535 réponses à ce sujet

[MoSa09]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

Actually, having a sister is one the things i look forward to. Hopefully, we play big brother/sister to her. And even more i hope shes not gonna die at some point to just show Hawke "we really do mean it serious".

And i guess no one had did not trust the writers, we did not trust the gameplay. Don't know what you're working on, so if you're affected by this distrust?

[Lyssistr]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

Modifié par Lyssistr, 24 juillet 2010 - 06:15 .

[Lataaja00]

andar91 wrote...

Since there seems to be some concern about lead platform, I can dispel a myth for you: it's not actually that hard to develop on all three platforms once you have an engine that actually works on all three platforms. It's just a matter of ensuring the bug fixes and optimizations work on all three, and then generating assets that are both scaleable (as in they can move to be optimized across all three platforms) and functional.

And since we already HAVE an engine that works on PS3, PC and 360, we can, in fact, develop on all three. Dragon Age II is "built," tested and run every day on all three.

It might be so, but I would still like to see some previews or screenshots of the PC game. Right now  it seems like the PC game is just a by-product of a console game. If PC is only a secondary platform,  it could mean that combat situations are initially designed for consoles. That would certainly deteriorate tactical gaming experience on PC.

[Bruce Venne]

fchopin wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

Does Bethany change depending how we shape Hawke or does she have a set character?

Your actions will affect your Followers,

[AntiChri5]

Bruce Venne wrote...

fchopin wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

Does Bethany change depending how we shape Hawke or does she have a set character?

Your actions will affect your Followers,

Sounds good, so long as we dont easily flip the psycopath/redeemed switch whenever we feel like it.

Lets use Morrigan as an example, we were able to influence, but not completely change who she was.

Greater, or lesser effect on companions this time around?

[Lord Gremlin]

Your actions will affect your followers? Affect how? I mean, if my character will be sadistic selfish maniac, Bethany will be similar to her?

[Bruce Venne]

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

[axa89]

@Bruce Venne

I've heard of "The Bruce" Achievement and I'm wondering... how many hours have you put into dragon age 2 as yet?

[Jimmy Fury]

Grommash94 wrote...

Kordaris wrote...
I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

I don't want to sound rude, but you have obviously made up your mind about the game. Hawke is going to be limiting to you as a roleplayer, and you prefer DA1. Why even bother posting on the forums then, if you do not intend to even give the game a chance?

Amen.
I'm all for worrying, questioning, speculating, etc. but all these folks who have already decided 100% to just write the whole thing off and never sway from their own assumptions... I just don't understand why they're still here.
Honestly, if there's nothing Bioware can say or do to change your mind then what's the point? Yelling at bioware and just saying you hate everything isn't going to accomplish anything.

[pmaura]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

I consider improving combat, being more tactical options, not its more violent and simplier. I could be wrong but thats what all the reviews are saying.

[2papercuts]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

um... is that a yes that is a hack & slash

[Lyssistr]

Bruce Venne wrote...


The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Ok, I'm happy if only parts of DA2 are hack & slashy, especially at the first chapters. In BG II, Irenicus's dungeon was a complete joke (nice looking & all that, I'm talking difficulty-wise) and I still remember I didn't need to press space to pause it a single time. However, the rest of BG II had some pretty involving fights.

 However, your reply somewhat focuses on combat vs story, by hack & slash I wasn't referring to a game without plot, but rather a game without tactical combat. Is the gameplay/fight mechanics still tactical? By that I mean if this is how it's supposed to be played, not if it merely supports pause+queue spells, as support for this may not be indicative for the main bulk of gameplay.

If for lore reasons Hawke buffed at the beginning and is so OP that he smashes his way through for one chapter this is ok. If however OP mode is common and combat doesn't need to be tactical - next to no need for micromanagement, I feel this is something that needs clarification.

[AntiChri5]

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...


The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Ok, I'm happy if only parts of DA2 are hack & slashy, especially at the first chapters. In BG II, Irenicus's dungeon was a complete joke (nice looking & all that, I'm talking difficulty-wise) and I still remember I didn't need to press space to pause it a single time. However, the rest of BG II had some pretty involving fights.

 However, your reply somewhat focuses on combat vs story, by hack & slash I wasn't referring to a game without plot, but rather a game without tactical combat. Is the gameplay/fight mechanics still tactical? By that I mean if this is how it's supposed to be played, not if it merely supports pause+queue spells, as support for this may not be indicative for the main bulk of gameplay.

