237 réponses à ce sujet

[Knight_47K]

Okay, so a programmer saw me talking in this thread and helped get me some info.

 

• It's completely offline, and just uses system clock.
• Some of the times I mentioned may not be accurate as they're being tweaked.  Really short stuff might not exist.
• Anything that opens up a new piece of content to be experienced in the game is done instantly
• Your advisors are still available to talk despite being "on mission." In context, this often makes sense because many of these missions describe a larger scale organizing event rather than, for example, Cullen stating "i'm definitely going to go there myself, specifically, to spend the next X hours talking to the person."
• Some of them are done to help with resource acquisition (Mike hinted at this), be it gold, crafting materials, and so forth.  There may be flavour differences between advisors, and some advisors may be better than others at certain tasks (usually shorter time, but hey, if Josie is on something else it may be worth sending Cullen instead even if it takes 30 minutes longer)
• Most interestingly (to me), is that some of them have story narratives to them.  Some missions are only available to certain PCs, and how you choose to proceed with the missions (or rather, how the advisor you send deals with it) can lead to different consequences/paths for these more story heavy missions.  Upon completion of these missions, a new mission will be unlocked if appropriate to continue that story arc.*

 

 

* Note that the last point I haven't seen in game, so hopefully I didn't recall that wrong.  i.e. safety language in case I made a mistake but I'm pretty certain I didn't.

 

So, its basically the same system as in Assassins Creed Brotherhood. You send your assassins to do your dirty work in Cities that you dont actually visit yourself. And in turn you get gold, ingredients, control over the areas or some other currency.

 

Also, the timer is tied to the system clock. So, if I shut down my system, the mission will be completed when the timer runs out.

 

A question, if you will. Can we fail these missions? If yes, what is the effect? Do we loose people, power, money, ***y time with scribbles, etc..?

[Jawzzus]

I'm just glad it's not tied to online like Black Flag's away missions are, its a pain to connect my PS3 and that's the main reason I don't play it as often as I'd like.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Rationale behind the imposed time restrictions?

From what I gather it's a way to give some weight to the decision of which adviser to assign to a task as well as giving some continuity to the world by giving a buffer of time between actions, as we all know, instantaneous resolution isn't something that makes a whole lot of sense in the real world.

Except it harms that continuity by having time pass when you're not playing.

If I send out an advisor, and then stop playing for four hours, that's instantaneous resolution from an in-setting perspective (the only perspective that really matters).

My only concern here is the coherence of the setting.

[darkiddd]

If I send out an advisor, and then stop playing for four hours, that's instantaneous resolution from an in-setting perspective (the only perspective that really matters).

My only concern here is the coherence of the setting.

 

I completely agree, I think the timer should only activate ingame, but there shouldn't be lenghty waits for the resolution either. At most 2 hours would be fine.

[JeffZero]

Except it harms that continuity by having time pass when you're not playing.

If I send out an advisor, and then stop playing for four hours, that's instantaneous resolution from an in-setting perspective (the only perspective that really matters).

My only concern here is the coherence of the setting.

 

Having this system at all is, I think, the best middleground we can ask for from a big-budget game that needs to sell millions to a fairly varied set of demographics in 2014. I think it's really neat that it's in there in the first place, but I'll take what I can get regarding this sort of thing these days.

[rapscallioness]

Okay, so a programmer saw me talking in this thread and helped get me some info.

 

• It's completely offline, and just uses system clock.
• Some of the times I mentioned may not be accurate as they're being tweaked.  Really short stuff might not exist.
• Anything that opens up a new piece of content to be experienced in the game is done instantly
• Your advisors are still available to talk despite being "on mission." In context, this often makes sense because many of these missions describe a larger scale organizing event rather than, for example, Cullen stating "i'm definitely going to go there myself, specifically, to spend the next X hours talking to the person."
• Some of them are done to help with resource acquisition (Mike hinted at this), be it gold, crafting materials, and so forth.  There may be flavour differences between advisors, and some advisors may be better than others at certain tasks (usually shorter time, but hey, if Josie is on something else it may be worth sending Cullen instead even if it takes 30 minutes longer)
• Most interestingly (to me), is that some of them have story narratives to them.  Some missions are only available to certain PCs, and how you choose to proceed with the missions (or rather, how the advisor you send deals with it) can lead to different consequences/paths for these more story heavy missions.  Upon completion of these missions, a new mission will be unlocked if appropriate to continue that story arc.*

 

 

* Note that the last point I haven't seen in game, so hopefully I didn't recall that wrong.  i.e. safety language in case I made a mistake but I'm pretty certain I didn't.

wow, thnx allan and mysterious programmer person for taking the time to help clarify this! it was definitely confusing before. much appreciate the effort, and clear answers.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Having this system at all is, I think, the best middleground we can ask for from a big-budget game that needs to sell millions to a fairly varied set of demographics in 2014. I think it's really neat that it's in there in the first place, but I'll take what I can get regarding this sort of thing these days.

Middle ground between what?  I don't understand what its trying to achieve.

