Dragon Age Central

Asked and answered-- again. It's just in the trailers.

Quote: Posted 06/05/09 17:25 (GMT) by Lurklen
Though I don't know why Grey wardens would be anywhere but Fereldan right now as thats where the blight is.

The Grey Wardens headquarters is off in the Anderfels, a long ways away. And the Blight in Ferelden has just begin -- it takes time to get word out to such distant places. According to what you're told when you get to Ostagar, the Grey Wardens in Orlais (of which there are a significant number) are on their way.

Both male and female models have similar undergarments should their clothing be removed (something I imagine will disappear via modding less than a week after release). It's not medieval in style, no, but looking at the underclothes that were worn in that period they would look very... strange... to the modern view. Downright puritan, in fact.

I get that some people get perturbed by anything that doesn't align exactly with our own medieval past, but as has been mentioned before we're not going for a medieval simulator any more with the underwear than with the weapon sizes.

The alternative would have been to go completely nude, of course, but we didn't want to do that. So this is where we settled.

Morrigan's main outfit is fairly unique to her, as has been mentioned. Most other women in the game are much more modestly attired, as per the cultural norm, and as Bruce said you can always switch Morrigan into another outfit if you prefer.

Quote: Posted 06/05/09 03:06 (GMT) by Sir Buliwyf
I'm still hoping they'll announce one!! you hope for zevran/alistair romance and i'll hope for female warrior, possibly romance..! /denial

*casts Dispel Hope*

That's especially fun when you cast it on a paladin, I have to say.

Quote: Posted 06/04/09 23:04 (GMT) by imported_beer
minus 90% of the often light hearted humor

You don't think that fits DAO's description, do you? DAO may not be a light-hearted adventure, no, but as you point out neither was BG2 at times -- having humourous, lighter moments is a great counterpoint to the darker, edgier stuff. In fact, I think it's practically a requirement. I have a feeling some people will be mightily surprised at just how much humour there is in DAO.

Quote: Posted 06/04/09 08:27 (GMT) by V2Blast
As BioWare wrote in the FAQ, they will approach romance in a tasteful (and hopefully well-written) way. Sex is a part of this (and is a part of life).

For the player who chooses to pursue a romance, and then have a sexual relationship with the love of their life and doesn't want anything tawdry -- that's completely possible. In fact, you can have that relationship without it becoming sexual, as well, we don't even force the sex on you in order to continue the relationship as with BG2. The romances in DA are by far the largest and most complex I've ever worked on.

Just because the player could pursue a more tawdry path doesn't mean they have to. If someone's objection is to things that exist in the game which they have no interest in pursuing anyhow, but they don't want other people to have access to, then I'm sorry but that's what the rating advisory is there to advise them of. If the mere presence of such content is problematic for then, then they should make their purchasing decisions accordingly.

Quote: Posted 06/03/09 13:41 (GMT) by barbarianbarbie
OMG, OMG, OMG, that was Kate Mulgrew's voice as Flemeth! She's an awesome actress. I just loved her as Captain Janeway. Wow!

Good catch.

Quote: Posted 06/03/09 10:19 (GMT) by Dark Specie
They may have been made "immortal" for this demo, you know.

Probably. The way the demo was being played, I would normally expect the dragon to have chewed them up. They were just trying to show off some of the flashier elements as the presenter was talking.

Quote: Posted 05/29/09 16:03 (GMT) by Fnargle
Are there or not.

The product of a human and an elf is a human -- they would be called "elf-blooded" by some and perhaps have some minor elven features, though not always. They are not half-elves in the sense that they exist in D&D, however, by any means.

Quote: Will we get a half-elven origin in the future, maybe through a DLC

I don't know that we would be doing new origins in DLC -- that would be quite an undertaking, if we did, as the impact of an origin on the game is not insubstantial. That said, were we to do it I suppose an "elf-blooded" origin is a possibility?

