Eh.... the whole Keep and Agent system sounds like it could be cool if implemented right.
It also sounds like it could be abused and turned into a microtransaction laden piece of rubbish or otherwise end up depending on their inevitable MP mode to get the best results in SP. It just seems like the kind of system that could end up feeling way too obviously "game-y" if its not implemented with enough tact.
I mean, how much do you want to bet that preorders get some exclusive agent or exclusive Keep?
I just might have to jump on this. I really like how it moves and the scale seems nice too. Speaking of scale on a different note, I read that the level scaling is basically gone? God I despise level scaling, sp thank goodness.
It's worth a shot. The end was handled as about as delicately as one would handle a flaming turd, but most of the characters were great, save for one or two. That alone made the game worth it for me. I didn't like all of them but they felt real, more so than most of the DAO cast.
It helps if you realize this actually isn't your story. It is simply told from the perspective of your specific story but you aren't the agent of change that the Warden was. Hawke tries to change things, but ultimately the world is larger than just one person and the things they do, despite how the game, or rather Cassandra/Varric, tries to frame things.
Your choices matter but they aren't the only thing that matters.
It's worth a shot. The end was handled as about as delicately as one would handle a flaming turd, but most of the characters were great, save for one or two. That alone made the game worth it for me. I didn't like all of them but they felt real, more so than most of the DAO cast.
It helps if you realize this actually isn't your story. It is simply told from the perspective of your specific story but you aren't the agent of change that the Warden was. Hawke tries to change things, but ultimately the world is larger than just one person and the things they do, despite how the game, or rather Cassandra/Varric, tries to frame things.
Your choices matter but they aren't the only thing that matters.
I'm not one that really cares whether my choices ultimately matter or not. I actually don't like wrpgs all that much, honestly. I did get into DA:O quite a bit, though. Where DA2 lost me was the ridiculous repeating environments. I just wasn't able to keep interest like I could in DA:O.
I'm guessing a lot has to do with just giving BioWare time to get familiar with Frostbite. A little extra time with it now will likely help out Mass Effect and whatever new IP they use with it as well.
I'm not one that really cares whether my choices ultimately matter or not. I actually don't like wrpgs all that much, honestly. I did get into DA:O quite a bit, though. Where DA2 lost me was the ridiculous repeating environments. I just wasn't able to keep interest like I could in DA:O.
Yeah the asset reuse was bad. I thankfully didn't get too bothered by it, but if that's all that really bothered you you should definitely give it another go.
I'm guessing a lot has to do with just giving BioWare time to get familiar with Frostbite. A little extra time with it now will likely help out Mass Effect and whatever new IP they use with it as well.
Well that plus the fact that DAO sold a lot more than DA2 and pretty much everything wrong with DA2 was a result of its extremely short dev time.
Though I wouldn't lay all the blame on EA. I'm sure BioWare bit off more than they could chew and didn't want to ask their new bosses for extra time and funds.
The keep mechanic, the fact that keeps are a thing that you'll apparently find a number of, and that they change visually based on the role you select for them, makes me wonder how different one will be from another. I know they said no reused environments but it just seems weird that they'd give you a bunch of directions to customize each keep in and make each keep totally different. Maybe they'll just have reused assets, though? Like, different keeps have different layouts, but get dressed up in similar ways if they're assigned the same role?
As long as I can clearly see my keeps progression, I'm all for it. The infuriating part of ME3 is building your forces but never seeing them actually used. The end cut scene was the perfect opportunity for that.
I'm guessing a lot has to do with just giving BioWare time to get familiar with Frostbite. A little extra time with it now will likely help out Mass Effect and whatever new IP they use with it as well.
When you have squadmates like rogues and mages which for the most part are most useful at ranged distances, it kind of turns out to be the same though as a squadbased shooter.
Well that is absolutely not how older party based RPGs played, like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. It's just the way Bioware has been doing it as of late, every genre is in a melting pot for them.