[AlanC9]

Well, with no timer the player can just complete all those missions instantly, right? Sure, you can just refuse to do that because RP, but then it doesn't matter if the timer's there or not.

[SirGladiator]

It's such a fascinating idea, obviously there's a whole lot we don't really know/understand yet, but from what we know so far it sounds just fantastic and I can't wait to learn even more about it, and to experience it in the game!  Keep up the great work on coming up with such unique and awesome ideas!

[falconlord5]

Mr. Schumacher, this sounds very similar to the crafting/mission system in SWTOR.

 

Is that true? Does it play out like that?

[omnitremere]

Except it harms that continuity by having time pass when you're not playing.

If I send out an advisor, and then stop playing for four hours, that's instantaneous resolution from an in-setting perspective (the only perspective that really matters).

My only concern here is the coherence of the setting.

 

Why does it take away from the continuity? I tell my adviser I need some **** done.  I go to sleep.  I wake up and lo and behold the task has been completed.  So I strap on my armor and go back out to take down more demons.  What's broken about that?

[AlanC9]

Why does it take away from the continuity? I tell my adviser I need some **** done.  I go to sleep.  I wake up and lo and behold the task has been completed.  So I strap on my armor and go back out to take down more demons.  What's broken about that?

 

 

How much game time passes in the game world while we sleep, though?

 

 

Of course, that's a silly question, because the hours inthe mission times don't actually map onto any time passing in the DA game-world. As I understand the earlier answers, the world only advances by completing critical path missions.

[Wulfram]

Well, with no timer the player can just complete all those missions instantly, right? Sure, you can just refuse to do that because RP, but then it doesn't matter if the timer's there or not.

 

I don't think many people are really against there being a timer, only against it being a real world clock

[omnitremere]

How much game time passes in the game world while we sleep, though?

 

 

Of course, that's a silly question, because the hours inthe mission times don't actually map onto any time passing in the DA game-world. As I understand the earlier answers, the world only advances by completing critical path missions.

 

It seems like people have a problem with the fact that time passes while your console is off period not with how much time passes. Which to me is very silly.  I delegate a task so that I don't have to do it.  If a task getting done requires me to be out hunting monsters and completing quests then it's not delegated properly.  The fact that I can tell Josephine I need some **** done, turn off my console, turn it back on the next day, and then find out the task has been completed is EXACTLY how it should work in my mind.  Why do I have to be up and about and talking with people for delegated tasks to complete?

[SHODAN24601277]

It sounds to me like it's not that dfferent from the Galaxy at War/Galactic Readiness map from ME3. Send someone to do something that benefits your efforts, the clock counts down in real time so it gets done regardless of your in game progress, and you get the benefits in the game. Unless it's already been announced otherwise, I would not be the slightest bit surprised if there's an option to do this online as well as in game.

[Rawgrim]

Okay, so a programmer saw me talking in this thread and helped get me some info.

 

• It's completely offline, and just uses system clock.
• Some of the times I mentioned may not be accurate as they're being tweaked.  Really short stuff might not exist.
• Anything that opens up a new piece of content to be experienced in the game is done instantly
• Your advisors are still available to talk despite being "on mission." In context, this often makes sense because many of these missions describe a larger scale organizing event rather than, for example, Cullen stating "i'm definitely going to go there myself, specifically, to spend the next X hours talking to the person."
• Some of them are done to help with resource acquisition (Mike hinted at this), be it gold, crafting materials, and so forth.  There may be flavour differences between advisors, and some advisors may be better than others at certain tasks (usually shorter time, but hey, if Josie is on something else it may be worth sending Cullen instead even if it takes 30 minutes longer)
• Most interestingly (to me), is that some of them have story narratives to them.  Some missions are only available to certain PCs, and how you choose to proceed with the missions (or rather, how the advisor you send deals with it) can lead to different consequences/paths for these more story heavy missions.  Upon completion of these missions, a new mission will be unlocked if appropriate to continue that story arc.*

 

 

* Note that the last point I haven't seen in game, so hopefully I didn't recall that wrong.  i.e. safety language in case I made a mistake but I'm pretty certain I didn't.

 

 

Great reply. I suspect it might add a ton of replayability. Replay vallue = huge bonus.

[Rawgrim]

It seems like people have a problem with the fact that time passes while your console is off period not with how much time passes. Which to me is very silly.  I delegate a task so that I don't have to do it.  If a task getting done requires me to be out hunting monsters and completing quests then it's not delegated properly.  The fact that I can tell Josephine I need some **** done, turn off my console, turn it back on the next day, and then find out the task has been completed is EXACTLY how it should work in my mind.  Why do I have to be up and about and talking with people for delegated tasks to complete?

 

Do quests while you wait.

[Deflagratio]

Except it harms that continuity by having time pass when you're not playing.

If I send out an advisor, and then stop playing for four hours, that's instantaneous resolution from an in-setting perspective (the only perspective that really matters).

My only concern here is the coherence of the setting.

 

Well, the only solution to that is have the game pause the timers when you're not playing.