Quote: and does anyone suspect that the DLC's promised will be nothing more than origins that have been cut-off due to time constrain and released as a DLC?

If anything was cut-off due to time constraints, it was incomplete and perhaps not even started. I don't know if I understand the tone of this question, but is the suggestion that completing that content later and offering it as DLC would somehow be bad? What's the assumption, here?

Quote: Posted 05/29/09 02:12 (GMT) by imported_beer
One thing that I share with ldyshayna is the desire to play a good, decent human being who does right by her fellow men and makes a difference in their lives. When the game posits that this is a dark and gritty world where there are only grey choices, and where you will have to sacrifice folk for the greater good, we wonder what role our hero will play in it.

Then let me state unequivocably: you can play a good, decent person who does their best to be a hero. I have said this before. Being a hero may not be the easiest choice, but it is possible. Saying that you must make sacrifices to achieve your goals does not mean that you are forced to stab your friends repeatedly with your sword while you cackle evilly -- but it does mean that not everything you do is going to come effortlessly and without a little pain in some form. If that's what you are seeking, then perhaps getting a heads-up that this is a game that involves occasionally making some harsh, bloody choices is not a bad idea.

Quote: Posted 05/29/09 00:28 (GMT) by Vaeliorin

Quote: Posted 05/29/09 00:18 (GMT) by Ryllen Laerth Kriel
So after all this...both regions basicly have a golden dragon/drake as a symbol...*yawn*

A golden drake and a green wyvern aren't both a golden dragon/drake.

Right. A drake and a dragon and a wyvern are different things in DA.

But if the repitition of draconic symbols in heraldry make someone yawn, they'd best not go to the Tevinter Imperium. Or Nevarra.

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 23:21 (GMT) by empetus
still it would have been neat if he was on Dragon Age team and maybe he could recreate the magic of BG.

Err... he's not on DA now but he created the project and was around during its inception and the first several years. Make of that what you will, I guess. *shrug*

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 08:56 (GMT) by Malanek999
I am assuming Loghain can't see the battle from where he is.

Correct. Loghain's men are on the other side of the tower, out of sight from the darkspawn.

----

As for the subject of realism, every fantasy realm has its own internal measure of reality -- from fireballs and fantastical creatures all the way on down to armor and weapons. Some are going to be more Conan and Excalibur, others are going to be more Frank Frazetta and World of Warcraft. Take your pick which you prefer, but we've chosen our style and so long as we're consistent I don't see the issue.

Dragon Age could literally be a cartoon (which it is not, by any stretch of the imagination) and you could still tell a dark and mature story in that context no problem. If you choose to disagree and point to unrealistic armor or what-not as your sticking point, that's fine -- but I would suggest the blindness is deliberate on your part. Sorry.

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 17:11 (GMT) by Aedan mac Gabran
That's the whole point. You can go back to camp and pick different party members any time you want.

Provided you can get back to the camp, but yes -- that's whole point of not having the "party in a pocket" system.

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 15:12 (GMT) by ushae
I have a question for the very kind Mr.Gaider .. are the Qunari human at all ?

No more so than elves or dwarves are.

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 08:48 (GMT) by Tindle-m8
What I want to know is whether the Qunari can use magic, or whether they're dead to the fade like dwarves.

They... can use magic. That is all I will say.

Quote: Posted 05/28/09 14:09 (GMT) by levi.porphyrogenitus
Well, it has been pretty much stated that Orlais is very close to Medieval France, while Tevinter is very much inspired by the Medieval Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Ferelden is probably closest to Britain (most likely Anglo-Saxon Britain, if the Normans had been kicked out again). the Qunari are functionally similar to the Arab-Turk peoples, but their religion is probably a lot farther from Islam than the Chant is from Christianity (which the latter two are rather different in many respects).

This is pretty accurate. There are analogues to much of medieval Europe present in Thedas, although the comparison doesn't hold up in all cases. Saying that the qunari are either the Arab-Turks or the invading Mongol hordes isn't a bad place to start.