62 réponses à ce sujet

[Icy Magebane]

re: Icy

 

That seems fair. Still, there's points where I suspect we may disagree. I never felt like I really got to know Loghain, for example. He was only a "companion" for about two missions.

Yeah, I think Loghain would be acceptable since we only knew him briefly... I'd also put Tallis in that category.  She wasn't really a companion of Hawke, they just went on a single mission together.  So there are a few exceptions I'd be willing to make, but  not for the main party like Oghren, Sten, Fenris, Isabela, etc...  side chars and temporary (or short-term companions) are the only ones I'd be interested in seeing.

 

Maybe Ariane and Finn count.  Witch Hunt was pretty short, after all...

[Jagrevi]

Still, even then, I could see returning companions being evolved enough that getting to know them again is different. If say, Zevran lost half his face to some horrible accident of his own creation, and now wears a mask and is all sour on life (or, you know, something written by someone who could make an idea that doesn't suck, I'm no writer - my point being that characters can evolve, and it need not being 'the same old, same old' even in that case, which itself is even unnecessary).

[TheEternalStudent]

Interesting idea, but I think an adviser/ambassador would be better. Reduce companions, but put more people to talk to in Skyhold. I feel reducing Blackwall to 'Grey Warden' would be too much, but if all we need is A Grey Warden, then Stroud/Loghain/Alistair would be fine.

[Jagrevi]

"Bioware already brings in far too many characters from previous installments imo"

 

Well they do too many "walk-on-cameos", I agree. Honestly, given that it's almost a necessary evil of the "evolving world" thing, I see it's problem being how artificial it feels, and I see this as something that feels more natural - "a good reason for a character to be there", if you will.

 

And yes, personal specific opinion, I've had enough of Alistair - but that's my personal view of one specific character, not the general idea.

 

"I would much rather take the risk of evaluating a new companion that doesn't come with last games baggage."

 

Not every character comes with that much baggage. How much baggage does Larius (just the example I keep using) come with, really? He was maybe in ... 4 convos?

[Jagrevi]

"Maybe Ariane and Finn count"

 

Well they definitely work as potential future companions, but there's nothing really variable about them - they both end up in the same situation, it would just be the 'character that was seen before', which they already do - that's who Cassandra and Cullen are.

[Icy Magebane]

Still, even then, I could see returning companions being evolved enough that getting to know them again is different. If say, Zevran lost half his face to some horrible accident of his own creation, and now wears a mask and is all sour on life (or, you know, something written by someone who could make an idea that doesn't suck, I'm no writer - my point being that characters can evolve, and it need not being 'the same old, same old' even in that case, which itself is even unnecessary).

That's true, but then we face the problem of players having insight into the companion before the change, which will lead to metagaming.  I'd rather deal with completely new chars... or maybe this masked guy never reveals that he's Zevran until right before the final mission or something.  That would be kind of cool actually...

[DaySeeker]

I don't think I understand what the OP is asking.  Are you saying you don't want new companions just smaller parts being played by old ones?

 

Regardless, I don't like the idea.  I like cameos, show me where beloved characters are now.  I like new companions, they make the world bigger, give us new viewpoints, and allow NPC's to fit changes in gameplay.  Add to this all the complications of how a previous companion was spec'd, who survives, if they were hardened, who they romanced, and how all of that has led to who they are in the current game- it's too much.  Also, we had 60 hours with those folks and had a chance to get to know them.  The more companions the better if only for a gameplay standpoint- you have more options to pick those who fit your play style.  I don't see any benefit bringing old companions back.  In Awakenings I could have easily done without Oghren- didn't like him and now I have to spend even more time with him.   I trust the writers and developers to stories with the characters that appeal to them and do best to highlight the story and world.

[Jagrevi]

"I don't think I understand what the OP is asking.  Are you saying you don't want new companions just smaller parts being played by old ones?"

 

Uhm, no. Basically, I'm just promoting the idea of a choice you make in game A affecting what your companion roster is in game B, instead of just a cameo. This is not specific to old companions. The example I keep using to illustrate this point is the idea of a Larius/Janeka companion (who you may know if you played the Legacy DLC), which would just be "Oh, I get this specific version of this companion as a 'reward' for some choice I made in a previous game".

 

Also, I'm not promoting this on a wide scale, but as an idea to see an instance of; nothing that effects the majority of companions.

[Icy Magebane]

"I don't think I understand what the OP is asking.  Are you saying you don't want new companions just smaller parts being played by old ones?"

 

Uhm, no. Basically, I'm just promoting the idea of a choice you make in game A affecting what your companion roster is in game B, instead of just a cameo. This is not specific to old companions. The example I keep using to illustrate this point is the idea of a Larius/Janeka companion (who you may know if you played the Legacy DLC), which would just be "Oh, I get this specific version of this companion as a 'reward' for some choice I made in a previous game".

 

Also, I'm not promoting this on a wide scale, but as an idea to see an instance of; nothing that effects the majority of companions.

