Dragon's Dogma: How to Screw Up a Game in Five and a Half Simple Steps.

[Exius Xavarus]

The inventory isn't quite as bad as you're making it out to be. There are two inventory menus. Inventory and Equipment. Wanna choose that healing item quickly because you ran out of stamina? Leave your cursor on the item when you leave the inventory, and it'll still be right there when you open it back up. Even then, the only sections you have to fiddle with are the Curative and Tools sections, since they're the only sections with items that serve a purpose beyond sitting there until you combine, store, or enhance equipment with them. Honestly, I think your complaints about the inventory menus are a just a bit exaggerated.

It's an awful lot worse than it needs to be.

Why does each character need to have their own inventory? Why isn't there a quick-health or quick-stamina button? To someone used to PC interfaces with their shortcuts and hotbars this feeling pathetically primitive.

The thing with interface issues is that there is no excuse for them. It's not like graphics or animation that are expensive and time consuming. The only explanation for a bad interface is plain old incompetence.

I don't know how you're walking really slow unless your character is absolutely tiny. Even then, you're never actually walking unless you're only halfway holding the control stick. It's not really all that slow. Oh and also, if your stamina is draining quickly and it's recovering slow, it's because your character is XBAWKS HUGE. Large characters drain stamina quicker and recover it slower. Small characters drain it slower and recover it quicker. All you have to do is find a healthy balance and you're all set. Conversely, weight limitations work in the opposite way.

Why does any of that need to be in there at all? What does slowing my movement speed add to the game apart from needless frustration?

If they wanted to use stamina as a balancing mechanic in combat a la Dark Souls then fair enough, but why make me deal with it outside of combat? Why not switch it off when I'm not fighting like they do in town?

This game was a waste of money and I'm seeking a refund first chance I get. I'm just glad I bought it used. I'd hate to think that I'd actually given some of my money to these developers.

I agree that a quick-stam/health would be nice, but we don't have one presumably because there isn't a spare button for it. Not a single button on the controller ISN'T used. At least, not on the PS3. Also, this is a console, not a pc. The large amount of shortcuts and hotkeys simply aren't available.

Each character has their own inventory because, as I mentioned earlier, characters have weight limits. Honestly, I think weight limits are stupid, and the way they wove them into the character creation kind of throws off your ability to play exactly how you want(When I make a Warrior type of character, I always play a very large male. I mean large in stature, not obese. And that killed things for me when my stamina dropped in a second and took another 15 to recover).

But I suppose it's for the way other items are thrown in, like the curatives and the lantern, for example. Just having my Arisen eat a greenwarish isn't going to mend the wounds of my Warrior pawn over there in the fray. Attaching a lantern to my Arisen's waist isn't going to magically put one on my pawn's waist. Even though curatives can be solved by simply choosing who eats it. But would you really wanna carry 4 lanterns and sit around choosing who equips which lantern?

As for stamina as a balancing mechanic like Dark Souls, you have to deal with it outside of combat in Dark Souls, too. Sprinting when you aren't near any enemies to kill still drains stamina and using attacks and spells still drains stamina/charges. But believe it or not, stamina becomes more and more of a non-issue later in the game when you get higher level. Unless you're a Sorcerer or Mage. High level spells cost a fuckton. But back to my point, sprinting isn't really an issue as you level up, especially if you're a Fighter, Warrior or a Mystic Knight where you get more stamina per level. Hell, my level 26 Sorcerer can sprint for a full ~15ish seconds before she tires out.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Also, different bags because of the online features. The items the hired pawns claim aren't yours. You have to re-assign them to yourself (or storage) or else they will disappear when you fire them - or if they die for good. Game mechanics 101.

I do hope you're talking about main pawns that you borrow from other players(I've not had any experience with those pawns, yet). Because pawns that you hire from rift, or hire from off the road most certainly do not have claim over their inventory. If they die, or you fire them, their inventory goes directly to your storage. I don't know if this is the case for your main pawn, though. I go to great lengths to ensure he doesn't die. Period. But I assume it's applicable to him, as well.

