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Jesus wept.
I wonder if Pete follows his (it has to be said, uncanny) doppelgänger on Tw@tter?
http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux
Jesus wept.
I wonder if Pete follows his (it has to be said, uncanny) doppelgänger on Tw@tter?
http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux
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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan
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So my PS3 kicked it after one and a half years. The warranty was still good and when I turned it in the guy asked me if I had a disc in there, 'cause I probably wasn't going to see this one again. Seems when the blu-ray reader chokes there's not much you can do. So I'm probably getting a new one in a couple of weeks, with a brand new warranty, which isn't a bad deal.
My trophies and save games are gone but I don't really mind. I had just reached the final boss in Outland though, which wasn't a cake walk, but other than that not a huge loss. I could've done a backup thingy but I thought screw it.
My trophies and save games are gone but I don't really mind. I had just reached the final boss in Outland though, which wasn't a cake walk, but other than that not a huge loss. I could've done a backup thingy but I thought screw it.
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The Freedom Roads
The Freedom Roads
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Originally Posted by Tatty
Jesus wept.
I wonder if Pete follows his (it has to be said, uncanny) doppelgänger on Tw@tter?
http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux
I wonder if Pete follows his (it has to be said, uncanny) doppelgänger on Tw@tter?
http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux
I like that they've got seated-kinecting working as an option. I like the ideaaaa of 'creative spell casting' and that (altho it looks pretty faffy/facile at the mo). I vaguely like the horse control (coz I want the Project Draco thing to do something similar for controlling dragons in flight
). Still ain't gonna buy that tho. (I just know Milo will appear as a squire, and give me tepid nightmares)Loving that twitter....
"What if I were to tell you, that in Fable Journey you will be able to look into your horse's eyes and know if he is concerned?"
"YOUR SOFA IS THE CONTROLLER"
---
To turn to my own god delusions, I think I may finally have pummelled my minecraft level into a releasable form. Gonna do some playthroughs on my day off tomorrow and if it's all ship shape will release into the wild on Weds. (& cross my fingers that the 10mil strong Minecraft world tips me some beer money for the effort
)Here's how the beast looks from the outside...
That's a day view and an amalgamated one with some of the lower 'cave' stuff showing. (The big grey wall and white block to the 'south' is where I hit the edge of the custom 'flat world' and had to double back
)
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Ahahaha. Ohh, still on the twitter. This guy is gold
"You know, my dream for gaming is where in one game you'll shoot someone and then during a game of say Fifa you'll see their son crying"
"Imagine Portal but in reverse. If you can't visualize that, don't bother trying to be a game designer."
"Have you ever played a racing game and wanted to play as the road rather than the cars? I know I have..."
---
EDIT: "Ueda was inspired to make Ico from this image http://bit.ly/oyeBvd For Fable journey I was inspired by this http://bit.ly/pNFonS "
"You are a scarecrow in a world with just 1 bird"
Ahh, I love this guy
"You know, my dream for gaming is where in one game you'll shoot someone and then during a game of say Fifa you'll see their son crying"
"Imagine Portal but in reverse. If you can't visualize that, don't bother trying to be a game designer."
"Have you ever played a racing game and wanted to play as the road rather than the cars? I know I have..."
---
EDIT: "Ueda was inspired to make Ico from this image http://bit.ly/oyeBvd For Fable journey I was inspired by this http://bit.ly/pNFonS "
"You are a scarecrow in a world with just 1 bird"
Ahh, I love this guy
Last edited by Golgot; 07-18-11 at 10:55 AM.
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So my PS3 kicked it after one and a half years. The warranty was still good and when I turned it in the guy asked me if I had a disc in there, 'cause I probably wasn't going to see this one again. Seems when the blu-ray reader chokes there's not much you can do. So I'm probably getting a new one in a couple of weeks, with a brand new warranty, which isn't a bad deal.
My trophies and save games are gone but I don't really mind. I had just reached the final boss in Outland though, which wasn't a cake walk, but other than that not a huge loss. I could've done a backup thingy but I thought screw it.
