204 réponses à ce sujet

[Tinny1717]

ImperatorMortis wrote...

More dialogue choices
The PC only talks when we make him/her talk.
In depth side quests. No two dimensional fetch, and grab quests, or at least a very small amount.
More places to explore.
Better Dungeons
Better customization, both character, and armor.
No scaling, or at least minor scaling.
No paratroopers.
Better Mages (Mages should not feel weak when it comes to damage dealing. They're mages for Christs sake.)
Make choices actually matter
No forcing us into decisions we didn't want to me.
More options for how to complete quests.
Party members should get pissed off, and leave if they hate us.
No Sandal/The ability to kill Sandal
More racial choices. Not everyone wants to be stuck as a human.
Better loot.
No 100% recycled dungeons, and areas.

But then again we don't know all the stuff they're doing for DA3, so making a list on improvements is a bit premature.

I agree with all these (except for Sandal, I am quite interested in his story and he makes me smile and the racial choices which I do not disagree I just dont have a problem with it) and would like to expand one of the points you are making in my own words for I think it is really important. Maybe just like in DAO our character could make more of a difference in his/her choices that effect the outcomes of the story. The more outcomes there are the more times you want to play the game over again to explore each and every one of them.

Another idea comes to mind when it comes to earning rivalry or approval points. I think It would be interesting and logical if our deeds gained rivalry or approval from all of our companions not just those who are present at that time. I think it makes sense because in both games our companions are either in campsite (supposedly not just standing still and conversing with each other) or they meet at the hanged man from time to time as we hear from Varric. So what you do or did during a quest must be reaching their ears right? 

And another idea, it is not exactly on how to improve the game but its just a story idea I have been toying with. Maybe in DA3 we could have both the warden and Hawke in the same group. No spoilers allowed here so I will not refer to the end game of DA2 here but I do believe that it makes sense and would be so much fun 

[Sacred_Fantasy]

1. Character

Keep auto-dialogue, auto-action and auto-emotion as minimun as possible.

I appreaciate it when my character can give final speech at end game or interrupt in party bantery. But it's disconnecting/disturbing to watch the character auto-dialogue on his own. My character doesn't talks without my input. My character never does anything I'm not aware of. My character doesn't emote that contradict with how I perceive the world and event surrounding the character. NPC does that.  As long as the character acts on his own, I cannot identify the character as mine. I cannot roleplay and tolerate this out-of-character ( OOC ) behaviour. It doesn't fit my preferred my playstyle. 

2. Story
Frame Narrative and Third Person Storytelling are mechanism to forward time in a story. Although I can understand their benefits, I'm more concern over their biggest disadvange. They can disconnect anyone from the story as they disrupts story and time flows in order to give room for the narrator to interrupt and move the plot to elsewhere. And in  DA 2 they becomes my biggest problem. Not only they failed to show physical changes to one location like Kirkwall  over the course of 10 years, they also detach me from the world/story. Worst, they convince me that I don't have any role to play except as an omniscient third person observer outside the story directing a character in a story. It's not the kind of roleplaying experience i preferred and I do not enjoy it.

Return to normal way of storytelling where time and event moves progressively. Story segmentations like frame narrative can be interesting but every story segmentations has their own cons. And because of that, they must be treated with extreme cautious because they will affect your audience greatly and bite you back if you do not use them well enough. 

3. Companions
I always thought BioWare games are fundamentally based on party RPG. I do enjoy BioWare's party-based RPG. But  I'm not sure since when they started to shift focus to single character-driven story. Some people said BioWare started to change with KoTor. I never play Kotor so I don't know. The first BioWare game I played was Neverwinter Night. I am not interested with other BioWare's products like Jade Empire, Shattered Steel, Sonique Chronicles, Mass Effect etc.. I felt Bioware games ( beside Neverwinter Nights and Baldur Gate since they are both D&D ) never suit my RPG playstyle. ( I'm a first person perception single player roleplayer - where I put myself in the character's shoe and view the world from his eyes, mind and emotion ). The reason I came across BioWare's DAO because I was looking for ATARI and Neverwinter Nights 3. The stupid Google instead found DAO ( which was surprisingly the best party-based RPG ever happened to me - mostly because of my Morrigan's romance and my Amber Cousland's dramatic ultimate Sacrifice - using mod cinematic enhanced version   )   

Anyway, it's weird that party customization like companion armor and restricted one-dimensional interaction become the issue nowdays - considering that BioWare is making party-based RPG.  I can understand the need for iconic figures. But I tend to get bored with the same looks especially if I can change my character's armor. For example; Merril wear the same things over a decade bother me. ( ignoring romance option because I purposely don't use DA2's romance option since I'm not the character and therefore what is the point of directing Bioware's character to romance each other? I'm not a match maker and I am not interested to play such role in my RPG )

Restricted interaction is another factor that remove my agency to know the companions better. In DA2, you have no option to go back because of frame narrative. Once you complete a chapter, you cannot go back and ask Merril what happen. See, this is where it pisses me. Everytime I am free from quest, the companions never reveal further information than what is already been said. And when I busy doing main quest, they start to send Journal Entries requesting to meet with Hawke. This angers me greatly because I feel they never want to talk to me as companion but as tool for them to do their personal quest. So no I will not turn back from doing my main quest. I rather jump to next chapter ( for completing the main quest ) than to ask them for the 11th times. They had their chances already. In short, Restricted interaction must be removed or I will not play any romance/rivalry/friendship options. 

