Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening expansion pack. OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION & discussion *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
#1501
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 12:04
She rules!
#1502
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 12:18
arpegino wrote...
I hope Morrigan doesn't make an appearance. That way I can spend hours laughing my **** off at angry forum posts about her absence. BIOWARE FAILED ME *SOB*
QFT, Morrigan is overrated.
The trailer does not proof taking Morrigan's offer is the "cannon ending"!
We see Alistair alive in the trailer means...
1. PC or Loghain make the ultimate sacrafice.
Or
2. Trailer is made from the new Orlaisian's Warden's POV. Which doesn't say anything about the cannon ending of OC besides from Alistair lives.
Or
3. PC take Morrigan's offer.
As for "Encounter five all-new party members and an old favorite from Dragon Age: Origins"
I can't wait to meet new companions, but I have to ask, is there new romance?
Also its just me or "an old favorite from Dragon Age: Origins" sounds like player can choose from a list of importable old companions?
Or we can only have Oghren, that is okay to me, I love Oghren but Zevran will be better.
Modifié par Felene, 09 janvier 2010 - 12:55 .
#1503
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 12:25
There is only one old companion available to use in your party in the expansion.
I don't think there is any concept of a "canon ending" for the expansion, it follows then ending of your game...
There may be DEFAULT ending settings if you import a save from before the ending of the game though.
#1504
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 12:26
*** Spoilers AHEAD****
BioWare already said that your decisions will carry over, so no such thing as a canon ending. So accepting or refusing Morrigan's offer is not canon, apart from the possible final consequences for that very PC.
And they also made clear you can't choose which party member you wan't to take over, that would be an economic disaster for BioWare, they've already decided which one it will be, and we'll see sooner or later and will have to live with their choice.
#1505
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 12:40
Gnimse wrote...
Hmhm
Wynne was one of my favourite characters in DA: O
She was good, she had her moments of greatness and really in most other RPG's she would have been one of my favorite companions. She just had that motherly, perfectionist, over-philosophical style that at times plays out great but at other times just didn't make much sense. Like I said I thought she was good overall, the thing is many of the compnaions I thought were just so well thought out and so well written. Listing and ordering them from least to favorite is like listing a bunch of supermodels in the order I'd sleep with them.
#1506
Guest_Capt. Obvious_*
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:00
Guest_Capt. Obvious_*
#1507
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:02
I mean, he might be in the trailer for the same reason Alistair is in there...it doesnt mean he will return.
I dont think bioware would be that stupid to show off some huge spoilers in the first trailer.
Now im sorry if im wrong and if there is facts about Oghren being in Awakening, i havent read all the posts here so correct me if im wrong.
Anyways, I would be very dissapointed if he IS going to be in this expansion since he is NOT my favourite character at all
Also im sleepy so sorry for bad english and stuff
Modifié par pChar, 09 janvier 2010 - 01:03 .
#1508
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:09
Yes, there will only be one old companion in expansion.
But they did not state who can join and who can't.
If they did, please quote the sourse because I must have miss it.
I love Oghren, is just if there is a chance for Zevran to join, I will hold on to it.
Modifié par Felene, 09 janvier 2010 - 01:10 .
#1509
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:13
@Felene: Gaider shot that theory down, and even if he didn't it wouldn't make sense. Are you going to hire all of these voice actors, record all their dialouge, only to have the player have the ability to use one at a time. While it would be a great feature and a cool idea it just isn't pratical.
Modifié par TheMadCat, 09 janvier 2010 - 01:15 .
#1510
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:34
#1511
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:35
"Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening" to Take Fans to the Land of Amaranthine With New Party Members, Spells, Abilities and More in March 2010
Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of EA, announced today Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, the first official expansion pack to Dragon Age: Origins, the recent recipient of Spike TV's Best RPG and PC Game of 2009, IGN's Best RPG of 2009 and CNN.com's Best RPG of 2009. Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening will be available for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and PC on March 16, 2010.
