DLC authorisation bugs, and the necessity to go online with Dragon Age, and privacy

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Good to know you've managed to sort this out.

Don't forget to patch the game as it solves a few issues. Once you'll have completed your first playthrough you may be interested in mods, check the modlist I've posted.

 

Since we were talking about Return to Ostagar, I'll post this here.

Return of Ostagar will be available on January 05, 2010. It is still US$5.00 or

• 400 MS Points
• 400 BioWare Points
• $4.99 USD PS3

For more information, see link: http://dragonage.bioware.com/addon/rto

 

Not sure I will complete more than one playthrough. It may seem like I am shamelessy advertising here but I have found that I may enjoy other rpgs and play them but I ineviteble return to WoW. From what I have seen of Dragon Age it is ok, fun but honestly not that much more fun than starting a gazillionth character in WoW and just solo level it. I have played most new rpg games and very few measure up even to playing WoW without any kind of social interaction. Not to mention the first time playing WoW and the immensity of the game world to explore. Can't help but feel hedged in when playing single player games. Just the fact that I can't jump and only walk on very limited paths in Dragon Age annoys me quite a lot. I think my point is that for all you people who like games like Dragon Age you really should try World of Warcraft. Just get the free trial and play it until it ends and I can more or less guarantee you that you will get as much enjoyment out of it as practically any single player game even if you do not speak a word to another player in game. What it lacks in story and characters it more than enough makes up with the vast game world and almost limitless options.

I should stop now, it is just that I get constantly amazed at how good that freaking game is compared to what else is on the market and which I have played. I have played it pretty much non-stop since launch and I had one of my most fun gaming sessions ever last night in any game. I played NWN2, I played Fallout3 and they were ok, I had fun but honestly I have just as much fun levelling new characters in WoW and as I said way less fun than the first time I ventured out into Azeroth.

This should probably have gone in the first impressions thread as I guess what spurred this rant is that my first impression of Dragon Age is that it is World of Warcraft for solo play with more talking, way smaller and more cramped world and hopefully an engaging story. Same combat system, same levelling system, same movement system (although much more restricted than in WoW) and hopefully more tactical combat.

 

The major reason I won't play WoW is because I care about my social life and I don't want to end up like some of my friends who play that game and will stay home on a Saturday evening to play that game instead of having a few pints.

Another very good reason is that I am very particular about who I roleplay with and having loads of teenagers (or older players behaving like teenagers) playing the game would ruin it for me. A friend of mine who used to play Halo 3 on Xbox live stopped playing online because it was impossible to play without running into kids who sounded like Beavis and Butthead. It may have been entertaining for a while but that's bad enough playing an FPS and it can only get worse with an MMO especially such a popular game.

Single player games are different because they offer closure. You have a story that you run through and you know from the start that there is an ending. Your character is unique. In an MMO there can be no definitive ending and your character is not the hero of the game. If you haven't played much you're just some XP and if you've played a lot and have a higher level character you turn into some sort of boss... IMO it's not as satisfying as completing a story and getting involved in the way it unfolds.

Thinking about Xbox Live and that sort of crap, I have to point out that the Achievement system in Dragon Age doesn't make any sense and I don't see the point in collecting achievements or boasting about them. As indications of what you've done in game it's fine but if you start playing the game in a certain way just to get them then it's pretty sad.

I can see the appeal of MMOs like WoW but I'm glad that single player games like Dragon Age exist and offer an alternative to people like me who enjoy a good story and want to play on their own, when they want to play, the way they want to play and last but not least without having to interact with other human beings.

 

But that is kinda my point of that post I made. Even with removing all of the social bits of WoW and just judging it as if it had been a single player game it is still as good as or better than all single player rpgs I have played. That is the freaky bit. I have been one of the guys who stayed at home to raid in WoW but I stopped that when I got a job. Now I play WoW for an hour two every day and seeing as I have pretty much done everything in the game not all that much but it isn't only the in game friendships that keeps me there it is the fact that WoW is a really really good entertaining game. As for the kids, sure they are annoying but really the only time they might bother people is when you are in the major cities and even then it is quite easy to ignore it. I guess all I am trying to say is that for all of you people who are looking for a good game to play and like games like Dragon Age I would recommend WoW. It is possible to play it without investing massive amounts of time in it and still getting a very good gaming experience. Just levelling a character for the first time is a bigger game than pretty much any other rpg on the market, you don't have to delve into the game that starts when you are at max level and it is really only there the social bits with their pros and cons really come into play.

