2816 réponses à ce sujet

[RaenImrahl]

Mark Darrah wrote...

To make sure I get your concerns:
1. More customization (Let's me change follower armor. More equipment upgrades)
2. More traditional fantasy story (Epic enemy, clear villain)
3. More areas and areas variety
4. More control over my story.

Does that capture it?

I think the DLC for DA2 (Legacy and MotA) did an excellent job with all of those points, with the obvious exception of #1 (which, I assume, would be a fundamental programming change).  So if the team continues along this vector with... whatever is next... then I think you have the makings of a darn good game. 

Looking at the transition between Mass Effect 2 and 3, I think the ME2 DLC "Arrival" did a great job bridging the two narratives, even though it was Shepherd without the rest of the squad.  Something like that (edit: as a final DA2 DLC), perhaps focusing on a familiar character that will be in DA3 (or whatever is next) would be fun.  Talis comes to mind.

Thanks for the engaging updates, Mark!

RI

Modifié par RaenImrahl, 19 mars 2012 - 04:58 .

[Ulathar]

While I'm sad that there won't be more content for Dragon Age II (thank you and the team again btw. for an exciting game with awesome and memorable characters) - I was, for example hoping for a DLC that could explain more about what happened between the ending and the time Varric tells the story - I'm really excited to see where Dragon Age is going next.

I recently read Asunder and it was a really great read, so I'm hoping that DA3 will continue where DA2 or rather Asunder left off in terms of the timeline. Although that may present the problem of having Mages vs. Templars again, but maybe you could jump to a different part of Thedas where you don't see the immediate effect of this war but overtime see the long term effect it has on even the far away parts of Thedas. This could also reinforce the theme from DA2, showing again that Hawke had an impact on the DA-World.

Of course you'd have to introduce a new player-character and thus new companions and obviosuly a new story. Personally I'd like to see more of the Qunari and as we have seen in one of the DA2 and its DLC you can join them, so maybe that's something you could explore. Having the player decide to work with or against them...something like that.

^ I was just brainstorming there, so I may have thought-jumped a bit during the post

[JeeWeeJ]

 Aaaaahw, damn you Mark! Now I have to divide my attention to both the ME3 AND the DA2 forums for spamming!! There goes my social life... 

Ontopic though, really looking forward to what you guys are making. Personally I didn't really like DA2 (even though I can hardly call it a bad game compared to others). Will try to sum up my thoughts here what I'd like to see in DA3 in a MoSCoW-ish sort of way.

And please note, this is my personal opinion, not fact.. 

Must:

• No more flashy-flashy button-bashy combat
• Tactical combat  you can brag about among your friends (I'd rather face 2 difficult foes than wave after wave of mobs)
• A deep, engaging story where your choices matter (just like you used to make!)
• NOT a Mass Effect with swords kind of game
• More roleplaying freedom (let us be the character we want to be, not just a choice of 3 kinds)
• An ending which does not include robot-like statues, 5 mile long swords and stuff like that. Angry dragon-god-critter = good, big flamy sword which ate too much too hot chili = bad.
• More different locations, staying in one city got boring after a while, and I'm not talking about reused locales here.

Should:

• Customizable companions (both in looks as in skills, for example: I HATED anders, but had to take him along as he was my only healer...)
• More freedom in character (skill) customization (double wield warriors for the win!)
• Secondary skills that matter, not only combat skills (see the roleplaying part)
• Silent protagonist with fully written dialogue options

Could:

• A more realistic style. I loved that from DA:O, even though it was flawed.
• Retcon the elf and qunari redesign. That made no sense to me, being used to the looks of Sten. Just a BIG human with a matching attitide.

Would:
Can't think of any more... 

Sorry for the rant! 

Modifié par JeeWeeJ, 19 mars 2012 - 05:03 .

[William91]

Wow...I loved DA2, and realising that I cant end Hawke´s story is quite hard. Between the ME3 ending and this, its hard to belive in you again Bioware

[c_cat]

Sad news. I think I've played through DA2 at least ten times and it was the game I enjoyed most last year. I liked both the story and the combat. One bit of feedback - when you release DLC please check that it fits not only in the DLC but also in the the rest of the game. That oversized key staff from Legacy with the really good stats - when you use that in the game you get a lovely close up of it in conversations instead of the face of whoever Hawke is talking to. Ruins all the hard work I'm sure you did with them.