Designed and written by the same team that brought you Dragon Age: Origins, the Awakening expansion pack offers a brand new area of the world to explore known as Amaranthine, featuring an epic story that will allow players to unravel the secrets of the darkspawn - and their true motivations! Players will face a range of horrific and terrifying creatures including an evolved, intelligent breed of darkspawn and other menacing creatures such as the Inferno Golem and Spectral Dragon. Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening provides exciting new ways for players to customize their heroes and party, including the ability to re-spec their character attributes, allowing even greater customization and replayability. Featuring an increased level cap, new spells, abilities, specializations and items, plus five all-new party members, players can continue their adventures from Dragon Age, or begin with a brand new party.
#1512
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:37
http://www.ea.com/ne...nsion-announced
Modifié par Ginasue, 09 janvier 2010 - 01:37 .
#1513
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:45
the only thing i am worrired about is this: if i am not on the highest available level in DA:O, will i still be able to reach the top level in DA:A. Or do i have to reach the top level in the main game in order to reach the highest level...
this has got me worried becasue on my latest playthrough when i made sure to make all of my desired choices, i only finished on level 20. and i'm hoping i still be able to reach the highest level for my character, if not there'll be trouble lol
#1514
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:54
I think somewhere it said that you could play the expac with a 17-20 character with no problem.shepheadsfoot wrote...
i hope leliana returns, after all i did get the ending where she asks to stay with me and help rebuild the grey wardens
the only thing i am worrired about is this: if i am not on the highest available level in DA:O, will i still be able to reach the top level in DA:A. Or do i have to reach the top level in the main game in order to reach the highest level...
this has got me worried becasue on my latest playthrough when i made sure to make all of my desired choices, i only finished on level 20. and i'm hoping i still be able to reach the highest level for my character, if not there'll be trouble lol
#1515
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:58
JKJEDIKNIGHT wrote...
I'll believe this oh so wonderful expansion's ability to read the 20 possible endings and 5000 decisions I made when playing DA:O and then translate it to a new game when I see it. For now, I'm just going to go on believing that there will be a cannon"ish" ending. I have a hard time believing that they have taken the time and effort to develop this expansion to run off all the possible scenarios that a person did (or didn't) do. How on earth long would it take to program something like that? If it takes this long to program and debug a "small" DLC which encompasses supposedly an hour worth of content, how can I possibly believe we'll see this expansion...........within this decade? :-p Oh I believe we'll see it, of that I'm sure, but when, and exactly how many "choices" it can follow, I am doubtful of. As I've said before, we all have to remember that BIOWARE is selling a product here, and anyone in advertising knows that you always sell your product up. Meaning you brag about the things your product does, and exagerate what it can do. I'm sure we're being led on in a small way to buy the product. I don't blame BIOWARE for this because quite frankly it's marketing and advertising. I'm just saying to you all, don't get your hopes up for it in March, and don't think that it's going to be able to comprehend ALL those little itty bitty choices you made in DA:O.
Gaider has said not all your choices are going to be translated over to Awakening, namely things that wouldn't have an impact. If you don't goto Redcliff in Awakening then there is no reason to show the choices you made at Redcliff, we're all aware of that. What has been said though is any choice you made in Origins that would effect a particular situation in Awakening would be seen. Obviously there can be varying degrees of how much is translated over, reality is they can probably get away with just the choices you made in the last few hours as those had more "global" impacts. So they don't need to account your 5000 decisions if 4,900 of them aren't needed because the situations don't require them.
You keep going back to the same ole' song saying that "It can't be done" or "It would take to long" while Bioware, the people who are actually writing and developing the expansion are not only saying it can be done but have in fact done it. Basically you're saying to believe your words over Bioware's words. If you've got proof to back up your claim bring it out, if not then I'm going to assume you're making silly and unedecuated guesses.
#1516
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 01:59
Felene wrote...
I don't think Bioware has state anything about there will be only one possible returning companion.
Yes, there will only be one old companion in expansion.
But they did not state who can join and who can't.
