405 réponses à ce sujet

[vallore]

JohnEpler wrote...

1) Moments where you felt like control was taken away from you by the cinematics. Were there moments where you felt 'hey, that's not something my Hawke would ever do!' that were not writing related. I realize this can be a bit odd of a concept to grasp, so let me reiterate - times where, while the lines and intent of the writing wasn't necessarily a problem, but in the context of the scene your character did something or had a particular expression that just took you out of the moment?

I haven’t played Legacy but I will answer regarding DA2.

One of the problems I had with the game was what I felt to be an excessive reliance on cinematics to tell the story, to the point of excluding player input. This could go from the little things, the tidbits of information and remarks Hawke would supply without player input, (that did not necessarily conformed to the player’s Hawke), to the big ones, like when we are informed, in a cinematic scene of Hawke’s desire to participate in a certain Deep Roads expedition without any input given by the player concerning the decision, (even if the decision itself was necessarily fixed, I would have liked much more if I had a saying, like I had in the warden’s conscription, in Origins).

I believe that the excessive reliance on cinematics actually created a barrier between those players that enjoy a more active role in the definition of the character, and their Hawke, as the game constantly reminded them that Hawke wasn’t really their character, and this made the game much less fun for them.

2) Things you wanted to see more of. We've gotten some good feedback from you guys about the 5 different killing blows at the end of Legacy, and we'd definitely like to do more of that (though they may not always be quite as unique as those five, the idea that each weapon-type gets its own little flair is something we believe adds to the experience). But stuff like that.

One of the thing I liked more about Origin’s combat were the killing blows, so I’d be all for it, provided they are not over-the –top like most combat of DA2 was.

3) Moments where you noticed a lack of/opportunities for ambient storytelling. What's ambient storytelling? Glad you ask! It's those times where stuff happens around you while you're walking around, and it helps tell the story. Clear as mud. More specifically, it's those little touches like when you see guards patrolling on a wall, or a smith in a forge moving from his anvil and back again. This is something we'd like to push more in the future, and examples where you guys thought to yourself 'hey, why is X not happening?' would be useful. This last point is a tricky one - engine limitations exist. But still. That's our problem, not yours.

Unfortunately, most of the time I played in DA2 would feet that description; especially within the city, it lacked those little touches. In Origins we had the squirrels and rats, the children running, that improved the feeling we were visiting a living city. In Kirkwall, everything was sparse and static, except for the battles in those very same streets, and these not only felt forced, (as in not a natural occurrence, but as something put there for the player to have something to do), but increased the static feeling of the other
elements of the city, by sheer contrast.

But please, don't limit yourself to these particular points. Anything and everything cinematics related would be useful to hear, as we want to push ourselves on future projects, and one way of doing that is to find out from you guys what worked, what didn't and what you think we could add to the process in the future.

Personally, one thing that I felt was that the new art style hurt the cinematic nature of the game.

I notice that, if I didn’t know anything of Dragon Age, and was given a few short scenes of Origins and DA2 to watch, and then asked what the more recent and advanced game of the two was; I would likely say it was Origins.

Thinking upon it, I believe that the less realistic style of DA2 actually takes away part of the efficiency of the new animations, while the more realistic art of Origins actually adds to it, balancing the different limitations of each game beyond what would be felt otherwise.

It is possible that the mind simply finds easier to fill the blanks of the more
limited but realistic Origins than to correct the style deviations from DA2.

[kyuubifred]

When it comes to emotional responses, maybe it would pay off to sometimes have some sort of "reaction icons" in place of the normal tone icons, thus giving the player choice over Hawke's emotional reactions. Sometimes we're given this in the form of arrow choices, but those are easy to misinterpret much of the time.

I'm sure that was completely incoherent, so I'll try to give an example: for the sibling death at the beginning of the game, for instance, Hawke basically had three ways of saying "Let's move on."
Instead, there could have been a variety of emotional response choices, such as

(*sad face icon*)-> MAKER NOOOO *cue Sebastian-esque collapse and bawling*
(*angry face icon*)-> Those bastards!! *cue RAGE*
(*stoic face or something*)-> We need to move on, Mother. *cue current lack of emotional response*
(*smiley face*)-> Trololol *cue douchebag response because I'm sure someone would demand it...*

Er... anyways. I'm just going to go back to lurking, now.

