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[Enduin]

Maybe fast travel shown in the demo is for between area's and mounts are good for within an area.

Which works good late in a game when you have cleared out area's

Well in the demo it was definitely within the same area, they went from Redcliffe Village to a campsite all within the Hinterlands. I think it's whatever way you prefer, on foot, on mount or fast travel, but I'm betting mounts are mostly aimed at traveling between fast travel points to areas of the map that you didn't explore the first time through or need to return to for a quest or some such event and no immediate fast travel point is an option. Which also greatly depends on what locations are fast travelable.

I highly doubt we'll see TES levels of fast travel access,rather judging by the map in the demo they be very limited, with only the major towns, camps and keeps that you control or are friendly to you being fast travelable, leaving large areas inbetween where you have to travel on foot or mount.

 

[K.Sabot]

I... he... huh... what is Sonic doing there?

Because the way that blurb was written, he might as well be a sonic fan character.

 

[wolfhowwl]

While they've done some questionable things in the past the writers have specifically stated a number of times that characters won't return unless there is good reason to do so within the story and not simply to pander to fans. Gaider especially spoke against this, noting Oghren in Awakening as the last time he gave into fans request for a returning character.

It's for similar reasons Cole isn't a romance option and why the other companions have set sexual orientations this time around.

Yet fangirl darling Cullen is back and is a romance option as well. We'll see I guess.

Although in fairness to the Dragon Age team, most of the egregious pandering was on the Mass Effect side. That series probably deserves to be among the worst when it comes to fan pandering.

 

[Enduin]

Yet fangirl darling Cullen is back and is a romance option as well. We'll see I guess.

Although in fairness to the Dragon Age team, most of the egregious pandering was on the Mass Effect side. That series probably deserves to be among the worst when it comes to fan pandering.

I've never been a fan of Cullen, and was quite adamant about not wanting him to be a full companion when that was still up in the air, so I can't say I'm thrilled he's a major part of DAI, but I'm not convinced his inclusion is pandering just yet.

If he sucks still and provides no plausible and worthwhile reason for being in the Inquisition and the main military adviser to the organization then yeah I'll call foul, but the same can be said of Varrick or even Cole at this point since they don't appear to have any reason to return at this point.

ME is a different beast altogether, lots of it was justified, but there was plenty of totally unnecessary shit put into those games.

And I would be more than happy if the return of Cullen was the most blatant act of pandering in the game. There's far worse things that could happen, like fucking Tallis returning with the god awful Felicia Day. Now that was some terrible pandering.

 

[Renekton]

Yet fangirl darling Cullen is back and is a romance option as well. We'll see I guess.

Although in fairness to the Dragon Age team, most of the egregious pandering was on the Mass Effect side. That series probably deserves to be among the worst when it comes to fan pandering.

Well I think there is nothing wrong with giving what fans want, as long as it doesn't go into creepy territory (subjective).

They don't give everything though, like there is no Krogan squadmate in ME3

 

[JohnGrimm]

They don't give everything though, like there is no Krogan squadmate in ME3

But we get to play as a Qunari in DA:I, which like their version of the Krogan.

 

[Enduin]

But we get to play as a Qunari in DA:I, which like their version of the Krogan.

Yeah, but that's a good thing. We want devs to give into those kinds of fan requests. Also while I love the Krogan they pale in comparison to the Qunari in terms of depth and originality. Krogan are just big lizardy versions of the Mandalorians from KotoR. Badasses who live to fight and bit off more than they could chew. Genophage did add some nice complexity to them though. The Qunari though have a much richer culture and motivations beyond "we like fighting a lot." I hope one day we will actually be able to visit a Qunari settlement and not only ever see the military side of them.

 

[Currygan]

please let him be like Marvin from Hitchhiker's guide

I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed.

ahahah genius man, genius

 

[Renekton]

Yeah, but that's a good thing. We want devs to give into those kinds of fan requests. Also while I love the Krogan they pale in comparison to the Qunari in terms of depth and originality. Krogan are just big lizardy versions of the Mandalorians from KotoR. Badasses who live to fight and bit off more than they could chew. Genophage did add some nice complexity to them though. The Qunari though have a much richer culture and motivations beyond "we like fighting a lot." I hope one day we will actually be able to visit a Qunari settlement and not only ever see the military side of them.

