325 réponses à ce sujet

[Tiax Rules All]

First off I would really like to see info and pictures on Elves of DA2. I'm wondering if they have changed much or at all. Personally I would like to see them look more distinctly Elven then in DAo, maybe slightly larger eyes in addition to thier already established differences. So post any confirmed info and/or pictures here if/when we get them please.

Also I'd like to talk about Half-Elves and how they are handled in the DA universe and please, i'm talking about mating but lets keep it legit. Now I've looked up as much info as I can without acualy reading the calling or the stolen throne, so I'm not sure if i'm missing any info there..... 

From what I understand, the mating of Elves and Humans produce Human children. This contributes the the taboo of Elves mating and intermingling with Humans. That and it is thought that Elves have lost their immortality because of thier close proximity to humans in more recent history. So that being said there are many reasons why it is unlikely for Elves and Humans to mate. Still it is bound to happen both willingly and unwillingly.

In DAo, Elves were generally shorter, thinner, had distinctly elven facial features and of course had larger pointy ears. Lets put aside any other genetic, socialogical or pychological differences for now. I cannot get past the fact that the offspring of a Human and an Elf would produce a human with no Elf in him. Even among humans traits are passed from both parents. If a Human father had a large ears and a big nose those traits are (usually) tranferred. Why would the Elven half's size, ears, eye-color, features, (voice?) not be passed even if it was just to a small degree? I just can get past the vision of an Elven woman impregnanted by a Human male, carrying to term, giving birth to and raising a completely Human child.

It is harder to Imagine it as the way DA decribes it then they way D&D and most other fantasy to presents it.  Now I know it is completely up to Bioware to write it as they see fit but this is something I think should be changed for Dragon Age. If its too late for DA2 then maybe for DA3 and on.

My real theory on it is that it simply comes down to doing the work. With the new modern graphical engines, Bioware would have to make models for each race and also additional models and writing for half races. It was much easier to write the lore of DA to not include half races then to do the work to make them, so they were never implemented. Now, I get it, and dont blame them but lets make it happen for future iterations.

I can see a great companion someday who is Half-Elven and not only would they have a great unique look but delving into the back story of that characters family and childhood with the protaganist would be a great addition, What do you say guys? What do you say Bioware? Future Half-Breeds?

[Fortlowe]

I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

Modifié par Fortlowe, 10 novembre 2010 - 09:03 .

[Leonia]

I'll just throw this out there, if Alistair is the son of Fiona, he is "half-elven" and has 0 physical traits that would mark one as having elven heritage. But that's an assumption since we don't know for sure that he is her son.

[GodWood]

Fortlowe wrote...
I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? 

Assuming a qunari and a elf could breed it'd simply result in a qunari.

Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

No.

[Fortlowe]

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...
I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? 

Assuming a qunari and a elf could breed it'd simply result in a qunari.

Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

No.

Source?

[Tiax Rules All]

Honsestly I dont get the feeling Qunari really care to procreate with other races like some races might.

[Nefario]

I don't know whether you've seen the concept art for the redesign of elves, but as far as I know that's all there is out there on elves in DA2. I think you can find it on the DA wiki.

As for half-elves, I don't really think it's about avoiding doing models and writing. I think it actually adds to the rift between elves and humans, which enriches the lore. I don't know if it really has to do with avoiding the requisite work - after all, there are still half-dwarves in the lore (though they haven't appeared anywhere). Half-elves in future iterations would be kind of cool... but it'd require a pretty ugly retcon. And not the sort of "retcon" that happened with the Qunari: that wasn't really a retcon so much as an expansion of the lore consistent with what had been revealed already.

[Leonia]

Half-breeds are fun in all in terms D&D lore but I'm not sure if Bioware wants to have to go into the territory of having too many races to keep track of. After awhile it gets to be silly once there are half-orcs, half-gnomes, half-dragons, half-robots, etc. and it begins to water down all the interesting lore that could have been developed for a smaller number of races. In Thedas, we have: human, elf, dwarf, qunari, and the mysterious Fex. There are sub-groups of all of those (well we really don't know what the heck the Fex are) that are well-defined with their own cultural identities. Do we *need* half races?

