Mod The Sims - Dragon Age II

Oaktree

18th Mar 2011, 10:39 AM

Can someone tell me what it's about? From nhayes17's screenies it looks kinda cool...
As long as there's swords and slaying monsters (apart from Sims, I love those kinds of games) involved I would buy...but have no Xbox/PS3 and I use a Mac -___-

I'm guessing you haven't played Dragon Age: Origins. You'll get some spoilers for DA:O if you start with DA2, but the spoilers aren't terribly bad ones. I play Dragon Age on the PC and I prefer it that way. It's also available for Mac, so you should be able to get a copy you can play. I think they're both great games for different reasons.

DA:O is a lengthy game packed full of world lore. It's got monster killing, but also quite a bit of character development. You can talk to your companions and really get to know them, as well as romance some of them.

DA2 has a bit less in the dialogue department, a bit more in the action department, and better graphics. I don't think that the story is any less immersive, even though there's less character dialogue. The moral character of DA2 is also very challenging and interesting. In DA:O, it's pretty easy to be the upstanding moral paragon. In DA2, situations aren't always what they seem, and sometimes you have to pick the lesser of two evils. The game doesn't constantly bombard you with moral dilemmas, but there's just enough there that it makes you really have to think about your choices.

nhayes17

18th Mar 2011, 05:31 PM

If you like Dragon slaying, magic and swords you will love it, I'd start with the first one though as while playing through the second one I recognise so many characters that make reappearances, for example, I loved when a certain member of the Ferelden Royal family dropped by to tell me "Swooping is bad". The little things add so much to the immersive feel, such as your companions talking about events and characters fromn the first game

I have loads more screenies but too busy enjoying the game to sort them out to post :D

Here's a few more

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/3.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/1ScreenShot1545.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/2.jpg

maxon

21st Mar 2011, 12:08 AM

I have to say I liked Flemeth's hair and headdress. Where was that last one taken? NO - don't tell me, I haven't got there yet.

Here's my girl and the boys levitating at the docks. Sigh. http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/LevitatingattheDocks.jpg

Oaktree

21st Mar 2011, 05:45 AM

I'll post a couple of my screenies.

http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/9786/screenshot2011032020012.jpg

This is my main playthrough at the moment, my female rogue, Dierdre. I usually go with the witty dialogue options, though she is sometimes serious. I'm about halfway through the game on this playthrough. I know, I play really slowly. :D

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/812/screenshot2011032020131.jpg

And here's my male mage, Ben. I'm not focusing very much on this character at the moment, but I wanted to make an attractive male character (by my own standards, he's not too bad :p ) and I wanted to try out a mage (they're friggin' powerful!), but I've grown attached to playing rogues since DA:O, so I had to do a rogue playthrough first.

nhayes17

21st Mar 2011, 03:43 PM

Love the levitation pic :) and Ben's cute

I have a male mage and a female warrior and a female rouge on the go atm. The female rogue is stuck in getting through to the final battle at the end, so I'm plying through with my warrior and making sure i catch all of the quests and trying to make Fenris like her this time lol

Keep the screenies coming :)

Merrill and my warrior Asha (I lurve Merrill she makes me laugh)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/merrill.jpg

Dragon

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/asha1.jpg

Justice

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/justice.jpg

Ogre

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/nhayes170/Dragon%20Age/ogre-2.jpg

maxon

22nd Mar 2011, 12:26 AM

Ha - your warrior seems to be eying up Merrill in a somewhat cynical fashion. I'm none too keen on what they've done with the elves. They look funny (someone else I was talking to said fish-faced) and then there's the Oirishness but Merrill is growing on me. Her comments, especially with Carver, are hilarious.

I'm being impressed with the scenery. This sky is great.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/Sky.jpg

And the Deep Roads scenery is also great:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/Lava.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/DeepRoads.jpg

nhayes17

22nd Mar 2011, 12:41 AM

Merrill sounds Welsh to me but yes wasn't keen on the faux oirish accents of the other Dalish lol, I keep Merrill around just to hear her chatter in the background, keeps me entertained :)

I also love the skies ans the scenery in general

maxon

22nd Mar 2011, 01:05 AM

nhayes17

22nd Mar 2011, 01:21 AM

I'm English too Maxon :) Not watched Torchwood I have to admit though

maxon

22nd Mar 2011, 01:28 AM

I'm English too Maxon :) Not watched Torchwood I have to admit though

Ah, right - sorry. No, I've not watched it either - well, no, I watched the first one. I kind of don't get the enthusiasm for what I think of as a children's programme. Dr Who, the same. <shrug>

kattenijin

22nd Mar 2011, 01:57 AM

She is Welsh - she's that Welsh actress on Torchwood (apparently). Irish and Welsh for me (being English) are distinct but nevertheless the common celticness is clear. The Welsh and the Irish are pretty close historically and culturally in reality.

