Dragon Age: Inquisition

[Orogun01]

Considering that they licensed Frostbite for this game (The Battlefield 3 Engine) there is no reason why this game shouldn't look freaking amazing. So hopefully, the level design won't be DA2 bad.

[Maria Caliban]

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

[licketysplit]

Considering that they licensed Frostbite for this game (The Battlefield 3 Engine) there is no reason why this game shouldn't look freaking amazing. So hopefully, the level design won't be DA2 bad.

 

Level design is my primary concern. Thought the combat in DA:O was decent, the characters were solid. But the areas were pretty limited, always pushing you forward in a predetermined path. 

[Gorth]

I thought Republic controlled Taris looked "freaking amazing" in SWTor

 

Not in a photo realistic way, just in that impression of large scale destruction and ruin kind of way.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

Considering that they licensed Frostbite for this game (The Battlefield 3 Engine) there is no reason why this game shouldn't look freaking amazing. So hopefully, the level design won't be DA2 bad.

 

 

Level design is my primary concern. Thought the combat in DA:O was decent, the characters were solid. But the areas were pretty limited, always pushing you forward in a predetermined path.

I would say that the gameplay in every Bioware game has suffered from poor level and encounter design, especially Baldur's Gate IMO.

 

Also, will Warriors actually be able to equip ranged weapons in this game? One of the things I hated the most about DA2 was how class-restricted equipment was. Also, the Arcane Warrior should be improved and make a comeback, nothing says awesome quite like slicing through foes while hurling spells.

[Malekith]

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

BG2. Beyond that, i agree.

[Volourn]

Lots of BIO games looked amazing. JE, KOTOR, ME. they all look amazing. NWN also has some of the best special/spell effects ever as well.

[Rhamnetin]

Considering that they licensed Frostbite for this game (The Battlefield 3 Engine) there is no reason why this game shouldn't look freaking amazing. So hopefully, the level design won't be DA2 bad.

 

Well they're using Frostbite 3, opposed to FB2 seen in BF3.  In terms of graphics, BF3 isn't really anything special... an average looking game but with really good post-processing to mask this.  DA:I however looks excellent, not just graphically speaking but everything shown about it so far is amazing.  Looks like it will exceed DA:O in scope, I just hope the combat is as good and the story has as much variation.

[Orogun01]

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

I wish sometimes that you would go back to you Shodan avatar, it makes the soul crushing that I experience when reading your post a bit more familiar.

[Nepenthe]

Considering that they licensed Frostbite for this game (The Battlefield 3 Engine) there is no reason why this game shouldn't look freaking amazing. So hopefully, the level design won't be DA2 bad.

 

I have to split more hairs here (in addition to the correction already done re: battlefield 3), but they didn't "license" frostbite, it's the engine EA is pushing on all their studios to use - which I'm surprised they haven't done before, as it then allows them to pour resources into making frostbite as good as possible, since they aren't attempting to recoup the costs with just a Battlefield every two years (I think they used some DICE tech in one of the Need for Speeds before, but that's all I've been aware of). Since the Swedes for once appear to know what they are doing, this seems like a good idea to me, especially if they've had the foresight to allow for necessary RPG systems without the reverse engineering Unreal needed for ME.

 

I think the Mass Effect series had some pretty levels. I also remember Lehon/Rakata Prime being quite impressive back in the day. BG1 and 2 are awesome, and I think the level design in the latter as well. Most of their games have what I would call "inconspicuous" level design, as in it doesn't really raise much feelings in me either way. Not that I can remember ever anything else than bad level design (uncharted 3, I'm looking at you).

[entrerix]

there were a couple of good levels in mass effect 2

 

DA2 was pretty much the bottom of the barrel though

[Rhamnetin]

Level design was awesome throughout DA:O, ME2, and ME3 in my opinion.  ME1's main quest locations were quite awesome too, and the Citadel is just one of the coolest places I've ever visited in any game.  But ME1 reused a lot of locations and side quests were tiring.  DA2 reused a lot of locations and the entire game can just be tiring.  

[Labadal]

This thread is as good as any to ask. We are still getting some sort of isometric view, right?

[Maria Caliban]

I believe I posted this a few months ago, but here's the concept for how companion armor works in DA:I. You can switch around their armor and it retains an 'iconic' look but there are visual and statistical differences.

 

 

I've yet to see any indication that you can change their weapon type though. I suspect Cassandra only uses a two-handed blade.

 

I'll ask on the forum about bow using warriors.

 

This thread is as good as any to ask. We are still getting some sort of isometric view, right?

Last I heard, they are still working with the camera.

 

Lots of BIO games looked amazing. JE, KOTOR, ME. they all look amazing. NWN also has some of the best special/spell effects ever as well.

If you found them amazing then you'll likely find DA:I visually amazing. Happy day.

 

Aesthetically speaking, I thought the visuals in Jade Empire and parts of Mass Effect 2 have been the best BioWare has produced.

 

I thought Republic controlled Taris looked "freaking amazing" in SWTor

 

Not in a photo realistic way, just in that impression of large scale destruction and ruin kind of way.