If they did, please quote the sourse because I must have miss it.
this thread:
http://social.biowar...47/index/553766
This post:
David Gaider wrote...
*casts Dispel Hope*Jester8183 wrote...
This. I'm not particualarly hopeful that this is come about, but damn it we can dream.
While
I'm sure it would be thrilling, having multiple companions that we
would need to write up in their entirety only to allow you to have ONE
of them would be a massive waste of resources. Considering that the
budget for an expansion is already pretty small, it's not really
feasible.
Sorry, just wearing my Expectations Management cap at the moment. ../../../images/forum/emoticons/smile.png
There is only one returning companion that you get the option to use in the expansion. We don't know who it is yet.
#1517
Guest_Capt. Obvious_*
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:02
Guest_Capt. Obvious_*
Torias wrote...
Felene wrote...
I don't think Bioware has state anything about there will be only one possible returning companion.
Yes, there will only be one old companion in expansion.
But they did not state who can join and who can't.
If they did, please quote the sourse because I must have miss it.
this thread:
http://social.biowar...47/index/553766
This post:David Gaider wrote...
*casts Dispel Hope*Jester8183 wrote...
This. I'm not particualarly hopeful that this is come about, but damn it we can dream.
While
I'm sure it would be thrilling, having multiple companions that we
would need to write up in their entirety only to allow you to have ONE
of them would be a massive waste of resources. Considering that the
budget for an expansion is already pretty small, it's not really
feasible.
Sorry, just wearing my Expectations Management cap at the moment. ../../../images/forum/emoticons/smile.png
There is only one returning companion that you get the option to use in the expansion. We don't know who it is yet.
Wait, so you can pick out of the 10 companions that you had in Origins?
#1518
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:03
#1519
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:06
Three page interview about Awakening. I'm really excite, DA was magnificent and I think it's going to be even better. Enjoy!
Modifié par warchanter, 09 janvier 2010 - 02:07 .
#1520
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:06
#1521
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:07
Besides it would be rather lame to bring morrigan back if the player was a female for obvious reasons, an example? there would be no baby between the two of you, no romance and hardly what I would call a friendship.
Just my thoughts on the matter but there you have it.
Modifié par Gorebolte, 09 janvier 2010 - 02:14 .
#1522
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:07
Anyways, can't wait for this! I am driving my mother nuts about pre-ordering it >:3
Edit: and the thing with Morrigan: she's gone...deal
Modifié par Ex-Paladin, 09 janvier 2010 - 02:09 .
#1523
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:09
Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening Q&AJanuary 6, 2010 -
Yesterday, BioWare and Electronic Arts announced Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening,
the first expansion pack to the critically acclaimed RPG. Set after the
events of Origins, players will face new threats to the land as they
attempt to recruit new party members to rebuild the fabled Grey Warden
order. Packed with a ton of new features -- including new party
members, specializations and a larger level cap -- Awakening should
draw players right back to the realm of Ferelden.
IGN spoke with Fernando Melo, the Online Producer of the upcoming
expansion pack, to get a little more insight about Awakening. Along
with a few story and character details, we also managed to get some
additional information about the recently delayed Return to Ostagar DLC.
IGN: Awakening takes place after the events of Origins. How much
time has passed before the expansion takes place? How does it fit in
with the existing game and how do players access its content?
Fernando Melo: Several months have passed since the end of
Origins, or more correctly, the end of the Blight, which is the game's
focus for Origins. You are sort of thrust forward as the new Grey
Warden Commander in the land. You are given an area of the world which
we haven't explored previously called Amaranthine in the north of
Ferelden. Basically, there are lots of things that have been happening
there, lots of rumors; again, the Blight has just ended, so
communication is still very poor -- people are still not really
travelling the roads that much, etc. They're kind of sending you up
there to figure out what's going on and also to give the Grey Wardens
their rightful place back into the world based on what they've just
done.
