Is Dragon Age worth the hype?

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At least judging from the screenshots in the games magazines, it looks like they have retained the 'isometric viewpoint'. That is one of my biggest worries put to rest.

You also get 1-4 others trucking along with you. One more box ticked.

It's Bioware....another plus.

Talk is about emphasising a deep storyline....now I'm getting excited.

I will probably break (my own) tradition and actually buy this game in the first week it comes out. Goodbye world for weeks (or better, months).

 

Well, the view is adjustable, kind of like NWN2, only you can zoom out to a far more isometric perspective than you ever could in NWN2. I'm also not sure if the camera will be autofixed on the active character, or if it will be free like it was in the BG series. I'm hoping free, but I kinda doubt it.

Yes, you get a party of up to 4, including the PC, and can apparently actually control them as individuals or as groups, adjust their AI, and hopefully give them commands that are not completely ignored the moment you let go of them (HUGE problem in NWN2).

I'm hoping the story line will be as deep and imersive as they're painting it now, and it's looking good so far, but I'm not sure.

 

They did brag about nwn 1 alot too, before it came out. I remember in the trailer for the game, they promised to let you use your BG2 character in nwn. Wich was the sole reason why I bought it. So basically they tricked me into buying it, hehe.

 

Amen brother!

Remember when game reviewers went nuts for the original NWN, saying how much it's awesome and how you would loose your job, (boy)girlfriend, life ?
On top of that a couple years later most of them stated that in retrospect NWN 1 was probably the most over-hyped game ever. Well maybe not as over-hyped as Daikatana but c'mon that game is in another category.

So, yeah, I'll wait. And, yes, I am cynical

 

I have the feeling that the graphics will be handled well, and that they won't overshadow the rest of the game. In fact, I think we will be talking about how a Baldur's Gate I/II remake using DAO's graphical approach would be awesome.

My biggest concern is that the game will be phenomenally short.

So much has been put into the other elements of game design, including all the world building and the combat/character system--the parts of the game that I feel excited about at the moment--that I believe the story is going to get the shaft.

My Baldur's Gate playthroughs ran 60+ hours when I was first exploring the game world: uncovering and clearing the maps, talking to all the NPCs I could find, etc. That's like two weeks worth of playing through the game. Not only are the BG games great, but I felt like I was getting my money's worth. Newer games tend to be completable in a few sittings. You pay $40 for something that you spend a weekend on maybe once or twice a year, and another $30 for an expansion that has half the content of the original game.

I have a feeling DAO is going to be maybe 8 hours worth of "origin story," a concept they seem to be pushing ridiculously hard, and maybe twice that of main-story play. Basically, any single character will IMO be playable from start to finish on a long weekend, allowing you to get a feeling for a majority of what the game has to offer.

The claim will be made that the game is much longer because you can replay the origin story in different ways and with each of the three races to experience the story all over again in a different way. I do believe there is some truth to that--playing the original KotOR does feel different in places depending on whether you go light or dark. But if a playthrough for any one character is short and unfulfilling, multiple playthroughs with different characters is just more chances to be upset about a short and unfulfilling game.

This is all personal speculation based on the bit of information we have--just my fears of how the game will turn out.

 

Also remember that BG2 was ridiculously long even for it's time. It fell into the same category as PS:T for ridiculous levels of something (dialog for PS:T and gameplay for BG2). Anyone ever expecting to see something that big ever again should get rich themselves so they can fund it.

 

Let me ask: What if bg2 was cut in three pieces?

 

Then I would hate it. I hate games that don't put a complete story in one single game. One of the things I loved about the BG series was that, while the grand story of the Child of Bhaal was broken into three pieces (BGI, BGII: SOA, BGII: TOB), each one was a complete story in and of itself.

 

I'm looking forward to this game. I do need to know what the recommended specs are before I consider ording. Do I need to upgrade my computer? Can I afford to upgrade my computer? Can I afford the game?

Will there be an editor for modders?

 

System specks: Unknown. Upgrade? Possible but I think Bioware will keep it mild. It is dx9 as far as I know so older pc's have a good chance. Many experts linger at our techno forum and are eager to please.

