Master Pre 09 Sep : 08:31
Yes, preferably with an assailant pummeling you with a bamboo stick.
My favorite thing to do in basic was shining my boots, that's about all we had to do though! There's some trickery you can pull off using a lighter that can turn them into a mirror. But since you don't have the leather toes, it's sort of a mute point.
Let me know if that changes, I can give ya some pointers.
Maybe during Mid Semester break or Thanksgivi
ng break, but not a second before.
However, I DO have the opportunit
y to iron shirts and dust my wall locker. And for this recruit, that's videogame enough.
Master Pre 08 Sep : 09:33
Ahhhhh...r
oger that. You seem to be enjoying the college (military) experience
. Are you gonna have a chance to get some Halo Reach in?
Velvet Typhoon 07 Sep : 19:14
You've got to find ways to make it work, Mr. Pre.
Master Pre 07 Sep : 15:07
Good stuff Mr. Typhoon! As for the library bathrooms, you're all alone on that one. Never encountere
d that in the AF!
Thin
gs I've learned at Norwich: How to heat a pop tart with a clothing iron. How to eat a banana with a knife and fork. How to brush my teeth, shave, and iron a shirt in under five minutes. How to take a shower using nothing but baby wipes. How to use Windex to shine shoes. That masturbati
on in library bathrooms is acceptable
, and encouraged
.
These are the life skills that will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Master Pre 06 Sep : 10:10
I didn't know you liked football?
Velvet Typhoon 05 Sep : 11:00
We had our first football game yesterday.
They had 3rd and 4th Battalions form up in the endzones, and whenever a team scored, interceive
d, changed possession
. . .really, whenever anything at all happened during the game, we did about 20 pushups.
it was motivating
.
turdferguson49 03 Sep : 13:41
A long weekend and the beginning of football season? Can't get much better than this!
Master Pre 03 Sep : 10:40
College Football weekend, L4D2, GoW2, Golf, Coffee...t
his is going to be the perfect weekend.
motaboy82 02 Sep : 15:23
Bring the wheel barrow, take two crushed earings! sales were up 267% for the quarter thanks to RDR. Now they have 300 million in cash on hand to invest on another title or two
This game wasn't really on my radar. In fact I had no intention of paying any attention to it in any way, shape or form. And now I find myself looking forward to it's release with greater anticipation than what I have for Modern Warfare 2. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll be right there with the rest of you guys on MW2's release date, but I have been awaiting a quality RPG for quite some time.
I'm being a bit presumptuous in thinking that this game is a home run already. DA-O has the makings of a good RPG; great fantasy value, dragons, no hobbits, elven kind, etc...
I hadn't realized this up until recently, but after checking out DA-O this game I found Bioware proclaiming that this is the "Spiritual Successor" to Baldur's Gate.
Dragon Age: Origins is a dark heroic fantasy set in a unique world. As the spiritual successor of BioWare's popular Baldur's Gate series of games, it uses a pause-and-play tactical combat system. Play in over-the-shoulder mode, or the more tactical top-down view. Dragon Age: Origins features a stunning amount of cinematic dialog. Players will be able to acquire unique party members. These party members will have their own motivations for accompanying the player.
I'm there, I'm sold and this is the kind of game that will work with my current gaming situation. I work full time, go to school and we've got some additional family units arriving sometime next spring ( ). My gaming has taken a serious hit and I need the kind of game that I can pick up for an hour, make some progress and then retire for the night. This seems to be right up my alley, DA-O here I come! (AP, please tell me you'll be getting some of these in!)
Here's some random "media fluff" that Bioware has released ranging from Q&A stuff to screen shots. Enjoy! One last note...EA is publishing the game but Bioware is the developer, this makes me feel a lot lot better about the potential quality of game we're looking at!
Dragon Age: Origins will be released on November 3rd 2009 in North America and November 6th 2009 in Europe on the Xbox 360 and PC. The Playstation 3 version will follow later in November.
Why is the game called Dragon Age: Origins?
The game offers a unique new feature called Origin Stories that shapes the way the world sees you and the way you will see the world. Each origin determines the player's motivations, shapes his or her experience, and renders a unique prelude, path, and ending to the game. We also chose "Origins" because it symbolizes BioWare's return to its roots.
How many hours will it take to complete Dragon Age: Origins?