How about, if you gave Bevin his grandfather's sword in DA:O, then he's a party member in DA4?  If not, then some other person is the party member... maybe Amalia or something (the girl from Stone Prisoner).

[Jagrevi]

Edited the OP again to clarify this is about the idea of companion variability based on choice, not spending more hours with a character you've already spent alot of hours with.

[Jagrevi]

"How about, if you gave Bevin his grandfather's sword in DA:O, then he's a party member in DA4?  If not, then some other person is the party member... maybe Amalia or something (the girl from Stone Prisoner)."

 

Exactly like that, that would be perfect.

[Icy Magebane]

"How about, if you gave Bevin his grandfather's sword in DA:O, then he's a party member in DA4?  If not, then some other person is the party member... maybe Amalia or something (the girl from Stone Prisoner)."

 

Exactly like that, that would be perfect.

That's an interesting idea and it doesn't involve former party members... sounds good to me.  It would also be easy to make the necessary changes to the world state in the Keep to get the companion we want.

[Navasha]

Yeah, I would be okay with something like that idea, cause aside from knowing where they were 10 years ago as a child, we don't know much about them as the adults they grew into.  

 

I just don't want to be pre-judging a character because I (the player) knew them before my character(the inquisitor) ever encounters them. 

[Mr.Hmm]

I would trade all of them(With the exception of Iron Bull ) just to have the DOG back.

[Jagrevi]

Well, I guess Dog is a variable status character (even if 99% of people or something like that recruited him), but ... I'm honestly curious now how many actually didn't recruit Dog? Does anyone know if Bioware has posted any of those types of statistics anywhere?

[Paul E Dangerously]

I theoretically like this idea, but ME shows that Bioware's not very good at it.

 

Namely that I spent the entirety of ME2 gathering an entire party for one mission, and not a single damned one of them is a party member in ME3. No, Garrus and Tali don't count. Then you've got Ashley (or Kaidan) who have told you to shove it multiple times through ME2/3 and proven time and time again that they don't trust you. You have to let them just walk back onto the team - or you lose a character slot. Permanently.

 

Sorry, that whole thing just makes me twitch.

[Paul E Dangerously]

Well, I guess Dog is a variable status character (even if 99% of people or something like that recruited him), but ... I'm honestly curious now how many actually didn't recruit Dog? Does anyone know if Bioware has posted any of those types of statistics anywhere?

 

Even if you don't, there's Backup Dog in Witch Hunt.

[Jagrevi]

"No, Garrus and Tali don't count"

 

Simple curiosity ... why don't they count? I don't mean this rhetorically, it's just honestly not clear to me why they don't, and I'm curious because it sounds like there's a very strong opinion about something behind it, but I don't know what.

[Rawgrim]

Only if it was Sigrun.

[Giantdeathrobot]

Each game should stand on its own. I actually find that, for a story taking place 10 (ish?) years after Origins and far away from Kirkwall, there's a slightly disproportionate amount of old timers as companions or major characters (Leliana, Cullen, Cassandra, Varic, Morrigan, Hawke, and we just know Flemeth is in there somewhere, plus probably a few other as camoes). I can get Cassandra as a new companion, Varric as our ''link'' with the business in Kirkwall, and Morrigan/Flemeth as recurring characters, the rest starts to smell like placating some fans to me.

 

It's not a big deal. But I wouldn't want Bioware to devote even more time and ressources to fanservice. Let the cast of DA:I make its mark, I'm sure they have good things in store for us.

[Eelectrica]

Writing team couldn't justify the resources spent writing the characters properly. And gamers wouldn't like those optional characters coming back as little more than a ghost.

Doesn't sound like it would work in the practical sense.

[DaySeeker]

"Bioware already brings in far too many characters from previous installments imo"

 

Well they do too many "walk-on-cameos", I agree. Honestly, given that it's almost a necessary evil of the "evolving world" thing, I see it's problem being how artificial it feels, and I see this as something that feels more natural - "a good reason for a character to be there", if you will.

 

And yes, personal specific opinion, I've had enough of Alistair - but that's my personal view of one specific character, not the general idea.

 

"I would much rather take the risk of evaluating a new companion that doesn't come with last games baggage."

 

Not every character comes with that much baggage. How much baggage does Larius (just the example I keep using) come with, really? He was maybe in ... 4 convos?

 

Larius was facing his calling and probably possessed, Janeka was a blood mage.  If this were a choice it would be a bad one.  The two have nothing in common, wouldn't fit the story, and could possibly hampers a player's play style being so different in profession.

[Grayvisions]

Lack of returning character has always made me sad.

 

In this I favor Dragonlance's approach to storytelling. Characters don't up and disappear, and the books don't just move on without ever addressing them again. They either end up retiring and running a tavern somewhere or (more often) get killed in some way. Goldmoon's death haunts me to this day, I remember practically SCREAMING involuntarily when it happened, but it was a noble death and far preferable to the character just never being mentioned again.

[boissiere]

Varric is returning, isn't he? And he is a fun companion: always narrates tales or playing tricks with Bianca.