Hawke's Adventure (formerly know as Dragon Age II) - Impressions! Mods!

[Travis]

Just beat it.

Spoiler for Hiden:

So it was a terrible story, really.  I mean the third Act really is just tact on...Either that or the First and Second are...Just really disjointed.  I'm not sure if Act III really qualifies as a climax as it just kind of escalates so quickly.  Did anyone else think that both parties freaking out was just a little over the top?  Also, why is they looking for the champion?  I guiess I was just lost in the seemingly randomness of the story. 

[TiLT]

Just beat it.

Spoiler for Hiden:

So it was a terrible story, really.  I mean the third Act really is just tact on...Either that or the First and Second are...Just really disjointed.  I'm not sure if Act III really qualifies as a climax as it just kind of escalates so quickly.  Did anyone else think that both parties freaking out was just a little over the top?  Also, why is they looking for the champion?  I guiess I was just lost in the seemingly randomness of the story. 

Just finished it myself.

Spoiler for Hiden:

They were sort of building up to it, I suppose. It's just that it didn't work out very well. I was very pleased with how they handled the resolution of Anders' story though. That was probably the most emotionally significant event in the game for me, despite not liking what they did with his character earlier in the game.

[TiLT]

I encountered a very funny, unintentional story-banter disconnect while working on a companion quest in act 3.  If you haven't completed the game, please don't read this (unless you don't care).  It's about Merrill's companion quest resolution.

Spoiler for Hiden:

My group consisted of me (mage hawke), Merrill, Fenris, and Aveline.  We had just finished slaying her keeper, and killing off her entire dalish clan.  Her keeper allowed herself to be possessed by a pride demon to spare Merrill from the same fate.  She transformed into the demon before our eyes, and we had to destroy it/her.  Merrill then had to finish off her keeper and mentor by stabbing her.  As mentioned above, we then had to kill off her entire clan...to the last person.  None of them were bad or evil, they were just shocked and upset to learn of the death of their beloved keeper.  It was a very dark consequence to Merrill's use of blood magic and her obsession with the mirror.

I was expecting a cut scene to start immediately after the last dalish clan member died...nothing.  I thought maybe I had to move the group to the center of the village...nothing.  Weird.  She should be hysterical right now, sobbing, upset, inconsolable.  Nothing.  After feeling like the developers missed a major emotional plot moment, I decided to head out and move the group to the zone exit.  As we start moving, Merrill asks Fenris, "Why do you hate mages so much?" 

After laughing out loud, I yelled, "Are you kidding me??!!"  Come on Bioware!   

Heh, I had something very similar happen.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Once we left the dead Dalish camp behind us, she started talking to Isabella. The topic of discussion? How dull Isabella must think Merill's life is compared to her own. Right...

[Daehawk]

Just finished. I'm SO glad i got to do at the end what I got to do at the end...so so glad.

[CeeKay]

Here's a really intriguing quote from that 1UP interview:

With Origins, Warriors and Rogues existed in what I tend to think of as "low fantasy" paradigm. They weren't particularly flashy, and they swung their swords at a reasonable pace. They engaged in combat in a way that I call "mundane." The Mages, though, were masters of pyrotechnics and spell combos and so on. Basically, Mages were arguably overpowered, but also flashier and more visually satisfying. [...] So we looked at Rogue and we looked at Warrior, and said, "I think we can bring them up to be as satisfying and visceral as tossing a fireball."

Given the common hatred for addressing balance issues with a nerf bat, I think, if they had said this before release, then there would have been fewer complaints about the combat style. Because it really does make a lot of sense to say: this is already an imaginary, fantastical world and so we're going to solve the problem of Warriors and Rogues in Origins being second class citizens to Mages, not by bringing the Mages down to a low-fantasy concept but by giving the Warriors and Rogues the same kind of high-fantasy-inspired oomph that Mages already have.

