INTRODUCTION There are games that are nice to talk about because they are of high quality. There are some that are easy to write about, because you love the game genre, and it is difficult to surprise you with something new. While creating an article on Dragon Age, I catch myself thinking: this is how, probably, contemporary artists are trying to copy Michelangelo's creations. Real feelings will be revealed only at the sight of the original, and the copy gives only a certain idea. I will try to make this presentation form the fullest possible picture for you ...
So, as many people who are fond of role-playing games remember, BioWare has recently decided on an important a step in its development is to move away from licensing the set of rules and the Dungeons & Dragons universe, and try to create something of our own, and seriously and for a long time.
Listening to interviews with the developers, you learn that initially the game was started with the help of the good old Neverwinter Nights 2 (some levels were run on its "engine"). The Baldur's Gate series was taken as a reference in the creation of Dragon Age. The creation of a combat system was inspired by films from the series "The Lord of the Rings", "300", as well as films about the adventures of Conan (with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role, if you remember). fights, by the way, were attended by professionals who worked in the film "300".
Personally, I was most interested in the implementation of the role-playing system, which should, firstly, not be very similar to the D&D rules (so as not to face a lawsuit), and secondly, not to alienate the very demanding fans of BioWare games. Well, let's go to study this issue in the vastness of Ferelden.
By the way, about the world of Dragon Age. In the southern hemisphere of the planet is a continent called Thedas (Thedas is an acronym for THE Dragon Age Setting). This continent is about the size of Europe.
Dragon Age: Origins takes place in the kingdom of Ferelden, which you can easily find on the map below. I can only wish good luck to BioWare in further developing its universe - I hope it becomes as legendary as Forgotten Realms from Dungeons & Dragons ...
Dragon Age: Origins system requirements:
Intel Core 2-class processor @ 1.8 GHz
RAM: 1.5 GB
ATI Radeon X1550 class video card with 256 MB RAM, or NVIDIA card with 256 MB RAM.
The game also runs under Windows XP, and the system requirements in this case will be more modest. Important: at the time of publication of the article, a patch was available that updates it to version 1.02a. The patch can be downloaded here.
The first steps
The first thing you notice right after installing the game (besides the great music in the start menu, of course) is the Configuration Utility module.
It allows you to conveniently set the necessary settings, as well as carry out minor "repairs" (restore missing shortcuts in the menu, add an exception to the list of firewall rules, clear the cache with downloaded data). Remember to save your settings when exiting this utility. The Upload item deserves a separate discussion. You can create your own online profile, add screenshots, etc.
The opening cutscene tells that the once powerful magicians set out to open the gates to the Golden City (heavenly place), encroaching on the will of the Creator. The magicians failed, and Blight came to the world - punishment in the form of a horde of evil spirits and corruption that turns people into monsters. The Order of the Gray Wardens, selflessly fighting evil, was able to return peace to the vastness of Ferelden - the kingdom in which the game takes place. But with the beginning of another era, Mor suddenly returns to the world. There are not many people left in the Order of the Gray Wardens, but they are still ready, without hesitation, to defend the world ...
You are invited to choose your character, while depending on the race and class - one of six unique backstories awaits you ("Noble Man", "Mage", "City Elf", "Dalish Elf", "Dwarf Commoner", "Noble Dwarf"). This approach should significantly increase the interest in replaying the game.
Decide on the gender of the protagonist (male, female), race (man, elf, gnome), class (warrior, magician, robber). The rogue in the Russian-language help file refers to the legendary class Rogue, which various role-playing systems translate as "rogue", "thief", "vagabond". With your permission, I will still use the term "thief", which is more familiar to role-playing games. Those who want to tinker with hairstyles, hair color, nose shape, etc. - the developers will delight you with a good module for generating the protagonist's appearance.
Role-playing system
It is better to plan character development in advance, having familiarized yourself with the basics of the role-playing system implemented in Dragon Age. In total, there are six basic characteristics of the character:
Force... Strength increases the base damage of all weapons except crossbows and magic staves, and coupled with agility determines whether a melee attack is successful. A high level of strength is required in order to use two-handed weapons or wear heavy armor. Strength also improves the physical stability of the character and affects the Intimidate in the Forcing skill.
Agility... Being the main component of a character's defense indicator, agility helps to dodge attacks. Agility, coupled with strength, improves melee attack stat, which determines whether a weapon will reach its target. For long-range weapons, Agility is the only stat that improves Attack Rating. A high level of agility also increases the damage done by piercing weapons (such as daggers and arrows). Agility improves physical toughness and is a requirement for some weapon skills.
Strength of will... Willpower affects the magician's mana, and stamina - that of a warrior or a thief, which a character can spend on a spell or skill. This stat is vital for mages, but it is also very useful for warriors or thieves who often use skills. Willpower also improves the character's mental toughness.
Magic... The modifier of this characteristic determines the strength of the spell, including the damage from it. For characters of all classes, this stat also increases the effectiveness of healing potions, poultices, and balms. A high magic score is required in order to use high-level staves or learn some spells. Magic also improves mental stability.
Cunning... Characters cannot learn some of the advanced skills unless they have a high level of cunning. This characteristic is extremely important for thieves, since a high level improves many of the skills inherent in this class (picking locks, for example). Stealth helps the characters identify weak points in the enemy's armor, increasing the armor penetration rate, and also improves the psychic stability and persuasion rate (Persuade) in the skill "Compulsion".
Body type... Each point of constitution increases the character's health, which allows him to withstand more damage before falling onto the battlefield. Thus, this characteristic is important for those fighting in the front ranks. Constitution also improves physical toughness (which is important for countering many of the enemy's special attacks).
