Dragon Age: Inquisition

[ManifestedISO]

Mother of god why must everyone pre-judge out of context.

[BruceVC]

Mother of god why must everyone pre-judge out of context.

 

Do you want a real answer or is that statement more rhetorical?

[Halaster]

 

What specific elements are you asking about when you say 'RPG conventions?'

 

 

 

I think that's a question that's dangerously close to 'what is an RPG?' territory. BioWare know full well what the conventions of the genre are - they used to be masters of them until DA2 and ME3. In a nutshell it's all the stuff they've been cutting out ... sorry, I meant 'innovating', 'evolving' and 'streamlining' in their last 2 releases (compared to the previous game in the IP).

 

Just in the way of an example, I personally am particularly keen on the 'player skill vs character skill' convention (skill checks vs player hand-eye co-ordination), but others are mad about dynamic factions, choices & consequences, free exploration, multiple ways to complete qusts, radically different playstyles for different starting classes etc.

 

I realize it's early days to be talking about specifics, but it should be OK to talk about general design philosophy given the years DA:I has been in development.  Though I suspect there will never be a 'right time' for BioWare to grab this particular bull by the proverbial balls. They'll just keep stalling and deflecting the 'RPG question' away with all the usual PR-double speak for as long as possible. Nothing I've seen from them since ME3 and DA2 makes me think they sincerely want their old fans back by giving what they want in terms of 'rpg-ness'. Hope I'm wrong.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Halaster

[Gorth]

 

Mother of god why must everyone pre-judge out of context.

 

Do you want a real answer or is that statement more rhetorical?

 

Bioware's own fault, they could just give us more context already 

[Orogun01]

 

 

But what about Kossith romances?

According to the 'leaked survey' there might be a male qunari companion named Iron Bull.

 

If that's not a fantasy porn name, I don't know what is.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if that is an actual porn name.

 

Also, it begs the question: Would the average player let their character(or self-insert) get into a relationship with a porn star? I'm sure it would be hotly debated by the fine minds at BSN.

 

I checked the Internet Adult Film Database, there isn't anyone named Iron Bull.

[Cultist]

Haha, "we are aware about autodialogues". Gaider already said the amount of autodialogues will be similar to DA2.

[Nepenthe]

Haha, "we are aware about autodialogues". Gaider already said the amount of autodialogues will be similar to DA2.

 

Which, since the comparison point was ME3, is not a contradiction.

[Cultist]

DA2 is no different from ME3 in terms of autodialogues

[Nepenthe]

Yes it is.

[HoonDing]

Also, it begs the question: Would the average player let their character(or self-insert) get into a relationship with a porn star? I'm sure it would be hotly debated by the fine minds at BSN.

They already got close enough with Isabella.

[BruceVC]

 

 

But what about Kossith romances?

According to the 'leaked survey' there might be a male qunari companion named Iron Bull.

 

If that's not a fantasy porn name, I don't know what is.

 

 

Also, it begs the question: Would the average player let their character(or self-insert) get into a relationship with a porn star? I'm sure it would be hotly debated by the fine minds at BSN.

 

 

I have absolutely no issue with my character getting  into a relationship with a Porn Star, I firmly believe Porn Stars provide an important social service and they need to be respected on certain levels as I don't think they have the greatest job in the world where they go home brimming with pride and satisfaction after a days work. Of course I may be wrong as I've never met any American Porn Stars only South African

[Malcador]

Mother of god why must everyone pre-judge out of context.

Gives something to joke over, stop being so soft over a product.

[Amentep]

 

According to the 'leaked survey' there might be a male qunari companion named Iron Bull.

 

If that's not a fantasy porn name, I don't know what is.

 

 

"Iron Bull"

 

Nice, I have always felt that Bioware could develop there relationship arcs in different ways. The concept of RPG porn in there games is intriguing?

 

 

Sounds like a Jade Empire name (where the Black Whirlwind's brother was named Raging Ox).

[HoonDing]

But what about Kossith romances?

