1) Weapon styles. Now here's a popular one we can start out with. Shields, two-handers, dual weapons...but no polearms. No single weapon. No fists. Or at least no skill with them. Now ok, sure, first game up you wanna keep it simple, find your limits. But now's the time for more. Polearms are the first obvious choice. The other two, admittedly, not ll that effective outside a duel or other fight with actual rules. But simple spears? Come on. True, most people probably won't like it as their primary weapon of choice. But who says a PC has to use it? Guards walking around with them, battles with lines of them, then a likeable badass party member who specializes in them. It's not just about choices, it's about the feeling it gives to the world. Now the other two styles, sure. They're little more than the sugary decorations you throw on top of the frosting. They don't even have to be that good. I mean, since when has this game been honestly balanced? But that doesn't mean they can't have their uses. Say you're given a duel and can only bring a single sword or have to escape a prison. Even just the talent checks from these can add something to the game and give people reason to dabble instead of focusing on the talents of choice.
But to further add some flavor to weapons, I propose something a bit bigger. Not just the weapons you use or how many you hold, but how you use them. Like in the beginning you are given a number of choices on how you use weapons, perhaps based in part on origins, which give you certain advantages and disadvantages. This general style you might choose once then stays with you the entire game. For instance, a savage style might give a bonus to damage and attack but a penalty to defense while a defending style might give a bonus to defense with penalty to damage. Even better would then be seeing animations correspond to this so watching a savage you might see these wild, powerful blows which make you cringe when they hit while a defending would hold their weapon up and take smaller swings. Again, adding a lot of flavor to the world around you, seeing this all play out in-game.
2) Specializations, talents and spells. I'm sure every dev must roll their eyes by now when they hear the basic cry of "More!" but in this case, I feel it's rather needed. Simply put, it's too easy to max yourself out. A warrior can easily fill out their class talents, a weapon style talent tree and all the spec trees they earn. This doesn't leave a lot of room for different builds. With mages this works a bit more. They can dabble into the trees they want. Warriors, and to a lesser extent rogues, can't do this without gimping themselves. So what I propose is simple. First, make talents more useful within the gameplay. Basically, being able to use talents for quests outside of battles. Second...MORE! Don't let me max out everything. Make me choose. Do I really want to max out this one branch for an uber move or should I grab this taunting ability to better protect my mage? Should I build as more of a brute warrior, tactical commander, damage tank or some sort of balance?
Now we already have the basics for a lot of this down. The talents are mostly broken up pretty evenly along with specializations to allow you to choose which lines you want. But it could be better. For instance, and yes I realize I may be going back to the warrior example a bit too often, having a general purpose warrior line with talents such as Powerful, Bravery, Death Blow and Second Wind and then a general purpose crowd control line with Taunt, Disengage and then later the passive version of taunt and finally Grievous Insult. Then a leadership line for boosting your party, a tanking line for taking hits, a damage line for raw killing abilities. So many options to choose from already and we haven't even gotten to the weapon talents and specs!
But now that we mention specs...these need some work. First off, we get too many. It just seems cheap specializing in half the advanced specializations available. They seem more like basic add-on abilities rather than powerful advanced training. So what to do? Well to start with, make us earn them ON EVERY PLAYTHROUGH. Make us go out of our way to get these abilities, take a quest to prove we are able and should have them. But then don't allow us to get them all just 'cause. Why should my dirtbag mage be allowed to be Spirit Healer because they read a manual? Then, make us take them at a higher level. With that said, two or three specs is fine...if there's more to choose from. It just doens't feel like you're missing much by taking half the ones available. Finally, make the specs POWERFUL. Bring more resistances into play. For instance, make a Berserker immune to certain spells and talents (perhaps Indominable would be more useful here, for example) and give their Final Blow a proper kick which warrants using all our stamina for it. Choices. Consequences. Replayability.
Just to further note, we need to see more done with Shapeshifters and summoners of all types. For shapeshifters, I suggest a sort of list. You can start at one of a number of spots on said list (wolf, spider, dragonling, rage demon, for instance) and then work your way up to different forms down the line with different functions. But the last spell would be the kicker. You may choose one of three: an ability which gives all your forms further power, a fourth, more powerful form, or a talent which allows casting of basic spells while shifted. For summoners (Rangers, mages with Animate Dead, and a proposed Demon Summoner) allow us more than one. Let us build a small army of cheap minions to unleash upon our enemies.
