As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Dragon Age Thread – The third and final story DLC out now on PS4/XBO/PC

18990929495100

Posts

  • SproutSprout Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    Hmm I wonder how big Tevinter is gonna be.

    The trailer made it look huge and like we might be getting some semblance of the rogue/heist plot Laidlaw was talking about before he left.

    One hopes they learned their lesson from Val Royeaux and they don’t make it like 2 lightly-populated blocks.

  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    It's easy to assume they had bigger plans for Val Royeaux that simply got scoped out because the game was bloody yuge enough as it was without having to navigate a city in of itself that they might not necessarily have had enough content density to make it feel like a believable place

    You could get away with deserts and plains feeling sparse with NPCs, doing it with fantasy Paris would be underwhelming as hell

  • OrcaOrca Also known as Espressosaurus WrexRegistered User regular
    Yeah, as tiny as it was, Val Royeux was an obvious case of "shit, we can't make this work in time, cut it to the bone and salvage what we can".

    Sucks, but like you say, it was an overly-large game to begin with.

  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    I'd just put it in the pile of "we need this to work on the PS3" items.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    I'd just put it in the pile of "we need this to work on the PS3" items.

    Yeah, having to go on the old consoles obviously hobbled a bunch of war table systems as well.

    The couldn't just go the Cyberpunk route of "fuck the old consoles (but we'll still take their money)"

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited December 2020
    Yeah I was always sad that the war table mini-game got scrapped because of hardware limitations it sounded fun.

    Dragkonias on
  • htmhtm Registered User regular
    Orca wrote: »
    Yeah, as tiny as it was, Val Royeux was an obvious case of "shit, we can't make this work in time, cut it to the bone and salvage what we can".

    Sucks, but like you say, it was an overly-large game to begin with.

    I think they cut a lot of technologically demanding features to make it run on PS3. There was supposed to be special gameplay for besieging and capture regional fortresses, too, that were just too demanding to run well on PS3.

  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    Hey guys, I'm playing that hot new release, Dragon Age II. I forgot how much I like the way the story is structured. That one year timeskip from prologue to act I means you're already established in Kirkwall and people know you. You have a reputation from working for whoever you picked at the end of the prologue, Eveline is a friend, people recognize you. Then they do 3 years from act 1 to act 2. Same applies, your reputation is much bigger, because now you're rich and you've lived here for 4 years. Eveline is an experienced guard captain, your sister is settling into being a Circle mage, etc. I guess some make less sense: Isabella has made no progress on finding her artifact, Fenris is still just waiting for his former master to come get him. Still, the sense of belonging and groundedness is like no other game I've played.

    I got the complete edition, which means a stupid amount of DLC. The main 2 story ones seem to be Legacy and Mark of the Assassin. Both are exclusively (right?) accessed through statues in your house, so I can do them anytime? Is there a particular time when they make sense or are meant to be done?

  • shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    Do Legacy before the second time skip and Mark of the Assassin after it.

  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    Do Legacy before the second time skip and Mark of the Assassin after it.

    Is this Act 1 & 2, or Act 2 & 3? Since the first timeskip is between the prologue and Act 1.

  • shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    captaink wrote: »
    Do Legacy before the second time skip and Mark of the Assassin after it.

    Is this Act 1 & 2, or Act 2 & 3? Since the first timeskip is between the prologue and Act 1.

    Legacy in Act 2, Mark in Act 3 I meant. Probably Mark in Act 2 would also be fine?

  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    edited February 2021
    I had a dream last night that a new Dragon Age game was out. I found out about it (in the dream) because there was a video online of several hours of play, so I was watching it. Be warned, my brain is a lot more focused on relationships in Bioware games than action.