[Foolsfolly]

When it comes to emotional responses, maybe it would pay off to sometimes have some sort of "reaction icons" in place of the normal tone icons, thus giving the player choice over Hawke's emotional reactions.

I think that'd be hard to implement well. Emotional moments work because of flow. To have someone shot with an arrow and then there's a pause as it says "Are you: Shocked, Sad, or Indifferent?" The characterization control by the player would be fantastic but the emotional impact of these events on the player would be dulled.

I think it should be personality based. The Diplomatic/Noble Hawke would be sad when someone dies, the Sarcastic Hawke will be indifferent, and the Abrasive Hawke would swear revenge.

It would mean things like the Mom's death would have different facial emotions to it. Sad, Angry, or closely guarded.

This would require a massive document full of all possible expressions you'd have with the different personalities.

I'd like to say, I liked the facial emotions in the game. The only thing being really sad didn't mesh well with was the Abrasive Hawke.

[roundcrow]

When I played the demo, I was really looking forward to see how the framed narrative/unreliable narrator device would be used, semi-reformed English major that I am. In fact, that's one of the things that made me the most excited. However, it seemed like it got forgotten for long stretches of the game, or, worse, used primarily when we needed to skip some time or throw in some exposition.

Basically, I would have liked more moments like at the beginning of the story and the confrontation with Bartrand where we go back to the interrogation room and Cassandra calls BS on Varric, or asks for more detail, or we see the scene from another perspective. Or even that we play one thing and Varric tells Cassandra something completely different. I feel like he was there for exposition and the narrative possibilities were left by the wayside.

[Foolsfolly]

Or even that we play one thing and Varric tells Cassandra something completely different. I feel like he was there for exposition and the narrative possibilities were left by the wayside.

That would have been too cool for words.

[Night Dreams]

I'll answer directly to the questions

1) After Isabela decides to join your party and quite directly points out she's open for your presence at the hanged man with her my FemHawke seemed quite turned on. Now the only problem I have with this is that I envision my Hawke as 100% straight and Hawke's expression doesn't really justify this. 

2) More contact between characters. I think it is this that makes romance scenes so fantastic, is that they are in physical contact with each other. Even the first time you meet Meredith and she takes your hand in helping you up was fantastic. More of this!!

3) I think someone said this in constructive criticism and it really would make a much more immersive experience. Having the onlookers react to your presence more, and perhaps this can change over time. In the case of Hawke no one really knows him/her in Act 1, but by Act 2 she/he is most certainly known so people reference him/her, and by Act 3 she/he should cause onlookers to be in awe (they are the champion after all). You guys did do this, but more of it most certainly wouldn't hurt. Also so you run into someone, perhaps they should say something. 
Most importantly though we need more reactions from witnesses of battles. Most of the time they just stand there like there isn't a raging battle happening right next to them filled with explosions and everything.

[XGrlGamerX]

A lot of people have already put their input so I am going to quickly summarize what I liked and didn't like.

The soundtrack of the cut-scenes in Dragon Age 2 were perfect, but there were times where I feel like the options I had chose could have played out better, or perhaps, I wish I could have made multiple choices as the cut scenes were going on. I think the only example that pops in my mind for this would be something like how cut-scenes work in Heavy Rain.

As stated multiple times in this post, I believe that some of the romantic approaches or dialogue were forced and made many of us uncomfortable because this is not how "our" character would act.

I know this is probably due to the negative media you have received from both ME and DAO in regards to the "love" scenes, but I personally enjoyed both of those cut scenes in the first games and was disappointed in their sequels. The beginning of the "love" scene in DAO, where your character or NPC strokes whomever at the fire, with the music, is beautiful. I think it would be neat if you could choose what type of "love" scene you wanted. Also-- you should be able to kiss your partner in the game-- I was really shocked and sad that you took this out, especially since the kissing scene (with the music) in DAO was epic. haha

In regards to Legacy... it would have been really cool if there were cut-scenes of little Hawke, Bethany, and Carver with their father and mother as they were talking about Malcom. It would have connected better than pieces of paper or dialogue.

I LOVED the ending scene by the fire.... like.. if your mother was dead and Hawke was imagining her. Perfect!

I really do love the cinematic department Bioware has. There have been many scenes in a game that would make the game either incomplete or I would have felt nothing towards a scene otherwise if it were not done as beautifully has you guys have made it. Keep up the great work!

