Lol, all I did was watch the vid, pause at certain points and take a screenshot. Much less effort on my part lol
I've always found that pausing at the right moment is a hell of a lot harder than just going frame by frame to get the exact millisecond I need.
@tomorrowstation: Yeah, same way DA2 did it. They made that change so Mage's where tied in the same manner as Warrior and Rogues to their equipment. It's a bit of a bummer but the new crafting system should alleviate the issue you have with visual vs power. Considering we get to pick (as an example) sword, hilt and handle model separately and pick materials for all of it that change the texture/colors used on the item.
Basically lego-up your favorite staff, use best materials, have best dmg and stats tailored to your character with a visual you like. Problem solved. 
That crafting menu BW shown in Gamescom demo didn't even hint at anything like that. There were 5 slots, into which presenter put different materials to get specific properties. 4 of which we saw named as Base, Attack, Defence and Utility. It's possible that yet unnamed 5th slot has something to do with appearance, but it's not yet confirmed.@tomorrowstation: Yeah, same way DA2 did it. They made that change so Mage's where tied in the same manner as Warrior and Rogues to their equipment. It's a bit of a bummer but the new crafting system should alleviate the issue you have with visual vs power. Considering we get to pick (as an example) sword, hilt and handle model separately and pick materials for all of it that change the texture/colors used on the item.
Basically lego-up your favorite staff, use best materials, have best dmg and stats tailored to your character with a visual you like. Problem solved.
Something interesting in the 2H trees. One of the passive abilities is based on active ability from DAO: Shield-break is like if Sunder Armor was applied on all your critical hit.
Adding the upgrades to the OP, thanks again rex.
@LexXxich : So I had this whole long winded thing saying that was all part of an interview and then I remembered in QnA they mentioned templates. So, I'm re-writing this. After the QnA I do not think you select model pieces like NWN and lego it. Based off the 'getting to pick blade, hilt and handle' remark with the template remark from QnA I have a feeling it'll work like this.
You select a full model such as an Elven curved blade or one of like 5 longsword models, or whatever you favorite looking sword 'model' is. Then that's split up into Blade, Hilt and Handle (maybe also pommel) and that's where the material slots come into play. For instance Steel or Dragon Bone for the blade. Same for the hilt, leather from animals or leather from a Wyvern or Drake for the handle. That would ultimately determine the 'texture' and color tint of the item your crafting.
That would, to me, make the most sense combining the 2 information tidbits. You pick your favorite model, then use the materials of your choice to get your desired effect and that has an effect on its visuals. As an aside, I believe it was Mike Laidlaw, who mentioned that in the E3 demo video we got the fur on the shoulders was only there in that crafted armor because they used wool in the creation of it. I'd imagine if you used something else that little frill wouldn't exist but the overall 'template' would remain the same.
-edit-
Hey I still managed to remain long winded. Suck it efficiency!
Guest_IceQuinn_*
So. Here we have Solas using what seems to be DA:I's version of Mind Blast - the fingers to temples animation + flash FX on the forehead area; cohesive with DA2's look & very typical of mind powers - all pointing to Mind Blast. So far, so awesome. The sFX of this latest version of the spell got me thinking, though:
In previous games they've used either that "invisible"/air ripple (love it) or a slight translucent purple/pink-ish effect to represent most of these spells (Barrier, Crushing Prison... etc). Here it appears similar to "Fade" magic in DAI; that green-ish sorta energy we've seen about a lot. The school's (Spirit) icon is also green, as well as some of its spell icons (i.e Heal,Dispel and/or whatever).
I haven't spotted Barrier being used in any of the videos - but, if this time around it's tinted green, unlike in the previous games - I'm inclined to believe that the Rift Mage spec could have at least a few similar spells - and in ways, might be similar to DA2's Force spec. Basically, any "generic" (not in a bad way), non-specific or non-elemental magic might have this similar "Fade" green look. It also suggests they're further trying to distinguish each school/tree aesthetically even. Purple i.e might be reserved/maybe almost exclusive to Lightning and we'll be able to tell what's what right away. Fire & Ice, goes without saying. And so forth...
I just wrote a lot and realize this could be SO much shorter, lol. 
Still. Am I'm making any sense???
So. Here we have Solas using what seems to be DA:I's version of Mind Blast - the fingers to temples animation + flash FX on the forehead area; cohesive with DA2's look & very typical of mind powers - all pointing to Mind Blast. So far, so awesome. The sFX of this latest version of the spell got me thinking, though:
In previous games they've used either that "invisible"/air ripple (love it) or a slight translucent purple/pink-ish effect to represent most of these spells (Barrier, Crushing Prison... etc). Here it appears similar to "Fade" magic in DAI; that green-ish sorta energy we've seen about a lot. The school's (Spirit) icon is also green, as well as some of its spell icons (i.e Heal,Dispel and/or whatever).