And if you do a multiplayer in the next game don't let in any way influence the singleplayer please? The chance of me playing multiplayer is nonexistent. Now I'm going back to my ME3 endings induced depression.

[Taure]

To be perfectly honest, I am one of those rare people who has played DA2 more times than DAO. The simple answer to this isn't because of the story or the characters but it is because of gameplay. I enjoyed that the shuffle was gone and that combat seemed fluid. I enjoyed the feel of my character in combat. I felt strong and sometimes, a little too strong.

The issues that I took with DA2 were:

The recycled dungeons. I want to go to a new area and actually feel like I am somewhere else. Environments need to be unique, or change. For example, if I enter a cave and then re-enter that cave in 3 years time, I expect to see a lot more changes to the layout and environment.

All the random junk loot that I simply sold to a shop by pressing "sell all junk." I love finding loot and seeing if I can use it. Allowing me to equip it to my party would be really nice instead of simply finding a lot of "mage stuff" and just selling it. Get rid of the junk loot that doesn't sell for much. Simply give us money if you have to or shift some of the value to the quest rewards.

Combat issues that I had were the waves of enemies. While this can work, they need to be believable. Not simply spawning from a second story window and dropping down. I would much rather have a mix of DAO and DA2 where you can see the initial encounter and some reinforcements come from believable locations like doors. This would bring back some of the strategy that DAO had. I want to be able to better plan my attack than simply rush in and mash auto attacks.

I also felt the difficulty was too low on the normal setting or even the hard setting. While friendly fire can make the difficulty hard, I feel that enemies need to have much more resistances to physical attacks, magic attacks and other such things. Scale back some of the damage I can do and give the enemy a bit more. Allow them to shrug off certain elements or be even immune to physical damage. Don't just simply give them a large HP bar and call it difficult. Allow enemy archers to move really fast to better reposition themselves, give enemies the ability to slow you down or even stun you. Give them crowd control to use as well.

Finally, I want my character's specializations to mean something to the game. Becoming a Templar or a Blood Mage or even an Assassin in DA2 should have radically changed how people saw me and how my character acted to others. I want my chosen specialization to have a much higher impact in the game that I play besides some cool abilities and perks. If this requires you to limit each character to one specialization, then so be it. If my Mage Hawke becomes a Blood Mage, I want the world to change because of that decision that I made.

[LyallxFidelis]

I'm extremely sad at the aspect that my Hawke doesn't get a conclusion like my Warden did. With an epilogue, it was easier to come to terms with my Warden being done. But Hawke is still fresh, still full of adventure. I want some sort of conclusion, or even an epilogue, that tells me what happened with her and her LI. I was hoping for Talis to come back, since Varric hinted at that, but those dreams seem to be dashed as well.
I feel like I'm grasping at my computer wishing for more time with Hawke and Co., but it's your choice to stop this particular project.
One thing I wish to see in DA3 is more of an open interaction with my companions like in DAO. I don't like that I only get to talk to them when the game chooses in both DAA and DAII. I've known these people for six years! I want to at least know why Varric named his crossbow Bianca!

I'm sure you guys are working hard on the next installment of DA, but I just wish I didn't have to rely on my head-canon to finish Hawke's story.

[Boudicia_]

I should have mentioned how good the DLC was; especially Mark of the Assassin. It caused me to dust off my DAII and replay it for the 5th time.

[bigwazaa]

It is easy.
- The game needs to follow the standard of Dragon's Age Origins.
- The history needs to make SENSE (after all Dragon's Age 2 and the end of Mass Effect 3 it is something hard to do, it seems)
- The game needs to be named: Dragons Age 2: the real one.

[DarkAmaranth1966]

I would also add more free lance type socialization opportunities. Something of an advanced version of what Party Camp was in DA:O. Set places, like the Protagonist's and companions homes and one or two taverns, inns or, brothels in each town where you could socialize with companions and possibly key NPCs on a level somewhere between what we have with DA:O and DA:2 and, the Sims.

Perhaps set dialog, but one option would be to ask to dance if in a tavern, ask to bed in a brothel, ask to share drinks in an inn, tavern or, brothel, ask to spend the night at home, ask to chat at home. We would not need to see all of the potential cut scenes, just a fade to black for most save the dancing and first time making love would be fine.

I just think something like that would make the game appeal more to those who value the RPG outside of combat as much as the combat and questing aspects.

[wryterra]

I want to be on the positive voice side of a BioWare discussion for once. So enough with Mass Effect.

