Qistina

The narrative, in any shape or form, is a very important element in a role-playing game but it's not the "backbone", it's not what makes the genre unique. The core of a role-playing game is in the name of the genre itself: Role-playing. Playing a role is achieved through simulation, and how well a game can simulate something in turn contributes to the role-playing. The whole genre can be represented by a single question: What if I was...? And how well the answer to that question is simulated in turn contributes to the quality of a role-playing game. What role to play when there is no story? It is like your everyday life, you don't play any role, your life have no story. The story can be anything, what important in RPG is what is your role in that story. That is why it is the backbone, if the backbone is weak then that RPG is weak, if the backbone is strong, then that RPG is strong Every heroes and villains have their own story, even the story is not about heroism, maybe it just a story about a kid who make his school proud because he manage to create something to be proud of. That is his story. In term of RPG, no one want to play a nobody who just wander around doing nothing isn't it? it's much like our everyday life. We are nobody in the society and just doing our routines. To become somebody, we must pick up a role... You now the game Dreamfall:The Longest Journey? I can say it's the longest boring journey. The story is ok actually, it's not an RPG, its an adventure game, i just mention this as example. First we play as a girl who is boring with her life and have no aim, she have a boyfriend who is a reporter, suddenly her boyfriend is missing. She is going to find out what happen. She also have premonition about a strange girl. Everything lead to an evil company want to release mind control machine through virtual reality game. She must stop them. In the mean time, she gets into a dream world. She have missions. She failed all the missions except one, find the mystery girl who turn out to be her sister. At the end of the game i said, "what he hell", in my language. In that game, you are destined to fail all your objectves except that one. You end up in comatose. I search on internet, turn out to be everybody is complaining the same thing, making the developer have to release a sequel explaining what happen in previous game. However, it's totally a turned off for me. The same thing happen in DA2 where Hawke failed at everything, and then going missng. I don't mind about bitter end, or not "live happily ever after", but such thing need a strong story, very strong in which make the player feel worth playing and spend time to. In above case, i asked myself, why i am playing these games?

Irrelevant in the context, i am just answering why i hate Bioware, i don't ask anyone opinion about what i am accuse BioWare off. If anyone give an opinion about it then it's irrelevant, it's because you guys are not BioWare and i am not asking you guys to answer on their behalf

Your opinion is irrelevant, i just explaining why i hate Bioware

Alright...my people also involved in Crusade, we fought Portuguese, Dutch and Spain. So don't say that i don't know anything about the Crusade, my ancestors defending this land from those Crusaders. So when i see that cutscene, I KNOW what it is all about.... Want me to tell what happened during that time? No...let us all just take it as history...dark history. So i ask BioWare in my exact word "What do you guys really want to show here in this game?" I got no answer...it is fine if they say something, anything, for me not making any assumptions, but they didn't, and they are really not a nice people.

It doesn't matter who you sided with, it's not the issue, but the portryal. Circle mages are innocent actually in that game, no reason not to side them. But the hidden agenda behind the game is ugly. Few people who actually can catch the meaning of what they want to show. We all can escape by saying "it's just a game", but like i said, i only ask for explanation on why they did what they do. It is a 180 degree turn from the original. I actually do detect such thing in DA:O, but i don't mind much because the core story isn't about it and DA:O is quite neutral. DA2 other way playing with your sentiment. We are adults, not kids, do they think we can't catch the meaning behind the story? If David Gaider didn't blurt out about "militan Islamic borg", everything are just debates, but he did mention "militant Islamic borg" which mean he intentionally making the game is the mirror of the real world. And now they blatantly put in more real world issues in their game such as homosexual issue When the cut scene show the TEMPLARS storming the gallows and slaying those HIJABIS women...what come out in your mind? It's a Crusade I am not "defending islam" or what here, just isn't that inappropriate? We all know the real templars are Crusaders, and they did slaughtering everyone in crusade, why Bioware want to mimic this in their game? Don't you guys see?

Image of Islam being put to the bad side in the game, Qunari themselves the horn head devilish are the "militant" type of Muslim, the magic users who are likely to be possesed by demons are normal Muslims and should be slaghtered and lobotomized, these two what make Kirkwal that is USA turn up side down. A "Muslim" man who believe doing God work blow up the building, a "Muslim" leader who tired of the city decided to run amok and force everyone to convert because of his Qoran is stolen. The "Christians" Templars and fanatics are becoming reactionists for these "Muslims", so "Christians" fighting "Muslims". The Christians are bad too, they hate both types of Muslims. The conclusion is religion is bad, atheist is good. That's the way i see it. I just ask for...explanation. Why Bioware, why? That's all...

