Dragon Age 3: Inquisition announced

[ControlD]

I watched some game play videos on YouTube and I don't have good feelings at all how this one is going to end up. It looks much more action oriented than DA:O. Lots of jumping and sliding.

I guess I'll just keep playing DA:O once a year or so and be happy we got one really, really good game in the franchise. It's too bad though. If they had just stayed with the original formula and improved on it we could have such a good game. I guess I'm going to stick to RPGs that don't have controller support from now on.

 

[Borealis7]

if this Bioware guy is saying he beat the game without using tactical camera then it cannot be considered a "spiritual successor" to BG or even DAO. and i'm going to adjust my expectations accordingly.

 

[Dahak]

if this Bioware guy is saying he beat the game without using tactical camera then it cannot be considered a "spiritual successor" to BG or even DAO. and i'm going to adjust my expectations accordingly.

To be fair, I had played both DA:O and DA2 without going into the pause mode they had in either of those either, maybe for very few boss battles

But from the way that I read it, and from what Ive seen is for most of the random trash mobs you come across you should be fine and should not need to use to much in the way of advanced tactics, for bosses/dungeons that would be different and would need to plan a bit more

For me a "spiritual successor" is more to do with story, atmosphere, world etc and not so much to do with combat.

The combat changes and lack of character customization point to yet another dumbed down, shallow Dragon Age.

They have the character customization bad, well head/face, body not so much, but the armor and weapons will change your look as well as the companions look based on what your are wearing

 

[exar333]

This how the health and healing mechanics work in game without magic healing,




http://forum.bioware.com/topic/515339-health-and-healing-a-view-from-the-outside/

This is a great write-up, thanks for sharing. That actually sounds pretty cool. Looking forward to ~2 weeks from now. 🙂

 

[Mem]

Skill trees from their forums here http://forum.bioware.com/topic/5090...-dais-skill-tress-here-now-with-moar-archery/



Btw exar333 YW.

 

[escrow4]

Of course its dumbed down - look at the skill trees in that link - they are full screen and designed with a controller in mind, they are not in a tiny menu (on a TV say) that takes up half of a PC screen in other RPGs. This isn't 1995 anymore, gamers will never bother with a game that requires a 100 page manual with a notepad required for taking notes plus a code piece breakout in one of the floppies in a specific section once you get to some random DRM point ingame.

I tried Wasteland, looked at the amount of effort and planning you need and gave up. I'd much rather prefer a stripped RPG with simplified core mechanics and a deeper focus on a fat old story and characters than worrying about rolling the dice and coming up with d-something. As I said, this ain't DnD and 1995 anymore. I actually liked DA: II over Origins anyway. Yes, I went there.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I don't care if the skill tree takes up the entire screen or not. When you're selecting a skill you are entirely focused on that so why have it only take up a third of the screen. You may as well make use of the space.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Yes, I went there.

You and your crappy games can stay there. 🙄

 

[sweenish]

Of course its dumbed down - look at the skill trees in that link - they are full screen and designed with a controller in mind, they are not in a tiny menu (on a TV say) that takes up half of a PC screen in other RPGs. This isn't 1995 anymore, gamers will never bother with a game that requires a 100 page manual with a notepad required for taking notes plus a code piece breakout in one of the floppies in a specific section once you get to some random DRM point ingame.

I tried Wasteland, looked at the amount of effort and planning you need and gave up. I'd much rather prefer a stripped RPG with simplified core mechanics and a deeper focus on a fat old story and characters than worrying about rolling the dice and coming up with d-something. As I said, this ain't DnD and 1995 anymore. I actually liked DA: II over Origins anyway. Yes, I went there.

So many things wrong with your assumptions and comparisons.

It's no wonder a dumbed down anything appeals to you.

 

[Dumac]

In the console version I've heard there is no permanent isometric view, only the temporary tactical camera.

Is the PC version the same way?

 

[escrow4]

You and your crappy games can stay there. 🙄

Its 2015, a Baldurs Gate AAA release will never happen. Games have thankfully moved on.

 

[Bateluer]

Its 2015, a Baldurs Gate AAA release will never happen. Games have thankfully moved on.

Thankfully? Given the amount of attention and funding Numenara, Wasteland, Original Sin, and Eternity got, there's many many people that do want real RPGs, not dumbed down, hyper streamlined consolized trash.

 

[BSim500]

This isn't 1995 anymore, gamers will never bother with a game that requires a 100 page manual with a notepad required for taking notes plus a code piece breakout in one of the floppies in a specific section once you get to some random DRM point ingame.

