Dragon Age 2 - News Roundup #6

Yesterday a post appeared on the official BioWare forums containing a complaint from a gamer who says he was unable to play his recently purchased copy of the Signature Edition of Dragon Age II (from the EA Store) because his main forum account (which is tied to his EA account) was suspended for 72 hours.

“My other account got suspended yesterday for 72 hours,” says ‘vware‘. “My suspended v_ware account has all my Bioware games registered to it. My other games are Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening. I have played every game off Bioware since KOTOR, which is my favourite game of all time. Since I have these other games and off course have played the DA2 demo, my previously unlocked DA2 content is assigned to this account.”

He then goes on to say that because his account is linked, and suspended, he couldn’t activate his copy of Dragon Age II.

Apparently ‘vware’ was suspended for asking the developers “have you sold your souls to the EA devil?” in a post.

The response from the BioWare moderator? “EA Community bans come down from a different department and are the result of someone hitting the REPORT POST button,” says the moderator. “These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC.”

How does that make you feel you cant say anything negative to Bioware or EA. You get reported and banned from your game because someone got offended and reported your post. I shake my head at this.:speechless:
 
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The game is not flat out bad. I find it rather descent so far. As long as you start off with the assumption that it's so far from the proper, more trational RPG that Origins tried to be and failed miserably at it, that they should have marketed it as a spin-off or something else as to not confuse people it is a proper sequel to the first game.
 
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Sorry Alrik, but you might as well sell all your chairs now, because your ass is going to be way too bad to sit in any of them. ;) Building up a mighty, death-dealing character is pretty much central to the genre. It doesn't HAVE to be, but it is.

(Personally, I would love to see a game where I got to be one of the travelling merchants in an RPG. I could sell things to adventurers then buy them back 5 minutes later for one tenth the price! Maybe I could even influence events by buying up lots of magic in one kingdom then selling them to a kingdom I liked better.)

To the first paragraph I don't quite agree.
To the second one much, much more.

And here's why : I accept that a game's intention is to build up a character.

What I can't accept is the badass thing. I just don't want to be vbad. I just don't want to be a Gangsta, which i the picture that instantly pops up in(to) my mind when I read the word "badass". I just don't want to run round with gold chains around my neck, so to say. ;)

I just can't immerse myself or assume mysel the role of such a cliché-laden person. I just can't play a "badass", because I can't play a role that's not inside my self. Maybe REAL actors can do it, but I'm not a real one anyway. ;)

I just can play - and assume - roles of types of people I can understand. A "badass" of the Gangsta type isn't one of them.

And I do know that I'm an alien with this point of view. In my impression, veryone wants to play these roles nowadays. Like in GTA, Mafia etc. .

nd I'm fully aware of the fact that I'm a minority with my opinion - BUT I still belong to the unity of gamers, so to say. I'm still a part o th "gamers collective", and I just don't want to be treated as if I didn't exist - by some magazines who do as if they had the "ultimate knowledge of what roles ALL gamers play".

So, I just pointed out to their flaw in their reasoning, just because I don't think they can speak for *everyone*.

But … I think this is just mass appeal : Trying to think the way what "the masses" might want … But that's too complex right now …


The response from the BioWare moderator? “EA Community bans come down from a different department and are the result of someone hitting the REPORT POST button,” says the moderator. “These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC.”

I think I should try to post a single, harmless reply (a really harmless reply !), and THEN hitting the "report" post myself
 
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I'm pretty much sure noone will comment what I'll just say now. I've played the game for a few hours.

To me it looks as Bethesda wanted to make The Witcher of their own. Yes, it's another story, another type of fight, another type of a party… But new skills system, inventory where junk items are in the separate area like herbs in The Witcher, the idea that everything happens in one town with a few areas outside, quests that depend if it's day or night, the engine itself…
Ok unlike The Witcher, in DA2 you can't collect sex cards. And unlike The Witcher, you don't watch 10mins of intro that could sell as a standalone shorttime animation (and would probably win rewards).
Everything else feels "hey, I've already seen this"!

