Companion builds and tactics

[elysium_fic]

If there has been one feature of DAO I feel I have been missing getting the most out of in the time I've been playing, it's the more challenging combat. Mostly, this hasn't been a problem because I've been doing RP playthroughs where it doesn't matter that I'm on easy mode. But even with mods that should make it possible for me to be able to play on Normal or even Hard mode, I still can't.

Part of the problem is, I think, that my computer is a bit too slow for the game. I meet the minimum specs, but there still seems to be some sort of response lag. I can throw a bomb and it will be well over a minute before it detonates. I can take aim at a TRASH mob and be attacking it for 30-60 seconds before its health bar ever drops below 100%. So it's taking a prohibitively long time for me to clear out even trash, and all the while the trash is pounding on my companions. I had to download a mod that added a bunch of elite militia at Redcliffe to have even a hope of getting through the siege with any of the town's militia alive. And that was on Normal mode.

Lag issues aside, I suspect my other problem to be that I'm not building my companions or using the tactics efficiently. Mostly, I take the "default" tactics set and tweak it a little to add things like lyrium and health potion usage.

I've decided before DA2 comes out, I want to do one final playthrough of DAO and Awakening, and I want to challenge myself a bit and do it on a harder mode. I think I will uninstall all but the most crucial mods (the ones that fix bugs and things like Advanced Tactics) to see if that helps the response lag. But I also want to get the most out of my companions and their tactics.

So, hit me. How do you have your companions built and how do you deploy them?

Comments

[elysium_fic]

I have that one, and I have the graphics effects turned off. It don't think it's a graphics issue, because everything moves just fine, the video isn't laggy at all. The game just takes a LONG ASS TIME responding to my commands.

[visser]

Yeah, I'm thinking it's a memory leak, because it happens even without mods. I'm gonna search the forums and see if there's any posts on it, and if there's any patches in the works.

[darkrose]

As far as patches for Origins, there aren't going to be any. All of the resources have been shifted to DAO, and the issues with Origins and Awakening will not be addressed.

[visser]

Yeah that thought occurred to me. I also checked to see if my video card had an update, and sure enough there was one. Maybe that will help.

[lemontwisted]

Hmm, thinking about visser's comment about memory leaks made me wonder... do you have anything else running while you play? Maybe an anti-virus program or something? Some of those can be real resource hogs, and if DA:O has it's own share of memory problems, that could cause issues like you're seeing.

[darkrose]

I found that my game performance increased noticeably when I switched from Firefox to Chrome. Even without a ton of extensions, Firefox 3.5 and up is a tremendous memory hog.

[elysium_fic]

Hmm. I may try closing FF when gaming, perhaps.

[visser]

I'd switch to Chrome, as it is VERY light and fast, but I am way too paranoid to run without NoScript and AdBlock =X

[darkrose]

I don't know about NoScript, but there is a version of AdBlock for Chrome. Between that and FlashBlock, I've been very happy with Chrome. The only downside is that occasionally, I'll run into sites that don't render properly because they're only designed for FF or IE.

[elysium_fic]

I usually have Thunderbird, Firefox, and sometimes Open Office running. And, of course, my on-access virus scan.

[darkrose]

Try turning off Thunderbird, and either switching browsers, or cutting down to 3-5 tabs max.

[sakuratea]

open office is the biggest RAM hog in the history of ever. Just xing that might help.

[elysium_fic]

Ah, good to know. I usually keep it running because it seems to have a strange problem where, if I open and close it two or three times, eventually it won't start again unless I restart my computer.

[1smut_princess]

Y'know mine does that too, and I play 360. For that though it's usually pretty easy to fix - turn the console off for an hour or so.... and since mine's always on... (>.<)