I loved Dragon Age 2. Give us more rich characters, with time to explore their relationships and impacts on history over a long period of time. Tell us a story, that's what we want as BioWare fans.

Remember a story has a beginning, middle *and end*.

Wait, sorry, I said no more Mass Effect talk.

[hoorayforicecream]

The basic principles I would like to see addressed:

- If you have to railroad, hide the rails better. DAO and DA2 both had quite a bit of railroading, but DA2's rails were much more visible. Visible rails chafe quite a bit. Needing to fight both leaders at the end of DA2, and the nearly-identical endings were not hiding the rails well. Being unable to turn Anders in to Cullen was visibly chafing. In that latter situation, you could have just let the player hand Anders in, and then remove him from the group. Perhaps he could simply escape, and then enact his plan on his own. Major plot points should probably just have convergence of branches.

- Use less dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is a very useful tool for certain kinds of storytelling, but the problem is that when the player knows something that the character does not, it drives the player up the wall and makes them feel like they are losing their sense of agency - as it rightly should. This caused a lot of issues with situations like Act 3, the end of Legacy, the end of Mark of the Assassin, etc.

- Respect the player's choices. What we want is the feeling that our choices matter, even if they don't. The more blatant a "but thou must" situation is, the more it chafes. If you need something to end up at point B, make it a believable transition. I felt like the decisions with Feynriel mattered. I did not feel like the decisions with Grace and Thrask mattered. This isn't to say that you couldn't have had the same general outcome, but instead of finding Grace at the Gallows later just saying "We got caught anyway", you could have had an act 2 quest where the templars ask you to track down a dangerous group of apostates, who happen to be Grace and her cronies and then they get captured there. In act 3, you could have had Grace and her cronies be an apostate group working with the mage underground who are trying to work with Thrask.

- Companions need room to interact. I really enjoyed how the companions in DA2 interacted with each other. It gave them a sense of life beyond Hawke, and that was wonderful. There are a few things that grated on me over the course of the game (but were better addressed in Legacy and MotA). Specifically, I wanted to see more interactions with them. Put them all in a situation like the post-game celebration in DAO, where you can see Isabela fleecing nobles, Varric telling stories, Merrill watering plants, etc. For an excellent example of scenes like this, I would suggest playing through Persona 4. There are several character building moments over the course of the game (camping trip, school festival, cooking contest, etc.) where they advance the story and build character for everyone involved. And please, let them come and visit the protagonist at home, rather than coming to visit the protagonist's dog.

I really enjoyed a lot of the other systems in DA2. The friendship/rival system was wonderful. I enjoyed the cross class combos, and I liked thinking about the choices I had to make when it came to building a spec for myself with the talent trees. I really enjoyed the pace of the combat, once the spawning and waves were hidden better (e.g. Legacy, MotA), and I think that it's much better than DAO. I like the iconic looks each character gets, though I would like more customization options for them than simply two outfits. I definitely support more iconic-looking companions in the future, over more generic-looking armor selection.

For me, it's about character building. I want to feel like the characters I am interacting with are real, living, breathing, flawed people who change over the course of the game. If I can't believe that the characters can change, I have a hard time believing the world can change based on the actions of those characters.

[jlb524]

Are we done with The Warden's story too? Because I surely hope so.

[LobselVith8]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

Mark Darrah wrote...

There is truth to this. We will try to bring resolution to the EVENTS that Hawke started. The personal aspects? That's a lot harder

Ah okay. That's a different story then.

If I might say so though, I think DAII did enough of that, what with its railroading -- and he didn't start much of anything imo. Even Asunder just chalked the events in Kirkwall as "Oh yea. That thing. Right." if I'm recalling a few other forumites' posts on the subject correctly.

I wonder if that means that the developers will try to give impact to Hawke's choices, since the main game never did? Off the top of my head: Hawke going against Magistrate Vanard for the elves in the Alienage, helping the mage underground, and siding with either Anders or Sebastian.

[LyallxFidelis]

Taure wrote...

To be perfectly honest, I am one of those rare people who has played DA2 more times than DAO. The simple answer to this isn't because of the story or the characters but it is because of gameplay. I enjoyed that the shuffle was gone and that combat seemed fluid. I enjoyed the feel of my character in combat. I felt strong and sometimes, a little too strong.

The issues that I took with DA2 were:

The recycled dungeons. I want to go to a new area and actually feel like I am somewhere else. Environments need to be unique, or change. For example, if I enter a cave and then re-enter that cave in 3 years time, I expect to see a lot more changes to the layout and environment.