Edit to say:

Eve Myles- she plays Gwen in "Torchwood"

I'm probably one of the few Americans who'd notice the difference, mainly because I spent a summer there way back when. Welsh is...more... I dunno, sloshy? Maybe it's all the sheep.

More relevant to the thread, I broke down and bought the game today, even though I have yet to beat the stupid demo. I wasn't going to buy it untill victory was mine.

Oaktree

22nd Mar 2011, 05:41 AM

More relevant to the thread, I broke down and bought the game today, even though I have yet to beat the stupid demo. I wasn't going to buy it untill victory was mine.

Here's a tip: While some people in the forums will hate your guts for "kiting", if you run around dodging enemies, you can get your abilities to recharge without taking significant damage in the meantime. I find that it is necessary to run around in the ogre fight, anyway, because he charges and throws things. Also, have your mage learn heal and/or target your party members to drink potions when they get too low. They won't drink them on their own unless you alter their tactics.

My first two play-throughs on the demo, I just barely beat the ogre, with one party member still conscious toward the end of the fight. It gets pretty easy once you get the hang of it, though.

If you're having trouble with Hayder, you might be like me on my first play-through. I didn't notice that my companions had ability points to spend. The fight is much easier after spending those points or, at least, I thought so. I also use the strategy of targeting the little guys first to take away all of the pesky sources of damage before going after the big guy. That strategy switches for me later on when I have some 1-hit kill abilities, even for the bigger guys, but it's a pretty good strategy early on.

kattenijin

23rd Mar 2011, 12:15 AM

Here's a tip: While some people in the forums will hate your guts for "kiting", if you run around dodging enemies, you can get your abilities to recharge without taking significant damage in the meantime. I find that it is necessary to run around in the ogre fight, anyway, because he charges and throws things. Also, have your mage learn heal and/or target your party members to drink potions when they get too low. They won't drink them on their own unless you alter their tactics.

My first two play-throughs on the demo, I just barely beat the ogre, with one party member still conscious toward the end of the fight. It gets pretty easy once you get the hang of it, though.

If you're having trouble with Hayder, you might be like me on my first play-through. I didn't notice that my companions had ability points to spend. The fight is much easier after spending those points or, at least, I thought so. I also use the strategy of targeting the little guys first to take away all of the pesky sources of damage before going after the big guy. That strategy switches for me later on when I have some 1-hit kill abilities, even for the bigger guys, but it's a pretty good strategy early on.

Nope! It's the demo I tell ya! lol!

I'm having a perfectly fine time with the actuall game, but I STILL can't beat the demo, lol!

Oaktree

23rd Mar 2011, 12:31 AM

Nope! It's the demo I tell ya! lol!

I'm having a perfectly fine time with the actuall game, but I STILL can't beat the demo, lol!

Well, you're missing out on a piece of additional content if you can't complete the demo. It's not a big deal, but I tend to try to get all of the additional content I can get my hands on. :)

nhayes17

23rd Mar 2011, 12:48 AM

I hadn't even realised there was a demo lol I just pre-ordered the game

nhayes17

25th Mar 2011, 04:19 PM

Phew finally completed it with Asha my female warrior :)

EPIC

maxon

25th Mar 2011, 11:02 PM

Phew finally completed it with Asha my female warrior :)

EPIC

Tsk - now be quiet. Some of us are still in Act 2.

nhayes17

26th Mar 2011, 12:23 AM

sorry lol

:)

maxon

26th Mar 2011, 12:56 PM

I was playing again last night. I don't seem yet to have come across a point for Act 2. Act 1 was fairly clear - get the money for Bartrand and off to the Deep Roads. I took Varric (of course), Anders and Carver (who has now gone dark in my companions screen - I'm hoping that means he comes back at some point). I enjoyed the Deep Roads segment - atmospheric - check:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/DeepRoads2.jpg
Though this took some work:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/NotGoodNo.jpg
I quite liked the look of:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/Sebastien.jpg
But apparently he doesn't put out so that's him off my friends list then. My girl will have to stick to:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/Maxon/Anders.jpg
who, I have to say, I like much better this time. The development of his character has been well done. I still wish it were Nathaniel (I like dark and broody) but I believe he turns up at some point.

