Why is Dragon Age so good?
I bought DA:O (Ultimate Edition) last Xmas from a Steam sale, and finally got around to having a go today. 20mins later however, I ran into my first bug (I think) in the tutorial and gave up. To be honest, I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be, given the good things I've heard about the game and the reviews.
My reasons are:
1) I found the graphics rather cartoony and basic. Yes I know it's an old game, but I have been spoilt by Skyrim and it is hard to ignore this. I don't mind basic graphics for games where you got a top-down/isometric view of everything, but for games that gives you a first-person view, or a camera angle behind your character, then I consider an immersive and beautiful visual experience to be part of the appeal.
2) I found camera angles kinda awkward. I can be attacked by enemies I cannot see onscreen even when zoomed out to the max, and I get caught between trying to play the game like Skyrim and trying to play it like Baldur's Gate.
3) Is the Vanilla Steam version buggy? Maybe I missed something obvious, but I got stuck on the tutorial when it asked me to drag something into quickslot. The game highlighted both the item to be dragged and the place I should drag it to, but no matter what, the item would not go into the quickslot, and I could not even skip that step in the tutorial.
4) 3 races and 3 classes? After Baldur's Gate, this feels rather restrictive...
5) Do I have to be an Amell? I couldn't see how to change my character's surname.
6) I understand that you have to be somebody called Hawke in DA:2 and in DA:I you are yet another specified character. This seems very restrictive in comparison to BG.
I accept that I have not given the game as much of a chance as I perhaps should have, hence I ask my titular question. DA:I looks pretty impressive and part of the reason I wanted to give DA:O a go is to familiarise myself with the lore and the characters before possibly playing DA:I. However if the games are not so intrinsically connected like BG1 to SoA and ToB, then I might just read up on the plot of DA:O and DA:2 to prepare for DA:I.
My reasons are:
1) I found the graphics rather cartoony and basic. Yes I know it's an old game, but I have been spoilt by Skyrim and it is hard to ignore this. I don't mind basic graphics for games where you got a top-down/isometric view of everything, but for games that gives you a first-person view, or a camera angle behind your character, then I consider an immersive and beautiful visual experience to be part of the appeal.
2) I found camera angles kinda awkward. I can be attacked by enemies I cannot see onscreen even when zoomed out to the max, and I get caught between trying to play the game like Skyrim and trying to play it like Baldur's Gate.
3) Is the Vanilla Steam version buggy? Maybe I missed something obvious, but I got stuck on the tutorial when it asked me to drag something into quickslot. The game highlighted both the item to be dragged and the place I should drag it to, but no matter what, the item would not go into the quickslot, and I could not even skip that step in the tutorial.
4) 3 races and 3 classes? After Baldur's Gate, this feels rather restrictive...
5) Do I have to be an Amell? I couldn't see how to change my character's surname.
6) I understand that you have to be somebody called Hawke in DA:2 and in DA:I you are yet another specified character. This seems very restrictive in comparison to BG.
I accept that I have not given the game as much of a chance as I perhaps should have, hence I ask my titular question. DA:I looks pretty impressive and part of the reason I wanted to give DA:O a go is to familiarise myself with the lore and the characters before possibly playing DA:I. However if the games are not so intrinsically connected like BG1 to SoA and ToB, then I might just read up on the plot of DA:O and DA:2 to prepare for DA:I.
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Comments
If you're a mage*, then yes you are called Amell, but if you're a human noble, or an elf (who isn't a mage), or a dwarf, you're called something different.
* - I think it's the mage background that gets that name but don't quote me on that.
Point 4: three base classes, but each one has 4 specialisations that you can learn within those classes.
Point 1: zoom right out. Then you get a more isometric view closer to the NWN style of play.
In general, the game is pretty bug free. There's one item missing from where it should be without a patch and over the course of a full run I'd crash a few times but that's all I can think of. What happened in the prologue? Maybe you just missed something.
2) Yeh, the camera does get funky sometimes, though it never cost me much. Of course, that's just personal experience.
3) Can't say anything here. I didn't buy from Steam.
4) As already posted, specializations help to make up for it, but honestly three races bothers me more than the classes. It's no match for BG in this department.