So, you basically arrive there, start to hear rumors and discover
what's going on. We'll cover more of the back story later, but you
discover that the Darkspawn have not gone back underground as has
happened in previous Blights. Something else is keeping them out. You
also hear about something a little more sinister: smarter, thinking,
talking Darkspawn, which had never been seen before. There are some
really good, very subtle connections with David Gaider's second book,
The Calling, where he references the character of the Architect. That's
kind of going to be your nemesis in Awakening. There are no spoilers or
anything like that in the book -- you can read a little bit about the
background of the character and what makes him tick. You'll be a little
bit more familiar about the Architect, but it won't spoil anything for
the game.
In terms of stepping back from the user's experience, you can start
your new campaign in Awakening from scratch, in which case you go
through character creation. You actually arrive as an Orlesian Grey
Warden Commander. It's not the same depth of something like an origin
story, but there is a brand new beginning to the campaign there, and
then you're thrust into the tale. Because Awakening does level you up,
and is set to take characters that have completed Origins, we're really
raising the level cap above the 20s. What we do is basically create a
new character for you that's at a suitable level somewhere between 17
and 20 -- we're still doing the final balancing pass for that. So
during your character creation, you'll actually have more points to
spend, and a lot of new spells and abilities to pick from.
You also have the option to import your character from Origins
through loading a saved game, and that can be done at any time. You
actually don't need to have completed Origins to jump into Awakening,
but it is a one way process. Once you make the jump to fast forward
that amount of time, you effectively end that Origins campaign and you
begin the Awakening campaign with that character. You can always go
back to your Origins save and continue that separately, but once you go
into Awakening, because of the level up and the time passage, there is
no coming back to Origins at that point.
IGN: Speaking of the level cap, can you tell us what the new level cap will be raised to?
Fernando Melo:We can't because we're still balancing it. You
will probably end up in the mid to high 30s -- that's kind of the
current thinking, but that may still change.
IGN: Are you approaching story or game mechanics differently based on the reception of the original game?
Fernando Melo: The entire story is based on a new plot, and you
have new followers, which you'll have to discover what makes them go
and how to keep them going. One of the best things that was
well-received from Origins was the follower banter and how you
micromanage them at times. So you're going to have a lot more of that.
But one of the things that we wanted to do with Dragon Age as a
franchise is that it's all based on choices and consequences. So there
is a lot of reactivity to things that you've done in Origins if you
choose to import that character. Of course, that will depend on the
decisions you made and at what point you're importing them into
Awakening. For instance, if you're coming from the end game save, then
there's going to be a lot more reactivity, including [Spoilers Ahead!]
right down to the very choices of how the Archdemon was defeated and
who you put on the throne and all that kind of stuff -- hopefully
that's not going to spoil it for you! If you choose to import from a
much earlier point, then there may not be as much reactivity, but
you'll hear about certain rumors.
For example, if you choose the brand new story of the Orlesian
commander, in some cases, you actually come across cameos of some of
your followers. You'll kind of hear about the tales of what happened
and how something did or didn't happen, etc. If you ever go back to
Origins to replay that, you'll see a different perspective as to what
happened there, which is kind of neat. But really it's all about
unveiling a brand new chapter in the tapestry of Dragon Age, where it's
a brand new area. It has its own creatures, it has its own mythos
around that area and things that are happening there, and there's a lot
to explore. Much like with Origins, there are a lot of different
options that you can take there. It's really more about enriching the
overall game world as opposed to reactivity to Origins. There's some of
that, but really the focus is on our brand new story.
IGN: Let me follow that up with a two part question: will there
be any further expansion on the origins of an imported character? For
example, if I played as a human noble, will I return to Highever or
interact with characters from my past? On the other hand, if you choose
the Orlesian commander, will they instantly have a connection with
Leliana, since she's from Orlais?
Fernando Melo: In regards to your first example, you will have
some connection to the fact that you were a noble. I'll leave that very
vague so I don't spoil anything, but basically because you now have
ownership of this area of the world, there is a feudal hierarchy that
will take place. You'll see nobles come to you, etc, so there is
already some recognition of the fact that you're coming from noble
blood there, as opposed to if you're a commoner or from one of the
other races. There's already some tension there even though they
respect your position and rule.