Weren't women inferior in Qunari society or is that retconned too?

[Amentep]

 

But what about Kossith romances?

Weren't women inferior in Qunari society or is that retconned too?

 

 

IIRC there were enforced gender roles as the Qun placed men and women both into specific defined roles in life.  From the perspective of the Qun as long as a person was in their role and fulfilled their role they had just as much usefulness as the next role in the Qun.  A soldier like Sten wouldn't be seen as inferior to a woman weaving clothes in the Qun as both filled their societal functions.

 

The inferiority would be seen by outsiders to the Qun who would feel that the individual determines their place in society rather than society determing the individuals place; however women weren't deemed less useful by the society (thus "inferior" or of less value) than men.

 

Or something. EDIT: But IIRC it was the equality of the roles in the Qun that was pulling so many elves to it.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Amentep

[NOK222]

No they just have a very strict Mediocracy and because women biologically cannot as strong as a male, they're not put as soldiers. That said, they still learn how to fight. And the first Kossith woman revealed was a seasoned torturer and interrogator.

 

Tallis (Felicia Day in Elf Form), an elven Qunari, is an assassin and a spy. 

Edited July 22, 2013 by NKKKK

[Raithe]

And the first Kossith woman revealed was a seasoned torturer and interrogator.

 

 

Part of me wants to make some crack about all women are seasoned torturer's and interogator's in their own fashion... 

[NOK222]

My previous statement is of course proven naught when you have female warden and female hawke cutting down Qunari left and right. 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I checked the Internet Adult Film Database, there isn't anyone named Iron Bull.

Well, if anyone here goes into porn, they should totally take that name.

[Raithe]

However, there is a carbonated energy drinky thing in Scotland called Irn-Bru...  (for the totally random)

[Maria Caliban]

You would want to date the porn star because this is a BioWare game so your other options will probably an ansty blood mage, an self-loathing abomination, or an emo templar who's taken a vow of chastity.

[Tale]

You would want to date the porn star because this is a BioWare game so your other options will probably an ansty blood mage, an self-loathing abomination, or an emo templar who's taken a vow of chastity.

Which one has the greatest possibility of murdering my character immediately afterwards?

 

I'd say it's because I like to live dangerously, but we all know that I'm a sucker for tsundere and want to teach them to love.

[Monte Carlo]

I am going to spend some time creating a Bioware porn character name generator, although the magnificence of 'Iron Bull' is unlikely to be replicated.

[rjshae]

Adam Antium

[anubite]

In its defense, everything seems to be going open world next generation. I guess it makes them have to worry less when it comes to level design.

No, oRPGs need to worry EVEN MORE about level design. The more **** you ask your artists and designers to craft, the more willing they are to make things either too open, or too closed. Skyrim's "hand-crafted dungeons" are long and tedious, mostly composed of long stretches of hallways, ocassionally featuring a few pointless dead ends where you find a box that contains Skull [2] Bones [1] and Broken Arrow Head [1].

 

BioWare attempting an open world RPG without crafting good dungeons or interesting areas to explore (Skyrim is the weakest TES game because of its tiny towns and vast expanses of bland, snowy wilderness). Yes, it's great that you can "climb that mountain" but it's all pointless if there's nothing at the top of it.

 

Fallout and Fallout 2 are examples of amazing open world games. But they aren't open because they crafted vast stretches of wilderness. The game is focused, the reources of artists were spent on encounters, not on aimless wilderness. The world was big, but even small actions you made in the game made waves. Reactivity is a big thing that BioWare has failed in DA1 and DA2 - you can side with the werewolves or the elves in DAO, and that's cool and all, but the most that choice opens up is a few alternative world events detailing to werewolf attacks, and whether you have elves or werewolves fighting in the final town.

 

If every "square" of DAO's map were a place you could visit and the choices you made in each area made "waves" to other areas... then they'd have crafted a game of the same caliber as Fallout.

Edited July 29, 2013 by anubite