Dragon Age Origins Chat Thread

[WhoGuru]

I think there's enough of us playing DOA or who have played it through now to warrant a thread to chat about this wonderful game.

You may discuss whatever you like! However, given that characters can be romanced in game, keep it clean per TESA's rules.

You may spoil the storyline but please put such things behind the Spoiler tags. So anyone who doesn't want to know can simply not click and avoid having something ruined for them.

All plot spoilers go here in spoiler tags. Don't forget please. Thanks!

Carry on Grey Wardens!

[Si-Shen]

Oh my, Who has been infected with the joyful addiction to Dragon Age!

Its a wonderful game really, Bioware out did themselves again with this one. I have to say I drooled over the armour a lot, I am definatly an armour lover and I just kept thinking "THAT would look great in Oblivion!"

The origin stories may not have been too long but they give you an emotional boost for the character as well, a bit of a driving force behind future choices!

If you want to really throw your emotions into it, read the two novels that occur before the game, THAT really makes some of the choices hard.

[InsanitySorrow]

Having completed it once includig the current DLC I am kinda bored, I'm hoping your chat will get me interested again

[WhoGuru]

I'm on my first play through here. I'm playing a Female Dalish Elf. Her origin story was very good!

but I could have done without the GIANT OMG SPIDERS in the underground ruin!

Gave me a heart attack.

At the moment, I've just arrived at Redcliff for the first time. Seems they're having a spot of bother.

[Si-Shen]

Forgot about them.. hehe oh your gonna love one of the later areas Who, just LOVE it so much

[WhoGuru]

LOL I've already found more of them in Lothian. Soooo not fair.

Okay, so what did everyone name their dog? I named mine Murray. He's a good dog, likes to nip at Alistair. heh heh heh

[Si-Shen]

First failed run at the game - Don

Second character, finished - Yevic

Current character - cant remember, its either Guru or DarkRider

Yes, Si is original

[WhoGuru]

Woot! I'm a mutt! Woof!

[Si-Shen]

Not a mut, as my current is a Human Noble, they make a BIG point to enforce your a pure-bred War Hound

[WhoGuru]

Ah even better! Mr Guru laughed at me when I named mine Murray. I told him to watch it or the next play through I'm naming it after him.

[Si-Shen]

I think giving the dog a name of someone you know is funny, concidering that for once in a game, the dog is a real party member, not even Dogmeat from FO3 was a real help since he could die so fast. This was a nice change and can be useful in combat.

[jaggedbubbles]

My dog was Nico, then Melvin, and I haven't gotten him yet this playthrough.

[Beana]

I named my dog Sock lol I have a nack for naming things after inanimate objects.

[Vince]

My dog was Nico, then Melvin, and I haven't gotten him yet this playthrough.

Like Red, I too started as a female Dalish Elf. I played about halfway through then quite (reasons below). I also liked the looks of the armor. I named the dog an unimaginative "Burt".

Although I loved the Baldur's Gate series and played each through multiple times, I was struck by the player's view in DA:O. It has to be 3rd person since you need to see all members of the party, but because of it, you never forget that you are playing a game. By comparison, with a single player game like Oblivion, with a first person point-of-view, it's easier to forget that you are playing a game. This isn't a knock against DA:O, just an observation.

Now to why I quite. I had a lot of trouble carrying everything on my back. 'First time through, it's hard to know what's important to keep. I later discovered that I could buy a DLC (Warden's Keep), that would allow me to store stuff in a chest at the campsite. The fact that I would have to pay extra for what I believe is essential to the game didn't sit well with me. The second issue was controlling the troops. Using the wait/free movement, behavior, and actions, I could control the troops most of the time. When your party comes upon a large area with many bad guys, one ploy is to keep all but one of the party back in the tunnel/hall while a scout goes into the large area, attracts the attention of a few bad guys, then runs back into the hall/tunnel to his friends, hopefully with a few badies following for an easy kill. Repeating this tactic a few times mostly clears out the large area. The problem is keeping the party back while the scout goes forward. It would work most of the time, but about one out of four times, as soon as the bad guys circles turned red, the rest of the party would magically appear right next to the scout--ruining the tactic. Worse, when fighting a particular dragon, my rogue absolutely refused to stay back. Setting the behavior to passive, defensive, or ranged and the action to ranged or do nothing did not solve the problem. So, I spent more than an hour repeating this beginning of the dragon fight; not trying to win yet, just trying to control the rogue. With no melee weapon the rogue would run up to the dragon and try to shoot arrows at its toe. With no weapon at all, she would run up and try to slug the dragon. After an hour of this, I decided this just wasn't fun anymore and quite.