[BBK4114]

Tainan7509 wrote...

*snip*

Secondly, Not everyone raise his or her eye brow when he is angry and i don't even think people would do that facial expression. It is just weird to see Hawke's eye brow rise up whenever the he/she is angry.

Also, i think DA2 lack of weather setting like raining, snowing, etc. Bioware can put those type of weather setting and apply with characters' emotion when they step into these areas. This will make the players feel more close to the situation in each area with different companion in their playthrough.

I do the raised eyebrow thing a lot. It doesn't mean Hawke is angry, it means, "WTF! I can't believe you are so stupid to have just said that!"

I personally love it, especially when she does it after Fenris says, "Show me one thing magic has touched that it hasn't ruined." to my mage Hawke. A raised eyebrow says it all, imo.

So I guess to each his own?  I love the facial expressions.  

Back on ambient atmosphere the last part of your post is spot on.  In awakenings it rained off and on. In RTO it was snowing sometimes.  We need to see some changes in weather and environment.

Someone else mentioned lack of rats in the sewers, docks, and Dark Town, lack of birds in general, etc. These are things The Witcher series does really well. The rats scurrying around at Kaer Morhen gives you the willies.  Little things that set the tone without going overboard.

[Vicious]

DAO did lots of dialogue cinematics too. I really had no problem with them, mostly because of the grade A voice acting.

Modifié par Vicious, 21 août 2011 - 01:24 .

[Dave of Canada]

Visual Storytelling in the Dragon Age series, somewhat related!

Read the comments too, brief & interesting conversation / thoughts there too.

Modifié par Dave of Canada, 21 août 2011 - 02:38 .

[Firky]

:/

 (I need an initial disclaimer. Please consider “in my opinion” to be the tone of this entire post. Also, despite DAII not really satisfying my inner RPG monster, I absolutely adored DAII regardless. That’s important. Oh, and there’s spoilers to come.)

So, the thing is, I’m firmly in the “cutscenes add nothing to a game” camp, ideologically. I’m separating cutscenes from cinematic presentation, because presentation is very much tied to technology these days, and expectation tied to technology is a whole can of worms I don’t want to touch, yet.

But, what I do want to bring to the discussion, straight up, is this; what value do cutscenes actually add to the game? Is the sole purpose of a well composed cutscene to evoke emotion? Can this work? Does the designer’s narrative vision necessarily match the players? Does it need to? How does the need to locate a cutscene in a particular location impact the player’s expectations? Is the narrative gain worth player loss? I could go on, but I won’t.

So many questions. Not many answers. I haven’t seen this angle expressed here, so I’ll have a shot at just providing a few examples from my experience.

Let’s go back a bit. Cutscenes are a relatively new development in gaming. Those of us who have grown up with games, grew up without them. And games were still great.

In Ultima VII, Tseramed was an NPC companion. If you got to the guts of his dialogue, he told you that his lover had been converted to The Fellowship. She then got sick, refused medicine and died. Sad. If Tseramed was travelling with you and you pledged allegiance to The Fellowship or supported them, or even equipped a Fellowship medallion, Tseramed would go hostile, start shooting at the party and have to be killed. In the complete absence of any kind of cutscene, his grief was beautifully illustrated through the game’s normal mechanics.

In the present, in DAII, I was fighting back tears (for the first time ever, in response to a game) thanks to having “rivalmanced” Fenris, choosing the mages at the end and, subsequently, having to kill him in the final battle. There was no cutscene. Just Fenris with a red ring around him and poor old default Lady Hawke hacking away at him with two daggers. It could be argued that I was already attached to Fenris, thanks to his cinematic presentation. I did love his voice actor, and the scene with the wine bottles. But, I am absolutely sure that that scene would be as evocative, for me, if I’d been talking to a silent sprite, in text, with a clinking bottle sound effect.

A second, and contemporary, example is the conclusion to Bastion (which I won’t spoil because it’s a recent release and people reading this - like anyone cares - may want to play it.) Within the game’s normal mechanics, and it is a $15 Indie, a certain enemy behaviour is inverted, at a pivotal moment in the story, and the impact is incredible. (I found it incredibly sad.)