Anyway, I shall have to see if more progress can be made and I can sort out whatever is bugging the qunari (nice redesign there - love the horns and body paint, much better than the elf effort). OTOH, Sims Medieval arrived this morning ...

nhayes17

26th Mar 2011, 02:48 PM

Oh Act 2 does end - trust me lol

My girl casually romanced Anders and Isobela, Fenris was almost an option but he didn't seem to put out either lol, Sebastian is too much of a chantry boy lol

Nathaniel turns up in Act 3 if you talk to his sister :)

Oaktree

27th Mar 2011, 06:07 PM

Oh, the rock wraith was tough. I had to fight him three times, and I just kinda got lucky the third time. Though it did help that I figured out how he moves before each attack, so I was able to get my party out of the way of the pink light attack, for example.

I also romanced Anders, as I think he was the best of the options. He's not perfect, but he grew on me. I kinda liked the rebellious libertarian thing. :)

I just started Act 3 last night, so I'm nearing the end of the game. Woo! I'm really curious about how it ends. I've been flitting about the Bioware social site, trying to avoid spoilers, but I keep hearing various vague rumblings about the ending.

clynnc19

28th Mar 2011, 04:40 AM

Just finished act 2 today. I started a romance with Anders and

***POSSIBLE SPOILER***

I hate Isabella :( wish I could kill that b****. She's not on my team anymore cause of what she did.

***END SPOILER***

nhayes17

28th Mar 2011, 12:19 PM

Ha just wait - it won't be Isobela you are hating most :)

I captured some of the events of Act 3 in screenshots but won't post yet as will be a huge spoiler

Nvenya

28th Mar 2011, 01:34 PM

Played a Spirit Healer/Force Mage with Primal, romanced Fenris and picked the mage side even though I was neutral through most of it. Almost wanted to wring the neck of every mage I ran into, though. Maybe I'd be more sympathetic to them if the blood mage spec was actually worth going down. I didn't get the DLC so no Sebastian for me. At the end I didn't have Isabella or Anders. I tried to get rid of Merrill but she bugged out on me and wouldn't leave.

The only fight in the game that was a pain was the Arishok. I almost died of boredom during that one, especially since I was mostly Spirit Healer at the time.

The last time I was in the Bioware social forums there was a lot of mud slinging going on. I played Origins multiple times, but didn't really feel like playing another game of DA2. Not really sure why. I think I really disliked the wave mechanic in fights.

Hope none of that was too spoilery.

clynnc19

28th Mar 2011, 06:03 PM

Ha just wait - it won't be Isobela you are hating most :)

I captured some of the events of Act 3 in screenshots but won't post yet as will be a huge spoiler

Oh no :( I hope it's not Anders. He is my love interest and I want the achievement! Someone told me I was really going to hate him by the end of the game :cry:

The only fight in the game that was a pain was the Arishok. I almost died of boredom during that one, especially since I was mostly Spirit Healer at the time.

You know if you play the Xbox 360 version there is a cheat to get you to level 50. Makes it more fun when you've already beat it once. It's at gamefaqs.com under dragon age 2 cheat codes.

The last time I was in the Bioware social forums there was a lot of mud slinging going on. I played Origins multiple times, but didn't really feel like playing another game of DA2. Not really sure why. I think I really disliked the wave mechanic in fights.

I love the story for Origins way better. I just love the whole blight is here and the last surviving Grey Wardens must build an army to protect their land from destruction. Plus you can marry a king :lovestruc. Dragon Age 2 is just mage vs templar, seems downplayed compared to the first (in my opinion).

Oaktree

28th Mar 2011, 06:32 PM

Certain events in the game have started making me really nostalgic for Origins. One of my biggest complaints throughout DA2 has been the lack of conversation options with companions. I felt like my DA:O character was really forging a bond with her companions and I was watching it happen right in front of me. In this game, you get hints at the characters interacting when you aren't watching, but it isn't as satisfying.

For some reason, Act III so far seems more tedious than the other acts. Maybe it's just because I've gotten so used to the setting that I don't really feel like exploring every nook and cranny. Ah well. I'm still interested in seeing where the story goes. :)

clynnc19

29th Mar 2011, 07:53 PM

Finished it today. You were right nhayes17, I hate Anders more than Isabella now...