With regards to things like Leliana; again, there are some cameos
-- there is one party member that returns that can join your party and
continue on. I think we're trying to keep that under wraps until a
little bit closer to launch though.
IGN: Awakening will also feature new party members. Is there anything you can tell us about them?
Fernando: Melo: We're going to keep most of the details under
wraps so we can unveil them, but their writing comes from the same
folks that wrote Origins. Very interesting personalities all over again
-- it seems that's what we thrive on, and personally, I really enjoy
the party members in Awakening a lot more. You have everything from
foil characters that are there for comic relief and banter all the way
to characters that have more sexual tension with other party members.
It's kind of humorous to follow their attempts. There's definitely
going to be a lot of richness to the characters you meet.
Even
though there are some similarities in terms of personalities to some of
the Origins followers, they're all very different at the same time. I
think it'll be very interesting to see. Originally when you meet some
of the characters, because of their personalities, you may be
predisposed to think: "this is an Alistair-character or this is a
Sten-character." You'll be kind of surprised later on when it doesn't
actually turn out like that. I think that the key is they are
definitely as rich, or more so, in some cases, than the Origin
characters.
IGN: One of the things mentioned in the press release was the option
to re-spec characters. Can you tell us a bit more about that feature?
Is there a story context for this, or is it just available once you
import your character?
Fernando Melo: One of the things that we recognized is that you
could be coming in to Awakening having completed Origins, or very early
at any point in Origins and artificially leveled up. There's a lot of
new spells, new specializations, new talents, and one of the things is
that there will be new chains and extensions to some of them. We
recognized that some people could get cornered because of the points
they've already been spending and won't have access to the new
specializations, etc. So one of the things we wanted to do is give you
the ability to basically force a re-spec of the character where you
could re-spend all your points. Everything from attribute points all
the way to your skills, talents, spells and specializations. So if you
wanted to, you could basically redesign your character.
You don't lose your plot data from Origins, in terms of your
experience and you get that reactivity, if that's what you want, out of
Awakening. But you have a much easier time of trying out a lot of the
new spells and abilities without having to go back to start a character
with a blank slate, such as the Orlesian commander, or having to replay
most of Origins -- which is massive -- to win some of that back. In
terms of the mechanic itself, you do get it when you do your import,
but there's also something similar to the tomes that give you a skill
or talent point where you'll use an item and force a level up
notification. When you click on that, your points are unspent and you
can now re-spend them all. It's fairly basic; the tome itself does have
a little bit of lore to it, but there isn't a story or quest attached
to it. It's basically there for you to use at any point in your
Awakening adventure.
IGN: Can you tell us anything about the new monsters, like the Inferno Golem and the Spectral Dragon?
Fernando Melo: Similar to the characters, we'll be rolling
out more details about the creatures. As I mentioned earlier, there's a
host of brand new creatures. If you look at the box shot [of
Awakening], it's similar to Origins where you had the blood red dragon
on white, and then within that was some imagery. The imagery for
Awakening is a brand new creature called The Children, which we haven't
really talked about yet. I think it'll be a really, really interesting
creature for people to meet. We have the spectral dragon, which I
believe is in the trailer as well, and the golem, which we've talked a
little bit about. there's a host of brand new creatures that the team
has been working on, along with full new animations for killing them.
So I think it'll be a really, really good pay off, and of course,
there's a lot of existing creatures. Plus, there is the Architect and
some of the new Darkspawn as well.
IGN: How large is the expansion in terms of memory? Are you
offering it as a download item for people that bought digital copies,
or is it solely available as a retail disc version?
Fernando Melo: There will be both retail and download versions
of it. It is by far the biggest expansion that we'll be releasing. I
can't talk about the number of hours at this point, but in general, you
can definitely expect a lot of gameplay. I don't think we know how to
make games differently. Even without the replayability, I think it's
safe to say that it's larger than pretty much any downloadable content
out there. I think we need to treat it a lot more like a traditional
retail expansion, which is really what it is -- it'll just have a
downloadable version as well. But it'll be fairly massive. It'll be
bigger than most retail games.