If for lore reasons Hawke buffed at the beginning and is so OP that he smashes his way through for one chapter this is ok. If however OP mode is common and combat doesn't need to be tactical - next to no need for micromanagement, I feel this is something that needs clarification.

You know this could be as simple as different difficulty levels?

With each level it becomes increasingly necessary.

[Annihilator27]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Ahh thats good to hear, DBZ meets DA2? hmmmmmmmmmm

[Lyssistr]

AntiChri5 wrote...

You know this could be as simple as different difficulty levels?

With each level it becomes increasingly necessary.

It's not like that, adding more hit-points to enemies is not as good a reason for micromanagement. Combat mechanics themselves have to be more demanding. To provide an example, the best hardmodes in Wotlk didn't just add a couple of adds & increase hitpoints, they required the fight to be executed with different tactics.

In every game I'm played the difficulty bar was only increasing hit points/reducing damage that you do and maybe add a couple more mobs. Doing this does not qualify for tactical combat rpg imo. and yes that's what BG II did as well, but there, even on easy 99% of the game was designed to have tactical combat, not hack & slash.

So the question is a matter of design philosophy, was this designed so that fights will be tactical or not?

[Arttis]

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Might wanna advertise that soon.

[Lintanis]

andar91 wrote...

Marionetten wrote...

William91 wrote...

GameInformer said that the PC combat remained unchanged, they only modified console combat

Unfortunately the Xbox 360 is their lead platform this time around.

Like it or not, this will have a direct impact on the PC version.

Where do people keep getting this from? If you have a source, please cite it and I'll believe you.  I remember hearing that both versions were being developed simultaneously.

There is no lead platform quote from MIKE LAIDLAW on link

social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/3149188/13#3225261

[AntiChri5]

Lyssistr wrote...

AntiChri5 wrote...

You know this could be as simple as different difficulty levels?

With each level it becomes increasingly necessary.

It's not like that, adding more hit-points to enemies is not as good a reason for micromanagement. Combat mechanics themselves have to be more demanding. To provide an example, the best hardmodes in Wotlk didn't just add a couple of adds & increase hitpoints, they required the fight to be executed with different tactics.

In every game I'm played the difficulty bar was only increasing hit points/reducing damage that you do and maybe add a couple more mobs. Doing this does not qualify for tactical combat rpg imo. and yes that's what BG II did as well, but there, even on easy 99% of the game was designed to have tactical combat, not hack & slash.

So the question is a matter of design philosophy, was this designed so that fights will be tactical or not?

We dont know how they will handle difficulty in DA 2. Could be like DA: O, where different difficulties required you to fight differently not only because of enemy hit points, but also because of altered friendly fire ratios.

[Faust1979]

it sounds like the original game almost on the consoles your actions were mapped to the xyb buttons so it doesn't really sound that different

[Lyssistr]

AntiChri5 wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

AntiChri5 wrote...

You know this could be as simple as different difficulty levels?

With each level it becomes increasingly necessary.

It's not like that, adding more hit-points to enemies is not as good a reason for micromanagement. Combat mechanics themselves have to be more demanding. To provide an example, the best hardmodes in Wotlk didn't just add a couple of adds & increase hitpoints, they required the fight to be executed with different tactics.

In every game I'm played the difficulty bar was only increasing hit points/reducing damage that you do and maybe add a couple more mobs. Doing this does not qualify for tactical combat rpg imo. and yes that's what BG II did as well, but there, even on easy 99% of the game was designed to have tactical combat, not hack & slash.

So the question is a matter of design philosophy, was this designed so that fights will be tactical or not?

We dont know how they will handle difficulty in DA 2. Could be like DA: O, where different difficulties required you to fight differently not only because of enemy hit points, but also because of altered friendly fire ratios.

Still, a game that's designed for hack & slash on easy/medium difficulty, in my eyes this doesn't qualify as a game with tactical combat - DAO was designed to serve as a tactical game from the ground up, not as a hack & slash which became tactical "accidentally" when difficulty is increased.

It's just not the sort of game I'd purchase to play in tactical style and to be honest I'd much rather play Diablo on hardcore than a game that becomes tactical by "accident".

Modifié par Lyssistr, 24 juillet 2010 - 06:58 .

[adi4444]

Arttis wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Might wanna advertise that soon.

why the hell improving combat???
improve the story the deatail the length of the game the deapth of the game..

why improve combat?
what the point??
 i dont understand is this game is hack and slash or no?
if yes i will prefer to buy diablo3 ....
if no pls say so

yes or no?