Edit: Oopsy, meant to add this to my previous post, rather than make a new one. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for two posts in a row. :x

 

[sanquin]

The no fast travel: Oh boohoo...fast travel was a lazy feature that was only implemented in early years. Heck, you only have to travel TO a place. You can use ferry stones on the way back. It's not ideal in this day and age, but it hardly ruins the game.

The walking really slowly: No you don't. You don't walk really slowly. Sure, if you don't use sprint you do, but you have sprint for a reason.

Respawning monsters: I've yet to meet a open world rpg that doesn't do this. It's not your style, fine, but that doesn't mean it's bad overall.

Npc compansions that won't shut up: I agree, this one definitely is annoying. I don't need to hear 'it dislikes fire!' a dozen times over, every single time I fight wolves, goblins, harpies or other such monsters. Once or twice per fight, fine. But not every 5 seconds ffs!

Inventory: I agree, it's a bit annoying to work with. But nothing game breaking at all.

 

[Burst6]

A major aspect is the day/night cycle. Unlike other games where night is just a dimmer day (sometimes with a few vampires), in this game nighttime is actually dark and makes it really hard to see. Enemies are far more numerous and they actually go out patrolling the roads to make sure that no place is safe. Whenever you go outside there's always a fear that you'll take too long and you'll be stranded far from any city in the nighttime. It adds some nice tension to the game and gives you a lot of incentive to be efficient with whatever you're doing. In this game there's a good reason to actually go to sleep for the night because if you go out and try to quest there's a decent chance you'll get surrounded by bandits pelting you with arrows from outside your lanterns light range.

If this game had fast travel that would be ruined. It takes away all the fear of the night if you can just instantly teleport back to a major city when you think it's looking a little dim out there.


Also i never had much problems with the pawns talking too much. I find it pretty easy to just ignore them.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Also, different bags because of the online features. The items the hired pawns claim aren't yours. You have to re-assign them to yourself (or storage) or else they will disappear when you fire them - or if they die for good. Game mechanics 101.

I do hope you're talking about main pawns that you borrow from other players(I've not had any experience with those pawns, yet). Because pawns that you hire from rift, or hire from off the road most certainly do not have claim over their inventory. If they die, or you fire them, their inventory goes directly to your storage. I don't know if this is the case for your main pawn, though. I go to great lengths to ensure he doesn't die. Period. But I assume it's applicable to him, as well.

Edit: Oopsy, meant to add this to my previous post, rather than make a new one. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for two posts in a row. :x

Oh. Hm. I only had one rift pawn die and that was due to petrification (had no cures available). I wasn't sure what inventory they had, but I've had my pawn return from another player's realm after dying and I got quite a few items there.

As for firing, it was an assumption based on the above. Especially since I was very diligent about storing items/materials first.

As for multi-post - I do it too. I think as long as it warrants a new post (ie - is large enough, a different conversation, etc...) it's fine. Maybe the red guard will disagree, but I figure just don't be foolish with it.

Well, it did respond to a different subject, so I think I'm good. :x I've never had my main pawn die, though. Never. I like, baby my main pawn almost, even though he's aligned to keep my Arisen from danger first and foremost(main pawn's a Fighter, Arisen's a Sorcerer). So I don't really know what goes down when your main pawn dies.

Even though I'm not even signed into PSN, I'll get a notice every now and again, whenever I rest at an inn, that my pawn has returned from assisting another Arisen in another realm, and I'll get a few items that way. But I'm almost positive it's a random event to give offline players a sense of what online play is like, since all I ever get are carrots, meat, sometimes I'll get some greenwarish, and if I'm REALLY lucky, I'll get a Wakestone Shard.

(where I live, my internet is so awful I can't even so much as sign into PSN, so I haven't ever taken this game online at any point, which is why I feel it's a random event)

 

[Fleetfiend]

The only one of these things that I really feel is worth complaining about is the obnoxious talking of the pawns.

