News:

And we're back!

Main Menu

Valmy's ADHD Dragon Age playthrough

Started by Valmy, April 10, 2015, 09:51:59 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Valmy

Ok I have made no secret here of my mad love for Darkest Dungeon and Pillars of Eternity. I have gotten back in the RPG saddle since not really playing at all since 2010 when I really got into school and started having kids and stuff.

So I thought I would go back and catch up to Mass Effect and Dragon Age while I wait for the new Torment game to come out next year.

It seems Mass Effect is going to do this: http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/80841/20150407/mass-effect-trilogy-ps4-xbox-one.htm

Even for the PC maybe. So I will wait for that.

Dragon Age Origins is one of my favorite games but I thought the expansion, Awakenings, was total shit. I do not remember why and it seems Bioware has basically turned it into melodramatic cheese. But I can forgive them for it, I just have to tune my expectations accordingly :P

So anyway I am going to play the whole thing in chronological order. I played DA:O a whole bunch in 2009 and early 2010 and I kind of remember it but they released a bunch of new content since then.

So first the prequel Liliana's Song which looks corny but it should get me in the mood for more Dragon Age cheese.

Basically I am going to do:
Leliana's Song
Dragon Age:Origins
Awakenings
Golem DLC thing
Morrigan DLC thing

I don't plan on doing that Darkspawn Win thing unless you guys say I should for some reason.

This is why EA sucks. It was not going to do this because it looked like I was going to have to pay 20 dollars for the stupid DLC I didn't have but then they had DA:O, Awakenings, and ALL the DLC for 13 dollars. Yeah that makes sense EA, it costs less to just rebuy everything.

and then go on to whatever DA2 was.

Impressions to be maybe be posted here when I feel like it. I know very little so don't spoil me too much. And it will be slow, I have kids and work and stuff.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

viper37

Quote from: Valmy on April 10, 2015, 09:51:59 AM
Ok I have made no secret here of my mad love for Darkest Dungeon and Pillars of Eternity. I have gotten back in the RPG saddle since not really playing at all since 2010 when I really got into school and started having kids and stuff.

So I thought I would go back and catch up to Mass Effect and Dragon Age while I wait for the new Torment game to come out next year.

It seems Mass Effect is going to do this: http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/80841/20150407/mass-effect-trilogy-ps4-xbox-one.htm

Even for the PC maybe. So I will wait for that.

Dragon Age Origins is one of my favorite games but I thought the expansion, Awakenings, was total shit. I do not remember why and it seems Bioware has basically turned it into melodramatic cheese. But I can forgive them for it, I just have to tune my expectations accordingly :P

So anyway I am going to play the whole thing in chronological order. I played DA:O a whole bunch in 2009 and early 2010 and I kind of remember it but they released a bunch of new content since then.

So first the prequel Liliana's Song which looks corny but it should get me in the mood for more Dragon Age cheese.

Basically I am going to do:
Leliana's Song
Dragon Age:Origins
Awakenings
Golem DLC thing
Morrigan DLC thing

I don't plan on doing that Darkspawn Win thing unless you guys say I should for some reason.

This is why EA sucks. It was not going to do this because it looked like I was going to have to pay 20 dollars for the stupid DLC I didn't have but then they had DA:O, Awakenings, and ALL the DLC for 13 dollars. Yeah that makes sense EA, it costs less to just rebuy everything.

and then go on to whatever DA2 was.

Impressions to be maybe be posted here when I feel like it. I know very little so don't spoil me too much. And it will be slow, I have kids and work and stuff.
Only Awakening was a good DLC.  The others are shit.  If you didn't like Awakening, you're not to going to like the others.
The only reason to do them was to get the items for your next playthrough of Origin.
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Valmy

Eh I know. Doing it for the lolz mostly
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Valmy

#4


Ok so I loaded Leliana's Song up last night.

I took a bunch of screenshots but when I went to the screenshot tab in my profile it said I had 100 uploaded out of 50 max (I know I took a few but 100? :unsure:) but it only had the shot from my achievement listed so....huh.

Anyway I didn't quite finish it but I should next session. I actually have been enjoying it. The blood splattered intros while my group is inexplicably murdering some guard was awesome cheese. 'We are so very hardcore!' We are supposed to be bringing our sophisticated intrigue of Orlais to les barbares Fereldenais but it seems a bit unsubtle there.

