And the poll winner is...
Added 2022-08-23 20:58:55 +0000 UTC... Dragon Age: Origins! π
I say this every time already but with the polls you really can't guess who the winner is until the last second! Congrats to Dragon Age, but no fret to all the other options - I'll get to you eventually...
I feel like it goes unspoken (which I'm changing now lol) that if I end up liking Origins, this will end up being a multi-game commitment leading to the next games. That's a bit scary, but it's also really exciting to get to learn about a vast world from scratch!
Origins was released in 2009 so AFAIK it's somewhat dated by now. I think I'll have to look into mods on PC to get it up to modern speed. For now I know about:
- the memory leak issue => download the 4GB patch
- HUD is too small on 1080p+ monitors => some parts like quest journals and subtitles can be resized with FtG UI Mod, but other parts like the minimap and quickbar are not fixable
- textures can possibly be improved by HD mods? (will have to look into this more)
If you know of any necessary configs/mods, please do feel free to pipe up. I'll continue looking into this and hopefully we'll get something going by next week.
Thanks to everyone for participating!
Full Poll Results
Comments
Yeah, I have to agree with naoxmon. That unofficial remaster texture mod looks a bit too different to how the game was intended to feel, at least in my opinion. I think the Theta HD mod would be a great middle ground for making a first playthough look good and without changing too much.
Neyka
2022-09-01 02:29:40 +0000 UTCOMG I was desperately hoping it would be Dragon Age! I can't wait! <3
Cornelia
2022-09-01 01:58:00 +0000 UTCI've installed the Theta HD mod and it's really good, it fixes only the few textures which had really poor resolution compared to the rest, and made them consistent with the general feel. Especially the big tents that you can see early on, they were a bit of an eyesore lol I had come across that other mod, the "unofficial remaster", but from what he shows, it alters things too much imo. Like completely changing some statues and props models & designs, even some of the characters faces. For a first playthrough I feel it's too different from the original and might look inconsistent compared to everything else that's around it in the game. Plus the things he shows that seem improved, like the books, you never see them that close in game, they're just a tiny part of the decor that you don't even notice, as you can't really zoom in on anything. Didn't try this one but I wouldn't recommend it :x
naoxmon
2022-09-01 01:28:53 +0000 UTCLmaoo sitting through dialogue is like half this channel anyway π€£ I'll try my best to check out all I can!! For textures I just came across this one today too, it seems to update a lot of LQ textures but also changes some other stuff, not sure if I'll add it yet: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/5728
Materwelonz
2022-08-31 20:56:53 +0000 UTCYeah the heavy sharpening of normal maps for older games with low res 3D models usually don't look too good (for my taste), you really have to remake the base diffuse textures to improve the visuals. The Theta HD mod seems to be doing just that, where it's needed, and it looks good. I had seen it in passing while looking for mods, but then forgot about it lol I'll try it now that you mentioned it :) The thing about the dialogues is especially true during the first few hours, it's a big new universe and you can learn a lot about it early on through the dialogues but it takes some time and patience. Also because you can get side quests just from talking or finding items, but unlike most modern RPGs they won't have a marker or anything, it'll just happen when / if you do it. That's pretty cool tbh.
naoxmon
2022-08-31 18:12:58 +0000 UTCThat's exactly where the hours in brackets came from!
Materwelonz
2022-08-31 05:28:09 +0000 UTCThanks for heads up on mods & the dialogue! My mod list is pretty similar except plus a 4K 60fps cutscenes mod and one small-ish texture mod (Theta HD). I think I saw the one you mentioned that looked like it had a really strong sharpening effect on it.
Materwelonz
2022-08-31 05:27:56 +0000 UTCThis may be helpful in the future: https://howlongtobeat.com/
Adam Austin
2022-08-30 18:16:43 +0000 UTCMaybe a bit late but started playing it to kind of go along with your playthrough, and after testing it I wouldn't recommend the big textures pack mod. The vanilla graphics obviously look their age but imo you get used to the way some textures look too smooth, while the texture pack creates a lot of weird unecessary artefacts, and most annoyingly makes some faces look quite bad when they initially looked fine. The mods I installed and worth it imoΒ : the memory patch, FTG_UIMOD (the one you mentioned), More Detailed Tooltips - Vanilla, QUDAO Hotfix v3_52 (the big Qwinn pack thing that fixes a lot of bugs and restores some content) and no_helmet_hack (to hide your chars helmets even though they wear them). Also just want to say there's really a ton of dialogues, and for that it's worth talking to everyone and exploring everywhere, even if you seem to have an urgent quest or something. Sometimes you won't come back, and even when you can there's still new dialogues and stuff, the amount is pretty crazy.
naoxmon
2022-08-30 07:00:17 +0000 UTCAfter all this time... Really looking forward to this series! What origin shall Welonz pick.... What will she choose for gameplay.... Console player here so unfortunately I can't help with mods but it should be easy to find the best quality of life ones since it's such a popular older game.
Mads
2022-08-26 00:40:45 +0000 UTCI personally modded my game with the help of a youtube tutorial by 'just call me frosty'. He goes over everything very thoroughly and with the help of the mod manager you can easily select the changes you want or don't want in your game. I'm very intimidated by the thought to mod my games so I always look on youtube for help.
Lenchen94
2022-08-24 14:30:45 +0000 UTCThere was so many amazing games on that list that regardless which one won it was gonna be a good lets play to watch, still holding out high hopes for 13 Sentinels, Arkham Asylum and Elden Ring eventually.
Joel Pieters (SN7)
2022-08-24 08:47:45 +0000 UTCStill having high hopes on phoenix wright!
Venus Chow
2022-08-24 05:59:59 +0000 UTCthat was unexpected but totally deserving lmao
zip zap
2022-08-24 04:59:09 +0000 UTCOhhh I am SO excited for this, I've replayed Origins a ridiculous number of times lol. There is one mod in particular that I would recommend: Qwinn's Ultimate DAO Fixpack. It fixes a lot of bugs in the game, and actually restores some content that was cut from the game (so in some situations, you have an extra option for how to deal with a problem). There's another one that adds an extra slot to your party so you can always have your dog with you, but that's not strictly necessary, especially since it makes the game a bit easier. OTOH, who doesn't want to travel all the land with their dog at their side? Origins is my favorite game in the series, and I think you'll really love the characters. I can't wait!!
kindkindling
2022-08-24 02:03:27 +0000 UTCCan't believe this won! So excited to re-live again that amazing game along with You Welonz!!! You gonna have a blast! Specially story times with all chars in the camp !! Really yaaaay :)))))))
Andreas Tremere Waya
2022-08-24 00:59:33 +0000 UTCThe way remasters have been going lately, there's a 50/50 chance you're better off playing the original anyway :D
naoxmon
2022-08-24 00:40:44 +0000 UTCExcited for the game to finally get remastered the day Welonz finally finishes the Let's Play
Thomas Mc
2022-08-23 22:19:48 +0000 UTCI am glad this won , I don't know anything about dragon age . I am excited to watch you play it .
Megamusic
2022-08-23 21:32:30 +0000 UTC