One more thing. The end of the Shepherding Wolves quest saw me yelling at the screen. I loved it! Was it the cutscene that evoked the yelling? No. This is what I remember of the cutscene. Saarebas and Hawke walk towards a cliff, talking. Saarebas sets himself on fire, even though I wanted him to jump. (Well, I did and I didn’t.) What evoked the yelling was the fact that I have learned a bit about the Qun, I got to know Sten and he’s had a (sort of) sad existence within the context of Thedas (magic, philosophy, religion, etc.)

OK. New tack.

The original question, sort of. Is the sole purpose of a cutscene to evoke emotion?

My answer. I don’t know. But it didn’t work for me in DAII, regardless.

A new question.

How can cinematics work with the modern RPG instead of against it? (As is how I, rightly or wrongly, see it doing.)

So, “ambient storytelling” and “cinematic presentation.”

Missing from DAII. Day/night cycle, immersion, living, breathing world. Important to the old school RPG fan, that. Even assuming DA3 won’t have a dynamic day/night cycle, why can’t the role of cinematic designer be extended to include, as one example, creating meaningful paths for townies to tread over a period of realtime? See, Frank the Fox.

Another example. For me, the best “cinematic” moment of DAII was when those statues in the Gallows came to life and started kicking my ass. I mean, I’d been looking at them for the entire game and then they suddenly had
a purpose beyond aesthetic. Brilliant. A close second would be touching my real life nose to see if I’d misplaced my glasses when I entered the Fade. The blurriness highlighted the “otherworldliness” better than any cutscene with Marethari, or whatever.

Shadow of Light Dragon, veritable BSN poster, referenced on here somewhere, Ultima’s Lycaeum. Why can’t DA3 have a library that us lore buffs can retreat to, in our own time? Can you implement cinematic presentation there? Books. Someone to read them. Snapshots of Thedas that you wouldn’t otherwise see. Even like Monkey Island, with rotating inventory item and item lore.

DAII had no item descriptions. (I’m also an old school Baldur’s Gate fan, and these were central to that experience, for sure.) If there were 374 equipables in DAII (via vague wiki count), and Origins provided item descriptions at 25 words apiece, that’s 10,000 words-ish. Give a freelance writer $100 for 500 words,  and that’s $2000 (Edit: Maths fail. Simple maths, too.) to flesh out DAII with item descriptions. Plus junk for another $570. (Yes, I’m guessing there are logistical considerations here, plus the cost of programming it in, etc.) But cinematics are valuable. How valuable?

Last point. I loved The Witcher 2. Some of the narrative cutscenes there were incredibly evocative and the dynamic conversations were great. But cutscenes in the middle of combat? Quick time events? Cinematic presentation has a ways to go. I believe in you guys. Come up with something new. Much as I revere Roberta Williams, Phantasmagoria
is a dirty word. (Edit: I should say I didn't mind it, but amoung gamers I know, "interactive movie" style presentation is summed up by simply referencing that game. Not in a nice way.)

PS. Uh, on topic with Legacy. I thought it successfully tweaked many aspects of the game, but the only cinematic difference I noticed was that the Carta were running away. Good. Tiny, but good.

Another edit: (A day later, because I'm still stewing on this.) I actually really don't like the way many gamers I know use Phantasmagoria as a disparaging term for "genre fail", because the "interactive movie" genre was actually kind of a complex thing, tied to technology etc - and I'm sure many would consider Phantasmagoria a great success. I do think there were very valid criticisms, and that design really failed to find its footing, at the time. I think the interactive movie genre left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. I really worry that new cinematic driven games are walking a similar path.

For me, the reality is that, no matter how realistic looking you can make the facial expressions on a character model and no matter how cleverly you compose who's walking where and what visual information is being highlighted in the background, or whatever, a cutscene is still a cutscene. Pre-rendered or rendered in game, whatever. If an NPC pulls a clever face as you walk past them during normal gameplay, then that's entirely different, and I'd probably notice. (Which is why I love DAII's banter so much.) I'm sure this is all at least partly to do with the fact that it's thoroughly ingrained in me that all of an RPG, information, story, exploring emotive content, interaction, combat, should be placed within the normal confines of gameplay. (Well, maybe not all, but the vast, vast majority.) Not the game's engine, either, but gameplay.