My trophies and save games are gone but I don't really mind. I had just reached the final boss in Outland though, which wasn't a cake walk, but other than that not a huge loss. I could've done a backup thingy but I thought screw it.
I nearly bought one of the early 60GBs (basically, for the PS2 compatibility) from an advert in the local paper - He was only asking £80 for it and said it was mint but the more I thought about it, the more the alarm bells rang in my head. It was probably stolen...
This has been announced:
I've not played Peace Walker but know a few people who have and they say it's markedly better than MGS4.
Golg - He's great isn't he? I bet 'Peter Molydeux' could come up with something other than a Rail Shooter to flog the cold, niffy carcass of the Fable franchise. Get the shotgun Pete and put the old girl out of her misery.
I can rage against Molyneux all I like but the fact still remains that I bought Fable 2 and 3 on release day. No more though - I've stopped wanting to believe the guy.
Talking of game designers, apparently Yahtzee was asked to submit a script for Duck Nuckam Forever but he says he didn't really take it seriously.
Link
The industry needs more people like that.
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Talking of game designers, apparently Yahtzee was asked to submit a script for Duck Nuckam Forever but he says he didn't really take it seriously.
Link
The industry needs more people like that.
Link
The industry needs more people like that.
Def woulda been interesting to see his input on a 'AAA' game. And whether everyone woulda reviewed it in his frothing freeform style.
Liked his point about 'like/don't like' rating systems. Sounds both nimbly-accurate, and depressingly apt for the ADD generation
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His Extra Punctuation column is one of the RSS feeds that I read as soon as it appears. Very considered, very sharp and largely free from his trademark sweary grandstanding.
A perfect counterpart to Zero Punctuation, then.
A perfect counterpart to Zero Punctuation, then.
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Never heard of it, sorry. 
Aaaanyway. The upside (apart from better graphics and cheaper games) of me playing more PC games recently is that the arthritis in my hand is nowhere near as bad when using WSAD compared to an analogue stick.
The 360 controller isn't too bad but I'm awful with a PS3 one and haven't yet found a long term replacement - Every third party pad I've tried has dead zones larger than Jeremy Clarkson's simile collection and the one I was holding out hope for, a 360-PS3 adapter, ended up not being anywhere near precise enough.
As you can probably tell, I've spent far too much money on useless non-solutions so this is DEFINITELY gonna be the last one!
Behold:
Yeah, I know.
It looks like something which would be laughed off Dragon's Den in 2 minutes flat...
But, it might work. It really might. /blind, stupid optimism
Aaaanyway. The upside (apart from better graphics and cheaper games) of me playing more PC games recently is that the arthritis in my hand is nowhere near as bad when using WSAD compared to an analogue stick.
The 360 controller isn't too bad but I'm awful with a PS3 one and haven't yet found a long term replacement - Every third party pad I've tried has dead zones larger than Jeremy Clarkson's simile collection and the one I was holding out hope for, a 360-PS3 adapter, ended up not being anywhere near precise enough.
As you can probably tell, I've spent far too much money on useless non-solutions so this is DEFINITELY gonna be the last one!
Behold:
Yeah, I know.
It looks like something which would be laughed off Dragon's Den in 2 minutes flat...But, it might work. It really might. /blind, stupid optimism
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Im playing Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition, with Awakenings and all DLCs. The game is pretty amazing, and I have few complaints. The visual beauty rivals some of the better games, but I confess, I am struck by the similarity of the game to The Witcher (or vice versa - I'm not sure which one came out first). Sure, the small details are different, but if you strip the game story and even the engine down to its core, its almost the same game!