The first part was pretty cool. Sure I was murdering people but I got to sneak around Denerim avoiding the guards and doing dirty deeds. I even got future Maker-freak Leliana to steal from the Chantry. But the next part was a straight up murder fest. It has been five years so I had to reteach myself how to play. And sure this DLC is meant for people who have beaten the main game but no hand-holding for me damn it.

Let me just say I really hate Mabari Warhounds now.

Anyway despite having murdered many people Leliana, that saucy Orlais tart, has a patriotic crisis of conscience and her remarkably creepy bisexual lover sells her out. Then a woman speaking down from glowing light in the heavens tosses her a sword and a key to escape prison.

Who could it be...I don't know...nobody comes to mind...could it be...



Ok probably Andraste or something.

I got to see the future Bann Rape-an-elf from the City Elf Origin as an abusive little Joffrey-wannabe and see one of my party members tortured to death by his psychotic father. Good family fun all around.

Last thought: you know you kind of got the impression that mages outside of the circles and surface dwarves were rare or something but they seem to be all over the place. Either that or your party members are always special snowflakes, even in DLCs. But what about the bad guy mages? Do they have bloodthirsty mercenary work details in the circles? Ah well.

Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Caliga

0 Ed Anger Disapproval Points

viper37

Quote from: Valmy on April 13, 2015, 07:40:25 AM
Ok so I loaded Leliana's Song up last night.

I took a bunch of screenshots but when I went to the screenshot tab in my profile it said I had 100 uploaded out of 50 max (I know I took a few but 100? :unsure:) but it only had the shot from my achievement listed so....huh.
the game will automatically take screenshot of just about any event.  Entering a new area, defeating a big monster, etc,
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Valmy

Quote from: viper37 on April 13, 2015, 12:23:46 PM

the game will automatically take screenshot of just about any event.  Entering a new area, defeating a big monster, etc,

Only when it earns an achievement. And since I already have most of those there will not be many. Ah well everybody knows what Dragon Age Origins looks like by now. I remember before my screenshots appeared in this directory so I am not sure what is going on.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

viper37

Quote from: Valmy on April 13, 2015, 12:29:26 PM
Only when it earns an achievement.
hmm, I'm pretty sure it's more than that.  I used to have tons of screenshot uploaded to my profile.
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Solmyr

It takes screenshots at various points, regardless of achievements. I believe there are some options where you can specify it (might be in your profile).

Valmy

#10
I finished Leliana's song. The disembodied voice turned out to be Dorothea, an Orlesian cleric who originally owned the top secret papers Leliana's evil ex was going to hand over to the psycho Ferelden noble. They tortured the dwarf companion to death so he gets replaced with random Ferelden warrior. Dorothea sent Leliana after evil ex and her evil new beau and a bizarre battle royale occurred involving several mages and a dragon. Damn does every Ferelden noble have a bodyguard like that? Anyway cheese all around but it was fun and pretty hard, I had to generously use my health kit things. the first part of the DLC was great, but then it became just a run-in-a-straight-line-kill-bad-guys-and-take-their-stuff fest. Most of the plot elements were contrived. Ah well. You get to see Leliana back in the Chantry getting ready to find religion.

Oh one more funny thing: multiple priestesses said Leliana reminded them of themselves before they saw the Maker's love. So are all the priestesses in the Chantry former bard assassins? Cool.

On to the main show! And Viper and Solmyr you guys were absolutely right so no reason for me to be concerned over screenshots.

It was brought to my attention that you cannot transfer your games into Dragon Age Inquisition but they have a program where you enter every choice you made that Inquisition cares about. Ok then sounds like after each playing session I have to go fill in what I just did. At least it looks pretty.



Huh. Nothing from the Leliana DLC but then I didn't have any decisions to make really.

Way back when I was a wee lad of 32 I played through the City Elf, Human Noble, and Dwarf Commoner plotlines. So this time I will be doing something different. I decided to do the Mage one. Since I am going to be doing the Witch Hunt DLC might as well romance the witch and make her demon baby. My theme here will be: everybody lives. I am going to be keeping as many people alive in this play through as possible so Loghains everywhere can rejoice. I am going to let him live for once. Alistair, my bromance, will be King even if he is going to hate me. He will thank me later I am sure.

