Dragon Age: Inquisition

[CoM_Solaufein]

I miss having a pet dog as a follower.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I miss having a pet dog as a follower.

I didn't, mostly because my dog sleeps at my feet when I play vidya.

[GhostofAnakin]

The multiplayer is crap.  I actually enjoyed ME3's MP, but this one is just bad.

 

The problem with the MP for me is that it's an action setup but with the combat more geared to pause-and-play.  ME3's worked because they basically turned the combat into a 3rd person shooter.  This one doesn't because you can't use strategy or scout out the enemy formations because everything happens in real time.

[Serrano]

The multiplayer is crap.  I actually enjoyed ME3's MP, but this one is just bad.

 

The problem with the MP for me is that it's an action setup but with the combat more geared to pause-and-play.  ME3's worked because they basically turned the combat into a 3rd person shooter.  This one doesn't because you can't use strategy or scout out the enemy formations because everything happens in real time.

 

This is just a hunch but I believe in hindsight it would have worked out better to let players drop into the single player campaign but not give them permission to initiate or participate in conversations, or some safeguard to stop them screwing with the host's story. The combat would have been a lot more fun since the single player encounters were just more entertaining than the multiplayer mobs, more varied composition, scenarios and terrain; and the open world areas would have been pretty well suited since that stuff is largely separate from the important story content. Most appealingly, who wouldn't like three minions gathering crafting resources for them? Or maybe just have a multiplayer mode with open world environments, even recycled ones and a few story quests like SWTOR's operations and flashpoints thrown in. I know that's all too much work to be practical but it's nice to imagine.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Serrano

[Agiel]

Trying to do the puzzle in the Dead Hand cave in the Exalted Plains...

 

Jesus Christ, how do enough people like these kinds of f***ing puzzles that RPG developers keep insisting on putting them in their games?

[Amentep]

As an aside observation, am I the only one who thinks that - with the inclusion of the Qunari race - that Dwarves are getting the short end of the stick only being able to be two classes?

 

In DAO the "mage origin" was the same for human or elf so essentially you had human-elf-dwarf warrior or rogue and then mage as origins; not the case in DAI where each mage is slightly different and while the influence is seemingly minor it seems odd that now three races get three classes while the dwarf is stuck with two. Know there are lore reasons why Dwarves don't get the mage, but I do wonder if the dwarves are going to slide to the "race option no one plays" in future games, particularly if there's no real tie to the Primary Dwarven culture in the story.

[Humanoid]

They're probably happy to be rid of dwarves altogether in time, no more weird outliers to animate (especially the sex scenes) so the artists are happy.

 

Might turn Vol into one of those rabid anti-Biowarians that haunt this place though.

[Amentep]

Can't imagine Qunari would be that much better - isn't an elf to a qunari about the same height differential as a dwarf to a human?

 

Although now I'm wondering what a Dwarf Inqisitor-Iron Bull romance would end up looking like in the cut scenes...

[MrBrown]

Can't imagine Qunari would be that much better - isn't an elf to a qunari about the same height differential as a dwarf to a human?

 

Although now I'm wondering what a Dwarf Inqisitor-Iron Bull romance would end up looking like in the cut scenes...

 

Qunari are probably worse, what with those horns... I'd imagine priority for BIO is 1. Human, 2. Elf, 3. Dwarf, 4. Qunari.

 

As for your second comment, find it on youtube. It looks weird, yeah.

 

 

I don't think Dwarves are that bad with only two classes, they still have their uses. With DA:I though, race has become mostly a story choice than a stat choice anyway.

[Tale]

I expect Dwarves to get mages every sequel.

[HoonDing]

I expect Dwarves to get mages every sequel.

 

I want to be a dragon.

 

[CoM_Solaufein]

Tried using a gamepad on this game. As the saying goes, can't teach old dogs new tricks. Think I'll stick with keyboard and mouse.

[GhostofAnakin]

I played a bit more of the MP.  My gosh, was this tacked on last minute or something?  There's like 3 maps, with the exact same route to take for every mission.  It's like an endless loop from a flashback to DA2's respawning bad guys in the alleys of Kirkwall.

 

The way to unlock different character classes is incredibly cheesy, too.  You either have to grind for a ridiculous amount of time and hope to find weapons/armor you can salvage for material, or you have to pay.  Since there's no way I'm paying extra money, that means grinding.

 

On top of that, the combat is just bad.  I actually liked ME3's MP, found it a bit addicting.  I can honestly say the only reason I've kept with DA's MP these past couple of nights is because a]I have nothing else to play at the moment and b]I was giving it a chance to prove me wrong, that it would get better the more I played it.

[Hurlshort]

I have no idea why they thought a 100+ hour game really needed MP.  I haven't gone near it.

[Woldan]

Tried using a gamepad on this game. As the saying goes, can't teach old dogs new tricks. Think I'll stick with keyboard and mouse.

 

Said the same thing and I'm a hardcore KB+M FPS operator but really couldn't stand the controls anymore, as I said the last time I used a controller was 13 years ago but it only took me a day to get used to it in Dragon Age Inquisition. Its mainly about remembering the buttons and going easy on the sticks. Controller is MUCH better for this game. (Still getting a stiff sore left thumb after 5 hours of gaming though)

Pretty much felt like getting used to my Logitech racing simulation wheel and pedals. 

 

Anyway, I'm really enjoying a certain Orlesian ball right now, this mission is ace and totally makes me give this game more points. 