1. Unholy force of darkness come to threaten all living things? Check
2. Political intrigue/manuevering/backstabbing happening under cloak of the chaos of impending doom? Check
3. Grey Wardens (and Witchers) are a group set apart, chosen to deal with otherwordly threat, and mutated in some way? Check
4. Few applicants/volunteers survive the "joining (mutation)" process? Check
5. The Grey Wardens (Witchers) were once revered, but in a time of peace, have fallen into disrepute/disrespect? Check
6. Your political choices will affect the outcome of the game beyond simply slaying the darkness? Check
7. Over the shoulder camera gameplay as opposed to First person? Check
Even the game playstyle and fighting is set up similarly, in that when you fight battles, you fight more so in the grand/epic fighting style of those Empire games (a la Age of Empires, etc.), as a general/commander wherein you control the command interface, and marshal entire armies rather than the first person. Granted, in The Witcher I think you only control yourself, but the fighting is still the birds eye/over the shoulder view, wherein you can pause the game and consider a tactical approach (in DAO, you can give tactical instructions to each member of your party) to the fighting. You then give instructions to each member (or, if Witcher, to yourself), and sit back and watch the combat unfold, managing it with minor interventions from yourself. In most FPS games, you only control yourself, and its much more hands on - you need to gun and run, and when one enemy is down, you have to manually pivot/run to attack the other ones. Also, I find that most FPS games, while they are first person viewing/playing, they allow you to switch to an over the shoulder camera for 3rd person playing, if that is your preferred playing style. Witcher and DAO allowing you to switch to 1st person? Not so. So, rather than being fully immersive, games like The Witcher and DAO force you into a God-presence, where you are ever the omnipresent/omnipotent/omniscient viewer of the milieu as it plays out before you, whereas their FPS counterparts, liken unto a 3D experience, attempt to place you, the player, smack-dab in middle of the action, where every move and/or mistake counts, and your vision is only as far as you can turn your head.
Games like this are fun, but there is a detachment there that doesnt exist in those games where all you see is your HUD, your hands and your gun/sword. I enjoy the former, but I prefer the latter.
Now that that's settled, what is the BEST way to play the primary Missions and DLCs in DAO?
So far, I've read that I should do them this way:
(beginning - have Alistair, Dog & Morrigan)
1. Lothering (get Sten & Leliana)
2. Leliana's Song (dlc)
3. Warden's Keep (dlc)
4. Stone Prisoner (dlc - get Shale)
5. Return to Ostagar (dlc)
6. Cirlcle Tower (get Wynne)
7. Orzammar (get Oghren)
[RANDOM (get Zervan)]
8. Ashes
9. Redcliff
10 Forest
11. Landsmeet (get Loghain)
12. Awakenings (addon)
13. Darkspawn Chronicles (dlc)
14. Golems of Amgarrak (dlc)
15. Witch Hunt (dlc)
I want all the companions, and I want to be able to max them all out, and get the best out of them all. What's the best mission approach, and if you feel like it, can you add what the best talent tree/skill path is for them all? Finally, since I can only have 4 of them at once, do the rest of them go to the camp? For example, I had Alistair, Dog & Morrigan when Leliana asked to join up - I told her yes, but when I "chose" the party after that, I accidently didnt add her, but she was gone from the Bar. Does this mean she's at the camp???
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something witty goes here......
something witty goes here......
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They go to camp, yes. The best way to play the game is to just go with it man. You're probably going to play it more than once anyway and the whole thing about DA is choice. If you follow someone's stupid guide you're taking away half the fun.
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I guess from the lore point of view you're supposed to go to Redcliffe first, then the Mages' Tower (if you want to banish demons humanely), then Haven (with Shale at around the same time) but it really doesn't matter.
On my 5 or 6 playthroughs (I know
) my order morphed into getting the tower out of the way first because The Fade was a monumental ballache and Orzammar last because I enjoyed it the most. Depends on how quickly you want an alcoholic dwarf Berserker in your party, I suppose.
The DLC in these GOTY editions is somewhat more problematic because it had a staggered release originally but gets released on the player like a flock of yapping puppies when you buy the all-in-one edition.
I always got Warden's Keep out of the way early on because of the party chest.
