This is an information thread about the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins RPG from BioWare. There are a couple of Preview Trailers that are up on the site that show off some of the gameplay and character interactions. In a recent interview in Game Informer, it was hinted at, that there could be a possibility of some of the PC user made modules could make it to the consoles as either DLC or as part of the disk.
Developer: BioWare is a Canadian Electronic Entertainment Company founded in 1995. This company has produced many Computer RPGs and has recently begun working with consoles. They are well known for Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins.
Genre: WRPG/ARPG
Official Site: http://dragonage.bioware.com/index.html
Console Information (updated)
- Available: October 20, 2009
- Platform: Xbox 360™, PS3™, PC
- Format: DVD and Blu-Ray
- Players: 1
- Publisher: EA
- Developer: BioWare™
- ESRB Rating: Not Yet Rated
Story: The world is called Ferelden. A dark and foreboding place, where death and violence lurks in every shadow. A troubled world, where even the brightest light can often find itself extinguished by the ever encroaching darkness.
Civilization has fought for many centuries to hold the shadows at bay, but even now the mighty walls of Ostagar are beginning to crumble against the onslaught of an ancient threat. The darkspawn have returned again to bring their taint to the land, and this time, their ancient adversary, the Grey Wardens, have been left neglected by a complacent world that felt they no longer needed them. The fate of the world hangs in the balance, as these mighty warriors again take their place on the front lines against the Blight. But powerful as they are, their numbers have dwindled, and the time is near that a champion needs to step forward from their ranks and lead them to victory. But will the success of this Grey Warden ensure a new, brighter future for Ferelden, or be the first bloody step into a more perilous future?
Origin stories are a major feature of the Dragon Age experience. You choose your origin, and from that starting point, your story begins. You play through your character’s early days, defining his or her background and motivation and begin to learn more about the world of Ferelden from your own distinct perspective. Your choice of origin defines how you will view the world and how it views you. Choose a sneaky, disrespected commoner and you will play a story that focuses around subtle skills and careful wordplay. Choose a noble origin and the world will be much more positive and helpful, but those jealous of your status will not be afraid to take what you have, violently if necessary. More will be revealed on these stories soon…
In Dragon Age, your choices change the world and affect the people around you. Certain situations, storylines, and conversation options will change drastically depending on your origin and your motivations.
Representing the furthest point of encroachment by the ancient Tevinter Imperium into the barbarian lands of the southeast, the fortress of Ostagar was once one of the most important defensive Imperial holdings south of the Waking Sea. It stood at the edge of the Korcari Wilds and watched for any signs of invasion by the barbarians today known as the Chasind wilders. Straddling a narrow pass in the hills, the fortress needed to be by-passed in order for the WIlders to reach the fertile lowlands to the north and proved to be exceedingly difficult for the Wilders to attack due to its naturally defensible position. Like most Imperial holdings in the south, Ostagar was abandoned after Tevinter's collapse during the First Blight. It was successfully sacked by the Chasind wilders and then, as the Chasind threat dwindled following the creation of the modern Ferelden nation, fell to ruin completely.
It has remained unmanned for four centuries, though most of the walls still stand -- as does the tall Tower of Ishal, named after the great Archon that ordered its construction -- and Ostagar remains a testament to the magical power of the Imperium that created it.
The Chantry teaches that it is the hubris of men that brought the darkspawn into our world. Mages sought to usurp Heaven, but were cast out, twisted by their own corruption, only to return as monsters--the first of the darkspawn. They plague the underground caverns and tunnels once inhabited by the dwarven kingdoms. When they discover one of the Old Gods, ancient dragons slumbering in the depths of the earth, it rises as an archdemon to lead the darkspawn as they spread like locusts across the surface lands, destroying all in their path: a Blight. It has been four centuries since the last Blight, but the darkspawn are amassing once again.
Features:
- Three base classes to choose from: rogue, warrior, or wizard, and have your own origin story that affects the game as a whole.
- Combat is real-time pause-and-play tactical.
- The camera provides an over-the-shoulder viewpoint when zoomed in, or an isometric-style viewpoint when zoomed out.
- Party-based gameplay with the player's character, plus up to 3 other characters chosen from a larger pool during the game.
- Spell interactions (eg. ‘Blizzard’ can put out fires, and fire spells can ignite grease from a grease spell).
Customization Questions (taken from their FAQ )
- How customizable will my character be?
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.
- What classes can I choose from?
