Dragon Age 2

[KingRanger]

GoTY?

Game of the year edition.

 

[SaikoDragon]

Keep in mind some of the "design changes" can be due to the fact that a dwarg is recalling the story, some of which he was not present for. So, for example, Flemmeth's new design could just be because the Dwarf character spinning the tale had no other idea what a Witch of the Wilds would look like because he wasn't there.

Still, I like what I see. Cant wait for the game.

 

[trekkieb47]

Keep in mind some of the "design changes" can be due to the fact that a dwarg is recalling the story, some of which he was not present for. So, for example, Flemmeth's new design could just be because the Dwarf character spinning the tale had no other idea what a Witch of the Wilds would look like because he wasn't there.

Someone noted that in the demo when you first fight alongside your sister, she has more makeup on and her boobs are bigger because the Drawf is retelling it. When you play that same scene again for what really happened she's more normal. :laugh:

 

[Keith Justice]

What system are you guys doing this on?

 

[FuuNoKami Oka]

PS3 here.

 

[KingRanger]

What system are you guys doing this on?

360. But it's on PC, 360, and PS3. Go download it

Someone noted that in the demo when you first fight alongside your sister, she has more makeup on and her boobs are bigger because the Drawf is retelling it. When you play that same scene again for what really happened she's more normal. :laugh:

I dunno... Heh. Her breasts were really big in the first part and then the 2nd part of the demo.

 

[MrMonk]

Keep in mind some of the "design changes" can be due to the fact that a dwarg is recalling the story, some of which he was not present for. So, for example, Flemmeth's new design could just be because the Dwarf character spinning the tale had no other idea what a Witch of the Wilds would look like because he wasn't there.

Still, I like what I see. Cant wait for the game.

As far as we know, Varric being the unreliable narrator only lasts for that small beginning section.

I think the new character designs are just that. It took them years to make Dragon Age and its engine. Once they launched, they were able to beef it up and change the art because they knew what worked and what didn't. Even they knew it was bland in the first game.

http://aoc.curse.com/blogs/dragon-a...gon-age-2-s-art-director-matthew-goldman.aspx

Curse: Can you talk about the art style, your inspirations, and how those took shape in Dragon Age 2?

Matthew Goldman: We ran some comparative analysis on Dragon Age: Origins, and there were a few things that really leapt out at us:

1. Our style was fairly generic, it wasn't really very well differentiated in the marketplace.

2. The themes that we were using in the art style were not in line with what the story was about. The game is a cautionary tale, and what happens in the game is that the physical manifestations of peoples imperfections are realized; ie The Blight, the wars, mages as abominations, etc. So we started looking at cautionary tales like the Triumph of Death, and Throne of Blood. They're tied together by the same thematic element, that mortal man is frail.

3. The third thing is that our engine is great at some things, and not great at other things, mainly because of the demands of the game.

So, what we tried to do is narrow down an art style that was unique, technically possible, and that would allow us to create rules that would allow artists to re-create these theme no matter what they were working on, be it a hand-held or a movie or something like that.

We wanted to better differentiate the races. We did that we could build unique animation rigs for each race, so they have a more unique look. For Dragon Age 2 we decided to re-build all the faces and the topology, like the poly strings around the mouth and eyes, and we added more control points to the face, and then someone specifically managed lip-syncing for the entire project. For each sound in the language that person had to make a shape, and then the software interpolates.

http://www.gamezombie.tv/blog/2010/09/dragon-age-2-interview-pax-2010/

MG: I noticed there is a different art style for some of the characters, the Qunari now have horns. What prompted the change?

DG: We wanted to create something unique. Most of them have horns but some don’t. Sten is a Qunari who was born without horns, but they are special ambassadors. We weren’t able to get them into Origins. We wanted an art style that looked unique. You could look at it and say, “That’s dragon age.†That applies to the races as well. You look at an elf: he’s a human with pointy ears; you look at a dwarf and he’s a short human. Let’s make them look more distinct. A lot of people thought Sten was human. People can now look at the Qunari and know they aren’t human.

MG: I noticed you changed the darkspawn, too. Now they look more like their original races, but a dark creepy version. Less of the general monster version that mirrors more Tolkien-like beasts. They had lots of seeping wounds too.

DG: Yeah I liked that idea, that there is this corruption that bleeds out of them. It’s like a comic book that switches artists, it’s going to look different. You can take that opportunity to sort of update the look. We took something familiar, but made it original.

This is not Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2. That kept the same style and instead changed the gameplay. This is an overhaul for the most part. Assume that the Dragon Age II versions were how it was always supposed to be. It's a retcon and it's canon.

Now you know why Morrigan looked the way she did. Taking after her mother.

 

[KingRanger]

I don't see it as a retcon. They have worked into the story why the changes are the way they are. A retcon would just make the changes and have nothing said about them.

I also think Flemeth was SUPPOSED to look how she did in DAO. She was trying to be unassuming.

 

[trekkieb47]

What system are you guys doing this on?

XBOX of course. :thumbs:

 

[VengeanceGOD]

HELP, FOR GOD'S SAKE HELP.

I've been searching google for an hour and it seems people are only posting strategies for how to beat the Arishok one on one. Since I'm a moron, and apparently made the wrong choices in not bringing Fenris or appeasing Isabela, I'm stuck not dueling the big guy. And yes, I'm also a moron who overwrote his saves and can't go back to GET Fenris.

I have no idea how to even wrap my head around this fight, but here's some details on what I'm stuck with.

I've got my main party from most of the game:
Varric
Merrill
Aveline

I'm a level 17 mage, I'm fairly certain I've got the best equipment I've got access to and so do they. Some things I've learned:

I always start the fight by summoning my dog and dropping Heroic Aura. Both seem to really help.

Putting Aveline on the stairs is damn helpful, and she stays alive so much better than she has any right to, thank god.

I heard from a friend that I should put Aveline at the bottom of the stairs, and use Varric and Merrill to mop up the guys at the bottom first. I've tried this. The guys at the bottom are unreasonably tough. They shrug off any attempt to not be aggroed, and they murder Hawke in about four hits, it seems. However, I did get this to work once or twice. Immediately after they died, the enemy mages dropped giant balls of death, and Aveline died. Then the party was mopped up in about five seconds.

So I tried a different tact, I put Aveline at the top of the stairs and ran past the Arishok with everybody, hoping to put down the mages. But then both mages aggroed on me, and the entire party ate it really fast.

I'm really at my wits end here, especially since I'm only playing on Normal. I could bump it down to Casual, but I'm too damn proud, I guess.

So, to sum up, good job Bioware on designing one of the hardest boss fights I've ever faced, and please god, someone tell me there's a strategy I'm not thinking of.