Support NeoGAF

[Patryn]

When I'm playing Mass Effect I don't really want to feel like I am Shepard. I want the Shepard I created to be his own character.

Agreed. But I also felt that my Warden was his own character.

I never can think of myself "as" the character I'm playing.

 

[manfestival]

It is a pretty cool dodge-roll!

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

 

[shinobi602]

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

You can play and pause the game fully in tactical view like Origins, all the way through if you choose.

 

[WanderingWind]

Indeed. I enjoy both personally. Some of my favorite RPGs had silent protagonists.

I think this is a false dichotomy though. The choice isn't silent protagonist or 3 options on a conversation wheel. DA:O just happened to have a silent protagonist. There is literally nothing stopping them from having the 6-8 dialogue options and having them voiced. People say VA is expensive, well, so is marketing, asset creation and every other aspect of the development. Having a voiced protagonist when everybody else has voiced dialogue that changed based on your branching dialogue can't be so exorbitant that it's impossible.

 

[LastNac]

I get your angle but it doesn't bother me personally. For me, it enhances the vicariousness of it. I'm pretending to be someone else, so when I hear a strong, masculine voice come from Shepard, it helps complete the fantasy/idea that I'm a strong hero type whom people respect and follow.

I'm not saying it bothers me, just that it doesn't feel like an RPG in the sense that I'm not playing the role. Shepard is his own character, defined as such. So is Hawke.

I dont think I am assuming the role of someone else as much as I am pouring myself into that character. I am not "Him", but I still feel he is more of an extension of me more than Shepard. KotOR was the most immersive game I had played to that point and I think the fact that I wasn't hearing someone else's voice was a huge part of it.

 

[Patryn]

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

At this point I think I'm eagerly waiting to see the combat tutorial videos that they'll inevitably release.

I just hope they give some focus to the Rogue. I feel like they spent the majority of their time on the first two games working on the Mage, and this time they look to be focusing on the Warrior, but I always play Rogue.

I've also come to terms with the realization that Backstab will again be an active ability instead of a passive ability based on positioning.

 

[Nirolak]

I think this is a false dichotomy though. The choice isn't silent protagonist or 3 options on a conversation wheel. DA:O just happened to have a silent protagonist. There is literally nothing stopping them from having the 6-8 dialogue options and having them voice. People say VA is expensive, well, so is marketing, asset creation and every other aspect of the development. Having a voiced protagonist when everybody else has voiced dialogue that changed based on your branching dialogue can't be so exorbitant that it's impossible.

Given that Bethesda was casting a player for the intro to Fallout 4, we might see what they do with their system and a fully voiced approach.

 

[anexanhume]

I'm not saying it bothers me, just that it doesn't feel like an RPG in the sense that I'm not playing the role. Shepard is his own character, defined as such. So is Hawke.

I dont think I am assuming the role of someone else as much as I am pouring myself into that character. I am not "Him", but I still feel he is more of an extension of me more than Shepard. KotOR was the most immersive game I had played to that point and I think the fact that I wasn't hearing someone else's voice was a huge part of it.

In KoTOR, he does that gentle head swaying and expressions and I just felt like "Damn, I am confused ALL the time."

 

[LastNac]

In KoTOR, he does that gentle head swaying and expressions and I just felt like "Damn, I am confused ALL the time."

I took it as being thoughtful.

 

[shinobi602]

I'm not saying it bothers me, just that it doesn't feel like an RPG in the sense that I'm not playing the role. Shepard is his own character, defined as such. So is Hawke.

I dont think I am assuming the role of someone else as much as I am pouring myself into that character. I am not "Him", but I still feel he is more of an extension of me more than Shepard. KotOR was the most immersive game I had played to that point and I think the fact that I wasn't hearing someone else's voice was a huge part of it.

I can understand your viewpoint even though I don't share it

I also didn't like how my character's face just looked so blank and off into space when in conversations in DA:O. Bothered me lol.

 

[The Smoking Bun]

Is it really your character at that point, though?

Mass Effect was fine in that I felt like a puppeteer, but I never felt like I was Shepard.

KotOR, Jade Empire, and Origins made me feel more immersed because I felt like that character was a vessel for me in that world. Its far more immersive to read the actual lines(as they are delivered and not paraphrased) silently and know how they would be delivered, my inflections and well. Kind of jarring to pick something I would say and theni nstead of hearing nothing at all, hear someone else's voice.


