Gabbyness

Fross,

Finished at about lvl 17.5-18.0. But I was screaming through the main story near the end of the game (just so damn interesting). One complaint, as mentioned in PC Gamer, is the main story is *so* involving that the side quests often seem anticlimactic.

I did most, if not all, of the companion side quests though.

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One, two, three, four, fiiiiiiiifth.

Prophecy

I had to actively quest to 20. However, 20 is not the cap. There is a softcap of around 26 because you run out of things to kill for exp.

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La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

spindles

I ordered my copy today

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who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

Baraka_Guru

I love how cinematic this game is. This is the first game I've played that makes me compare it to watching a movie. And I've barely scratched the surface of it.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

LoganSnake

I finished at level 21 with my main character and 20 with my other two party members. I turned 21 in the last series of battles before the final boss. I didn't go out of my way to level up once. I just did the story missions and many side quests that came up along the way.

The cap is 25 if you kill everything.

---------- Post added at 11:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 PM ----------

Which part are you referring to?

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Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Baraka_Guru

The entire package, generally. The use of cut scenes dispersed throughout the action. It's not new in a Bioware game (or other games, for that matter), but they are really well done this time around.

It's been mentioned above, but the voice acting is great. Even the way the characters emote (both facially and in body language) and move around seems more lifelike than other games I've played. Even minor characters come alive and seem like they matter.

The soundtrack is great, as are the sound effects.

And the way it's all put together...it all works well for me. Like I said, the graphics may have some drawbacks. I can see where they've made them more efficient through the use of stylistic depth of field, etc., but that's easily overlooked when you look at the whole thing.

Bioware has really taken things up a few notches since KOTOR. And to me it seems even better than what they did with Mass Effect. But I think the difference with the latter is the difference in style. Sci-fi deserves a different treatment than fantasy, and I tend to favour fantasy.

I don't know. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase with it. I'm barely into the storyline so far. I started as a human noble warrior but restarted after realizing I'd rather play as a sword-and-shield warrior instead of a two-hander. You have to admit the shields look pretty awesome.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

LoganSnake

Just wait till you see how awesome Legion of the Dead armor looks on your sword and shield warrior.

If you find it, that is.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Baraka_Guru

I can imagine.

All I know at this point is that shield bashing is so much fun.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Prophecy

As great as that armor is, my favorite set in game look-wise is still the Warden Commander's Armor.

__________________
La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

Radio Monk33

Heh..got it for 25% off on the current steam sale. Can't wait for it to load!

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"Punk rock had this cool, political personal message. It was a bit more cerebral than just stupid cock rock, you know"
-Kurt Cobain

LoganSnake

I didn't buy the DLC, so I never got it.

Legion of the Dead just looks...menacing. I love it. I was sporting Juggernaut Armor until Alistar was strong enough to wear LotD.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Frosstbyte

Kinda frustrated with my playthrough at the moment. Spoiler: When I got to the Circle, I'd romanced Morrigan, and so followed her advice to just kill Wynne instead of bringing her along with my party. Now I'm trying to do Morrigan's questline, and trying to fight Flemeth without any magic user is just...painful. There's some terrible irony in losing Wynne to Morrigan's advice, and then getting stuck on Morrigan's quest because I don't have another mage for support while fighting mommy-dearest. My PC is a 2h warrior, so it's slim pickings for putting together a party of folk who can take her down. Might just have to come back once I have a lot more fire resist gear.

LoganSnake

Spoiler: Why are you fighting her anyway? I just let her go on the promise that we will not meet again in this lifetime. I always max out my persuasion in RPGs though, so I don't know if I got that option because of that. You still get the book and Morrigan thinks she's dead. Quest counts as complete. I killed Wynne as well. Wanted to keep Morrigan in my party. She leaves otherwise.

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Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

filtherton

Spoiler: I had Morrigan and Wynne in my party at the same time. Morrigan didn't like it when I let Wynne join, but she didn't leave.

Esoteric

Spoiler: Morrigan and Wynne are both in my party as well and I completed the Circle questline last night. Morrigan did voice her opinion on the matter but that was really it. I ended up making out with Morrigan pretty early in the game so I think it's safe to say she's not leaving.

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From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

Frosstbyte

Yeah, i wasn't worried about Morrigan leaving, I just try to keep some semblance of RP in these RPGs, which is also why Spoiler: I feel like I ought to kill Flemeth instead of letting her live.

Prophecy

It's a very short but sweet DLC. One of the things I really like about it is when you finish it, you get a chest to store junk in. So instead carrying that blood dragon armor around for 5 levels I just store it and don't have to worry about losing it or selling it on mistake.

__________________
La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

LoganSnake

I never pretend to be a character in RPGs. Most of the time the choices I make reflect what I would do if I were the main character. That's why I usually don't really deviate from my initial choices in subsequent playthroughs. If something was morally wrong to me the first time, it will still be wrong the second time.

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Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Frosstbyte

Well, indeed, that's why I play again-so I can go back through and be a huge douchebag and do everything wrong.

Can't be a reaper in this game without, well, being awful.

LoganSnake

You know a game is good when you make an evil choice and feel guilty afterward. I've actually reloaded my save a few times because of that.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Prophecy

Only one choice in game has made me do that.

Spoiler: It happened when you find out the Earl's son is the demon in the castle. (He's made a deal with a demon to save his father's life, in exchange he's been possessed.) You get the choice to go into the fade and save his life or kill him. I picked saving the castle now by killing the kid. I figured it'd just be your stand boss fight. It is standard fair til right after you win. Instead of the kid/demon being dead instantly from the battle, he's just knocked out.

His mother then bursts into the room pleading for you to spare her baby. If still want to stay the course, your character has to knock the mother out and then slit the kid's throat while she's unconscious. (The actual throat cutting is off camera, but you hear it and see the blood.)