Nothing like a dose of pure hyperbole in the morning. Last time I checked, DAO didn't need a "100 page manual" or "notepad", didn't come on "floppies" and had zero online DRM (barely a CD check, with plenty of "no-CD's" fixes for laptop users). Its predecessor (Neverwinter Nights) is also DRM free. But then when you declare 4.3/10 average Metacritic review score (averaged over +4,000 votes) DA2 to be the "best in the series" over 9/10 "it's too hard for me even on Easy" original, I guess it explains a lot... :biggrin: As others have said, you only have to look at the reception Divinity Original Sin alone got to see you hardly represent a majority of gamers.

Its 2015, a Baldurs Gate AAA release will never happen.

Meanwhile Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition re-release gets 9/10 on Steam with 90% positive reviews... :whiste:

 

[Borealis7]

here's an SAT analogy:
RPG gamers to PC gamers is what PC gamers to Console gamers are. 😀

 

[xantub]

I had Dragon Age 2 for ages in my Steam library, I played DA:O when it was released and I liked it (except near the end where it got tedious in the very long dwarven underground). DA2 got so many bad reviews that I never bothered... until about a month ago when I decided to play it.

I enjoyed the game. Although I do agree with most of the complaints. I hated the 'paratrooper' reinforcements. I didn't like the companion inventory simplification though I could live with that. I especially hated the small # of areas (and their repeated use)... having to explore the same area 3 or 6 times (some you have to explore twice per chapter one for day and one for night) is just plain stupid. Still, I didn't hate the game, it just wasn't nearly as good as the first one.

 

[Mem]

Some things I do not like about this game,

Says it all for mages,keep on dumbing spells down 🙁

 

[darkewaffle]

Like I said, a bunch of those spells were essentially duplicates/triplicates. It's less impactful than you would make it out to be.

Not to mention only a select few of those were ever available to you at any one time. I think if you were get a full complement of fewer overall spells and have to pick and choose what you want situationally or what best suits the party you have assembled it would be much more interesting than the linear "spell branch" progressions.

 

[Mem]

Like I said, a bunch of those spells were essentially duplicates/triplicates. It's less impactful than you would make it out to be.

Not to mention only a select few of those were ever available to you at any one time. I think if you were get a full complement of fewer overall spells and have to pick and choose what you want situationally or what best suits the party you have assembled it would be much more interesting than the linear "spell branch" progressions.

Problem is you have less options now on YOUR choice,my first rate mage from DA is now like a padawan.

Taking options away especially skills is never a good thing,we all like to play and choose different skills/spells.
I expect by DA4 we will be down to ten spells 😵 .

Btw I had my hotbar skills full from left to right in DA and none were copies or similar.


Also having less spells means you be spamming more of the same ones,less choice more chance of that.

 

[RampantAndroid]

Problem is you have less options now on YOUR choice,my first rate mage from DA is now like a padawan.

Taking options away especially skills is never a good thing,we all like to play and choose different skills/spells.
I expect by DA4 we will be down to ten spells 😵 .

Btw I had my hotbar skills full from left to right in DA and none were copies or similar.


Also having less spells means you be spamming more of the same ones,less choice more chance of that.

Less spells is just them optimizing for consoles...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Bioware, after ME3 and DA2, is dead to me. I will skip DA3, and all future Bioware titles.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Bioware is dead to me.

It's sad to be sure, but this is the only way a rational person can react to the constant disappoints they have produced in recent years.

 

[darkewaffle]

Problem is you have less options now on YOUR choice,my first rate mage from DA is now like a padawan.

Taking options away especially skills is never a good thing,we all like to play and choose different skills/spells.

I expect by DA4 we will be down to ten spells 😵 .

Btw I had my hotbar skills full from left to right in DA and none were copies or similar.

Assuming taking options away is "never" a good thing is short sighted. There is absolutely such a thing as bloat.

I wouldn't consider DAO bloated (well, maybe a little - passives like Survival and Herbalism were pretty much worthless and a lot of the class branches were artificially extended with "filler" passives) but at the same time - Tempest/Earthquake/Blizzard/Inferno are pretty much the same spell - AoE nuke. Shock/Cone of Cold/Flameblast are the same spell - cone AoE. Stonefist/Winter's Grasp/Lightning/Fireball are the same spell - single target damage. Mana Drain/Mana Clash/Mana Cleanse - same effect. The elemental spells are the worst offenders but there are others too: 3/4 hexes do basically the same thing (increase damage taken) and spells designed like Paralysis/Mass Paralysis or Weakness/Miasma or Rejuvenation/Mass Rejuvenation are found throughout the game where the same spell is essentially available twice - which actually plays out OK (AoE vs single target is a legitimate decision assuming the mana cost differential is meaningful - I don't recall) in the game but also serves to really artificially inflate the number of "options" it looks like you have.