There are three classes for the player to choose from: warrior, mage, and rogue. As the character gains levels, specialization packages can be selected. - What race can I choose from?
You can play as a Human, Elf or Dwarf. Each will have it's own racial limitations and bonuses. Dwarves are highly magic resistant and thus can not be a Mage. So far that seems to be the only severe limitation.
- What are specialization packages?
Specializations are packages of traits that can be used to further define and customize your character. The player will have to earn these specializations throughout the course of the game. - Will there be a crafting system?
Yes, players will be able to craft herbs, traps and poisons.
Other FAQs:
- 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. - How many party members can I have?
The player can have up to four active party members, including the main hero. The number of followers depends on the player’s choices throughout the game. - How do I control them?
As in Baldur’s Gate 2 you can take direct control of your party or let the AI manage them. Dragon Age uses a special tactics system that lets players configure actions and reactions on their individual party members. For example, you can setup your mage to always heal a wounded companion when their health is at 30%. You can also take direct control of the leveling & abilities of your NPCs or allow the AI to do so. - What are Spell Combos?
Dragon Age: Origins will introduce the concept of “spell combos,” which is where you can chain together different spells to create a unique effect. For example, if you were to cast a Grease spell on a target to slow them down, followed by a Fireball, you could create a special burning effect with some devastating results. - How does the magic system work?
Magic in Dragon Age works on a mana based system. Each spell cast will use some of a mage’s mana. In addition, some spell effects will continue to drain mana while they are in use. Mana regenerates slowly over time and maximum mana grows with each level the mage gains. Mages choose from new spells as they gain levels. There are a wide range of spells to choose from, allowing players to specialize their mage. You will be able to become a mage with a diverse library of spells or focused upon a single school of magic. - How will Dragon Age: Origins handle friendly fire?
Your party members will be hurt if they are within the AoE range. - Will I be able to Dual-Wield weapons?
Any character will be able to hold 2 weapons, but without the Dual-Wield profficiency you won't be very effective. - Will I be able to kill anyone I want, (that doesn't progress the main story line), similar to Baldur's Gate (PC)?
You will not be able to randomly kill the people around you, as this doesn't fit into the Dragon Age world view. However, there will be plenty of enemies and victims for you to enjoy. - Will there be multiple endings?
Yes, there will be multiple endings. Depending on your race/class and the choices (moral or otherwise) you make will have an impact on how the game plays and how the game ends. We won't tell you how many there are as we want the player to be able to explore the various endings and be surprised. - It's kind of disappointing that you will only be able to choose from 3 races and 3 classes to start with. Is there any possibility that there will be new races/classes/origins released in future patches or DLC? Will there be DLC?
Sorry we will not be releasing any information about DLC at this time. Stay tuned for more information in the New Year.
Screen Shots
Video Links:
- E3 Opening Movie
- Hordes of Gore video
- Redcliffe Village Trailer
- Hounds of War video
- Mage Trailer
- Grey Wardens Trailer
- Dragon Age Origins Developer Documentary
Pre-Order Specials:
Reserve Dragon Age Origins and receive these in-game items:
- The Memory Ring - Allows your character to accumulate experience points at an accelerated rate and level up more efficiently.
- The GameStop Exclusive Feral Wolf Charm - With this charm, hunters claim that they are enchanted on moonlit nights by scantily clad witches deep in the heart of the Korcari Wilds. As if that's not enough, the charm also adds to your armor and increases your health regeneration.
Online Customers: A unique code to unlock the Memory Ring and Feral Wolf Charm will be emailed to you when your game ships.
In-Store Pickup / Store Customers: A rave card containing a code for the Memory Ring and Feral Wolf Charm will be available at time of purchase.
Links:
- Official Site (You can see more pictures and videos on the main site. Even download wallpapers for your desktop.)
- Dragon Age Q&A webisode
- Dragon Age Blog
- FAQ
*Update history 11/02/08 fixed pictures*
*Update history 12/09/08 added new info from Dragon Age's FAQ and new links*
*Update history 05/30/09 added video links and pre order information*
*Update history 06/08/09 added new pictures, new main site address and fixed the broken pictures*
I just saw this in Game Informer and my faince and I were both interested in it. After watching some of the videos for the game I will have to keep my eye on this one for sure. I've been waiting for some things like this to come to the PS3 and it seems with titles like Fallout3 that are out now and games like this one on the horizon I may just get to post some in the RPG boards again for the first time since FFXI. Nice post OP I would Kudos if I could.
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