Dragon Age 2 - Previews @ Strategy Gamers, IncGamers

Dhruin

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A standard Gamescom preview of Dragon Age 2 at Strategy Informer:
Most of the other improvements we noticed were related in some way to these core three concepts. The dialogue wheel has been tweaked so that it now carries emotional sub-text with the choices. Silverman quoted the popular saying that Email is a poor form of communication due to the fact that you can't read emotions, and he has a point. You don't really know the effect of some of the options (unless they're really obvious) until after the fact. Now, this 'emotional' wheel gives hints in the form of icons that are supposed to represent emotions, or stances, or something that really helps you see what the choice is meant to achieve. A small touch, but one that we think will make the cinematic experience that much more engaging.
...and another at IncGamers:
Conversations, too, are improved over the first game, but as with everything else there's going to be a bit of an uproar from the old-school. The conversation system has shifted from complete sentences to Mass Effect 2's dial system, although here, different coloured symbols dictate whether a response is friendly, neutral, or aggressive. They're even organised the same way, with the upper options being the most good-natured, while the bottom options are the harshest. As we're now dealing with a single possible main character we also get all the other benefits of a world that contains Mass Effect 2, like full voice acting and animation in conversations that ranges from lip-synching through to smaller details like snarling, shrugging, and raised eyebrows. It's a hell of a lot more immersive than the mute puppet that was Origins' Warden.
More information.
 
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I may be in the minority here but I am getting really tired of all the reviewers making comments like "It's a hell of a lot more immersive than the mute puppet that was Origins' Warden" and similar comments about voice acting.

I *know* many folks love voice acting. I enjoy it as well - but in all honesty prefer to not have it in my RPG games as I find it rather limiting. So it gets irritating when review, after review, I keep seeign comments about how "outdated, old fashioned, and clunky" DAO was compared to ME2 and how wonderful it is that DAO is moving towards ME2.

Sure, great for the ME2 fans. Not so great for the DAO fans who prefer to not turn the game into Dragon Effect.
 
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I completely disagree with that comment as well. I was very sad to see the dialogue wheel making it's way to DA and by IncGamers comment, all my fears have come true.

The best with a good dialogue system is that they are contextbased, just like how you would normally make a conversation, not streamlined into absolutes.

The best thing with not having a voice actor is that you can hear yourself say the line in your head, and then hear the NPC's response. When the line is spoken by someone else, it ruins my immersion. But I am a roleplayer, I do not play Dragon Age to watch a movie.
 
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Not to mention that having a voiced main character either severely restricts the main character or adds a lot of cost. It can work (the Witcher & Gothic), but it can also put you off if the voice isnt to your liking. I shudder at the thought of listening to any of the borderline retarded voices of M&MVI-VIII, NWN, or Icewind Dale throughout the game:p

Add that I as mildly hearing impaired non-native speaker need to use subtitles (and often click through conversations because listening to the voiceacting takes a long time compared to reading) and it becomes obvious why I prefer devs to spend money on other aspects of the games.

EDIT: These people really look for completely different things in RPGs compared to me. I couldnt give a rats hairy behind about the cinematic experience of my conversation with NPCs, but I can imagine myself getting quite fed up with the ticks and twitches of my meticulously animated protagonists face. Twats.
 
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I'm probably a part of the minority here, but I was really blown away back in 2001 or so by how well full voice acting (main character included) worked out in Gothic. I also feel it worked out fairly well in ME, having one male and one female voice. I'm sure there are bad examples as well.

All in all, it's a feature that won't make or break a game for me.
 
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Of course it can work well, I just dont think it is an investment with great payoff in terms of Zaleukos enjoying the game:p The main issue is if they come up with a protagonist that is annoying or worse. Geralt and the Nameless hero werent, so I loved the games.

The changes in the dialog system looks more disturbing on paper, but then I havent played the Mass Effects. I'll try to keep an open mind until I see the system in action.
 
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I remember i the demo at the GamesCom that there were three different symbols (or four ? because I think I remember one being there a few times instead of another one) representing different ways of replies. The symbols standing before the lines of the hero's dialogue had corresponding colours, and that, although the few lines of dialogue I could see didn't appear to me especially different. (Which was the point where I was puzzled on which line to chose).

The colours were green, red, and blueish. Sorry, but I don't remember the symbols anymore, only one I think I vaguely remember as being a fist with a red background, and one being a shield on a blueisch background with some grain heads (one or two) in front of the shield.

I still don't know what it should represent.
 
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Great, I'm colour blind as well as hearing impaired:p It can be a real issue in some games (NWN2 where I couldnt see which skills were 1-point class skills) but shouldnt be much of a problem if the options always come in the same order.
 
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