 

I can't say I'm opposed to that idea on a personal level, but I spend a lot more time than your typical gamer playing, for people that only have an hour or two of game time a day, (Majority of gamers) it would kind of bottleneck what they can do pretty bad.

 

Why does it take away from the continuity? I tell my adviser I need some **** done.  I go to sleep.  I wake up and lo and behold the task has been completed.  So I strap on my armor and go back out to take down more demons.  What's broken about that?

 

Because the in his mind (and it's not a minority opinion so don't dismiss it outright) the game should be in stasis for as long as the player isn't actually engaged in the experience.

 

So say Sylvius were to initiate some missions before he turned off for the day, coming back to find them all done in the sense of Character knowledge would be considered a dissonance.

 

At least I think that's the angle he's approaching this from. It's very much a mindset steeped in the PnP RPG origins, you know when people gather for like a weekend play, but through the rest of the week obviously nothing can/should be happening in their campaign or module.

[Iakus]

How much game time passes in the game world while we sleep, though?

 

 

Of course, that's a silly question, because the hours inthe mission times don't actually map onto any time passing in the DA game-world. As I understand the earlier answers, the world only advances by completing critical path missions.

Pretty much.  I think they said there'd be a day/night cycle, but it would be like DA2:  "Fiat nox!" "Et nox erat"

[AlanC9]

It seems like people have a problem with the fact that time passes while your console is off period not with how much time passes. Which to me is very silly.  I delegate a task so that I don't have to do it.  If a task getting done requires me to be out hunting monsters and completing quests then it's not delegated properly.  The fact that I can tell Josephine I need some **** done, turn off my console, turn it back on the next day, and then find out the task has been completed is EXACTLY how it should work in my mind.  Why do I have to be up and about and talking with people for delegated tasks to complete?

 

 

I can see that. It's not very rational if you think of the game as a simulation since the 4 hours of real time can't possibly be 4 hours in the DAI world, but if you're just interested in the Inquisitor's POV it can work.

[AlanC9]

Pretty much.  I think they said there'd be a day/night cycle, but it would be like DA2:  "Fiat nox!" "Et nox erat"

 

 

Or DAO, though there are only two maps with day and night versions IIRC.

 

I'm actually OK with abstracted time. I'm just finding it a little hard to combine abstract time and real time.

[Iakus]

Or DAO, though there are only two maps with day and night versions IIRC.

 

I'm actually OK with abstracted time. I'm just finding it a little hard to combine abstract time and real time.

I mean you can choose to enter an area during the day or at night, with certain differences between the two.

 

They way I figure it, all time, even real-world time, is just an abstraction in DAI.  There is no real correlation between the two.

[Maria Caliban]

I believe they said some maps you could change while others would be locked into day/night, and weather is always prebaked.

I hope they have lots of rain maps.

[omnitremere]

Well, the only solution to that is have the game pause the timers when you're not playing.

 

I can't say I'm opposed to that idea on a personal level, but I spend a lot more time than your typical gamer playing, for people that only have an hour or two of game time a day, (Majority of gamers) it would kind of bottleneck what they can do pretty bad.

 

 

Because the in his mind (and it's not a minority opinion so don't dismiss it outright) the game should be in stasis for as long as the player isn't actually engaged in the experience.

 

So say Sylvius were to initiate some missions before he turned off for the day, coming back to find them all done in the sense of Character knowledge would be considered a dissonance.

 

At least I think that's the angle he's approaching this from. It's very much a mindset steeped in the PnP RPG origins, you know when people gather for like a weekend play, but through the rest of the week obviously nothing can/should be happening in their campaign or module.

 

Even from that standpoint it doesn't work though. I spent a year doing a DnD play-through with four other people where i was the only rogue.  We would have our weekly sessions where everybody sat together and did quests.  But by the end we would always go to an Inn or resting place.  Then in a SEPARATE session I would sit with the dungeon master and go through my rogue's nightly activities.  Sometimes what I did in the evening had huge negative ramifications for the team.  But it was still all legit.  They were sleep and I wasn't.  It's weird to me this idea that things should be static even if you're not the one doing them.  It's the exact opposite of a living breathing world.  

[Rawgrim]

Even from that standpoint it doesn't work though. I spent a year doing a DnD play-through with four other people where i was the only rogue.  We would have our weekly sessions where everybody sat together and did quests.  But by the end we would always go to an Inn or resting place.  Then in a SEPARATE session I would sit with the dungeon master and go through my rogue's nightly activities.  Sometimes what I did in the evening had huge negative ramifications for the team.  But it was still all legit.  They were sleep and I wasn't.  It's weird to me this idea that things should be static even if you're not the one doing them.  It's the exact opposite of a living breathing world.  

 

 

What if you send someone out on some mission. You start a quest right after, and save the game. Lets say your Inquisitor i standing outside a cave when you save. You reload the game the next day. The inquisitor is outside the cave. No time has passed for him. But for the person you sent on a mission has been doing things for 12 hours, or something like that. Basically the person just spent a few minutes in-game doing it. I can see why people would have issues with this bit.