4. Choice and Consequences
I will make this short. If I make a choice I expect to see my choices' effect. If all the choices lead to same consequences than what is the point of having a choice? I'm not talking about dialogue options only, I'm talking about action choice too. From helping the qunari's, to picking who to bring along in the expediton to picking side in the endgame. I rely on set of acion choices to shape who my character is because conversation wheel as unique personality vehicle is as useless as dear uncle Gamlen. The NPC only response one line to each voice tones before proceed to tell the same thing. The NPC don't care if you choose Hawke to be diplomatic or sarcastic or aggressive because the plot demand the NPCs to act accordingly.

So more action choices that affect the overall story and it's ending. This is not a request. This is required in a RPG. Otherwise, expect another massive backlash from the fans ( Like ME 3 endings did ).

Modifié par Sacred_Fantasy, 29 mars 2012 - 06:08 .

[Cydas]

Sacred_Fantasy wrote...

1. Character

Keep auto-dialogue, auto-action and auto-emotion as minimun as possible.

I appreaciate it when my character can give final speech at end game or interrupt in party bantery. But it's disconnecting/disturbing to watch the character auto-dialogue on his own. My character doesn't talks without my input. My character never does anything I'm not aware of. My character doesn't emote that contradict with how I perceive the world and event surrounding the character. NPC does that.  As long as the character acts on his own, I cannot identify the character as mine. I cannot roleplay and tolerate this out-of-character ( OOC ) behaviour. It doesn't fit my preferred my playstyle.

This. I hated it when Hawke spoke when I didn't intend that. Please let us choose everything that our character is going to say. Go back to DA:O dialogue system anyways and maybe improve it by adding [Sarcasm] or [Flirt] etc on sentences that can be misunderstood.

[Tinny1717]

Cydas wrote...

Sacred_Fantasy wrote...

1. Character

Keep auto-dialogue, auto-action and auto-emotion as minimun as possible.

I appreaciate it when my character can give final speech at end game or interrupt in party bantery. But it's disconnecting/disturbing to watch the character auto-dialogue on his own. My character doesn't talks without my input. My character never does anything I'm not aware of. My character doesn't emote that contradict with how I perceive the world and event surrounding the character. NPC does that.  As long as the character acts on his own, I cannot identify the character as mine. I cannot roleplay and tolerate this out-of-character ( OOC ) behaviour. It doesn't fit my preferred my playstyle.

This. I hated it when Hawke spoke when I didn't intend that. Please let us choose everything that our character is going to say. Go back to DA:O dialogue system anyways and maybe improve it by adding [Sarcasm] or [Flirt] etc on sentences that can be misunderstood.

See? Likes and dislikes can really differ. I want to agree with you when you say that the character doesnt feel like yours when he/she goes into an auto-dialogue mod but I have to admit, every time I changed the general disposition of my hawke at the beginning dialogues I liked the surprises along the way when she reacted to situations in a complete different way. I played the game over and again just to see those different reactions. I agree though in the sense that it does cut you back from the rp aspects because of all the ooc. However I respectfully disagree 100% when you suggest going back to DAO dialogue system. When I played DA2 and tried DAO afterwards that dialogue system was a huge disappointment to me and to be frank nothing new, nothing that sets it aside from the other RPGs out there (concerning dialogue system only) and dont shoot me or mindblast me or fireball my butt but also boring. Sorry

Modifié par Tinny1717, 29 mars 2012 - 07:04 .

[Aren19]

As long as we don't get a ME3 ending in DA3, I'll be happy with it. Oh, and probably not have a talking protagonist. I will admit it was nice in DA2, but if its not ranged out with different Origins, I'll likely replay it less. At least with DAO, where there was no talking protagonist, there were so many different ways that dialogue could have taken you. In DA2, where you played as Hawke, there were only two different voices. Even though there were three personalities, I would only play through it twice (and I am).

[KingJason13]

Don't make it.

[Mike3207]

Bring back Anora, Loghain, and the Warden back as NPCs. I don't expect it to happen, but I would buy DA3 if they did.

[The_11thDoctor]

Why are there 20 different ways to improve DA3 or want to see in DA3 threads?! This is the last one Im typing in... already wrote in 5+ need to know which Bioware is paying attention to?

improvements...

1. STORY - Personally I felt DA2 story was overall executed poorly. the time skip mech was terrible and didnt feel like you ever time skipped. No one changed there walking patterns in the city, no one moved in or out, changed clothes, changed what they said, no changes to environment, weather, etc. There was no rise to power in the game. Bioware ignored your choices even when they gave you the options to choose one, if they gave you an option. L.I. didnt matter and your ending never changed. Never felt like the party I had was mine. People randomly came and talked to you claiming to know you or talk of past events you never seen. Didnt work the full year to get in the city, so tehre was no point in choosing a path to get in the city, etc.