Anyway the Circle of the Magi, along with the demons and the fade and the Templars and all that, is one of the cooler concepts in Dragon Age so it was cool to go through that origin. It also reminded me how easy it is to wreck shit with a mage. I started with hard difficulty but switched it soon to Nightmare and even then things are going down pretty fast. The biggest challenge will be the same one all DA:O players face: to make your Warden not look like an inbred freak. Meet Lorcan Amell!



Yeah I don't know if I succeeded but I tried damn it! Hi Mr. Templars please don't kill me.



You are wanting freedom from the Circle of Magi and the Chantry eh? Chances of Blood Mage/Abomination? 99.999%.

It was rather amazing how much I remembered even after all this time. DA:O well straddled the line between awesome and cheese very well, and I got pretty pumped during the intro when the Grey Wardens are running through the villages hammering down the Darkspawn. I got to the Kolkari Wilds and stopped. Pretty great stroll down memory lane.



Hey buddy!  I missed you.

Anyway I went back to the Dragon Age Keep thing to enter any choices I made. It seems the only thing I did up until now that Inquisition cares about is feeding that prisoner at Ostagar.



The fate of all of Thedas might have been decided by that lunch!
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Valmy

#11
Ok so I went through the Wilds, Ostagar, and Lothering. The Kolkari Wilds and Lothering are always weirdly stressful for me, since I am a completionist and I know I can never come back to them later. So I have to comb them all carefully just to make sure. Couple thoughts:

They really rub your nose in the face you are not a rogue so cannot open chests before you get Leliana. They taunt me so much they even give me that wannabe Grey Warden Rogue with no skill in opening locks. Bastards!

A lot of great tension building cut scenes and stuff here. But I really think the scene where Loghain abandons the King and the army doesn't work. First Loghain should at least announce they have been betrayed by the Grey Wardens and must retreat to save themselves. That should at least explain why his men go along with it. His real reasons for doing it cannot be said, of course, and I guess it still works to leave that out since you can figure it out. I guess it is ok though but you are left with a WTF? sense. But the death scene of Duncan and the King Cailan is not only incredibly cheesy, but I feel like they needed some dialog about realizing Loghain and his men have left them. Ah well.



'The King is going to sell us out to Orlais. If only there was somebody in power who could do something about that.'

Man I continue to be scared at the specifics I remember. Like how to fight each fight. And I can hardly remember what I was doing 20 minutes ago at work. Damn my brain stores useless shit.

Morrigan's romance apparently starts about five minutes after she goes with you. Oh you horny kids.



'Hey baby'

Going with my 'everybody lives' ethos I made sure to not kill anybody with the bridge bandits and Loghain's Men in Lothering and drove them off by beating up their leaders first. But that does not seem to matter much, going back over the Dragon Age Keep thing.

These are the decisions that mattered (to Inquisition anyway) this session:



It seems exactly how you spring Sten is a matter of great import. And frankly if you let that dog die or leave him in the wilderness the bad guy should just automatically win in Inquisition since the player is obviously the real monster.



Ok you promise to only commit mass murder on bad guys from now on yes? Good Qunari.

Anyway on to the Circle of Magi. Then get Zev and Shale and then go to Orzammar.


Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Valmy

#12
Hey it looks like DA2 is on a current humble bundle. EA will still screw me over with the DLC but I can get this game that grognard RPGers consider worse than Satan (or even Revered Mother Dorothea) and ease my conscience by helping to improve female literacy. And I will also get a third copy of DA:O! Maybe it is EA's plan to ensure I get a copy of DA:O everytime I buy a Dragon Age product.

https://www.humblebundle.com/

Praise the (watch)maker! :deist:
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Solmyr

Quote from: Valmy on April 16, 2015, 09:16:32 PM
They really rub your nose in the face you are not a rogue so cannot open chests before you get Leliana. They taunt me so much they even give me that wannabe Grey Warden Rogue with no skill in opening locks. Bastards!

You can, of course, get the mod that lets you bash locks with a weapon or zap them with a spell. :P

Valmy

Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."