The role-playing system, of course, draws its ideology from the rules of Dungeons & Dragons (it's foolish to deny the obvious - BioWare specialists have used it in their projects for years). On the other hand, most role-playing systems, one way or another, are ideologically similar, and there is no getting away from this. Recall that in the D&D rules there are also six main characteristics: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution - just like BioWare in Dragon Age, but Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom are no longer there (instead of them, as you can see, Cunning is offered in Dragon Age , Magic and Willpower).
Nevertheless, experienced role-players will have no difficulty in quickly sketching out a plan for the development of their character, guided by the following rules for "pumping" Dragon Age, where with each new level the character gets:
Three stat points.
One spell or skill.
Skill point (one for every two levels - for robbers, one for every three levels - for warriors and mages).
Several points of health and mana / stamina.
Increased base damage.
Three stat points is a generous gift, to say the least! In D&D, you had to wait 4 levels to be able to add one point to any one stat. And here for 4 levels they give twelve times more.
Taking into account the distribution of three points in characteristics at each level, the system turned out to be more friendly to players, since it forgives minor mistakes in character development made during the next level increase. And this is more of a plus than a minus, because, playing the game for the first time, you do not know which "build" of the character will be most useful in battle. This means that you will be able to quickly adjust your hero when you raise the level on duty.
By the way, an interesting passage from the Dragon Age rules:
Please note that in many cases, according to the rules of the game, it is not the characteristic of your character that is taken into account, but its modifier. Simply put, a stat modifier is the difference between your current stat value and the base number 10, in other words, the total number of points you have added to that stat.
The modifier in D&D rules, added to attack indicators, saving throws, defense class, etc., works in much the same way (though +1 for every two stat points over 10).
Now for the attack. The difference between the attacker's attack rate and the opponent's defense rate plus about 50 is the percentage of the probability of a successful attack. If the attack is successful, then the target takes a certain amount of damage points, which are subtracted from the current health. Armor reduces the physical damage done to the character's health. In D&D, as you remember, an attack is successful if the attack value, after adding all the bonuses, plus the number dropped on the die with 20 faces, exceeds the defense indicator (also after adding all the bonuses).
In Dragon Age, Defense is used to dodge an attack, and Armor is used to reduce damage taken from a successful attack. Both of these indicators are visible to you on the character (or inventory) screen. Defense is made up of basic defense (depending on the character class) and a dexterity modifier, as well as shields, abilities, spells, skills, status effects, items and the selected difficulty level. As for armor, regardless of its rating, a successful attack always deals at least one point of damage. If you have collected a set of armor (all things from the same material and the same rank), your armor provides additional bonuses.
It should be borne in mind that each weapon has its own armor penetration rate, which significantly reduces the target's armor rating before the final damage is calculated. If damage is inflicted on the character, then it is subtracted from the total number of health points. The maximum health value is determined by the character's class and increases with each new level and with each point invested in the Constitution characteristic. Lost health - restored (including during the battle, but much slower). Various potions and healing spells are used to restore lost health points.
Damage is physical, as well as from a certain element (magic spells; runes integrated into weapons, etc.): fire, cold, electricity, forces of nature and magic of the spirit. The player can use items or balms that reduce the impact of a particular element on him. Some enemies are immune to a specific type of element - in such cases, instead of damage, the inscription "Immune" will appear above their heads.
Also in the role-playing system there are concepts such as physical and mental stability. In the event of a certain physical impact (for example, an attack knocking down or pinning to the ground), the corresponding modifier of the attacker's characteristic and the indicator of the victim's physical resistance are compared. If the indicator of physical resistance is higher, the impact applied against you is considered unsuccessful (usually you see the inscription Resisted above your head). Physical stability is half of the sum of modifiers to a character's strength, dexterity and constitution, as well as additional bonuses from items, spells, etc. In the case of mental impact (an attempt to lull or stun) - the game compares the modifier of the attacker's characteristics and the indicator of the victim's mental stability. Mental stability is half of the sum of modifiers to willpower, magic, and cunning of a character.
As for mages, their indicator of magical power determines the effectiveness of spells, damage from charges of a magic staff, as well as the effectiveness of potions and balms. The indicator of magical power is a modifier (the number of points above the base 10) in the characteristic Magic. This indicator is also influenced by abilities, status effects, magic staves, etc. If items give two bonuses to magical power, then they are summed up.
As in many other role-playing systems, a mage's casting can be interrupted by damage dealt to him. The higher the level of the Combat Training skill, the more damage is allowed before the spell is interrupted.
Another important point is spell combinations. There are 10 possible combinations of spells in the game, which are initially hidden for you, but information about them "pops up" in the Codex after the very first random use of them in practice. For example, you freeze enemies, and then use stun - from the fact that the frozen enemy becomes fragile, he not only stalls, but takes damage from this effect.
Move on. In the D&D rules (with which we will involuntarily, but absolutely justifiably, we will compare the rules of Dragon Age), the character is characterized by a set of unique features (Feats) and skills (Skills). Their alternatives in Dragon Age are Skills and Talents / Spells. In the case of a warrior or a thief - skills, in the case of a magician - spells.
Skills
Each character has the opportunity to develop a set of eight skills:
Compulsion... Unlocks new dialogue options that can convince other Sims to change their minds. Thus, sometimes there are new plot twists or better deal terms. If the option "Convince" appears in the dialogue, the chance of success is determined by the level of development of the "Compulsion" skill and the indicator of Cunning. If the option "Intimidate" appears, your success depends on "Compulsion" and your Strength score.