To be fair, I was involved in the beta testing for TOR and grew to loathe Taris. It's difficult to absorb the visual grandeur of a place when you spend 30 minutes loading it, move around at 5 FPS, and fall through the map or get stuck in the ground on occasion. Edited August 15, 2013 by Maria Caliban

[Drowsy Emperor]

Mass Effect was as good graphics wise as Bioware games got. The first one was very pretty for its time.

 

I think BGII looks great on a large screen with appropriate mods. 

 

The rest are ugly, blocky, 3D hell.

[Malekith]

 

 

This thread is as good as any to ask. We are still getting some sort of isometric view, right?

Last I heard, they are still working with the camera.

 

 If they come to a conclusion please post it. It's the only thing that can make me buy DA:I at this point.

[Bill Gates' Son]

 

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

BG2. Beyond that, i agree.

 

 

Eh, Mass Effect 1 had some of the best graphics for its time, and KOTOR 1 looked as good as any other Xbox/PS2 game at the time.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Bill Gates' Son

[Malekith]

 

 

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

BG2. Beyond that, i agree.

 

 

Eh, Mass Effect 1 had some of the best graphics for its time, and KOTOR 1 looked as good as any other Xbox/PS2 game at the time.

 

Graphics != looks good. If art is bad, no amound of graphics will save it.

Planescape:Torment looks amazing to me because of the art, even if it's graphics are bad.

BG2 was the only game from Bioware where i liked both the graphics and the art.

[Labadal]

Last I heard, they are still working with the camera.

 

 

That's the most interesting part for me. If the camera works well, I can probably forgive a lot of things.

[Amentep]

 

Each class gets its own Exploration 'Toolbox' in DA:I. The example given was mages being able to piece together a ruined bridge.

 

"Exploration Skills" has a nice ring to it. Hmm, so, if after an evening romancing Vivienne, a female mage character could wake up and freely explore bits of Orlais on horseback ... repairing ancient bridges and excoriating the trolls beneath them, at will. Sounds good. 

 

 

I totally thought you were going to say you were going to use your "exploration skills" to romance Vivienne when you started off (my eyes picked up "Exploration Skills", "Romance" and "Vivienne" before I read the actual sentence).

[bonarbill]

 

 

 

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

BG2. Beyond that, i agree.

 

 

Eh, Mass Effect 1 had some of the best graphics for its time, and KOTOR 1 looked as good as any other Xbox/PS2 game at the time.

 

Graphics != looks good. If art is bad, no amound of graphics will save it.

 

 

BG2 looked terrible even back in early 2000s, and its artstyle failed to the likes of Icewind Dale.  Mass Effect's artstyle actually looks decent for its time.

Edited August 15, 2013 by bonarbill

[BruceVC]

 

 

Each class gets its own Exploration 'Toolbox' in DA:I. The example given was mages being able to piece together a ruined bridge.

 

"Exploration Skills" has a nice ring to it. Hmm, so, if after an evening romancing Vivienne, a female mage character could wake up and freely explore bits of Orlais on horseback ... repairing ancient bridges and excoriating the trolls beneath them, at will. Sounds good. 

 

 

I totally thought you were going to say you were going to use your "exploration skills" to romance Vivienne when you started off (my eyes picked up "Exploration Skills", "Romance" and "Vivienne" before I read the actual sentence).

 

 

I have to say Vivienne looks pretty hot. She will be first on my Romance list and of course she needs to add value in combat and I want her personality and story to be believable

[Malekith]

 

 

 

 

I have never thought a BioWare game looked 'freaking amazing.' I doubt DA:I will either.

BG2. Beyond that, i agree.

 

 

Eh, Mass Effect 1 had some of the best graphics for its time, and KOTOR 1 looked as good as any other Xbox/PS2 game at the time.

 

Graphics != looks good. If art is bad, no amound of graphics will save it.

 

 

BG2 looked terrible even back in early 2000s, and its artstyle failed to the likes of Icewind Dale.  Mass Effect's artstyle actually looks decent for its time.

 

By the same logic Mass Effect looked worse than Crysis so it was crap. Sure, IWD looked better than BG2. That doesn't meant BG2 looked bad. And i still think BG2 looks beter than ME and DA2. Their art realy doesn't do it for me.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Malekith

[Drowsy Emperor]

I think that Dragon Age art in general is a failure ..that they seem to keep insisting on). The color schemes are unappealing (they're the worst offender by far) and the design is inferior to what other companies are doing. 

 

Everything else was decent for its time.

[Orogun01]

The thing about them using the Frostbite engine that gives me hope its that a lot of the issues that I had with DA2 stemmed from a lack of ambiance. In DA:O the big empty spaces were populated with static meshes that that added to the feel of the place. But design direction in DA2 removed all that for some reason, the lighting and level design also failed to immerse, I never felt that Kirkwall was a real city. 
With Frostbite even if they drop the ball a little with level design choices, at the very least the engine can pick up the slack a bit. So I expect that DA:I will look amazing or that it will have a lot of foggy, dark areas where they don't want you to look too closely.