IGN: Origins has been supported by a large amount of DLC from
launch. The most recent of which, Return to Ostagar, has been delayed
until the end of January at the earliest. Is there any explanation as
to why the delay occurred? Is it solely to release the DLC for all
three platforms at the same time, or was there another issue?
Fernando Melo:No, it has nothing to do with platforms
themselves. It's a quality issue where, literally, at the last minute,
we spotted something that had made it through our own testing, EA's
testing and was at Microsoft already. But it applies to all three
platforms; it wasn't something specific to Microsoft, we just happened
to catch it there first. We probably could have gone with it, but it's
something that was serious enough that we felt it impacted the quality
[of the DLC] and we made the choice to delay it to give our fans the
best experience with it. That was the reason behind [the delay] -- we
want to make sure that we don't cut any corners when we do the DLC.
There's already a lot of content out, there's a lot more coming -- we
just announced the expansion pack, and there's more coming after that.
I think the worst thing we could do after that is do anything "to
poison the well," to use the expression, or put fans off from feeling
that they're getting the best content from us. It's a long term
decision instead of a short term decision.
IGN:
Can you tell us more details about the Ostagar DLC? Players will
remember that Cailan fell there during a memorable battle. What will
players discover in the DLC?
Fernando Melo: The real win for Return to Ostagar will come from
some of the replayability. All of the party members will react
differently. Not to spoil anything, but you will come across the king's
body, of course -- you are there to recover his items and things, and
your party all react differently to what's going on. The area has been
infested with Darkspawn, so there are some very cool fights there. We
also kind of hinted at it in the trailer -- you do run into the actual
ogre that killed the king and potentially killed your mentor as well.
In terms of emotional storytelling, it's actually very, very rich from
that perspective, and it's something that I'm really looking forward to
seeing fan reaction and hearing which party members they decided to
take with them, as well as what they thought of some of the reactions
they came across.
IGN: Is there anything else that you'd like to say to fans?
Fernando Melo:I think in terms of Awakening itself, it is going
to be fairly huge. I don't think that we know how to make games any
differently, so the expansion is no different. I think people will be
really pleased with the richness of the characters that are going to be
in there, especially with looking at the forum feedback, which we're
always paying attention to. So far on the forums, that seems to be a
really high point for people that they love. There are all the new
creatures as well, and I think the fact that it's a brand new area with
all geography and climates and stuff to deal with -- I think it's going
to be an amazing package.
In terms of Return to Ostagar, like we talked about: yes, there's a
delay there, but I think it was the right one to make sure that the
quality was good. It's more to do with the long term view that we have
a lot more coming and we don't want to do anything short term that
would put people off. That's never a good decision in our mind.
IGN: Thanks for your time.
Modifié par warchanter, 09 janvier 2010 - 02:12 .
#1524
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:11
JKJEDIKNIGHT wrote...
I'm saying they are selling a product. And when you sell a product you exagerate the product's capabilities. Ever heard of Billy Mays? He made a living out of exagerating products. Do you really think Mighty Putty or some other product you see on an infomercial is as wonderful as it's portrayed to be? You must also believe every word a politician says too :-p
I trust people and companies who have earned my trust. After dealing with Bioware for 10 years or so they have earned my trust. Can you cite a consistent history of lies and exaggerations from Bioware in their marketing? Don't bring in game hours, that is extremely subjective but go ahead and show me what you can bring up.
I haven't read all 61 pages of this, so excuse me if it's already been
answered. If we want to continue with our original character do we have
to have the final (epilogue) save in order to do this?../../../../images/forum/emoticons/wondering.png
You can import your character from any point in the game. However decisions that your character did not make that would have an impact in Awakening would goto a canon choice if I remember correctly.
Modifié par TheMadCat, 09 janvier 2010 - 02:14 .
#1525
Posté 09 janvier 2010 - 02:16





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