[QUOTE="skrat_01"]1. But that makes it so much better and unique how? Each act has an overarching plot; this is what the sidequests fall under. It's the exact same structure of a Bioware game within these acts, even as you put it. You don't 'ive the heroes life' it cuts out all of that to loading screens, then the 'Bioware structure plays out in the preceding act.
2. No they really didn't In DAO the amount of information you got from characters has based on their approval of you, which gradually increased in time as you completed quests, or decreased. DA2 instead signposts characters on triggers during dialouge, which is why that damn romance option appears so frequently during dialouge choices, and why you can still romance characters even though they rival you.
Now I don't think the rivalry system is bad, I think it's good, and the concept is great, however the execution was damn poor. Thankfully the characters are good enough on their own.
Having characters leave is a good thing. This is actual consequence for your action, something which DA:O didn't tread on lightly. DA2's character interactions aren't bad, but they certainly aren't steps above Dragon Age.
They're very much beter in some ways and worse in others, the biggest issue being the attitude towards characters chopped down into the 'three option dialouge tree', and the dialouge triggering.
3. The game enviroment is very much part of the narrative, as it is in many games. Moreso in DA2 as Kirkwall is supposed to change over the years, and it never really does. Compare that to Mafia 2 which changes its in game assets over time, during a 5-10 year period (I forget exactly). It's things like these which hurt DA2's narrative and story.
4.They don't break the game, I agree, but it's nigh impossible playing the game on harder difficulties because of it, and it ruins the tactical options of the first. Which is a shame really as I think the animations and feedback (especially as a mage) are fantastic.
It's not a less safe game at all. Indeed it doesn't follow the same narrative structure of DA:O, however that doesn't make it 'remarkably risky'. No it's certainly a bold move for that direction, however all it's signs point to the designers playing it very safe to produce efficently - and it really shows.
I actually like the change of structure, I certainly don't think it's a bad thing, what erks me is that it is full of flaws which weighs it down much more than all its conceptual promise.
dreman999
1. No it's not. The secondary quest we can do any order we like. The Main quest we have to do it in order or do all of them to move on. While DA:O has one major climax point, DA2 has 3. Not the same formula. We also are not sent to a gigantic deogon every time we have to move the story along.2.You don't understand my point at all. Sure they are thing that come up do to approval but those are quest related. You can bribe your way to it. In DA2, you can't do that. And the friend ship rivery system allows you to disagree andstill have a functioning character. Can you do any of the quest characters quest if the characers hate you? No. But with the rivery system you can, and it's a pro that you can romance them if they're a rivilry. The romance promps you complaining about is just a complaint that you can't talk to them when ever you want but it does not hamper character growth at all do to most of that happen in both games during the quest any way. So really what's you point how are the characters not deep?
3.No, thats a gameplay issue. Your in one city, out side of thing changing due to an event,How would the change of environment that you live in change the story? Go to a new place changes the story, but only a bit. But the way that game was made, it's a gameplay issue that the city did not change.
4.I play and beat the game on HARD. I had no problems at all. If you have problems on Hard, learn the system. Give your mages stone armour, pay attention to the envirnment. Move your people and learn ability that changes the battle feild. Mages, Rouges and even Fighters have this.
Sigh. That is the same formula. Extend one of DA2's single acts, and it would have the same structure to Origins. It's the same formula, only each act is rather small, and there are three, instead of one large act. Each act in DA2 has it's own central plot beginning and climax. They're not nearly the vignettes you're implying.Indeed you can disagree and have a functioning character, but that raises questions of why the character is working with Hawke if so - that's another question entirely, and a writing ciritism.
That isn't a pro, at all. This means that how you act with characters doesn't matter, it's superficial. You can have them as 'rivals' and disagree with what you do yet they'll merrily have sex with your character, and have you involved in their personal affairs. Every character. That's cutting choice and consequence of character interaction, that's why the system isn't deep - as I said before the 'triggering' dialouge options are also an issue
For a game to present choice, it has to substantiate with weight, that is what gives it depth. Take away consequence and scope of choice and that depth becomes a whole lot more more shallow. DA2 isn't 'shallow' by all means at all, but it's a step down.
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That's not gameplay. Game narratives are not story on paper, the visuals (like with other visual mediums) play a huge, huge, *huge* role in telling the games narrative. This is very basic stuff. "How would the change of environment that you live in change the story?" Well, very easily. The game is based around the events of three acts, yet Kirkwall in appearance never changes as a result... over six years, people still stand in the same place, the walls are the same etc. even after a Quanari uprising. Let that sink in six years and nothing visually changes. That's just plain bad. The player should be able to tell years have past, just by the visual aging, and changes in the environment.
This is very basic visual storytelling, something where DA2 faulters far too often, and it's very evident that production time and effort were reasons to blame.
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Yet I do that, and having enemies simple appear ontop of my placed mages, which can vary to warriors or rouges even, doesn't exactly make it a fair challenge in the slightest. That's bad game design, no micromanaging will ever change that.
I ejoy the fights, and I do manage each of my characters, however it's glaring faults like that which detract from the combat immensely.
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