All the random junk loot that I simply sold to a shop by pressing "sell all junk." I love finding loot and seeing if I can use it. Allowing me to equip it to my party would be really nice instead of simply finding a lot of "mage stuff" and just selling it. Get rid of the junk loot that doesn't sell for much. Simply give us money if you have to or shift some of the value to the quest rewards.

Combat issues that I had were the waves of enemies. While this can work, they need to be believable. Not simply spawning from a second story window and dropping down. I would much rather have a mix of DAO and DA2 where you can see the initial encounter and some reinforcements come from believable locations like doors. This would bring back some of the strategy that DAO had. I want to be able to better plan my attack than simply rush in and mash auto attacks.

I also felt the difficulty was too low on the normal setting or even the hard setting. While friendly fire can make the difficulty hard, I feel that enemies need to have much more resistances to physical attacks, magic attacks and other such things. Scale back some of the damage I can do and give the enemy a bit more. Allow them to shrug off certain elements or be even immune to physical damage. Don't just simply give them a large HP bar and call it difficult. Allow enemy archers to move really fast to better reposition themselves, give enemies the ability to slow you down or even stun you. Give them crowd control to use as well.

Finally, I want my character's specializations to mean something to the game. Becoming a Templar or a Blood Mage or even an Assassin in DA2 should have radically changed how people saw me and how my character acted to others. I want my chosen specialization to have a much higher impact in the game that I play besides some cool abilities and perks. If this requires you to limit each character to one specialization, then so be it. If my Mage Hawke becomes a Blood Mage, I want the world to change because of that decision that I made.

I completely agree with this. I also want to add that I miss being able to have two weapon sets and be able to be trained in what was attributed to my class. I always loved the bow and arrow, but I also want to dual wield when it's needed. This should be brough back, I think, instead of making us choose just one.

[CoS Sarah Jinstar]

Mark Darrah wrote...

CoS Sarah Jinstar wrote...

Mark Darrah wrote...

Sorry to hear that CRISIS1717, hopefully you will hear something in the future to change your mind.

I know what would change my mind, a game that isn't full of recycled areas, player choices that actually MATTER. And one that isn't rushed out the door in 18 months dumbed down for the masses.

Seeing as though none of these are likely to happen I think I'll pass until proven otherwise.

Let me ask a hypothetical:
IF we felt that we HAD addressed all of your concerns, what would it take to convince you?

What information (and in what format) would we have to get you to actually change your mind?

Just honesty. And a throw back to what made Origins such a great game. You folks went back to your roots. Gave the player choices throughout the game that affected the ending, allowed the user to customize their party how they saw fit with visual changes. And the game was polished, with many different areas to explore and encounters that didn't feature wave combat with enemies falling out of thin air.

Essentially you guys made an old school RPG in the vein of your D&D roots. Do all that and I'll be there day one.
And not in the way ME3 handled it at the end. As you can obviously see from the outrage over the lack of choices through out the series actually meaning anything at all in regards to the trilogy's ending.

[Baelyn]

Just wanted to say, I am so stoked for this, and I really appreciate the very obvious initiative you guys have taken to listen to fan feedback. If I could have one request (although not one I am sure is shared by many), PLEASE keep the combat as it was in DA2.

I loved Origins, but to me its biggest downfall was the combat that felt like it crawled. DA2 really stepped up the game (although I think the enemies exploding often was a bit over the top and could do without.)

Give us the depth of story and customization from Origins, with the fast paced, but also strategic combat of DA2. That would be a winner in my book.

One more quick aside, please let us be able to interact with our party members whenever we want like it was in Origins. Going back to camp to talk to my party was one of my most memorable parts of DA:O.

Again, love you guys and so excited to see whats coming!!

[K_Tabris]

I look forward to the next adventure, whether it is DA2-the expansion (a girl can dream for more adventuring with Merrill, right?) or DA3. If it is DA3, I sincerely hope you guys take cues from the ME3 ending fiasco, and not deviate too much from what Bioware does right, and what makes rpg fans happy.

Please, please, please make it more like Origins, the variations in choices and story, modability, classic rpg elements, et al.

Or, if you guys are looking farther into the Bioware vault, a certain sequel, setting Jade Empire would certainly be welcome by many fans, I'm sure. Especially since Bioware started acquiring more anime fans, the game might have more appeal now.

[Fiery Phoenix]

Great thread. Thanks, Chris and Mark!