The world isn't really that big. Sure, it's large, but it only takes a few minutes to walk across it if you flee from battles. And though fast travel is limited... it IS there. I feel like the lack of fast travel is refreshing. In games like, say, Skyrim, I feel like fast travel is a bit over-used. I feel like I should have a reason to go exploring the awesome landscapes... but why, when I could just zip across? This could just be me, but I'm kind of glad that Dragon's Dogma gives me this chance.

Respawning monsters? Yeah, this could easily be fixed and it's a touch annoying, but it's not enough of a deal to make or break my opinion of a game. If you get bored of fighting the same enemies... find another route?

You don't walk slowly; you slow down to a jog rather than a full-on sprint. Why should you be able to run at a sprint everywhere you go? Could YOU do that? You're being a bit nit-picky. Besides, you can be sprinting 75% of the time as it is, at least, if you keep your inventory at a manageable weight.

And yeah, the inventory is iffy. But what you're saying is that every RPG after Dragon Age should do it exactly like them? They can't use their own/an old style?

Anyways, I see where all of your complaints are coming from, but overall they seem pretty nit-picky. Except the pawns... gawd, I KNOW IT'S WEAK TO FIRE ALREADY, KTHXBYE!

 

[killcannon71]

Dragon battles in Skyrim play out exactly like fighting a bear, walk up to it and whack it with a sword, shoot it with a bow, hit it with a spell. It's just a bigger target that has a breath weapon, there's no heart in it at all. Compare that with fighting a drake in DD and there's a helluva difference in the battle mechanics. Followers in oblivion: whenever you get your mage tower or fighters keep or work for the brotherhood you can have one of the people there follow you and be a nuisance and get in the way of your attacks. The followers in Skyrim were a pain in the rear honestly, who never acted with any kind of AI, they either just rushed or you had to give them specific instructions.

Dragon Shouts are just spells.

The spells still do the same stuff

Mining, crafting, alchemy are all done much better in other games. Feels hackneyed and tacked on. You can make like one or two unique sets of armor, Dragon Bone and Plate.

Again, Skyrim is a great game, it just doesn't innovate or bring anything new to the table besides the dragons, which I loved, but were essentially just extra large character models. I sank a hundred plus hours into it and enjoyed it for what it was. But it was and is still buggy as all hell.

 

[killcannon71]

I won't judge you opinion since i haven't played Dragon's Dogma at all, and probably won't ever play it unless it comes out on PC.

Anyways, Lack of fast travel. Now people said 'good i don't like fast travel' but i'd bet those people have only had experience with fast travel in games like Skyrim or Fallout 3 or pretty much any other bethesda game. Now in those games it's different because between where you are and where you need to go, there's actually stuff to do or see. example, in Skyrim i had to go from Whiterun to Markarth. Now since it's an extremly long walk i was going to fast travel, but decided not to. Gees i had fun. So many different things to see and explore along the way. Now imagine that same walk but in a game where there is NOTHING. Yeah now i bet you'd want a fast travel system.

Gees even in all the MMORPGs i have played there is some sort of fast travel system in place. Even in a genre of game based on wasting your time, there's a fast travel.

There is a fast travel system, works just like town portal from Diablo. Honestly dunno why people keep saying there isn't one. It's just not cheap. Imagine if a gryphon or bat ride cost 10 gold instead of some silver or copper and that's what fast travel costs in DD.

 

[Soopy]

Dragon battles in Skyrim play out exactly like fighting a bear, walk up to it and whack it with a sword, shoot it with a bow, hit it with a spell. It's just a bigger target that has a breath weapon, there's no heart in it at all. Compare that with fighting a drake in DD and there's a helluva difference in the battle mechanics. Followers in oblivion: whenever you get your mage tower or fighters keep or work for the brotherhood you can have one of the people there follow you and be a nuisance and get in the way of your attacks. The followers in Skyrim were a pain in the rear honestly, who never acted with any kind of AI, they either just rushed or you had to give them specific instructions.

Dragon Shouts are just spells.

The spells still do the same stuff

Mining, crafting, alchemy are all done much better in other games. Feels hackneyed and tacked on. You can make like one or two unique sets of armor, Dragon Bone and Plate.