    The game starred The Warden. In the video I was watching, they had chosen similarly to one of my favorite runs: female, human Cousland, married to Alistair, I think as king and queen. Actually, before I watched the video I happened to see some fan art of Alistair and one of the new characters in the game, Adan, drawn as lovers. So I was curious who Adan was. The video started out with the warden hanging out with Alistair, Adan, and some others I couldn't put faces and names to. Adan's role was as Alistair's best bud who would take him out to get laid, something the warden approved because she wanted him to have more experience of the world, wanted him to be with her because he wanted to and not because she was literally the only woman he'd ever had a sexual encounter with. I would describe thier relationship as similar to Prince Hal and Ned Poins from Henry IV. Anyway, while the Warden was approving of the carousing, she was started to feel jealous of Alistair's time and some time in the opening discussed that with a trusted friend.

    The inciting action was some sort of attack on the castle that was devastating. The result was for Warden, Alistair, Adan, and entourage to visit an oracle to find out where this seemingly magical strike force appeared from nowhere then disappeared just as easily. The oracle spoke of a world cut off from all others and therefore jealous, and somehow the oracle was able to send them all there (how she was able to do that when it's supposedly cut off I'm only wondering about now that I'm awake). The world they were sent to was basically modern earth with some differences. The crew was driving a horse and carriage in the street with cars. They also kept spotting people who looked like modern earth equivalents to past companions - Cassandra for sure was spotted. There was also a brief animated scene with The Warden looking down at Alistair who was laying his head on her lap staring up - sort of the equivalent of past games allowing you to "click here to smooch", except it was staring into the love interest's eyes until you hit escape. I remember thinking how unusually well animated Alistair's expression was.

    Before any more action happened, I decided I needed to stop watching the video and instead purchase and download the game. And that's when I woke up.

    Cambiata on
    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    As a licensed medical professional, to me it sounds like a typical case of BioWare On The Brain

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Yeah. Like there are a lot more character based RPGs these days but I still don't get the specific things I get from Bioware games from them.

  • ThegreatcowThegreatcow Lord of All Bacons Washington State - It's Wet up here innit? Registered User regular
    So there may be some Light (of Andraste) at the end of the this whole development tunnel due to the firestorm of Anthem's shutting down

  • jdarksunjdarksun Struggler VARegistered User regular
    "Publisher allows dev studio to make the game they want, instead of forced monetization" is a hell of a headline.

  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    jdarksun wrote: »
    "Publisher allows dev studio to make the game they want, instead of forced monetization" is a hell of a headline.

    obwghhf1yfit.png

    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    To Tevinter and Beyond!

    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    Well...if that means we actually get Dragon Age by 2022 that would be great.

    Also, this makes me remember what Manveer Heir said after he quit "Every generation the game industry has to be reminded that people still enjoy single player, narrative-based games."

    That line was funny to me because its so true.

    Dragkonias on
  • EtiowsaEtiowsa Registered User regular
    jdarksun wrote: »
    "Publisher allows dev studio to make the game they want, instead of forced monetization" is a hell of a headline.

    Especially since they were already doing that, but threw out all the work to make a shitty GaaS, which made all the senior creatives who'd worked on the series leave. This is good news for sure, but it hasn't really moved the needle much on my expectations for the game.

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    It will be interesting to see how it turns out I was kind of iffy on Gaider(though I will admit he was responsible for some of my favorite characters), but Laidlaw leaving does give me pause.

    That said, I'm also willing to give the new people a chance so we'll see how it goes.

  • PreciousBodilyFluidsPreciousBodilyFluids Registered User regular
    So there may be some Light (of Andraste) at the end of the this whole development tunnel due to the firestorm of Anthem's shutting down

    I'm happy about this because I like Dragon Age but I absolutely would not have played the next game if it wasn't single player.

  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    Well...if that means we actually get Dragon Age by 2022 that would be great.

    I wouldn't count on it. In fact, this may wind up extending the development time, as retooling the GaaS stuff into an effective single-player game might cause a major rethink.

    It sucks, but if it's the price to pay for getting an actually good Dragon Age game, I'm all for it.

