Dragon Age: Inquisition

[Shadeling]

I didn't much care for DAI myself. I played it and finished but found it lacking on many levels. TEDIOUS sort of sums it up. Sure it was a pretty game and you had lots to do but the hand holding dumbed it down for all the dumb people who cant figure stuff out using their brain. quest markers are so lame....

 

I think we can lay blame for that at Bethesda's feet, for the quest markers and general dumbing down.

 

Having been a fan of the Elderscrolls since Arena, I can still remember the awful sickening feeling in my stomach  when I first played Oblivion and I was hit with the realization that the Elderscrolls I loved were no more (thanks Todd Howard!) because consoles and its audience were what mattered most, and thus the dumbing down commenced and just thinking about that godawful persuasion mini-game alone makes me what to break something to this day.  I guess it was very similar to seeing Jar Jar binks for the first time and immediately realizing something that had been great was forever dead.

 

Just like DA: I, I didn't play Skyrim for months after it released but when I finally got around to it, I think I grieved enough for what the franchise used to be so that I could accept the Elderscrolls for what it had become which is an action adventure with rpg elements set in an open world that was fun to explore and I got lots of enjoyment out of it.  I think the same holds true for DA: I for me,  my standards for Bioware are forever lowered now, so I don't expect as much out of their games as I used to.  

 

Edit: Oh, and I have to add that I had an awesome moment of reckoning as far as the dumbing down of rpgs go on the Steam Divinity: Original Sin forum where there were actual threads created by players who were whining about there not being enough hand holding in the game (have they no shame!?! Honestly.  Even if you feel that way, why the hell would you admit to it???)   But this is the reason I love crowdfunding so much because without it, I wouldn't have been able to tell them to suck it up, it's our turn now, because back when I played Oblivion for the first time, I was certain I was witnessing the death of the traditional deep computer rpg because corporate publishers were the gatekeepers of what could be created.

 

Being able to tell them to suck it up felt really, really good.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Shadeling

[Humanoid]

If DA3's tedium is due to Skyrim, then what was DA1's tedium caused by? Indeed I'd say that filler combat tends to be a staple of Bioware that's not necessarily seen in Elder Scrolls games, which are happier to let you bypass this type of so-called 'content'. Admittedly oftentimes this is achieved through some borderline exploitative behaviour, but also in more mundanely emergent ways, like simply sneaking (or running) through an entire dungeon.

[Shadeling]

If DA3's tedium is due to Skyrim, then what was DA1's tedium caused by? Indeed I'd say that filler combat tends to be a staple of Bioware that's not necessarily seen in Elder Scrolls games, which are happier to let you bypass this type of so-called 'content'. Admittedly oftentimes this is achieved through some borderline exploitative behaviour, but also in more mundanely emergent ways, like simply sneaking (or running) through an entire dungeon.

 

I was mainly referencing the advent of quest markers and the like, something that I really hated at first because of how much enjoyment I got out of exploration element of Morrowind where you weren't lead around by your nose and there was an actual sense of discovery which I found very satisfying but that was forever lost thanks in part to the introduction of quest markers ala Bethesda.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Shadeling

[Orogun01]

If DA3's tedium is due to Skyrim, then what was DA1's tedium caused by? Indeed I'd say that filler combat tends to be a staple of Bioware that's not necessarily seen in Elder Scrolls games, which are happier to let you bypass this type of so-called 'content'. Admittedly oftentimes this is achieved through some borderline exploitative behaviour, but also in more mundanely emergent ways, like simply sneaking (or running) through an entire dungeon.

I wonder why people think that it's the copied article fault that the forgery is bad?

[Stun]

I was mainly referencing the advent of quest markers and the like, something that I really hated at first because of how much enjoyment I got out of exploration element of Morrowind where you weren't lead around by your nose and there was an actual sense of discovery which I found very satisfying but that was forever lost thanks in part to the introduction of quest markers ala Bethesda.

Bethesda did not invent quest markers.

 

Blizzard gets that credit. They've been using Quest markers in WoW since the Bush Administration.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

This is going to be the first game in a long while that I didn't finish, let alone 100%. I stopped playing it a month ago, but I recently realized that I have no wish to go back to it. I think I was even near the end (2 main missions away).

 

The game is way too long, for the gameplay it offers. The most detrimental thing for it, in my case, is that I like to finish all side quest/challanges before moving the main plot forward.

 

What got me the most was the lack of the auto-attack function, I would have sludged through the tedium that is the combat, if it had that option. (I have done it many times in many games, DA2 being the obvious example)

 

As far as the story is concerned... well I guess it wasn't good enough to cover for the abysmal combat.