2. COMBAT - Vastly improved in DA2, but was only perfected in DA2 dlc legacy. Keep it like that for DA3 and your golden. Just give back the backstabs from DAO, my blizzard spell, and healing for all Mages and were good.

3. ENVIORNMENTS - DAO though bland, had vastly superior environments. Though I wish they were on the level of Kingdoms of Amalur. That is were we need DA3 to be. The scope, detail and art execution.


4, WEAPONS AND ARMOR - Just need to be able to custom my party and this will be set for DA3

5 things missing from DA that need to be in DA3: Horses, cloaks, horse battles, dynamic weather, environmental dangers while fighting, Romancing at anytime via DAO, gifts, Choices that effect the world, my party,and story

Art: Loved the DA2 2D art and wish the game reflected it more. Armor looked amazing, but character models sucked. Overall, the model itself was fine model quality wise, but the hands were hideous and the textures were not even sub par. No skin texture artist? I rather see full cell shaded look like Catherine, or full realistic textures like Uncharted 2-3, or or ME3 I guess.

Modifié par aang001, 29 mars 2012 - 09:18 .

[Silver77nz]

Getting to know your companions: I really liked in DA:O you could talk to anyone, anywhere about who they are. I liked that they could stop you and question you. There was a lot of interaction with your companions in DA:O while traveling and at the camp. In DA2 I felt I had to be prompted to come see them to have a convo or had to settle for auto-dialogue. I felt more disconnected to them as to where I felt closer to my companions in DA:O.

Customization: The inability to actually customize your companions and give them new armor was a little disapointing to me. I would pick up all this armor I couldn't use and even worse I couldn't use it for my companions as well. Also this might seem petty but picking up rings, necklaces, and belts that is labeled as ring, necklace, and belt in the name is lazy to me. Some rings, necklaces, and belts had names but most of the time it would say ring, necklace, and belt. It took me more time figuring out who should have what ring and necklace based on the attributes. If I had a name it would of been easier for me to remember.

Choices and consequences: Whoever I sided with made absoultely no difference. If I picked the mages I didn't really see a change and if I picked the templars I didn't see a change. If I make a decision I would like it to show in the end. However it didn't matter and yes I'm talking about the boss battles at the end.

Better loot: I think what drove me nuts in DA2 is I would actually pick up things that said torn scarf, broken sword, torn doll and most of my loot ended up giving me no money. Plus the loot I did pick up if it wasn't for my character I couldn't use it on my companions.

Exploration and Environments: Reuse of dungeon and cave layouts took out the excitement of exploring dungeons and caves. Some games have very unique and beautiful caves while others are just terrifying. Same thing with dungeons. Exploration of different environments is a big deal to me. Seeing different areas and how they change based on where you are is exciting. I really missed that in DA2 and I hope to see it in DA3. (Skyrium is a good example of this sort of thing)

Love Scenes: I know silly right? DA:O the build up to that love scene was well done. I don't even mind the underwear if they are being intimate vs sex. Having full clothes on to lead into a sexual scene is just strange to me. I can see partial nudity during a more intimate scene as more understanding than full clothes which is just silly to me. I don't need to see sex to get that idea but obviously taking off clothes is a step in the right direction. Partial Nudity! Not only the girls!!! Would be nice to see a guy without a shirt on during a intimate scene.

That is it for now:D

Modifié par Silverpearl1977, 29 mars 2012 - 10:00 .

[Davillo]

Allow weapons switching on the quick, keep the talent tree design but add more spells, I want as much abilities for all classes as in Origins. Dual wield warrior and dual wield rogues don't have to play the same and have same animations, Allow warriors and rogues to equip everything like in Origins. Bring back battlemage/ Arcane warrior talents. I want my rogue to be able to switch from bow to daggers instantly and own in melee. I want my warriors to be able to equip bow's & crossbows and have archery talents available to them. Rogue archers can have a different archery tree can even call it Marksmanship and give them even different bow abilities. Mages are good but give them more spells. I want to be able to animate a corpse and raise skeletons if I'm a blood mage, could be two totally different types of summons. I want the combat to be toned down a little even though it's a good step forward from origins.

[BillsVengenace]

I'll say this right here and now if there are no non-combat skills in DA3 I will probably not buy it as it will indicate to me what type of game it will be.

Non-combat skills are as important to RPing as combat skills. People who do not want to enter combat should have just as viable a way to complete the game as those who do.

There should be various ways to solve a situation and non-combat skills should be integral to these.

Most quests should have ways to complete them without entering combat.

Dragon Age 2 had none that I can remember. Even a quest like trying to help Aveline on a date had lots of fighting. This was ridiculous.

Non-combat skills should not be tied to dexterity/strength etc... They should be skills that you choose to put points into as the expense of other skills.

DA:O had a bit of these, the one that comes to mind if healing the goat or horse in the elfish camp. That was a good start but it should be expanded --- but in typical BioWare sequel fashion it was completely dropped for the sequel.

Bring back non-combat skills.