Release date: Unknown. Can be march. I do not expect it before summer. (I am a pessimist)

Toolset: Yes.

 

There is a toolset, though we don't know much about it's capabilities. It has been rumored not to allow for creation of new areas, but that has never been officially confirmed. The Devs are now saying their expected release date is March-ish, but that they won't know when it's done until it's done. They haven't said anything detailed about system specs yet, though the general tone is that this game isn't too system intensive. Still, some of the gameplay videos we've seen make me wonder.

 

Did you play some of the more recent single player RPGs? I thought the Witcher was ridiculously long too, even longer than BG2 I'd say. Or games like Oblivion, or Morrowind. BG2 wasn't that unique in it's length, so to say we won't see it again is a bit pessimistic.

 

I played Morrowind. The only way it challenged BG2 in terms of length was through travel time. In terms of content, it didn't even hold a candle. I didn't play Oblivion, but a friend who did said it was similar in that manner. I haven't played The Witcher at all.

 

I thought The Witcher was short... could have been longer, it was quite content rich though. But I am happy if DA:O will be about the same length.

 

I have been told that vanilla Oblivion can be played in 10 hrs. I find that hard to believe. Not if you do every quest, explore every cave and dungeon and walk or ride. I think BG2 seemed longer because it is IMO a more intricate game. Oblivion is what I would call a sandbox game.

Personally I don't care if a game is long or short. I want an interesting story and replay value. I want choices so that I can try different ways to play.

 

Nakia, I think Oblivion in 10 hours is a case of someone doing a few side quests and focusing on the main quest. As you know I haven't played the game but I guess it could be done quickly if played like this. Then again so can BG2, if you skip most quests and rush to the end (keeping in mind that the Underdark can be done in a couple of minutes if you run straight to the exit).

I'd like Dragon Age to be long BG2-style, but from what I've heard about the side quests in Mass Effect (and many other games I suppose) lots of quests is not always a good thing. Lots of interesting quests would be great, but that's pretty tough to pull off.

 

Actually Oblivion a lot of good quests. The main quest can be done quite quickly but the fun of Oblivion is the exploring, talking to people and getting quests. I really enjoyed the Thieves Guild quests even though I really, really wanted to bash the Grey Fox. The Dark Brotherhood quests are good and much loved by many people. The Mage Guild I thought good. There are plenty of side quests that are interesting and of course the dungeon crawls and ruins. I am hoping that Dragon Age has a lot to do but is more integrated story wise than Oblivion was. Maybe different ways of doing things. This would give it replay value. May the gaming gods smile on Dragon Age or I may have to find a new hobby.

 

Looking forward to an isometric game TBH. All these Bethesda style 1st person RPGs make me nauseus.

FPS does not work with tactical RPGs, ever. It's just not fun for me.

 

I know for over 3 years many of us have been looking forward to this game and it is finally here, well so we hope in a few months.

Given the length of time to develop the game I hope Bioware at least provides us with 25-30 hours of game play; anything over that is a bonus.

As for the graphics we should expect to see the recommend GPU be the 8800/9800 GT, if not higher.

I will buy the game, but I am going to wait as I did with NWN2. Most games have bugs in them when they are first released. I ususally wait until the 2nd or 3rd game patch before buying a game.

Even with the patches, most games are still bugged. I hope Bioware did a through job in this game as they had plenty of time to work out the bugs, develop the story into a fairly long game, and plenty of time to create a new and fun battle system.

 

Actually, I have a vid of someone doing a 100% run (doing all quests) of Oblivion in around 15 hours, but it's pretty suboptimal and a run below 12 hours should be feasible. I've another vid of someone doing a run of just the main quest in 1h11m. And I know of a run that finishes the main quest in around 20 minutes, but unfortunately I don't have a vid of that, though you should be able to find one on youtube. That last one is basically getting out of the starting dungeon, then finding a paint brush, duping that paint brush, then climbing a wonderous pile of paint brushes into the temple to trigger the end. Fun stuff.