This content is full of spoiler information of both large and small matters. Please refrain from reading on if you are not fairly versed on all that goes on during the game Origins and have not otherwise spoiled it for yourself already. It is not my desire to take away the excitement, surprises, or disappointments of the game from those who have not yet gone through them first hand, but to discuss them with those who have. So that's my fair warning.
Character Related
Dalish Elf
·
When you leave your tribe – you leave your
beliefs
o Instead
of having any loyalty to the gods of the elves, the character immediately
appears to become a convert of the Chantry
o There
is no quality textual options that reflect the character’s heritage beyond the
Joining
·
You also apparently forget you are an elf
completely
o There
are no textual options that reflect your heritage in terms of relationships or
discussions about interactions romantically with characters within camp –
excepting the singular “Even though I am not human?” question raised during the
Alistar relationship culmination discussion – which is hardly noteworthy – nor
does it bring up the fact that elves who mate with humans are considered blood
traitors to their tribe… something you learn in a codex, but apparently your
character living in the tribe did not
·
Elven Romance
o The
only elf + elf combination (female elf + Zervan) is a shallow one
o So,
either be a blood traitor – or a lesbian – or a casual lay – nice choices. Well, being a blood traitor at least
has the bonus of being told you aren’t good enough to love later right?
Mage (Elven)
·
Knowledge about magic should not have to always
come from Morrigan and Wynne if the character is a mage – but it does
·
No male mage romantic or companion option (see
No Male Mages)
·
Lack of variety in staffs and in mage clothes
o There’s
no excuse for this – not when the weapons and shields and armor of this game
have an acceptable amount of variety (see variety)
o This
is not to say that mages should be wearing non-clothing items (like armor etc)
but that there should be more variety and design to them (Also – the
character’s originating outfit would be less missed if there were the case)
Romance in General
·
There are not enough options for dialog related
to relationships, particularly referring to the portions should exist relevant
to the player’s chosen backstory
·
When Alistar breaks up with main female
character, there are poor options for dialog
o No
mention can be made of the many assurances he offered the female character
about their relationship not changing when he would become King
o No
mention of the sacrifice the character may have made to choose him can be made
o No
option exists to tell Alistar that he’s a horse’s ass and you regret ever
having bed him (which should be there, otherwise you are just relegating the
player to feel badly about the exchange without recourse)
·
Contrived path of romance inexorably leads the
player to choose Alistar
o Alistar
is the only meaningful[/i] relationship
that a female character can strike up
§
The plot pretty much directs the player towards
him, being the first to be met – having had the most contact and approval to be
gained – and having Alistar himself pursue the player
§
This is unfair. Particularly if he is to leave any other than a noble female
character unavoidably
o Different
character types could provoke different romantic situations
§
Should be more likely for Zerven to pursue a
female elf character
§
Should be accordingly more likely for Ogrhen to
flirt with a dwarf female, etc.
§
A rouge would have more in common with Leliana
or Zerven – a warrior more with Alistar, Sten, or Oghren – a mage with Wynne or
Morrigan (see note on No Male Mages)
No Male Mages
·
Party gets possibly 1 player, 5 warriors
(Alistar, Sten, Shale, Dog, Ogrhen), 2 mages, 2 rouges (10 total characters,
including player)
o Three
women (four counting Shale, nice try there), Six Men
o None
of the men are mages
·
A male mage love interest would have kept the
scales even among choices – rather than limiting the companion choices for a
female character to warrior or rouge
Generalities
Character Knowledge
·
The character does not have any of the
information that is considered basic knowledge in Ferelden.
o Such
as dwarves being unable to use magic
o Or
Lyrium being addictive and dangerous
·
You read so many facts about different topics
within the codex entries, but your character never benefits in any way from the
knowledge contained in sections other than “Notes” and “Quest Related”
Benefiting Yourself & Evil
·
It shouldn’t always and only be
the evil decisions that bring a gameplay benefit to the player
o Choosing
to keep the anvil: golem soldiers – evil
o Choosing
Balen King: more dwarves fighting – evil
o The
character should have the option to do themselves better by good – and “doing
lots of quests” isn’t the only way that should happen
o Assassinations
for the Crows: Benefit to the player, maybe? – evil
·
We, the players, grasp the hammer being wacked
over us in the dialog that selfishness is bad, self sacrifice is good, but that
doesn’t mean we want to cripple ourselves or loose so that we can be the
biggest goody two shoes (even when we are playing the “good” side!)