Oaktree

29th Mar 2011, 08:40 PM

I finished last night. I actually don't hate Anders. I suppose I should explain, so spoilers ahead...

***SPOILERS***

While blowing up a chantry is rather extreme and possibly involved the deaths of innocents, the priests themselves are not innocent. The chantry in Thedas is a tyrannical institution that subjugates those who are born different. While individual priests may feel that they are doing what is best for everyone, good intentions do not always equate to good actions. It is not right to punish an entire group of people for the actions of a few, so they are entirely wrong in their approach and they sit back and allow horrible things to be done to mages. If you consider the templars to be separate from the chantry, the chantry is at least negligent, as it allows the templars to commit atrocities on the mages. If the templars are considered an arm of the chantry (which I would say is the case), the chantry is actively harmful.

As to Anders's methodology, sometimes revolutions require violence. If an oppressed group has no way of gaining the sympathy of the oppressors through non-violent protest, sometimes violence is necessary to show the oppressors that it will cost them dearly to continue in their ways. It is sad, but sometimes necessary.

As to the comparison between Anders and Isabella, I think Anders's cause is more noble. He is looking to right wrongs and improve more than just his own lot. Isabella caused major political strife over something that, to her, was simply a trinket meant to save her hide from a situation that she was responsible for. She did the right thing in freeing the slaves, but she was wrong in associating with Castillion in the first place, so any results of that are her responsibility. She chose to harm hundreds or thousands of others to escape punishment for her own errors.

***END SPOILERS***

In short and without spoilers, Anders is noble, if a little extreme, while Isabella is completely selfish. I think Isabella is worse.

nightwitch

29th Mar 2011, 11:05 PM

i hate krikwall mainly deacuse all you can do there is get quest the get even more quests it is annoying place. i perefer denerarim it had so much more chacater.

Nvenya

4th Apr 2011, 02:47 PM

Possible spoilers

In short and without spoilers, Anders is noble, if a little extreme, while Isabella is completely selfish. I think Isabella is worse.

I find them both to be selfish in varying degrees.

I agreed with Anders up until he went too far. Don't think I forgot that there were orphans in the chantry. All he did was prove that he was no better than them. He wasn't even Anders anymore and he knew it. Justice had changed him, or should I say Vengeance. Not to say that he wasn't interesting. I found him more compelling than some of the other characters.

nightwitch

4th Apr 2011, 10:59 PM

i am on act 5 or 6 were i'm at in it is very hard and anders has destoryed the chantry and marlvous i have to take sides. what wonderful game i am enjoying it no end orthourgh i am going spend a fourtune on potions.

Nvenya

5th Apr 2011, 10:30 PM

I thought I'd need a ton of potions too for the final battles. I didn't use a single one. Perhaps if I had played on Nightmare it might have been different.

I wasn't too fond of having to stay in Kirkwall the entire time. Hopefully you can roam around more in the third installment. I'm sure it will be centered around Orlais or Antiva since that is where Sandal and Bodahn are going.

nhayes17

6th Apr 2011, 12:17 AM

I forgave Anders, he did that puppy dog look and Priests aren't my favorite people lol, but he did lie to me

Synthesis

6th Apr 2011, 04:27 PM

I ended up being more interested in this than the copy of DA:O lent to me on the Xbox 360, and own it on PC. Very fun, though I'm still early on (after Varric finds Bertrand again). The PC mod community for this is surprisingly active, which is nice. I've got a bunch of mods running as it is, and my expensive PC upgrades were finally made worthwhile.

nightwitch

6th Apr 2011, 10:47 PM

where am at is very trickie there is pride demon in the docks.

Oaktree

6th Apr 2011, 11:34 PM

Dodge the blue ring and, if you've got a good damage-dealing rogue, throw him/her at the demon. I played a rogue as my main character and found that I could do tons of damage as an assassin, including killing the earlier pride demon by myself after the rest of my party got caught in the blue ring attack and fell unconscious.

Lance

10th May 2011, 04:47 PM

I finished the game yesterday.
It feels like the game's creation started with talented developers, fascinating story and great ideas, but halfway through they all were fired/declined and replaced with lazy, bored, stupid people and all kinds of muck.
Or, more likely, for some reason the developers' crew had lost all the interest to its game and was trying hard to get the job finally done no matter what result.