Dragon Age 2

[StarPhoenix]

Yes, I know this game is only coming out in March.....

Bioware has announced the PC system requirements

A minimum of the following specs will give the user the all-singing, all-dancing version of the game:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz Processor or equivalent
• CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 Triple core 2.8 GHz or equivalent
• RAM: 2GB (4 GB Vista and Windows 7)
• Video: ATI 3850 512 MB or greater
• Video: NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater
• DirectX 11: ATI 5850 or greater
• DirectX 11: NVIDIA 460 or greater

The less well-endowed will have to make do with something along the lines of:

• OS: Windows XP with SP3
• OS: Windows Vista with SP2
• OS: Windows 7
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (or equivalent) running at 1.8 GHz or greater
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8 GHz or greater
• RAM: 1 GB (1.5 GB Vista and Windows 7)
• Video: Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256 MB cards
• Disc Drive: DVD ROM drive required
• Hard Drive: 7 GB
• Sound: Direct X 9.0c Compatible Sound Card Windows Experience Index: 4.5

Story, characters and gameplay should be the same whatever adequate specs one's machine has, so one is not missing out any anything
other than shiny bit, right-and that's not so bad.

/alternatively, one might console one's self with the EggBox or PS3 version.

[Anakha56]

But Star the PC version is already a EggBox/PS3 port so no worries . I wonder if I should buy it or not...

[StarPhoenix]

You're right of course.

Can your credit card take the strain of buying the Signature Edition?

[StarBound]

I think your missing the part where if you buy the pc version you need to always be online and have submitted a sperm and DNA sample to EA Soul slave servers.

[Anakha56]

Ah yes forgot about that requirement. Since I have already signed myself up with numerous titles of theirs I dont think I will have a problem .

[StarBound]

Good news everyone! The dragon age 2 demo is now on steam and avalible for download.

Please use the following link after you installed the demo:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/category/294/index

Trying to play the game in DX11 mode? Click this link
http://social.bioware.com/forum/Dragon- ... 799-1.html

But odds are you will be book marking and watching this page for a while:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/category/294/index

The problem is this is a demo... it show cases what the game can do and look like. The problem is well... IT DOESNT WORK! And if you really feel like skipping it then feel free to smile at the fact that its been CONSOLIFIED! My impression so far of the demo is it has good graphics, short load times, LOTS of action load interruptions and to top it all off if your like me chances are you didnt make it pass the character creation screen. DAMMIT!

[Anakha56]

Crash, crash, oh look we can fight, crash, crash. Uninstall...

I never thought I would ever find a buggy demo . Well done EA & Bioware...

[StarBound]

Anak, run demo in dx9 mode.

[Anakha56]

But it looks so ugly and console like . You can watch the textures load as you run . Btw can one save in the demo? Whenever I tried it was greyed out...

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[StarBound]

I dont think you can. There was talk that your character would have been taken from the demo into the full game with special items but doesnt look like its happening. As for the console feel, if your refering to the combat I also feel it shouldnt have been called dragon age. It doesnt feel anything like a D&D style game. It feels like a mass effect for a medieval setting.

But points to the follow anyway: Load times during conversations... no go. 8gb ram on my system and it needs to load that? It cant have loaded it from the start? DX11 missing but promised to be there and working from the box... hard to believe that your showcase product has the option but doesnt support it. Makes you wonder how much truth in the actual promise for the end product.

Let's remember Crysis 2 is suffering from the same problems. I mean release a damn patch to fix the demo to show that it will be ready in the final thing. Its like taking a car for a test drive and promising you will get the steering wheel when you purchased the car. Or that it will come with headlights and paint

[Anakha56]

Star the character thing should still happen. Remember our progress is always uploaded to their servers? Console feel was for the graphics but yeah having played all 3 classes combat feels like combo click. Normal attack + special + normal + normal + special and so on. No need for potions for me. Rogue is by far my fav, think I will play with that style first.

But if it loaded it all from the start then it would lose its console effect . At least in DX11 mode the game looked better movies and all.

Looks like I am going to have to do a demo marathon just to see it through.

[Anakha56]

Well tomorrow is release day and in the U.S it has been out since Wednesday. For all those PC players you now have bragging rights over the console owners .

http://social.bioware.com/page/da2-patches

High Resolution Texture Pack for the PC version of Dragon Age II

This will add the option to enable higher detail replacements for most textures in game. A big difference will be noticed on level art especially.

Requirements:
To get the most out of the high resolution texture pack, we recommend running the game with the DirectX 11 renderer (requires a DirectX 10 GPU and Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7). We also recommend a video card with at least 1 GB of video memory.

Most of the benefits from the Hi-resolution textures will only be seen if you are able to run the game in DirectX 11.

To manually download your new content on the PC:
Download the installer from the link below and run it.
Run Dragon Age II.
Open the Options menu.
Select Video options.
Check the "Hi-resolution textures" checkbox.