I am sure you know what is my motivation, i hate Bioware, with passion, there's history between me and Bioware. I hate their attitude. so that what drive me to post everything bad about DA:I. It's not just about the game, it's about Bioware. The game show what they really are, a mirror of themselves and what they have become. Everything bad about the game is everything bad about Bioware. They are not nice people. Jus remind me again why you don't like Bioware? I just need a summary, not too many details plz Is it because in your opinion they have a campaign to undermine Muslims? They permanent banned me on their forum, not before banned me many times. They never address an issue, they just banned and locking threads. They blame their fans, always. They even spit on their fans. Remember David Gaider said the forum is toxic? They can't handle critics from their fans. They also feel they are high and mighty, "end of line!!!", that what they wrote when locking threads. They also favor their fan boys/girls too much, they become like the elites, they troll every threads critisizing Bioware to make the mods locking the threads and ban the owner posts. The fan boys.girls harrasing me each time, the mods also stalking on me, they even ban me for status i made at my own profile, imagine that. They never apologize for their mistakes, in fact they justify every mistakes they make and hope everyone forget about it. Such for example about the horn headed devilish looking Qunari is "Millitant Islamic Borg", they never apologize for David Gaider stupidity. They cover it up and later adding more petrol on the fire. They move on saying Qunari is Ottoman Turk. WTF? Everybody claim "free speech" when they talk about Muslim and Islam. When i answer them, thread get locked and i got banned, "end of line!!!". I don't get "free speech". I ask them why Blood Mages look similar to Muslim women where main character and co end up smashing them all? I ask why Mages look like Muslim women and cut scene showing Templars slaying them all? I ask them why most male Mages look like Arabs? I ask why the Qunari converts wear turban? I don't get answers, but i got banned. group of "Mages"

I am sure you know what is my motivation, i hate Bioware, with passion, there's history between me and Bioware. I hate their attitude. so that what drive me to post everything bad about DA:I. It's not just about the game, it's about Bioware. The game show what they really are, a mirror of themselves and what they have become. Everything bad about the game is everything bad about Bioware. They are not nice people.

Thank you For now, i want to use KotOR style of writing, on the dialogue part, i don't write anything yet, but the sketch is like that. I mean i already have the characters, 8 of them, with personalities, i just want to sort it out what they want to say when the player ask them this and that, and party banters In KotOr party members only talk for each level, when player rise level, party members will have dialogues, so i think it is easier like that. KotOR 2 is like a messed up a bit, Kreia talk about "in this ship" while not on the ship, so i pass that, stick to KotOR style for a moment. So 20 levels, 20 dialogues I realize that i don't need to visualize everything, but through party members dialogue, they visualize the universe in whatever they say, isn't it? The whole game mechanic is already done, just the story, background, art design, quests Oh, NPCs dialogues are bit complicated, because there should be more NPCs to be interacted right? Even Bioware have writers, i have to do it all alone, but whatever, it just a hobby now

I lol at this

I think internet also contribute to the downfall of RPG, we got so many claimed to be fans who hate everything in the original games, before there is no internet to fill these fans in developers forum, so the developers are free from being misguided by these sort of fans.

In BSN, i found it funny when a claimd to be DA:O fan hate everything about DA:O then suggesting the next games of DA series being like what he/she wanted...i found it weird. Such example "Darkspawn are boring, they are just orcs, remove darkspawn in the next game" - so we get clownspawn in DA2 "Grey Wardens are uninterestig, they just Jedis remake, i don't want to play as Grey Wardens in the next games" - so we get a nobody as main hero in DA2 "The combat is clunky as hell and slow, i want faster combat in the next game" - so we get manga anime combat in DA2 "The story is boring and cliche, it just gather your allies and then facing the threat, i don't want to play such boring story" - and so we get an anti-hero who fail at everything he/she do in DA2 "Dialogue options are lame, i like Mass Effect approach" - so we get dialogue wheel in DA2 "Dragon Age is boring game, uninteresting, ugly graphic, lame story, slow combat, bla bla bla bad bad bad!!! But i am a DA:O fan" - so we get DA2 and DA:I I don't know who exactly these "fans" are, but they will attack whoever actually like the original game and want Bioware to maintain their identity in the next games, but Bioware listen to these "fans" and make the next games exactly like what these "fans" demanded

