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[Majestic Jazz]

TL;DR - Remember how Garrus/Grunt/Subject-Zero were all revealed as companions prior to the release of Mass Effect 2? Well the way the narrative of ME2 went, these were supposed to be surprises as Archangel ended up being Garrus, Dr. Okeer lead to Grunt, and Jack (perceived as a male) was Subject-Zero (a female). ME2's writers had one idea but Bioware's marketing had another. So my fear is, are there some things about DA:I that the writers have expected to be a surprise to the character, instead has already been ruined because of the marketing? Bioware says that anything released by them is not a spoiler, but what exactly is their definition of a spoiler because revealing Grunt as a companion when ME2's narrative outlined Dr. Okeer as the Krogan companion is a spoiler in my opinion, but not in Bioware's. 

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Yeah, this is one of those "Dear Bioware" threads but I am going to attempt it anyways.

 

Here is my gripe with Bioware, they are in my mind the best videogame story tellers, creating the best worlds, best plots, with the best characters. No matter what you may think in terms of gameplay or graphics, this is why Dragon Age: Inquisition will be a far superior game than The Witcher 3, again, in my opinion. However, one thing that Bioware screws up a lot is revealing a bit too much information regarding the game's world, plot, and characters. There are many examples to pull from but I am going to use Mass Effect 2 as I believe it is the best example for what I am trying to say.

 

Before I even opened up my ME2 Collector's Edition I had a depth understanding of nearly all of my companions (except Legion). Prior to Mass Effect 2, Bioware did a collection of "reveal" trailers for characters such as Grunt, Subject Zero, Samara, Tali, Thane, and Miranda. What sticks out the most is Grunt, Subject Zero, and somewhat Garrus and let me explain why. 

 

See, this is the classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. To me, it appears that Mass Effect 2's writers had one approach to how certain characters were revealed to the player while Bioware's marketing department had another approach. If you played ME2, you knew that Grunt and Subject Zero's reveal was supposed to be a surprise. When The Illusive Man tells you to goto Korlus, he tells you to recruit Dr. Okeer, a Krogan scientist who has knowledge about the Collectors. However fast forward, **** happens and Okeer dies so instead of bringing him, you bring along Grunt, his most prized "experiment". With Subject Zero, you were told to goto the Purgatory space prison to recruit a wild/crazy/unpredictable biotic named "Jack". From the dossier, it was assumed that this would be a male companion, only to later find out that Jack is actually a she. Then finally there is Garrus, one of the more favorite companions from ME1 (And eventually the entire trilogy) ended up being your party member in ME2. However, according the dossier, it was supposed to be a "suprise" regarding Garrus. All we knew was that it was some vigilante Turian called Archangel. 

 

So back to my point, the narrative of ME2 seemed to suggest that most of these reveals were supposed to be surprises to the player when they play, but when the marketing department got a hold of it, that all changed and we knew about Grunt, Jack, and Garrus long before launch, which pretty much made those dossier's irrelevant. 

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So my concern with Dragon Age: Inquisition is that perhaps there are some narrative decisions regarding this game that have been ruined, or may be ruined by marketing in attempts to "show off" some stuff and I do not mean just characters, but locations and plot details. Knowing that Morrigan is in the game and will play a prominent role is okay, but then detailing how she may have the Empress  "wrapped around finger" is touching the borderlines of too much info. Perhaps this was something that the writers intended for us to find out through playing and not through a marketing blip?

 

I understand the long standing Bioware policy about anything released by them is considered official and thus, not a spoiler and if it comes from anywhere but Bioware, then it could possibly be a spoiler? But what exactly is your [Bioware] definition of a spoiler? This is the big question. With such plot/character sensitive games that Bioware makes, it would be naive to say that any information released about the plot or characters is not a spoiler in even a minor sense. So all I say is this, with the game's release just around the corner, and two major events left (Gamescom in mid August & PAX Prime late August), things are really going to get juicy as the final marketing push begins....versus what we know now of locations/plot details/character details, how much more is going to be revealed? I do not speak for everyone, but I believe that many people would appreciate less "spoilers" and more information regarding The Keep, Character Creation, Skyhold/Base Customization, Character/Item customization, class skills/abilities etc. Not really more details regarding a companion, or more details regarding the plot, or more location reveals. Please save something for us to be surprised by because I am afraid that the writers may have intended one thing, but the marketing is wanting to do something else, similar to the surprise of Jack/Garrus/Grunt being revealed months ahead through ads/trailers.

 

Edit: Sorry for the bad grammar, I just wanted to get my thoughts out as they were in the limited time possible that I have. I hope you at least get the gist of what I am talking about. 

[azrael_1289]

There are very very few people who consume all the information put out by Bioware. The information is mostly for hardcore fans who ask for it. As big a Bioware fan as I am, I didn't really find out the particulars of ME 2 you mentioned even though I read about the game previews and showings in various gaming outlets and hence really was surprised when they appeared in the game. I think this will work out pretty much the same.