One last example. Remember in BG2, in that dream sequence when Irenicus was exploding that farmwife? That's an interesting example. You couldn't interact with the sequence (unless there was a bit of dialogue, I think there was) but he was utilizing the games mechanics to make his point. (Sort of.) I suppose you could argue that this was a form of in game engine cutscene, but it felt very connected to gameplay.

OK, maybe I'm done. I'm not trying to say that cinematics in DAII were crap or anything. This is all just a comment on a quite deep seated aversion I have to cutscenes. And a hope that cinematic style games can go somewhere great.

Modifié par Firky, 22 août 2011 - 09:31 .

[DiegoRaphael]

 Let's see if i can pinpoint exactly what i want to say with my bad english.

Running:  When there is a cutscene where someone is trying to get fast to some place, the way they move is very... strange. It feels like they are being restricted by something, the hands closed, feet that barely leave the floor, body curved to the front, feels like a car running with the handbrake on.

It's not the type of running that can be seen on this video, is the other (but i didn't find on video...)


Turning: Same case as the above, when something happens behind someone, the way they turn to see it is weird. The foot and the leg used to turn is the strange part.

Woman that doesn't walk like woman: i think this one is self explained.

The cowboy walk: This one goes with the above, with the aggravating when is a woman doing it. Just see the first time Leliana appears in DA2.
(at 0:09)

Again, sry for the english and if any os this has been said.

Modifié par DiegoRaphael, 24 août 2011 - 12:57 .

[Jaulen]

macalkins wrote...

an event that comes to mind is when you are looking for your mother in all that remains and your companions are cracking jokes back and forth to each other or talking like nothing is going on. Enjoyed in Legacy how companions interact and talked about what happened in main story(ex warden Bethany apologizing for missing the wedding with Sebastian)

When you take Anders along on All That Remains finale and he says "I hope we find something more than a bag of parts this time" (or something to that effect). Hadn't taken him along the first playthrough, did the second and I was like "WTF Anders!" I wish Hawke could have said something along the lines of "Shut up!" right there, since Hawke IS worried about finding Mom alive or not.....

Loved the companion interactions in Legacy, and better yet, the MULTIPLE companions interacting instead of just 2.

Like the viewponts and seeing Janeka or The Warden Ghoul wandering about, that added ambiance and a more 'world' feeling to the environmnent.

[Tyrium]

something I loved was the little touches in companion facial expression reactions - like in "Act of mercy" if you say you want to avoid a massacre, and Anders turns to Hawke and smiles at her - that one really stood out to me.

[John Epler]

Just a quick note that I'm still reading this thread! Haven't replied in a bit due to being fairly busy as of late, but I'm taking all the feedback here to heart with the aim of developing some very specific plans in order to address the most notable concerns. I likely won't be able to share the specifics with you guys (for obvious reasons), but I'll try and get another response up soonish.

[Firky]

Sounds interesting, John.

(I've been feeling slightly annoyed at myself for saying "cutscenes add nothing to a game" in my post above, because it occurs to me that having someone entirely dismiss your work in six words might not feel too good. Stubborn, old school mentality is a -insert swearword- sometimes. It's still true for me, but I could have worded that so it sounded better.)

If it's useful, though. I don't know if this is considered cinematic, but another thing that grabbed my heartstrings in DAII was the "dissonant chord of death" in which the game thinks you are about to die so the texture of the music thins out to just a sustained dissonant chord. Again, it's an additional thing that is inextricably tied to gameplay, therefore evocative. (In my book.)

I only fought my way back from that chord a handful of times - the rest being killed. Tiny detail. Immense feeling of pride.

PS. And, although I was largely oblivious to most of the cutscenes, I did notice everyone's fidgets (because they're in game.) Lady Hawke's ankle rolls, Merrill startling and looking around. Brilliant.

[Yara C.]

I am completely aware that there are different opinions on the aspect I will comment. I do not know if it is still a balancing act or if the dices are already fallen. What can be expected for the future development of DA cinematics? More 'interactive movie' or still a tribut to certain RPG elements - that is my essential question.

As a player for whom role playing means the possibility to develop a complex personality of the protagonist I had to cope with some aspects of DA2 (voiced main actor, dialogue wheel, relevance of decisions) where less agency was given to me. Voiced main actor, dialogue wheel - it is clear for me that there will be no draw back.

Under this circumstances the aspect 'facial animations' for the main char gets a crucial role.