Again, Skyrim is a great game, it just doesn't innovate or bring anything new to the table besides the dragons, which I loved, but were essentially just extra large character models. I sank a hundred plus hours into it and enjoyed it for what it was. But it was and is still buggy as all hell.

I agree completely with you in regards to Skyrim's dragons. They become a pest more then anything. So far I've fought a Cyclops and Hyrdra and just recently two Cyclops at once in Dragons Dogman. Holy jebus.
They big monster fights in DD are allot more energetic. They mix up the tactics a bit and there are certain counter measures to use some of which are more effective then others.

Skyrims dragon battle consists of slash, slash, slash, tank, tank, tank - dead. Claim soul. Continue derping.

Also I proffer DD's method of fast travel, one thing I found with Skyrims cart system is that its obscenely cheap. $50 to go from one side of the country to the other, risking dragon attacks and bandit raids... Righto. The only reason I used the fast travel in Skyrim was because I couldn't be bothered with the hold up of waiting for the bloody dragon to land so I could ***** slap it.

The fast travel in DD is expensive, so you have to use it sparingly. Which in turn means that you'll think about it first and plan your quests better. All of which adds to the atmosphere IMO. The powerful side to it is, it can REALLY save your arse when you need it.

 

[Dandark]

I actully was planning to buy Dragons dogma on day 1 since it was looking pretty good, however I decided against it when I heard about day 1 on disk DLC. It's Capcom so I thought I may as well wait for the "SUPER MEGA ULTRA HYPER DELUXE GAME OF THE YEAR UBER 1337 COMPLETE!1!!!1!!1!" edition that has all the DLC.

However now im not sure if i'll get it or not, it sounds like it's got some irritating problems but it did still look pretty cool so i'll probably give it a rent at some point to see if it's worth buying or not.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Alchemy was completely revamped into a more interesting, complicated, and realistic system.

REALISTIC?

Yeah! That's what I was complaining about in Oblivion; that my character's ability to create magical potions didn't match my own ability to create magical potions IN REAL LIFE!

 

[killcannon71]

I don't see what the difference is if dlc is on disc or not. Would it make people happier if they didn't put it on the disc and just sold it a week later? Seems sorta pedantic.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Alchemy was completely revamped into a more interesting, complicated, and realistic system.

REALISTIC?

Yeah! That's what I was complaining about in Oblivion; that my character's ability to create magical potions didn't match my own ability to create magical potions IN REAL LIFE!

realistic as in the medicinal qualities of herbs have to be discovered by experimentation. do you think people just automatically discovered the benefits of plants like aloe vera? no, they had to experiment with it. in oblivion, you combine wheat and corn enough times and suddenly you know what other plants do. in skyrim, you only discover the uses of plants by using the plants.

that's what i mean by realistic you smartass.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

But I did like how your entire post was, "Skyrim is exactly the same as Oblivion, except that everything is different."
COme on, if you want to make a point at least don't contradict the following statements within the first sentence.

that's exactly what i was about to say, so thanks. two people said "these things are all different, THIS GAME IS THE SAME!" people don't think much.

 

[Justyn Stahll]

The Fast travel thing I think it should have been done like Skyrim one of the few things that game got right. You have to discover the location, and THEN you can fast travel!!

 

[Atmos Duality]

realistic as in the medicinal qualities of herbs have to be discovered by experimentation. do you think people just automatically discovered the benefits of plants like aloe vera? no, they had to experiment with it. in oblivion, you combine wheat and corn enough times and suddenly you know what other plants do. in skyrim, you only discover the uses of plants by using the plants.

Well, fair's fair. I just thought your wording of it was hilarious given the context of "alchemy".

that's what i mean by realistic you smartass.

Oh lighten up. -_-

 

[Soopy]

The Fast travel thing I think it should have been done like Skyrim one of the few things that game got right. You have to discover the location, and THEN you can fast travel!!

I disagree, I think it ruins any sort of strategy.