Theft... Sims who have learned to steal can fumble in the pockets of other Sims - friendly, neutral, or hostile. In most cases, items obtained through theft are added to those that the enemy would have dropped if killed in battle.
Making traps... Sims who have learned this skill can craft traps or decoys from common materials if instructed to do so. The second and fourth levels of this skill also increase the distance at which the character can detect enemy traps. Traps can be set by all characters who have this skill, and only thieves can render them harmless.
Survival... Survival allows the character to spot enemies that would otherwise remain invisible. Higher levels of this skill allow the character to determine how strong the hidden enemy is, and also give bonuses to resistance to the forces of nature.
Herbalism... Allows the character to make a variety of potions, poultices, ointments, balms, elixirs, and so on - provided that he has the ingredients and the recipe. At high levels of this skill, the character can cope with more complex recipes, make stronger potions.
Making poisons... At the heart of the manufacture of poisons is a mixture of deadly substances with which a character can process melee weapons in order to inflict additional damage and often immobilize enemies. Those who are proficient in this art know how to create bombs that can be thrown at enemies. To create poison using this skill, you need a recipe and ingredients. This skill is required not only to create poisons, but also to apply them.
Combat training... For warriors and thieves, each level of this skill opens up the opportunity to learn a new level of weapon skills, as well as other benefits. Indirectly, it is useful for mages, as it significantly increases the damage from an attack that they can withstand before they are forced to interrupt the spell.
Combat tactics... Each level of this skill increases the number of slots available in the character's combat tactics list. Each slot provides the ability to set an additional action in the character's line of behavior during the battle. The more slots, the more flexible you can build the character's line of behavior in battle (of course, if you like to control each team member manually, using frequent pauses, then setting the line of behavior will be less in demand).
Thieves get one skill point every two levels, warriors and mages - one point every three levels. Each skill has four levels of mastery, but sometimes a high value of some basic characteristic is required to obtain a high-level skill, or there is a limitation on the character's level.
Skills / Spells
Skills (for warriors and robbers) and spells (for mages) are special unique abilities that depend on the specialization of your hero (as opposed to skills that everyone can learn). Some skills - expand the capabilities of the character, being passive. Some - should be activated during the battle, and they consume stamina points (thief, warrior) or mana (magician). Stamina / mana of characters is gradually restored (in battle it happens much slower). The mana / stamina reserve is determined by the character's class and increases with each new level and with each point invested in the Willpower characteristic. In addition, the weight of armor, shields - adds to the normal cost of skills or spells an additional penalty of fatigue, which is the sum of all the penalty coefficients of the things worn on the character.
At each level, you get one point, which can be allocated to skills or spells. Unlike skills, skills and spells do not have a gradual development of mastery - they are grouped into related abilities, chains of four (learning a skill or spell opens the next ability in this chain, provided that the character meets other specified restrictions). Some spells and skills are available to all characters of a certain class, and some groups of skills are available only to certain classes or specializations. More than a hundred skills and spells are presented in Dragon Age, here are just some examples for "seed" (since the description of the game is made in the English version, the names of the skills in English are given):
Powerful... Additional health points and reduced penalty (fatigue) from wearing armor.
Precise Striking... When this mode is turned on, every 15 seconds, the hero strikes with an increased bonus to attack and an increased chance to inflict critical damage.
Melee archer... The archer is not distracted by the damage inflicted on him during melee, while continuing to shoot.
Rapid Shot... Acceleration of the rate of fire, however, with the inability to inflict critical damage to the enemy with your shot.
An important point - special attacks and spells have so-called. cooldown - the time during which reapplication is impossible. Therefore, you should not ignore most of the available opportunities - add several skills or spells to the quick access bar at once to expand your arsenal of skills in battle.
Specializations
Specializations are the unique path your character takes within their class. Moreover, in Dragon Age: Origins you can choose two specializations - at 7 and 14 levels. Each specialization gives you some bonuses, plus it opens its own branch for "pumping" in the list of available skills. Here is a list of the available specializations for each class (the translation in brackets is from the official Russian-language manual for the game), as well as the bonuses corresponding to them:
Warrior
Berserker(Berserk). Increase in Strength and health.
Champion(Knight). Increases Willpower and Cunning stat.
Templar(Templar). Increases the characteristic Magic and psychic stability.
Reaver(Ripper). Improves Constitution and physical stamina.
Thief
Assassin(Murderer). Increase in Dexterity and bonus to critical strike.
Bard(Bard). Increased Willpower and Cunning.
Duelist(Duelist). Bonus to Dexterity and damage dealt.
Ranger(Pathfinder). Increase in Constitution and resistance to the forces of nature.
Magician
Arcane warrior(Battle Mage). Bonus to Dexterity and attack.
Blood mage(Blood mage). Increase to Constitution and to the power of magic.
Shapeshifter(Werewolf). Improvement of Constitution and bonus to the indicator of armor.
Spirit healer(Spiritual healer). Bonus to Magic and an improvement in the speed of health recovery.
Do not forget that in addition to bonuses, specialization also gives its own branch for pumping skills. For example, if your hero has the Templar specialization, you can upgrade skills such as Righteous strike (each successful attack on an enemy mage takes away mana from him), Cleanse area (removes all magical effects on characters in the selected area), Mental fortress (a significant bonus to psychic stability), Holy smite (damage to nearby enemies with spirit magic, with the ability to stun them and take away mana in the case of a magician).