To my opinion there could have been more facial animations of NPCs. FaceFx for team members should be subtle enough to leave more space for ambivalent interpretation dependant on the context. To see emotions in the antagonist´s face - that means for me to dissolve the last opportunity for role immersion and the space for the movie in my mind´s eye.

It is fine to assign subtle facial expressions to the main char in neutral situations. But in emotional situations and as far as it is related to the development of the relationships to companions I prefer to see not the face of the main char (or at least a neutral face). It is not my point if a facial animation of Hawke was fitting or not. Although it can result in the same effect as an immersion breaker (or barrier).

I like interactive movies (with pre-defined characters) but I expect from cinematics in a game labeled RPG sufficient space left for my imagination.

The prolongation of "Don´tell, show!" is for me "Don´t show everything, leave it to the imagination of the player!"

Of course, that´s what I expect from good movies too. And I still remember very well the scene in Awakening where the guard was pushed over the railing by the disciple and you can see him falling down from the spikes´perspective. Very well done. More of this (although not relevant for the role development and immersion)

As others have mentioned before gestures could be used a bit more, for the main char too.
Kirkwall seemed to be a bit bland - Yes, I too would appreciate more ambient story-telling. To give plot-relevant information and create / deepen a certain atmosphere for a better wolrd immersion.

Concluding I want to mention two things:

What was the setting for VO in cutscenes of act 1? Translations of speak lines can be much longer than in the original version. It was rather annoying that VO of speak lines at the end of cutscenes were not completed.

Beside the above mentioned aspects I appreciate the cinematographic quality of the cutscenes. A significant progress since DA Origins. (More dynamic)

Modifié par Yara Cousland, 27 août 2011 - 03:43 .

[Drimberly]

Just a couple things, a glitch meant hawke was killing a rock wraith with her bear hands...pun intended. Ok, but on most playthroughts the warrior animation was just silly fow when you did not have a sword equiped. Also the moments where eyebrows cresed together was a source of constant annoyance. finally, i know this is not the place...or maybe it is, i was a litt confused on this, but whenever i found people doing things without me...awesome. From skyrim previews, the dragons random NPC killing looks wonderfull. this is the kiinda thing i love, just more conversation and less...burny.

[Drimberly]

Just a couple things, a glitch meant hawke was killing a rock wraith with her bear hands...pun intended. Ok, but on most playthroughts the warrior animation was just silly fow when you did not have a sword equiped. Also the moments where eyebrows cresed together was a source of constant annoyance. finally, i know this is not the place...or maybe it is, i was a litt confused on this, but whenever i found people doing things without me...awesome. From skyrim previews, the dragons random NPC killing looks wonderfull. this is the kiinda thing i love, just more conversation and less...burny.

[Melca36]

I have to say, that one cut scene in Legacy where Hawke draws his/her weapon while running after the dwarves is absolutely fantastic!

I'd like to see more like that.

[Furtled]

Cut scenes
- The mass of twins/triplets/quadruplets in Kirkwall were very noticable, especially in key cut scenes like the Champion fight, big explosion and the show downs at the Gallows. In all of those scenes you had obvious sets of twins (even down to the clothing), or with the mages, four or more identical models standing behind main characters. It's vaguely noticable when wandering the city (Anders' clinic especially), but in cut scenes you can't help but notice and it's quite jarring. It was much better/less noticable in Legacy.

- The staging for Hawke during the main Anders' cut scene was a bit odd in places, depending on Hawke's relationship with him. The standing behind him position is dynamic camera angle wise, but it looses emotional impact for some Hawkes. Same with Anders' moment in Legacy, it feels fine for a friend/rival but not someone in a relationship.

- Post romance cut scenes were odd in places, Anders' one in particular with both parties getting fully dressed to the point of putting on coats and boots. Not saying strip the characters, but keeping outdoor clothes off would have made it feel more natural.

- Recycling animations like the fingers tapping lips and Shepherd's drinking move take personality away from the character performing it because they're so distinctive.

- Removing character's weapons during cut scenes when they sit down would be cool, especially long weapons like swords/hammers and staffs.

- Some NPC character designs were a bit at odds with their back stories. Thrask for example looked too young to have a full grown child, same for Seneschal Bran.