[AntiChri5]

Lyssistr wrote...

AntiChri5 wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

AntiChri5 wrote...

You know this could be as simple as different difficulty levels?

With each level it becomes increasingly necessary.

It's not like that, adding more hit-points to enemies is not as good a reason for micromanagement. Combat mechanics themselves have to be more demanding. To provide an example, the best hardmodes in Wotlk didn't just add a couple of adds & increase hitpoints, they required the fight to be executed with different tactics.

In every game I'm played the difficulty bar was only increasing hit points/reducing damage that you do and maybe add a couple more mobs. Doing this does not qualify for tactical combat rpg imo. and yes that's what BG II did as well, but there, even on easy 99% of the game was designed to have tactical combat, not hack & slash.

So the question is a matter of design philosophy, was this designed so that fights will be tactical or not?

We dont know how they will handle difficulty in DA 2. Could be like DA: O, where different difficulties required you to fight differently not only because of enemy hit points, but also because of altered friendly fire ratios.

Still, a game that's designed for hack & slash on easy/medium difficulty, in my eyes this doesn't qualify as a game with tactical combat. It's just not the sort of game I'd purchase to play in tactical style and to be honest I'd much rather play Diablo on hardcore than a game that becomes tactical by "accident".

Not accident, design.

Have you turned the difficulty down to the minimum in DA: O? Pretty hack n slash to me.

[Lyssistr]

AntiChri5 wrote...


Not accident, design.

Have you turned the difficulty down to the minimum in DA: O? Pretty hack n slash to me.

No I haven't, but still hard to believe it's a hack & slash game.

[DarthRevan4life]

I really don't see what the problem is. DA:O was about the "Origin" stories for each possible character you could choose from and their background and how they became a Grey Warden. DA2 isn't about the origins of multiple characters, it isn't about the Grey Wardens and from what I've read so far it really isn't about a Blight. Yes the first game was awesome in the aspect of who you could be in the game, it was called Origins for a reason.



I have nothing against playing as a human or having my characters last name set, if those two characteristics bother you that much than simply don't play the game. It's like a book, some chapters delve into character development before continuing a story...as Bioware stated the Dragon Age series is about the story of Ferelden, not necessarily that of your character in the game or even the Grey Wardens/Darkspawn. As for combat, I thought I read at IGN that you could still pause the combat so obviously if you can do that and can still issue commands there is still a level of strategy involved while also adding a more involved feel to the combat if you so choose not to pause during combat.

[AntiChri5]

adi4444 wrote...

Arttis wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Lyssistr wrote...

Bruce Venne wrote...

Kordaris wrote...

Calla S wrote...

I don't care about personality of peasant named Hawke, and neither do I care about his peasant sister.

Aw, you made Bethany cry   Just don't make her angry, she is a mage.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Hawkes.  You will still be able to shape your Hawke into the type of hero you want them to be.  And you will care about Bethany.  Trust me.  And if you don't trust me, then trust the writers.  They are doing an amazing job with this story.

I think the real question is if this is a hack & slash game, as claimed by the 1UP previewer. More specifically if it hack slash for all versions of DA2 (PC/console) or it's just that the console part that 1UP previewer played was easy enough to be hack & slashed, not requiring any micromanagement at all - but still boss fights need to be micromanaged & all that.

I very much liked all changes so far and have defended them in every single thread. However, if this is indeed a hack & slash game, you need to be honest about it and say so. If it isn't, considering previewers - who actually played a bit of the game, find it hack & slash, you need to argue why the picture they saw is partial and not representative of DA2. Personally, considering Diablo III is out soon, I'm not interested in another fantasy hack & slash game.

I think it's reasonable to ask if DA2 is or isn't hack & slash and clarifying so is honest advertising.

The combat presented in the demo is an exaggerated fight.  The reason for it is story-driven.
We want DA2 to have faster, more responsive combat but DA2 will also have the kind of deep, rich and engaging story that BioWare has put into all of your other games.  We are improving the combat, but not at the expense of the story.

Might wanna advertise that soon.

why the hell improving combat???
improve the story the deatail the length of the game the deapth of the game..

why improve combat?
what the point??
 i dont understand is this game is hack and slash or no?
if yes i will prefer to buy diablo3 ....
if no pls say so

yes or no?

Because quite likely they felt the combat was the weakest area and needed the most improvement.

And it looks to me as if they ARE improving the story and detail.

Like it or not, combat is an essential part of a Bioware RPG.