[OrganizedChaos826]

As far as combat goes, I think the best way to go about it would be to make it just as responsive and fast-paced as DA2 while still being tactical and strategic like Origins. Also, I'd like mages and archers to still have some melee animations. I never dared to play as an archer in Origins, but I have 2 archer playthroughs in DA2, thanks to the improvements.

Also, I don't want the inventory system(in terms of companion armor) to be the same as either games. None of them had a sense of individuality in Origins(except for Morrigan if you never changed her default robes), and seeing the same damn outfits for 30 hours in DA2 got annoying. I would like them to have their own unique armor sets that you can find throughout the game, thus allowing them to maintain their originality without wearing the same outfit throughout the whole game.

There should also be more opportunities to talk with your companions. I didn't feel as close to the DA2 companions as I did to the Origins companions. It'd be nice to have the same kind of interaction as DA2, where you'll be notified if they want to talk to you, but have more of these instances so that you get to talk to them frequently enough to gradually feel closer to them.

[Mark of the Dragon]

Have a strong antagonist: He doesnt have to be evil but maybe a character in the grey similar to Loghain.

Companion interaction: Have an interaction system similar to DAO that allows us to talk to companions whenever we want in camp (no more generic responses when you try to talk to one), Also bring back the ability to kiss companion whenever and the special little occurences you get after doing missions (ie Alistair questioning you after the events of Redcliffe or Lelianas singing after the "Nature of the Beast" quest.)

Finishers: Being back finishing moves and add some for mages. Also add some new ones to each class.

More realistic combat: Dont make combat so over the top. Slow it down some. Also make the warrior class more fun to play. Dont choose the weapon style or specialization for characters. We should choose weather we want warrior a two be one handed with a shield or a 2H warrior. Also if we have a mage we should choose what they specialize in and ALL specializations should be open for each character of that class. Also add some attacks like Tallis from MotA where she had a range and close up attacks.

Customization: Bring back some character customization

Variety: Make some more weapon and armor types for each class. DA2 was severly lacking on cool armor. Make more variety and be creative especially for mages. We dont want all robes. The champion armor and DLC armor where decent but still be more creative. May I suggest looking at Kotor and Dragons Dogma for inspiration).

Better romance scenes: Look at Liaras scene in ME3. IT was perfect. IT evoked tons of emotion, was beautiful to watch, had nudity but wasnt a porno... perfect.

Better story: I want an epic story where you travel around and visit areas. DA2 story was severly lacking for me.

Morrigan: Some closure on Morrigan story or at least where she went.

Companion: Be a littel more creative Lets see some female qunari or what I would like to really see is a darkspawn disciple. Be creative and make something we would not expect.

Choice: To see the consequences of choices we have made in past game AND closure on our Warden and Hawke.

Creation: More advanced character creater. Add more hair styles (obviously) but also be createve. Add more tattoo design and, let us have blood marks. Also add scars and accesories like the ability to have a near piercing or something.

Origins: Let us select race and play and choose an Origin.

Modifié par Mark of the Dragon, 31 mars 2012 - 04:11 .

[ThanatosIsDessert]

 Bioware is in a bit of a pickle. ME3 disappointed a great deal of fans, and DA2 was very half and half. And the ending of DA2 really gives them less leg room story-wise. They have to answer a lot of questions in a consievable story. Why was Leliana there? Why do they need The Warden and Hawke? How are the two connected? They MUST answer these questions and that might be difficult considering some fans didn't like Hawke or his/her story. 

Personally I think Bioware should combine The Warden and Hawke in one game (a way to please everyone) and a return of the important/favorite companions (and of course a fresh new bunch). This way there is something new, along with what we all know and love, whether it's from Origins or DA2. If you killed Anders, he won't be there. If he was your number one romance, then he will be there. In DA3 we can see more EFFECTS to the choices of BOTH games. 

I can imagine this being hard for Bioware to pull off, but then again Bioware likes to break new ground and can be good at it. 

Story-wise I can see maybe like a mystery thing going. Like Alistair, Leliana, Varric Anders, Orghren etc (unless they died) all group together to find The Warden (if he/she survived) and/or Hawke. This can be a good chance to see more of the various companion interactions that we loved in Origins. All these characters have past relationships with both or one of the missing persons, and under those circomstances all these characters would have really interesting interactions, I think (especially for the romanced characters). 

Our custom character can be a Seeker maybe? Or just some random advernturer of different origins (bring back Origins set up of character). Our character would be the leader of this search for The Warden and Hawke. Our group can be bigger (in Baldur's Gate you could have 6). And character options would have more variety. I think Bioware knows the companion costum thing is out, so we could go back to the Origin way as far as that is concerned. 

The bad guy can be some pure evil thing Bioware can come up with that is keeping The Warden and Hawke away for....whatever reason Bioware can come up with. The Warden and Hawke have some mystical bond or have destinies that intertwine for the greater good that this evil must stop? Maybe Flemeth and Morrigan can return as unlikely allies? Or the child of Morrigan (if you had one). Flemeth seems to know something about what fate/chance that brings/ties The Warden and Hawke together. What is it? Another tricky question Bioware mustn't forget to answer. 

