188 réponses à ce sujet

[Mcfly616]

Todd howard first work at Bethesda Softworks was on Elder Scroll Arena, then Dagerfall, then Redguard, then Morrowind, then Oblivion, then Skyrim, then... The only TES project the core Bethesda team hasn't been on is Elder Scroll Online.

 You're right. And I'm mistaken.  

 

 

Though lore inconsistencies can be due to many reasons. Just because a core team is still working on it, doesn't mean writers haven't come and gone over the past 20 years. Not to mention the sheer amount of it is quite a task to keep track of. The series has transformed drastically over its liftime.

[Lee T]

Though lore inconsistencies can be due to many reasons. Just because a core team is still working on it, doesn't mean writers haven't come and gone over the past 20 years. Not to mention the sheer amount of it is quite a task to keep track of. The series has transformed drastically over its liftime.

Considering how huge TES lore is, I wouldn't be suprised if some fans had a more exact knowledge than the developers. It's harder to keep your eyes on the the big picture when your work pushes you to focus on details. Unless they pay a guy to be the lore book keeper, so to speak.

They shoulnd't try so much to emulate other studios though, they should play to their strength and build on it. I have yet to play DAI but it seems the way it is built could fit ME if each hub was on a different planet. This could be the equivalent of ME1 planets but with less planets, say six to ten, yet way more detailed than the previous hub we had. Each planet could have it's own subplot or hidden quest, a link to one or more of the companions. This way, they wouldn't need to be all directly connected to the main story.

[Mcfly616]

Considering how huge TES lore is, I wouldn't be suprised if some fans had a more exact knowledge than the developers. It's harder to keep your eyes on the the big picture when your work pushes you to focus on details. Unless they pay a guy to be the lore book keeper, so to speak.

They shoulnd't try so much to emulate other studios though, they should play to their strength and build on it. I have yet to play DAI but it seems the way it is built could fit ME if each hub was on a different planet. This could be the equivalent of ME1 planets but with less planets, say six to ten, yet way more detailed than the previous hub we had. Each planet could have it's own subplot or hidden quest, a link to one or more of the companions. This way, they wouldn't need to be all directly connected to the main story. 

  I already posted earlier in the thread that I don't think they should emulate TES's approach to lore.....even though it is quite deep and implemented in the game world in a unique way.

 

 

However, they are taking inspiration from certain aspects of Skyrim. They've said that much. Nothing specific though. I would assume it has something to do with the world design or free roam gameplay. Who knows....

[nici2412]

Please no..

I don't want a big, but completely lifeless world full of boring mmo-style fetch quests. Mass Effect 2 had my favorite sidequests content. They were designed like mainquests in other games and I enjoyed every single one of it.. I would prefer- if Mass Effect 4 goes open world- a smaller world with meaningfull content and interesting storylines with cutscenes and choices. (opposite of Inquisition)

Inquisiton has the worst Questdesign I have ever experienced in any rpg I have played in the last 15 years. I really don't want this in Mass Effect 4.

[SNascimento]

ME2 side quests were indeed very good. 

A lot of them involved multiple missions that involve landing on multiple planets and bording ships. ME1 had this too, the problem is that they were sabotaged by the repetitive level design, so each mission felt like the one before it. 

[Element Zero]

Please no..
I don't want a big, but completely lifeless world full of boring mmo-style fetch quests. Mass Effect 2 had my favorite sidequests content. They were designed like mainquests in other games and I enjoyed every single one of it.. I would prefer- if Mass Effect 4 goes open world- a smaller world with meaningfull content and interesting storylines with cutscenes and choices. (opposite of Inquisition)
Inquisiton has the worst Questdesign I have ever experienced in any rpg I have played in the last 15 years. I really don't want this in Mass Effect 4.

I agree completely on nearly every point. The only thing I'd challenge is that DAI has the worst quest design in 15 years of gaming. You did play ME3, no? Did you think it was worse than the "eavesdrop+planet scanning=war asset" formula? I think DAI's quests are significantly better than that, even though I can't manage to replay DAI.

[SNascimento]

Neither DAI or ME3 had the worse quest design in a game. That's a big jump from "there are missions which are bad". 

[Nitrocuban]

I think the right mix is what BW should focus on.

