Version 1.41 of the free browser game Dragon Age: Journeys from EA2D is now available. They've fixed some bugs and made the Amulet of the War Mage and the Mighty Magic achievement easier to get. The details of the update:

Over the weekend, we updated Dragon Age Journeys to version 1.41. In addition to the latest round of bug fixes, we changed the earn conditions on the Mighty Magic achievement and the Amulet of the War Mage unlock item.

Dragon Age Journeys is still in beta, and as such, we are trying to optimize the game to meet the needs of our players. We felt that the previous earn conditions on these two items were too difficult or time consuming for many players, and have revised them to reflect a level of difficulty we think is more appropriate. These and other features of Dragon Age Journeys are sure to improve as our work on the game continues.

Some users may experience problems with earning these items on older save files. If you are experiencing any problems or frustrations with these unlocks or achievements, please email us at dajourneys@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will be sure to address the problems as quickly as possible.

Thank You,
Dragon Age Journeys team

EA 2D updates the free browser game Dragon Age Journeys. The most interesting bit to this update is that the online surveys are completely removed. To unlock the Amulet of the War Mage instead of taking three surveys you have to complete the game on hard. Here is more detail on the update:

Version 1.37 of Journeys is live. Before I get to the change list, I would like to address three issues. The first is issues with earning achievements and unlock items. If you have experienced problems with this, please email us at dajourneys@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the account you will be using Dragon Age: Origins to play. We are working on a fix for all of those users who have reported issues with the achievements/unlocks during the beta period and plan on getting this fix in before the launch of Dragon Age: Origins.

The second issue is the removal of the surveys. Many users have experienced problems with earning the unlock Amulet of the War Mage by taking the three surveys. We have replaced the unlock conditions for Amulet of the War Mage, which is now earned by completing the game on the hard difficulty setting. Again, if you previously experienced problems with taking the surveys that prevented you from unlocking Amulet of the War Mage, email us at dajourneys@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the account you will be using Dragon Age: Origins to play.

The third issue is how to recieve your items in Dragon Age: Origins. This is simple. By signing into Dragon Age: Origins with the account you used while unlocking the three bonus items in Dragon Age Journeys they will automatically be added to your inventory. This works on all three platforms: PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Here is the change list for v1.37:

- Survey functionality removed and replaced with the new unlock (Note: if you already had the unlock completed, you will not lose it)
- Resume button now only appears after you've logged in and loads the most recent saved game
- Fixed issues when playing anonymously for a while, then logging in later
- Fixed some issues with Bard's Yarn and Mighty Magic achievements
- Fixed save size issue when saving near end of game with lots of inventory
- Fixed some issues with web tabs not updating properly
- Fixed issues when logging in from multiple machines at once
- Improved stability when logging in with EA accounts created via other games
- Lighweight armor redues fatigue
- Fixed bug related to switching your main weapon to your offhand weapon
- Fixed line of sight bug that allowed enemies to shoot through obstacles
- Updated unlock progress text on achievement screen
- Fixed various combat freeze ups
- Fixed various effect duration issues
- Fixed stamina/mana save but
- Fixed default weapon selling exploit
- Fixed issues with flaming weapon effects
- Correctly saving the "show blood" option
- Fixed exploits with combat hotkey spamming
- Removed Shield talents from Rogue, Bard character
- Typo fixes
- Minor UI fixes

Gamebanshee reports that there is another review for Dragon Age Journeys at Casual Gameplay. The reviewer talks about gameplay, content, animation quality, and combat for this Flash RPG. Overall, the reviewer felt that Bioware did more than just make an advertisement for Dragon Age: Origins. They made a fun little RPG:

Journeys isn't a behemoth that's going to require days of your precious time to conquer, but it will easily offer a solid evening's enjoyment for most gamers. Longer if they seek out every item and every achievement. If you're looking for something more involved than most browser RPGs, Dragon Age Journeys easily has enough to keep you occupied, and may just leave you wanting more. Just remember that while the price of healing potions may be painful, not having any when you take a scimitar to the face hurts a lot more. Spend some time in Dragon Age. You just may be glad you did.