It doesn't do anything about the core problem of lazy encounter design ruining the combat experience but it is a reasonable and elegant explanation for the change in style.

- Ash

honestly, the rogue feels weak to me. I find myself switching to bethany more often then controlling Hawke.

[Kevin Grey]

I do not understand his answer.  DAO had more connect IIRC can no reuse IIRC.  That seems like a weird excuse for the problem.

**Okay, so assets must mean dev time.  He should flat out say that.  At first I read it as hardware limitations...

in other words EA probably made them rush.  gotta love EA's influence; watch ME3 be 4 levels re-used 3 times each 

I don't know about that- independent studios are even more dependent on cash flow so I wouldn't automatically assume that DA2 would have had a dramatically longer dev time if Bioware were still independent. 

[theohall]

It just seems like every time EA takes over something, eventually the "independent" company EA took over turns into nothing like the company it was and the quality drops off dramatically as "sequels" are demanded in shorter and shorter windows.

EA is the devil. 

[Daehawk]

I've started a new character. A female mage named Romi. She's a rude crude evil slut who doesn't care for anyone or anything. She likes a hard drink and her women soft. Somehow she is going to side with the Templars this time.

[The Grue]

It just seems like every time EA takes over something, eventually the "independent" company EA took over turns into nothing like the company it was and the quality drops off dramatically as "sequels" are demanded in shorter and shorter windows.

EA is the devil. 

[CeeKay]

It just seems like every time EA takes over something, eventually the "independent" company EA took over turns into nothing like the company it was and the quality drops off dramatically as "sequels" are demanded in shorter and shorter windows.

EA is the devil. 

that's how it feels.

[CeeKay]

It just seems like every time EA takes over something, eventually the "independent" company EA took over turns into nothing like the company it was and the quality drops off dramatically as "sequels" are demanded in shorter and shorter windows.

EA is the devil. 

LOL... EA IS THE DEVIL BOBBY BOUCHER!

[morlac]

It just seems like every time EA takes over something, eventually the "independent" company EA took over turns into nothing like the company it was and the quality drops off dramatically as "sequels" are demanded in shorter and shorter windows.

EA is the devil. 

The sad part is that it is so obvious to everyone but EA.  I just don't get it.

[Razgon]

As long as they make money, they really couldn't care less what people think.

[The Grue]

As long as they make money, they really couldn't care less what people think.

+1.  If it sells well, they aren't going to care that a small, but vocal minority posts on the Internet that they hate reused assets.

[JCC]

Finished this last night at just under 40 hrs played. I didn't do every side quest, but I definitely did almost all of them. Frankly, the length felt right to me. (I actually thought DA:O was probably a bit too long. I actually also think it's more likely that I'll replay this all the way through than I will for DA:O due in part to the length...) I definitely enjoyed it - particularly Act 1, but Act 2 and 3's main quest(s) were also a lot of fun. I had the same problems most people did with the reused environments, the storyline coming off as way less epic than the first game, and to some extent being stuck in the same city/area for the whole game. I did think some of the other changes were for the better. I was very happy they got rid of friendly fire on spells. I liked the generally quicker pace of combat. I didn't care for the occasional need to dodge or run around in order to get through some of the more difficult battles. There was also some general bugginess and lack of polish which indicates a bit of rushing to get this out, which is pretty unlike Bioware (and yes it's hard to blame anyone other than EA for this given their history). If the development time/resources really were cut short for SW:TOR, that stinks, since I will almost certainly never play that game.

I still think this is a solid B level title with some A level qualities to it. I will probably still pick up the next game on day one.

[Daehawk]

This go around me and my group seem to suffer a lot of injuries yet we are not getting knocked out. My first play through the only time we got injured was if one got knocked down/out during a fight and then we'd need to drink a injury potion. But this play through I'm having to use them even more yet me or my party is not being knocked down/out. yet after a fight there it is , an injury. I don't understand whats causing it.