    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular
    So there may be some Light (of Andraste) at the end of the this whole development tunnel due to the firestorm of Anthem's shutting down

    I'm happy about this because I like Dragon Age but I absolutely would not have played the next game if it wasn't single player.

    Same. I have no interest in Anthem, I did not buy it, and I would not have bought Anthem with dragons.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
  • Andy JoeAndy Joe We claim the land for the highlord! The AdirondacksRegistered User regular
    So there may be some Light (of Andraste) at the end of the this whole development tunnel due to the firestorm of Anthem's shutting down
    The diverging trajectories of two recent games changed the minds of Wilson and other executives at EA, according to the people. One was Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player game released in November 2019 that won critical acclaim and outperformed EA’s sales expectations, reaching more than 10 million players in its first four months. The second was BioWare’s Anthem, a multiplayer game that was widely panned when it launched. The games showed that single-player games could still be lucrative and that BioWare, traditionally known for its single-player, role-playing games, might be better off returning to its roots.

    As someone who preordered the deluxe edition of Fallen Order and never bought Anthem, all I have to say is: You're welcome.

    XBL: Stealth Crane PSN: ajpet12 3DS: 1160-9999-5810 NNID: StealthCrane Pokemon Scarlet Name: Carmen
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    Well in general the GaaS Gold Rush has died down a bit, what with the last few attempts being colossal commercial failures. I'm sure it'll quickly be replaced with some other fad but until then we'll have a moment's reprieve.

    Dragkonias on
  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    I would play a Dragon Age game whether single or multi, but I VASTLY prefer single player.

    And what do you know, Anthem gave us all something after all!

    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    I'm not sure if the multiplayer from DAI is included in the "Live Service" thing.

    Personally, I thought it was okay if not as good as ME's just needed some work to make it more interesting.

  • KarlKarl Registered User regular
    Mass Effect 3 nailed the SP/MP focus.

    A dragon age equivalent of that would be excellent.

  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    Karl wrote: »
    Mass Effect 3 nailed the SP/MP focus.

    A dragon age equivalent of that would be excellent.

    They did have their original, original idea for DA4 being centered around multiplayer heists/espionage in Tevinter. I mean, hell, that is a cool idea. Maybe not "This is the entire Dragon Age game" cool, but I would welcome it as a multiplayer option.

    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    Etiowsa wrote: »
    jdarksun wrote: »
    "Publisher allows dev studio to make the game they want, instead of forced monetization" is a hell of a headline.

    Especially since they were already doing that, but threw out all the work to make a shitty GaaS, which made all the senior creatives who'd worked on the series leave. This is good news for sure, but it hasn't really moved the needle much on my expectations for the game.

    This was my first thought as well. Too bad they were making the game I really wanted to play, had to throw it out for GaaS with the Anthem engine.

    While I'm glad EA executives are learning something we all could have told them years ago, but if they continue DA4 development with Frostbite as the engine (which is what they were mandated in the GaaS version), we may end up with Dragon Age: Andromeda by the end. Jedi Fallen Order used Unreal Engine; maybe that was part of the lesson they didn't learn.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • Atlas in ChainsAtlas in Chains Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    I'm not sure if the multiplayer from DAI is included in the "Live Service" thing.

    Personally, I thought it was okay if not as good as ME's just needed some work to make it more interesting.

    This is where I am. I loved ME3 multi. I really liked DAI multi. Neither of them sold me the game alone, though. I don't mind GaaS being part of the titles at all, but I'm first and foremost an rpg lover. I got Anthem for free with a video card purchase and it was fun for maybe a month, but without a deep story, it never had a chance.

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    Yeah Respawn's agreement with EA is while they are technically an EA subsidiary they can more or less do their own thing.

    Was one of the reasons Titanfall 2, Apex Legends and Fallen Order didn't use Frostbite.

    And all of those games have been pretty successful.