I can understand why WoW gets a really bad rep with gamers who haven't tried it and it is virtual crack but honestly the reason why it is so addictive is more or less that it is so good. I am not some fanboy speaking, I just think all you ole role playing gamers would actually find quite a lot of enjoyment of it and it is quite possible to roleplay. I roleplayed my first character, sure I did it mostly to myself and the game does not offer you many official ways to roleplay but the world is so huge that there is plenty of space to let you roleplay inside your own head. Not to mention that there are dedicated roleplaying servers which as I understand it function quite well. Jeez, I sound like some salesperson but as I see it WoW is the game that people have been waiting for since BG2 it just happens to come in MMO form and be immensly popular. Even if it is a game where you pretty much slaughter huge amounts of monsters, bandits and wildlife but it is FUN slaughtering. The biggest negative is that it is so addictive and entertaining that you need quite a lot of discipline to not get completely sucked in.

 

I have nothing against MMO; I am against a company charging a monthly fee after paying $50 for the game. So, I pay $50+ for the game and the game add on and on top of that I have to pay $5-10+ a month. That to me is a rip off. I have yet to play guild wars but that to me sounds like a better deal. You pay a one time fee, the game, and you get to play as much as you want online without a monthly fee. If I was interested in MMO that would be the way I go or I may even go with DDO as it is 100% free and uses D&D 3.5 rules.

DAO to me is better than a MMO. Yeah the story doesn't change much and you don't have the interaction with other people, but who cares when the game story is well written, good voice acting, and provides hours of entertainment. Not only that, but with the six different origins you can replay the game six times and each time have a slighlty different ending.

These are all the same things that made the BG series great. This is why DAO is the sucessor to BG. In fact, this is how BG3 would be if it was released today with the newer graphics.

One more thing DAO has over MMO. DAO has user created content which can add more to the game beyond what Bioware has developed and that only makes the game better. To me, DAO combines the best of NWN and BG series into one game. NWN ability to add content easily and a well written story like BG with plenty of options for the characters.

 

Munchkin Blender makes a very good point about the cost of playing WoW. It's not expensive if you don't go out anymore because you may actually be saving money (no more drinks, movies, restaurants... or other games). But if you play it moderately (a few hours a week) then it is not cheap...

If it's about RPing inside my head then I'd be playing Morrowind or Oblivion, games that have been compared to MMOs as some pointed out that they were like single player MMOs (if there were such things).

Apart from raids and factions (good, evil, whatever) don't you need to team up to get through quests? I'm just saying since I've never heard someone suggesting playing WoW like a single player game before.

I agree with Munchkin Blender. I like Dragon Age because it's a nice diversion. After completing it twice I'm not hooked anymore but it's still addictive and I enjoy playing for a few hours now and then. The fact that there is an ending provides a sense of completion and drives me forward.

I'm a chronic restarter, in RPGs that are open ended I tend to get bored once I've done most of the stuff that can be done in game and sometimes long before that. I like Fallout 3 because it's a very open game with many places to explore but I tend to lose interest when I get to a certain point. Mods help a lot when that happens because they offer variety.

Dragon Age may be less open but it does provide us with a good story. Although I'm a chronic restarter I've played through the game twice and started a third playthrough before playing the three remaining origins. I wanted to complete the story rather than just finish the game (which isn't necessarily such a good incentive as far as I'm concerned). I may enjoy planning my builds but in DA the fun for me comes from thinking about what would my character say or how would he or she react in the limits of the game. Getting XP and killing stuff is not a priority when I can have fun with a character who will do something crazy like not wearing an armour, use only some weapons or refuse to consider some options because the character's upbringing wouldn't allow such behaviour.

 

As for the price of WoW, Blizzard are so confident of their product that they let you have it and try it for free for three weeks I think it is. You know the first hit is free then you gotta pay. All I can say to that is that I am the cheapest, most value aware person I know and I have never resented the money I have given blizzard. I did some quick calculations in my head now and I have spent arond 750€ on WoW throughout the years and I honestly consider it money well spent. You get your money worth for that monthly fee. Here I am again, touting and defending a game that really doesnt need much support. It is just that well, Dragon Age reminds me so much about WoW and that there are so many RPG fans on these boards who for some reason really dislike WoW and I just thought that as a reasonably old mature guy who thinks Planescape: Torment is probably the best single player rpg ever to be made I could share some of the fun and enjoyment World of Warcraft has given me. It's influence and worth can not be ignored. I just went and picked up Shale, an effeminete golem, that is a nice twist.