I felt so bad after the fact I had to reload. None of the three other ways to finish the quest made me feel nearly as sad.

__________________
La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

LoganSnake

Wow, I didn't even think of choosing that option. Spoiler: I chose to sacrifice the mother because I didn't want to go into the circle just yet and interrupt the narrative.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Gabbyness

Yeah Logan but man, that had some unwanted repercussions too. There's really no *right* answer in a lot of these situations, which is great!

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One, two, three, four, fiiiiiiiifth.

BulletCatcher

That's the way I completed the quest line as well and I just sat there for a few minutes staring at the screen before quitting for the night. It didn't get much better the next time I played either as Spoiler: the next time I visited the camp I was confronted by Allistair condemning my actions and was forced to justify what I did to him. Lost big on the approval scale for that one.

LoganSnake

My favorite one was The Landsmeet. I spent an hour and a half just trying out all the different possibilities. That's probably the largest branch in the game. One of the choices you make makes a certain character leave your party. Given that I spent almost my entire game with that character, the feeling of betrayal and sadness in his or her voice was so realistic, that I had to reload the game and choose a different option.

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Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Prophecy

Actually, for the Redcliff quest line doing the Mage Tower first leads to the "best" ending of that quest line. If you don't finish the tower, you aren't even given the dialogue options.

The game has lots of little paths that branch and some small choices cause branches you never might never know notice till you play again. Personally I love it.

The only thing that prevents Dragon Age from knocking Baldur's Gate II off the Throne of Bhaal is the lack of multi-player. Otherwise, I'm 30+ hours in and still loving it.

__________________
La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

LoganSnake

Yes, you are. You have an option to go to the Circle Tower and before committing to a choice.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Shauk

yeah whats fun about this game is while on the 1st playthrough, i'll play the game as true to morality as possible, that on the 2nd one i'll just be a heartless cruel bastard interested on only efficiency and saving time, and completely selfish.

Derwood

Just started this yesterday (was up till 2am before calling it a night). I'm an Elf Mage and am up to around Level 6 heading into Lothering. Really hooked right now, though I feel like the graphics/animation are barely above PS2 level.

LoganSnake

I really hope that was an intentional gross exaggeration.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Derwood

Compared to other games that came out this year, the animation (in particular) is pretty dated looking. The game has been in the works for a long time though.

That said, i'll take a 100+ hour game (with multiple starts/finishes) over photo-realistic graphics any day

Baraka_Guru

How many RPGs of this style use photo-realistic graphics?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Derwood

there's a lot of grey in between Dragon Age and photo-realism. My point was that I've come to expect some pretty fluid, realistic animation on PS3, and the animation here (even in the cut scenes) is kind of rough for this generation. Again, it has nothing to do with the story or game play, which I'm really enjoying

Frosstbyte

That's funny. I spent the entire game relishing how good it looks, and I had to turn down my graphical settings to avoid a bug with no one having any hair at top settings.

Prophecy

Well, if you're playing a console version the graphics are pretty rough in spots. However, the PC version looks better and there is already fan made "HD texture" mods released for the game.

__________________
La Disciplina È La Mia Spada,
La Fede È Il Mio Schermo,
Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

Derwood

yeah, I'm on PS3, if that makes any difference. 48" TV vs. computer monitor probably magnifies some of the graphical issues (the dogs look like they're mad of plastic, for example)

Shauk

yeah the PS3 has a bit of texture compression, not as bad as the xbox 360 though, but I agree, the dogs in this game just look freaking weird. I just attribute it to them being "solid muscle" or something.

LoganSnake

They're war dogs, for chrissake!

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Gabbyness

(Happy Bark!)

__________________
One, two, three, four, fiiiiiiiifth.

Frosstbyte

I've completed one play through as a Dalish female archer rogue with my wife and I'm about 60% of the way through my second as a human noble 2h warrior. Still having a lovely time. The choices that they force on your at and just after the Landsmeet are utterly brutal, though, especially considering the characters they involve. Spoiler: It is SO easy to lose Alister and/or Morrigan, and these are the two people you've carried with you from the beginning of the game. Even worse, unless you want to sacrifice yourself or create a potential demon baby of pure power, you lose Alister to kill the Archdemon even if you don't lose him at the Landsmeet. My wife (who had been picking the dialogue on that playthrough) was visibly upset at having to make those two decisions and we re-loaded a few times before she finally settled on a course of action. She ended up making Alister king (which made her upset, because she had meticulously romanced him and then he dumps you if you make him king), then she told Morrigan no (which made her upset, because we'd bought Morrigan about 200g worth of gear+books) and you can't convince her to stay and then, not wanting to sacrifice herself, she had Alister take the fall at the end. Pretty gnarly.

Unless there is some trick hiding somewhere that I can't see, I imagine the game's main story has a substantially less impact if your main group does not contain those two. For two characters that most players will have spent so much time with, I'm surprised you end up with such brutal options at the end. Definitely not a game with a "true" happy ending for anyone.

On my "evil" playthrough that I'm going to start up after I finish this human noble trek, I plan on bringing Zevhran, Shale, a mage (me) and probably Sten. It will be interesting to see how different things play out with that crew.

Spoiler: And, as a final side note, the Dwarf storyline is one of the most subtle and insidious things I've ever encountered in a game. When I saw the ending for picking Harrowmont, I was just stunned by how backwards and awful the "nice guy" actually was compared to how he came across. I paid closer attention on my second play through and you really need to be reading closely (including in the often-skipped codex) to pick up that Bhelen is really the guy you want on the throne, even if he's a kinslayer and all around jerkass. But a great bit of storytelling and misdirection by them in tossing that right over my head.