Plan your character carefully. Don't waste your time on unnecessary skills trying to make a universal hero - you will only weaken his potential strengths. And remember that in your party there will be places for additional heroes, so that the character class you need will always be at hand ...
Game process
I chose the path of a man - a warrior, and the game began with the departure of my father and brother as part of a military campaign. The main character is left in the castle "on the farm".
A quest is immediately added, and you study your diary - an invaluable source of knowledge and a memo about all completed and unfinished quests.
In the diary, the tab marked with an arrow contains unfinished quests, and the tab marked with a checkmark contains completed quests. You can take several quests at once, but only one will be selected as the current one (an indicator in the form of two arrowheads on the sides) - for it, the interface with a territory map will display points of interest. If you wish, you can change the current quest in the list by clicking the Make active button.
Your dialogues with the NPC are also saved in the diary. In addition, there is a section called Codex. It contains the information you have collected about life in Thedas, about characters, monsters, about the game itself. Sometimes these are artistic excerpts from found books, sometimes - someone's notes or even correspondence. The codex is replenished with records as the study of objects and objects in the world, conversations on certain topics, the destruction of enemies. The tips that appear in the lower right corner of the screen are also saved here. At times, the codex entries related to quests contain the information needed to complete it.
The map helps you navigate the game world. The local map displays the current dungeon, structure, area.
There is also a global map of the world, which will be available to you after completing the prologue.
The camera can be zoomed in (to look around the situation from behind the character) and zoomed out (a convenient strategic scale with a top view) by scrolling the mouse. The hero moves with the keys "W", "A", "S", "D" or you can right-click to the place where you want to move your character.
Do not be lazy to constantly use the TAB key to "highlight" key objects on the screen - this will help you not to miss the important thing required by the quest, as well as pick up all the trophies from the battlefield, etc. It's nice, by the way, that the game remembers your impact on the current location - some corpses disappear, some - turn into skeletons, which then lie where you defeated this enemy.
The inventory is called by the "I" button.
In it you can: equip the hero (armor, rings, clothes); change weapon sets; keep track of the current amount of experience points and money; view the current items in the duffel bag (weapons, armor, accessories, health regen, etc.). There are three types of coins in use in Ferelden: copper, silver and gold. One silver coin contains 100 copper coins, and one gold coin contains one hundred silver coins. The game automatically converts your money into higher value coins. You can increase the capacity of your inventory by purchasing a special bag - it will disappear immediately after purchase, and the inventory will automatically become more spacious. I liked the fact that the inventory is the same for all the characters of the team (you can conveniently and quickly transfer items between group members, without wasting time looking for the right thing). It is also nice that when you hover the cursor over a weapon or armor, the characteristics of the weapon and armor that you (or your associates) are using right now pop up.
Traveling around the world, you replenish your inventory - looting corpses of enemies, opening various boxes and containers. Some boxes are closed - you need either keys (it is not necessary that they are in the game for a given chest at all), or a robber who will pick the lock. To increase the chances of successful hacking, pump your thief the Cunning characteristic and invest in the appropriate skill.
The character characteristics screen is called up with the "C" key.
On it, in addition to the characteristics of armor, parameters of defense and attack, damage done, there are two screens. The first one summarizes the basic characteristics of the character plus various protective bonuses (from physical and mental damage, from various elements). By clicking on the button below, you open the second page - with your achievements (as well as the achievements of your party - throughout the game).
Here you can see your progress in passing the game, the number of kills, the name of the most formidable of the defeated enemies, etc.
In the game, you will act as the leader of a team of adventurers (the maximum number of companions is four, including you).
Each member of the group has its own advantages that will help in achieving the set goal. The battles can be broadly divided into ordinary encounters with a group of monsters ...
... And epic boss battles.
The color of his name above your head helps you distinguish the type of enemy. White is a common enemy, yellow is an elite enemy, and orange is a local or key boss. In any case, you will have to develop your own tactics, and, possibly, use the tactical rules functionality built into the game for each member of the group - a kind of "automation of the combat process".
In principle, everything is simple - you define a set of rules according to the principle "if<условие>, then<действие>". For example," if the character's health has dropped to less than 25%, he must drink the healing potion of the least potency. "Your rule sets can be saved for further selection at the right time.
The developers offer several predefined behavioral sets ("Protector", "Healer", etc.), but I personally managed all the characters manually, often pressing pause. Probably a matter of habit. Plus, I didn't want to spend precious skill points on some increase in the available slots in the tactical mechanism (between automating the battle and improving the characteristics of the character, I definitely choose the latter).
To increase the combat efficiency of your character and the group as a whole, a number of additional options are offered. For example, a weapon with the ability to integrate runes.
By putting a fire rune into the slot of your sword or dagger, you get additional fire damage (its value depends on the rank of the rune). Runes can be removed from slots; they are not permanently attached to weapons. Top-class weapons have multiple rune slots.
In addition, a character who has "pumped" the Poison-making skill can lubricate his blades with poison, acid, etc. - which will also cause additional damage to the enemy. There are also tactical advantages, for example, attacking an enemy from the back or from the flank, you get an additional advantage (for example, a higher probability of a critical strike), and thief-class characters strike in the back, which is often more serious than a regular critical strike.
Each character has two sets of weapons in the inventory. In the general case, these are remote (bows, crossbows, magic staves) and hand-to-hand combat weapons (daggers, swords, axes, clubs, etc.). You can switch between sets of weapons with a "hot" key (by default - "/"). In general, ranged weapons can be distinguished by a short bow (high rate of fire, short range, small damage, additional damage from a strength modifier), a long bow (medium speed of fire, medium distance, medium damage, additional damage from a strength modifier), crossbows (low rate of fire, long distance, average damage). From long distances, characters miss more often.