I may go back some day. As frustrating as it was, DA:O has many good features.

[jaggedbubbles]

Now to why I quite. I had a lot of trouble carrying everything on my back. 'First time through, it's hard to know what's important to keep. I later discovered that I could buy a DLC (Warden's Keep), that would allow me to store stuff in a chest at the campsite. The fact that I would have to pay extra for what I believe is essential to the game didn't sit well with me.

Everything that was "essential" to keep was placed in a separate inventory for quest items. Everything else you get isn't necessary for you to complete the game. I always used inactive party members to place armor and weapons I wanted to keep, but towards the middle of the game, and with enough purchased bags, I could carry them all with me. You just have to invest some gold which can be a downside to some players.

The problem is keeping the party back while the scout goes forward. It would work most of the time, but about one out of four times, as soon as the bad guys circles turned red, the rest of the party would magically appear right next to the scout--ruining the tactic. Worse, when fighting a particular dragon, my rogue absolutely refused to stay back. Setting the behavior to passive, defensive, or ranged and the action to ranged or do nothing did not solve the problem.

I did see some issues with the AI, but it is possible to get them to do what you want. Perhaps you could try shooting a few baddies with an arrow rather than sending a scout to a small horde. That works rather well since all the characters will be in the same vicinity, and you won't get the "warp to controlled character" problem.

As for your rogue in a dragon fight, you may have some tactics (either the order or just something that conflicts) that do not match the behavior of the character. It takes some trial and error to finally get what you want out of the AI, and I guess that's part of the fun. At least, it is for me.

EDIT: Or, you could give them the command to stay. That never failed me.

[Si-Shen]

The DLC is not actually essential, I completed my first play through without it, and JB is right, ALL the needed items are placed in an area you cant touch, what you dont equip or dont think you will equip, other then gifts, you can sell for money.

It is NICE having the Keep but not a need, like having Shale, a great tank for the game but not a need, my first run through was without him and I was fine, I have seen the arguments over at the DA:O forums about the DLC, and frankly, you get offered more for the same price then you did with most of the OB DLC.

You can actually play with keeping NO items other then what you actually use, which is nice.

[WhoGuru]

So far I don't really have an issue with the lack of space. I grabbed the two backpacks in Ostagar and with those I just have to learn to not packrat every bloody thing I pick up and sell unneeded stuff when I get the chance.

[Si-Shen]

I did not use poisons or traps so I started to sell off any I had or ingredients, only keeping Elf Grass and Lirium around and the components for those potions.

[WhoGuru]

I haven't really dabbled with traps or poisons. I'm saving those for my next play through I think as a Rogue.

[Si-Shen]

I used them really only to complete a couple side quests and then ignored them, and ONLY on my characters I was not worried about leveling a set way.

[jaggedbubbles]

My first playthrough was as a rogue, and I used poisons all of the time. They came in handy since this was pre-patch, and the rogues were inferior for dealing damage.

[Xinimator]

I went with a Mage the first time through and I was taken completely by surprise on how little HP they have. She nearly died because I hadn't gotten used to the controls before the big boss with the demon. Thank god for the Lyrium rocks lying around.

[Glaedr]

has anyone else noticed that the story line between Dragon Age: Origins and Oblivion are eerily similar? The king, or emporer, dies and you have to go out with your freinds to find allies to fight the invading darkspawn,or deadra, army.

[WhoGuru]

LOL Yeah there are some similarities in story.

[jaggedbubbles]

You can find similarities in the stories of many games. I remember getting into an argument with someone who hated Fallout 3 but loved Oblivion. They're essentially the same story but one has guns and children.

According to the Tennessee Screenwriting Association there are only twenty basic plots (but I've also read that there are even less), so there are bound to be eerie similarities in nearly every story.