·
It is
refreshing that this game offers an “evil” path – however my suspicion is that
the player must sacrifice a great many benefits to play it, making it yet
another “incomplete” option of evil – because to choose that, is to choose to
miss content – which should be equal to both sides if you are going to offer
both sides at all (and never is)[/b]
·
Gameplay
·
No voice acting for main character – though
choosing a voice is an option in customization
·
Expressionless in cutscenes far too much of the
time
o Yes,
it is supposed to be a “blank page” for the player to graft their imagination’s
responses on, but it appears so blank as to thwart this – a little anger,
surprise, or compassion showing in the fact would not be obstructive when it is
obvious in the text to this process, but enhancing
·
Variety
o The
level current is “acceptable” – but the color palette could have been used more
liberally
o More
is always better
o Hats
for mages are horrific – and ridiculous
o Mage
equipment in general lacks, both in visual variety and in frequency
o Character
dialog is excellent for “chatter” when walking around
o Battle
phrases are not annoying by and large
o Textual
options could be better – see Textual Options
Textual Options
With Companions
·
Should be more reflective of character
background
o Heritage
o Religion
o Romantic
Disposition
o Job
class
·
Conversation Building
o Rather
than having a structure of conversational building blocks, the game presents
different topics in a scattershot pattern
o None
of the conversation “trees” seem to go beyond the most basic information unless
they are related to the character’s personal quest – which seems to be the
bottom of the well run dry
o
Within Plot Dialog
·
Options should reflect more actions of the
character
o Standardized
options do not show the works of the player in them
o Options
should be fluid related to what previous choices the character has made –
particularly when addressing the same person repeatedly over a span of time
·
Options should reflect knowledge gained
o Either
from codex entries or other sources of information – knowledge gained by the
player, through the character, should reflect in the character’s knowledge and
therefore their options to discuss matters related to same
o In
short: the character is a dumb as a box of rocks no matter how many pages we
make them read
§
This negates the potential of the codex flavor
entries
§
Flavor is great, but it isn’t icing – it is
meant to permeate the whole confection
§
Meaningless flavor is typically disregarded
§
This method does not force[/b] the player to read, only enhances his play experience if he
chooses to
Content
Codex
·
Excellent system
o Underused
for permeating dialog and optional acts
o Interesting
components, short but savory
·
Jumping to Entry
o Glitchy,
but helpful
o Scrolling
through entries when jumping fails makes noticing what’s new virtually
impossible by “highlight” method – Improvement needed
·
Different screen?
o The
screen structure of divisions is what makes cross referencing related material
entries to quests – perhaps some “look at related documents” option?
o Collapsible
menus a little sloppy
Economy
·
Opportunities to earn coin are few and far
between
o Players
don’t expect to become multi-millionaires on the road, but they do expect to
make enough profit to exert buying power for desirable items
§
High Quality Items are scattered (acceptable)
and prohibitively expensive
§
A full playthrough results in less coin than
required to purchase even half the drool-worthy items in shops
·
Shops pay a pittance
o The
sell price for items is fractional to its actual value & resale value
o Higher
Cunning – or some other skill should be available to reduce the penalty to
selling items
o Epic
Items
§
These great world treasures we unearth – though
no longer of use to us personally – fetch no notice of the shop keeps of the
world
§
This is irrational and unrealistic
§
Special sets could even have buyers that provoke
cut scenes or quests or further benefit for being given the opportunity to own
such a rarity or relic of history
§
Certain sets, having been obtained, could
provoke interactions with other “adventurers” who might desire them for their
own by trickery or force
o The
high prices of shops would be counteracted by better resale prices, or higher
skills that impact the bartering abilities of the character – relationships
could also impact sales
§
Shop owners whose towns you have saved,
daughters you have rescued, sons you have pulled back from the abyss of madness
– these give you no respect in the way of not swindling you of your last
coin? Seems rather ungrateful
doesn’t it?
Misc.
Body Bag Dumping
·
Seriously?
In FRONT of the two Chantry guards, the priestesses who are arguing
about ham, and the keen eyed relic authenticator. Uh huh.
NO! Just… no.
o This
could have been a decent quest, salvageable anyway, if the well had been in one
of the back alleys perhaps
Alistar
·
No dialog options during critical time of
deciding kingship until Landsmeet when all answers are final
·
Makes promises to female characters of all types
but only able to follow through with Noble Hume – completely terrible
o We
want to marry prince charming, not be dumped by him
o It’s
against the precepts of the purpose of RPGS
§
We can seat TWO kings, but can’t overcome some
racism? Totally unfounded racism
no less?
§
Overcoming social mores is part of the
character’s experience, but in the case of “true love” they fail
§
Basically disregards sense, what’s been said
before, and all the honorable nature we expect of a hero
·
No option to tell him you regret being involved
with him
o He’s
putting on the Big Hurt, and we get to sit there teary eyed and plead, it’s
demeaning
o We’re
being put down for being not high and mighty which we decided at character
creation
o No
“save” vs. indignity?
·
He shouldn’t make promises he isn’t intending to
keep
o Alistar
is supposedly this upstanding character full of duty and honor, but he promises
things he won’t deliver to non-Hume female characters
o This
is against the idea and concept of the character
o Solution:
Alistar should either a) keep his promises or
not make them tonon-Hume-female characters to begin with – instead proffering the same casual
affair that Zevran does, or not proffering one at all
·
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