Octopus Overlords

Just noticed that EA is giving Dragon Age: Origin away for free for PC as of today as a promotion for their upcoming release of Dragon Age: Inquisition in November.

www.origin.com

I believe you need an Origin account to download it but it's free so why not...if you don't already own it.

I'm sure most of us own it, but if you don't - get this one and actually play it. Don't just let it languish in your backlog, it is worth playing.

I wish Awakening was free. I've still never played that.

Awakening is worth the money. Support the devs and buy it eventually. I suspect they won't make it free, ever if they're giving away the base game free.

I have a question about this. I've never used Origin so that's why I'm asking, but can I register an account and somehow claim my free game without downloading it? I'm interested in playing this but I won't be playing it for a week or so, so I'd rather not bother downloading until then. Or does Origin require you to immediately download it as part of the free game deal?

Yes, you can claim a game and now download it.

Well, you will have to start the download, since that's automatic, but otherwise just cancel the download. Heck, you can pause and resume the download as much as you want.

Thanks for your help.

Turtle wrote:Awakening is worth the money. Support the devs and buy it eventually. I suspect they won't make it free, ever if they're giving away the base game free.

Just finished both the main game and Awakenings after having bought it during the Steam summer sale. I ended up liking Awakenings more than the main game. Was more enjoyable to me.

From what I have read if you have a version of this with DLC you may have a problem integrating the DLC into this Origins download.

Question. Im reinstall Origins again and it comes with a free DLC about the golem Shale. But I see theres another DLC called Witch Hunt about Morrigan but I didn't see where it will download with the install and when I search on Origins software it simply shows me The Witcher stuff. How do I get this DLC for my Origins install from origin?

Pay $24?

Good Lord I didn't know there were that many expansions. Welp cant and wont pay $24 for 10 year old DLC so Ill stick with my one free DLC

Steam tells me I've got 66 hours into this, with the Ultimate version (everything). Sadly, I remember enjoying it - but can't actually remember the game play well, or where I may have left off. I'm sure I didn't finish it.

I haven't finished an RPG in a long time. I love the concepts. I buy them. I don't play them.

It was a great game and I played the hell out of it when it came out and finished it after 70 or 80 hours. At the time, that was a big deal. I tried a re-play a few years ago thinking I'd make a totally different character and experience the story from a new way. It didn't work; it felt wrong. I still remembered my prior interactions and choices as the story i'd created really stuck with me. I envy people that can re-play an RPG over and over again; I just can't do it.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 9:06 am It was a great game and I played the hell out of it when it came out and finished it after 70 or 80 hours. At the time, that was a big deal. I tried a re-play a few years ago thinking I'd make a totally different character and experience the story from a new way. It didn't work; it felt wrong. I still remembered my prior interactions and choices as the story i'd created really stuck with me. I envy people that can re-play an RPG over and over again; I just can't do it.

I always have great aspirations to play through with "good guy" goals, then go back and play as the schmuck, but I just can't play as a jerk. I try, but I honestly feel guilty about it. Once I've played through the game, I make attachments to characters, for good or bad, and I have a hard time going back and trying the bad side. KOTOR II is what really killed it for me. When I had to make one of the characters kill her lifelong wookie friend with a lifedebt (or was it the other way around? I've since blocked it out), I literally shut the game off and never went back to it.

Hyena wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:13 pm then go back and play as the schmuck, but I just can't play as a jerk. I try, but I honestly feel guilty about it.

Me neither, although I can sometimes play the baddie in a 4x or something, rpgs are too much like "do you return the stolen grain to the village or eat their children?" and I'm like...children eating? Really? Can't I just keep the grain and sell it back to them at below market prices? Isn't that diabolical enough?

Dragon Age is a more viable game to play "evil", because the dark side (such as it is) in the game is not so much evil as it is ruthless. And the two "sides" that you choose between at any given location are both defensible somewhat, like:
Same for the other locations. Part of the problem with playing "evil" in other games is that the 'evil' side is comically evil and senseless, and often it doesn't jive well with the overall "save the world" main quest. Here it fits well - an 'evil' character in this game is willing to sacrifice a few people in order to save the world.

In fact, as I recall, there's one "good guy" option in Dragon Age that doesn't end too well.
It's not quite "Witcher" levels of "every story has two sides", but it comes close.

NickAragua wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:59 pm In fact, as I recall, there's one "good guy" option in Dragon Age that doesn't end too well.

Spoiler:

When you go to the dwarf area, you can either support the honorable noble guy or the backstabbing jackass, but it turns out the backstabbing jackass is what the dwarves need to get out of their funk.

The first time, I played through as a dwarf noble, so, given the back story there, I put an axe through my backstabbing brother's neck. Second time through, as a "neutral" elf, I picked differently.