I have to say the 15 minute demo didn't look bad...and they're at least saying a lot of good things so far, even if I'm very hesitant to take Bioware at their word with anything after how most of their current generation output has turned out. But this looks like it has a good shot at being the first good Dragon Age game.
I just wish they would embrace having action combat since they so clearly want to. It seems like it's still going to be this weird hybrid of a player driven system and crpg dice rolls.
Not that I think it will be anything like Skyrim, I just think EA will market it that way, and I think it will sell based on that perception.
And honestly, maye that's not such a bad thing. DA:I looks like the re-imagining of Dragon Age that 2 maybe wanted to be. And because I know there will never be a RPG from BioWare that plays like the old ones again, I will take this re-imagining and embrace it.
I don't know why I'm still surprised by this, but the amount of lore and world-building that's gone into the DA games still really impresses and amazes me. There's just so much writing and background. Even with all of DA2's problems, it was still a pleasure to read through all the history for places and people, and the background for all the items.
I don't know why I'm still surprised by this, but the amount of lore and world-building that's gone into the DA games still really impresses and amazes me. There's just so much writing and background. Even with all of DA2's problems, it was still a pleasure to read through all the history for places and people, and the background for all the items.
Yeah, it's not the most original or nuanced world but it definitely can't be said they haven't filled in the blanks on a whole lot. Between the books, codex, comics and the actual games there's a shit ton of content and lore. I can't help but consume everything they put out. And I'm sure they have 10x that too as reference materials and work waiting to be used in the series in some way.
It's no easy task creating an entire world with its own mythos, multiple religions, races, nations and a good couple thousand years of history and conflict. Let alone making all that interesting and some what comprehensible and believable.
With the scope and area of this game magnitudes greater than the previous two combined I hope and expect Inquisition to be bursting with all kinds of lore and history to discover and learn.
I don't know why I'm still surprised by this, but the amount of lore and world-building that's gone into the DA games still really impresses and amazes me. There's just so much writing and background. Even with all of DA2's problems, it was still a pleasure to read through all the history for places and people, and the background for all the items.
Yeah, it's not the most original or nuanced world but it definitely can't be said they haven't filled in the blanks on a whole lot. Between the books, codex, comics and the actual games there's a shit ton of content and lore. I can't help but consume everything they put out. And I'm sure they have 10x that too as reference materials and work waiting to be used in the series in some way.
It's no easy task creating an entire world with its own mythos, multiple religions, races, nations and a good couple thousand years of history and conflict. Let alone making all that interesting and some what comprehensible and believable.
With the scope and area of this game magnitudes greater than the previous two combined I hope and expect Inquisition to be bursting with all kinds of lore and history to discover and learn.
Yeah, I'm finding I cannot get enough of this universe myself. Bought all the books, bought the comics, bought the art book, even that (awful) Seeker anime. Now I'm waiting for the DLC for DA2 to go on sale so I can make sure I see everything there is to see.
I'm also glad they didn't stick with the darkspawn/Blights as a recurring "big bad". The world they've created has so much potential, it would have been awful if we'd been stuck with the Warden for all three games.
To the first part that would be fine with me if they don't make it the only way to achieve those goals. Let it help and play a part but don't have it lock out content or be the only means to do things.
Something like making defenses of keeps weaker, or reduce enemy troop strength. Noticeable affects but not something that is integral to the game's outcome.
As for the second, I'm sure we will have a big finale with great spectacle and gravity. I doubt we will solve every problem in the world, there will always be something to lead into the next game, most likely another blight and the return of the Warden.
I really hope BioWare can prove with DAI that they still know how to end a game well since their last few games haven't done such a hot job with that.
I hope when they say Dragons will be a long term adversary and goal that are no easy feat to beat that means we will have to work in stages to weaken and diminish the dragon's advantages to force it down to fight on our terms and not just have a big battle that you brute force attack. I want dragons to be this unseen menace that you're always leery of coming down and toasting your ass because you can't just run up to it and whack it with a sword.
