Dragon Age 2 - Preview @ Ten Ton Hammer

Ten Ton Hammer has a preview of Dragon Age 2, with input from BioWare's Mark Darrah:

"We've introduced more specific tactical leader creatures to fight in Dragon Age II," Darrah told me. "For example, you may enter combat with several troopers and a commander who will buff the troopers. It's very visceral, as you can engage with the troopers and it's very quick and reactive, but ultimately the commander is the buffing character, so you have to decide on a more macroscopic level if you want to take him out first. That level of tactics on the battle as a whole is what keeps the difficulty there."

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More information.

It's very visceral, as you can engage with the troopers and it's very quick and reactive, but ultimately the commander is the buffing character, so you have to decide on a more macroscopic level if you want to take him out first.

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I try to keep the premature judgment to a minimum, but I wish this sentence didn't make my head hurt so much. I'm going to go lie down.

So what's the big deal, Mark? The concept of an enemy leader "buffing" his party members has been around for almost as long as I can remember.

It is funny how nobody of the journalist invited for this preview was from RPG oriented sites. They even invited two MMORPG sites (ten ton hammer, mmorpg.com).

Nobody to really check how much RPG / Baldurs Gate - feeling is left in DA2

But all to scream "Combat is much more visceral !!!"

JDR13 said:

So what's the big deal, Mark? The concept of an enemy leader "buffing" his party members has been around for almost as long as I can remember.

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Because they at bioware steal other game ideas and are praised for reinventing them from every journalist and player.

Twotricks said:

It is funny how nobody of the journalist invited for this preview was from RPG oriented sites. They even invited two MMORPG sites (ten ton hammer, mmorpg.com).

Nobody to really check how much RPG / Baldurs Gate - feeling is left in DA2

But all to scream "Combat is much more visceral !!!"

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RPGFan was invited.

And getting preview in MMORPG website is nothing new, they did it with DA:O.

Buffing ? Well, to me there isn't much difference between fighting a "buffing character" or one who uses his magic against enemies, like the ... embassador.

I mean from a tactical point of view. Embassadors can be really ... "unhelpful" against the own party member within a battle, unsing magical attacks and healing of own "comrades" ... To me, the step to a "buffing character" isn't that wide ... You've got to fight him anyway.

What I find good in this concept is, that it used the same mechnics that is normally only applied to the own party : The usual tank - healer/buffer schema, that is used for the own party, just now just reversed.

On the other side, I think I get the impression as if they were more and more using MMORPG mechanics for their game ?

I'll never forget that outcry of helplessness I recently found in the Drakensang forums, because the enemies just were NOT using the tank - healer etc. schema ...

Didn't Origins already have those type of creatures? Gen/Hur-lock Alphas would use skills like rally to improve their troops' combat abilities, war-cry to decrease yours. Emissaries would heal their allies and cast things like heroic-aura or whatever. How is this a new concept, even from their own games?

DA2 previews are insufferable.

I had Alphas only a "generic, low-level bosses" in my memory. Nothing more. If they had special abilities, I didn't notice them.

Hurlocks (was it Hurlocks? One of 'em anyway...) definitely healed others. I'm also not clear what the new thing is, unless the have a bigger impact, like bonuses to the troops or something.

My guess - and really, this is just a very random guess - is that "enemy party buffers" will be more exaggerated and possibly more powerful compared to the hurlocks in DA:O, making it more of a priority to defeat them early in a battle (although that was always a priority for me anyway). However, given the direction that this game appears to be headed in, enemy party buffers will be no match for the mighty Awesome Button!!

Oh yeah, they're making a sequel ain't they? I now go back to my regularly scheduled show of "I could barely care less about Bioware anymore, BG & KOTOR R.I.P.".

Troika, Troika, Troika... why ever did you have to run yourselves into the ground?

Drithius said:

Troika, Troika, Troika… why ever did you have to run yourselves into the ground?

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I ask the rpg gods that question on a regular basis. If I could play an Arcanum 2 or another Vampire: The Masquerade made by the exact same team...Well, I don't even know how to finish that though other then to say that I would be thrilled beyond belief. I guess it's best not to lament the loss of Troika and just enjoy the outstanding and grossly under-appreciated gems they created instead of focusing on what might have been.