If your character is killed in battle, he falls unconscious, and at rest (when the battle is over) gets to his feet. At the same time, he probably has serious damage (a broken arm, a broken skull, a wound bleeding, etc.) - which gives a permanent penalty to one of the basic characteristics. You can remove the negative impact either by going to the camp on vacation, or by using the so-called. injury kit. If your character left the battle - fell unconscious due to zero health - a magician with healer spells can return him to the battlefield, so this opportunity is very useful - do not forget to get it with the next level increase.
Another interesting feature of Dragon Age combat is friendly fire. Indeed, one awkward movement of the mouse and now your magician, in addition to a couple of enemies, froze his own infantryman with a "cone of ice". It happens, the truth is this: a crowd of enemies is running at you, and the enemy magician launches a fireball at you - and here you are lying on the ground with diminished health, and nearby the remains of the enemies who did not have time to escape before you burn out. Just like in the joke about ambivalent feelings.
If we talk about combat magic, then it does not require from you a long and thorough study of the rules, available spells, etc., as it is implemented in D&D. In Dragon Age, this is easier. Drags to the quick access bar 5-6 of the most effective spells, from your point of view, and use them in time, as well as their bundles (which were mentioned above).
On my own I note that at the normal level of complexity I did not encounter any problems. True, some battles had to be replayed, taking into account the information received about some previously not expected characteristics of the enemies.
Dialogues, quests
Dialogue is the cornerstone of any RPG. They are also given serious attention in Dragon Age. I would highlight two important subcategories - dialogues with NPCs and dialogues within your team.
The fact is that in the game, as mentioned above, you will have several companions (the maximum number of participants in a group is four, including you). The comrades-in-arms excluded from the team at the moment will be waiting for you in the camp - this is a mini-location of several tents and a fire, where you can communicate with your comrades in arms, as well as with NPCs appearing in this location (gnome merchant; magician waiting for help in the form of runes, etc.).
When you return to the camp after the assignment, it's time to pour out your souls to each other. These campfire conversations are one of Dragon Age's greatest strengths. Well-thought-out characters, realistic graphics, superbly selected voices of the actors (I'll make a reservation - I played the original English version of the game) - create a unique atmosphere.
You develop relationships within the team, and this is also important from a mercantile point of view - by guessing the mood of a colleague and choosing the right line of conversation - you improve his loyalty indicator, and for high loyalty indicators the character is given bonuses to the basic characteristics.
You can increase loyalty with gifts (purple Gift inscription in the item description). If you wish and achieve a high degree of loyalty, you can even have an affair with a comrade of the opposite sex.
Moreover, your comrades-in-arms manage to throw various phrases among themselves, even during your wanderings around the world of Ferelden. You are walking around the village, looking around, and suddenly your companions start chatting among themselves - "Listen, what's wrong with your mom?" , you know ... "- while you see the facial expressions of your companions, gestures. Everything is absolutely natural. And you believe in what is happening! It's really cool, a little fantasy and imagination - and now you are easily immersed in this virtual world ...
As for conversations with NPCs, here you can note two options that often appear - "Persuade" (Persuade) and "Intimidate" (Intimidate). The main character has such a skill as the power of coercion (Coercion). If well developed, you can successfully persuade and intimidate your opponents by turning the conversation in the direction you want. In the case of intimidation, the modifier of Strength is added to the indicator of the strength of coercion, and in the case of persuasion, the modifier of Cunning.
Quests in the game are divided into those that are part of the storyline, and the so-called side quests. For example, churches have bulletin boards with side missions for fans of "raising money and pumping a hero." However, there are also ordinary secondary tasks on the principle "and on occasion - give it over to that one if you meet him." In general, most of the quests can be called good, thoughtful, but still classic (as well as the main storyline) - here BioWare did not reinvent the wheel, and this, in my opinion, is correct. Looking ahead, I will say that even an attempt to diversify the game by including a quest from the world of spirits at first I accepted with hostility and only felt a taste for its end. But I am not such a hopeless conservative, which are many hardened "role-players" ...
Conclusion
So, a project that has been long awaited, which has been talked about for a long time ... A breakthrough or not? I think, rather, no. We see a confident step forward, but if we talk about a breakthrough, it is more likely a technological one. Yes, technology has stepped forward, but the talent of the creators of characters, plot, dialogues has remained the same, invariably high. When a bard girl broadcasts to the protagonist a romantic legend about an inconsolable lover who has become a star, the hearts of many romantics will sink. But primarily because in Dragon Age you perceive this girl more "alive" than in Neverwinter Nights. More polygons per model, glare in the eyes, sensual lips, facial expressions. Yes, hair is not yet fluttering in the wind, but well - there is room for a step forward in future projects ...If we talk about the role-playing system, then the general impressions are good, but many years of experience and dozens of completed games in this genre unambiguously tell me that in many aspects certain improvements are required. Somewhere small, somewhere - more serious. Ideally, you should adjust the gameplay to the role-playing system, and I suspected that in some places the refinement of the game balance led to the adjustment of the newborn role-playing system. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm 100% sure - there will be changes in the next versions of the Dragon Age games, and certainly not only cosmetic ones. Let's say the bard is now one of the specializations of a Rogue. Well, to some extent it is logically explainable, but for many D&D adherents, this alignment will cause grin or bewilderment.
