247 replies to this topic

[berelinde]

Well, that would be cool. You don't really get to spend that much time with Oghren, unless you do Orzammar first.

[Yovaneth]

Not so sure. Many dwarves are redheads.

-Y-

[Archmage Silver]

ANOTHER red headed male dwarf fighter? I think that's even more unsure than it being Oghren IMHO.

[Vicen]

I hope there is an elf female or a female dwarf...since we did not get one in the Original Campaign

[Cal Jones]

Looks groovy. Believe it or not I've literally only installed DA:O today and am just in the origins part of the human noble. Looking forward to getting stuck in.

[Kulyok]

Looks interesting, and I'm certainly getting that in March, but I really, really hope they won't force us to play as if we all made a "make Alistair king" decision.

[Archmage Silver]

Kulyok:

But one of the things that we wanted to do with Dragon Age as a franchise is that it's all based on choices and consequences. So there is a lot of reactivity to things that you've done in Origins if you choose to import that character. Of course, that will depend on the decisions you made and at what point you're importing them into Awakening.

For instance, if you're coming from the end game save, then there's going to be a lot more reactivity, including [Spoilers Ahead!] right down to the very choices of how the Archdemon was defeated and who you put on the throne and all that kind of stuff -- hopefully that's not going to spoil it for you! If you choose to import from a much earlier point, then there may not be as much reactivity, but you'll hear about certain rumors.

On other news, the German pricing for the Awakening is reportedly 29,99 ?, which is likely to be the standard for the European versions of the game.

[Kulyok]

Yep, I read it - thanks for the link! The thing is, I fear that it still can change. so I'm not quite putting my trust into Mr Malo's words - yet. Remember Shale? First she was joinable, then she was cut, then she was in for a DLC. Or Jowan: first he was part-joinable, then he went to full-joinable, then they decided not to make him a full NPC. Or something else. That's why I'm wary. But I hope it's going to be interesting, nevertheless.

[Archmage Silver]

Yeah, I get it, in game developing there are only a few things that are absolutely certain, BUT... BioWare is really pushing the marketing with the whole "choice & consequence" theme, so I wouldn't expect them to cut/dumb it down - it wouldn't be good business. Having continuity sells better than cutting it at this point, even if only partially, so I remain optimistic.

Of course they're already cutting quite a bit, what with not including the old companions as joinables, save for one, thus almost certainly killing any active romance plots. At least we're getting cameos. Obviously I don't know BioWare's plans for the franchise in the long term - for all I know we could be seeing the Origins companions again in another title with ME2 style save game character importing for the variables.

Just throwing ideas around here...

Edited by Archmage Silver, 10 January 2010 - 01:03 AM.

[princesspurpleblob]

While I would love to remain optimistic... I find myself getting paranoid. I have a feeling it will be like going from NWN2 to MotB. Yes, they aren't same company but isn't it much easier for developers to just concentrate on one story anyway? MotB totally ignored what everyone did in past and assumed that you've killed King of Shadow for good cause. While Bioware is making it sound like they really value whole "choice and consequence" I remain doubtful they will really put that much effort on simple "downloadable content" with 15hrs or so gameplay. Ahh... so disappointed

[Kaeloree]

To be honest? I couldn't care less if Awakening responds to my decisions at the end of the game. I know I'll enjoy it anyway, and for me that's the main selling point.

[Kulyok]

It's just "make Alistair king" is all I'm fighting against. Grey Wardens shouldn't have power. They should come, defend the land against Blight and go away until the next time they are needed. Grey Wardens shouldn't stand idle while women are raped, like Duncan did. Grey Wardens shouldn't take power and instigate a war, like Commander Dryden tried to do. Grey Wardens shouldn't burn villages full of innocent people, like Ser Gilmore mentioned(I was horrified). Grey Wardens shouldn't ask for titles, or riches, or put themselves on the throne.

And Bioware forces us to make this choice(make Alistair king), it will mean that all my character did during the Origins was for nothing.

[Qwinn]

Grey Wardens shouldn't stand idle while women are raped, like Duncan did. Grey Wardens shouldn't take power and instigate a war, like Commander Dryden tried to do.

Erm. Hmmm.

Okay, I'll probably regret asking, but my curiosity is piqued.