I'm about 14 hours into my adventure with the PC Origins Ultimate Collection and am having a whale of a time. The mods I've installed (Skip The Fade - Yay!) are just enhancing a game which I've already seen rise a few notches because of its greater complexity on PC as opposed to console.
Dragon Age Redesigned and Improved Atmosphere are subtle - the latter is only really noticeable if you've played through the vanilla game a few times - but well worth it. I've resisted any mods which give you new weapons and armour because I think the game is balanced excellently to begin with.
Interesting that you compare it to The Witcher, Mack, because I'd rate them pretty closely too. I love both games but DA: O edges it purely in terms of writing but you're right, the world similarities are interesting - I like the tension in both games between humans and non-humans, for instance.
On my 5 or 6 playthroughs (I know
) my order morphed into getting the tower out of the way first because The Fade was a monumental ballache and Orzammar last because I enjoyed it the most. Depends on how quickly you want an alcoholic dwarf Berserker in your party, I suppose.The DLC in these GOTY editions is somewhat more problematic because it had a staggered release originally but gets released on the player like a flock of yapping puppies when you buy the all-in-one edition.
I always got Warden's Keep out of the way early on because of the party chest.
I'm about 14 hours into my adventure with the PC Origins Ultimate Collection and am having a whale of a time. The mods I've installed (Skip The Fade - Yay!
) are just enhancing a game which I've already seen rise a few notches because of its greater complexity on PC as opposed to console.Dragon Age Redesigned and Improved Atmosphere are subtle - the latter is only really noticeable if you've played through the vanilla game a few times - but well worth it. I've resisted any mods which give you new weapons and armour because I think the game is balanced excellently to begin with.
Interesting that you compare it to The Witcher, Mack, because I'd rate them pretty closely too. I love both games but DA: O edges it purely in terms of writing but you're right, the world similarities are interesting - I like the tension in both games between humans and non-humans, for instance.
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Oh alright then here's my stupid guide!
The point of no return is the Landsmeet quest, I believe. Before that point you can always go back to Orzammar or whatever and do all the side quests. The exception to this is Lothering, which is taken by the blight immediately after you leave so make sure you do all the stuff you can there, including the chanter board missions.
A great thing about DA is that your companions gain experience even when they're left back at camp so you wont have to worry about switching them in and out to keep them even.
If you want the max number of experience points stay away from intimidation, cunning and lying. They're often used to cut corners and avoid combat or side quests and you often wont get the EXP. On the other hand they come in handy to either keep or please your companions.
There are different side quests in the game, that demand high ranks in non combat skills like potion/poison making and animal knowledge (or whatever) so take care to cover all of them with your companions. They can do these missions for you.
I'm pretty sure you get a small number of experience points every time you pick a lock or disarm a trap so either max out those skills on your rouge or on Zevran.
Read every note, book, scroll, inscription and pamphlet! Every codex update yields EXP for some reason.
Alright, companions. The game seems pretty reluctant to make you miss companions but it is entirely possible. Here's what you do.
Mabari Warhound - Talk to the kennelmaster and complete his quest before participating in the joining. And, you know, don't kill the dog.
Sven - Convince the hag in the church to make him come with you. I think I just mentioned I was a Grey Warden and hey presto!
Leliana you've already got it seems.
Wynne - Side with the mages in the Tower quest line. Otherwise she'll try to kill you.
Zevran - Don't kill him and order him to join your party.
Shale - You can't mess this up really but you can accidentally make her so angry that she turns on you in the deep roads. If you bring her, side with the Golems.
Oghren - He will approach you when he hears word that you're entering the deep roads. Take him along and convince him to come with you afterwards. You want this dude. He's pretty funny.
Loghain - Why the hell would you ever...? Nope, sorry, it's your game, do what you want, but I'm pretty sure Alistair will leave you if you spare his life.
Know your companions! Leliana, for example, is very religious and will try to kill you if you destroy Andraste's ashes. I can't remember all of them but they'll usually voice they're dissatisfaction before it's too late.