- On a Legacy specific note the animation of mage Hawke (troublesome so and so that they are) pulling out their staff (when they chase the Carta into the prison) doesn't really work; the movement is obviously intended for a sword or dagger and the sound FX reflects that. Also male Hawke seems to have female Hawke's walk/body movements when he kicks over the dwarf's corpse.

- Is Cullen's face meant to be out of focus during the 'Knight Commander stand down' cut scene, or is my game bugged?


Hands tied/grumbling at the screen moments
- Only time I felt like my character's hands were truly tied was during Grace's attack on Thrask (that whole fight is a bit confusing, none of the NPCs step in either and after the initial attack turn on Hawke instead of Grace, blood magic maybe?) and Varnel killing his prisoners.

- I can see with On the Loose that Hawke arrives just a bit too late to do anything. Mage Hawke picking up the idol was pretty daft (especially if Anders is there warning against it) but not too jarring. All That Remains and the final corpse killing bit was one that made me wonder if the game was bugged since it seemed so at odds with the emotion of the scene.

- One cut scene that still puzzles me is the Orsino boss battle if you side with the mages. All my Hawkes have successfully slaughtered every Templar that came through the doors, but the cut scene still starts with Orsino surrounded by corpses. It might have helped if some Templars had snuck in behind them, or the cut scene had started with Hawke and co. being rushed by an overwhelming mass of Templars who cut down the mages (not the few who run in from the same direction of the others towards the end of Orsino's speech). Also a bit mystified by the group of squishy mage sacrifices in the courtyard when Hawke's there to help out, they seem far more organised in their positioning etc. if you side with the Templars; that and the fact you never actually see Templars using their abilities on the mages whatever side you're on.


Ambient Storytelling
- No animals, none of the rats, squirrels, dogs etc. that were flavour props in Origins. The Ailenage had a lot of animals wandering about to give it that slightly run down feeling, Darktown and Lowtown were missing that.

- Be nice to see children running around again, spotted a couple standing around in Darktown but not very lively.

- No one seemed to be shopping in the markets, most NPCs were either storekeepers beckoning or people standing around talking.

- The Dwarven Merchant's Guild area felt pretty empty, which contradicted the way it was described in game. More NPCs bickering/bargaining, random humans, some stalls etc. would have made it feel more alive.

- Sound FX on the Wounded Coast had no sea gulls - mind that might just be something I only noticed since I live on the coast (or they don't exisit in Thedas/Shale got them).

- Deliveries/carts coming or going in the Low Town Foundry or boats coming in/leaving on the docks would have made things feel more lively.

- If there's ever a plot involving refugees again then it'd help to have the location reflect that by populating it with more NPCs. The Gallows at the start felt far too empty, as did Darktown and Lowtown.

- Having NPCs like Wade & Herrin or the two sisters in the Chantry discussing things like the Chant of Light etc. to add to the player's knowledge of the world would be a welcome return. There are NPCs talking in various places, but they often seem to be placed close to banter trigger points so that's the bit your ear tends to listen to.

- NPCs reacting to fights breaking out right next to them would help with immersion, for a more DA2 specific thing that includes having Templar's pay attention to magic use.

- The Blooming Rose had about the best atmosphere, people were sitting playing cards, chatting, odd noises behind closed doors etc. Seemed strange that the Hanged Man's patrons/city guards in the barracks didn't sit to play cards or dice/eat/read also odd that almost none of the guard removed their helms when they were off duty.

- Templars or mages training in the Gallows would have livened it up a bit. Hunters coming and going, children running about, people cooking, someone skinning animals, making weapons/arrows etc. would have helped the Dalish camp feel more alive.


Passage of time
Various things like the same NPC saying the same line repeatedly over the space of ten years ("I've been waiting all day" man in the Vicount's office springs to mind). Broken cobbles/weeds growing through in Hightown/the Gallows that are never repaired. Bodies left lying around in Fenris' mansion etc.


In general
Overall the facial animations on various characters were very well done (everyone's facial expressions in the 'felicitate me' scene are hilarious), the Arishock in particular owns every scene he's in. Touches like guards greeting Aveline, the elven servant noticing Merril, people recognising Isabela/trying to bribe Aveline at the Docks and NPC 'ugh Fereldens' comments were fab, if sometimes just a bit too subtle.