However, all this is just nit-picking. The project came out great, and it is really another milestone in the history of the RPG genre, which is now being written by BioWare and a very few other development studios. Dialogue, atmosphere - create the impression of a real adventure. The style is recognizable and invariably high, and armed with modern technologies and conquering the next peak on the way to the heights of realism (primarily due to the visual component), the BioWare team gives us their new masterpiece ...
Check the availability of the game in the stores of the "F-Center" company
Evaluations
Graphics: 85%
Sound: 90%
Game process: 95%
General impression: 95%
Before Lost-Vegas 214 miles / This is us - sawdust ...
Even the most perfect and sophisticated world, in addition to its advantages, has disadvantages, and for each player its own - someone wants it hotter, someone is more logical, someone thinks that the nightmare mode is designed for little girls, someone thinks that bows and crossbows undeservedly offended, making them the most wretched weapon ... and so on and so forth. Gameplay mods are designed to bring the world in line with the internal one.
Which, by the way, are better to use with caution: occasionally English (and adding dialogues quite often) can crash subs, while Russified ones can add bugs. The most common are the so-called invisible walls or objects.
Here I bring the mods that I tested both in the tail and in the mane, and there seem to be no special bugs from them.
Gameplay Optimization:
1.
The most popular mod is Pass, mother of it, Shadows.
Do you love the Shadow location the way I “love” it? If yes, then you are here. This mod greatly cuts down on mouse races, leaving only an encounter with "Duncan" and friends' nightmares. You will receive the required experience points, skills and all the texts of the code automatically.
Aglitsk version Skip the fade
And the Russian version Avoid shadow... If you have a localized game (or a repack / grunt localized one), it is naturally better to install it (although the English one lived normally with me).
There are no conflicts.
2.
Time after time we come to Ostagar, run through the swamp, clean up the tower ... But how much is it possible ?! For those who are tired of running on the same rails, the opportunity to skip the intro: Skip ostagar
Immediately after the prehistory, two options for action will appear: the first is to follow the plot, the second is to start immediately with Loghain's retreat. If you choose him, the Guardian wakes up in the Flemeth house, branded and wearing only five gold underpants, in addition to what was in his pockets, the main pages of the code, and about 4 levels older.
Cons: The quests "Missionary", "Testament", "Hasindian Trail Sign" and "A Pinch of Ashes" will not appear, as well as almost all interesting things that could be found in the Tower of Ishal or the lands of Korkari (such etc.). Most of the pages of the code will also remain unread.
There were no conflicts with a clean game. Interaction with other mods is mostly normal, with a few exceptions:
Items from the Phoenix Armor mod that should have appeared in the magician's chest will not appear. There is a minor conflict with a mod that affects the background of a noble person (the mother's memorial medallion, if put on, then does not come off), but this does not affect the game.
Theoretically, there may be a conflict with the fashion for the novel by Cullen and the Sentinel-Magician (namely, the scene of farewell sighs-peers does not appear). But this is theoretically.
Background:
3.
Have you ever wondered why if the magician is an elf, then it will still necessarily start in the Tower of the Circle? Maud Dalish mage makes it possible to play the Dalish mage.
What to download: the main file, that is Dalish Mage - Origin v2x1
I haven't found any conflicts yet, there is only one inconvenience: to Ostagar you have to run with a bow or daggers, since the staff cannot be issued automatically, Aylen does not have it on sale, and it was possible to find a foe (emissary, it seems) on the corpse only once out of six passages.
4.
For those who feel like Cousland's backstory lacks a bit of noble chic: mod Noble person. will add a couple of nuances:
At the beginning of the game, young Kusland is dressed in silk noble clothing, and is unarmed.
You ask, but what about the rats? Very simple. Before you go to the kitchen, run through the rooms (all the same to collect codes), in one there is a chest with a dagger.
But at night a rack with unique armor and a chest with weapons will appear in the room. Depending on the class chosen, the armor will be heavy or medium, and in the chest there will be either a sword and a shield, or two daggers.
Teirna Eleanor will be wearing a medium armor that cannot be removed. (onion, alas, they did not guess to give her).
Treasure chests will be added to the Kusland treasury. Heirloom sword stats are slightly increased.
The number of enemies will increase slightly.
After fleeing from the castle, there will be a medallion with the image of Teirna Eleanor, as a keepsake.
And yes, you can change the color of your starting armor. To do this, after installing the mod, select the one you want from the "Shades of Armor" folder, rename it by removing the color name at the beginning (for example: BLACK jog_noble.tnt rename it to jog_noble.tnt), then drop it into Documents \ BioWare \ Dragon Age \ packages \ core \ override.
5.
Playing for Magessa, in one of the overheard dialogues of The Witch Hunt, with a certain amount of imagination, you can see hints of a warm relationship between the protagonist and Cullen. Kind people have developed this idea in fashion: Forbidden Romance
This mod will add a mini romance for the Surana / Amell woman with Cullen. There are three scenes in total: a furtive kiss (with the issuance of a commemorative amulet, the stats are very so-so), a farewell scene when the magessa leaves the Tower and a small showdown during the Broken Circle quest.
There were no conflicts with Russified mods.
On the Nexus there is a variation for mage boys, but it is guaranteed to conflict with Russian sub / voice acting.
Home sweet home, he's a camp.
6.
In the camp, people (as well as kossites, elves and even dwarves) usually not only talk for life and indulge in lofty feelings, but also sleep in the most innocent sense of the word. Maud Sleep until dawn will show this clearly by adding a personal tent in which you can sleep alone, with mabari (still in the most innocent sense of the word, yes), or with romantic interest (just sleep. Yes. Nothing like that).