As with previous BioWare games, that will depend on how thoroughly you play the game, how much exploring you decide to do, or how many side quests you choose to engage. We think fans will be quite satisfied with the length of the main story arc.
What will be the level cap and what will be the level I could reasonably expect to attain during a play through?
Dragon Age Origins has the most story and gameplay content in any of our games since Baldur's Gate 2. As with all BioWare games, the final level your character will reach will depend on how much of the story you choose to experience. If you only do the core story, what we call the critical path, you will be at a lower level than someone else who does the critical path and many of the option side quests in the game. We expect most players to be between level 15 and 20 at the end of the game.
I noticed that in the gameplay video that showed the fighting with the ogre, that when the ogre was killed, the character performed a kind of finishing move or something. I wanted to know if all monsters can be killed like that. That would be awesome.
The "move" referred to is called a death-blow. There are different death blows possible based on the weapon being used and the opponent you are facing.
How does the currency work?
There are three currencies in Dragon Age Origins: gold, silver and copper. This gives us more granularity so we do not need weighty amounts of coin to let the player buy or sell something expensive.
How customizable will my character be? (Back to top)
Players will be able to customize the appearance of their character using the most detailed facial customization tool BioWare has created to date. Players can also choose their character\'s race, gender, and class. They will also choose their character\'s point of origin and backstory. Continued customization choices open up as the character gains levels.
Does Dragon Age: Origins have alignments?
Dragon Age: Origins gives players the ability to interact with their party members and guide their development. Throughout the game, the player will be making decisions. Depending on the personalities of party members, these decisions might anger them, or make them happy. So instead of a simplistic good/evil system, Dragon Age: Origins revolves more around managing personal relationships with adventuring companions. Success leads to loyal, more powerful allies, and even romance.
How linear is the game?
For the bulk of the game, players will be able to choose where they want to go and the order they wish to complete the various plots. There are also many side-quests scattered throughout the game.
Will this game be an open-world-rpg like Oblivion and gothic 3 or a game divided in levels like BG2?
Dragon Age Origins is going to be similar to other classic BioWare titles like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights. There will be a great many areas to explore and experience with a strong narrative story to drive you through the game.
Is it real-time or turn-based?
Combat in Dragon Age: Origins takes place in real-time. In addition, we included a pause-and-play system that allows players to take a more tactical approach to the game.
What game-engine is being used?
Dragon Age: Origins uses the Eclipse engine, a BioWare developed, data-driven, next-gen RPG engine.
Is Dragon Age: Origins a multiplayer game?
Dragon Age: Origins delivers a focused, single-player RPG experience. Since this is the first game set in the world of Dragon Age, the team wanted to concentrate on a single player experience that would allow the players to learn the incredible history, story, and lore in the game.
Nice write-up, Pre. Way to show the DA love. Now that my 360 has died, I may be getting it on PC, however.
Atlas in Flames Advocatus Diaboli -------------------------- "In my life I'd not soften things that cut and burn so often." Alice in Chains, "It Ain't Like That"
"Si pecasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us.
Nice write-up, Pre. Way to show the DA love. Now that my 360 has died, I may be getting it on PC, however.
I can't blame you. I think this game is going to be a perfect fit for me. My only fear is that it's just a glorified "hack'n'slash" which has little to no replay value. The Baldurs Gate name drop has me believing though.
Well, I don't think it's a hack 'n slash in the stereotypical sense of the term. You can freely switch between and control any of your team members, so that will vary the gameplay up a little. Of course, you can play the game without doing that as well... from what Bioware has said, there are several different ways this game can be played which range from real time combat to various levels of action-pausing, strategic elements.
I was also going to mention that Bioware has released a free, online game called Dragon Age Journeys which is a simplistic, browser-based RPG much in the vein of Runescape and whatnot. It plays a lot like the Diablo or Sacred series of games. It was fairly entertaining and you can unlock three unique items to use in Dragon Age: Origins which work across all platforms: PC, PS3 and 360. If you're interested, you can check it out here:
Atlas in Flames Advocatus Diaboli -------------------------- "In my life I'd not soften things that cut and burn so often." Alice in Chains, "It Ain't Like That"
"Si pecasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us.
I played as much of it as they have available right now, yes. Like I said, it's pretty simplistic looking i.e. Runescape, and pretty much plays like Diablo insomuch that it is top down and has RPG elements. You eventually gain a few party members that can travel with you and suplement your abilities.