Gamebanshee reports that Dragon Age Journeys has been updated to V1.26. The fixes include:

* Fixed some items not attributing stat bonuses correctly
* Most enemy's armor has been reduced
* Bow damage increased slightly
* Improved notifications on web panes during load/save
* Better error messages during log in
* Fix for # of Mushroom Stalks, Genlock Hearts not loading correctly
* Fix for wackiness when changing difficulty during gameplay.
* Fixes for shop and inventory UI
* Conversation hotkeys fixes
* Type fixes
* UI improvements for multiple achievement dialogs at once
* Darkspawn Warrior achievement can't be earned by killing your friends!

1up's The Grind has a review on Dragon Age Journeys titled Strategery: The Dragon Age Appetizer. They were not overly impressed with the browser game, but said for fans who can't wait for release it is a decent appetizer. Just not a fully fledged RPG.

If I have any problem with Journeys, it's that it's not a particularly deep or rewarding tactical RPG to play. The skills trees are necessarily far simpler than the finished games, which means that character development is quite limited. Another strength of tactical RPG is the often gigantic characters pools, which makes it easy to build large, diverse and interesting teams. That component seems to be lacking in Dragon Age Journeys, which means that it doesn't really benefit from one of the genre's greatest strengths.

What this all means, basically, is that Dragon Age Journeys is a neat promotional tool that's designed to give players a taste of Dragon Age Origins. It was never meant to offer a deep or meaningful playing experience. For BioWare fans anxiously awaiting November 3, Journeys makes for a decent appetizer. Just don't expect that appetizer to be a tasty tactical RPG.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun has posted a brief early impressions article titled Dragon Age Journeys Live, and Rather Good. The game has exceeded their expectations in terms of being a real RPG with a unique combat system. I was also pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the game:

So Dragon Age Journeys is live, and… blimey, it’s good stuff. EA 2D’s free project designed to promote and link into Dragon Age: Origins is a 2D browser based RPG, letting you pick a character from the regular Dragon Age selection and then go exploring in the Dwarven Deep Roads. I wasn’t sure exactly how they’d do it, presuming something very simple, hack-n-slashy, but fun all the same. I wasn’t expecting a fully-fledged RPG with a unique combat mechanic.

I’ve only played briefly so far, but I’m already really pleased with what’s on offer. In fact, so much of it directly reflects the full game, from the content to the screen furniture. Even the tutorial pop-ups are the same. You’ve got an inventory, weapons and armour along with weapons and armour stats (using the very appreciated super-simple window pop-ups for comparing with what you’ve got equipped that’s in the main game). In fact it’s also got the two weapon setup, letting you switch between them during combat. There’s your character’s own stats, with the full range of skills available to pick from as you level up. There’s towns to explore, quests to pick up, merchants to trade with, party members to gather, and plenty of dialogue. I really wasn’t expecting this.

I think we all know Dragon Age: Journeys is now live but here's the official PR from BioWare and EA:

BIOWARE ANNOUNCES DRAGON AGE JOURNEYS NEW BROWSER-BASED GAME NOW AVAILABLE

Game Sets the Stage for Dragon Age: Origins and a New Standard for Browser Based Games

Guildford, UK – October 22, 2009 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced that the first chapter of Dragon Age™ Journeys, a free* to play browser based game set in the Dragon Age world, is now available. Dragon Age Journeys puts players in the role of a hero exploring the underground dwarven kingdom of Orzammar. Players will uncover a dastardly plot that threatens to unleash a great evil that won’t stop until it destroys all living things. Based on BioWare’s upcoming dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age Journeys, sets a new standard of quality for browser-based games with addictive combat mechanics and fluid gameplay. Players of Dragon Age Journeys will have the chance to earn exclusive in game content for Dragon Age: Origins on the day of its release.

The game is produced by a new browser-based production team at EA and an all-star team of independent development talent, with the goal of creating premium quality browser games. Dragon Age Journeys represents EA’s commitment to supporting talented independent developers.

“Dragon Age Journeys continues our mission of working with talented game developers and artists to create high quality games, blowing away expectations of what is possible in the browser,” said Mark Spenner, VP of Development, EA 2D. “We are honored to be working with BioWare to introduce the Dragon Age franchise to a wide audience of gamers.”