I haven't spotted Barrier being used in any of the videos - but, if this time around it's tinted green, unlike in the previous games - I'm inclined to believe that the Rift Mage spec could have at least a few similar spells - and in ways, might be similar to DA2's Force spec. Basically, any "generic" (not in a bad way), non-specific or non-elemental magic might have this similar "Fade" green look. It also suggests they're further trying to distinguish each school/tree aesthetically even. Purple i.e might be reserved/maybe almost exclusive to Lightning and we'll be able to tell what's what right away. Fire & Ice, goes without saying. And so forth...
I just wrote a lot and realize this could be SO much shorter, lol.
Solas does cast Barrier in this demo, and Dorian does in the E3 one. You can tell if you watch the abilities to see them under cooldown. And despite pausing repeatedly, I CANNOT discern what it looks like. As far as I know, there is no visual effect for Barrier (which seems weird). Maybe it's not in the game yet.
Guest_IceQuinn_*
Solas does cast Barrier in this demo, and Dorian does in the E3 one. You can tell if you watch the abilities to see them under cooldown. And despite pausing repeatedly, I CANNOT discern what it looks like. As far as I know, there is no visual effect for Barrier (which seems weird). Maybe it's not in the game yet.
The second time Solas uses Barrier (boss) it's nowhere to be seen (he's out of frame and it was not cast on any visible party members).
The first time, upon further inspection; you can definitely see he has Barrier cast, protecting both Blackwall and himself (I'm guessing its upggraded AoE version). In the same translucent shifting "Fade-y" green-blue energy. It looks extremely cool. Check the animation out, seems as though he's cast and is sustaining/holding the AoE bubble around them. Very, very nice touch; and I'm now obsessed with Barrier. 
And I just might be on to something with my previous post, after all...
The second time Solas uses Barrier (boss) it's nowhere to be seen (he's out of frame and it was not cast on any visible party members).
The first time, upon further inspection; you can definitely see he has Barrier cast, protecting both Blackwall and himself (I'm guessing its upggraded AoE version). In the same translucent shifting "Fade-y" green-blue energy. It looks extremely cool. Check the animation out, seems as though he's cast and is sustaining/holding the AoE bubble around them. Very, very nice touch; and I'm now obsessed with Barrier.
And I just might be on to something with my previous post, after all...
Really? I just watched again, and assuming you mean the fight after Static Cage is first shown (once they go through the gate), I can't see it at ALL. I see bluish mist from Solas' basic attacks, but that's it.
Guest_IceQuinn_*
Really? I just watched again, and assuming you mean the fight after Static Cage is first shown (once they go through the gate), I can't see it at ALL. I see bluish mist from Solas' basic attacks, but that's it.
He casts it around 2:17 - around 2:28 you see it in full effect until +-2:30, when he drops it to fight.
So I watched him cast it, Static Cage is the second active spell on the right in this tree.
That means three of the spells in this tree are lightning spells and then we have what I assume is Stonefist on the top right and Haste at the bottom (which doesn't fit at all).
Why not just call this one Primal? Other than haste it's all primal spells anyway.
IIRC, the spell "Lightning Bolt" that Solas used is the third spell going downwards on the left half of the tree, the one with the thundercloud.
So I watched him cast it, Static Cage is the second active spell on the right in this tree.
That means three of the spells in this tree are lightning spells and then we have what I assume is Stonefist on the top right and Haste at the bottom (which doesn't fit at all).
Why not just call this one Primal? Other than haste it's all primal spells anyway.
Primal and entropy being related... Hm. Now I'm thinking of a build I've never done before in DA2, an entropy and primal specialized build. That could be quite fun. I've done primal and spirit together before, but never primal paired with entropy.
Why not just call this one Primal? Other than haste it's all primal spells anyway.
I can't see it clearly—is that really the symbol for Stonefist in the upper right?
Anyway, I'm still grumpy about the change of "Primal" from DAO to DA2. I don't see why earth and lightning have to coexist, especially if fire and ice are separate. Back in my day we didn't have this "Elemental" nonsense, it was just simple and Primal, etc, etc
<getoffmylawn.gif>
I kinda wonder what they'll actually call it. Can't see them calling it Entropy. Kinda curious what those passives will be if it's mostly lightning and earth.
Guest_IceQuinn_*
So I watched him cast it, Static Cage is the second active spell on the right in this tree.
That means three of the spells in this tree are lightning spells and then we have what I assume is Stonefist on the top right and Haste at the bottom (which doesn't fit at all).
Why not just call this one Primal? Other than haste it's all primal spells anyway.
Ikr? Kinda wish this isn't final (why no description?). Make almost no sense, considering the majority of these spells (this completely at face value though and y'know how that usually goes...)
From DA2:
Primal: "The mage commands earth and sky."
Entropy: "The mage delves into the chaotic nature of the Fade, twisting the fabric of probability and ensnaring foes with horrifying visions."