Note: In order to enable the "Very High" setting you will need a video card that supports DX11 and the latest drivers.

I cant wait!

Am very glad to see that the PC community is getting some extra TLC...

[StarBound]

Let me get this straight. You are buying the game even though you dissed the demo? Just asking.

[Nuke]

If you brought it on Steam you can play it already it seems. Mine was working when I got home yesterday.

[Anakha56]

Let me get this straight. You are buying the game even though you dissed the demo? Just asking.

Yes .

How do I explain this...

I enjoy my gaming and I enjoyed the others and I enjoyed this one when it was on DX11 on DX9 it felt bland. Ask rusty I am a sucker for games...

[KillerByte]

Office copies arrived today. Tonight I have to work but I plan to dive into this game sometime this weekend

[StarBound]

Let us know if the loading before and after conversations are still there or if it has been fix.

[Anakha56]

Let us know if the loading before and after conversations are still there or if it has been fix.

What's this problem? To me in the demo I did not experience a problem a like this.

/so want to play but my pc is unstable

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[StarBound]

Whenever a you select an answer on a conversation it would load what to do next. And it would should "loading".

[Anakha56]

Well scratch me playing tonight .

@ SB This is where I hate PC Gaming... I am unable to launch the game now because of the release date authentication, only tomorrow will I get a game in...

[Nuke]

The only issue I see is when using 3d vision, you see a "ghost" image during cut-scenes. Guess ghost image is not totally correct, its more like a second image that is rendered in 2d behind the 3d image. The game is far more playable in 3d than Origins, in Origins I had endless problems with the cursor. It just rendered in such a way you struggle to select an enemy.

[StarBound]

Did you buy the retail copy or steam? If retail does it install and activate over steam?

[Nuke]

I brought and downloaded it over Steam. So I have no idea if it will work.

[Anakha56]

Did you buy the retail copy or steam? If retail does it install and activate over steam?

Retail = Retail. No Steam involved.

Just something for those who are DRM haters (me included) by the time I saw this news well I could not return the game...

http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/content. ... agon-Age-2

Evaluation Report: Dragon Age 2
by Martin Pham
Published on 10th March 2011 12:00 PM Number of Views: 203

Game Tested: Dragon Age 2
DRM Implemented: SecuROM & EA’s “Online” DRM
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Medium: Disc Version
Version Tested: 1.00
Release Date: March 2011
Evaluated By RYG: March 2011

On January 2011 RYG evaluated Dragon Age: Origins as part of an ongoing exercise to map out the PC Gaming and DRM landscape via. Project RYG 2.0. What we discovered with Bioware and EA at the time was that they gave Consumers a degree of power and ownership of their game. To know what was being installed/uninstalled on their PC, to have that power to transfer ownership of that game – to appreciate what Dragon Age was and to support who made them – that’s what made Dragon Age: Origins such a Consumer-Friendlier game.

This time, however, the potential that was there with Dragon Age: Origins was lost in Dragon Age 2. The root cause outwardly points to the DRMs implemented. Inwardly, however, it’s the lack of information and that lack of Consumer power and ownership held within Dragon Age 2

...

http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/content. ... agon-Age-2

RYG News: Analysing SecuROM In Dragon Age 2
by Martin Pham
Published on 10th March 2011 01:00 PM Number of Views: 1027
8 Comments

Last month RYG evaluated Dead Space 2, only to find that SecuROM was implemented by EA without properly informing Consumers of its implementation and the reasons behind it. This month we find ourselves in familiar territory with EA, once again, implementing the same DRM scheme in Dragon Age 2 without properly informing Consumers.

The exception has been one of misinformation and confusion. Where one staff member within Bioware said one thing, the other said differently. And while it unfolded itself on the Community Forums over at Bioware, the truth is it was never going to be confirmed until RYG gleaned closely and dispelled all rumours.

To say that EA had not acted in the best interests of its dedicated fanbase by not informing them and all Consumers of their DRM implementation strategy is a gross understatement. Not only have they been found negligent, they have also placed themselves in a severe situation that they have trouble resolving.

While RYG has evaluated Dragon Age 2 with good faith and within EA’s EULA, we could not help but feel both disappointed and frustrated at EA’s handling of this debacle with both games released within a month of each other. So much could have been solved before the release of Dragon Age 2 and yet so little was done in rectifying the damages that we have seen today.

Please note that the Disc Version of Dragon Age 2 was evaluated ONLY!

...

Follow the links for more reading.

[StarBound]

To me its not about reselling my pc games. It's about what goes onto my harddrives and if it means I need to have a active connection to the net. Steam IS internet based. I expect all games to work in offline mode should telkom cut a connection somewhere and if steam is down for maintenance. Disc versions of games should be just that, disc version. Or like I said, console style plug and play. So basicly go steam or stay clean?

Have you installed the game yet? Is the loading issues still there with the cutscenes?