82 réponses à ce sujet

[John Epler]

makenzieshepard wrote...

It's funny how we can get attached to things, Even if they aren't optimal for our builds. I can't tell you how long I carried the Cousland family sword on my human nobles. And even when I did eventually switch to another weapon I always, always switched back to it to get the the killing blow on Arl Howe. This was my family's sword handed down over generations a symbol of strength and power. And the story and personal touches applied to Starfang and Vigilance made them worthy of being wielded by my wardens.

I guess my point is that as a someone who is not primarily a power/stat gamer don't just make it about choosing +2 awesome or +3roxxors. The weapon should mean something, to me as a player and I shouldn't be discarding something I've been using all along for the thing I pulled off random guys #357 and will discard by dude #375. All the coolest weapons have a history to them, make em count.

Hah. My example is similar, although from STALKER (those of you playing the John Epler Drinking Game, take a drink). One of the earliest weapons I picked up in Call of Pripyat was a less-than-spectacular AK. But through the course of the game, I kept it, I upgraded it and, even when I eventually found weapons that were upgradeable to something far more impressive, I still used it. It was my gun - it had seen me through all sorts of sticky situations, and while it wasn't as fancy as the various weapons that were now prolific, it was still my gun.

Which is to say, I know what you mean. And I like systems that allow you to develop a strong emotional attachment to your equipment. EverQuest was another example where I still used sub-par gear because of the journey I'd undertaken to get that gear.

[John Epler]

DAYtheELF wrote...

PS, John, the fact that you and so many BioWare people are even here and reading all of this and replying and whatnot makes me love you all so much more than I already did. You don't HAVE to do this, yet you do. Thank you!

We do it because we really are passionate about what we do. And, at the end of the day, we want to make a game that our fans want to play. There's no deliberate 'muhaha - this will really stick it to INSERT FAN SEGMENT X!' in our plans. It's true that, sometimes, we have to make decisions that not everyone loves. That's something we have to live with, because there are some things that are mutually exclusive. And that's not saying we won't make mistakes - we have in the past, and we no doubt will in the future. But talking to you guys - well, that helps us see where there's consensus, and, in places where there are a dozen different opinions, we can start talking amongst ourselves about ways to compromise without diluting vision.

You guys are great. Being able to rationally and civilly discuss things with a fanbase isn't necessarily something every developer has, so we're happy we can do it.

[Mark Wilson]

John Epler wrote...

DAYtheELF wrote...

PS, John, the fact that you and so many BioWare people are even here and reading all of this and replying and whatnot makes me love you all so much more than I already did. You don't HAVE to do this, yet you do. Thank you!

You guys are great. Being able to rationally and civilly discuss things with a fanbase isn't necessarily something every developer has, so we're happy we can do it.

+1!

Lots of great feedback in this thread - fantastic to see so many people getting involved.

[Mark Darrah]

soulsweeper87 wrote...

My major gripe with cRPGs, and especially DA2, is that gameplay and story often feel like two completely separate segments which don't influence one another in the slightest. The best (or worst, actually) example of that is Blood Mage specialization. Considering that magic, and blood magic specifically, was one of DA2's major themes, playing a Blood Mage should have a HUGE impact on my relationships with NPCs and the overall story. Instead, no one seemed to notice and I couldn't even bring the subject up in conversations. It was impossible to roleplay, I ended up pretending that my Hawke wasn't a Blood Mage after all. In DAO it was slightly better, 'cause at least I had to unlock the specialization first by making a deal with demon. If you make a special class like that, it should also have some special contect. Otherwise, I'd rather not be able to play it at all.

I completely agree with this concern. Especially with blood mage.

[Mark Darrah]

hhh89 wrote...

simfamSP wrote...

hhh89 wrote...

simfamSP wrote...

I've been so focused on ME3 that I've lost track of whats going on in the DAII forums...anybody could tell me what the hell is going on? xD

Bioware decided to stop adding content to DA2, and starting developing the next DA game.
Previously they were developing, or thinking of developing an expansion about the Exalted Marches for DA2.

I'll wait till some confirmation. Unless this isn't just speculation...

Bioware confirmed that in this very thread.

I'll confirm that again.
We are no longer working on any additional DA2 content.

[Mark Darrah]

sjpelkessjpeler wrote...

hunterxx1xx wrote...

They said previously that Hawke's personal story is finished but the events that occured carry over into the next game.

That's a bit vague. The events that are mentioned could just mean the mage/templar war that started in Kirkwall. And that they are going from there.

At least that. I have a few ideas percolating but don't want to give any details until I confirm a few things.

[Alain Baxter]

Dejajeva wrote...

So basically in 112 pages we've learned that we can't agree on anything. I imagine it's the same for the Dev's- just they have someone in charge to make the hard decisions. I wouldn't want to be that person. Good luck, you guys.

Ha! Yes, in the early concept phases of development, everyone pitches an idea and the battles begin! The good side of all this is that is it's great to hear opinions and ideas from people (dev & non-dev). Everyone wants to pitch in and becomes quite passionate about their ideas. On the other side, we can't choose them all and we need to filter them out. That's when prototyping starts. Here's where we can see these ideas in action and can be reviewed. Not surprisingly, many ideas are thrown out... they just don't hold up (not fun). Other's though stay alive and are iterated on.

In the end though, yes, someone has to make a call and then we move onward. Without people calling shots, we'd never leave pre-production. Speaking of which...

"Um, Mr. Laidlaw Sir! About my idea of the three-armed juggling monkey who mimes quests to the player... we good to go?"

[Mark Darrah]

This thread has generated a lot of discussion and good feedback.
We're going to lock it now.
This is not to shutdown the discussion but rather to allow us the opportunity to fully parse what has been said.
So what are my next steps?
1. Mine this thread for your feedback. This will take a little while
2. Once that's done, I would like to focus the discussion on specific topics. Expect new threads like this one but with much narrower topics.

Hopefully, everyone found this useful and I promise we will be doing more of this (but give me at least a week to digest)