 

I really hope that PoE is not a repeat of the same issues (bad combat and a story not good enough to cover for it).

Your in for disappointment then.

[Valmy]

So it is WoW that ruined RPGs. Mystery solved.

 

Ah MMORPGs you seemed like such a good idea at the time.

[Valmy]

Just like DA: I, I didn't play Skyrim for months after it released but when I finally got around to it, I think I grieved enough for what the franchise used to be so that I could accept the Elderscrolls for what it had become which is an action adventure with rpg elements set in an open world that was fun to explore and I got lots of enjoyment out of it.  I think the same holds true for DA: I for me,  my standards for Bioware are forever lowered now, so I don't expect as much out of their games as I used to.

I am completely with you here. You can rage on for only so long before you have to move on and accept the new reality. Bethesda and Bioware have taken RPGs mainstream which has its good points and bad points. Might as well make the most of it, there is still fun to be had.

[Humanoid]

 

I was mainly referencing the advent of quest markers and the like, something that I really hated at first because of how much enjoyment I got out of exploration element of Morrowind where you weren't lead around by your nose and there was an actual sense of discovery which I found very satisfying but that was forever lost thanks in part to the introduction of quest markers ala Bethesda.

Bethesda did not invent quest markers.

 

Blizzard gets that credit. They've been using Quest markers in WoW since the Bush Administration.

 

 

It actually took about 5 years after WoW's launch for them to add quest markers into the game. As anyone searching for Mankrik's wife would attest to.

[Valmy]

It actually took about 5 years after WoW's launch for them to add quest markers into the game. As anyone searching for Mankrik's wife would attest to.

Is that true? Huh. I only played from 2005-2007 and it sure seemed like they had quest helpers. But that was a long time ago. Maybe for those days it seemed carebear but today it would seem hard core.

[Sarex]

Your in for disappointment then.

 

I'm still willing to give it a shot, it deserves that much.

[Valmy]

 

Your in for disappointment then.

 

I'm still willing to give it a shot, it deserves that much.

 

Eh did you play Baldur's Gate (1 not 2)? It is that kind of tedious combat. At least people auto-attack.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Valmy

[Humanoid]

 

It actually took about 5 years after WoW's launch for them to add quest markers into the game. As anyone searching for Mankrik's wife would attest to.

Is that true? Huh. I only played from 2005-2007 and it sure seemed like they had quest helpers. But that was a long time ago. Maybe for those days it seemed carebear but today it would seem hard core.

 

 

Absolutely. The quest I'm referring to for example had an NPC ask you to find his wife. The only direction given was that she was in the southern half of the Barrens, which is to say, somewherein the lower half of the largest zone in the game. Even Morrowind would have been proud of that level of vagueness. I also remember quests that started from tiny books or scrolls, which weren't marked with exclamation marks like they are these days. Indeed I suspect the only reason most people would know of them at all is through third-party websites such as Thottbot and Allakhazam.

 

A quick Google shows quest markers were added in patch 3.2, which it shows was released in August of 2009, 4 years and 9 months after launch.

[cirdanx]

 

 

It actually took about 5 years after WoW's launch for them to add quest markers into the game. As anyone searching for Mankrik's wife would attest to.

Is that true? Huh. I only played from 2005-2007 and it sure seemed like they had quest helpers. But that was a long time ago. Maybe for those days it seemed carebear but today it would seem hard core.

 

 

Absolutely. The quest I'm referring to for example had an NPC ask you to find his wife. The only direction given was that she was in the southern half of the Barrens, which is to say, somewherein the lower half of the largest zone in the game. Even Morrowind would have been proud of that level of vagueness. I also remember quests that started from tiny books or scrolls, which weren't marked with exclamation marks like they are these days. Indeed I suspect the only reason most people would know of them at all is through third-party websites such as Thottbot and Allakhazam.

 

A quick Google shows quest markers were added in patch 3.2, which it shows was released in August of 2009, 4 years and 9 months after launch.

 

 

Yes the infamous quest. It´s well known in the wow community, at last back then. However Blizzard did add questmarker before that, they were just very rarely placed, just like EQ2 did it. It took them some years to add them all over the game, thats true.

[Amentep]

First DA was the only good one

 

The last DA (inquisition) is utter trash

 

Only people with low standards think its good (AAA trash crowd)

I've liked all the DA's. I'll also admit each has flaws - even flaws big enough that I can understand why others wouldn't like them.

 

But then again I don't expect every game to be the best ever. Or every movie. It's why I can enjoy an ed wood film and a tarkovsky one, they do different things and engage me in different ways.

 

Ymmv, of course.

[Hurlshort]

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

[cirdanx]

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

There is some truth in your statement, but strifing for better is also a good thing.