[CeeKay]

As long as they make money, they really couldn't care less what people think.

+2

[Turtle]

Certain powerful enemies can cause injuries with special attacks.

Traps also cause injuries.

[EddieA]

As long as they make money, they really couldn't care less what people think.

That's not true - look at Mass Effect 2.  Mass Effect sold just fine, yet they fixed almost everything people complained about in the first game, including the reused side quest areas.

[Travis]

including the reused side quest areas.

Wait.  They did this before?

[rshetts2]

I finally finished it.  I took my time and clocked in at about 48 hours.  While there are a lot of valid complaints about them game, I thought, overall the game was excellent.
 One complaint I completely disagree with is about the storyline not being epic enough.  Obviously, this is a matter of personal taste but I really enjoyed the story line and felt the scope of it, while it was more on a personal level was very well played.  The end took it from a personal level to very epic and of course set up the focus for the likely sequel.
 I was apparently lucky and didnt face much in the way of bugs and the only real design complaints I had were a minor one regarding the reuse of questing areas but in light of Biowares explanation, I would rather have more content and put up with area repetition.  It didnt bother me as much as it did some of you and once I accepted it, I really didnt notice it all that much.  The one design flaw that did bother me was losing out on potential candidates due to the time shifts.  I missed out on Isabella mainly because I avoided spoilers and didnt even know she existed.  When people started talking about her in the forums I realized that I missed out on her.  As companions are quite important in the game, they should have either made an obvious path to find them, possibly connected to the main quest line, so you couldnt miss them or given you a specific warning prior to the shift so you at least knew to go looking for them.  
 Since I took a mage, I had a solid questing group with Fenric, Avaline and Varrick, so missing out on her wasnt a game breaker, but if Id missed out on Fenric, that would have made things much more difficult.  
 Anyway,  I will say that the game wasnt perfect but it was a flawed gem.  I enjoyed my play through completely ( with the possible exception of the act 2 ending encounter, that was just cruel on a mage ) and would give Dragon Age 2 an 8 of 10.  

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.  

one of my favorite bits in the game:  

Spoiler for Hiden:

When you first go to Varricks brothers mansion to confront him, only Varrick is in your party.  I run in the with him and start blasting everything.  The bad guys are exploding with 1 shot and no one is even close to touching me. Im thinking how insanely strong Varrick is when the scene cuts to his interview with the Seeker,who "questions" the veracity of his version of what happened,  then you cut back to the real mansion event with your full party.  That just cracked me up  

[EddieA]

including the reused side quest areas.

Wait.  They did this before?

In Mass Effect, they reused interior locations for the majority of side quests.  In ME2, all locations were unique.

[Jag]

DA:O does Thriller!

[Roguetad]

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.

Spoiler for Hiden:

By the time I finished Fenris's companion quest he was almost at full friendship for me (playing a mage).  I noticed several of the milestones in his questline awarding large amounts of friendship (15 points).  He was my best bud by the end of the game, including switching back to my team at the gallows for the final fight, after initially siding with the templars.

So it is possible...but he's my friend, and you can't have him

I wonder if one of the problems with "finding" Isabella has to do with having Varric in your party.  I didn't have him in my group, and I received a quest to go speak with him at the Hanged Man (after a certain plot point).  Entering the Hanged Man triggerred the Isabella scene.  I couldn't proceed to the next major step in the main story without speaking to Varric at the HM, so there's no way I would have missed Isabella.  I'm wondering if that event isn't properly triggerring for some people.  That would be a major bug.

 

[Sarkus]

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.

Spoiler for Hiden:

By the time I finished Fenris's companion quest he was almost at full friendship for me (playing a mage).  I noticed several of the milestones in his questline awarding large amounts of friendship (15 points).  He was my best bud by the end of the game, including switching back to my team at the gallows for the final fight, after initially siding with the templars.

