33 replies to this topic

[Archmage Silver]

Now: DA: Origins Character Creator released

Yep, that's right, the Character Creator is out now!

Go to http://dragonage.bioware.com/ --> News --> Character Creator Now Online!

The file size for the English client is 318 MB, I'm downloading it right now. Download managers also work with this one.

I'll get some screenshots up later on.


Previously: DA: Origins Character Creator announced

BioWare announced that they'll be releasing Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator for creating and testing characters before the launch - what's more, you can save your favorite characters and use them to begin playing instantly on launch day!

And as said in the news, the Character Creator will be released on October 13th. They also have a DA: Origins social site underway, you can read more about it by clicking the link at the end of the following quote.

This was a really nice move from BioWare in my opinion.

We are happy to announce that BioWare will be releasing the Character Creator from Dragon Age: Origins on the 13th of October. This will give you 3 weeks to play around and get your Player Character just right before launch of the game on November 3rd ? 6th.

What we have managed to do is get the awesome BioWare dev dudes/dudettes to break off the Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator from the main game so you can download it as a separate application to your PC. Once you have downloaded and installed the Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator you will be able to ?pre-create? characters for use in the PC version at launch.

The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator will allow you to create numerous different characters before launch and experiment with the different classes, races, and create multiple faces for the 6 Origin stories and save them to your hard drive for safe keeping until the game is released.

Read More...

Edit: Status updated

Edited by Archmage Silver, 11 December 2009 - 09:31 AM.

[Tempest]

I wub Bioware. *Checks calendar* Damn. I really don't need such a severe distraction in the depths of midterm season...

[Choo Choo]

*thud*

[GeN1e]

Do we need it? It's nothing we wouldn't get during char generation, so why's everyone everywhere making so much fuss about it?

Edited by GeN1e, 03 October 2009 - 08:03 AM.

[theacefes]

Right on, Bioware.

I really don't need such a severe distraction in the depths of midterm season...

Shun the books, Tempest, shun them!!

Edited by theacefes, 03 October 2009 - 08:33 AM.

[Aeryn]

Do we need it? It's nothing we wouldn't get during char generation, so why's everyone everywhere making so much fuss about it?

I can speak only for myself, and I'll use an example. I've been playing Mass Effect since the day it was released. The first day, I spent three hours creating my first character, getting her features just right, debating her hair color and style, eye colors, etc, etc, before I even started the actual game. I have since then played through the entire game five times with various characters and have several other half-finished playthroughs. As of yesterday, when I created a new character, it still takes me 30-40 minutes to create a new character. Everything has to be perfect.

So, the pre-release will allow me to actually play the game when I first get it, instead of hours and hours later. I've been squeeing since I read the announcement yesterday.

[Choo Choo]

Do we need it? It's nothing we wouldn't get during char generation, so why's everyone everywhere making so much fuss about it?

I can speak only for myself, and I'll use an example. I've been playing Mass Effect since the day it was released. The first day, I spent three hours creating my first character, getting her features just right, debating her hair color and style, eye colors, etc, etc, before I even started the actual game. I have since then played through the entire game five times with various characters and have several other half-finished playthroughs. As of yesterday, when I created a new character, it still takes me 30-40 minutes to create a new character. Everything has to be perfect.

So, the pre-release will allow me to actually play the game when I first get it, instead of hours and hours later. I've been squeeing since I read the announcement yesterday.

Likewise.

[GeN1e]

I can speak only for myself, and I'll use an example. I've been playing Mass Effect since the day it was released. The first day, I spent three hours creating my first character, getting her features just right, debating her hair color and style, eye colors, etc, etc, before I even started the actual game. I have since then played through the entire game five times with various characters and have several other half-finished playthroughs. As of yesterday, when I created a new character, it still takes me 30-40 minutes to create a new character. Everything has to be perfect.

Ah, I see. For me chargen (and installing/patching for my first timers) is a part of playing the game, not just a boring prelude. Which usually means I start playing the campaign the next day only. Heck, I've played Might&Magic7 for gods know how many times, so I know most every crevice in the game, yet it still takes me at least half an hour to create party.

To everyone their own then

[Crazee]

Also, it's something for those of us crazy with anticipation something to do to bide the time. Lovely, lovely Bioware. I can't wait - it will be my first real experience of using a (relatively) detailed character creator. My only previous experience is Neverwinter Nights 2.

