the one example I can think that is more early modern than medieval is Halamshiral, but everything else is very much stone castles and swords and such
Oh ? To me, Orlais looks distinctly early modern altogether, mimicking France during the reign of Louis XIV. You know, balls as we know them (like the ball at Halamshiral palace) were actually invented at his court, and first dancing parties akin to balls date back to the time of Maria de Medici, which is still early modern period; medieval people had tournaments not balls or masquerades.
Really, there is almost nothing medieval in Orlais. They don't have firearms, but that doesn't change much really. Swords were still in use during the early modern period, plate armour just started to disappear. And the castles we've seen in DAI are centuries old; so the only examples of up-to-date Orlessian engineering we've been shown are, indeed, the Halamshiral palace and the field fortifications at the Exalted Plains - which look very early modern to me.
The social (transitional agrarian/trade capitalism aristocratic society) and political ("enlightened" absolutism) structure of Orlais also seem to be at least vaguely similar to that of France during the Old Regime. Ferelden's more medieval appearance can easily be explained by its being technologically and socially backward compared to Orlais, like XVII c. Germany vs. France.
Generally speaking, most of the fantasy worlds were closer to early modern than true medieval in visual style, but DA setting obviously pushes it even further.
Oh ? To me, Orlais looks distinctly early modern altogether, mimicking France during the reign of Louis XIV. You know, balls as we know them (like the ball at Halamshiral palace) were actually invented at his court, and first dancing parties akin to balls date back to the time of Maria de Medici, which is still early modern period; medieval people had tournaments not balls or masquerades.
Really, there is almost nothing medieval in Orlais. They don't have firearms, but that doesn't change much really. Swords were still in use during the early modern period, plate armour just started to disappear. And the castles we've seen in DAI are centuries old; so the only examples of up-to-date Orlessian engineering we've been shown are, indeed, the Halamshiral palace and the field fortifications at the Exalted Plains - which look very early modern to me.
The social (transitional agrarian/trade capitalism aristocratic society) and political ("enlightened" absolutism) structure of Orlais also seem to be at least vaguely similar to that of France during the Old Regime. Ferelden's more medieval appearance can easily be explained by its being technologically and socially backward compared to Orlais, like XVII c. Germany vs. France.
Generally speaking, most of the fantasy worlds were closer to early modern than true medieval in visual style, but DA setting obviously pushes it even further.
Balls and masquerades developed gradually, and both have their roots in the late medieval period.
‘Moreover, I was present in Venice when the Emperor [Frederick III] came, and the festivities that took place were the most noble that I ever saw in all my lifetime; …And the Signory arranged dancing one evening and I organized a most noble entertainment of a livery[set] of masques with new balli. And on that evening I was knighted. And in all Christendom there never took place a finer celebration or a finer repast.’
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro (Italian dancing master, circa 1420-1484)
However, while I haven’t witnessed the ball scene yet, but from pictures I would guess it’s mostly 19th century in inspiration, rather than circa 1700 French. As for the look of Orlais, it’s really a mix. The Val Royaux market place & environs and the palace seem to be a mix of European palatial building circa 1700-1900, with some other stuff thrown in order to stylistically ‘exoticize’ it a bit. It’s certainly not typically French; while the French court was a major ‘innovator’, it wasn’t the only one and architectural styles in this period were pretty much international or pan-European (even in Russia, once Peter the Great got going…). I would say the Venetian influence is actually not insignificant; it’s not just the painted exterior walls, it’s the gondolas in Val Royaux and the ubiquitous masks as well. There might be more than a little bit of AC influence here (well, the AC games are mostly made in Canada too).
The field fortifications on the Exalted Plains actually seem to be 19th century in inspiration – they are reminiscent of pictures from the American Civil War, for instance. There are some oddities though, but they are easily explained as typical nonsensical videogame design ‘twists’.
As for the apparent gap between Ferelden and Orlais, it’s too large to be actually believable. The difference you mentioned between Germany and France did not exist. There was a gap between the relatively rich French court and the more rustic German courts, certainly. A minor German prince with one town and a few dozen villages could never compete with Louis XIV, ruler of 20 million-something Frenchmen. The more important ones, though, did catch up. Any gap between the French court during its more opulent stages and other major courts in Europe never lasted particularly long.
At the level of the common people and the lesser and middling aristocracy, there never really was much of a gap at any time. Sure, a French baron might adopt some innovations at court a little earlier than a reasonably wealthy nobleman from Bavaria or northern Germany, but it mostly came down to money and personal taste – innovations in fashion were usually picked up surprisingly quickly. Depending on the region, French peasants would live in homes that could look a lot like that of their German colleagues. Same applies to townspeople. There would be distinctive regional styles, often crossing modern national borders, but these were related to local building materials, techniques and preferences.