Maybe I just didn't play the gamne enough, but so far, it doesn't look to me as something that deserves a GotY.
Bugs? I didn't see a real bug, I must say. But I did spot 2 bugs where you choose to do something and later while talking to others they drop lines as if you took another chouce from a previous quest. But that's really not very important, so if nothing, I must say Bethesda did a good job with bugweeding.
 
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How does that make you feel you cant say anything negative to Bioware or EA. You get reported and banned from your game because someone got offended and reported your post. I shake my head at this.:speechless:

I thought BioWare had stooped low. But this had my jaw drop. To deactivate a PAYING CUSTOMER's game because he called EA "evil" on the forums?

It's a pity that this occured in the US, because in many European courts this could be an interesting test case. Can a contract (like a EULA) limit your constitutional right to free speech? The poster did not, after all, disclose some company secret like their latest engine, or day sales figures. He just posted an opinion, which was assessed using subjective criteria.

As to the legality, well many countries in the EU take a spotty view on NDA's, but the key problem is that this guy would still be able to play if he made a new account. If only they had locked the serial number of his game out as soon as he tried to activate, that would be much better. I would happily take on his case for free.

Still, shows how the paying customer gets treated, compared to the pirates. One group is subject to censorship, one has free speech. They must be desparate at BioWare if they need to take pages out the Gestapo book of crowd control to keep the forums nice and cheerleading. This has just downgraded my DA2 from a "buy in bundle" to "buy in bundle AND only when disc check is DRM (no online)".
 
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Still, shows how the paying customer gets treated, compared to the pirates. One group is subject to censorship, one has free speech. They must be desparate at BioWare if they need to take pages out the Gestapo book of crowd control to keep the forums nice and cheerleading. This has just downgraded my DA2 from a "buy in bundle" to "buy in bundle AND only when disc check is DRM (no online)".

Speaking of DRM, this has also been making the rounds:
http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/content.php?770-RYG-News-Analysing-SecuROM-In-Dragon-Age-2

Methinks bioware has a minor PR problem right now.
 
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Imagine how carefully everyone is posting on Bioware network with fear that they might not be able to play the games they bought ,what a way to build a community. EA is one of the worst things to happen to gaming besides activision.
 
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Eurogamer: One stronger criticism levelled at Dragon Age II was that it was designed by committee; it tried too hard to appeal too far and wide, and in doing so it lost a sense of self. What do you say to that?


Mike Laidlaw: Dragon Age II was designed by just the senior, core team. Honestly I don't feel it's a game that's been designed to appeal far and wide and so on. If it were, there were choices we could have made that would have taken it much, much further. We would have probably simplified down to a single character, maybe with companions; probably looked at doing some even deeper changes to inventory management, making sure that… You wouldn't want to confuse people with enchanting or anything complex like that. Honestly I don't feel it's a game that's been designed to appeal far and wide and so on. If it were, there were choices we could have made that would have taken it much, much further. We would have probably simplified down to a single character, maybe with companions; probably looked at doing some even deeper changes to inventory management, making sure that… You wouldn't want to confuse people with enchanting or anything complex like that.

Bullshit!

Dragon Age II was designed by just the senior, core team. and these guys designed it for the lowest common denominator.

Mass Effect 2 worked for me because it could be played as a shooter. Trying to do ME2 with DA2 is just stupid. I would believe that people wanted Origins 2 instead of this ….game…..because they liked Origins. All they needed to do was change a few things. Hell, they could keep the same plot they have now, but just change a few things like adding some new skills/spells/monsters/weapons or evolve the gameplay just a bit.

But nope, they went with the Interplay train of thought. Instead of making Fallout 3 they went with that Fallout: POS game thinking they could sell more by making it have more "mass" appeal. Look how well that worked out for Interplay ;)

As for DA2 all I have to say is whatever….I've read the negative and positive reviews from people here and come to the conclusion that this one just isn't for me. The Witcher 2 is just around the corner so I'll wait for that and maybe get this when it goes on some holiday sale in a year or two.