“Dragon Age Journeys sets the stage for Dragon Age: Origins,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age: Origins. “The team has shown the Dragon Age Franchise in a bold new light and the release of this game allows a broad audience of players to discover our dark fantasy universe for the first time.”

Dragon Age Journeys will feature intense tactical combat, a compelling story and deep customization. Players can choose from one of six different origin stories, each offering a unique background that shapes the lens of how the player perceives the world and how the world will perceive them. The game will deliver an amazing experience to fans looking for an introduction to BioWare’s dark fantasy epic, Dragon Age: Origins.

Dragon Age Journeys is available free to players at www.dragonagejourneys.com and more information is available at www.getdragonage.com

Gamepro has an interview with the developers of Dragon Age: Journeys. They discuss gameplay and the future of flash-based gaming.

The game that launches tomorrow, subtitled "The Deep Roads" is actually the first part of a planned trilogy of single player games which will later be followed by a multiplayer game. According to Spenner, this first chapter can be beaten in about two and half hours on the easiest difficulty setting, but there's some replay value in the shape of three different (customizable) character classes. It is entirely free, which begs the question of how EA 2D plans to make money out of the project? "The first chapter is free to play," Hawley explained. "For subsequent chapters and the multiplayer version we are exploring micro-transactions. Ad support isn't necessary for us right now, we like keeping the content pretty clean and free from outside distractions."

Listening with Both Ears on the Bioware Blog has an in-house Q&A session about Dragon Age: Journeys. You'll create your own character and be able to recruit up to 6 companions and save your characters through all three chapters. There was no clear answer on just how difficult the game would be:

Q: “What is your opinion on the difficulty of the battles to be encountered?”

A: Having experienced the level design and balancing process on a number of games, I can tell you that developers always run into the same problem on the when finishing a game. When you look at a game and play it day in and day out for weeks on end, the concept of difficulty flies out the window. The closer you get to your game, the further you get from a first time user’s experience. The more you play the same encounters over and over to make sure they are perfect, the less objective you become. Given that, we strive to make the game challenging but not punishing, and it is our opinion that we have met that goal. The nice thing about being a flash game is that we are able to track players’ progress and if anything is too easy, too confusing or too maddeningly hard, we’ll actually be able to make dynamic fixes to the game and improve your experience with it. It’s one of the great luxuries of working in flash and being dedicated to listening to our audience.

The browser game Dragon Age Journeys that is going to be released today is published by the new label 'EA 2D' and brings us an indie looking game that we could play before Dragon Age becomes available on November 3rd. GamePro has a story about Journeys offering  more detailed information on the game.

Thanks Omega.

The third blog entry for the upcoming Flash-y Dragon Age game Journeys covers "the little things", such as the rules for the tactical combat:

At its heart, Dragon Age Journeys: The Deep Roads is a tactical RPG. We employ a hex based combat system reminiscent of the classic Heroes of Might and Magic series, but instead of giant armies of units, you control up to three heroes with stat systems and talent trees taken directly from Dragon Age: Origins. Over time, these heroes gain experience, level up, learn new talents, get new loot … all the familiar RPG elements. This allows you to take on bigger and badder enemies from the Dragon Age world, such as darkspawn monsters Genlock Alphas and Ogres.

This actually looks pretty good!

A debut trailer of the Dragon Age Journeys browser game is to be found on GameTrailers.

There's a new blog entry for their Flash-y game Dragon Age: Journeys and the seventh Penny Arcade Witch Hunt is online.  On finding a name for DA: Journeys:

Our naming session began with Dragon Age: Journeys as one of the top contenders. But the naming session stretched on, we got increasingly exasperated and our suggestions became a string of gaming nerd in jokes, such as:
• Ages of Dragon Age
• Dragon Age: Origins’ Origins
• Dragon Age: Origins: Origins
• Dragon Age: TitNS (This is the New Sh*t)
• Heroes of Dragons and Magic
• Paper Dragon Age
• Dragon Age: Tactics Advance Online
• Dragon Age: Sexy Browser Adventures
• Dragon Age: Age of the Dragon
And of course:
• Imagine: Dragonz Age Fun Time Babyz Party