[Majestic Jazz]

There are very very few people who consume all the information put out by Bioware. The information is mostly for hardcore fans who ask for it. As big a Bioware fan as I am, I didn't really find out the particulars of ME 2 you mentioned even though I read about the game previews and showings in various gaming outlets and hence really was surprised when they appeared in the game. I think this will work out pretty much the same.

 

Do we really ask for it? This is where I sort of wish Bioware was a bit like Rockstar Games when it comes to releasing information about their games. With their games, you virtually know nothing about the game other than the vague idea of the pc, a VERY vague idea of the plot and some core gameplay details and thats it. With Bioware games, you know some vague idea about the pc, some core details about the plot, and vague ideas about gameplay.

 

At E3 2007, I did not ask for Bioware to reveal that Wrex gets into a confrontation with Commander Shepard on Virmire, but that is exactly what Bioware showed to the media behind closed doors which was eventually released to us. That was a MASSIVE plot point in the entire trilogy and it was sad that I had to accidently read about it on IGN instead of playing it myself. 

[Zjarcal]

I really don't think whatever tidbits have been revealed in marketing really hurt the experience with any of the previous games and I'm sure it'll be the same with DA:I, since nothing that's been revealed so far is really a big deal.

Of course, if you really don't even want to know who's a companion or such, probably going into a media blackout is better than asking the marketing to change.

[darkmanifest]

I know a lot of people who've decided not to frequent any Dragon Age sites or events so as to avoid information about the game.  If I wasn't following the official site, forums, events like E3, and several fan tumblrs and subreddits, I doubt I would know any of the stuff about the characters and story that I do now, and even then I still have to hunt down new info sometimes.  So, ultimately, I don't feel the onus is on Bioware to announce fewer things, but on fans who like things to be a surprise to be careful what they consume before Inquisition's release.

[aTigerslunch]

I knew Garrus would return, just stating a Turian named the Angel, was obvious.

 

I had a spiel about a game that lacked proper advertisement but erased it, too negative. The story was alright but it lacked a lot of character development information, character creation information (if female was playable) and that was a big deal to me. Not knowing the companions caused me to ignore most of them cause they even lacked stepping out to be noticed, except twice and they was females.

[Majestic Jazz]

So the general theme that I am getting from the responses is: "Bioware will release minor spoilers, so if you do not want to know them, just avoid all the media" Which basically confirms my theory that Bioware does release spoilers in their marketing despite them saying that they dont.

[Maria Caliban]

BioWare releases all sorts of spoilers. I've never heard a Dragon Age developer say that spoilers weren't going to be revealed, but I have heard David lament about the amount of knowledge the fans get.

And yes, you can avoid the spoilers.

I'm waiting for the romances to be announced so I can depart until the game arrives. Unless there's a specific piece of information you're waiting for, I'd suggest you do the same.

[Zatche]

Do we really ask for it?

 

You may not be asking for it, but a lot (some..a few..I don't know) of the BSN is begging for it. See the Twitter Thread.

 

That being said, your title is a bit alarmist, but I agree. Bioware does reveal more story information than they probably should. I don't think it will "ruin" the narrative, but it can be misleading sometimes, and other times ruin the chance for that feeling of discovery. My advice is, sadly, to put your head in the sand...I should probably start taking my own advice...

[Enigmatick]

You know do have a point, it shouldn't be as hard as  it is to learn about the mechanics of the game without encountering character and plot spoilers

[Majestic Jazz]

I understand, and I agree.

 

The key point for DA I is:

 

Spoiler

--the whole idea that someone is actually behind everything going chaotic right now. They've not hidden that at all when discussing the game, which really disappoints me. That's something that would have been appropriately sinister to discover in-game.

 

Regarding ME2, I personally discovered the series after ME2 came out, so I missed those trailers. I'm glad I did (not only because of that, but because they're terrible. The CGI is atrocious especially for Jack).

Thanks man, it is good to see someone who understands my perspective. There is a LOT that they can reveal about DA:I that does not pertain to the plot/locations/characters but they still focus spoilery type of information. 

 

All we need to know is that there is a tear in the veil letting demons and monsters out and that we as the Inquisitor is assigned to stop it. All those extra little details about how we came from the fade, and who may be behind it is spoiler territory to me. Just focus on the core and allow us to experience the rest.

 

Again, I will they took the Rockstar Games approach. 

[Aurawolf]

I wouldn't say what has been released to date has really spoiled anything for me. As far as ME2 the Garrus thing was the only real "surprise" to me at least. Didn't really care about Okeer and the whole Jack being a woman really didn't phase me much either. Now if they came out and said, oh the ones behind the whole things are such and such, that would kind of tick me off.

