Concerning 'Tactical'
The question of how tactical DA2 actually is has been vehemently argued across this forum since the game’s release. Some of the most ardent detractors of the game claim that it has lost all tactical aspects from DA:O. While on the flip-side of that coin, some of the most ardent supporters of the game claim that it is actually more tactical than DA:O. Then there are the people who hold more neutrally minded opinions of the game and thus place DA2 in the more neutral territories of being somewhat less tactical then DA:O or having the same amount of tactical play as DA:O.
Personally, when I look at DA2 I see a game that is both less tactical than DA:O and one that is tactically the same. Most likely the word ‘impossible’ comes to mind for most when reading that last sentence but, there is a method to this madness. At least, I hope there is.
When taken from a bird’s eye perspective, and attempting to look at all of the possible aspects that could be considered tactical or contributing to tactical game play, I see DA2 as a less tactical game than DA:O. However, when looking at DA2 from the more focused perspective of considering only the activated character abilities and spells (the perspective where all of the conversation that I’ve seen thus far has been concentrated on the subject) I see a mirror image of tactical play and possibility. Following are my reasons for coming to this conclusion.
Overall – Less tactical than DA:O
1. Preparing the Battlefield – In DA:O, especially when playing on Hard or Nightmare, one of my favorite approaches to fighting was preparing the battlefield for the oncoming engagement. Utilizing the isometric view enabled me to get the lay of the land and prepare choke points and killing zones by strategically placing traps and wards. This also enabled me to choose optimum positions for my different party members in order for them to work most efficiently together as well as affording protection for the squishiest characters in the party. (A small example of this – Often before a battle I would place Morrigan in a corner or along a wall in order to cut down the number of approaches to her. Then I would place traps on those open approaches around her to afford her some safety from being immediately engaged in melee. She always loved it when three or four enemies would find those traps together.)
The fact that the isometric view, trap-making and any real ability to prepare the field of battle aren’t a part of DA2 intrinsically makes it less tactical than DA:O because it lacks those tactical elements. Of course, I couldn’t and didn’t prepare the field of battle each and every time before a fight but there were plenty of opportunities to do so.
2. Waves of ‘Teleporting’ Enemies – It’s not the mere existence of this device that makes it less tactical but the manner in which it is implemented and utilized. Having reinforcements simply pop into existence on top of party members immediately sucks some of the tactical possibility out of the scenario because there is no possibility for tactical reaction until it’s too late, and no possible defense/precaution against it. If, however, the reinforcements came from actual hiding places or from areas off the screen so that we could then see them traversing the battlefield towards the fight, tactical possibility would once again become viable. It would become action and reaction; move and counter-move, rather than hell-bent melee. (Now, I’m not saying that it should happen like this all of the time – there should be an occasional surprise sprung onto us.)
Another possibility for reinforcements that I like even better than simply having them cross the field of battle involves integrating teleportation gates into the game and the DA world. Either the Apostates in general or the Blood Mages in particular could have found the secret to gating. This could have served as an important plot point for the conflict with the Templars as well as been a very interesting delivery system for reinforcements, or even for some initial attacks. The gates could begin to form with both audio and visual clues and could take anywhere from five to ten seconds to complete, thus allowing the player to tactically react to what was coming. This would add decisions and possibilities to the various battle scenarios not currently possible with the DA2 framework. (Do I pull my tank from his opponent in order to block the gate exit leaving that opponent to rush my mage? Do I have my mage cast a spell at the exit rather than freezing an enemy about to knock out my rogue? Do I pull the whole party back to a more tactically manageable location and take some hits as we run?) Along with the discovery of the gates our party could find, during the course of the game, magic or technology to somewhat combat them – a spell that acts as an early warning system or temporarily delays gate formation, a shock trap that would delay gate formation or freeze it, etc. As the game progresses gates could become larger and more powerful, thus allowing more than one enemy to exit it at a time or it could damage nearby characters, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless for what could be done with the gates.
3. Companion Armor – Just as I loved to prepare the battlefield I also loved to outfit my companions so that they could be used within the tactical framework of my choosing. Using Morrigan as an example again – Depending on how I envisioned a particular play through of DA:O unfolding I would outfit Morrigan to maximize mana, offensive potential, armor or defense. Each one of the maximized aspects brought possibilities to the battlefield. And although, in the big picture, the outfitting/armor customization is a small matter in comparison to many other things, it still is an aspect that carries tactical potential and possibilities. Without those possibilities, however small they may be, DA2 is less tactical than DA:O.
4. Difficulty and Difficulty Settings – Something to keep in mind is the fact that there have been a number of articles covering how gamers in general game and the consensus seems to be that the average gamer plays most games on normal difficulty or a difficulty setting below it. With DA2 effectively making ‘normal’ the new ‘easy’ most gamers that play it are likely going to experience a fairly simplistic button-mash with no friendly fire and with no real tactics necessary. This isn’t really a definitive point but it is something to consider when weighing the overall picture, especially for the ‘average gamer’ (if such a thing really exists) not frequenting this forum.
Activated Character Abilities – Equally tactical as DA:O
This is a much easier topic to approach as the basic interplay of utilizing character abilities and spells hasn’t changed. The surrounding integral and peripheral factors have changed (some of which I mentioned above) but as players we still set up combos just like we did in DA:O. It doesn’t matter that they are now cross class ability combos rather than spell combos or spell and ability combos like they were in DA:O, the point and execution of them is the same. Just as in DA:O we use the combos to deal massive damage, to pull our bacon out of the fryer or to control elements of the battlefield in the middle of the chaos. I get the feeling that those who think the tactical character abilities are not equal to what we had in DA:O were not adequately identifying some of the things from the overall game and were simply laying the DA2 is less tactical cause here.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think DA:O is the be all, end all of tactical gaming. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It was a decent foundation that could have been expanded and expounded upon to become something special in the realm of tactical battles. However, the tactical elements were not expanded, expounded upon or evolved for DA2, which is a definite step backwards for those tactical battles. This isn’t intended as a declaration of quality, or lack thereof, for either product. It’s merely an attempt to look at some of the elements which lend themselves to tactical play that were missing in DA2. And a look at one particular element that remained the same for both games. I invite any and all comments on the subject as I don’t believe that my opinion of what I have experienced in these games to be the ultimate authority on any aspect.
Modifié par HanabPacal, 01 avril 2011 - 07:16 .
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