It's not quite "Witcher" levels of "every story has two sides", but it comes close.

Plus with the Dwarf area:

Question: If I have a long sword with damage of 7.70 and also a +1 damage does that mean the sword is damage 8.70? No point buying one on the store if I have the same damage after all.

I was hoping to know the answer before I left this village because once I leave the blight will overrun it and I cant buy the sword then. Im guessing my +1 damage means my 7.70 damage sword is 8.70...but dont know.

Shale's voice wont grate on me even a little. My one nerve just loves Shale's voice actor. I get to play the entire rest of the game hearing it. Its wonderful. Im not pulling my hair out you're pulling your hair out!!!

Was Shale’s voice really that bad? I remember liking the character quite a bit.

I need to see who the actress is that voices him.

EDIT: Geraldine Blecker. Nothing else done really. Guess she couldn't find work.

Is there a way to change party member npc AI? Im starting to get my ass handed to me and when I switch to Morrigan my super mage she has not used any of her casting spells and is just piddling off her little staff attack. Is there a way to make her cast her spells? And to make other classes use their skills and such instead of simply attack with the default style or wep?

Yes, and it's pretty fundamental to playing. I don't remember where the option is, but there is a way to set party member tactics in fairly robust detail.

Alternately, turn off the stupid AI and micromanage your fights. It becomes critical to do so if you're playing on the harder difficulty levels.

The Tactics UI allows you to customize and enable/disable the AI scripts for each party member.



Training up Combat Tactics gives the character additional tactics slots.

Ah I wondered what tactics slots were. Ive also been lvl'n them up myself. Im thinking of letting them auto lvl. I kinda want Leliana to use a bow but she has zero skills in bows.

NickAragua wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:05 am Alternately, turn off the stupid AI and micromanage your fights. It becomes critical to do so if you're playing on the harder difficulty levels.

Yeah, this.

Also, get Morrigan (and any other mage in your party) that spirit cage spell or whatever it's called ASAP, and just cast that as often as you can. It's crazy powerful.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:08 pm Im thinking of letting them auto lvl.

That's a quick way to have a crappy party. Do it yourself man.

And yes, Morrigan is a one-woman wrecking ball. Unless I'm playing through as a mage myself (which I did, once), I always bring her or Wynne along - you need a healer, and some serious damage output.

Only done Redcliff and Im already tiring of it. Its gone from paper enemies to wtf just happened in the space of one area.

Im stuck in The Crows ambush of assassins. Ive tried a few different approaches but none have won me the fight yet. All I can do is keep trying. I have frost weapons active and next go at it I plan to let morrigan go spider. Failing that go she will try bear next time. Im testing Leliana as a archer but she seems to switch back to daggers on her own. Her daggers are better weps right now but Id prefer her stand at range. Im drinking health potions like cola. I used 15 that last try and still lost. I got no more stuff to make new ones.

Is there some perfect healing setting for Wynne? Im just ow in the tower and have her and am cleaning out the tower but she allowing too many deaths and reloads on stock setting.

Also I maybe should have gotten her first as it could have saved me some un needed deaths before now

My last nerve has about had it with this game as well. Im in the tower and have two doors. One a demaon kills me..12 times now party wipe. Boring. The other leads to the sleep demon which I wanted to have Morrigan with me for . But I find to my horror that I cannot change party members once in the tower. SO I dont care for that part either.

Clearing the mage tower took all my health potions. I dont have any or anything to make new ones with. I also cant find a vendor selling them or elfroot to make more with. im screwed.

Wow Im finding gold very hard to come by. Im in the dwarven city and went to buy a gift item for 11 silver and Icouldn't afford it. Somehow I was minus 53 copper in the hole. I cant buy gifts and yet I see books to add a stat or to add a skill for 12 gold. Some weapons Ive seen for 23 gold. I have never had more than 10 on me and it all went for health and roots to make health.

How do you make money in this game? Is there some hidden way thats easy to repeat?

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:50 am Wow Im finding gold very hard to come by. Im in the dwarven city and went to buy a gift item for 11 silver and Icouldn't afford it. Somehow I was minus 53 copper in the hole. I cant buy gifts and yet I see books to add a stat or to add a skill for 12 gold. Some weapons Ive seen for 23 gold. I have never had more than 10 on me and it all went for health and roots to make health.

How do you make money in this game? Is there some hidden way thats easy to repeat?

Underpants, mainly.

Honestly, I've played the game twice, and a lot of other people here have as well, but it's nine years old and we've also played two sequels since then. With things like that, if you don't get an answer fairly quickly, you're honestly better off just googling 'dragon age origins money'. In fact the very first result would have been on your screen seconds after you asked.