A couple of nuances:
Before packing, take everything you need for tomorrow from the chest and from the racks (from the next mod), because in the morning they will not appear, but return only after the next return to the camp from the map.
It's the same with mod items that are added to the Bodanu sale. Need to buy something - go shopping in the evening.
7.
Tired of carrying all your junk with you? Do pockets burst from things suddenly appearing in them that are not yet suitable in terms of parameters, or are intended for future satellites? Okay, two great mods Box and Racks will add to your camp, respectively, a chest and a couple of racks for armor and weapons, and will allow you to run light without getting rid of what may still be useful.
Small but:
If the camp is empty the first time (very rarely, but it happens), this does not mean that the mod does not work, on the next visit everything will appear.
Weapon-related:
8.
Tired of being blown up by your own bombs? Think the Sentinel is capable of more than throwing a bottle of acid two and a half meters? Adjust the length of your throw with the mod Bombs - Range Extension
There are two versions - Medium Range and Long Range.
The default game uses a short distance.
Installation: select only one version, and upload the files to the Documents / Bioware / Dragon Age / packages / core / override folder
9.
The default parameters of bows and crossbows make them uncompetitive as a weapon (if you don't take a couple of mod items into account). The next mod changes the situation for the better
Improving small arms
There are three options in the archive:
First, the attack speed has been slightly increased.
Second, armor-piercing, distance, damage and critical hit chance have been slightly increased.
The third is the union of the two previous ones.
Installation: Transfer the selected version to C: \ ... documents \ BioWare \ Dragon Age \ packages \ core \ override
Attention, the weapon changes everything completely, and the enemies too, so no, don't cheat.
10.
Of the three types of close-range combat, a two-handed fight is the most dull - vague skills, and too intelligible penalties, while a robber with daggers makes three, a warrior with a Zweihander let the Creator get rid of at least one into the shadows. This mod corrects the situation by making the two-handed branch a branch of the true skill:
Better Two-Handed Talent- English and
Improving Combat Skills with Two-Handed Weapons- Russian version.
There is no difference between them.
Extraction of useful loot:
11.
It's good to be a thief, for them there is always a day of open doors and chests. And what should the rest of us do (except to carry the thief with them)?
Whoever played Neverwinter Knights may remember the "Knock" spell, or "Oh, gods, at last I'm at the fifth level, and I can pick locks without taking a thief to the party." Now in Origin, especially for magicians - hacking spells.
It has three ranks (open all; open absolutely everything; and open everything that was not previously opened), to obtain which ability points are spent, mana is spent on the spell itself, so there is no need to talk about cheating.
Open Lock Spell for the Beginning and Awakening.
Open Lock Spells - Compatible with all DLC now in DLS too.
There is a Russian version, Open the lock, but it is morally outdated. Better bet English.
12.
The same, but for a warrior. Now you can open doors and chests with a magic pendel. It does not require ability points, you can use it right away, but there is a chance of spoiling the contents of the chest when breaking open.
Lock bash
What to download: onli Lock Bash v7e for Original and Awakening
Hacking by force- Russian version. No difference.
13.
Do you think that even the "nightmare" mode lacks hardcore? Here's three levels of hardcore: Hardcore boss mod, namely - complicated bosses.
There are three folders in the archive, put one onl:
1. The level of all yellow opponents increases by 1, and orange by 2 levels. Plus, the modes "difficult" and "nightmare" become a little more complicated, well, that is, how little ... orange can fit a medium-equipped party (translation: the enemy, indicated in orange, can cope with a team dressed in clothes with good parameters).
2. Levels "difficult" and "nightmare" are now default, only bosses are like in the first version, plus more decent loot is pouring out of yellow and orange opponents.
3. The increase in the levels of yellow and orange bosses remained the same as in the first edition, loot from them poured out like in the second, in addition, bosses began to use their special skills more often. Finally, the cooldown of all Lyrium potions and healing has been increased from 5 seconds to 30 seconds.
Installation: select the desired version, and drop it at Documents \ BioWare \ Dragon Age \ packages \ core \ override, you can directly with the folder.
Miscellaneous:
14. Is it a pity to throw out things that do not fit in your pockets when every half counts? Improved inventory will expand the capacity of pockets to 125 items.
15.
The team was freezing, they were shaking, they were burning at work - Morrigan hit the enemy with areal elemental spells, confidently catching her own too. Tired of raking from your own magician? Will help you Origins - No Friendly Fire Damag confidently clearing out friendly fire in nightmare mode.
What to download: one of two
Or Origins - No Friendly Fire Damage- this removes damage from friendlifire from everyone (both ours and enemies)
Or Origins - No Friendly Fire Damage v1_1- and this is only at the Guardian's party.
Yes, effects like freezing or knockdown won't go anywhere, they just won't be damaged.
16.
A helmet is a useful thing, but not always aesthetic. Maud No Helmet will make the helmets of the Guardian and his team invisible. They will be displayed on the inventory screen, but only
What to download:
No Helmet Hack 1_6 Origins- if you have only DAO (does not work on DAA)
Or No_Helmet_Hack 1_5 Origins and No_Helmet_Hack 1_5a Awakenings- if you want to hide helmets in DAA
Attention! not compatible with any mods that change things (except for replayers, of course), like adding rune slots, etc.
17.
And finally, a small aesthetic mod that changes the icons of things for more beautiful and elaborate ones:
New icons- Russian version.