With the map...well they said that they were looking to Skyrim for inspiration. Maybe it's time Bioware went open world. It's not like it can't be done. Maybe we would be able to venture thorughout all of Thedus? That would be pretty sweet. Or maybe this world is larger than we thought...Bioware can come up with a whole new place (perhaps where this whole new evil big bad resides). 

Did Hawke's actions impact Thedus in a more specific way? Like with the Qunari? Since Hawke's story isn't known to all (like Cassandra who knew very little in the end) how much of Hawke's unfluence is really there in the end? These are other questions that Bioware needs to answer. 

In the end we all played these games in hundreds of different ways. And we all want to see the effects of all of that on Thedus, for both characters. That puts Bioware in a tough spot. But I really think if they dedicate enough time (and read through the forumes like they said they would...perhaps even read this statement) they can create one of their best games ever. 

[EnforcerGREG]

Others have put it in better words with more detail but my two cents would be 

A return to Origins customisation and loot system. I found DA2 puzzling to be honest. Was constantly updating items. Things like a simple dagger would eventually be better than store bought goods or quest items. This could be fixed if their was some kind of upgrade system for items.

A return to homebase/camp system I found it tedious journing around kirkwall to chat to companions. Sine Da3 promises a wider scope of thedas im sure this will arrive eventually. A return to origins dialogue would also be welcome. I hated the autodialogue system. I also feel the friendship/Rivalry sytem was poorly implemented.

More power. This might seem a bit nitpicky but the whole selling point of Hawke was that he would rise to power but it never felt like we did. We were always the messenger or the underdog fighting against those with power.

Take your time bioware please. Most of DA2 faults IMO are due to the rushed development cycle. Reycled enviroments,Cut content (which from the sound of some of it would have given it more epicness!!),faults at launch with the auto attack and bugs. Unintresting plots when compared to Origns.

Exucution kills, please I miss them

Equpping  and unequipping companions was also really poorly implemented. Without the homebase we lost the ability to customise all the characters at the same time. In da2 we ere forced to send away companions three at a time to equip them.

EnforcerGREG

[salambo37]

 I come to Bioware games for story, character, and interactivity. I can get behind any of their combat systems over the past decade or so. Hack & slash, third person shooter, combo based melee, turn-based, I'm happy with them all.

For Dragon Age 3, I'd want to continue to see story-telling and characters appropriate to scale. I loved the epic stories of Origins and Awakenings. I also found the more episodic and more personal feeling story of DA2 totally fresh and well done. Also, some of the consequences not impacting you until hours later was great. There were a good number of truely engaging and memorable moments in that game. Each act ended fantastically, as well. There were some seriously sad moments in there, which few develops are able to pull off.

DA2 and ME3 both suffered from a lack of scale, though. The ME3 Citadel doesn't hold a candle compared to that of ME1. Likewise, repeated environments really took something out of DA2. They felt rushed.

I'd also like to see less characters want to jump your bones. Make it hard to "have a relationship." Force some real investment on the player. My Champion in DA2 often went down the witty/charming path. It seemed like everyone in the world wanted nothing more than to bed her and were completely dejected when shot down.

I'd also like to see less good and evil and more shades of grey. Focus on approach rather than blatantly heroic or evil choices. ME3 and DA2 both did this really well.

[princekai13]

Just my four biggest suggestions
1. No more exploding bodies. Let's get back to the stab followed up by a decapitation.

2. No more button mashing. this is the main reason the game didn't FEEL like dragon age.

3. Let me talk to my people! I liked being able to just stop and talk to Morrigan or Sten whenever I wanted to.

4. Let the choices matter more. How many games have you played where all your choices can be wiped away by one single choice? 3 quick examples.
KOTOR : no choice matters until Bastilla tries to turn you.
DA2: you can help either templars or mages the entire time then switch right at the end.
inFamous: all your good deeds are wiped out by one single choice.
I would say ME3, but well, you know.

Now for me there are other games that do the choice thing right.
Alpha protocol probably did it best. I felt the story and characters adapting to my personality.
ME2: I loved seeing that if i let someone live in 1, they show up in 2. (wish it was more than an email, but oh well)
And the grand daddy of them all, DAO. Sure you end up facing the archdemon no matter what, but your choices determine who will help you, who lives or dies, is there going to be a god like demon baby wandering the world? just wish the follow up was better.

[Rachey187]

 Here are my two cents, for what they're worth. 
I didn't really enjoy DA2 as an overall game, but then, i was constantly comparing it to Origins. I think if i'd played DA2 first, i would have enjoyed it a lot more. DA:O, to me, is one of the best games i've ever played. I've played it through at least 15 times and i'm still not bored of it. I've just bought the Ultimate Edition so i can uncover even more! 
There are a lot of things i would change in DA3, but i'm sure i don't speak for all fans when i make my suggestions, they are just what i would like to see in the game

Story and Play

I would like the story to involve the original Warden and companions from the Origins game (personal preference) and involve them rebuilding the Grey Wardens. In order to do so they would need to travel to a number of places mentioned within the game, such as Orlais, Antiva, Tevinter Imperium etc. I remember reading somewhere that developers were looking at Skyrim for ideas. That game is massive and having a good number of different areas to explore properly, would be great. 

