I imported my female noble warrior from Origin. Other than appearing naked from the import I moved forward (won't digress into that here).
Oghren returns to join the Awakening cast. I had his influence at +100 (Loyal/Friend) in Origin, yet in Awakening he starts over at 0. Attempting to earn back his favor at the options provided I was only (at most) able to get him to 69 (Warm) by the end of it. I was unable to complete his Companion line because he never gave me a dialog option after the quest became available. It made mention to he would confide in you at X moment. The gifts allocated in Awakening alone do not allow for you to carry him to that threshold. Since I was a duel wield warrior I had no need to carry him with me throughout the game.
Valanna joined next (to kept my progression choices clear but to remain vague to people who haven't played yet). She was in the same boat by the end, but her quest was different and didn't impact in the way Oghren's did.
Justice joined next. When he joined my party he immediately had +100 loyalty (Neutral). I found this to be a rather strange bug considering there were obvious gifts meant to be given to him to gain his approval. As soon as I returned to the keep, his companion line quest became available by the NPC being there. I went to the general location of his companion quest and I never found the entrance. I still haven't found it. I may attribute this to the bug that I didn't gain his trust but it was defaulted to me.
Sigrun was my final addition. Sigrun also joined with +100 loyalty (Neutral). I could not complete her companion line because Ithe game did not allow me to. I had already completed the main plot points (the one she was involved in to recruit her being my last plot quest completed) so the NPC in the Keep who would normally allow her companion line to trigger refused to give me option.
In retrospect I should have done Sigrun's plot line before Justice's but at the same time... I shouldn't have to plan that way.
As a result of Sig and Justice being at 100 already I dumped every gift onto Oghren and was still unable to do his companion line.
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Certain events that occurred in the keep after completing plot points did not match quest log completion logs. In explanation you have a choice to become aggressive or not. I elected to chose the non-aggressive path, however the game interpreted to be the aggressive path causing a battle to ensue HOWEVER when the quest log updated it stated that I chose the peaceful path.
Along those same lines when presented with 3 scenarios stories in the keep (at the same time) the options you choose in the dialog do not match with the options recorded in the quest log. Again I chose the peaceful path(s), but the quest log recorded that I chose the aggressive path. Impact to game-play seemed to be minimal, but it removed any sense of merit to anything I chose rolling forward since the game was apparently capturing it incorrectly.
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The lack of runes threw me off. In further explanation all that the new runecrafting ability did was necessitate a time and money sink. In Origins I had more runes than I knew what to do with albiet vendoring them and even donating them to the Circle in my camp. In Awakenings, you have all this gear that has so many rune slots, but there was only one place in the entering Awakenings campaign that dropped any (and I got three of them total). Additionally the merchants did not sell them (with the exception of one merchant who sold novice runes for the intent of using your Runecrafting skill).
I found that to be a drastic about face from Origins. I was excited at the concept of Runemaking being an option, but not a requirement. I liked the option to craft to get better items, but I don't like it being the sole option available. I found it even more displeasing that the vendor that sold the crafting items was in camp and I put the Runecrafting on Sigrun... so I would have to run out of camp, craft, go back in buy more, run out craft.
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In Origin, the acquisition of the alternate class specializations was a task in some way shape or form with only Ranger being store bought. I was pretty disheartened to see that all of the new specializations (and even the old ones I never acquired in Origin) were all purchasable from vendors for gold. (Far be it from me to question the ability of a human mage to learn the Keeper specialization lore wise as well).
There could have been more depth to that. Sig obviously had one trait, Val had another, and Justice could have guardian. Those three characters could have (through dialogue choices) eventually trained you in that specialization if you had the right loyalty. (i'd even venture to say that Nathaniel could have Shadow because of the plot lines and Anders could have been the battle mage (given his plot lines). That would just leave the other warrior one as the one needing to be purchased.
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At "camp" you can't talk to your party members? This was a huge detraction from Origin. A huge detraction from Bioware in general. I would always run around and speak to them to see if I gained anything new. I did not feel the slightest attachment to the characters in Awakening as I did in Origin.
On that note the party side banter kept looping. It kept repeating the same conversation between Anders and Val... and Val and Nathaniel... etc etc. not the same topic... the same exact conversation points they had in the previous banter. :/ I used to shift my party make up in Origin ALL THE TIME and run across that stupid bridge in Lothering or the one in the dwarf zone to the Proving just to keep hearing all the side banter and never ONCE did those characters repeat the same banter. It had depth and development (like Shale and Lelianna's come to terms and Allistar and Wyrenn's conversation about Allistar's relationship with my female warrior). The characters in Origin developed depth with your character, with themselves, and around your choices. Awakening did not have this feeling at all (and to be honest... that what makes a Bioware game to me).
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Lilith the NPC never left. She always stood in that spot. When she did leave after our dialog, relog the zone and she's be back in the spot as well. Repeat her dialogue and she leaves again. Zone out... she's there ad nauseum. This was in contrast to the other NPC who just remained there but did not actually allow you to trade with him (despite being able to earlier in the game at his original post).
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Broken mobs named Animated Dead you engaged them only by choosing the plot point to search for survivors (again being vague no spoilers here).
I don't have fraps, but here's three screen shots taken at once.
http://img204.images...10031820355.jpg
http://img188.images...10031820354.jpg
http://img535.images...10031820354.jpg
All they did was stand there. I was still able to progress that plot point, but I had to drag all 4 toons completely away from that area to the other side of the map. Needless to say buggy content. Admittedly this was the ONLY buggy content I came across. Those mobs didn't animate or move. They didn't take damage or do damage.
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No "reset" option on the stone/fire puzzle in the Wending Woods. I left it abandoned because I couldn't retrace my steps backwards. Zoned out and completed a side quest in another area to come back to see if it reset. No dice. Admittedly a side distraction that might have led to a weapon or maybe a mob to spawn, but still frustrating :/
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Overall what my main disappointment was in Awakening was the lack of party conversation options. Bioware, you guys own the adventure/story telling aspect. From KotRO, to ME1/2, DA:O, (which is what I've played) I loved the time sinks of running around your ship or your camp and interacting with your party members. That was the utmost biggest disappointment for me with DA:A. The lack of that conversation... that's what you are known for... guilting me into not wanting to make certain characters mad, upset or angry... that's what is exciting me for Star Wars: The Old Republic. I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I'm a Bioware fan and the way ya'll design adventure games.
If it were a standalone product I'd probably enjoy it. Let me rephrase... if Awakening came out first and then Origin followed it up you'd have set yourselves up for success. This was slight dismay to be honest. I understood the plot (while creative... and enraging at moments) I caught the drift and everything else. You could argue it's hard to follow-up DA:O... but many people argued that ya'll wouldn't be able to top ME... and then you did ME2.
If Awakening wasn't ready... we shouldn't be playing it. Other than that, I look forward to what lies on the horizon. I'm loyal to ya Bioware, but you gotta make sure to capture that depth that makes me want to get to know my characters... Awakening cut me off from that right after the Prologue. You hooked me in KotRO... you hooked me in ME... you hooked me in ME2... you hooked me in DA:O... DA:A was a miss in that regard.
Kind regards,
Sardoni
Modifié par Sardonii, 19 mars 2010 - 06:36 .
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