5) Surnames are unchangeable in DA, but at least you have one. BG doesn't, though I wouldn't consider that a big deal. As for Amell, in DA2 the main character, Hawke's mother's maiden name was Amell, so if that's a name in DA:O it's rather intriguing.
6) This was a big issue for fans of the original DA. There was a lot of anger going around over this decision, as well as the recycled maps of DA2. I think it comes from having fully voiced dialogue. The devs wanted an ever present name or alias that could be used instead of whatever name the player came up with, which didn't happen in BG so much because the lines were mostly silent. In DA:O it was Warden, in DA2, Hawke, in DA:I, probably Inquisitor.
To summarize, no, it is definitely no match for BG. It was announced to be a spiritual successor to BG, but I think it falls short of that goal. It's more like KotOR in a medieval fantasy setting than anything else, which is not a bad thing by any means.
1. Character interactions and relationships. Unlike Baldur's EVERYTHING you say can have a positive or negative effect on how a party member views you and all party members have their own beliefs and attitudes that clash with other NPCs.
You need to work on relationships as saying the wrong thing can make your party members reaction spiral down. Getting it up unlocks romances and gives minor boosts to the NPCs stats.
2. Meaningful black and white choices. The game is linear however you have a lot of significant decisions to make in the game, usually siding with one faction or another. These choices however are shaded in greys and you are usually having to choose the lesser of two evils, or the evilness path of that is your fancy.
3. Multiple endings for Origins at least.
4. Tactical battles that test your resolve. Took me a good week to first kill the Brood Mother.
5. Want to role play a mass murdering dwarf? You can do that. Evil playthings are imo amazing for Origins.
Now to your issues.
1. This was one of the viggest complaints about the game when it first came out and the long development time was the cause. After playing it and enjoying the beautiful voice acting you maybe able to look past it. The armour and attacks however are very realistic in Origins though so it does have that going for it
2. It is neiher BG or Skyrim. The camera does need getting use to espically if you are not playing console. Just remember to take your time and don't be afraid to pause to rotate and get your bearings.
3. Skip the tutorial. Everything is pretty much covered in all of the origin stories.
4. As explained earlier, Specializations of each class flesh out characters differently. Think of it as Warriors being Fighters, rangers and paladins; Rogues as thieves and Bards (and rangera) and Spellcasters as Mages and Clerics with each one being able to intertwine with each other after the base selection. The three races are limiting however how the three races interact this world is memorizing and brilliant.
5. Yep. A tricky thing Bioware thought of for voice acting. It rarely comes into play though and you can pretend it is something else.
6. Hawke is comparable to Sheppard in Mass Effect however less liked. On DA2 you HAVE to play him/her only thinking that what worked for Mass Effect would work for Dragon Age. They seemed to have learnt their lesson. DA2 is not as good as the first but is ok for a single quick playthough. Most of the lore is explained in thr first game so I believe you can skip 2. But don't hold me to that.
2- rotate camera by holding right click and moving around. move around tactical view by pointing mouse at edge of screen. with that you should be able to always see the enemies.
3- on my own steam version it seems to register if i have the icon a bit above the quick slots. try that and see if the box lights up, then drop.
4- these are kinda the basics. fighters can be tanks or damage based, rogues can be dual wield or archery based, mages could be damage or healing based. you also get 2 specializations (i believe even a third during awakening) to customize your character. believe me, Baldur's Gate is more restrictive. however, make sure you have a rogue. there is no lock bash so you need them for chests, and my first game ended at the last boss because I missed one NPC rogue and the other died so the final battle was impossible.
5- it depends on your origin story. for example, I love playing the human noble, so I am a Couseland. It does suck a little, but just roll with it.
6- yes, the main character is DA2 is always Hawke. at least they make more use of calling you by that name, like Shepard in ME. some of the Origins names don't seem to really need to be there as nobody ever calls you it.
7- DA2 didn't have much to do with DAO, but it seems DAI will have a lot more to do with both. for example, both Lelianna and Morrigan are returning, and they are both from DAO. I imagine you will want to know a bit about everything with Morrigan, because a lot can happen. Also, the latest trailers I've seen have a female Hawke in it, so your DAO and DA2 characters may be returning and you may want a personal connection with them rather than some default warden and hawke.