Thou shalt pay for this blasphemy!!

Come to think of it, Iron Bull seems a bit like Wrex v2.

 

[Enduin]

Thou shalt pay for this blasphemy!!

Come to think of it, Iron Bull seems a bit like Wrex v2.

Well it's the truth. Krogan are great, but all they have going for them is their gruff demeanor, somewhat interesting physiology and existential dilemma due to the genophage. Otherwise they're stock warrior culture with little else going on.

Qunari appear to be the same at first, but there are continual glimmers of a much deeper and richer culture beyond the militaristic front we see. They appear to have a more advanced and highly successful and harmonious society back in their home lands. Though they aren't without issue due to things like the Saarebas and Tal-Vashoth, not to mention groups like the Ben-Hassrath.

But that's just on the broad spectrum, individually though Krogan can be just as interesting or more so than Qunari. Wrex was a fantastic character with great development, so if The Iron Bull does take after him I can think of much worse characters he could emulate and few better.

 

[Enduin]

Joy to the world Dorian is officially revealed:

Being from a proud bloodline of the Tevinter Imperium has its advantages: Dorian was born with a flair for magic that made him the envy of his peers. He is charming and confident, his wit as sharp as any blade, and if some suggest his manner cocky, it could be attributed to being a powerful mage in a land where mages rule. Indeed, Dorian would be the pride of his family—if he didn't oppose everything his homeland has come to stand for. He wears the labels of "pariah" and "outcast" proudly, knowing that views of the Imperium are unlikely to change until and unless someone of his ability stands up to make a difference.

Also David Gaider said that Dorian has a British accent, which you can kind of hear in some of the E3 vids, but he VO is East Indian so it's not a pure British accent.

 

[Philippo]

Ugh, there already are more interisting characters than my party can handle :/

 

[spatenfloot]

Joy to the world is officially revealed:

Also David Gaider said that Dorian has a British accent, which you can kind of hear in some of the E3 vids, but he VO is East Indian so it's not a pure British accent.

They need to look at The Order screenshots to see how next gen mustaches should look.

The characters don't seem that appealing so far. Hopefully they'll grow on me.

 

[BananasWithGuns]

Yeah, not really digging his look at all. I suppose it's going to end up like the other recent BioWare games where there's only 3 or 4 party members I actually like.

So far the only ones that seem appealing to me are Cassandra, Varric and Sera. Iron Bull could be cool too. The rest are just...meh.

Also the spell effects they've shown so far are incredible looking. They did a hell of a job with those.

 

[Enduin]

They need to look at The Order screenshots to see how next gen mustaches should look.

The characters don't seem that appealing so far. Hopefully they'll grow on me.

Frostbite, and or BioWare, is not so hot when it comes to hair unfortunately. Plus this is cross-gen so that's probably a factor in some ways.

I'm actually pretty happy with our companions so far. I have a feeling I will be swapping out companions far more often than I have in the past, but I'm inclined to say that I'll probably run with Dorian, Sera and Cassandra the most but I'll be swapping in Vivienne, Varrick, Blackwall and Iron Bull a lot. Cole and Solas are the only ones I feel less inclined to at this point.

 

[Ralemont]

Excited to hear an inside perspective on Tevinter. Since it's often described by people outside the country it often sounds like a country where Voldemort killed Harry and all his peeps took over the land. Hopefully Dorian can add more nuance the way that DA2 did for the Qunari.

 

[tringworldso]

So is the 2nd choice voice acting for the female/male VA going to be American or another European-English accent?

 

[Enduin]

So is the 2nd choice voice acting for the female/male VA going to be American or another European-English accent?

They said they will be American and British accents for English VA. We know of the British Female VA already, waiting on the American female and both male variants.

 

[shinobi602]

They need to look at The Order screenshots to see how next gen mustaches should look.

Heh, let's cut them some slack, one's a huge semi-open world on top of being cross-gen while the other is quite linear with a heavy focus on visuals and cinematics.

 

[Ridesh]

Characters look great in some pic and not so much in others.

But I have to admit that I'm liking almost all of them, in concept at least.