The icons project and English. Attention! this one will change the names of almost all things to English. If you don't want to, put it in Russian.
And in the next issue - party for euribadi, all about our smaller brothers, partners.
FAQ: Walkthrough Questions
FAQ: Walkthrough QuestionsWe present to your attention a list of the most asked questions about the passage of Dragon Age: Origins. If you had any difficulties during the game, or, at worst, just questions, now, we hope, everything will become easier. If we missed something, write it in the comments.
What are the stat benefits of each race in Dragon Age: Origins?
It's pretty simple:
Human: +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Magic, +1 Cunning.
Elf: +2 to magic, +2 to willpower.
Dwarf: +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Constitution, 10% chance to resist hostile magic.
Race doesn't really matter in Dragon Age: Origins. So take what you like.
How do the characters develop?
Any class gains levels at the same rate and gets the same points.
Companions gain experience at about the same rate as the main character. Whether they are in the party, or they are in the camp, it does not matter.
Each level a hero receives 1 skill point and 3 attribute points.
Warriors and mages receive a skill point every 3 levels, robbers - every 2 levels.
Specialization points are awarded at 7th and 14th levels.
Which class should I take?
It all depends on exactly how you want to play. More details here - Classes.
What is specialization? Which one should I take? What bonuses does it give?
Where can you buy backpacks that increase your inventory?
Here are the places to buy backpacks:
Circle Tower, Quartermaster // Circle Tower, Quartermaster
Party Camp, Bodahn's Wares // Camp, Boddan Feddik
Dalish Camp, Varathorn's Goods // Dalish Camp, Varathorn
Denerim Market, Gorim after the Landsmeet // Denerim Shopping District, Burning after the Landsmeet
Ostagar, Quartermaster // Ostagar, Quartermaster
Why are gifts needed?
Gifts can improve your relationship with your fellow party members. A good relationship gives them bonuses in combat, allows them to romance, and so on. Moreover, each character prefers only certain presents, and reacts to others with coolness. Here are the gifts your companions love:
- Alistair- runestones and figures of magical creatures.
- Dog- bones.
- Leliana- symbols of the blessing of Andraste.
- Morrigan- Jewelry.
- Oghren- booze.
Shale (DLC only) - Gems.
- Sten- painting. He will also appreciate his own sword, which you will surely come across.
- Wynne- the printed word.
- Zevran- any luxury items (precious metals and so on).
How do I know how well my companions are treating me?
Open the menu of the character you have chosen and under his "doll" you will see a colored strip with a separator on it. Hover over it and look at the numbers.
How to do the effective finishing blows that were shown in the commercials?
But in any way, all this is scripted and shown at strictly defined moments of the game.
How to pick locks?
This can only be done by a robber with a sufficiently developed skill "Skillful hands". In fact, in Dragon age: origins it is quite possible to do without it, so do not get too hung up.
How are injuries treated?
Use first aid kits, return to camp or heal with appropriate spells.
How to get to this camp?
On the world map, there is an icon in the upper right corner. This is exactly what the camp is.
I miss the potions of life. What to do?
Instead of buying them, do this:
Buy more flasks and elven root from any merchant.
Learn the herbalist skill (or take Morrigan / anyone else with the appropriate skill with you).
Poultice. This will be enough for a long time. Repeat if necessary.
Problems may arise later, when small poultices are not enough. Then you need to learn herbalism further, buy distillation reagents and other ingredients required to create more powerful poultices. The same can be done with mana potions.
What to do with magic runes?
As you leave Lothering, you will encounter two dwarves who have been attacked by the darkspawn. After the reprisal against the enemies, a short dialogue will follow, after which it will become clear that the guys are merchants. From now on they will travel with your camp. At the same time, one dwarf (Bodan) simply trades, and his adopted son can enchant your weapon with the help of these very runes. But for this you need things with special slots.
There is a mission in the Korkari Wilds: "Missionary". How do you do it?
You need to find a chest according to the prompts. You can find it without clues, just carefully exploring the territory. The sought-after chest is located in the southern part of the location - a path of stones leads to it. Guarded by a pack of wolves. There will be two statues near the chest.
In the Korkari Wilds there is a testament quest. How do you do it?
It is necessary to pick up things from a cache in the camp (located in a fire) in the west of the Korkari Wilds and take it to Jetta in Redcliffe. The cache appears only after the task starts.
How do I get the Juggernaut Armor Set?
In total, you need to collect several parts. You will receive the first as you progress through the Brecilian forest (when you see a tombstone, follow it and disturb the remains). You will receive the last part after performing the elven ritual in the Ruins of the Brecilian Forest. You will find a description below.
Bressilian forest, lair of werewolves. How to perform an elven ritual in a room with a spring and a jug?
The sequence of actions is as follows:
Collect a pitcher full of water.
Go to the altar and put a jug on it.
Pray.
Drink some of the water from the jug.
Pick up the jug from the altar.
Pour the rest of the water into the spring.
Can't cross the ghost bridge in the mission to obtain Andraste's ashes. Help.
This video will show you what to do.
Quest about summons in the tower of magicians. How to summon 4? For 1-3 there is an instruction, but how is this?
Font - reference book - Roderkom - Horvish - Epvorn - Table - Spiritorium - Horvish - Amulet.
How to challenge the Vault dragon to battle?
It can only be summoned if you have refused to defile the Urn with Ashes. Then Colgrim attacks you and the Horn of Colgrim is found on his body. Open your inventory and use this item in the location where the dragon was (at the exit from the destroyed temple). Also, after desecration and formal joining the cult, Kolgrim can still be attacked.