[Archmage Silver]

I like messing around with the chargen systems in games, so it wouldn't bother me if I had to use a couple of hours to create a fitting character on launch day, but me, I'm just not good at waiting for stuff!

[Archmage Silver]

DA:O Character Creator release day is tomorrow... I can't wait! I'll post some screenshots here when I get it working, and I hope the rest of you will follow suit.

[Crazee]

Okay, it's official. I've become one of those rabid fans. I've been sitting on my computer for the last 20 minutes just refreshing the page. I can't wait to get my hand on this - I hope the server doesn't collapse in on itself!

[Archmage Silver]

Yep, that's right, the Character Creator is out now!

Go to http://dragonage.bioware.com/ --> News --> Character Creator Now Online!

The file size for the English client is 318 MB, I'm downloading it right now. Download managers also work with this one.

I'll get some screenshots up later on.

Edit: Typo

Edited by Archmage Silver, 13 October 2009 - 10:11 AM.

[Kaeloree]

And the server almost died, as many expected--it hasn't crashed yet, though!

Downloading as we speak.

[Archmage Silver]

That's funny - I got my download at 215/kpbs, which is also my connection's maximum speed. I guess I somehow managed to get it before the masses, although I don't know how that happened... unless they all read the SHS forums and only heard of this when I posted the news.

Edit: Typo

Edited by Archmage Silver, 13 October 2009 - 12:57 PM.

[Yovaneth]

Ha! I waited a day and I'm seeing av. 500kb/s but up to 800 kb/s at times. Not bad for an '8Mb line' that usually struggles to pull 4.5Mb.

-Y-

[Aeryn]

I downloaded it within minutes of the site being open. I have a ton of screenies and they keep evolving, but here's my Human Noble Rogue and Dalish Elf Warrior. And I can't help it - though I have no plans to play one anytime soon, this Elf Mage looks awesomely scary. I love BioWare for this little treat.

[theacefes]

It's a bit like NWN2 meets Oblivion.

[Waywocket]

It's pretty good. I think it might even be better than the City of Heroes character generation, though there are a lot less options.

Doesn't work in Wine though, which is sad .

With any luck I should have geared up for Windows usage by the time the game is released, so it doesn't feel like such an uncomfortable environment. I'm thinking I might play a female City Elf, and get my rage on.

Edit: I was kind of hoping there would be maybe a small tutorial area or something. Maybe not even that, since it's just a character creator, but somewhere you can see your character in real conditions - I want to know if I should be ordering myself a new graphics card!

Edited by Waywocket, 13 October 2009 - 04:21 PM.

[Archmage Silver]

Heh, good thing I have a fair amount of experience of the Oblivion FaceGen system then. At least BioWare has beards available unlike Oblivion at the beginning... and even after Shivering Isles was released you still had to mod the beard in.

Some screenshots as promised earlier:

[attachment=18105:Argendas_portrait.png]
Argendas Amell - Human Male Mage #1
Argendas Amell - Human Male Mage #2

[attachment=18106:Ardailan_portrait.png]
Ardailan Amell - Human Male Mage #1
Ardailan Amell - Human Male Mage #2

[attachment=18107:Thoin_portrait.png]
Thoin Aeducan - Dwarf Male Noble Warrior #1
Thoin Aeducan - Dwarf Male Noble Warrior #2


Looks like the Character Creator is resetting the values of the mouth and jaw/cheeks tabs anyway when it saves the character. Kind of a flawed design IMO. Freaking floating beards.

If anyone is having trouble with the neck/jawline making beards look like they're floating in the air, here's how you can get it right:

1. Finish your character completely appearance-wise (incl. portrait and voice).
2. Now toggle off your chosen beard and go edit the mouth & jaw/cheeks tabs as you please.
3. After step 2 is done, go back to toggle your beard on - but here's the catch: you have to get it right with a single click, so proceed to click the correct spot on the beard slider.
4. That's it, DON'T edit anything now, just click "next".

If you use multiple clicks to get your beard style AFTER the mouth & jaw/cheeks tabs have been altered, the values for those tabs will automatically reset. It won't happen with a single click though.

Edit: Update

Edited by Archmage Silver, 13 October 2009 - 06:45 PM.