- A strong, cineastic story with excellent mainquests leading the player the way, at least 15 - 20 hrs gamplay

- twice the amount of well fleshed out sidequests loosely connected to the main sory arc with another 20+ hrs of gamplay

- countless and strictly optional fetch quests, "collect 100 derps", random enemy encounters and PvE stuff that mainly give loot and some XP to spend another 50 to 100hrs in the game

[Element Zero]

I think the right mix is what BW should focus on.
- A strong, cineastic story with excellent mainquests leading the player the way, at least 15 - 20 hrs gamplay
- twice the amount of well fleshed out sidequests loosely connected to the main sory arc with another 20+ hrs of gamplay
- countless and strictly optional fetch quests, "collect 100 derps", random enemy encounters and PvE stuff that mainly give loot and some XP to spend another 50 to 100hrs in the game

That's probably too much, for me, though I'd give it a shot. All that filler to give DAI 100 hours of gameplay is largely a weakness for that game, I think. I don't think a game needs 100 hours to be amazing or satisfying. In fact, I think it largely dilutes the experience.

I can't imagine the time and budget required to build a game that long that I considered satisfying. Obviously, I was never able to get into Skyrim. I wish I could, but it doesn't hold my interest. I believe it's because I feel no interest or motivation to complete all that side material. BioWare games prior to DAI, though, have generally been my favorite games. I think they already had the formula about right, allowing for variance from one game to the next.

It worries me that they've decided to jump on the "open world" wagon and tinker with something that seemed to be working fine for most fans.

[Mcfly616]

So glad to be moving past the suffocating linear gameplay/level design introduced in the sequels to cater to the casual masses. 

 

 

 

Can't wait for some actual freedom to explore this great setting.

[Element Zero]

So glad to be moving past the suffocating linear gameplay/level design introduced in the sequels to cater to the casual masses. 
 
 
 
Can't wait for some actual freedom to explore this great setting.

If they can fill all that space with meaningful content, or at least really fun gameplay, I'm in agreement. I'm skeptical that they can, but hopeful. If they succeed, 100 hours of Mass Effect is clearly better than 30 hours of Mass Effect.

[Han Shot First]

That's probably too much, for me, though I'd give it a shot. All that filler to give DAI 100 hours of gameplay is largely a weakness for that game, I think. I don't think a game needs 100 hours to be amazing or satisfying. In fact, I think it largely dilutes the experience.

 

 

I agree with this. Less is sometimes more.

 

If you're a completionist you can easily clock in over 100 hours playing DA:I, but most of that time is spent quite frankly grinding through some rather boring content. The main story missions and a few of the side quests were great, but they sort of get lost in the sea of filler content that serves no other function than providing something to do in the massive maps Bioware had created.

 

DA:I is a very good game, but it does have some flaws. And one of those flaws in my opinion is that the transition to a partially open world format compromised in some respects the story they were tying to tell. 

 

The experiment with combining a strong story and characters with open world gameplay so far seems to be hit and miss. I'm anxious to see how The Witcher 3 turns out, since CD Projekt Red opted for a similar approach to DA:I. If it has the same problems, I won't be too confident that the next Mass Effect game will be any different.

 

Also, I'll be hating Skyrim more than I already do. The game bored me to tears and I never finished it. It was however a massive commercial success, and the influence it has had on the RPG market concerns me.

[Mcfly616]

Obviously everyone has their preferences. I actually loved my time with Skyrim. Even though it's not a story-driven experience, the main campaign and side-quests were well done for the most part. But like a GTA game, the world is the real star of the show.

 

 

 

There's certainly aspects of its design that can and will be inspiration for all different types of games. 

[Draining Dragon]

MAKER NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Enrychan]

While I do love exploring, I play Mass Effect for the story.

 

DAI is a decent game, but the story is weak and the villain absolutely devoid of any kind of interest to me, so I really hope they will not repeat something like that in ME4. I want to feel the urgency like in ME3 and be terrified of my enemy like I was terrified of the Reapers, or hate them or feel compassion for them like with Saren or TIM. If I have to choose between "exploration" and "story&characters" I will always choose the latter for Mass Effect. I will be incredibly disappointed if they decide to water down my experience just to add 10 open areas with a million side quests that don't bring me anywhere.