You have to learn about that specific dragon, its strengths and weaknesses, and use the terrain and technology to your advantage. Stuff like roped ballistas to try and ground it, nets too and things like damaging it's wings and other purposeful attacks and strikes to whittle down the dragon's extraordinary abilities that we could never overcome in a straight up fight. A dragon should never just sit on the ground letting itself get whacked again and again by swords and axes and arrows when it can just fly off and set everything around it on fire.
I felt like Bioware wrote themselves into a corner since the first game by making the Reapers out to be such god like beings. They made that pedestal so high, and the expectations so unrealistic that when it came to the delivery and resolution they under delivered. Some of the themes in Mass Effect worked really well with the ending, but everything with the Starchild and the Crucible broke before the final cut-scenes broke that suspension of disbelief through that silly exposition.
Also the execution on the final decisions, seemed to be out of the blue almost. I would have played the conflict between
organic and synthetic theme more and had the complete 100% ending be synthesis. I like Matt Rhodes idea of synthesis where beings could just link up to mass relays and instantly travel the galaxy without need of starships, that type of utopia would have been beautiful. Then I would have an ending where if your EMS is low enough you would only make it to a certain point before the Reapers stop you, thus the cycle continues. I like that idea as it fits into the concept of fatalism and repeating cycles that plays thought the series. Thirdly I like the idea of all synthetic and organic life being wiped out through some sort of misfire from the Crucible, not sure how it would work out. But the idea of starting over on a fresh slate is an interesting one
I hope when they say Dragons will be a long term adversary and goal that are no easy feat to beat that means we will have to work in stages to weaken and diminish the dragon's advantages to force it down to fight on our terms and not just have a big battle that you brute force attack. I want dragons to be this unseen menace that you're always leery of coming down and toasting your ass because you can't just run up to it and whack it with a sword.
In previous DA games dragons never really seemed to play a big role, sure they were there, but never seemed to have a strong presence. By "unseen menace" I hope the dragons have some sort of learning curve of sorts to them, like they may watch your moments and wait for the opportune moment to strike, stuff like that. Skyrim did it all wrong, dragons just appeared at random for no reason at all and none of them had any personality. Furthermore they were all pretty weak, nothing more disheartening than tracking down a dragon only to have it killed by a troll or giant.
At anyrate I'm really looking forward to DA3, I hope they just don't focus on the mage/templar conflict and the presence of demons from the Fade. From Dragon Age 2 it was hinted at a possible conflict coming from a boarder dispute between Ferelden and Orlais, I think it was. And along side that DA strongly hinted at a growing Qunari presence. I really hope they focus on those subjects also, I mean it really sounds like the whole world is on the brink of total war it would be disappointing for it to be otherwise.
I felt like Bioware wrote themselves into a corner since the first game by making the Reapers out to be such god like beings. They made that pedestal so high, and the expectations so unrealistic that when it came to the delivery and resolution they under delivered. Some of the themes in Mass Effect worked really well with the ending, but everything with the Starchild and the Crucible broke before the final cut-scenes broke that suspension of disbelief through that silly exposition.
I've always been of the opinion that the Reapers just should have stayed bogeymen. Not everything needs to be explained. But that's done and gone.
In previous DA games dragons never really seemed to play a big role, sure they were there, but never seemed to have a strong presence. By "unseen menace" I hope the dragons have some sort of learning curve of sorts to them, like they may watch your moments and wait for the opportune moment to strike, stuff like that. Skyrim did it all wrong, dragons just appeared at random for no reason at all and none of them had any personality. Furthermore they were all pretty weak, nothing more disheartening than tracking down a dragon only to have it killed by a troll or giant.
At anyrate I'm really looking forward to DA3, I hope they just don't focus on the mage/templar conflict and the presence of demons from the Fade. From Dragon Age 2 it was hinted at a possible conflict coming from a boarder dispute between Ferelden and Orlais, I think it was. And along side that DA strongly hinted at a growing Qunari presence. I really hope they focus on those subjects also, I mean it really sounds like the whole world is on the brink of total war it would be disappointing for it to be otherwise.