If there is a comparison, I would say it's between an Orlais that lives in a Venetian carnival version of upper-class western Europe circa 1700-1914* and a Ferelden that is split between a pseudo-Anglo-Norman Britain (castles and nobility) circa 1200-1300 and a fantasy pseudo-Scandinavia circa 500-1000 (the purely rural stuff).
To some extent, I guess the dramatic differences between Orlais and Ferelden exist because Bio felt a need to have both nations possess a very different and therefore very iconic ‘look’.
It’s not good worldbuilding, but that would have required creating related-and-similar-but-distinctive styles for each country, rather than dramatically different ones. That’s a lot harder to do and there’s a risk that many gamers won’t notice it.
Anyway, as long as people have fun with it, I guess it's okay to throw things in the blender
* (minus much evidence for the necessary underlying technological infrastructure, but hey, DA:I also has no children and everybody looks well-fed and clean)
My opinion is that developers need to stop trying to fill diversity quotas in their games. I don't want a game based on medieval Europe to look like modern day United States. The difference in racial makeup of Origins/DA:2 and Inquisition makes it feel like the game takes place in an entirely different setting. Europeans already come in many flavors from pale white in Scandinavia to dark tanned in Southern Europe.
I would enjoy a game based on medieval Africa that composed of mainly black people. There is a large amount of culture and mythology that no game has ever really explored before. I wouldn't want a game like this to be filled with white or asian people because it wouldn't feel right.
Jade Empire is a great game that is never criticized for its "lack of diversity". Frankly, it would feel unauthentic if there were a ton of non-Asian people in it.
The diverse nature of humans is what makes us unique from most other species. Developers should explore these different races/cultures in unique games instead of trying to fit all of them into one game.
Montana, Steelcan, Xetykins et 2 autres aiment ceci
Dragon Age isn't set in Medieval Europe it's set in Thedas during the Dragon Age.
I think it has been established that Thedas is (at least in its continental part - excluding Seheron, Par Vollen and the general area to the North) a representation of Medieval Europe. The Dragon age is just a time period.
Now something completely unrelated to your post
I would like to make a question to anyone that would know. In DA I we see for the first time dark skinned people identical to African folks, like Vivienne. I think I read somewhere that she is from Rivain, like Duncan or Isabella though the former is quite different from the latter 2.
I believe I read somewhere in the game, a codex entry most like, that when the Qunari landed on Par Vollen they found indigenous human populations there who converted to the Qun, abandoning whatever culture they had before. Could Vivienne be descended from the humans of Par Vollen who may have gone to Rivain due to the country´s adoption of the Qun? I am just trying to connect the appearance of many African-like people in the game to the lore.
I don't believe I've ever seen such an absurd sense of entitlement.
Nobody complained about there being only one non-Asian person in Jade Empire, because it fit the setting. This is no different. Stop complaining about problems that don't exist.
Let's just say as one of the few 'white boys' in my huge family of Afro-descended PoC I'm a proponent of a TES game set in Hammerfell and a DA game set in Rivain.
I really want this. I was thinking about petitioning Bethesda to set the next game in Hammerfell but I worried that no one else would be on board. With the graphics getting better and better, it's opening up a world of possibilities for where we the players can go. And if DA takes place in Rivain and TES VI in Hammerfell, we could see many more major characters of darker skin tones rather than just the random, odd NPC far in the background. How I say this may sound lame but I really want to see the home of the Redguards. Right now it seems like Bethesda is far more likely to pick another location with more white people, than to do something few other games have done before.
As someone else said, this is DA's third game. It's about time the franchise represents more of the people who actually play the game, rather than perhaps our incorrect interpretation of the past.
I really want this. I was thinking about petitioning Bethesda to set the next game in Hammerfell but I worried that no one else would be on board. With the graphics getting better and better, it's opening up a world of possibilities for where we the players can go. And if DA takes place in Rivain and TES VI in Hammerfell, we could see many more major characters of darker skin tones rather than just the random, odd NPC far in the background. How I say this may sound lame but I really want to see the home of the Redguards. Right now it seems like Bethesda is far more likely to pick another location with more white people, than to do something few other games have done before.
As someone else said, this is DA's third game. It's about time the franchise represents more of the people who actually play the game, rather than perhaps our incorrect interpretation of the past.
Daggerfall was set in Hammerfell. Also had the best ending in the TES series.
I'm not opposed to inclusion of black NPCs, but I am opposed to the black arts. Specifically, thread necromancy.
I always find it strange when people confuse Ferelden for all of Thedas
I seriously think people need to get of that Origins bubble and come to terms that Thedas is bigger and more diverse than Origins let off
Hell why the Chansid with their dark skin and cornrows weren't raising flags I have no clue. But its been establish since The Stolen Throne that most dark skinned or black characters are descendents of Rivain ranging from characters like Isabela and Duncan to Vivienne (Raised in Wycome, parents from Rivain)
If you want a true realization of Olde Europe then try something with little to no fantasy ties
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