I think I'm gonna roll with a sword and shield human male + The Iron Bull + Dorian + Cole.

 

[Enduin]

Cocky, I hope he's got a dry sense of humor and is slightly sarcastic and cynical.

 

[anexanhume]

Nice to finally hear more about Freddie Mercury Dorian.

 

[hateradio]

Joy to the world Dorian is officially revealed:

Also David Gaider said that Dorian has a British accent, which you can kind of hear in some of the E3 vids, but he VO is East Indian so it's not a pure British accent.

That mustache looks terribad. They should just remove it since it doesn't even blend at all.

Shop looks better. Now if they could get rid of that theatrical mascara . . .

 

[K.Sabot]

Looks like a Raul Julia Gomez Addams tryhard with the mustache on.

Better without it.

Also would it kill bioware to write a character that doesn't wear their personality on their sleeve?

 

[Darmik]

Is there any word on what the Xbox One DLC stuff will entail? I believe it's a timed exclusive sort of thing right? I wonder how long until it releases on the other platforms. I have both PS4 and Xbox One so I'm still deciding with version I should go with.

 

[wolfhowwl]

Is there any word on what the Xbox One DLC stuff will entail? I believe it's a timed exclusive sort of thing right? I wonder how long until it releases on the other platforms. I have both PS4 and Xbox One so I'm still deciding with version I should go with.

I believe it is for 30 days and it will be story DLC like Lair of the Shadowbroker.

 

[Tsukumo]

Major fail.
He looks like a joke character made for a youtube playthrough.
I don't know what's the deal with the character designer, but this mustache guy looks like shit and it doubles down the nonsense goatee on a goat-damn Qunari. Makes them both look like asses, and these are the two characters who are supposed to be the most threatening: a qunari elite soldier and a tevinter mage.
WTF!

 

[Ridesh]

Major fail.
He looks like a joke character made for a youtube playthrough.
I don't know what's the deal with the character designer, but this mustache guy looks like shit and it doubles down the nonsense goatee on a goat-damn Qunari. Makes them both look like asses, and these are the two characters who are supposed to be the most threatening: a qunari elite soldier and a tevinter mage.
WTF!

What

The Iron Bull looks amazing

Like in the Mass Effect series, the non-human characters look the best.

 

[Enduin]

I like Dorian's facial hair, the only problem is that it's all perfectly black. They need to add in some gradation to it so it doesn't look so fake, like John Travolta's fake hair and dye job. The hair on Dorian's head is also perfectly black, but the sides of his head are shaved and the stubble provides that needed variation to balance it.

Also the eyeliner is fine to me too, there's plenty of ethnic groups that have very dark eyelashes and waterlines, especially if he's modeled after his apparent East Indian VO, cause he certainly has that darker complexion. Plus dudes using eyeliner was an acceptable and prominent thing in many cultures throughout history.

I don't like the Iron Bull's look though, I don't mind the particulars of his face and such, but his horns are way too fucking big compared to his tiny and extremely narrow head. The proportions are just way off for my liking.

 

[Gestahl]

Everytime I see a character quote from this game I die a little inside

People are being paid to write these

 

[Green Card]

That mustache is terrible. Replace it with a light beard and he will be the first character I might like in this game.

Full disclosure - I am an Indian man with a beard =p

Everytime I see a character quote from this game I die a little inside

People are being paid to write these

I know, right? 95% of RPGs have shit writing and they are the ones that focus on the story.

 

[Kuse]

So...probably 3 or 4 characters that people will actually like...ugh....

Why you do this Bioware? Diversity?

 

[hateradio]

I also really dislike how they try to portray certain characters as "badass." Dudes, this is an RPG, cut it out.

Let me decide who's a "baddass" or just bad.

Also would it kill bioware to write a character that doesn't wear their personality on their sleeve?

Modern BW? Actually, I believe it would.

 

[shinobi602]

So...probably 3 or 4 characters that people will actually like...ugh....

Why you do this Bioware? Diversity?

Can we play the game first before jumping to immediate conclusions like this?

 

[SamuelSupreme]

Can someone please confirm a couple of things for me?


Is that Black Mage a Romance option?

Can I finally make a TRUE BLACK MALE in Dragon Age? It always annoyed me that my Hawke and Grey Warden just looked like very Tan white guys. Why can't a brother get some love Bioware?