[Majestic Jazz]

Yeah ... this thread has got me thinking that I should actually take a break from the forum. I don't think the game has been spoiled for me yet, but we are reaching the saturation point. I would still like to have that element of discovery present when I launch up the game.

 

The main element of Inquisition that I am most looking forward to is, unsurprisingly, seeing Morrigan again, learning about the OGB, and perhaps hearing about my Warden. None of those items have been spoiled, so I think I am okay ... but probably best to check out for a while.

Yeah, same here. I believe that there are some MAJOR spoilers that have not been marketed to us yet such as who exactly started this tear and how exactly did the Inquisitor become the "chosen one". Also details about possible plot twist.

 

With Comic Con, PAX, and Gamescom, I am wondering if I should just call it quits from this forums before it gets too deep. Again, Bioware has an odd sense of what a spoiler is like how they revealed that Wrex may turn against you on Virmire and how you could possibly kill him (revealed at E3 2007). To me that is a MAJOR spoiler but to them, it was just marketing. 

 

I am afraid that some more of their "marketing" my leak our way and how bad we will feel for reading/watching it.

[InvincibleHero]

This may sting a bit, but your problem is self-inflicted. 1. the dossiers are for Shepard which you are controlling and player knowledge/in game avatar separation is a failing of role playing. You know something Shepard does not that should be ignored in a proper rp environment. So it is legit to have the dosiers because that is how Shepard receives the info and proceeeds on the recruit missions.

 

2. Also marketing is not only for returning players but new ones. They have to put out information to attract people to their game to make $$$. I trust they would be more knowledgeable about the particulars of too much or too little.

 

3. Marketing was not in your face you had to largely seek it out. Like I said self-inflicted. I visited the forum regularly before the game came out, and knew I'd buy ME2 based on ME and previous Bioware games I liked. I decided to not peruse any video links and only caught minor spoilers that didn't afffect my playthrough at all. Hence, I didn't even know Garrus was going to be in the game but it wasn't that surprising when he pulled off the helmet since recurring characters is prevalent in videogames and movies and novels and so on.

[azrael_1289]

Do we really ask for it? This is where I sort of wish Bioware was a bit like Rockstar Games when it comes to releasing information about their games. With their games, you virtually know nothing about the game other than the vague idea of the pc, a VERY vague idea of the plot and some core gameplay details and thats it. With Bioware games, you know some vague idea about the pc, some core details about the plot, and vague ideas about gameplay.

 

At E3 2007, I did not ask for Bioware to reveal that Wrex gets into a confrontation with Commander Shepard on Virmire, but that is exactly what Bioware showed to the media behind closed doors which was eventually released to us. That was a MASSIVE plot point in the entire trilogy and it was sad that I had to accidently read about it on IGN instead of playing it myself. 

Who is the 'we' here? Some people do ask for it as they don't mind.
And yes, it's impossible not to reveal anything at all about the games, they do need to build hype. It's equivalent of movie trailers. Even though they do show some scenes, we don't know the context of it. That's okay for me. But, if you really don't want to know anything at all, then you do need to put in effort to avoid spoilers at all cost. It's not really that difficult.

[Nefla]

Meh, spoilers don't actually spoil the game for me, just like I don't enjoy a game less the second time I play it.

[azrael_1289]

I do feel like Bioware went a little overboard at E3. They basically gave away the entire Redcliffe portion of the game.

 

"Here is where you will resolve the mage and templar conflict once and for all. Your destination will be Redcliffe Castle. Once you get to Redcliffe Castle, this will be the antagonist that you will face (cue Alexius and his son)."

 

It would have been enough to show a few fights with random mobs. Also, using movie trailers to defend your point ...

 

Most movie trailers are so saturated with spoilers that they remove all incentive to actually go see the film. It's one thing to give your audience a taste ...

It does, my point was it isn't really hard to not watch movie trailers

I watched most of the E3 coverage and I didn't know mage and templar conflict could be solved in Redcliffe till you told me which should prove my point. The problem IMO is manageable if the person so desires.

[aTigerslunch]

In this case.....spoilers of movies coming up, don't read if don't want to know.

 

Trailer of Spiderman 2 emphasis on Rhino

 

Spoiler

Rhino shows up for only the last part of the movie, few minute scene.

 

Emphasis on Transformers Extinction showing Grimlock a lot.

 

Spoiler

He wasn't part of the movie till late end, small battle with the main antagonist. More than Rhino got.

 

Sometimes it can ruin but usually misplaces the idea of what actually shows or happens in the movie.

 

Spoiler

forgot title of this animated movie but the humor was all in the trailer advertised, that was it, the rest wasn't funny

[aTigerslunch]

Actually I missed that whole thing myself...      Well, now I know how crucial that location is.  No biggie, I will still love going through it.