I just making an allegory, of course Doom and Unreal are FPS, but they have some RPG values, i only mention that when i was a kid i play Doom blindly, but when i am older i started to care about the story in Unreal. What i mean is RPG today are movng toward FPS and button mashing is because they created it for kids, only kids who get attracted by visual and then want to kill everything in the game, don't care about the story at all, you guys might call them as "casual gamers" Kids who love to fight over builds, fight over who have the most awesome builds, fighting egos, so games are created for that and being simplified for easy to reach the builds they dream off. Kids who love to see high damage numbers on the screen, they don't like to see the character evading or blocking, they love to see they hit with high numbers. That is why there is no such thing as "defense" in modern RPG, just attack attack attack. While Skyrim do have Block, but Block perks also deal damage I think it's easier to make games to satisfy kids ego than to create one that would likely get a lot of critism by older people But bethesda is wise, even though they do create Skyrim for kids, but they maintain their identity that win older gamers, that is why Skyrim is more tolerable than Dragon Age:Inquisition

Good story makes good RPG, bad story makes bad RPG, that is the simple formula Peoples today, especially kids, didn't play a story, they see good visual, they see what being defined as "enemy", then they push the button to kill the "enemy", that's what kids do, that is what the console is for, kids don't care about the story, the one who care the story so much are older people. I play Doom when i when i was a kid, at that time, like i said avove, i see what defined as enemy, then i click to shoot them all, then roaming around and see the graphic, i do't even know what i am doing actually, just roaming around in Doom world, click and shoot But when i am older, i play Unreal, it's similar like Doom, but this time i do care about the story, i read every messages pop up and i found out that my character is actually considered as a Messiah for the local alien people. So instead of mindlessly shooting everything i see, now i do care about those four hand Na Pali people who always worship me when they meet me. I wouldn't do the same if i am 9 or 10 years old, i will shoot them Games today mostly are made for kids who doesn't care about story, for those who feel awed by the graphic, then push the button to kill everything If older gamers like that, then they are actually kids....

I give an example of game books vs Skyrim let say, a fetch quest, you receive a quest from a mysterious man to find an X item in an enemy fort In game book,...."while you sneak into the castle, you hear footsteps coming from the direction of the corridor, judging by the sound there maybe three to four guards patrolling, you must get past them to get into the keep, the guards will sure notice if you make any sounds, what will you do? i. move silently until you reach the first door on your left, roll a dice and Test Your Skill, if you are successful, turn to page 100, if you are unsuccessful turn to page 40 ii. distract the guards by throwing some pebbles to the corner, roll a dice and Test Your Luck, if you are successful, turn to page 75, if you are unsuccessfull, turn to page 20" It create suspense, you imagine the situation, and you feel thjrilled, even it is just a fetch quest In Skyrim, you just storm the castle and kill the guards, or sneak pass them, or sneak shot them, or use invisibility, get the item and return. See what i mean?

The backbone of RPG is STORY, but today story element being reduced and more focused on visual enhancement. That is why older games are memorable, not because of their graphic, but their story actually. That is what role playing is, that is we play a role in the story, we shape it as we please as what the story allow us to, like advanture game books. I love Fighting Fantasy series, and i do read-play Lone Wolf series although never get to buy all of them The difference between the book and video game is, in the book we imagine what being told to us by the writer, in video games we see it all as what the programers show. So fetch quest in the book is fun, while fetch quest in video game is boring. See what i mean? Skyrim quests are perfect if it's writen in a book, but because of everything is shown visually, the simple quest is so boring. The same thing happen when novel convert to movie, to describe a place the writer tell us every detil in literiture manner, and so we imagine and feel awe. But on film, everything that being written for pages is only 30 seconds on the screen, we see it all in one picture My point is, older RPG lack graphic, but we have imaginations, and the developers focused on story rather than visual, there's nothing can be done with the graphic back then, so to live up the game is making the story good. But today, it is no longer about story, but how it will look good on screen, the most beautiful graphic will become GotY The same thing goes to movies too, the most awesome CGI movies are considered good and may won awards, while the story is actually suck It is a race of technology, game companies competing the technology, "i make the most awesome graphic than you", so they focus on visual enhancement rather than the story.

