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Dragon Age: Do I have something in my teeth?
If you're ever out and about with one of the characters from Dragon Age, maybe going shopping or to a party or meeting some friends for a drink, don't trust him to tell you if you have food in your teeth or if your fly is open or if the tag on the back of your shirt is sticking out. Because after a battle, these people carry on with each other with nary a word about the spots of blood on their faces.
I'd be all, like, "You know what, Alistair, I want to hear what you think about Logain, I really do, but you have something there, on your face. Right there. No, lower. Also, there. To the left. You know what? Here. Let me get you a towel." In Bioware's fantasy world, personal grooming does not require wiping fluids off your face when you interact with people. So these people certainly aren't going to say anything if you have a piece of spinach in your teeth from the salad you had at lunch.
Although maybe that sort of social propriety doesn't kick in until a character likes you enough. Maybe you have to get that "how much I like you" bar really high before someone tells you that you have a spot of blood on your cheek. But it's hard to make close friends in Dragon Age. Yeah, sure, teaming up to save the world from darkspawn brings you close, but not as close as exchanging gifts. Every day is Christmas in Dragon Age.
So, here, Alistair, have this veal bone. I was going to give it to the dog, but his "how much I like you bar" is already maxed out, so you can have it since you've been whining a lot lately.
By the way, I shelled out nearly eight gold sovereigns for some doo-dad I figured Leliana would like. What thanks do I get? +1. Spoiled little hussy. She can just carry on with flecks of blood all around her mouth, nose, and eyes for all I care.
Tomorrow: Is this going to be on the final?
(Click here for the previous Dragon Age game diary.)
By unangbangkay at 9:15 PM ON 11/04/09
That's exactly what I was thinking. In-engine cutscenes are hilarious that way. Maybe in the next generation we'll see people having conversations while toweling off alien gore.
By pnic at 9:22 PM ON 11/04/09
There's has been a lot of complaining about the blood during conversations. Have people not seen the little box you can click to turn the persistent gore off?
By barstein at 9:51 PM ON 11/04/09
Pretty sure Tom didn't miss that option, pnic. I think his point is, it's all fine and dandy to include the blood and gore, and it would also be fine if the blood continued to show for a time, but seeing it during cutscene conversations is distracting, just as it would be in real life. Real life butchers, for example, probably give their faces a quick toweling, at least, between ... er, butcherings?
By mutait at 10:59 PM ON 11/04/09
I'm glad Tom brought this up. I've found this so distracting that I've missed crucial NPC exposition because I've been transfixed by the blood droplet dangling on a speaker's upper lip. The funniest is when "before" and "after" cut scenes bookend a relatively modest fight. The party kills a couple of giant rats and suddenly everyone, including archers and mages who never came within twenty feet of the enemy, look like extras in a Peckinpah film. I definitely think the dungeons of Ferelden need to include showers -- or at least moist towlette dispensers.
By Thrishmal at 11:35 PM ON 11/04/09
I have not had a problem with it myself. Why am I going to stop in the middle of my adventure to wipe off this blood when I know for sure I am going to get more on me in a bit, lot of wasted energy that is!
My ranged hardly ever get bloody unless they are standing next to the target getting killed, and they usually don't get too bloody then.
Granted, the fact that blood shows up on the back of my clothes when those parts were never facing the enemy...I am still confused by that, lol.
By Wetbiscuit McGee at 12:41 AM ON 11/05/09
This reminds me of continuity issues in tv and movies. They shoot the same scene over and over again using different camera angles, then (try to) splice it all together into something watchable. It's like "Aha! You just got out of the water... I can see that you're wet, cut to different shot, and all of a sudden, you're dry!" That's how I feel about Dragon Age at times. During convo, it cuts from character to character and then back again, with the blood in different places. I'm diggin' the game, but it can be distracting. It reminds me alot of KoTOR.
As far as giving gifts, I guess my coercion isn't high enough for the "Go f*ck yourself, you've had enough" option. Oh well.
I'm curious how everyone else has their parties set up. I'm playing a DPS Elven Mage. In my party, I've got a Heal/Buff Mage as well, along with a DPS Rogue, and a Tank Warrior.
By guenthar at 5:21 PM ON 11/05/09
Without access to soap it is hard to wash blood off unless you did it immediately after it got on you. In a world like this you would have to find something to scrape it off along with some water in most occasions since any type of of soap would be very expensive to get a hold of. Being a warrior going from battle to battle you are going to get a lot of blood on you and the only chance you have to get it off is finding a safe place to take a bath when you don't need to go to the next battle right then.
I haven't gotten that far yet but the characters should build up blood stains from the battles they go through and they should only be removed at certain points.
By endaround at 9:22 PM ON 11/05/09
The dog will clean you off as nice as can be.
By Bahimiron at 3:19 PM ON 11/06/09
endaround's got the truth of it, Tom. Talk to your dog and ask him to do something about the mess and thus begins the game's most erotic scene as the dog moves in and the lights dim so he can give you a luxurious tonguebath.
Bahimiron:
endaround's got the truth of it, Tom. Talk to your dog and ask him to do something about the mess and thus begins t...More »