[Han Shot First]

I actually think the story for DA:I was decent, and no weaker than previous games. It's just that the main story can get lost in the sea of open world side content, much of which is very light on story.

[Draining Dragon]

I actually think the story for DA:I was decent, and no weaker than previous games. It's just that the main story can get lost in the sea of open world side content, much of which is very light on story.

Coryfish is Bioware's most boring, clichéd villain to date. The story never makes the player feel remotely threatened. It never endangers companions. There's no sense of loss like there was in Dragon Age Origins or all three Mass Effect games. You gather lots of resources to no end. Even Coryfish himself is a pushover.

[rapscallioness]

I do hope that the next ME has a semi-open world. Nice large and varied areas. Idk if having as many as DAI is necessary, but I do like the variety of spaces to explore.

 

There's just a few things I would like to see along with this semi-open world. One of the things that made DAO interesting was that we visited other cultures. Orzammar was fascinating not just because of how it looked, but mainly because of the dwarven culture I got to experience. Same with the Brecillian Forest and elves section.

 

The experience of visiting other cultures/beings on their own terms. In their space and place. Then do some side quests in those areas that also serve to give you a deeper understanding of these different cultures.

 

So, I don't want to just explore and discover landscapes. I want to discover unique cultures and people in those landscapes. Adapted to those areas. I want to see their habitats. Learn about how they work; rest; play; worship. Not just hear about it from a representative of a species/culture, but experience it first hand.

 

Also, and very importantly, I want the Mako portions to have lots of party banter. While we're driving around, give me banter.

 

And also would love a lil music playlist for my Mako time....just sayin.

[Arcian]

>DA:I

>open world

Choose one.

[goishen]

I have to agree with the above post.   I haven't even finished with DA:I yet, yet...  I feel no immediate threat from him.  On any character.  All I feel is the threat of "big ominous threat, taking over the world!"   Yeh.   Great, like I haven't felt that before.

[omgodzilla]

I was a little disappointed by the amount of fetch quests there were in DAI and how short the main campaign itself was. Then again, the regions are absolutely beautiful. It was the first Bioware game where I really stopped to appreciate how much effort the designers put into crafting the physical world. I would've appreciated it even more if every zone had its own story arc with atleast a few cutscenes.  

 

I'd rather they not repeat the DAI design again and have them focus more on the main campaign. Then again, I feel that exploration would be far more interesting in a Mass Effect game compared to a Dragon Age game. In Dragon Age, we are confined to one world. Yes, there is a great deal of diversity in that world, but we could have far more diversity in a game like Mass Effect where we can actually visit multiple planets. I'm really intrigued by the idea of going to uncharted planets and encountering new forms of alien life or something. I just want more story mixed in with that exploration. 

[The Harmonizer]

I do enjoy DAI overall, but one thing i really hate is how the Story missions feel "walled-off" on some board in Haven/Skyhold. It feels as im playing 2 games. One is like an MMO, and the other is a shorter linear game focused on story and characters.

 

I would like the story missions to be placed inside the living world so to speak, not walled off.

[ChrisTheInquisitor]

No... don't. This is one of the many reasons the Mass Effect trilogy is replayable. If they're going to do that, at least don't dumb it down to an MMORPG where you need to be a certain level to advance in the story. In other words, no grinding. I'd love to grind the first time around if the next game has a new game plus where you keep all your equipment and levels! This is why I didn't like DA:I over Mass Effect.

 

If the the open-world is optional, then great. If the open-world means less time and effort put into a main story and character development, then it can go to hell.

 

No...

[JeffZero]

Reading the criticisms I have with DAI expressed through other players gives me more hope that BioWare won't repeat them.

[themikefest]

I like DAI. I did a plythrough that took over 100 hours and did another playthrough that only took 38 hours. There are a few things I would fix in DAI, but they're minor enough that I won't lose any sleep if they were never fixed.

 

Open world in ME4, as I said in an earlier post on the thread, I'm not sure what they could do. Maybe have an area, not too large, that can be explored while fighting the enemy while reaching your objective whatever it may be, instead of just going in this area, fight 10 baddies and then head straight to this area with another 10 baddies to fight and then mission over. Back to the ship or whatever.