[Hurlshort]

 

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

There is some truth in your statement, but strifing for better is also a good thing.

 

 

I am not sure I understand what you mean.  We are talking about games.  Sure, I can strive to be better in my career, or as a parent, but why would I need to strive to be entertained by something better?  I'm looking for enjoyment, not enlightenment.

[Malcador]

Absolutely. The quest I'm referring to for example had an NPC ask you to find his wife. The only direction given was that she was in the southern half of the Barrens, which is to say, somewherein the lower half of the largest zone in the game. Even Morrowind would have been proud of that level of vagueness. I also remember quests that started from tiny books or scrolls, which weren't marked with exclamation marks like they are these days. Indeed I suspect the only reason most people would know of them at all is through third-party websites such as Thottbot and Allakhazam.

 

A quick Google shows quest markers were added in patch 3.2, which it shows was released in August of 2009, 4 years and 9 months after launch.

It was also nice when items on the ground didn't sparkle and the quest didn't explicitly state which mob dropped the loot. Can't imagine that being in game now , have people complaining about the time wasted due to that (it's not much).

[Valmy]

I am not sure I understand what you mean.  We are talking about games.  Sure, I can strive to be better in my career, or as a parent, but why would I need to strive to be entertained by something better?  I'm looking for enjoyment, not enlightenment.

Well it depends on how sacred you hold your entertainment. When I was a kid and I had nothing but time to kill I would tolerate any dreck. Well that and I had no money so I kind of had to accept whatever I had. Now that I am coughing up the money and my time is much more limited I get pretty cranky when something fails to meet expectations.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Valmy

[Luj1]

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

 

 

Hahahahahahahha. Indeed.

 

For example, pigs are very happy when they roll in shiet.

[Hurlshort]

Well my response was geared to this:

 

First DA was the only good one

 

The last DA (inquisition) is utter trash

 

Only people with low standards think its good (AAA trash crowd)

 

It is a bit tongue in cheek.  I have things that draw my interest, and if something fails to entertain me, I tend to drop it pretty quickly.  But the idea that person's standards are low because they enjoy AAA titles is ridiculous.  

[Hurlshort]

 

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

Hahahahahahahha. Indeed.

 

For example, pigs are very happy when they roll in shiet.

 

 

Pigs roll around in mud for a variety of reasons (and only in their own waste if their living conditions allow no alternative.)  Temperature control and removing parasites are two of the most common.  But yeah, if I was a pig, I'd wallow in mud.  It looks like a good time.  I used to enjoy playing mud football as a young chap.

[Amentep]

 

I am not sure I understand what you mean.  We are talking about games.  Sure, I can strive to be better in my career, or as a parent, but why would I need to strive to be entertained by something better?  I'm looking for enjoyment, not enlightenment.

Well it depends on how sacred you hold your entertainment. When I was a kid and I had nothing but time to kill I would tolerate any dreck. Well that and I had no money so I kind of had to accept whatever I had. Now that I am coughing up the money and my time is much more limited I get pretty cranky when something fails to meet expectations.

 

 

I don't hold my entertainment sacred at all. That's why its my entertainment and not my religion.

 

Seriously, as I've gotten older I too have a lot of time crunches; but like Hurl, I tend to like more stuff than dislike. But I also tend to approach my entertainment hoping to like it rather than expecting to hate it, so maybe that's different?

 

 

 

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

Hahahahahahahha. Indeed.

 

For example, pigs are very happy when they roll in shiet.

 

And hey, it works for them. Bacon is great.

[Luj1]

 

 

I am not sure I understand what you mean.  We are talking about games.  Sure, I can strive to be better in my career, or as a parent, but why would I need to strive to be entertained by something better?  I'm looking for enjoyment, not enlightenment.

Well it depends on how sacred you hold your entertainment. When I was a kid and I had nothing but time to kill I would tolerate any dreck. Well that and I had no money so I kind of had to accept whatever I had. Now that I am coughing up the money and my time is much more limited I get pretty cranky when something fails to meet expectations.

 

 

I don't hold my entertainment sacred at all. That's why its my entertainment and not my religion. <ba-dum-dum>

 

Seriously, as I've gotten older I too have a lot of time crunches; but like Hurl, I tend to like more stuff than dislike. But I also tend to approach my entertainment hoping to like it rather than expecting to hate it, so maybe that's different?

 

 

 

I'm grateful for my low standards, I'm able to enjoy a tremendous amount of stuff because of it.  

 

Hahahahahahahha. Indeed.

 

For example, pigs are very happy when they roll in shiet.

 

And hey, it works for them.

 

 

 

Indeed. pigs are happier than people.