3) Character boxes. It's pretty easy to move about in the game. People don't really block your path, be it in the city or in battle. A blessing and a curse. There is no real tactical ability to block an enemy. If they wanna run by you, there's little stopping them even if you're standing in the middle of a doorway. If there were some way to make boundaries for our characters larger just for enemies it would add a lot to tactics. More, I think it would be a good starting idea for a specialization, allowing you to increase the size of a tank's boundary, as well as threat generated, to creat a powerful damage-soaker.
4) Party size. Without the power-gaming aspects some players like to use, there's three very basic character types people typically like to include in their party: a tank or damage soaker, someone to pick locks and a cannon. With a party of four, this doesn't leave many options in who to take. Especially considering most of the people available in DA are warriors of various sorts and only one is set up properly to be a damage sponge. There's a reason a party of six was standard once upon a time. It's so we could get more variation. But, perhaps more important, a larger party allows us to develop more unique builds we would not otherwise. Perhaps we want some unique talent or ability, but oh wait. The party still needs this or that to function since we're splitting abilities four ways instead of six. Smaller parties simply hamper this.
5) Dogs and golems. I loved the dog and Shale. They had unique abilities and were funny characters to have around. Problem? I couldn't justify keeping them in the party by the end. The dog was simply outdone and took up a valuable character slot and Shale never grew to have the punch you'd expect out of a golem. It's been suggested many times and I agree (as does a popular mod, I might add), keep the dog as if it were a summoned slot. This allows it to grow underpowered as we keep levelling yet still be useful to us. As for golems, I think they need a rebuilt list of talents, period. Shale was completely outclassed defensively, being more susceptible to stuns and the like as anyone, which strikes me as plain weird considering it's a being made of stone. But then she also didn't offer enough moves offensively to make up for it. All around, a disappointment from a gameplay perspective. I would love to see another golem added to the party (or hell, even the option to make yourself one at some point in the game - now that would be interesting) but if that's going to happen it'd be great to see devs try to make these greatures seem as if they were made from pure stone or metal.
6) NPCs and abilities. The end of ME2 really got me thinking about the potential of party members and quests. What if the simple presense of certain party members, the correct choices in who to use could affect the way quests and the like turned out? What if we could fail completely if we didn't place a skilled archer in the tower when we could or our allies were obliterated if we didn't send out a tank to hold the line? I find this to be an interesting dynamic which could be useful in creating a much more immersive and tactical experience in RPGs. Instead of simply going there, bludgeoning things or coercing people into dropping their weapons then talking to the quest-giver for a reward, we actually put a bit of thought into how things are handled and give our party some real concideration.
7) The camp. We've seen the basis for this before in many Bioware games now. A little neutral ground to talk to party members and maybe an NPC or two and otherwise just look at your gear and make sure it's up to snuff. What I suggest is simple. Being able to upgrade it as time goes by. More, give party members we don't use some real use within the camp. For example, convincing a merchant, enchanter and blacksmith to follow us around. Perhaps in the beginning you can only heal one injury when you go back to camp, but if you nap a Spirit Healer you heal them all. If you grab a scout party member they'll be more successful in hunting, providing better food and giving the party a bonus to Constitution. More, simply being able to access party skills within camp, such as getting so and so to make poultices.
More visual cues here would be nice as well. In teh beginning it would be little more than a fire pit and a tent or two. Then each party member or NPCs brings with them a bit of flair. Another tent around the fire, a wagon full of wares, or just something from their own culture to add to it. Perhaps if we have a bard they could strum a lute at the campfire or a mage will make up their own magical fire for themself. Again, adding a lot to immersion.
8) Quests. Yes, the Chanter's Board makes things quick and easy, but in most quests you get there's just no interaction with people. No multiple paths to play. Just go here, kill this or collect this or that and return. In general I don't really care where the quests come from, but more need a human element to them. This on top of the afformentioned suggestion on getting party members more involved could add a TON of quality, enjoyment and replayability.