And finally, one that might not be your area, but maybe you can pass it on - Massive thanks for the mage robes that didn't look like robes, they made playing Hawke as a mage in hiding so much better.

(P.S. Sorry for the epic post o' Doom)

Modifié par Furtled, 01 septembre 2011 - 02:23 .

[JoHnDoE14]

I don't know if any of these ave been mentioned before, but here are some of mine observations
1) During ''No rest for the wicked'' (Isabela's PQ in ACT 3), Hawke seems not to react properly when Velasco finishes speaking (drawing sword/staff/whatever would have been enough)

2) During ''Haunted'', Varric's ''Argh'' animtion (when joking about Bartrand) isn't well done. He actually closes his mouth before saying ''Argh''

3) In some places (like Ander's clinic or Dock/Lowtown prostitutes) there are many NPCs with the same look and clothes.

4) In the docks, nothing seems to be moving, while it should be a place of feverous work (shipments ariving, being packaged etc)

5) Guards should be patroling in squads and not one man patrols (and of course, they should aid you in cleaning the roads when and if they spot you)

6) Almost nothing changes when time passes. No new people walking, old ones are still in their places and even conversations and actions are the same.

7) In the Hanged man there should be people vomiting/lying down/crwaling to their rooms/ordering more ale etc

8) In the blooming rose, you should sometimes hear moaning when being close to some rooms.

9) In the Viscount's Keep, people should be asking Seneschal Bran questions about laws or whatever. Sometimes, we should also see the Viscount giving a speech, or at least hering about it happening.

10) In the Dalish camp, there should be hunters leaving to hunt (or arriving with what they caught). Of course, someone should be cooking that afterwards

That's all I can think of now. Hope it helps!

Modifié par JoHnDoE14, 28 août 2011 - 09:08 .

[Aleya]

1. Out of Character!Hawke
-The post-timeskip romance scenes. It's nice for Hawke that s/he apparently shared three years of sexual tension with Anders, but *I* wasn't there for any of it. So while the kiss scene was hot, it was also a very "WTF where did that come from" moment. Add to that the lovey-dovey "I want you right here til the day we die" scene and I actually reloaded the whole thing in the hope of utilizing the non-corny-swooning-in-each-other's-arms option. Then I found out there wasn't one. Part of that is definitely the writing and dialogue, but the lovestruck expressions on Hawke and Anders' faces didn't help things either.
-The constant eyebrow raising annoyed me as well.
-Mage!Hawke actually falling under Iduna's control. If you're more than capable of breaking it, why did it work in the first place? Same deal with the other two Hawkes having to call for help. I mean, your mage companions would hopefully notice a blood mage practicing mind control on their friend without said friend's input, right?
-Hawke needing Meredith's help with a saarebas. After braving darkspawn, dragons, gangs, blood mages, and several saarebas previously, suddenly we're an ickle damsel in distress who lies on the floor and stares in fear as a saarebas is about to obliterate us? Sure, her introduction in the middle of combat is perfect, but did Hawke have to be *that* pathetic?

2. More!
-Overviews. I really liked the opportunities to "scout ahead" offered by Legacy. Would be even better if utilizing them gave you an advantage in combat.

3. Ambience
-Gangs practically rule the streets at night and nobody worries or complains about them. No stragglers in the Hanged Man not daring to go home for fear of being mugged. No people outside actually being mugged. No street urchins cowering in corners in the hope of riding out the night without being spotted.
-Gossips. I *loved* the gossips everywhere in Origins. That would also be a great way to add rumor-based quests to your log rather than just having them pop up out of nowhere. 
-Mages fleeing the Templars. Particularly during those quests where you're trudging around Darktown and/or the sewers. There's supposedly a whole mage underground at work, where are they? 
-You'd think that the nobles of Hightown could afford a change of clothes after 10 years.

[krinst]

I'm in the middle of another playthrough and just ran across these that I liked:
Would like to add that I really like the cenematic that happens when the Arishok tells Aveline to shush with his finger (at which I always chuckle) and the group is attacked / flees the compound.
Also when Fenris 'gives Hadrianna his word' and the camera is looking up at him as if rather from her persepctive.

I would agree with the earlier poster who was bothered by Hawke's expression re: Isabela's room at the Hanged Man for 'company'. Though I took it as being a bit more amused than aroused, there was slightly too much interest showing for "my" Hawke.