If the Grey Wardens stand by while a single woman is raped, they are bad, bad, bad.

But if the Grey Wardens -don't- stand by while a tyrant terrorizes the entire nation, they are bad, bad, bad.

So, if the tyrant in question were known to rape, or permitted his followers to rape - which one would presume is just the sort of thing that tyrants are known for - would their taking up arms against the tyrant be legitimized?

Qwinn

[Archmage Silver]

Qwinn's got a point there, it's obvious that the Wardens either take action against any evil - or just the Blight. If they save one civilian, why not save them all, even at the cost of war? The only way they'd get out of that would be to save no one at all unless it's from the Blight. Unfortunately this aspect of the game lore seems a bit too similar to the real world (The UN Peace Corps (see Hotel Rwanda) seem like a loosely fitting comparison).

[Kepster]

I'm terribly excited about this.  All the hints towards a more sinister intelligence behind the darkspawn are going to be realized...yay!  The concept of the Darkspawn "Emissary" really intrigued me--the codex mentioned it was capable of human speech and had me wondering:  do the darkspawn have their own society farther in the Deep Roads?  Do they have an agenda beyond destruction?  And--oh God!--the Broodmothers just show how pervasive these darkspawn are.  Who knows the extent of the Deep Roads?  What if the darkspawn's only real limitation is the lack of entryways to the surface?  It makes me all tingly!

I'm secretly hoping for an expansion on the idea of the dragon (Archdemon) as a corrupted god(-like being)...  Certainly the dreams and the fact that some Grey Wardens were capable of understanding its communications give me cause to hope that they'll work with this.

I don't know, there's just so much they can do!  

I would like the game's status to reflect our choices at the end of the game as well, but this universe is immersive enough that I just might forgive them if they don't.  Anyway:  excited.

Regarding the role of the Grey Wardens, I think that they serve only the function of stemming the tide of the recurrent Blights.  I mean, from the context of the game we see Duncan as the quintessential Grey Warden.  He does not intercede in the instance of the City Elf origin story (from which I assume you draw the rape example) because it does not have any bearing on the darkspawn threat.  When, however, one of your fellow initiates (can't recall his name, the one with a wife and child) attempts to leave the Joining Ceremony, he mercilessly cuts him down for fear he might spread the secret knowledge of the ceremony:  clearly not a force for generalized good.

Any who become a Grey Warden swear their life to the cause--they will die for it.  In the face of that, personal ambition certainly seems inappropriate.  Those who enroll in the Grey Wardens are just about forced into all the secret clauses and dangers, hence the importance of keeping details of the Joining quiet.  They serve a purpose, but I don't think it can be argued that they fight for "good" or "peace," rather, just the continued existence of humanity.

Edited by Kepster, 12 January 2010 - 05:00 PM.

[Qwinn]

I think something that has to be taken into account in moral calculations like this is whether or not the Warden is actually -needed-. In the case of the City Elf origin story, Duncan doesn't -need- to intervene - you handle it yourself, after all. If he were the only person who could possibly rescue the girl, that'd be a different situation altogether and he might well have responded differently. But in the case of the tyrant, the Wardens represented what was probably the only independent military force not directly under the control of the tyrant and therefore the only force capable of doing anything about it. That changes the moral calculation substantially, in my view. And renders the decisions in both cases in game morally licit.

Qwinn

[Tempest]

I'm personally hoping that the tensions of race and religion come up more in Awakening - I enjoyed playing a Dalish elf who was paranoid and hostile towards humans and the Chantry, and placed Alistair on the throne specifically because she believed he would be a weak king. Yet the game assumes your character wants to save Ferelden and is viewed as a hero by everyone. I'd like a chance to play a character who wants to let Ferelden fall, because the land belonged to the elves long before the humans conquered it - why should she care that Denerim burned when Ferelden is built atop the graves of a murdered civilization?

Still, I'll probably enjoy Awakening regardless.

[Archmage Silver]

Steam is now taking pre-orders of the Awakening:
http://store.steampo...com/app/901275/

Edited by Archmage Silver, 23 January 2010 - 03:22 PM.

[Yovaneth]

For myself, I would view this as unlikely simply because you get the option to pop Flemeth off, which I did on moral grounds. Good practice for hunting -er- similar creatures later in the game.

-Y-