9) Being nice doesn't always get you what you want. Neither does being mean. Excepting with party members, playing evil really tended to get you farthest in DA and you never really suffered consequences for it. Steal a bunch and oh no. A set of guards my come attack you. Oh the horror of even more experience. It needs balance. Yes, if you are an opportunist you might get more rewards. But then some vendors might not sell to you and suddenly you can't buy some of that nice gear you've been saving up for. Certain quests might become unavailable as people don't trust you. Cosequences to actions, one way or another. Both have their rewards and their penalties.
10) Scaling. Ah scaling. Oh how I loathe thee. Alright so this is a bit of a two parter. First off is items. Why is it the best armor and weapons also happen to be the heaviest? Why is it at the end everyone tends to have this ultra rare material for everything they use? This kills immersion. Yes, you should need more strength for that massive plate, but should you really need to be the strongest man alive to wear the best massive plate? More, should all armor by level 20 be dragonbone? Stupid, I say. Especially since you can even find some of the better armors and weapons fairly early on. What I propose is simple. Keep the rare materials rare. Dragonbone and even Silverite only to be found on unique items you might find, buy, or order to be made. The rest is available, but expensive. Sure, you can buy and wear that red steel heavy chain in the first few hours...if you blow all your money on it. Then you'll simply be left to buy the cheapest weapons and armor, if you can even afford either by that point, for everyone else. Item scaling through economy, not through skill level. It's worked before and better, I say. I know someone will feel like smiting me for this example, but Baldur's Gate worked just fine making you pay through money instead of level.
The other part of scaling is, of course, enemies. Now I don't mind enemy scaling. Keeps things interesting. What I do mind is some of the unusual abilities I'm finding some have. Why is it a warrior a few levels higher than me can resist such obvious affects as, say, Crushing Prison? Why is it low level archers are some of the most dangerous enemies around because they happen to all have an attack which automatically hits a character and any allies surrounding them, stunning them all? This doesn't make sense! Now don't confuse what I'm saying. I don't want the game to be easier. What I want is better opponents who make better use of what they have, not oppoents with cheap resistances or abilities. Give me a two-hander boss that blitzes my party with all sorts of powerful attacks or a mage casting all sorts of spells left and right. But don't give them abilities beyond their range and don't allow peions to offer some of the greatest challenge in the game simply because they can spam one annoying attack en masse.
11) Armor. It's no secret people are unhappy with the lack of armor types. But, well, I say it needs to be pounded in until the issue is ever resolved. Mage robes look boring or awful. The mage hats should have never made it past quality control - personally I thought they were a low level joke hat the first time I saw one. Say it with me. No frills or feathers hood. Barret. Tiara. Pointy hat with a wide brim. Any of these would be more popular than the cone heads. Let's see robes which look like more than cheap material held together by cheaper leather or fur. Hell, who says it has to be robes? A shirt and pants can be enchanted just as well, right? Let's see light armor which doesn't have a skirt.
But let us not forget the obviously forgotten. Medium and heavy armor. Were these ever used beyond the beginning hours of the game? But can you blame us for not using them? The best medium armors were too heavy for a good rogue and too weak for a warrior. Same with heavy armor. By the end, medium armor should end up on a more battle-loving rogue, heavy on a warrior (or Arcane Warrior) looking for less threat. But there simply was not anything with the statistics to warrrant this. These were beginning game armors, something to show on NPCs or something to sell and nothing more. The scaling issue above I think would remove part of this problem, but these armor types still need more powerful unique sets to throw onto characters.
12) Horses. Some dev is cursing me now for bringing them up, but don't worry. I'm not suggesting mounted combat. Frankly, with the areas we travel to, I think it's unreasonable to build an entirely new and complicated system for something that's barely used. However, the simple presense of horses can add a lot to immersion. To know they simply exist within the world adds to it, let's us know everyone isn't hoofing it constantly. It may be as useless as the cracked textures of a Tevinter ruin, but hey, that cracked texture adds to the atmosphere.