Takes me out of the moment personally.

Kind of hope the silent protagonist would return.

I am sorry but I just have to roll my eyes at statements such as those. Problem is that Bioware writing tends to be banal and very simple, they play it safe. If you had more snappy, varied dialogue spoken by well rounded characters I doubt this would be an issue. I can save the world as a noble warrior only so many times before falling asleep. Bioware games need more spice and I don't mean the classic Bioware route of "MAKE ALL EVIL DECISIONS BE STUPID INSTEAD OF MANIPULATIVE"

 

[SCHUEY F1]

I can understand your viewpoint even though I don't share it

I also didn't like how my character's face just looked so blank and off into space when in conversations in DA:O. Bothered me lol.

I'm with you, much prefer my character voiced.

 

[manfestival]

You can play and pause the game fully in tactical view like Origins, all the way through if you choose.

There REALLY needs to be more clarification from the devs about this. Since everything I have seen is more DA2 than there is lead to believe. Yes there might be a pause but im finding myself really skeptical of how this is gonna play out.

At this point I think I'm eagerly waiting to see the combat tutorial videos that they'll inevitably release.

I just hope they give some focus to the Rogue. I feel like they spent the majority of their time on the first two games working on the Mage, and this time they look to be focusing on the Warrior, but I always play Rogue.

I've also come to terms with the realization that Backstab will again be an active ability instead of a passive ability based on positioning.

Yeah, I really want to see this too. I just think bioware is scared to release information in the more traditional route considering the hostility they receive in all press releases.

 

[anexanhume]

I am sorry but I just have to roll my eyes at statements such as those. Problem is that Bioware writing tends to be banal and very simple, they play it safe. If you had more snappy, varied dialogue spoken by well rounded characters I doubt this would be an issue. I can save the world as a noble warrior only so many times before falling asleep. Bioware games need more spice and I don't mean the classic Bioware route of "MAKE ALL EVIL DECISIONS BE STUPID INSTEAD OF MANIPULATIVE"

Dragon Age has more ambiguous choices. There's a lot of times in DA2 where I felt like there was no best resolution to the situation.

And I will never get tired of saving the world. Anything less in an RPG where you level so much and get really powerful just feels wrong to me.

There REALLY needs to be more clarification from the devs about this. Since everything I have seen is more DA2 than there is lead to believe. Yes there might be a pause but im finding myself really skeptical of how this is gonna play out.

Yeah, I really want to see this too. I just think bioware is scared to release information in the more traditional route considering the hostility they receive in all press releases.

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xJMWRI-cA

 

[Valnen]

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

I'd actually prefer Bioware go more for the action RPG route these days. They're better at it than they are with more traditional RPG combat systems. This is evident by how much better combat feels in ME2 and ME3 than ME1.

 

[shinobi602]

There REALLY needs to be more clarification from the devs about this. Since everything I have seen is more DA2 than there is lead to believe. Yes there might be a pause but im finding myself really skeptical of how this is gonna play out.

If you want, watch the gameplay video starting at 18:10 through 24:20:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xJMWRI-cA&t=18m10s

You can literally let the action play out like in Origins or switch and take direct control like DA2.

 

[manfestival]

I'd actually prefer Bioware go more for the action RPG route these days. They're better at it than they are with more traditional RPG combat systems. This is evident by how much better combat feels in ME2 and ME3 than ME1.

I think it worked out for ME because the game was just more action rpg from the get go. Mass effect 2 was fantastic and its action felt better to me than it did in me3 but thats a conversation for another day. DAO never felt like action rpg for me and the switch to more action over strategy was pretty polarizing and felt odd and cheapening to the experience for me.

If you want, watch the gameplay video starting at 18:10 through 24:20:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xJMWRI-cA&t=18m10s

You can literally let the action play out like in Origins are switch and take direct control like DA2.

It looks pretty but something is off about it to me. I guess I just want to see it from a pc perspective and not console perspective. My only experience of it was on pc and I never played up close. Probably some "nostalgia goggles" kicking in for me but I still need more to be sure I guess

 

[Staf]

If you want, watch the gameplay video starting at 18:10 through 24:20:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xJMWRI-cA&t=18m10s

You can literally let the action play out like in Origins or switch and take direct control like DA2.