Edited December 24, 2014 by Woldan

[Orogun01]

I don't think Dwarves are that bad with only two classes, they still have their uses. With DA:I though, race has become mostly a story choice than a stat choice anyway.

Not even that really, it never goes beyond of "Look! A dwarf" or Sera getting a girl boner if you're a Fem Qunari.

[Tale]

I have no idea why they thought a 100+ hour game really needed MP.  I haven't gone near it.

Microtransactions and feature checklists.

[Gromnir]

I have no idea why they thought a 100+ hour game really needed MP.  I haven't gone near it.

one benefit to the developer and publisher is to gauge interest for potential future multiplayer titles using the same intellectual property. is there actual interest for mp dragon age? what is feedback from players of da:i mp? does such feedback give ideas as to how one would make a better da mp game, or perhaps even a da mmo?

 

we got no reason to believe our guess has any validity whatsoever, but we can see potential usefulness o' such a thing to publisher/developers.

 

HA! Good Fun! 

[MrBrown]

Tried using a gamepad on this game. As the saying goes, can't teach old dogs new tricks. Think I'll stick with keyboard and mouse.

 Anyway, I'm really enjoying a certain Orlesian ball right now, this mission is ace and totally makes me give this game more points. 

 

That's easily the best part of the game. Unfortunately made a bit worse by the long combat sequences within it.

Edited December 24, 2014 by MrBrown

[Woldan]

That's easily the best part of the game. Unfortunately made a bit worse by the long combat sequences within it.

I'm finding the court approval meter a little bit annoying because I'd like to enjoy the area without being under time pressure, thats not so great.

[GhostofAnakin]

 

That's easily the best part of the game. Unfortunately made a bit worse by the long combat sequences within it.

I'm finding the court approval meter a little bit annoying because I'd like to enjoy the area without being under time pressure, thats not so great.

 

 

That was the worst part of that quest.  The "timer" whenever you were in off limits areas.

 

Granted, you can earn enough approval through various methods that losing approval for adventuring where you're not supposed to be isn't a big issue.  But for me, it was just the psychological aspect of feeling like I'm being rushed in those areas.

 

Honestly, that's one quest I think that should have been fleshed out even more as part of the main quest.  Maybe actual missions or tasks from the three rulers so you can get a better idea of what they're really like.  It would have fleshed out the Celene/Briala/Gaspard characters more if that was the case.  Instead of simply Josephine getting you an invitation, maybe you needed to do some favors for one of them and get an invite from whichever one you did favors for.  That sort of thing.

Edited December 24, 2014 by GhostofAnakin

[Nepenthe]

Finished the game earlier today. Impressions coloured more than a bit by the fact that my experience was spread out over ~6 weeks instead of the usual ~6 days due to length of game (105h for first playthrough), new job and the move. Mostly found the game very enjoyable, even though I preferred the da2 combat  with my 2h warrior (slower speed + lack of Scythe meant a lot of trudging around). Most companion stuff was front-loaded, so they seemed to be virtually absent for the second 50 hours of the game. Ending was abrupt with shades of Sith Lords. The first dragon you encounter is actually the hardest battle in the whole game.

 

Anyway, enjoyed the game enough to already be planning a second playthrough in spite of my minor issues. Is my goty almost by default, as the only other game released this year I've played was watch dogs.

[GhostofAnakin]

Finished the game earlier today. Impressions coloured more than a bit by the fact that my experience was spread out over ~6 weeks instead of the usual ~6 days due to length of game (105h for first playthrough), new job and the move. Mostly found the game very enjoyable, even though I preferred the da2 combat  with my 2h warrior (slower speed + lack of Scythe meant a lot of trudging around). Most companion stuff was front-loaded, so they seemed to be virtually absent for the second 50 hours of the game. Ending was abrupt with shades of Sith Lords. The first dragon you encounter is actually the hardest battle in the whole game.

 

I noticed the bolded as well.  It seemed the pacing this time was off, in terms of companion progression (ie. what they reveal to the player throughout the game).  Every other Bio game in recent memory, it seemed they had something important to reveal after each major story progression you passed.  In Inquisition, it seemed like you had access to their "personal quests" early on, and thus learned pretty much everything about them early on.

 

I romanced Cassandra in my second play through, and I thought the pacing of her romance was extremely front loaded.  I got the "sex scene" about midway through the game, and wondered if there'd be something else closer to the final battle.  But there wasn't, not really.  The only thing there was was the option to "spend some time together" where the exact same cutscene showed them making out in the blacksmith building.

 

Maybe it's the open world that screwed up the pacing and spacing of the companion progression.  Whatever the case, it did seem to be the most front-ended of all recent Bio games.

[MrBrown]

Playing on Nightmare, I never felt the characters were frontloaded because I spend 20~ hours clearing everything that's available before Skyhold.

[GhostofAnakin]

This was probably obvious to anyone, but it only clicked for me tonight when I was replaying Skyrim.  I was trying to figure out what it was that was "off" about the open world design BioWare went with in Inquisition.  The lack of villages/cities with lots of people living there/walking around.

 

Most of the maps in Inquisition didn't have a village.  There were outposts, half-filled old forts, and some little collections of individuals (like the tiny Dalish camp in the Exalted Plains), but none of the maps had large, sprawling villages with plenty of citizens and sidequests/stories associated with those citizens.

 

IMO, that's what I felt was lacking in their open world approach.  The open world games that do succeed at being sandbox games with great worlds are the ones that have multiple cities/towns you can pass through, each with their own quests and backstories.