I will be back with a detailed response later. In the meantime it's nice to know we have the opportunity to directly address our concerns and give suggestions. Thanks again!

[rolson00]

Mark Darrah wrote...

randomcheeses wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

How come you guys had to stop working on the expansion anyway? Budget? Writer's block? Evil monkey-gnomes broke into the office and confiscated/destroyed all of your work?

Good question. Saying it was because of 'other DA opportunities' is . . . maddeningly vague and a little suspicious sounding.

Team sizes are relatively fixed. For us to continue working on the Expansion, we had to have people not working on... something else.

Sorry, I realize that likely didn't help.

i didnt get da2 for three reasons:
1. unable to be an elf or dwarf
2. timeline jumps cant stand them hated it whne fable 2 did and dont like it now
3. customization taken away

Modifié par rolson00, 19 mars 2012 - 05:19 .

[Zoedoll]

Baelyn wrote...

I loved Origins, but to me its biggest downfall was the combat that felt like it crawled. DA2 really stepped up the game (although I think the enemies exploding often was a bit over the top and could do without.)

Give us the depth of story and customization from Origins, with the fast paced, but also strategic combat of DA2. That would be a winner in my book.

I second this! I liked how fast and dramatic the combat was in DA2 even if it did sometimes get a little silly, being a rogue was the most fun ever and giving mages the ability to use their staffs in melee combat was a great idea. They looked silly just waving them in DA:O when they ran out of mana. It's definitely one of the positives of DA2 versus DA:O, and as Baelyn says being able to mix the best of each together would make the next game amazing

Modifié par Zoedoll, 19 mars 2012 - 05:21 .

[ximena]

I find it sad that I'm actually happy about this news. Because I love the DA universe, though I didn't really like DA2. (I wanted to like it. It just... didn't quite do it for me.) And now I'm happy to hear that the team is moving on to work on something that will hopefully hit that sweet spot which will hopefully qualm the disappointed fanbase and continue to please those who liked DA2.

Mr. Darrah, I just want to say that my biggest disappointment with DA2 was the lack of conversations between the PC and the Companions. I see the merits of what you did with the system in DA2, but I don't think it suited a game which detailed the journey of a character for 10 years. I wish there were conversations I could have had with the companions aside from the ones Hawke had every act. You know, more information. In DAO, we had the opportunity to converse with the companions about not-so-important details where in we find out things which add to their character. Like that moment when you find out Leliana likes shoes (a lot), sten and his cookies, etc. These details might be and can be revealed through party banter, but I think it would have been far more satisfying if the player would find it out through the eyes of the PC. I don't know if I'm making sense anymore. Haha. I think I'm already rambling.

TL;DR: More PC-NPC dialogue. The DA2 companions were Hawke's friends for YEARS. Yet it didn't feel like Hawke knew them like how friends for quite a long time would.


To end, thanks for the hard work. I still appreciated DA2 even if I didn't love it. Good luck!

[Darth Krytie]

I'm actually fairly saddened that I'll never be able to play a game with Varric. And, truthfully, I'll miss Anders, my cuddly ragemongering mage love.

I can't wait for what's next.

I loved many mechanics issues in DA2. But the one thing I want more than anything is to be able to equip my party in some place without having to take them out party-at-a-time to do it.

I am excited to learn new lore and find new parts of the DA world. I would like there to be some variances for playthrough. If we have a set race, then I'd like differences based on class. If we have set careers, then I'd like differences based on races. Something that's reflected in a playthrough so I can do play it into submission without getting bored. Please, keep up with the m/m and f/f romances, because they're a huge reason I play.

[LyallxFidelis]

Zoedoll wrote...

Baelyn wrote...

I loved Origins, but to me its biggest downfall was the combat that felt like it crawled. DA2 really stepped up the game (although I think the enemies exploding often was a bit over the top and could do without.)

Give us the depth of story and customization from Origins, with the fast paced, but also strategic combat of DA2. That would be a winner in my book.

I second this! I liked how fast and dramatic the combat was in DA2 even if it did sometimes get a little silly, and giving mages the ability to use their staffs in melee combat was a great idea. It's definitely one of the positives of DA2 versus DA:O, and as Baelyn says being able to mix the best of each together would make the next game amazing

For the mages, I think we should get a special customization when it comes to melee and using the staff. Learning different attacks instead of the same one over and over would be awesome! It would be sort of like an Arcane Warrior but for the every day mage and their staff.