Ok, now that looks much better. And if they let me stay in isometric view and control things like that on the console i might even get it on console if i get it at all. Still, the guessing game that is the dialogue system is a huge problem for me.

 

[The Dutch Slayer]

I do not trust EA to make this right but dammmmm it looks really good I can agree on that.

 

[bigboss370]

Looks like TW3 will murder DA3 in therms of graphics...

let's not get carried away...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xJMWRI-cA

 

[Some Nobody]

Is it really your character at that point, though?

Mass Effect was fine in that I felt like a puppeteer, but I never felt like I was Shepard.

KotOR, Jade Empire, and Origins made me feel more immersed because I felt like that character was a vessel for me in that world. Its far more immersive to read the actual lines(as they are delivered and not paraphrased) silently and know how they would be delivered, my inflections and well. Kind of jarring to pick something I would say and theni nstead of hearing nothing at all, hear someone else's voice.


Takes me out of the moment personally.

Kind of hope the silent protagonist would return.

I was wondering who was actually asking for this. I swear every time I play an RPG where the only character without a voice is my own I feel like chucking my controller through a window.

 

[infinityBCRT]

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

As others have mentioned, you can play this game like DA:O. Just hoping they add controller support so I can decide which way I want to play. I played through DA:O on PC, but part way through DA2 I really just wish I was playing the console version because I want to comfy couch it.

 

[LastNac]

I am sorry but I just have to roll my eyes at statements such as those. Problem is that Bioware writing tends to be banal and very simple, they play it safe. If you had more snappy, varied dialogue spoken by well rounded characters I doubt this would be an issue. I can save the world as a noble warrior only so many times before falling asleep. Bioware games need more spice and I don't mean the classic Bioware route of "MAKE ALL EVIL DECISIONS BE STUPID INSTEAD OF MANIPULATIVE"

Obsidisn certainly offered a better script, but I'm going to always love your exchanges with Jolee.

"I hate you, old man."

But what does that have to do with what's in bold?

 

[LastNac]

I can understand your viewpoint even though I don't share it

I also didn't like how my character's face just looked so blank and off into space when in conversations in DA:O. Bothered me lol.

I cared about what was being said, not how the face says it.

But I think voiced certainly works with Mass Effect and DA2, because frankly those aren't your characters, not really atleast. From the beginning, BioWare made it a point to give them a definitive face, class, and voice. So yeah, they seemed RPG like in the sense that there were skills, and morality, but I only ever feel like I was a puppet master.

I am not saying that there is something completely transitive about no VO. The real world isn't shattered and I'm not engulfed "Never Ending Story" style. So I guess in that sense, that character is certainly not me and I'm not him. But the silent Protag still feels more my character because I'm not constantly reminded by someone else's voice that he isnt. Or the fact that my speech choice ends up being parsphrased in ways I wouldn't have wanted to say it either. There still seems to be a better sense of ownership.


They should at least offer the choice to toggle it on or off.

 

[Gvaz]

I'd actually prefer Bioware go more for the action RPG route these days. They're better at it than they are with more traditional RPG combat systems. This is evident by how much better combat feels in ME2 and ME3 than ME1.

Are you kidding me?

I'd rather have full on rpg ala KOTOR than ME3's implementation of a clunky gears of war implimentation. It'd frequently frustrate me.

Also their harder difficulties just inflate hp. Another thing I didn't like is that headshots should be ohko always, but no, on insanity it's just plink plink plink. or you get to do slightly more damage.

From that recent video it looks pretty and i suppose more streamlined but I don't care about those things.

I just want DAO with DAI graphics :| This looks basically like a hack and slash with "xp and loot". Not what I come to dragon age for.

 

[Some Nobody]

I see that they stuck with more of the dragon age 2 approach and are making this game more like kingdom of amalur.

Welp the last few bits of hype I had for this game are starting to deflate. Here is to hoping they stop being so careful and release information so either I can stop caring or begin to actually get hype

I can only hope this is true. DAO's battle system was irritating.

 

[Deified Data]

This might not be a total pile.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Bioware has tricked me with their amazing concept art before.

Matt Rhodes claims the in-game version surpasses the art. Hope this isn't a "visually super-hot" moment.

 

[The Silver]

It is a pretty cool dodge-roll!

