Wow, pretty damning. The part about Origin's intro was insightful and very true. You start out as a nobody, become the warden a few hours in, and slowly build up to being the hero. To start out the hero means they've gone full Shepard. Sounds like they've padded the game out big time as well.
Damn. Damn! I really like -not- being the hero! At least for the first 3/4 of the game...I mean, recognized for your achievements, but as much as a trouble-making interloper as Teh Heroez. Hmm.
You can toggle it on or off in the options menu separately from the difficulty setting. But be aware if you choose to play with ff you have to micromanage your party because the companion ai doesn't care about damaging your own party characters. This was mentioned in one of the gameplay streams by the devs.
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Why would you even have friendly fire toggled on though?
I just have a head canon where mages can make their magic only affect hostile targets. It's magic. I can do that!
I just have a head canon where mages can make their magic only affect hostile targets. It's magic. I can do that!
I like the added challenge. It just feels more fun if I have to actually watch what I'm doing.
Fair enough. I find it annoying that I can't send fireballs at people while my tank is in the way..... so I prefer it off.
It is rather satisfying to send fireballs into a crowd of fools gathered around Sten and Alistair. As a mage Warden, I played on normal and don't really remember a friendly fire effect being on then. I could have sworn it was only on for hard and up in Origins.
Anyway, I don't think I'd use that for mages either, but who knows, it might be fun too. But for rogues and warriors, I'd want it on so I can't abuse my mage character's abilities as much.
Thank the gods that Morrigan's mass paralysis doesn't give friendly fire though, lol.
Anyway, I don't think I'd use that for mages either, but who knows, it might be fun too. But for rogues and warriors, I'd want it on so I can't abuse my mage character's abilities as much.
Thank the gods that Morrigan's mass paralysis doesn't give friendly fire though, lol.
Lol mass paralysis is one of the spells I missed the most from Origins.
welp that doesn't sound good at all :/
I can't believe those are the only quests we will be given though...... surely Bioware know that this sort of stuff doesn't impress people?
Like I said earlier about that video, Bioware clearly didn't understand why an open world worked with Skyrim and why it probably wouldn't work with DA. Skyrim has little focus on the main quest and as @slimgrin puts it, makes their quests connect like a web. Bioware has a main quest that is given focus, so any missions on the side would pretty much have to be mainly like Skyrim's radiant quest system, which contrary to popular belief amongst those who trash and have never played Skyrim, is NOT how the majority of their quests work.
It may be better on Witcher if it's anything like that, because Geralt is a monster hunter, so little quests for gold like that make sense for him. Not so much the GRAND SPANISH INQUISITOR! SPECIAL FOR SHOOTING MOUNTAIN DEW OUT OF HIS HANDS!
Anyway, I'm sure there'll be more than this here. Bioware's decisions are.... but they can't be that stupid. I won't let myself be surprised though, but they'd have to be high not to include some big sidequests on the side.
Biggest letdown so far is no fucking Origins stories. That right there was a decision that made me wonder if they found some moon sugar in Thedas. Who the fuck cares about being a Qunari if there's no cool Origins story for it? Especially for mage ones??
It may be better on Witcher if it's anything like that, because Geralt is a monster hunter, so little quests for gold like that make sense for him. Not so much the GRAND SPANISH INQUISITOR! SPECIAL FOR SHOOTING MOUNTAIN DEW OUT OF HIS HANDS!
Anyway, I'm sure there'll be more than this here. Bioware's decisions are.... but they can't be that stupid. I won't let myself be surprised though, but they'd have to be high not to include some big sidequests on the side.
Biggest letdown so far is no fucking Origins stories. That right there was a decision that made me wonder if they found some moon sugar in Thedas. Who the fuck cares about being a Qunari if there's no cool Origins story for it? Especially for mage ones??
Interesting little tidbit of info:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11...e-inquisition-started-out-as-multiplayer-only
It seems to me that DA:I resulted from the fusion of three projects: The multiplayer DA game, the cancelled DA2 expansion, and DA3. Even if the latter wasn't announced at the time of the expansion's cancellation, I suspect they had probably already started work on it.
What's interesting to me is whether the multiplayer game merely contributed the tech, or whether they also transferred some of the assets that were developed. For one thing, a lot about the landscapes in the videos remind me of MMO's and Amalur (another quasi-open, if territorially contiguous, RPG with MMO tech roots) and for another, it's never a good idea to revisit past and not particularly interesting locations in a franchise. Ferelden was pretty much Dullsville in fantasy terms.
Unless…the stuff was already there for another kind of game and difficult to adapt / use for another location. Waste not, want not.
So: Perhaps a lot of the Ferelden stuff came from the multiplayer game, and the Orlais stuff, I wonder, may originally have come from the cancelled expansion (‘DA 2 exalted march’, Biospeak for crusade). Anyway, just speculating…
Regarding the whole question of designing a sandbox / open world game, I’d like to point out to this article from late last August: http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/08/26/how-just-cause-2-redefined-open-world-games/100297/
I’d like to quote the following paragraphs:
Anyway, regardless of whether DA:I is a great game or merely okay, it’s going to be interesting to see how BioWare tried to solve the problem of marrying an open world with a strong central narrative, and compare this to CDProjekt’s work in The Witcher III.