Every companion have got a personal quest for you to complete. They'll only share it with you though, if they like you enough. Either spend time getting to know them and find their personal gifts or pull a quick and dirty one and use the feastday gifts/pranks DLC. I don't know if it's still available but I think so.
Kill both dragons (ring the gong and get Morrigan's personal quest. Do what she says! Don't just tell her you did).
Make sure to collect all the dragon scales in the Andraste's ashes quest line and bring them to the blacksmith in Denerim. Find the random encounter with the meteorite and bring the fragment to the blacksmith in Warden's Keep.
Pick up every secondary skill there is, with your own character or your companions, just make sure you cover all of them. I believe potion making and all that nets EXP as well.
Drink the blood in Warden's Keep and basically never pick the 'leave it alone' option in any situation. Maybe you'll get something cool or maybe a bad guy pops up, but it's all precious EXP.
Comb every freakin' area! Side quests are everywhere!
When approached by the Assasins in Denerim, do not pick the 'if you think I'm an assassin you're wrong' option. I did that and have regretted it ever since.
Word of caution. Please don't kill people like The Guardian in the temple of ashes just to get a few measly experience points. I didn't even like the combat in DA. I turned it to easy and played it solely for the story, which is all about choices. Not easy ones either. The best thing about DA is that nothing is black and white, but if you kill everyone in order to get the max amount of experience the choices become easy and the game becomes less fun.
The point of no return is the Landsmeet quest, I believe. Before that point you can always go back to Orzammar or whatever and do all the side quests. The exception to this is Lothering, which is taken by the blight immediately after you leave so make sure you do all the stuff you can there, including the chanter board missions.
A great thing about DA is that your companions gain experience even when they're left back at camp so you wont have to worry about switching them in and out to keep them even.
If you want the max number of experience points stay away from intimidation, cunning and lying. They're often used to cut corners and avoid combat or side quests and you often wont get the EXP. On the other hand they come in handy to either keep or please your companions.
There are different side quests in the game, that demand high ranks in non combat skills like potion/poison making and animal knowledge (or whatever) so take care to cover all of them with your companions. They can do these missions for you.
I'm pretty sure you get a small number of experience points every time you pick a lock or disarm a trap so either max out those skills on your rouge or on Zevran.
Read every note, book, scroll, inscription and pamphlet! Every codex update yields EXP for some reason.
Alright, companions. The game seems pretty reluctant to make you miss companions but it is entirely possible. Here's what you do.
Mabari Warhound - Talk to the kennelmaster and complete his quest before participating in the joining. And, you know, don't kill the dog.
Sven - Convince the hag in the church to make him come with you. I think I just mentioned I was a Grey Warden and hey presto!
Leliana you've already got it seems.
Wynne - Side with the mages in the Tower quest line. Otherwise she'll try to kill you.
Zevran - Don't kill him and order him to join your party.
Shale - You can't mess this up really but you can accidentally make her so angry that she turns on you in the deep roads. If you bring her, side with the Golems.
Oghren - He will approach you when he hears word that you're entering the deep roads. Take him along and convince him to come with you afterwards. You want this dude. He's pretty funny.
Loghain - Why the hell would you ever...? Nope, sorry, it's your game, do what you want, but I'm pretty sure Alistair will leave you if you spare his life.
Know your companions! Leliana, for example, is very religious and will try to kill you if you destroy Andraste's ashes. I can't remember all of them but they'll usually voice they're dissatisfaction before it's too late.
Every companion have got a personal quest for you to complete. They'll only share it with you though, if they like you enough. Either spend time getting to know them and find their personal gifts or pull a quick and dirty one and use the feastday gifts/pranks DLC. I don't know if it's still available but I think so.
Kill both dragons (ring the gong and get Morrigan's personal quest. Do what she says! Don't just tell her you did).
Make sure to collect all the dragon scales in the Andraste's ashes quest line and bring them to the blacksmith in Denerim. Find the random encounter with the meteorite and bring the fragment to the blacksmith in Warden's Keep.