I'm currently playing Dragon's Dogma, that gif aint shit.

 

[gogosox8]

Looking really good. Seems like this game is on the right track it won't be another DA2 (even though I liked DA2 more than most). This and Dark Souls 2 are probably my two most anticipated games this year.

 

[Gvaz]

I can only hope this is true. DAO's battle system was irritating.

DAO's battle system was a love letter to those who wanted planescape torment in today times. It wasn't for you.

It is a pretty cool dodge-roll!

If this would be any other game my response would be "that's neat".

Unfortunately it isn't. That kind of combat system is okay if we're talking about like, kingdoms of amalur or divinity 2, but they are far away from the combat systems like DAO or Project eternity.

DA is supposed to basically be Project Eternity but from bioware with convos. For now it's looking like project eternity will be the good game and DAI will just end up being the final nail in the IP's coffin (in terms of that kind of gameplay at least). Sad and disappointing.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Something about DA2 just felt bafflingly insincere to me and I have never been able to really figure it out.

I hope Inquisition does not suffer in the same way.

 

[N7Commander95]

It's currently my most anticipated game, so that means GIF TIME

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

This game could be BioWare's great equalizer. Make it or break it time.

They have a lot to prove with this game.

It's looking promising for sure, but gameplay and story is where they should focus more on.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I'm currently playing Dragon's Dogma, that gif aint shit.

To be fair, expecting a company that has always had mediocre-at-best animation to shoot up to Capcom tier is pretty unfair. Not saying much, but DA:I will probably at least have the best animation of any Bioware game so far.

If they managed to get DD quality animation I would freak.

So good.

 

[bigboss370]

Matt Rhodes claims the in-game version surpasses the art. Hope this isn't a "visually super-hot" moment.

"The ultimate hope for a concept artist is for the final in-game art to surpass its concept art. That has definitely the case with this image. Come Inquisition’s release, I think everyone will agree that the in-game version makes this image look restrained and quaint. "

aww yiss

 

[Yondy604]

if the animations is on par with dogma, this game will succeed.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

"In places untouched by the feet of Man, in shadows unspoiled by the fires of Right."

Holy crap, we're going to the Donarks? They really are trying to make this super epic.

 

[Gvaz]

Will we be able to walk in water and not run into inexplicable invisible walls and/or die? I'd honestly rather have that than better animations. Those are just a plus.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Will we be able to walk in water and not run into inexplicable invisible walls and/or die? I'd honestly rather have that than better animations. Those are just a plus.

It's not especially good looking, but yeah you can walk in shallow water.

Though that's a really superficial feature compared to good animation, especially if this game is more actiony than the others.

 

[hateradio]

Saving for a new PC. Oh yes.

Spoiler

Once I get a job in the summer.

 

[Mulgrok]

Given that Bethesda was casting a player for the intro to Fallout 4, we might see what they do with their system and a fully voiced approach.

You make me fear for what BGS will further butcher with the series...

 

[Gvaz]

It's not especially good looking, but yeah you can walk in shallow water.

Though that's a really superficial feature compared to good animation, especially if this game is more actiony than the others.

It's bioware, so my faith that they will have good animation is fairly non-existent.

 

[Staf]

It's bioware, so my faith that they will have good animation is fairly non-existent.

And to be honest you don't really play these kinds of games for their beautiful graphics and animations, at least i don't.

 

[Sioen]

This game looks so good, absolutely can't wait for this to release.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

And to be honest you don't really play these kinds of games for their beautiful graphics and animations, at least i don't.

I dunno about going there for the beauty, but I thought Origins looked better than DA2 in its own way. It was charmingly specific about how it wanted to look.

 

[Stimpack]

This looks a lot better than the last one.

 

[Cameron122]

I am getting hype

SOMEONE RESTRAIN ME I HAVE GOTTEN HYPE

 

[Gillian Seed]

This game looks to be right up my alley. That Gif with the Dragon swooping down is amazing!

 

[AndrewPL]

I felt like Dragon Age1 was like a continuation of Baldurs gate and Icewind dale, I really liked it!.
DA: Inquisition looks more like DA2/ Mass Effect than it does Dragon agerigins/ Baldurs gate.

pretty disappointed, I don't think I'll end up getting it day1 but will prolly pick it up cheaply like I did with Dragon Age2