I love half-elves in D&D to no end but in a way the city elves fit a similar mindset in Dragon Age, I'm ok with their being less races and more of a focus on the overall setting as a whole. I have a feeling that racial issues will only become one of many different kind of conflicts we'll encounter in Dragon Age and bigger issues that transcend cultural lines will be sprung on us.

Modifié par leonia42, 10 novembre 2010 - 09:14 .

[GodWood]

Fortlowe wrote...

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...
I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? 

Assuming a qunari and a elf could breed it'd simply result in a qunari.

Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

No.

Source?

For what?

[Fortlowe]

Tiax Rules All wrote...

Honsestly I dont get the feeling Qunari really care to procreate with other races like some races might.

But don't they get 'assigned' a mate? So, if mating were possible between the two species, and with all things being equal, (the Qunari seem to be an egalitarian society) couldn't an elf and a qunari be assigned to pair especially if the point was to make a hornless child that could be one of the vanguard that is able to blend in with the humans more easily?

[Fortlowe]

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...
I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? 

Assuming a qunari and a elf could breed it'd simply result in a qunari.

Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

No.

Source?

For what?

[Nefario]

Fortlowe wrote...

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...

GodWood wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...
I've been hoping for more info on the Elves in DA2 as well. Considering the Elves more respectable relationship with the Qunari, I wonder if there are Qunari-Elven offspring? 

Assuming a qunari and a elf could breed it'd simply result in a qunari.

Is that where the hornless Qunari originate?

No.

Source?

For what?

I'm not sure where this was said, or who said it, but I think the deal is basically that elves have a high degree of "genetic adaptability", so whatever species they mate with, the offspring will end up having all the characteristics of that species.

[Schuback]

Why won't we see female qunaris in DA2? I was actually hoping to see one.....

[upsettingshorts]

Schuback wrote...

Why won't we see female qunaris in DA2? I was actually hoping to see one.....

Budgetary (time and resources) reasons.  Same reason we don't have capes or horses, etc. 

[GodWood]

Hornless qunari are defects not elf/qunaris. [source]

[Tiax Rules All]

Nefario wrote...

I don't know whether you've seen the concept art for the redesign of elves, but as far as I know that's all there is out there on elves in DA2. I think you can find it on the DA wiki.
As for half-elves, I don't really think it's about avoiding doing models and writing. I think it actually adds to the rift between elves and humans, which enriches the lore. I don't know if it really has to do with avoiding the requisite work - after all, there are still half-dwarves in the lore (though they haven't appeared anywhere). Half-elves in future iterations would be kind of cool... but it'd require a pretty ugly retcon. And not the sort of "retcon" that happened with the Qunari: that wasn't really a retcon so much as an expansion of the lore consistent with what had been revealed already.

Seen the art but waiting for gameplay... Yeah I know about the rift and how the writing made it work but I still feel like work->writing->no half breeds as opposed to writing alone determining it. Also dont think the Retcon would be that bad. anything can be explained through Biowares writing. I mean if they can make us all feel like we should have known that Qunari had horns while we played DA with there last one, Elves and Half-Elves should be easy.

leonia42 wrote...

Half-breeds are fun in all in terms D&D lore but I'm not sure if Bioware wants to have to go into the territory of having too many races to keep track of. After awhile it gets to be silly once there are half-orcs, half-gnomes, half-dragons, half-robots, etc. and it begins to water down all the interesting lore that could have been developed for a smaller number of races. In Thedas, we have: human, elf, dwarf, qunari, and the mysterious Fex. There are sub-groups of all of those (well we really don't know what the heck the Fex are) that are well-defined with their own cultural identities. Do we *need* half races?

I love half-elves in D&D to no end but in a way the city elves fit a similar mindset in Dragon Age, I'm ok with their being less races and more of a focus on the overall setting as a whole. I have a feeling tha racial issues will only one of many different kind of conflicts we'll encounter in Dragon Age and bigger issues will come up.