Pick up every secondary skill there is, with your own character or your companions, just make sure you cover all of them. I believe potion making and all that nets EXP as well.
Drink the blood in Warden's Keep and basically never pick the 'leave it alone' option in any situation. Maybe you'll get something cool or maybe a bad guy pops up, but it's all precious EXP.
Comb every freakin' area! Side quests are everywhere!
When approached by the Assasins in Denerim, do not pick the 'if you think I'm an assassin you're wrong' option. I did that and have regretted it ever since.
Word of caution. Please don't kill people like The Guardian in the temple of ashes just to get a few measly experience points. I didn't even like the combat in DA. I turned it to easy and played it solely for the story, which is all about choices. Not easy ones either. The best thing about DA is that nothing is black and white, but if you kill everyone in order to get the max amount of experience the choices become easy and the game becomes less fun.
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Y'know what I've gone and done, KK?
Because I've had such a good time with Origins on PC I've bought DA2 for PC as well. It was only £12 but I'm hoping that the mod scene will save a game which I think is decent enough at heart but in severe need of tweaking.
It should arrive today, hopefully. Discs are getting a lot cheaper than digital downloads for recent releases.
Because I've had such a good time with Origins on PC I've bought DA2 for PC as well. It was only £12 but I'm hoping that the mod scene will save a game which I think is decent enough at heart but in severe need of tweaking.
It should arrive today, hopefully. Discs are getting a lot cheaper than digital downloads for recent releases.
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yeah, I basically intend to continue on my merry little way in DAO, but I just want to make sure I dont make any major oopsies and have to return to a really old save once Im hours into the game (and choices). I find I always make different choices no matter how much I try to do "re-saves" exactly the same. Plus the first boss Ogre in the tower took me like 15 tries to kill, with only 2 healing potions and no "healer"so I dont want that happening to me again!
to games on the PC, Tatty - seeing as how you can mod out the wazoo, its the only way to go!
to games on the PC, Tatty - seeing as how you can mod out the wazoo, its the only way to go!
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What are you playing as? Rogue, Warrior, Mage or something in between?
Once I figured I could connect my PC to the TV via HDMI it made little sense to keep using a little monitor (and speakers) so my PC gaming got a shot in the arm, compounded by my discovery of GOG and a timely Steam sale - I picked up DA: Origins Ultimate Ed for £6, the same with the two new Fallout games.
Until a AAA console exclusive comes out I'm using the PC 80% of the time - The Xbox is gathering dust and the PS3 is now chiefly a DVD/Blu Ray player cum Gran Turismo 5 machine.
Been looking at the Dragon Age 2 mod scene and they seem to have fixes for lots of the things which I found objectionable in the vanilla game - Not being able to equip your party and dumbed down levelling trees being two of the main ones. Sadly they can do nothing about the constant recycling of environments but the Bioware HD patch and modder's Enviromental Textures are making the best out of what's there with no hit in framerate.
Apparently the latest Bioware patch has even slowed down combat a touch so it's not quite as frenetic. All is not lost with this game.
Once I figured I could connect my PC to the TV via HDMI it made little sense to keep using a little monitor (and speakers) so my PC gaming got a shot in the arm, compounded by my discovery of GOG and a timely Steam sale - I picked up DA: Origins Ultimate Ed for £6, the same with the two new Fallout games.
Until a AAA console exclusive comes out I'm using the PC 80% of the time - The Xbox is gathering dust and the PS3 is now chiefly a DVD/Blu Ray player cum Gran Turismo 5 machine.
Been looking at the Dragon Age 2 mod scene and they seem to have fixes for lots of the things which I found objectionable in the vanilla game - Not being able to equip your party and dumbed down levelling trees being two of the main ones. Sadly they can do nothing about the constant recycling of environments but the Bioware HD patch and modder's Enviromental Textures are making the best out of what's there with no hit in framerate.
Apparently the latest Bioware patch has even slowed down combat a touch so it's not quite as frenetic. All is not lost with this game.
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