Combat is almost handled like an old-school JRPG in that you are taken off of the main world map; however, you are then placed in a close-up floor map with a grid, and combat occurs by initiative.
Overall it's pretty decent. You are asked to answer 3 brief and optional surveys that are interspersed throughout your game time which focus on your enjoyment of the game, what could be better, and which aspects you might be willing to pay for if they made it into a full-blown web-based RPG.
My final analysis is that while it was a fun time-waster, I wouldn't pay to play the thing if that is the direction they decide to take it. I also made it very clear to them that I would not be interested in buying extras and/or random tidbits like some of the free-to-play RPGs on the web.
[ Edited Mon Oct 26 2009, 12:40PM ]
Atlas in Flames Advocatus Diaboli -------------------------- "In my life I'd not soften things that cut and burn so often." Alice in Chains, "It Ain't Like That"
"Si pecasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us.
Atlas in Flames Advocatus Diaboli -------------------------- "In my life I'd not soften things that cut and burn so often." Alice in Chains, "It Ain't Like That"
"Si pecasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us.
Here's some more info...Bioware is definitely trying to make this a diverse experience for the gamer. I like the stats and other info they will be providing automatically which makes it not only easy but maybe even fun to check out how your friends are doing on the game.
Dragon Age: Origins won't Tweet, but the new single-player game will network console and PC gamers in unusual ways. That's because the games creators at BioWare believe that solo role-playing games should no longer be lonely experiences.
"One of the things for us that was really important and we're clearly seeing it on PC games — and coming across to consoles — is basically having a social experience of some sort," Dragon age's online producer Fernando Melo told Kotaku in a phone interview late last week.
"That has traditionally been the domain of a multiplayer experience."
Not anymore, according to BioWare.
The company wants its solo adventurers to converge, to see each other's stories in words and screenshots. And all of this is supposed to happen automatically as soon as a player saves the game for the first time.
The PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Dragon Age: Origins will all connect to Bioware's new "Social" website, which will collect data from player's games. The type of data gathered differs between the console and PC versions, but all will share some features. Players of any version of Dragon Age will be able to link their copy of of the game to BioWare's site. The Social site requires users to create a free account. Once the game and the site are linked, a record of the player's accomplishments in the game and the status of their ever-evolving character will appear on the Social site.
The most basic manifestation of that appears in the player's character screen. Below, you can see the character I started on the Xbox 360 version of Dragon Age this morning (Or log on and check it out, if you prefer). His face, portrait, items and attributes all reflect the choices I've made for him as of the last time the game saved:
Sharing stats and updating an online avatar version of your character isn't itself a feature that would amaze avid users of something like the Halo-tracking Bungie.net. But Melo and his team have more elaborate plans than that.
"One of the things we started to look at was the way you could share your story," Melo said. "That really ties to the core of the game. The game radically challenges based on the decisions you're making along the way and the party members you have with you. We were trying to figure out how to create these water-cooler moments that people could talk about without spoiling it for people...we wanted to have a way that complements that instead of random [forum] threads."
To help players share their stories, the data-tracking will also snatch details on what the player has accomplished in the game. Those details will be listed as the character's adventure log on the Social site.
Melo hopes that a future iteration of the service will present the narrative accomplishments as if they were chronicled in a personal journal, which is a far cry from the team's earlier, scuttled concept to have player's characters Tweet their accomplishments for the world to see.
The event-tracking isn't live yet, but BioWare provided this screenshot taken from the game's internal servers, to show how the basic launch version will work. Each event is supposed to be expandable, providing more text to explain how it fits into the character's adventure:
For console gamers the networking and sharing ends there. But PC players will have one more element pulled into their online chronicle: Screenshots. Dragon Age will automatically pull an in-game screenshot for any major achievement the player has accomplished, including boss kills. (Tests of this on the console produced unacceptable slowdown, Melo said). The PC version will also support the manual uploading of screenshots. These features are intended to make the player-character's chronicle more vivid. BioWare provided a sample of how this will look as well.
Melo said he expects player's chronicles on the Social site to be radically different. And he hopes players will look at each other's and be excited by the differences. "You'll have the ability to see a friends' character and go, 'That's a cool helmet, how the hell did you get that?' Or 'You completed this quest and I didn't even see that.'" The joy will be discovering that these nooks and crannies even exist. Melo said that some are deeply hidden, such as a sequence that gets a player thrown in jail if they fail at a certain kind of combat — and then have 52 ways to extricate themselves from the predicament.
