Dragon Age Central

Quote: Posted 10/13/09 23:59 (GMT) by Mad Method
Trying to stuff the cat back into the bag, eh?

Oh, I don't know. I can think of a LOT of variables which are still in the list which would send people into a tizzy of speculation if they were treated as fact. So all I'm saying is be careful just how much you rely on them as a source of information. We don't need to excise them when they're not needed any more -- they're just text, and they're existence is meaningless except to the most OCD tech designer.

If you want to keep looking at the variables even so, however, that's up to you. If you think the potential spoilers are an accomplishment, then by all means.

Oh, the drama.

Quote: Posted 10/14/09 02:18 (GMT) by kaboom4
Maybe your post is your personal opinion, but think how a developer of this game would feel if they read your post.

I'm curious why you think we would care.

Not to sound insensitive, but someone breezing in and declaring that the sky has fallen and that everyone else should run up and convince them it isn't so is a daily occurrence. There's no shortage of self-declared "gamer gods", after all, who believe they alone have the secret formula for gaming perfection.

Not to suggest that someone's gaming preferences aren't perfectly subjective, of course. If someone really doesn't find Dragon Age (or any game, for that matter) appealing, then by all means they should move on. Considering all the media out there, if someone hasn't seen something to pique thier interest yet then they aren't likely to. Which would be their loss, I imagine, but seeing as gods of any variety are ominiscient they would have no need to play the actual game -- so who would know better than they what is good and what isn't?

I say sacrifice a lamb or two, bow down to his wisdom and hope for the best.

I'd be wary about using variables as proof of anything, considering we rarely remove them from the master list even when a plot is cut or changes -- but you can take that however you will. Speculate away.

Quote: Posted 10/13/09 10:23 (GMT) by irma_ahmed
Their looks are loosely based on the descriptions in the novel, so if I don't even come close to what you have in mind, sorry Mr. Gaider T_T

I love it! You got Fiona exactly right. I picture Duncan a little darker than that, but he still looks great. Well done, Irma! (As always.)

The Calling gets released into bookstores today! Yay!

*does a little dance*

I am also back from my big trip, incidentally. Though I am not back from vacation just yet. The fact that Edmonton is filled with snow does boggle my mind a little, however.

Nice to see that some people are enjoying the book. Any particular favorite parts? As always, constructive feedback is appreciated.

And for the person who asked, no -- Hafter was not a mabari. He was simply a well-trained warhound, one who shared a bond with Kell.

Quote: Posted 10/08/09 00:24 (GMT) by imported_beer
And there is the most tender man and dog scene in the book that will..completely devastate you if you are a dog lover so be prepared for that

One of my friends (a big dog lover) called me up after reading that part and cussed me out because she had been crying for hours. I consider that a success.

Quote: Posted 10/02/09 20:08 (GMT) by Phoenixblight
FYI: Its bigger than the first book. Has 443 Pages

Indeed. It was actually around 480 pages, but they shrunk the font size slightly and expanded the page borders a bit to make it a bit more economical (from a printing perspective).

Happy to see that some people are receiving their copies already. Hopefully that means everyone will be reading the book by the time I get back from holidays.

Quote: Posted 09/27/09 19:01 (GMT) by Serenity84
His point is that if there is no noticeable difference on any playthrough, then it was pointless to even specify the playthrough in the first place

The reason I point out "if on the first playthrough" is that IF you played the game first without the Shale DLC installed then OF COURSE you would notice the difference once you played it with.

Or you could twist around my phrasing and then accuse me of not being clear enough. Your choice.

Quote: Posted 09/27/09 16:18 (GMT) by Arlana Tabris
I'm betting he doesn't tell us everything.

I'm betting we haven't told you everything, either.

And good thing, too. Zevran has layers. Like an onion. A... spanish onion? Although you probably won't cry when he gets cut up. Well, then again you might but that's another story altogether. He's also equally good in a stew, but that's mostly just an elven thing.

Quote: Posted 09/27/09 16:59 (GMT) by MarekBr
So, are we able to notice any difference if we play the game the second time? If yes, why (respectively, how does the difference appear)?

Er, no... as someone else pointed out, I meant that if you have Shale when you first play through the game (as many people will, I imagine) you will not notice any appreciable difference. Why would it be different on a second play through? I mean, seriously guys.

Quote: Posted 09/27/09 07:28 (GMT) by MrIsidor
It's these two very different locations on the different maps that make me confused.

Tell me about it.

The answer is that, at some point late in development, the artists decided to move Redcliffe to make the icons fit better on the map. So it ended up further south.

Quote: Posted 09/27/09 07:53 (GMT) by Wishpig
"to a similar degree" what does that mean? Does that mean equal??? Wierd wording. You won't be able to notice a diffrence in "the first play-through." Uhhh, doesn't that kinda suggest you will in other play throughs.

Oy.

"To a similar degree" means that not all the party members have exactly the same amount of banter and talking in the game. They are, however, in the same ballpark and Shale is the same as the rest. I can't be more exact without giving you numbers (which I do not have).

"On the first play-through" means that, if you buy the Shale DLC and use Shale the first time you play the game you won't be able to notice any difference between the way Shale works and the way the other party-members work. Period.

Shale was a big job to add in -- this wasn't *easy* DLC to add by any stretch of the imagination -- but the one big advantage we had is that the dialogues Shale has with other party members and various characters in the game had already been recorded a while before. This meant we couldn't add any *new* banters, and we had to creatively edit a lot of the VO we had, but thankfully there was a lot there. The work in restoring Shale lay in other areas, primarily (frustrating areas to deal with, but eventually we got it all sorted).

So in other words, Shale is a full, completely voiced party member like any other. Can't be much more direct with an answer than that.

It's Duncan, yes. He's much younger in the book, having only been a Grey Warden for about 6 months.

Quote: Posted 09/25/09 20:24 (GMT) by Cat Lance
Hey so far so good, I've found all the BioRomances (that I've actually pursued) to be fun! (With the exception of Liara's, which due to the PC's voice-over...felt nearly nonexistent.)

I can only speak from personal experience. For me, the procession of male romantic characters that I've tried out has been Anomen to Aarin Gend to Carth to Valen and now to Alistair and Zevran. For the moment I wanted to try out something a bit different from the "stoic, distrustful guy" that were, more or less, Carth and Valen.

Quote: Posted 09/25/09 20:25 (GMT) by LdyShayna
If there is...uhh...jealous banter bwteen the two guys, is any of it humourous?

If I said yes, wouldn't the "OMG if there's ANY comedy in the game it's no longer serious at ALL!" brigade, like, completely lose their minds? I don't want to be responsible for that sort of trauma, you know.