And then we have Necromancer, which, IMO, would better accommodate entropic spells - as we knew them, anyhow. O.o
Unless they're going w/ like a havoc/chaos/disorder/probability/energy management kinda concept at large - something like that- still feels like a stretch and very much like "the Lightning tree". Maybe due history with the game and these magic schools. I dunno... stranger things have happened, I guess. Plenty of new, crazy amazing stuff I'm looking forward to. So. I'mma trust them with this, as well (as if I had a choice, lol)
I can't see it clearly—is that really the symbol for Stonefist in the upper right?
Anyway, I'm still grumpy about the change of "Primal" from DAO to DA2. I don't see why earth and lightning have to coexist, especially if fire and ice are separate. Back in my day we didn't have this "Elemental" nonsense, it was just simple and Primal, etc, etc
<getoffmylawn.gif>
This made me laugh. Although I'd like to ask, since I'm pretty new at RPG games and really only have DAO and DA2 as my metrics, but is the combination of "Primal" and "Elemental" magics the way they did in DA2 that unusual in games with magic? I thought it was neat, but I'm pretty sure I was biased by the fact that so many of the cross-combos were in Primal and Elemental trees.
I can't see it clearly—is that really the symbol for Stonefist in the upper right?
Anyway, I'm still grumpy about the change of "Primal" from DAO to DA2. I don't see why earth and lightning have to coexist, especially if fire and ice are separate. Back in my day we didn't have this "Elemental" nonsense, it was just simple and Primal, etc, etc
<getoffmylawn.gif>
I don't think it's Stonefist. The Stonefist icon looks the same as always, but yellow (we see it a bunch in the E3 demo). That looks more like Grease to me from Origins (and it looks like the Creation tree).
@TheGusWho : Not unusual, no, but it depends on the world. And even then it depends on exactly what you mean by it. In most DnD worlds magic is heavily segmented by schools none of which are elemental based. They're the schools are based off how the spell works from a fundamental law of how magic works. Evocation, for instance is creating something from nothing. That can be a magic missile (magic dmg bolt, or multi-bolts), a Fireball, a Shield of force that deflects attacks. Conjuration is the practice of summoning a 'thing' from another place. That maybe from your plane of existence, it maybe from another plane. Acid Arrow, for instance conjures up a bolt of acid (not really an 'arrow' or physical object) and flings it forward. A lot of acid spells are often conjuration as it pulls the acid from plane of acid (an inner plane - that's for another conversation ). Abjuration is magic that interferes with other magic, often protective, dispell is an offensive example of it. Enchantment is kinda what it sounds like. There's 8 in total so I'll stop there lol.
Anyway in Dragon Age there aren't actual schools of catagories like that. They don't really 'exist' as a fundamental law in the world. In DnD terms the vast majority of DAO spells would end up falling under evocation, with a small few falling under abjuration or alteration. Basically in Dragon Age universe spells are all creating something from nothing. Manifestations of force like Evocation though some exist to counteract that would end up being Alteration, shapeshifting would be alteration. Anything that boosts your physical form in some would be actually.
Some other RPG's end up doing stuff more in the concept of an energy such as Fire being it's own discipline or something. That said it does make some sense in DA to have like a fire spell progression. Learn how to make fire, then learn to control making larger fire and have it explode. Learn how to make A LOT of different exploding fire things that rain down from the sky. But in the end it's all the same to lightning or cold. Your just learning how to make a different element.
Guest_IceQuinn_*
More on Barrier (by Dorian, this time around, much better view), from E3's Redcliffe demo:
Same animation as Solas', subtle FX, but still visibly the same Fade-ish blue-green tint, unlike the purple-pink from previous games. Also: forget I said "bubble" - that's incorrect when AoE is the better term - it only seems like they're sorta "projecting" this field around them during the animation, which is quite fast - whereas with Solas, the PC had Tactical view on, and then resumed - almost as though Solas was holding that "pose" for longer when it's not the case - my bad, I misspoke.
Think: less Biotic Specialist's bubble in ME2 and more ME3's Barrier - after it is cast, the affected chars will have this (again, nor purple or bubble) blue-green, glowy, energy flowing on their bodies.
The color-scheme point stands, and if true; what that might tell us about the Rift Mage spec? 
Examples of Barrier's sFX on the characters:
"Barrier fades. Beauty, and by beauty I mean my glorious mustache, is forever." - Dorian
Nice IceQuinn, I always kinda felt like that blue-stuff was linked to some kinda protective spell. And it is probably linked to the blue surrounding graphic health bars get. That's some fine GIF work, and I aint talkin' 'bout no peanut butter (though some PBnJ sandwhichs sounds good).
MARK OF THE RIFT - BANISHES DEMONS.
I'm curious about the spell that has an icon like a slanting record button.
I hope they at least change the name we know what Entropy is and it's not lightning spells.
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