Not every race needs to be genetically compatable to have children, i'm not trying to be silly. They already sorta went there with Dwarves. And Dragon's? nah... But we know Elves and Humans can reproduce already so might as well make them more unique I say.

[ald0s]

Here is the Concept art of the elves that was already released

[Daerog]

In qunari culture, who procreates with who is decided by the governing body (forget the name). Unlikely to have the different species interbreed unless there was some benefit to it. Humans who are born from elves are 100% human as far as we have been told. Like Asari in Mass Effect, they are 100% asari. Its what has been referred to as "adaptive genetics" or something, basically saying that elven genetics are so recessive that they are pretty much replaced by other genetic material. I think this decision was a writing/lore decision and wasn't made due to limitation of the game.

Doesn't mean we can't have a human who has an elven parent as a companion later.

[Tiax Rules All]

Upsettingshorts wrote...

Schuback wrote...

Why won't we see female qunaris in DA2? I was actually hoping to see one.....

Budgetary (time and resources) reasons.  Same reason we don't have capes or horses, etc. 

Or visually identifyable Half-Breeds....

[upsettingshorts]

Tiax Rules All wrote...

Or visually identifyable Half-Breeds....

The difference is that, conceptually, female qunari exist in Thedas.  Half-breeds, at least in cases covered within the lore, do not.

Modifié par Upsettingshorts, 10 novembre 2010 - 09:26 .

[GodWood]

Tiax Rules All wrote...
Or visually identifyable Half-Breeds....

But theres a perfectly fine lore reason for it.
whats the issue?

[Tiax Rules All]

DaerogTheDhampir wrote...

In qunari culture, who procreates with who is decided by the governing body (forget the name). Unlikely to have the different species interbreed unless there was some benefit to it. Humans who are born from elves are 100% human as far as we have been told. Like Asari in Mass Effect, they are 100% asari. Its what has been referred to as "adaptive genetics" or something, basically saying that elven genetics are so recessive that they are pretty much replaced by other genetic material. I think this decision was a writing/lore decision and wasn't made due to limitation of the game.
Doesn't mean we can't have a human who has an elven parent as a companion later.

Asari give birth to Asari no matter the other host. Which makes more sense then an Elf carrying around a foriegn species in ther pregnent womb if you ask me.

[Tiax Rules All]

GodWood wrote...

Tiax Rules All wrote...
Or visually identifyable Half-Breeds....

But theres a perfectly fine lore reason for it.
whats the issue?

My arguement is the Lore is vague and was written to make up for the lack of technical time necessary to implement visually identifiable half-breeds. So if one the technical restraints no longer impede making half-breeds then the lore should change with it.

Not unlike Qunari having horns.  They can always later say that we never saw any half-breeds because they were so uncommon in DA before now.

Modifié par Tiax Rules All, 10 novembre 2010 - 09:31 .

[Fortlowe]

GodWood wrote...

Hornless qunari are defects not elf/qunaris. [source]

It says they are not defects and that they are special and they are often made into envoys. It doesn't say how this trait comes to be either. As meticulous as the Qunari seem to be, the hornless trait and how it is made to be presented is something I would think they could predect and even render at will considering their coupling practices.

[Daerog]

Tiax Rules All wrote...

DaerogTheDhampir wrote...

In qunari culture, who procreates with who is decided by the governing body (forget the name). Unlikely to have the different species interbreed unless there was some benefit to it. Humans who are born from elves are 100% human as far as we have been told. Like Asari in Mass Effect, they are 100% asari. Its what has been referred to as "adaptive genetics" or something, basically saying that elven genetics are so recessive that they are pretty much replaced by other genetic material. I think this decision was a writing/lore decision and wasn't made due to limitation of the game.
Doesn't mean we can't have a human who has an elven parent as a companion later.

Asari give birth to Asari no matter the other host. Which makes more sense then an Elf carrying around a foriegn species in ther pregnent womb if you ask me.

Not that foreign if they can get pregnant in the first place, its just the elven traits are overwhelmed by the other traits or whatever. The human/dwarf/qunari overrides the elven traits.