It depends on what you chose, but lots of copies were available which is the point, even if not necessarily available to the same character. However even if there's 70 odd spells in the game, how many would a character realistically get or use? I honestly don't remember lol, but at the end of the day even if there are fewer overall spells (though I would not be surprised to see more available at one time for a character in spite of that), I don't think that actually makes a big difference to the final product - people using, what, maybe 5-10 spells?

 

[Dumac]

Tempest/Earthquake/Blizzard/Inferno are pretty much the same spell - AoE nuke. Shock/Cone of Cold/Flameblast are the same spell - cone AoE. Stonefist/Winter's Grasp/Lightning/Fireball are the same spell - single target damage.

Different elemental damages are an important system. It allows your mage to spec in a certain element, which will get them advantages in some encounters and disadvantages in others. Not to mention, the elemental damages usually cause other side affects, such a burning, freezing, shock, etc, which is suited to different playstyles. These choices allow you to further define a character (i.e. of course Morrigan would be an ice queen) and also balance your party's abilities.

Mana Drain/Mana Clash/Mana Cleanse - same effect.

What, no they aren't. Mana drain absorbs mana from a single target without costing you any yourself. Mana cleanse costs the caster mana and simply nullifies the mana of enemies in an area without gaining you any. Mana clash on the other hand costs mroe mana but damages enemies along with nullifying their mana.

Not only are those all different effects, but they each have different mana costs and cast times associated with them. That isn't bloat. Those are options.

3/4 hexes do basically the same thing (increase damage taken)

That isn't true

Hexes are:
Lower resistances of single target
Lower resistances of enemies in an area
Lower hit chance of single target
Raise critical hit chance on a single target

Those are the same at all, and simplyfing it as "increase damage taken" is disingenuous.

spells designed like Paralysis/Mass Paralysis or Weakness/Miasma or Rejuvenation/Mass Rejuvenation are found throughout the game where the same spell is essentially available twice - which actually plays out OK (AoE vs single target is a legitimate decision assuming the mana cost differential is meaningful - I don't recall) in the game but also serves to really artificially inflate the number of "options" it looks like you have.

It provides a 'legitimate decision" but still "artificially inflates the number of options"? No, that not how it works. It is a legitimate decision, and is therefore a legitimate option.

I don't think that actually makes a big difference to the final product - people using, what, maybe 5-10 spells?

That isn't how Dragon Age played out, and it sounds incredibly boring as far as character development goes.

 

[Mem]

Assuming taking options away is "never" a good thing is short sighted. There is absolutely such a thing as bloat.

However even if there's 70 odd spells in the game, how many would a character realistically get or use? I honestly don't remember lol, but at the end of the day even if there are fewer overall spells (though I would not be surprised to see more available at one time for a character in spite of that), I don't think that actually makes a big difference to the final product - people using, what, maybe 5-10 spells?

Bloat you can control,don't like a spell simple remove it from hotbar,however at least you have the option either way,dumbing down skills mages use is dumb and no excuse in RPG game like DA:I.

The more I think about it the more I feel they are dumbing it all down for those eight slots and console gamers,gamers should have the choice and last word.

As to how many I use,well it's far more then eight slots and that's before you take into account mana and heal pots,oh and now we are down to six slots,sucks even more.
Six ( remember two used for heal and mana pots )slots for mages sucks,you lose too many skills in your hotbar,AoE,defensive,offensive,CC etc,just spam those six only slots,great not.

It almost feels like they are going by how many buttons you get on a typical console game pad,ie eight that says it all.
I'm far from happy with this.

 

[escrow4]

Bloat you can control,don't like a spell simple remove it from hotbar,however at least you have the option either way,dumbing down skills mages use is dumb and no excuse in RPG game like DA:I.

The more I think about it the more I feel they are dumbing it all down for those eight slots and console gamers,gamers should have the choice and last word.

As to how many I use,well it's far more then eight slots and that's before you take into account mana and heal pots,oh and now we are down to six slots,sucks even more.
Six ( remember two used for heal and mana pots )slots for mages sucks,you lose too many skills in your hotbar,AoE,defensive,offensive,CC etc,just spam those six only slots,great not.

It almost feels like they are going by how many buttons you get on a typical console game pad,ie eight that says it all.
I'm far from happy with this.

Running around in a pretty robe letting off spells has never been appealing to me. Maybe internal testing showed less mage preferences?

 

[Mem]

Running around in a pretty robe letting off spells has never been appealing to me. Maybe internal testing showed less mage preferences?

Nope, just dumbing the game down as usual ie no manual attributes,no magic healing,eight slots max,limited spells,says it all.