If you kill Cory fast enough, the game glitched, you don't get cutscenes, and ypu stuck. Clearly THEY DIDN"T TEST THE GAME, they never calculate the mechanic, they sell you broken product (same like DA:O, they never test DA:O)

They clearly never bothered to test the game, no beta testing, and they don't care, the very same mistake they did in the past two games of the same series, that is why Cory can be killed in less than 30 seconds, how come the last battle that is supposed to be climatic end in less than 30 seconds? That's BROKEN mechanic, they never calculate it and they never test it. They sell untested product and that's not ethical. I don't understand why consumers that is gamers are so defensive about the company they love, a game is not just a game you know, Bioware is a company who sell their product, you guys are customer, the consumer. They lie and lie and lie to you guys, and you guys allow them, that is why they turn out ugly I don't blame them, but now i see the reality of gaming industry, even though my country don't have it yet, but thanks, i can see how it goes.... Customers always right you know

Seeing how things go, i don't think my dream will come true, i just scrap it and try to forget it, i have no motivation to pursue it. The concept is there, the story is there, the paperwork is there, but it's going nowhere, so just leave it like that. Thanks for care about it though...

No matter how easy the game is, no final battle end in less than 30 seconds no matter what the dificulty it is, and no matter what gear i watched the whole series, fom episode one to 94, and that's it, that's the end...i just can't believe it lol this guy said he played for 40 hours I do watch others, so i already know how the end game is, but this guy kill Cory in less than 30 seconds, wth is that? Zap!Zap!Zap! and it's done Not epic at all...not engaging or whatsoever...just zap!zap!zap! The end of 40 hours gameplay

Ok fine...but just look at this, only 10 minutes...watch the last part This is the evidence on how suck the game is final battle end in less than 30 seconds lol

I lie if i say i don't...but i choose the option because it's there, if it's not there, it doesn't matter KotOR don't have it and it's fine, KotOR 2 don't have it and it's fine too.

So basically information. Those monsters. Information to be told with an agenda behind it

What you would do in an entirely hypothetical situation doesn't amount to much. It's not unheared of, or even rare, for people engaged in artistic endeavors to want their creations to have a meaning. The ones that do are often valued more for the attempt. For me, the way i see it, Bioware have a very bad business strategist n these past years, they should fired that guy. Bioware being meddling with the things they shouldn't in their current state for the sake of business, but they did and they insist on it, by means they do hear to "someone"... I start to realize the "hidden agenda" since DA2, and i sense the "change" in Bioware policy. DA2 is a representation of the current western political affairs at that time, like i said before, imigration problem, religious fanatic problem, war on terror, economy falling....Kirkwal is the representation of USA in the game. Funny how i can see it but many deny for the sake of denyng Edit : USA symbol is a Hawk...the main character name is Hawke....Kirkwal emblem is an Eagle or Hawk. Look at the keep, it's a Hawk Fans deny because they want to escape reality, it's a game, it's a game world...that what they say during DA2 hyped up. Ok, that's fine. But now about these LGBT things, is that a game or what? We can say all other things in the game are not real, it's fantasy, there is no The Maker, The Chantry, Mythal, Elves, Qunari, Dwarves, whatever...so everything we can debate about those things are just for fun, it's fantasy, fatasy religion, fantasy culture, fantasy race, fantasy kingdoms, fantasy country....but what about LGBT? That's not fantasy They made Dorian a gay, and his quest is LGBT issue. That is real issue, not fantasy. They make Krem a tomboy, they want to justify it with Qunari philosophy, they create it up to justify the thing in the game. Krem problem is real problem. That's not fantasy When they shove it on us, that make it a propaganda, and that is not good for business, they clearly have an agenda

Propaganda is something propagated, either it is the truth, lies, facts, historical, or anything. Advertisement is a form of propaganda, propagating the product to the consumers. Things are propagated because of an agenda, it can be anything, it can be political, religious, racial sentiment, economic and whatever. A product being propagated through advertisement with an agenda want consumer to buy it. Bioware did propagating the issues and the sentiments in their games, they now become a propagandist.