So it is possible...but he's my friend, and you can't have him

I wonder if one of the problems with "finding" Isabella has to do with having Varric in your party.  I didn't have him in my group, and I received a quest to go speak with him at the Hanged Man (after a certain plot point).  Entering the Hanged Man triggerred the Isabella scene.  I couldn't proceed to the next major step in the main story without speaking to Varric at the HM, so there's no way I would have missed Isabella.  I'm wondering if that event isn't properly triggerring for some people.  That would be a major bug.

You can't talk to companions except at their "home" so having Varric in your party shouldn't matter in that regard - you still need to visit the Hanged Man.  Unless the conversation isn't firing at all, but that would presumably impact the Varric development.  On the other hand, if you ignore quests and advance the main story (which is possible), then you can miss out on companions.   Not only Isabela, but also Fenris, for example.

[Scraper]

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.

Spoiler for Hiden:

By the time I finished Fenris's companion quest he was almost at full friendship for me (playing a mage).  I noticed several of the milestones in his questline awarding large amounts of friendship (15 points).  He was my best bud by the end of the game, including switching back to my team at the gallows for the final fight, after initially siding with the templars.

So it is possible...but he's my friend, and you can't have him

I wonder if one of the problems with "finding" Isabella has to do with having Varric in your party.  I didn't have him in my group, and I received a quest to go speak with him at the Hanged Man (after a certain plot point).  Entering the Hanged Man triggerred the Isabella scene.  I couldn't proceed to the next major step in the main story without speaking to Varric at the HM, so there's no way I would have missed Isabella.  I'm wondering if that event isn't properly triggerring for some people.  That would be a major bug.

You can't talk to companions except at their "home" so having Varric in your party shouldn't matter in that regard - you still need to visit the Hanged Man.  Unless the conversation isn't firing at all, but that would presumably impact the Varric development.  On the other hand, if you ignore quests and advance the main story (which is possible), then you can miss out on companions.   Not only Isabela, but also Fenris, for example.

I completed every quest given to me in act 1 and I even went to the hanged man in act 1, and I don't have Isabelle either. I'm thinking it's a bug that caused her quest not to start when you go to the hanged man.

[TiLT]

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.

Spoiler for Hiden:

By the time I finished Fenris's companion quest he was almost at full friendship for me (playing a mage).  I noticed several of the milestones in his questline awarding large amounts of friendship (15 points).  He was my best bud by the end of the game, including switching back to my team at the gallows for the final fight, after initially siding with the templars.

So it is possible...but he's my friend, and you can't have him

I wonder if one of the problems with "finding" Isabella has to do with having Varric in your party.  I didn't have him in my group, and I received a quest to go speak with him at the Hanged Man (after a certain plot point).  Entering the Hanged Man triggerred the Isabella scene.  I couldn't proceed to the next major step in the main story without speaking to Varric at the HM, so there's no way I would have missed Isabella.  I'm wondering if that event isn't properly triggerring for some people.  That would be a major bug.

You can't talk to companions except at their "home" so having Varric in your party shouldn't matter in that regard - you still need to visit the Hanged Man.  Unless the conversation isn't firing at all, but that would presumably impact the Varric development.  On the other hand, if you ignore quests and advance the main story (which is possible), then you can miss out on companions.   Not only Isabela, but also Fenris, for example.

I completed every quest given to me in act 1 and I even went to the hanged man in act 1, and I don't have Isabelle either. I'm thinking it's a bug that caused her quest not to start when you go to the hanged man.

She doesn't appear there until some way into the chapter. I think I was about 2/3 done with it before she appeared.

[Soulchilde]

including the reused side quest areas.

Wait.  They did this before?

Yes

[JCC]

ps: as a mage Fenric will never, ever, ever like you.  Dont even try! Even when he does seem to like you you get rivalry points.  

I had a full level of friendship with Fenris by the end of the game. I think I actually had achieved this in Act 2.

