 360 or showing up on XBL and the occasional difficulty mixup where a fight in a blue moon is somewhat harder than it should be but overall the game is as close to flawless as it can be and they are making a patch for the minor issues as well that is due out along with Return to Ostagar.

The best advice to give anyone is very simple: do not play games on unstable platforms like the PC that are inevitably always going to give you 10 headaches per minute.

The rest of your complaints where simple bickering like "why isn't this game exactly like that other game I liked 5 million years ago" and "why isn't this game an MMO" and so on.

Modifié par Darth_Trethon, 20 décembre 2009 - 07:49 .

[AiyanaLindari]

Seems to me, managing your own expectations would probably have made you appreciate the game a lot more. It is a new world/system after all. To be fair, there is a big chunk of the game you didn't experience since it requires multiple plays to appreciate the complexity of the characters/plot/lore. But it's perfectly alright if it isn't quite your type of game.

[Never]

I LOVE the fact that we don't label ourselves Good or Evil. The way each character reacts differently to what you choose makes the game a lot more interesting IMO. Of course sometimes I don't understand why a certain person reacts a certain way, but that's just makes it more realistic I suppose XD

[Edelwolf]

Darth_Trethon wrote...

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Horribly bad idea......do not EVER expect a PC game to not be "bugged all to hell". The console versions of DAO are nearly bug free.

Once you get past the load screen, all versions of this game are equally buggy.

[T0paze]

Edelwolf wrote...

Darth_Trethon wrote...

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Horribly bad idea......do not EVER expect a PC game to not be "bugged all to hell". The console versions of DAO are nearly bug free.

Once you get past the load screen, all versions of this game are equally buggy.

Yeah, only the PC version is also a better-looking one.

[Rainen89]

At least PC can get patched, I'm about to buy the PC version just so I can play a dex rogue.

[Never]

He also says that he bought it for Xbox.

[Darth_Trethon]

Edelwolf wrote...

Darth_Trethon wrote...

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Horribly bad idea......do not EVER expect a PC game to not be "bugged all to hell". The console versions of DAO are nearly bug free.

Once you get past the load screen, all versions of this game are equally buggy.

That is not true. I have seen about a million different reports of game breaking issues exclussive to the PC all over this forum and the spoiler forums only.....I dare not dream or the nightmares that lay in the PC support forum. Not to mention my own experience with the pitiful character creator. The word equal is as far from accurate as the ends of the gallaxy are from each other.

[Darth_Trethon]

Edelwolf wrote...

Darth_Trethon wrote...

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Horribly bad idea......do not EVER expect a PC game to not be "bugged all to hell". The console versions of DAO are nearly bug free.

Once you get past the load screen, all versions of this game are equally buggy.

That is not true. I have seen about a million different reports of game breaking issues exclussive to the PC all over this forum and the spoiler forums only.....I dare not dream or the nightmares that lay in the PC support forum. Not to mention my own experience with the pitiful character creator. The word equal is as far from accurate as the ends of the gallaxy are from each other.

After 7 complete playthroughs I have encountered 0 bugs and/or glitches that were even slightly anoying. Certainly nothing game breaking......unlike the PC wich pops 10 game breaking issues per seccond.

Modifié par Darth_Trethon, 20 décembre 2009 - 08:06 .

[LaztRezort]

Darth_Trethon wrote...

The lot of your problems can be summed up in one sentence: "Gaming on a PC"

Err...

Poyzinblud wrote...

First and foremost: I purchased this game for the Xbox 360...

I realize you are on a personal quest to destroy PC gaming, but if you don't pick your battles more intelligently, people will find it hard to take you seriously.

[Bullets McDeath]

Darth, you are not gonna get much traction for that opinion here, sorry man. Consoles may be less buggy in general, but especially as Dragon Age was developed for PC, it is undoubtedly a superior experience on a computer. Mods alone, that's all that really needs to be said! And this guy was playing on the console version anyway.

[Rainen89]

Console still has a LOT of bugs I don't know what you're talking about. To name a few...

Dex bug

Bow scaling

Daggers

Dialogue (skips briefly sometimes replaying scenes after you've completed it. IE Killing uldred 2-3 times.)

Numerous exploits, IE double selling

Selective mutism, for some reason randomly (especially when using the skip option.) the characters will lip sync but will not actually produce noise, very, very annoying.

Orzammar quests are bugged, the two in the shaperate (not the records, the other two.)

Dialogue, I've had my character referred to "she" in the epilogue 4 times so far. I've yet to play a female.

Origin confusion, many times origins (especially w/ elves.) will overlap, I've had two people ask me how the alienages were when it's well known I'm dalish.

There are a LOT of bugs, the game is great but console is not entirely bug-free. No game is.

[andybuiadh]

Is Darth_Trenton PC bashing again?



How droll.



@OP: You're entitled to your opinions, but as 99% of people here are here because they like and play this game, you're not going to get much sympathy.