    Dragkonias on
  • SoundsPlushSoundsPlush yup, back. Registered User regular
    that BioWare, traditionally known for its single-player, role-playing games, might be better off returning to its roots.

    This is the kind of disruptive galaxy brain thinking you need an MBA for.

    s7Imn5J.png
  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    that BioWare, traditionally known for its single-player, role-playing games, might be better off returning to its roots.

    This is the kind of disruptive galaxy brain thinking you need an MBA for.

    "You folks are the best automotive engineers in the whole Goddamn world! That's why I hired you all! No one else designs sports cars with the same fine attention to style and power like you lot! Now, build me a Battleship! You have ten years!"

    Axen on
    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    Axen wrote: »
    that BioWare, traditionally known for its single-player, role-playing games, might be better off returning to its roots.

    This is the kind of disruptive galaxy brain thinking you need an MBA for.

    "You folks are the best automotive engineers in the whole Goddamn world! That's why I hired you all! No one else designs sports cars with the same fine attention to style and power like you lot! Now, build me a Battleship! You have ten years!"

    I mean, worked out okay for Porsche.

  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    It does concern me that a whole lot of time was probably wasted already on games as service bullshit. But then again games as service stuff always just seems to be an excuse to release half a game, so maybe it won’t have changed much as they were already making single player content and hadn’t got to the “and now do it 59 times for better loot” core development part for games as a service games

    Seriously anthem, marvel, they all basically have a single player game and then just go “and now to make you run the same content again!”

    Prohass on
  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    Prohass wrote: »
    It does concern me that a whole lot of time was probably wasted already on games as service bullshit. But then again games as service stuff always just seems to be an excuse to release half a game, so maybe it won’t have changed much as they were already making single player content and hadn’t got to the “and now do it 59 times for better loot” core development part for games as a service games

    Seriously anthem, marvel, they all basically have a single player game and then just go “and now to make you run the same content again!”

    Yeah, I think a big trap a lot of these games fall in to is focusing their main efforts on the campaign and then everything else. Hell, it is often used as a selling point. That is backwards IMHO.

    Now I love me a good campaign as much as the next person, but when it comes to GaaS you really need to nail all the other grindy activities first and then do story stuff.

    If all the other activities players are going to (theoretically) spend the majority of their time on while waiting for the next chapter of the story are fun or at least good enough then your game has a much better chance of survival. More so if the gameplay is fun, but one would hope that that should go without saying.

    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    As someone who has triple digits in Mass Effect 3 I thought Anthem was great and literally BioWare's best combat system they've ever made. I probably would have played a GaaS Dragon Age because I would be absolutely down for a co-op heist/rebellion movement in Tevinter or whatever they had planned, but I get that's not what other people want so whatever

    My only beef with it would be if the developers didn't want to make a multiplayer game from the get-go (which they did for Anthem) and pivoted from publisher pressure. I just think studios can make whatever they like if they feel like they're up to it. People have been constantly saying "BioWare should stick to single player RPGs and never make multiplayer things ever" when they've been maintaining a relatively compelling MMO for literally the last thirteen fuckin years, but whatever. I'm glad people out there can dance on that grave if it makes them feel better

    BRIAN BLESSED on
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    The problem with GaaS when tied to SP is that it ruins the "me" experience because there needs to be a big universal instance so no one feels left out.

    Which is antithetical to what people like about Bioware games.

    Look at Anthem. In the main plot you kind of just go along with the story. Making quips and comments but nothing that actually affects the world state.

    And look the online conversations around an average Bioware game.

    Who did they romance? What was their relationship with X character? How did they handle big decisions/small decisions? What subtle tweaks did my world state have because of them?

    There is a nuance there that is way harder to get in multiplayer because you need consistent variables for each player.

    And those variables even if illusionary in the grand scheme of things are what makes Bioware games what they are.

    Dragkonias on
This discussion has been closed.