Mark,
that's interesting news; even though I'm about done with Bioware after the DA2 experience, with the reported issues with ME3 endings, all-but forcing MP down SP-throats in ME3, and the mandatory Origin client requirement without the ability to opt-out of data sharing by the client.
Still, I respect your willingness to engage with the fans still here as I'm aware that you must be one of the ones who dictated the changed top-level design vision that led to DA2. Personally, I hope that DA2 design vision is amended to reduce the importance of cinematography for DA3 so that it is more in balance with other design goals such as player agency and immersion. Far too much was sacrificed on that altar in DA2 IMO.
As for feedback....here's what DA means to me: historical 'realism' mixed with heroic dark fantasy and a dash of humor.
Things in your marketing that got me excited about DAO: Dark, mature fantasy. Spiritual successor to BG. Semi-realistic looking screenshots and artwork. In game footage.
What I loved about previous Bioware games: wonderful characters, meaningful (and sometimes difficult) choices, romances, tactical combat, great humor.
DA2 didn't feel very much like the DA that I fell in love with in Origins.
The cartoonish art style I hated. Particularly the elves and darkspawn retcons were atrocious IMO. The qunari retcon was an exception to that, although why they all looked like clones is a puzzle. Overall, the art style made me feel like DA2 was, visually speaking, a jrpg and not a wrpg at all. I didn't sign up for that.
The over-the-top combat animations destroyed any possible sense of gravitas in combat: apparently gravity and momentum do not work properly in Thedas.
The change in the encounter design from few-but-tough enemies in Origins to many-many-many-but-nerfed ememies in DA2 only worsened the sense that the 'threat' level of the enemies was a joke: apparently a 12 year old boy with a head-cold could kill a few darkspawn in DA2! No sense of genuine threat at all. And the waves... *shudder*
Between the art style, encounter design, and combat animations, DA2 felt more like an anime. To me, DA should be more Game of Thrones (with humor) and a lot less like the anime/jrpg vibe I got from DA2.
I also hated the complete lack of player agency with regard to conversations with party members and other NPC's. In real life, I can initiate conversations with friends. And sometimes they initiate them with me. DAO struck a good balance with that. In DA2, I felt as if party members ceased to be 'people' the moment they left their designated 'talking' spot. It destroyed any sense of them people people to me. It also destroyed the illusion of immersion in a 'real' game world by highlighting 'combat' zones being spatially different than 'conversation' zones. That's a horrible way to make me feel the game world is a plausible place. I've never cared less about the party characters in a Bioware game than I did with DA2.
And I'm glad to hear so many others talking about the lost customization options for party members, the reused environments and models, and the non-epic storyline.
I'd also like the 'love' scenes to be less unintentionally funny for a
change. The ones in ME1 should be your guide IMO. It's all been downhill
since then in both franchises. TW2 did a vastly better job too IMO. You are competing against some very talented developers nowadays and increasingly your games are beginning to suffer by comparison where once they led.
The length of the game itself was disappointingly short IMO, although that was a blessing by the end because I had become very unhappy with it.
What did DA2 do well?
The pace of combat itself was more reactive on the front end which was ok but an intermediate between the two games would be better. I liked being able to avoid Ogre charges etc. And the friendship/rivalry system was good too...although I did miss gift giving and those little Morrigan approves +5 messages. Don't ask me why.
I liked the voiced protagonist. I think. But I'm not 100% sure.
It's hard for me to judge the voiced part because I disliked Hawke and his story so greatly and I felt very alienated from Hawke, whereas I felt much closer to the Warden. It is possible that the voiced aspect played a role in that. However, there are other factors too: the passive role in the story, the inability to initiate dialog with other characters, the cheesy animations and art style, etc all make it hard for me to feel close to Hawke.
And honestly, I don't mean to be a pill, but that's all I can honestly say that DA2 did well IMO.
If you want to attract back the disillusioned, like myself, you've got some work ahead of you. Honest conversations like this are a good start. Other suggestions would be to quit taking the hardcore fans for granted when you are considering your marketing strategy as you did with DA2 IMO.
Show us the game itself, not just some flashy pre-rendered cinematics from Blur. Show us more than just action sequences. Make us interested in the world situation politically, miliatarily, and personally. Make us interested in the characters we'll meet before we even buy the game. DAO did this pretty well. Bio's, videos, screenshots, wallpaper etc were all good stuff to whet the appetite leading up to DAO. These were sorely lacking by comparison pre-DA2. Show us other game mechanics too: stealth, theft, looting, how we can interact with the game world, etc. Even DAO was guilty of some stupid marketing (the marilyn manson video for example), but they at least made some effort to engage the fans of older Bioware games. DA2's direction and marketing felt like a huge 'up yours' in our general direction.
I can't comment about the DLC as I have not played it and am not going to pay again for something like DA2. If you want players to evaluate the future direction of the franchise based on DLC, you should make that DLC free or there's little point to it (in terms of winning over angry former fans).
Apologies if this comment is too lacking in tact. I am actually trying to be constructive even if I don't feel inclined to sugar-coat it.
Regardless, I'm glad to see you (Mark) actively taking part in the conversation.
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