Why would the Grey Wardens change their name? The Grey Marshals? Was that necessary? It's obvious from what's come out that the changes in the setting will be apparent enough on the box art and of course the eventual pre-release hype and marketing buildup. But why would the Wardens change their name? It doesn't make sense from their vantage point.
And then there's the class changes. Just the names of the classes. Magician? This conveys more theater magic, smoke and mirrors, not the real deal. Magic hasn't changed, has it? Is this going to be another tired magic vs. technology theme, or will the two be more closely intertwined?
Bandit? Granted, rogues don't go around calling themselves "rogue", but "bandit" conveys an image more focused on, well, banditry. Stealing and such. "Rogue" can easily be taken to represent a skillset desirable to the Grey Wardens that extends beyond the scope of just thievery, but would self-styled "bandits" be welcome in the Grey Marshals? Does the "anything at any cost" approach to fighting the enemy still apply?
Gunslinger. Okay, this one worries me. Are melee weapons to be defocused? CRPGs always seem to have lackluster implementation of ranged combat when stacked up against melee alternatives—what is changing here? Will there be a viable melee path for gunslingers (I assume they are the warrior analogue), or is that something that will be entirely the province of bandit characters? Will we be able to bring a knife to a gunfight?
Now the setting. Ferelden. Ferelden? Okay, it looks like the game may take you into the other areas of Thedas eventually (or maybe through expansions) and I guess it's cool to see the familiar old landscape transformed into the new age.
And what age is it? A lot of sticklers are going to give you grief with the game being developed as "Dragon Age II" but no longer set during the Dragon Age. Maybe the "Iron Dragon Age"? It'd be fitting, with the rail transit system criss-crossing the land.
Hrm. Okay, horses. Why weren't these in the first Dragon Age game? I mean, they look and animate beautifully. Can't you back them into the original game via a DLC or expansion? How does mounted combat work, and what governs when you'd fight from horseback versus on foot? It looks like a cover mechanic is in place when on foot, is that from ME2?
Do we have unlimited (regular) ammo, now that I think about it?
Do the Dalish and Chasind origins give you a bow or is everyone running about with guns and rifles now? I couldn't tell from what I saw, though I thought I saw someone with a quiver.
Do metal armors still exist? I guess maybe the effect of heavy/massive armor in the first game on archery was a hint. But more armor options will help retain character diversity.
Now the main plot. The time frame seems to be in line for another Blight, but isn't that tired now? What, are genlocks and shrieks going to be packing lead now? Are we going to take out the Archdemon with Gatling guns or cannon fire?
It looks like there's a qunari origin. How is that going to work? I hope their culture hasn't been dumbed down to be in line with everyone else. Is this going to be another "exile" origin?
I dunno about all this. I like my fantasy CRPGs to stay firmly in fantasy settings, Arcanum not-withstanding. This all smacks of a certain poisson d'avril.
At least we've got a gnome origin coming to DA:O, finally. Woot!
With two romances to boot, the rascally male Sloof and the irrepressible Lirpa.
Sometimes I guess you have to make it obvious.
Modifié par Nukenin, 01 avril 2010 - 12:23 .
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