The first Dragon Age II patch is out...

... and we love it for what it brings to the PC version of Dragon Age II. If you like high-detailed textures in your games, this is for you.

Zero-day - or, for most of the world, minus 2 day - patches are poor form. It shows that a game's shipped pretty much incomplete. On top of that, it's annoying to unpack a new game, and install it, only to then have to wait for more stuff to come down what it is likely an already overloaded data limit.

However, the new patch for Dragon Age II is one we can get behind.

It's a high resolution texture pack for the PC version. Sure, it's a little annoying that it's not in the game, but frankly, with the way PC often gets treated these days we're just happy it's here at all. It adds high detail replacement textures across the entire game, especially in the game's environments.

It's also recommended only for uses with at least a GB of video memory, and those who're using DirectX 11 capable cards. However, if that's you, we figure it's 1.08GB of essential downloading.

And, if you're curious about the game itself, pick up the latest issue of Atomic, onsale tomorrow.

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20 Comments

jdog Mar 8, 2011 6:11 PM	i wonder if this works with the demo version?
studor Mar 8, 2011 6:15 PM	Does it work with the Steam version?
GhostFaceKilla Mar 8, 2011 6:33 PM	The question is why wasnt it in the game that shipped? Poor form if you ask me and reveals that the focus has been on console and portng it over. Then adding bits for PC as an afterthought.
Bundy 2.0 Mar 8, 2011 6:40 PM	On one hand I agree with GFK on the other I recall having to dl a independanty compiled mod for DA:O. So basically I expect less these days
Mordecai Mar 8, 2011 8:55 PM	No idea why BioWare didn't make high res textures from the beginning. Then shrink them down for the ocnsoles rather then needing to make high res textures after the game has gone gold. Seems totally silly to me.
GhostFaceKilla Mar 8, 2011 9:00 PM	Yep Bundy 2.0 the firts Dragon Age also shipped with low and medium textures ala consoles. No high textures for a PC to take advantage of. There was a MOD created which aime dto replace said low rez textures. Bioware recieved some flack for not releasing the official textures - they said it was too big a download - what we now know is that they didnt bother making any. Consoles were the focus.
Hawkeye Mar 8, 2011 10:29 PM	You guys are real glass half empty types.
slash22000 Mar 8, 2011 11:32 PM	I don't ever remember Dragon Age 1 graphics being poor.
nukejockey Mar 9, 2011 12:42 AM	Dragon Age: Origins was fairly hideous, ugly textures hidden by overuse of shaders and stuff. And I agree with the rest of the guys, shipping High res textures after release is poor form and just goes to show how devs that started on PC are leaving their roots and focusing more on the console versions of games. And no one is being pessimistic from what I can see David, just realistic.
Hawkeye Mar 9, 2011 8:02 AM	Thing is, I can think of a mess of reasons why it wouldn't have been shipped. The game's already huge, and its textures as it stands are a massive improvement from the get go, and it's not as if this affects most PC gamers - according to the Valve Hardware survey, only six percent of gamers are utlising DirectX 11 anyway. I daresay that's why a DX11 texture set was not an immediate priority, and why I'm happy that Bioware's addressed that segment anyway.
nukejockey Mar 9, 2011 8:22 AM	A large proportion of people will be downloading the game on steam or something anyway, so if they plan on getting the extra textures, they still need to download them, it wouldn't make a difference. If the game was using up all the space available on a dual layer DVD (8.9gb or whatever it is) then I'd understand why it was shipped with it, but it isn't. Torrents show it as using 6.8gb, meaning there is ample room for a 1.1gb texture pack on there. Interesting that it requires DX11 (Does it require it or is it recommended?) Any ideas as to why that is?
Bundy 2.0 Mar 9, 2011 9:16 AM	After more thought I actually think there is nothing wrong with this practice, especially in this case. I downloaded the whole game anyway, it really is inconsequential that I download another patch. Not to mention if you brought the game on Steam it isn't even out yet.
Hawkeye Mar 9, 2011 9:50 AM	nuke, our best guess - John and I have been chatting a lot about this - is that the higher detail environments will leverage tesselation or other DX11 techs.
Ekythump Mar 9, 2011 9:51 AM	I'm just glad that there are some Hi res textures they've put up for download.
UberPenguin Mar 9, 2011 10:53 AM	Having just bought a 6950 I want to see what DX11 can do in a game I'm actually interested in - I'm hoping that deus ex 3 will utilize dx11 it certainly looks pretty good so far (and its been announced for 25th August ((source Ebgames via RPS)). Although I am aware that DA2 isn't likely to be the best looking game ever I am glad that it will use DX11 and get high res textures. Sure it may have been better if it was in the game but so many games are launching on DX9/10 still because of consoles; lets face it when was the last game that really used all the DX10 features? Isn't it just nice to have the developer acknowledge that PC players with high specced systems want more? Rather than the "well sucks to be you" attitude of most developers that cant be bothered at all.
GhostFaceKilla Mar 9, 2011 12:16 PM	No David Im just starting to be more selective than ever in regards to what I spend my money and even more importantly - time - on. Yes I am in the demographic were time is the most valuable commodity I have - money is not the issue itself. I find it frustrating when I read a review (such as ones for Fallout New Vegas) which spend half the review noting that the game is buggier than an Amazon Rain forest - and then still proceed to give the game a very nice score. I do not want to play a game full of bugs. I accept that there may be some bugs identified post release and balancing needed . Fine. A review should encompass all aspects of the game - and be judged on that. Issues should not be dismissed out of hand. This is playing right into the hands of publishers who now know they can push more games at lower quality and even developers who will also recieve the message that its ok to cut corners to get a game out on 'time'. We should be demanding nothing less than 100% effort. I cant believe that they are making a second MOH - despite Danger Close doing NOTHING to fix the problems with the SP campaign in the first one. Atrocious. I will not be buying it. Having said all of that, I have not played this new Dragon Age. I can not comment on the gameplay. I was dissapointed by Dragon Age 1 and am thankful that I did not pay for a copy (I had a friends who hated it). I have always loved Biowares work - I still have high hopes for their Star Wars MMO. Very interested in this indeed. And regardless if the glass is half empty or half full - its still half a glass :-P
Hawkeye Mar 9, 2011 2:53 PM	As someone who recognised New Vegas' bugs, and still scored it well, I do think that your comment about 'dismissing' the flaws is not quite accurate. If the flaws are raised in print/pixels, then they are not dismissed. I played FNV through to the end, which I have to say is rare these days given the amount of games I cover. I will likely play the DLC soon, and even mod the game up using some of Ashton's stuff. I thought it was that good. The bugs really, genuinely, just didn't worry me.
Arcerious Mar 9, 2011 3:28 PM	I can't see why this is such a big deal. They could quite easily have just left us with the med res textures. At least this shows that they are still treating the PC as a separate platform and not trying to do the one size fits all approach.
Mordecai Mar 9, 2011 6:23 PM	Arcerious having to DL textures to make the game look the best it can isn't IMO treating the PC as a seperate platform. Its a "Our customers will complain again that we only made average looking textures better do something to shut them up."
deonast Mar 9, 2011 6:37 PM	Well I'm not buying the game yet, but I'll download the textures, just in case. Now I know where my download quotas go.

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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 137 | June, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.

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