Avalon on 10/3/2011 at 08:32
Quote Posted by Phatose
The lack of the way overhead tactical camera is bullshit though. Targeting area effect spells is a royal pain in the ass.
Yeah that part really annoys me. More so because the entire combat system is still that of an isometric tactical game, yet you can't play in isometric mode. Someone in your party is getting wrecked around a corner by a single enemy - you can't click to attack him through the wall with the rest of your party, and you can't zoom out your camera to just remove the ceiling so the wall is not an obstacle, so your options are
A) click that party member and try to get him away from what's killing him, or
B) move your guys around the corner. Pause when they get around and the enemy is now in line of sight to be clicked on, so you don't risk him dying while you pan around to him. Attack.
It's one of those things that's not a huge deal (although not being able to target things because something is in your way is an almost constant concern), but over time it gradually makes you want to bomb a church.
Other than that, I'm enjoying it, but nowhere near as much as the original game. There's the definite feel that the developers were so thrilled with Origins' success that they threw together a sequel as fast as they could - not in an unpolished sense, but in the way that the game just seems to lack character and variety. There aren't nearly so many options as Origins, and so far I have yet to actually come across any distinctive "choices" - most decisions are illusions and the outcome is exactly the same no matter which options you pick. Origins had so many possible outcomes that I remember considering each conversation option carefully to be sure it was what I wanted, but in this game I've pretty much just resigned myself to hitting the "good" choice each time (and the game is kind enough to even tell me which one is the good one).
mothra on 11/3/2011 at 05:23
did they fix the tactics ? like aoe spells not being able to track an enemy or triggering "surrounded by x enemies" when they appear on the map, not when they actually surround you ?
Phatose on 11/3/2011 at 05:43
To be honest, I'm not sure. Never used tactics at all in the first game, and in the few encounters I've had where victory wasn't certain, I micromanaged everyone.
Unfortunately, the game is not improving as I get further in. I hit the first major boss, and it was infuriating. The boss has an area attack that can basically annihilate your entire party - unless you hide behind some nearby columns. Unfortunately, getting your party to actually do so is trickier then it should be. If you just move them, the AI will kick in the second you deselect them, they'll run out of cover and die. You basically have to group select everyone and keep them selected just to prevent the AI from getting them killed.
Not good design.
mothra on 11/3/2011 at 07:58
oc you used tactics in the old game. since every party member has some rudimentary (mostly bad) tactics set up already and they always kick in when you do not use them. same in the demo.
bethany had a tactic setup for her fireball:
enemy - clustered with at least 2 allies - use fireball
in DA:O that meant that she actually targeted an ENEMY and the fireball followed him so you did at least hit him if he left the group. and they triggered in the near vicinity of your party.
in DA2 in the demo it triggered when the enemy appeared on the MAP, far away from your view (especially since isometric is gone) and hit the GROUND the enemy was on. only when the fireball hits there the enemies are already sticking their forks into you.
same for mindblast:
self - being surrounded by at least 2 enemies - mindblast
in DA:O it meant what it said. in DA2 demo it triggered when they appear on the map, WIDE OUT OF THE EFFECTIVE RANGE of the spell.....
well, even kotaku reports that DA2 was rushed due to EA giving pressure and they usually lick the boots of every publisher.
lost_soul on 11/3/2011 at 18:39
Yeah, I saw that. It really makes me smile. :) Don't forget, this is all the consumers' fault as a whole.
june gloom on 11/3/2011 at 19:49
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic (and bad at it) or if you really mean that in some adolescent "consumers are sheeple" way.
lost_soul on 11/3/2011 at 19:54
Oh come on now, you should know me better than that! I was sitting here with a "I told you this could happen" look on my face while I read the RPS story, but now I just feel like a sad panda... :(
Eldron on 11/3/2011 at 21:03
Whatever you might think of the dark dystopian gamer future, I don't think publishers or developers are that eager to ban people from playing their games or piss them off to this degree.
It'll just make them not buy their games next time.
I think they were right for giving him a temp ban on the forums, but it was a mistake banning his account for that time.
Jason Moyer on 11/3/2011 at 21:54
Quote Posted by mothra
oc you used tactics in the old game.
The first thing I did whenever I had a new party member was check the 'disable tactics' button. Dunno why they got rid of that in DA2, although with some effort you can get a similar effect.