1. The graphic take get use to it can be upgrade so it will look a lot better then it does by mods and a good place to get them is at Nexusmods
2. The camera is also something that need to get use to and you can use it all around, just pause the game a lot and take it slowly you will get use to it.
3. As for steam I can't really answer to that because I don't have the steam version.
4. There are maybe only 3 races and 3 classes but as other said those 3 classes have a lot of skills inside them and when you go thru the game there will be other choices that you can specialize in them, so you have a lot of choices inside the game then it look like at first.
5. Surname can't be change, they are connected to the beginning of the story and what origin you come from.
There are 6 origin to choose from:
Human Noble Origin
Elf can be City or Dalish
Dwarf can be Commoner or Noble
and the Magi Origin.
Each origin have different reaction in the game from the people around and it also give you different choice at the end of the game.
6. In DA:2 you have to be Hawk that is true and you can only be human but you still have the 3 classes choices and yes it a bit restrictive here to be able to play only as a human and they got a lot of criticisms about it, and the map that repeat itself thou out the game. DA:2 was a rush release game and a lot of people blame EA for that, Bioware learn from their mistake and listen to the gamers and take their time with DA:I as for how much they learn we will see when the game will be out.
Look on the game like that it is connected not by the one character like in BG but they time line and decision that was made in the game before DA:I come out. meaning DA:O is the beginning of it whole story, continue by DA:2 in a different place and different character but it also important to know how the war between the magi and templar started, then come DA:I that is now the present and the decision you make in the 2 games before it affect what is happening in the world.
Another thing is that Hawk appear in the game we saw her as a female but if you play DA:2 and you play her as a male he will show up as such also the same class you choose to play him/ her.
Another thing is the companion that you have in origin and in DA:2 some of them show up so if you didn't play the games before DA:I you won't have the feeling and the background of knowing what they gone thru with the Warden in origin and Hake in DA:2, some of them you will like some you won't but if you didn't play the games and met them you will know them not. Also in this games every decision you make can get you to be in good terms or worse terms with the companions, each have their own personalty and their own liking and disliking, also their each have their own quests that they ask for your help in them.
I think what makes people consider Dragon Age so good is that it's a RPG, and those are rare now. These days we mostly get action-RPGs meant for #¤@%ing multi-platform releases where the focus is on pretty graphics and voice-acting as well as stupidly easy combat, leaving story and character/party development on the backburner.
Dragon Age has fairly big dialogue trees (at least in comparison to the competition), often more than one way to resolve a quest, you're somewhat free in picking the order in which you do parts of the main story and a lot of your choices changes parts of the narrative even if it stays linear. The different origin stories gives a lot more replay value than you'd expect, particularily since you bump into it again over the course of the main plot. There's also a lot of detail in item descriptions, books and journal entries which makes the game world a lot richer.
The companions also deserve mention as they're some of the best Bioware has done since the Baldur's Gates. This is subject to opinion of course, but I don't think the Fallout 3/New Vegas, (most of the) Mass Effect, Fable, The Old Republic or Dragon Effect 2 companions hold a candle to Dragon Age's.
Now there isn't a game out there that suits everyone and maybe Dragon Age just isn't for you. I believe it likely is though since you're here on a Baldur's Gate forum and DA:O is more similar to BG than it is to the avalanche of action-RPGs that has spawned this last decade. If you find a way around whatever game-breaking bug is bothering you I think you should be able to enjoy two or three different playthroughs. You mentioned the graphics bugging you but seeing as you enjoy the Infinity games I can't imagine that's a major issue; BG:EE is hardly Skyrim-standard in that department.
I don't want to claim that DA:O is necessarily a bad game. It's a 7/10 game. The main reason it got the attention it did was the fact it came out during very dry spell of CRPGs, especially big budget ones. Uninspiring is the perfect word to describe it.
DA:O is definitely an action RPG as well. It has all the hallmarks - 90% of the sheet relates to combat and only different ways of killing people get different skills; All magic is combat (either attacks, buffs, or crowd control); the vast majority of quests ends with an unavoidable fight (and if they don't consist entirely of fighting like many minor quests do they most often still contain lots of minor combat leading up the final battle) and murdering people is a great way of solving problems, filler combat encounters around every corner (I don't want to spoil OP by naming them but you know which two areas where particularly guilty of this