I don't get the intent of the OP. If you want to believe the reviewers, don't buy the game. Otherwise, this thread is "busywork" and boring.
It seems like he/she just wants to argue about something they won't know until they play the game.
It's like arguing with someone about the taste of chicken when they've never tasted it.
I've seen two reviewers now emphasize that its a lot more fun doing the side missions than the main story missions. Sounds like the main story is going to be Inquisition's flaw.
I wouldn't call it a flaw because of that. It's an opinion.
Some people just prefer wandering around aimlessly and doing random stuff, than being forced through a narrative and some people vastly prefer the opposite too.
Guest_AedanStarfang_*
Man really? And here I was expecting to fight the final boss as soon as I popped back from the rift after the explosion 
Lol you just like to argue for the sake of doing so. All rpgs have sides quests before it was ever considered different levels and busy work. Also all the quests that the guy mentioned are busy work by your standard. I have played countless games and love content. Call things what you want however just because you say something you think it to be does not mean that is what it is.
OP is just arguing in circles, with his only point boiling down to it being different for no other reason then what game it is in, hardly worth the effort to argue over,
It's been pretty clear for quite a while now that you'll have to spend a decent amount of time actually recruiting more than a couple of dozen people into the Inquisition before the story really gets rolling, I don't really see it as "busy work" - it's necessary for the plot to have the proper weight.
*shrug* I consider making 3 traps for some chick, busywork. Or making poison for a shopkeeper, busywork, or killing 3 bears, busywork. And that was just Lothering. If I have to kill 10 elk to feed starving people, I don't see that much difference. Besides, you can always opt out.
the only busywork was really doing bhelen's errands. (that I can think of right now at least)
Busywork is just part of video games- it's how it is structured that makes the difference.
Other than that, the main story was simply plot. Yes, the fade was annoying, but it wasn't busywork- it was just an annoying part of the plot.
Busywork would be "collect 40 elfroots for the wardens"
The busywork here is part of the plot. And it's entirely up to you what you decide to do to build up Power, it seems. With the sheer amount of stuff to do in each map, you could do any sorts of things you want.
Can we define busywork? If it's "the plot is only gradually revealed," good. If it's "you spend a lot of time doing boring quests," not so good.
this.
thank you.
*shrug* I consider making 3 traps for some chick, busywork. Or making poison for a shopkeeper, busywork, or killing 3 bears, busywork. And that was just Lothering. If I have to kill 10 elk to feed starving people, I don't see that much difference. Besides, you can always opt out.
again. this had NOTHING to do with the plot.
this point is wrong.
DA:O was 99.5% building an army. but it was not boring, or busywork.
Except you didn't need to build the Gray Warden which is what you are doing in Inquisition.
Pretty much a completly different task both in scale and purpose.
Most RPGs start off with more mundane affairs before moving on to more dramatic plot events. Hell, in Origins the real game, what with the branching paths and significant choices, didn't begin until post-Lothering several hours into the game
Can we define busywork? If it's "the plot is only gradually revealed," good. If it's "you spend a lot of time doing boring quests," not so good.
From what I've seen in a few of the reviews that griped about busy work, it is side quests like kill 10 rams and gather their meat to feed the peasants. Kill 3 bears to get X resource to do Y. That sort of thing.
The Eurogamer review said the first 1/5 (not 1/3) of the game is busywork. They go on to say that once the Inquisition is built up and is a proper force to be reckoned with, it becomes pretty cool, with lots of interesting politics and story. Slow starts can be tedious, yes, but if the last 80% of the game is as cool as it sounds, then I'll be happy.
Only thing disappointing about that review is that they say the choices / decisions are fairly obvious w/r/t to what is the most optimal path, and there are rarely back-biting surprises.
again. this had NOTHING to do with the plot.
No, but you seem to be saying that Origins didn't have that, when in fact it did, of which, I only gave 3 examples in my post.
Maybe it's just me, but I considered the Wardens' first quests to be "busywork." Gather 3 vials of darkspawn blood, pick up these treaties from a chest, light this beacon. Basically the classic "kill x of this enemy," "go to point y," and "retrieve item z" formula. Your character can even complain about how unglamorous and menial your role in the Battle of Ostagar is. The quests weren't handled too badly—there's a good amount of story justification as to why this work is necessary—but it's a low point after the origin section, which was much more interesting.
Well I don't know about you but I will be crafting so all the more reason for me to hunt some animals down
How is it possible to complain the story is too slow in the start? This is a huge pro not a con.
I'm more concerned about the game catching speed too fast at some point. Now there's a real con.
The Eurogamer review said the first 1/5 (not 1/3) of the game is busywork. They go on to say that once the Inquisition is built up and is a proper force to be reckoned with, it becomes pretty cool, with lots of interesting politics and story. Slow starts can be tedious, yes, but if the last 80% of the game is as cool as it sounds, then I'll be happy.
Only thing disappointing about that review is that they say the choices / decisions are fairly obvious w/r/t to what is the most optimal path, and there are rarely back-biting surprises.
This was the kind of response I was after.
Sorry if people misunderstood me or got all offended and whatnot...
How is it possible to complain the story is too slow in the start? This is a huge pro not a con.
I'm more concerned about the game catching speed too fast at some point. Now there's a real con.
Build up is not a con. 15 hrs of busy work and then rushed plot is. (if that is indeed the case)
Funny, none of the reviews I've read say this. Some DO say that there's some major event 20-ish hours in that redefines things, but nothing about busywork.
So as far as I can see, the only one talking about 1/3 of the game being busywork is you. Just because it takes a bit before the story ramps up does not imply that previously it all was busywork.
"Once the shine had worn off though, disappointment began setting in. Inquisition zips quickly through its set-up, in which you're a survivor of a mysterious breach in the sky that's spitting out demon spawning tears, but not quickly enough to hide that you're an amnesiac hero, the threat is basically Oblivion's gates recoloured green, and that the villain of the piece is referred to as "The Elder One", as if the entire writing team had just thrown their hands up in defeat. The role-playing too, pretty as it is, didn't feel like BioWare. There are straight up MMO style quests, like collecting 10 bits of meat, which at least make sense in context - that you're helping refugees and refugees need food. Others, however, are thrown in with no finesse whatsoever. You find a letter that says, in about as many words, "Girls really dig people who can kill bears!" and then ping, your Quest Journal suddenly thinks you're interested in bear-hunting. The first hour of a game is a bad, bad time for it to be resorting to this crap." -Eurogamer
Sounds like the concerns the PC Gamer guys had weren't that unreasonable after all then. Who knew.
DA:O was 99.5% building an army. but it was not boring, or busywork.
Yes it was.
Origins was boring throughout and I can barely even play it for an hour without getting bored these days. Busywork defines that game to me.
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