 

[Enduin]

Can someone please confirm a couple of things for me?


Is that Black Mage a Romance option?

Can I finally make a TRUE BLACK MALE in Dragon Age? It always annoyed me that my Hawke and Grey Warden just looked like very Tan white guys. Why can't a brother get some love Bioware?

No real info on either. Though given the fact that Vivienne is very much black and not just really tan the CC should be able to accommodate actual black looking characters, but don't hold me to it.

 

[hateradio]

Since Vivienne is part of the cast, I'm sure they have better skin tones than previously.

edit: Beat

 

[Renekton]

That mustache looks terribad. They should just remove it since it doesn't even blend at all.

Shop looks better. Now if they could get rid of that theatrical mascara . . .

That's... worse

Edit: Looks like fking Jayce from League of Legends.

 

[SamuelSupreme]

Since Vivienne is part of the cast, I'm sure they have better skin tones than previously.

edit: Beat

Thank you guys!

Honestly it sounds like I'm nitpicking but you'd be surprised how much of an immersion breaker that is for me for the first couple of hours. Never understood why I could be Black in ME but not in DA and DA came after ME

 

[Leb]

Each new character byline is more embarrassing than the last. I sincerely hope that those blurbs are being written by the marketing people and not by anyone actually on the project.

 

[K.Sabot]

Each new character byline is more embarrassing than the last. I sincerely hope that those blurbs are being written by the marketing people and not by anyone actually on the project.

If Evilore doesn't do the OP, and those bylines aren't used to great comedic effect I would be sorely disappointed.

 

[Ridesh]

Imagine this kind of marketing for the ME2 characters. It would have been even more over the top.

Best cast of characters of the past generation.

 

[wolfhowwl]

I also really dislike how they try to portray certain characters as "badass." Dudes, this is an RPG, cut it out.

Let me decide who's a "baddass" or just bad.


Modern BW? Actually, I believe it would.

What do you mean by modern BioWare?

 

[anexanhume]

Imagine this kind of marketing for the ME2 characters. It would have been even more over the top.

Best cast of characters of the past generation.

It's how Jack was marketed. In fact, I think individual companion marketing started with ME2 and it's all been incredibly cheesy and over the top since then.

 

[Enduin]

If Evilore doesn't do the OP, and those bylines aren't used to great comedic effect I would be sorely disappointed.

It is a tradition, but if he doesn't I would be willing to. I even have a title in mind:

Dragon Age: Inquisition |OT| Escape from Shit Mountain

 

[Laughing Banana]

I wonder whether to just buy the PS3 version or to wait later on after I buy a PS4.....

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

...
They seem to go with "personality and uniqueness" direction with these quotes, which is a bad idea in general because if not handled carefully would easily become cringeworty, exaggerated bastardization of the character.

Contrast it with similar promotional materials from Final Fantasy IX which instead went with "theme and arc" with less offending results.

Well that, and the fact that FF9 is mostly a lighthearted coming-of-age story, while Dragon Age is aiming more for that gritty and badass route which is more prone to the cringe pitfalls.

 

[Enduin]

...
They seem to go with "personality and uniqueness" direction with these quotes, which is a bad idea in general because if not handled carefully would easily become cringeworty, exaggerated bastardization of the character.

Contrast it with similar promotional materials from Final Fantasy IX which instead went with "theme and arc" with less offending results.



Well that, and the fact that FF9 is mostly a lighthearted coming-of-age story, while Dragon Age is aiming more for that gritty and badass route which is more prone to the cringe pitfalls.

That's a good analysis and comparison. I think they're simply trying to convey too much in such tiny blurbs, which I'm also beginning to feel with each one are lines crafted for said images and not simply lines pulled from the game since they do seem to be trying to encapsulate so much in one or two lines.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Water is wet.

Hmmm.

What characters will be the romance options for male PC? Have we got a confirmation on this yet?

 

[shinobi602]

It is a tradition, but if he doesn't I would be willing to. I even have a title in mind:

Dragon Age: Inquisition |OT| Escape from Shit Mountain

I already signed up for the OP a while ago with some assistance from Dawg and Doffen, but we're always open for input