Skyrim was definitely over saturated with dragons. They were cool at first, but after killing your 20th dragon is was kind of lame, especially because they all acted the same and really were not much of a challenge. So I too hope that in DAI they are a bit more clever and reserved, striking at opportune moments and then disappearing. Having a distinct personality and style to each one as well will make their encounters much more interesting and diverse. I wouldn't mind having to talk with locals to discover habits or traits in order to gather useful information to help combat the dragon. Failing to properly learn about your prey and planning out your attack should result in your getting royally obliterated. A guy with a big sword and mage with a few good spells shouldn't be able to take a dragon head on.
As for the plot of the game, mages vs templars will play a big role no doubt, but so will the civil war in Orlais and probably the biggest issue will be the tear in the veil. I'm sure there will be a number of other sub plots. I again hope for a Kal-Sharok story, reconnecting with Orzammar or coming to blows with them. Maybe some issues with elves and reclaiming the Dales since Orlais in disarray. With the scope of the game covering more of Thedas than ever before there are certainly a great deal of options at hand to provide interesting sub plots and side stories.
If I remember right, one of the developers did cite ME3's Galactic Readiness when asked about the possibility of an online aspect to Dragon Age: Inquisition. I really, really hope they stay far away from that GR concept. Being forced to play the multiplayer in order to attain the 'best' ending for the game was an obnoxious feature.
That aside, the keep customization looks fantastic! Really curious to see how big of a role the keeps would play in DA:I. What are the consequences of having a keep that's devoted to commerce vs military? How big of an impact would it have on the game? et cetera, et cetera.
The demo really has surprised me with it's animations. The running, walking, stopping, going up/down hills, through mud and combat. It all looks so good, how on earth did Bioware, of all studios, manage to nail animations so well?
To the first part that would be fine with me if they don't make it the only way to achieve those goals. Let it help and play a part but don't have it lock out content or be the only means to do things.
Something like making defenses of keeps weaker, or reduce enemy troop strength. Noticeable affects but not something that is integral to the game's outcome.
As for the second, I'm sure we will have a big finale with great spectacle and gravity. I doubt we will solve every problem in the world, there will always be something to lead into the next game, most likely another blight and the return of the Warden.
I really hope BioWare can prove with DAI that they still know how to end a game well since their last few games haven't done such a hot job with that.
I hope when they say Dragons will be a long term adversary and goal that are no easy feat to beat that means we will have to work in stages to weaken and diminish the dragon's advantages to force it down to fight on our terms and not just have a big battle that you brute force attack. I want dragons to be this unseen menace that you're always leery of coming down and toasting your ass because you can't just run up to it and whack it with a sword.
You have to learn about that specific dragon, its strengths and weaknesses, and use the terrain and technology to your advantage. Stuff like roped ballistas to try and ground it, nets too and things like damaging it's wings and other purposeful attacks and strikes to whittle down the dragon's extraordinary abilities that we could never overcome in a straight up fight. A dragon should never just sit on the ground letting itself get whacked again and again by swords and axes and arrows when it can just fly off and set everything around it on fire.
Remember one key difference between this demo and all previous games. Dragons didn't have any ariel capabilities last time. In this one, they can attack from the skies I think?
Remember one key difference between this demo and all previous games. Dragons didn't have any ariel capabilities last time. In this one, they can attack from the skies I think?
Ohh for sure, I mean they kind of hovered at times in DAO and DAII and hopped around, but yeah they were totally flightless and just big tanks for the most part. But flight alone cannot be used to make them interesting, Skyrim showed that is boring. They need to have good AI that makes them clever and tricky enemies with extraordinary capabilities, not simply enemies with a lot of hit points.
I want to feel like I outsmarted a dragon, not just out muscled him.
Joke post? I don't understand these types of comparisons because they aren't the least bit comparable. It's one extreme example vs another extreme example of two conversations that aren't even remotely similar.
Dragons could use the terrain more. We need dragons in the sand, water, caves, snow and swamps. Would be neat if all of them had their own designs based off their environments. I would like to see more physics, but this game looks phenomenal.