Players should also be able to transfer over their save file from the first game and just carry on (as touched upon in the second game)

I'd also like the Warden to travel back to Highever (if they chose the human noble storyline) rebuild it and install Fergus as the Teryn. It could be done as a side quest. They could also discover who, if anyone, survived the massacre. Such as Ser Gilmore (personally i'd have him survive)

I understand what they were doing with DA2, but i think a good number of fans were disappointed in the extreme change in gameplay. I know that the Elder Scrolls games change with every new one, but the idea and concept of the games remain the same. I personally felt cheated out of a proper ending... the Warden just disappeared and was merely  mentioned in DA2. I love my Warden, i hate Hawke. 

I know i don't speak for every female fan, but please, please, please... bring back Alistair as a companion and romance candidate... everyone else just falls flat! 

I did and didn't like having a voiced character. I liked it for the extra depth it brought to the character, but hated that it was only available to humans... at least make it available for all races!

I also like the idea of choices and having them influence and shape your character. It was touched upon in the DA2 game, but not enough. Look at the Fable games and how it works there. Literally everything you do shapes how your character will be and this would be a great element in Dragon Age, especially if you're going for the voice option. 

Deeper and more realistic romance options would be great. The option to get married, have or make an enemy, it would be great. If you carry your save file over, you can marry the companion you romanced in the first one, for example. I wouldn't go as far to say "give us children", but more realistic developments with romances would be great!

Speaking of companions, please, if you do change them, make them like they are in the first game. They are deep and meaningful and add a LOT to the game. I loved discovering new things about companions, uncovering their quests etc. It could be taken further and players can uncover even more about the companions they choose to play with. 

Also, please scrap the "i can only talk to you at a certain point in the game" model used with the companions in DA2, let us talk to them whenever we like, as in Origins... Give them all a camp or a house... but i like to be able to my friends whenever i like, not when the game dictates.

I prefer the map from the first game, please bring it back! In fact, i prefer the whole inventory setup from the first game... bring that back too

Can we have Mabari's back? 

I hated the mage/templar storyline... it was just bad. I liked having a nemesis and a purpose to do things. As the story developed, i became attached to my warden. What happened to her family made me sad, she fell in love with Alistair, so did i, when she finally got vengeance for the massacre of her family, she felt great, so did i. I didn't feel this in DA2.. i hated playing Hawke, i didn't feel connected to her. I felt like i was watching someone else play the game, like a bystander. It was just awful, i don't know how i endured it to the end! 

Deeper, longer, more meaningful side quests. Ok, they're only side quests, but the ones so far have been pretty easy and a bit nonsensical, they remind of the started quests in Warcraft, they don't add anything to gameplay... a revisal of these would be good

Maybe more race, origin and class choices



Combat

I prefer the combat in the first one, even if it was a bit slow and clumsy. The second one feels a little arcadey and too fast at times. I also think the talents were far more complicated than they had to me, they may have been easier if they had the same interface as the first one... the talents were miles better, but i HATED how you had to choose them!

I do however prefer how the mages play in DA2, they are way more fun to play than in Origins. I love that i can cast an arcane bolt or whack someone over the head. I definitely think the mage way of playing in DA2 should be kept. A good mix between the two styles would be great. 

Environments and Effects

I love how the game looked in DA:O, but not so much in DA2. I can't quite put my finger on why, something just didn't feel right with DA2. I think looking at how the environment is dealt with in Skyrim would be an idea. The environments there are phenomenal. I like the idea of weather, should be brought into the new Dragon Age, as well as breathtaking art.

People like games that look amazing and the effects really could do with some work. Especially the characters and how they look. You only have to look at some of the mods available to see how different a character can look. I like my characters to look realistic and to be honest, some of the characters in DA just scared me, especially Loghain... 

More dungeons and places to explore are a must! The one thing i hated in both games, was the limited world! Coming to the edge of something and bumping into it, annoying! Please, if you're studying Skyrim like you say, take a leaf out of their book and give us places to explore!! They don't need to be quest related, but could be a good way of adding epic weapons and armour and other items!

A better quest journal, i found both quite difficult to navigate (being so used to the Warcraft quest journal which is amazing)

Weapons and Armour

It's hard to say which sets i prefer. I think the Templar armour is my favourite and i liked being able to customise my companions in Origins. I think both games need more varied sets, especially with regards to mages. There just wasn't enough staff or armour options in either game! 

I think that's all i have for now... excuse the HUGE wall of text, but i have a lot of ideas. I'm passionate about the Dragon Age series and don't want to see it getting worse with every game that comes out. I have so much love for Origins, it's familiar to me and i play it so much! It's sad that i've only played DA2 through once and sold my copy, i never intend to play it again. I want DA3 to be like DAO, i want to be able to play it over and over, discover every ending, every story, every companion... everything! I want to be able to waste hours and hours and not regret it. I wish i was a writer on this... i just hope they've got David Gaider as lead writer... that man is AMAZING with stories... 

[Sylvanpyxie]

I have no opinions on which direction they could, or should, take the story. I do however have an opinion on how they should address companions in their next title.

