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[Classic]

That's why I always have a mage around who's got anti-wizard bombs. Usually an application of mana clash does the job.

[Shinra]

imo, having to have a character specced a certain way to make combat something other than tedious would definately classify as an 'unforgivable sin of game design'.

[Classic]

Yeah, that might be true, but that's not quite the case here. Here you've got a game that explicitly tells you that there is symmetry between your combat options and the combat options of your foes.

You have options as to how to deal with enemy crowd control and debuffs. One or two of which do not require mages.

Are you going to go so far as to say WoW has bad game design because a balanced team has at least one Tank, DPS, and healer?

[Shinra]

I would if the tank had to take a specific talent to make them immune to spiderweb spells to cope with a raid where every 1.5 encounters has at least two spiders that AOE web the party in them.

The deep roads is up in my top 3 worst experiences in an RPG, right below to 'all the segments in FFXIII where you were forced to use fragile characters as your party leader'., and right above 'every RPG ever without level scaling that requires you to use a really bad party member, possibly as the only person in your party, without any prior warning or occurance, in the last 25% of the game'.

[Classic]

Oh, the spiders are a frustrating load of shit, but they're not difficult are they? I actually kind of enjoyed them because I got to put those filthy, filthy chelicerates in their place. Stupid blue bloods.

I thought you were complaining about enemy mages which are a serious pain, but- HEY! the game gives you Alistair and repeatedly tells your dumb ass that he's good at killing magic users. When I decided I didn't want his royal bastardliness following me anymore I gave Wynne or Morrigan talents on the fuck-up-enemy mages tree, or just FORCE CRUSH*. Because that makes all the difference.


*Which, before I realized I could use it to hilariously potent effect against enemies had me shitting terror.

[Joxam]

I would if the tank had to take a specific talent to make them immune to spiderweb spells to cope with a raid where every 1.5 encounters has at least two spiders that AOE web the party in them.

The deep roads is up in my top 3 worst experiences in an RPG, right below to 'all the segments in FFXIII where you were forced to use fragile characters as your party leader'., and right above 'every RPG ever without level scaling that requires you to use a really bad party member, possibly as the only person in your party, without any prior warning or occurance, in the last 25% of the game'.

This would be a lot better argument if your tank could be anything but protection and still be a viable tank in WoW. All you really need for a tank in DA is to have someone with a lot of hitpoints stand in a door way. The only thing dragon age does, after you get through the not having enough characters for it to be viable parts of the game at least, is require that your ranged stay ranged, your single target nukes all nuke the same target and your tanks hold the choke points properly. The bigger pain in the ass is how shit poor dragon age was at some of the early level encounters. What's that, you got jumped on by spiders at the beginning of the mage line? Too bad, hope you saved because its going to chew your fucking face off until you die.

[Classic]

IT IS YOUR JUST DESSERTS FOR NOT BUILDING A NUKER!!!1!!11

Yeah, I can't justify all of DA's decisions, but I can say that I enjoyed the game a fair bit.

Combat is a serious pain without an action queue though. Fucking computer being less powerful than the xbox.

[Norondor]

Thad was actually right in comparing DA's combat to FF12's: the difference being that DA actually had at least okay characters, writing and story.

[Norondor]

also the art was better, and when i'm comparing Boring WRPG favorably to something from Square-Enix, the company with probably the most talented visual artists in the industry, that means something.

[Thad]

Of course, one of the major characters was cribbed directly from Final Fantasy X, so there's that.

"Okay characters, writing and story" is fair, I think.  Not as good as KotOR or Mass Effect, but better than Neverwinter Nights (and I haven't played any of the rest of BioWare's stuff, though maybe I should).  It's a damn solid engine which they've had plenty of time to refine; the characters were pure stock BioWare but serviceable, well-written and well-voiced.  The worldbuilding separated itself enough from "stock Tolkien/D&D setting" to be interesting; the Darkspawn/Blight/Taint/Grey Warden/Archfiend symbiosis was a great hook, and the expansion actually did a really good job of expanding on it.  The political intrigue felt a little shallow for most of the game (and Loghain never really felt fleshed-out as a villain; I kept expecting a twist somewhere where he wasn't what he seemed, but nope, evil-looking guy is just evil), though the final maneuvering for the throne worked well.

All in all it's a wonderfully crafted game and one of my favorites of the past decade, though it's a testament to how highly I think of BioWare that I'd describe it as middling by their standards.

Still more excited about Witcher 2 (and WAY more excited about ME3) than DA2, but I'll grab it someday.  Maybe even next week if I earn enough extra scratch; it depends on how many days I end up working.

[Classic]

Actually if you [spoiler]get his dumb ass to join you[/spoiler] his actions make a little more sense. But yeah, at the end of the day still evil. Only the evil is "justified" by [spoiler]his creeping suspicions that Cailan's reign was a precursor to another hundred years of Orlesian occupation as he was manipulated and out-maneuvered by the queen of Orlais[/spoiler] listening to Loghain's side of the story makes it seem plausible.

[TA]

When you spend the first like thirty years of your life kicking the French out of your country, and the next thirty rebuilding it into something to speak of, watching your best bud's retarded kid chumming up to the French and getting ready to invite their armies to march to the middle of his territory will drive a man to do some pretty extreme things.

His nefarious actions after Ostagar and before the Landsmeet really don't make a ton of sense, though.

[Norondor]

Of course, one of the major characters was cribbed directly from Final Fantasy X, so there's that.

right down to the chopped-off horn, even.

... wait, we're talking about Sten, right?

[Classic]

Man. Am I too worried about spoilers? [spoiler]yeah probably, Probably I am way too worried about spoilers[/spoiler] I just- WHAT IF SOMEONE HASN'T PLAYED THIS SHIT YET!?

I kind of took it to mean that the guy was getting more than a little unhinged. He tries to justify his fuckups if you can get him to talk to you.

[Classic]

Of course, one of the major characters was cribbed directly from Final Fantasy X, so there's that.

right down to the chopped-off horn, even.

... wait, we're talking about Sten, right?

I thought it was:
Lulu/Morrigan
Khimari/Dog
Wakka/Zevran
Auron/Oghren
Yuna/Leliana
Tidus/Alistair

... j/k, I think Alistair is OK. We had a buddy cop thing going.

EDIT:
Fuck, we already had a khimari/sten thing.

[Norondor]

also, yeah, re: those spoilers: Loghaine was actually right. IIRC it's briefly confirmed in one of the DLC packs, which i played none of because zzzzz.

His nefarious actions after Ostagar and before the Landsmeet really don't make a ton of sense, though.

"We're pretty far along as it is, man"

[Classic]

While the awakening DLC did mightily tap dance on my balls in terms of this'n'that breaches of continuity and canon, I still enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed witch hunt, even though it was basically BioWare trying desperately to appease Morrigan fanboys (and girls?).

[Norondor]

see also leliana dlc

[Classic]

Did you play that one? How did you like it?

[Ziiro]

WHAT IF SOMEONE HASN'T PLAYED THIS SHIT YET!?

I haven't, but it's my fault. if I read a spoiler about something that ruins it for me, it's my own fucking fault for taking this long to play the game.

On that note; at the Landsmeet already. My only moral decision I regret so far is the destruction of the Anvil of the Void. My chaotic good tendencies overpowered what would be a rational, correct decision for the good of the world. Sacrifice for the good of all, etc.