13) The Fade. Anyone ever get the feeling the writers and designers were on two very different pages regarding the Fade? Read The Calling. Look at the dialogue you have with companions in the Fade. It's supposed to be this world you have to strain just to figure out isn't real, but nothing gives you that sense. The blurry vision and strange textures show that you're in a strange place, but it just makes it seem barren instead of fantastical. Make this place seem real. Try to trick us. Who is human and who's a spirit? Were you knocked out and dragged back to camp or are you in the fade? Did you even really get out or is it just another trick? Make the Fade a place to test our wits, not simply a dungeon crawl in a blurry place.
14) Injuries. These were put into the game as a penalty for a character losing all their health. Problem? It's not much of a penalty considering the number of injury kits you find. Oh no. My character has been injured. I am now mildly inconvenienced to have to go into the menu and click on an injury kit. Oh dear. I only have 14 left now. And this time the enemies only dropped one for me.
Just get rid of the kits on the harder difficulties. Let us really feel the buildup of injuries. Let them be a real penalty which makes us work our asses off keeping our party conscious. This can make those crawls through a long, dangerous dungeon something to really fear instead of a series of small skirmishes.
15) Healing. Why is it that, as you grow higher in level, healing materials seem to grow less effective? I mean most people figure increasing hit points isn't increasing the amount of damage you can take so much as your ability to make avoid major damage on the occasion you are hit (constitution being the exception, yet only part of the equation). So why then doesn't a heal spell or poultice work as well in the end as it does the beginning? To this I suggest that they don't heal a fixed number of hit points, but a percentage instead with increases based on Constitution or Magic, depending on the healing used. So a Heal spell might give you a fixed 33% with another .5% for every point of Magic above 10 while a lesser health poultice might heal 10% with an additional .5% for every point in Constitution above 10.
16) Mages. Ok, it's single player. The game doesn't need to be ultra balanced. But...mages need a bit of reblancing. Now I'm not talking about makign them less powerful (well, aside from Arcane Warriors ending up better at hitting things with a sword than regular warriors) but adding small summoning times to all but the most basic spells and increasing cooldowns on a few. That I can cast at least three powerful spells before the battle is even joined seems...too much. Are archers typically even able to get that many arrows out in the same period of time?
17) Bad choices. There are points in the game where a particular choice or outcome was expected, but not allowed. For instance, having any sort of reaction to the Joining before you take the cup. The choices derail the story, mostly because they end up with you dead. But just the option of making that choice would be something. It gives the player the impression that they actually have to be on their toes, think realistically. That there is a possibility the game won't guide them by the hand to only situations where they can survive. So for example, instead of just joining hte Wardens, you have the possibility of denying them only to be left to your rather grim fate. You have the choice to deny Duncan only to end up like Jory. Or if say a demon offers a particularly juicy proposal it might end up with your possession or if a line of archers has arrows aimed toward you, not surrendering could in fact mean that yes, you're screwed.
This also goes along with other choices we might make. Say, for example, we have a choice between saving a city of innocents or a well-defended castle of soldiers. The first option might be considered less strategic but popular, of course, with the people while the second might be considered ruthless in abandoning people to save something else. The way the game is set up you can pick the first option and everything will be fine and dandy without any real consequence while picking the second just makes you seem completely uncaring. This does not speak of proper consequences. This speaks more of black and white decision making where one way the world turns out all nice and friendly and the other it's a mess due to your selfishness. Ok, so with the second option the city is destroyed, innocents are killed and you become disliked. But with the first option, even if the castle survives and you get what you need out of it, the casualties were high and due to the lack of guards the region becomes a haven of lawlessness, banditry and death for decades to come.
Keep us rational. There should be real reward for intelligent adventuring and real punishment for taking things too far. Allow us to make these choices and get the proper consequences for them. Show us why it is we're being kept on rails instead of simply editting out the choice altogether and try keeping major decisions like the above as grey as possible so it isn't just about being the good guy or evil jerk sometimes.
Well I'm sure there's more I've forgotten. I decided against adding onto party member or orgin suggestions without knowing if our character will even return. But yeah, comment, critique, add to it. Agree, disagree? Let's hear some say. Hopefully from a dev or two as well.
Modifié par b09boy, 16 avril 2010 - 10:35 .
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these are just a few ideas of mine but i'd like to see the demons affect the fade in such a way, or perhaps in a more subtle way in where the fade is a mimicking the real world but leading you towards an encounter with the demon controlling the dream.