The one I couldn't get to be friends with was Merril. No matter which decisions I made she seemed to nearly always go rivalry, even when I would support her in front of her keeper and other times where I went out of the way to make choices I thought she would like. I actually have wondered if there is some bug with this in the game.

[Scuzz]

DA:O does Thriller!

that was cool....and quite disturbing

[rshetts2]

Im surprised at the Fenris thing.  For awhile I was actively trying to friend him but also staying true to my mage roots with my decisions.  Any time I did anything that remotely benefitted a mage Id get slapped with a +15 rivalry  I could never overcome that it seems.  When I tried to oppose mages he would still go rivalry on me usually a +5.   Maybe it was a function of my background as I played a mage in DAO and used that background to start. 

Spoiler for Hiden:

When I hit the final battle and chose to join the mages side, he left me at the start but remarkably rejoined the party later, claiming he would stand with his friends so I guess it was a friendly rivalry

Regarding Isabella, Im thinking it had to be a bug of some sort because I was in the Hanged Man several times and talked to pretty much everyone there and never saw her.  So either it was a bug or I somehow missed some event that would have activated her.

One last thing.  Why oh why do they put uberweapons in the vendor stores that cost more gold that I ever amassed in the entire game.  Thats just evil!  Frikkin teases!

[TiLT]

One last thing.  Why oh why do they put uberweapons in the vendor stores that cost more gold that I ever amassed in the entire game.  Thats just evil!  Frikkin teases!

Just shows that you can't handle money between your hands. I bought a robe for 140 gold at one point.

[Turtle]

You can usually restock your supply of health, mana, and stamina potions by searching random containers around Kirkwall. After that, just don't bother buying small upgrade gear other than companion armor upgrades.

[Silky]

Regarding Isabella, Im thinking it had to be a bug of some sort because I was in the Hanged Man several times and talked to pretty much everyone there and never saw her.  So either it was a bug or I somehow missed some event that would have activated her.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Bella shows up at the Hanged Man after you do Ander's mission in the Chantry.

[Jag]

You can usually restock your supply of health, mana, and stamina potions by searching random containers around Kirkwall. After that, just don't bother buying small upgrade gear other than companion armor upgrades.

I'm in Act III and I barely have any money (maybe 20g now). The only upgrades I bought were the Emporium stat potions for around 27G each. I looted and sold everything I had. Maybe gold is based on level. I'm playing on Hard.

[Asharak]

I'm in Act III and I barely have any money (maybe 20g now). The only upgrades I bought were the Emporium stat potions for around 27G each. I looted and sold everything I had. Maybe gold is based on level. I'm playing on Hard.

I played on Hard and got the Achievement (Mogul?) for having 100G at once partway through Act III.

- Ash

[Daehawk]

I'm in Act III and I barely have any money (maybe 20g now). The only upgrades I bought were the Emporium stat potions for around 27G each. I looted and sold everything I had. Maybe gold is based on level. I'm playing on Hard.

I played on Hard and got the Achievement (Mogul?) for having 100G at once partway through Act III.

- Ash

The most I ever had was 81g and that was the start of act 2. Im on my 2nd play through and I have not had more than 20g at a time since that first play through.

[CeeKay]

Regarding Isabella, Im thinking it had to be a bug of some sort because I was in the Hanged Man several times and talked to pretty much everyone there and never saw her.  So either it was a bug or I somehow missed some event that would have activated her.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Bella shows up at the Hanged Man after you do Ander's mission in the Chantry.

yeah, I can see that being very easy to miss.  I only found that because I was wondering if there would be a conversation there.

[naednek]

I'm trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on this for $40.  Was trying to split it with my brother but he declined.  $20 no brainer, $40 not sure

[Travis]

I'm trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on this for $40.  Was trying to split it with my brother but he declined.  $20 no brainer, $40 not sure

I think it's worth $40.  There's a lot of gameplay and I think I am overly critical of the game due to my attachment to the first.