BTW, thanks to everyone for voicing their opinion on this one. Watchers, Gamebansheers(?) and certain Codexians are the only ones to trust when it comes to reviews. I still can't friggen believe that 94% from PC Gamer. Can we say "Bought and paid for?"
 
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Interesting stuff, even if a lot of it is PR speak. His excuse for the repeated interiors is funny... "more content or more unique, you pick!" What I find baffling about it is that assets are what costs money to make right? You can make a dungeon in a day as long as the assets are ready to go. Why they didn't just make 10-15 dungeons with the same assets like Bethesda do is beyond me.
 
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After reading the ELECTRONIC ARTS TERMS OF SERVICE, especially #9, I will never buy an EA game again. It basically says they have the right to prevent you from playing all the games you bought if you act like an asshole.

I really have got to start reading the terms of service more often before I buy a game.
 
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You'll find a similar clause in the TOS of just about every DL service and services connected to offline games.

It's always the same: If they don't like you, they can kick you out and you lose your games. Without a reason, without a refund.

The solution for the customer is simple:
Put a pricetag on it. No resale - how much is this worth for you? The risk to lose access to all games - factor it in too. Intrusive DRM - also a value.
Now subtract the whole sum from the price of the game and wait until you can get it for this price.
 
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You'll find a similar clause in the TOS of just about every DL service and services connected to offline games.

It's always the same: If they don't like you, they can kick you out and you lose your games. Without a reason, without a refund.

This is what I suspected and why I should start reading it. To be honest things like that really make the game publishers/DL services seem immoral as well as not caring at all about their customers. If someone treats me like dirt they lose me as a customer. If they treat others as dirt same thing.

Edit: And I would never buy a product from those companies (at least knowingly). Even small amounts of money means they profit and I will not sacrifice my principles for entertainment. Having these rules as some sort of safety is one thing. Using them as a punishment a completely different beast.
 
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What I can't accept is the badass thing. I just don't want to be vbad. I just don't want to be a Gangsta, which i the picture that instantly pops up in(to) my mind when I read the word "badass".

It's neither here nor there, but I prefer to think of the seargent from Aliens. Wakes up from his cryochamber with a cigar; "Are you mean? - Yeah! - What are you? - Lean, mean Marines! Get on the ready-line! Get some today! ... Absolutely badasses!"

"Gangstas?" Pretentious is the word that springs to mind there.
 
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Well, maybe we have a translation/culture problem, then.

Because I'm taking the term quite literally, and you don't - which means to me that I understand the word differently/in a different way than you do.

If they'd use the name of Hannibal of the A-Team instead of the word of "badass", then I wouldn't have any problems. Because the A-Team, that's the "good guys", even if they use some sort of violence to solve their problems.

I loved the A-Team (in the late 80s), by the way. ;)
 
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Im guessing Purpleblob, that something Awsome didnt happen.

Hilerious !

Have to say that after 3 hours of game time i like DA1 more.
But then again it may get better.
Voices are fine by me. The skill tree however i found rather irritating.
 
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I still can't friggen believe that 94% from PC Gamer. Can we say "Bought and paid for?"

Almost certainly, seeing as it somehow managed to be printed right on the front of the DA2 packaging. What a coincidence they managed to get that far enough ahead to be able to include it in the print run!
 
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You're kidding me? It's on the package already?

Man, EA/Bioware has been watching too much Idiocracy. Not all of us are complete and utter morons who will always drink the Kool Aid.

Hilerious !

Have to say that after 3 hours of game time i like DA1 more.
But then again it may get better.
Voices are fine by me. The skill tree however i found rather irritating.

I played the demo and found the whole damn thing irritating. If they slowed the game down then maybe I could get into it, but this game is like Speedy Gonzalaz drank a pot of coffee while snorting an eightball of crank. It's just too damn fast.

The whole time I played the demo I was thinking how much a pain in the butt this would be in hard/nightmare mode. Too fast…..maybe some modders out there can slow it down a few thousand miles an hour and then it might be entertaining.
 
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