Like Unlinked, I'm not too optimistic, but I'd love a pleasant surprise
Edit: Agree on the lack of Origin stories, but Bio admitted long ago that these wouldn't be in the game. A pity, because in principle these are an excellent way of introducing new players to the world and existing players to new or little known aspects of the world. I don't think DA:O's origin stories were all that great, but they were interesting and full of potential in future installments. Maybe another RPG studio will pick up this great storytelling / tutorial mechanic.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11...e-inquisition-started-out-as-multiplayer-only
It seems to me that DA:I resulted from the fusion of three projects: The multiplayer DA game, the cancelled DA2 expansion, and DA3. Even if the latter wasn't announced at the time of the expansion's cancellation, I suspect they had probably already started work on it.
What's interesting to me is whether the multiplayer game merely contributed the tech, or whether they also transferred some of the assets that were developed. For one thing, a lot about the landscapes in the videos remind me of MMO's and Amalur (another quasi-open, if territorially contiguous, RPG with MMO tech roots) and for another, it's never a good idea to revisit past and not particularly interesting locations in a franchise. Ferelden was pretty much Dullsville in fantasy terms.
Unless…the stuff was already there for another kind of game and difficult to adapt / use for another location. Waste not, want not.
So: Perhaps a lot of the Ferelden stuff came from the multiplayer game, and the Orlais stuff, I wonder, may originally have come from the cancelled expansion (‘DA 2 exalted march’, Biospeak for crusade). Anyway, just speculating…
Regarding the whole question of designing a sandbox / open world game, I’d like to point out to this article from late last August: http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/08/26/how-just-cause-2-redefined-open-world-games/100297/
I’d like to quote the following paragraphs:
Anyway, regardless of whether DA:I is a great game or merely okay, it’s going to be interesting to see how BioWare tried to solve the problem of marrying an open world with a strong central narrative, and compare this to CDProjekt’s work in The Witcher III.
Like Unlinked, I'm not too optimistic, but I'd love a pleasant surprise
Edit: Agree on the lack of Origin stories, but Bio admitted long ago that these wouldn't be in the game. A pity, because in principle these are an excellent way of introducing new players to the world and existing players to new or little known aspects of the world. I don't think DA:O's origin stories were all that great, but they were interesting and full of potential in future installments. Maybe another RPG studio will pick up this great storytelling / tutorial mechanic.
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The news about no Origins stories honestly escaped me. I didn't follow DA 3 as closely as others here, so there's a number of things that was news to me later than it should have been.
And I really hope this isn't another case of MMO esque multiplayer stuff fucking up yet another title. TESO, Destiny, and now another one bites the dust.
If it ends up being as bad as that article we read and this video makes it seem, that is. It's true, you can't judge a whole game from four to five hours, but the first four to five hours being dreary surely isn't a good sign. All I know is, I went from not knowing if I'd get the game close to release to knowing for sure I'm waiting at least a month or two for youtube reviews and such to decide.
And I really hope this isn't another case of MMO esque multiplayer stuff fucking up yet another title. TESO, Destiny, and now another one bites the dust.
If it ends up being as bad as that article we read and this video makes it seem, that is. It's true, you can't judge a whole game from four to five hours, but the first four to five hours being dreary surely isn't a good sign. All I know is, I went from not knowing if I'd get the game close to release to knowing for sure I'm waiting at least a month or two for youtube reviews and such to decide.
Personally I'm not /too/ bothered about the origins stories because I just like to get on with shit BUT I think in the context of Inquisition, an origin story should have existed. We get made the big cheese in the Inquisition, within moments of the game starting (?) just because our hand does cool shit. We didn't need to be made in charge for that. Honestly I don't see why Cassandra isn't the leader.
Our character being the leader wouldn't be entirely implausible if we had an Origins story showing how our family is greatly respected for being awesome or whatever, but just giving us the Inquisitor title, when there's so many other better qualified people, seems a bit silly. Lol it's basic storytelling 101 that if you only get made the ~chosen one~ because the writer decided they wanted that to happen, without any realistic justification, it's bad writing.
I am very concerned about the quests. The beginning of the game is meant to draw you in, but instead players are lumped with boring fetch quests :/ and they don't even have interesting twists which is even worse. I swear if this is the way all of the quests are in DA:I I am going to be very pissed.
I am slightly worried that Bioware has focused too much on customisation, and not enough on building interesting questlines.
Our character being the leader wouldn't be entirely implausible if we had an Origins story showing how our family is greatly respected for being awesome or whatever, but just giving us the Inquisitor title, when there's so many other better qualified people, seems a bit silly. Lol it's basic storytelling 101 that if you only get made the ~chosen one~ because the writer decided they wanted that to happen, without any realistic justification, it's bad writing.
I am very concerned about the quests. The beginning of the game is meant to draw you in, but instead players are lumped with boring fetch quests :/ and they don't even have interesting twists which is even worse. I swear if this is the way all of the quests are in DA:I I am going to be very pissed.
I am slightly worried that Bioware has focused too much on customisation, and not enough on building interesting questlines.
Design by reused assets.
Ah well, previews are always risky, especially with slow burning RPGs.
Ah well, previews are always risky, especially with slow burning RPGs.
Well that's a shame :/
And I played Kingdoms of Amalur, so in a way, it seems I already played DAI
But I will wait for more previews, hopefully it will be better as the game progresses.
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I've been used to it since the first Baldur's Gate, and it was an untoggleable feature in all (easy, too?) difficulties in Origins, as well. It was something I actually enjoyed strategizing around.
The devs had to mention this? Should I be surprised that this is somehow not a given? Well, even without friendly fire, I always micromanaged my party just to keep companions from needlessly using talents.
No in easy friendly fire didn't happen. Your fireballs would knock party members over, and blizzard would do the same, but they weren't injured by any of the spells.