Companions are, and have pretty much always been, a large factor of Bioware RPGs. They're an important part of combat, some are important to the plot, and Companions themselves are a Player's emotional link to a game.

You can send a Player out on a grand quest to save the Lives of the Masses, to save the World, or the Universe, you can have that player interact with the countless, faceless, quest givers. The Citizens of Nameless Town Number Four pleading for help and begging for salvation. But the simple fact is, very few people will care. They're nobody, just a faceless, nameless, NPC that they happened to save.

Companions, by comparison, are our friends, enemies and allies. As they grow through-out a game they begin to question themselves, their role in the Player's quest, their role in the Player's life, and as they evolve, our feelings towards them change. We grow to love them, hate them, trust them, question them.

The problem is, when such Companion Characters are neglected they begin to stagnate, and eventually wither into a nothingness at the back of our minds. They simply become faceless Henchmen, used purely for their ability to make combat easier. The emotional connection is cut, and there's no investment left for the Player.

When the emotional tie to a Story-Driven game is severed, any impact you want your story to have will fall flat on it's face. The Player has no reason to care if Henchman Number Two fell to his death because you couldn't save him. The Player has no reason to care if Henchman Number Five betrayed them and joined the enemy. The Player won't care if Henchman Number One destroys the Maker, Himself.

Companions have become one of the largest staples that hold Bioware games together and they need to be given as much attention as the Combat, the Story, the Shiny Armour Designs. Without becoming the main focus of the game.

Dragon Age 2 Companions had serious issues. There were a few that were intergrated into the plot, and as such they recieved a fair amount of Ka-Pow to their dialogue and their interactions with the Player and other companions. The other companions suffered a great deal because of this, the spotlight always seemed to remain shining brightly on the companions that were of more importance to the story.

There were other problems, the biggest among them being such limited amounts of dialogue. Looking at all the standard friendship dialogue, all we got was a handful of conversations from each companion. There was plenty of Party Banter, the companions kept voicing their opinions on certain quests or Player decisions, but the actual one on one conversations themselves were just lacking.

Another problem was the depth of the companions themselves. We learnt about their histories, about their beliefs, we learnt who they were. I found the problem i had, with some of the companions, was a lack of passion. In fact, a lack of emotion in general. There is a single companion in Dragon Age 2 that i could say with certainty has passion, conviction and drive. There is a *single* companion that i could say whole heartedly feels something.

There's drive for some, certainly. Whether it's a self serving sense of survival or a crusade of justice. There's certainly drive, certainly conviction. But there's no passion. There's no fire and, while not every character needs passion, every character does need emotion. The thing about emotions is they always cause doubt. They always make us falter at one time or another.

Which leads me neatly to what is my, personal, "big issue" with Dragon Age 2 Companions. They do not evolve. You meet a companion in Act1, they have their beliefs, they have their ideals and that's it. You officially know who they are. Tyr knows how many years have past, but nope. They haven't changed. In fact, it's quite possible that quest givers themselves change more in both personality and belief than any companion that we have from beginning to end.

Dragon Age 2 Companions just stagnate. They sit there in their self loathing, with their beliefs, their ideals, their own problems, for blooming years and not a single one of them changes. Sure, they'll do things for the Player if you steer them down the right path, but they're not doing that because they believe should, they aren't evolving into whole new people. No. They're doing that because the Player told them to.

Who they are and what they do depends entirely on what the Player tells them to do. They aren't swayed by the Player's beliefs, because they still maintain their own. They aren't swayed because their views on the world have changed, they aren't swayed because they've learnt anything. They simply do what they're told, by a single Person. They change who they are because... Well, "Why didn't you just say so?"


Companions need to have their own stories. Which is exactly what they had in Dragon Age 2. 
They also need to have their own beliefs, which they do. 


However, they also need to evolve. They need to change in a way that can be influenced by the Player, but isn't *forced* by the Player. They can't simply reach a certain level of affection and do everything that you tell them to, because it's entirely against what they believe.

These are the things that need to be addressed for future Companion Characters, because, while i love the back stories to a number of Dragon Age 2 Companions, they were quite simply not handled as well as they deserved to be.

Companion Characters *are* a staple of Bioware Games, they deserve as much attention, evolution and depth as the main story itself. I'm not saying Bioware should sacrifice Story for Companion Quality, but neither should Companion Quality be sacrificed for Story. The time needs to be taken to find a delicate balance between the two, and if it means you can't hit a deadline? It'll be a damn sight better game in the end.

Short version: Companions need to be unique, offer a deep emotional connection for the Player, evolve and develope through-out a game in a way that isn't forced or hugely out of character. Story shouldn't suffer for Companion Quality, but neither should Companion Quality be sacrificed for Story.

Edit: There are more faults with Dragon Age 2's Companions that i could have mentioned. But these were my biggest gripes. Please note: This is all my own personal opinion on the state of Companions and what needs to be addressed, and changed, for future Companions.

Modifié par Sylvanpyxie, 01 avril 2012 - 10:38 .

[Rachey187]

Sylvanpyxie wrote...