Players should expect all of these tracking and sharing systems to change over the weeks and months following Dragon Age's release. Melo's team will take over most of the work related to Dragon Age: Origins following the game's release and plan to support and improve the game's features as part of BioWare's commitment to offer two years' worth of downloadable content. One example of a possible patch, he offered, could be the eventual integration of a web browser into the console versions, which would allow players to access the Social site from their Xbox 360 or PS3.
Every experiment has its exploded test tubes, of course. The character-Tweets-his-adventures idea didn't work, in part, because Melo's team realized that players backtracking via earlier save files would wind up with character Twitter feeds that listed events out of time sequence. Plus, the Tweeting could have gotten out of hand, which is what the Uncharted 2 developers discovered before the game was even released to many people.
"There is definitely a danger of spamming to the point where [people] just get turned off by it," Melo said. "What we realized is that it's kind of an odd catch-22. If the game is super successful, chances are you're going to annoy people." BioWare's solution has been to have data shared through the company's Social site, so that the many updates a player might be exposed to regarding your friends' Dragon Age characters would appear only on a site the player opted to join and visit. Players can opt out of any of these Social features.
The Dragon Age connectivity plan doesn't shun Twitter, though. One of the concepts BioWare is testing but won't have ready for launch involves larger community-driven events. Melo offered an example of the full player body of Dragon Age being challenged to kill a set number of enemies in a finite period of time. That might be Tweeted.
BioWare also nixed early plans to provide branches for a single player's adventures, demonstrating the different ways a gamer may have had executed their adventure. User testing indicated that that was too confusing. The more streamlined version, Melo said, will only display a player's character as of their most recent save. So, if a player goes back to an earlier save file and plays from there and then saves, their character on the Social site will reflect that moment in time.
Game developers who connect their players like this may get a happier consumer out of this, but it also seems like such a project could have been engineered to cultivate a more honest one. Anti-piracy isn't directly the drive, though, Melo said. "We wanted to make this very clear this is not a DRM solution. The win was taking a playbook from Valve by adding additional value for players...Our benefit is more indirect in terms of feeding the community and getting them engaged with Dragon Age as a franchise." And happier customers, he noted, are an effective added sales force.
Solo playing of Dragon Age need not feel so solo thanks to all that Melo and his team have planned. With luck, BioWare has finally figured out how best to get players of its famously branching decision-filled games exposed to the multitude of variations within, without consulting a guidebook. And if they can pull it often without annoying anyone through Twitter, that's even better.
Said Melo: "This is the wild west we're in the middle of trying to figure out."
Send an email to Stephen Totilo, the author of this post, at -email-.
The release date is almost here. I don't think I'll get the chance to pick this game up on the release date, but I hope to line it up sometime next weekend. Who's looking at getting this game right away?
Wow, that's interesting. I'm really looking forward to this game, actually. It's about time someone game Bethesda a run for their money. As much as I love Bethesda, top-notch competition only benefits the consumer!
As far as the purchase, I had planned on getting this right away. With my 360 down for the count now, I don't know that it really pays to go get it on launch. That's a sick kind of self-torture... I'm still considering getting it on PC, however.
Just in case anyone was wondering, here are the system specs:
XP MINIMUM SPECS
* OS: Windows XP with SP3 * CPU: Intel Core 2(or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater AMD X2(or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater * RAM: 1GB or more * VIDEO: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater DVD ROM (Physical copy) 20 GB HD space
VISTA MINIMUM SPECS
* OS: Windows Vista with SP1 * CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater * RAM: 1.5 GB or more * VIDEO: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater DVD ROM (Physical copy) 20 GB HD space
RECOMMENDED SPECS
* CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz Processor or equivalent * RAM: 4 GB (Vista) or 2 GB (XP) * VIDEO: ATI 3850 512 MB or greater NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater AMD Phenom II X3 Triple-Core 2.8 GHz or greater DVD ROM (Physical copy) 20 GB HD space
Atlas in Flames Advocatus Diaboli -------------------------- "In my life I'd not soften things that cut and burn so often." Alice in Chains, "It Ain't Like That"
"Si pecasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no truth in us.