Short version: Companions need to be unique, offer a deep emotional connection for the Player, evolve and develope through-out a game in a way that isn't forced or hugely out of character. Story shouldn't suffer for Companion Quality, but neither should Companion Quality be sacrificed for Story.

I agree with you. Look at Alistair for example, look how he is in the beginning and look how he is by the end of Origins. He's almost a changed character. I think, out of all the Origins character, he is the most defined, has the deepest storylines, the best quests. Players who like him, fall in love with him completely and love everything about him. 

There are no characters like that in DA2... Anders maybe comes close, but he's nothing like Alistair. I'm dying for him to be brought back as a companion. I know it won't happen, but they haven't made any companions like him. He was integral to Origins, i don't know how people play it without him in their party! 

[Mr Fixit]

salambo37 wrote...

DA2 and ME3 both suffered from a lack of scale, though. The ME3 Citadel doesn't hold a candle compared to that of ME1. Likewise, repeated environments really took something out of DA2. They felt rushed.

Not that ME1 citadel is particularly large. Nothing BioWare has done in the last 10 years really compares to BG cities in terms of scale and content.

Though atmosphere helps, if present. Omega in ME2, although extremely limited as well, has a great vibe to it. Scale? No. But at least it has some life to it.

[WardenWade]

A return of racial options/origins, please. Female dwarves. A significant reappearance of the Warden, given the resources to make it important and do it right in DA3 (and with hopes to play them again in a future game... ).  And a future, and ideally an "origin," for Circle mages/mages who remain attached to the Chantry during the rebellion.

Lastly, the option for male city elves to not have to wear short pants and high tops, if possible.  IMO it infantilizes them a bit.

Modifié par WardenWade, 01 avril 2012 - 11:06 .

[LoliLiana]

 I honestly do not play Dragon Age for the "gamer's" value.  I feel terrible because if a game does not work I grow immensely upset.  Bioware at least has a standard of functionality that is to be expected.  Now, that doesn't give them a free pass when the combat is washed down alongside the story.

Story and characters end up being the most intriguing part of any gaming experience for me.  Hands down.  (Only reason why I still play RE...it is still B flick cheesy)

Characters: You have a huge plethora of characters established and loved.  Try and tag some of them along for the nest ride sort of like Mass Effect.  What good would ME be without Garrus.  Come on!  XD  Anyways, I think it needs a fine balance of personalities that offer emotional attachment, giggles, and a real connection to want to know more.  That I came to like more in DA2 honestly over Origins.  You got these sort of short side quests but I really came to enjoy the span of years and seeing this eventual unfold of Fenris' story.  By the end of it I really wanted to go to Tevinter and kick some mage arse (as a mage myself).  I think there needs to be a connection of character to environment.  That same feeling of wanting to go to Tevinter, well heck we should of in DA2.  Missed opportunity personally.
So, return some memorable characters and really get the chance to have some quests of the more important sort such as Alistair.  Not sure how a king could end up taking orders from your new character, but I'd buy it from him.  Hahaha...
I understand the retirement of the Warden.  This is not ME.  Mass Effect was based around one character.  Dragon Age, as stated, and is shown in various installments in a variety of media that DA is based on the land...the story.
Honestly, the big characters are the political wars brewing or already hatched seeing as 10 years has passed since the Blight.  

Story: Onto story.  This is fairly simple.  Do not repeat DA2.  No thank you.  I like the personal touch but the epicness that should make a protagonist was completely lost.  It is not like the various plots points were bad.  Honestly DA2 really did its job setting up DA3 to be this big scale leap of cultural and religious conflict.  
The Darkspawn are done.  I wouldn't expect a Blight so soon.  Hell if there be one send our Warden and be done.  The focus should really be on the political turmoil that was constantly felt through pocket moments in DA2.  Aside the big scale stories give us alot more side stories.  I want to know more about the world through individuals.  Sort of what I like about Game of Thrones currently being done through a television format.

Combat: No button mashing.  Make it a challenge.  I really can't get technical as this is not what I really care too much about versus story and characters, but seriously.  Fighting the High Dragon in DA2 ended up being a joke compared to the trials faced in DA:O.  

Weapons etc: Let us customize the characters and NPC again.  If you worry about them looking all alike them make the armor or weapons customized to their class or even their race.  Sort of a take from ME1 in a way.  I can't imagine this smaller sized piece of leather armor would suit the Qunari in my group but may suit the city elf next to him.  Also, to give a more aesthetic style to the pieces make them unique according to their country of choice.  I mean you've spent two games with tales and words talking about how unique each country is from each other.  Let it flourish not only with environments but with clothing style and such.

Environment: One thing: no repeats.  Please.

[slashthedragon]

I have a small suggestion, it's not the biggest thing, but it still bugs me.
Don't have companions be absolute sh*theads to other companions in some play-throughs. For example, Anders being glad about Fenris being sold, if your Hawke decides to sell him. Even though I know I should put that line out of my head in a play-through where this does not occur, but it still bothers me and I can't look at Anders quite the same. The companions don't have to be best friends or even like one another, but I want to feel like they have each others', and my, back. Sometimes I felt like I was on my own, because I saw in other play-throughs how the companions never really spoke up for each other (giving Isabela to the Qunari, etc).