116 réponses à ce sujet

[ArtemisMoons]

I love side quests. 

 

However, I would have gladly given some of them up for more companion time. I'm a sucker for the companion time, though. lol

[KaiserShep]

I love side quests. 

 

However, I would have gladly given some of them up for more companion time. I'm a sucker for the companion time, though. lol

 

So am I. That being said, this game seems to have quite a bit of it, with Cassandra probably coming in first place for her adorably hilarious infatuation with Varric's books. Also, I love that this game has a moment with the entire cast of companions to join in a game of cards.

[ArtemisMoons]

So am I. That being said, this game seems to have quite a bit of it, with Cassandra probably coming in first place for her adorably hilarious infatuation with Varric's books. Also, I love that this game has a moment with the entire cast of companions to join in a game of cards.

I didn't get everyone to go to that (I'm assuming I had too low approval to get Viv and Solas there when it happened... that or they didn't wanna go lol). 

 

But yes. I love moments where the entire group gets together.

 

Quick question, but do any of the companions romance each other if they aren't in a romance with the PC? It happens- sort of- in other Bioware games (namely ME3 and the Isabela/Fenris and sort of with Carver crushing on Merril).

[KaiserShep]

The only companion who didn't join was Vivienne, but I rarely talk to her and didn't complete any quest of hers so I dunno. I wasn't sure if she'd join regardless. A game of Wicked Grace in the tavern somehow strikes me as something she'd consider to be beneath her. Oh, Leliana didn't join in either, but I don't really know what the deal is for advisers. Cullen and Josephine were there. Maybe Leliana is too broody for socializing.

 

From what I understand, Josephine will get with Blackwall if you pursue neither.

[ArtemisMoons]

I'm going to see if I can't make it to where everyone ends up at the game. xD

Viv, you will learn to love us. YOU WILL. lol

 

And oooo. I didn't get anything like that in my first playthrough, but then, I did flirt with Blackwall a lot and ended up having to reject him so maybe that's why.

[KaiserShep]

The part that made me laugh at the end was

Spoiler

Sera under the table the entire time.

That, and

Spoiler

Cullen running off nude.

[mikeymoonshine]

Hmm I do agree that the fetch quests weren't needed and that the main story could have been longer. Still though would cutting a lot of the side quests just result in making the world feel empty? They are there as part of the questing mechanics. You obtain power by doing side quests, there are all kinds of different side quests you can do all over these big areas. That way you get to choose what to do and where to do it. So it could make the world feel empty and the side quests feel mandatory. I guess it's all about balance. 

[Bekkael]

I agree with the OP. I hope the infatuation with open world begins and ends with DAI. I far prefer the storytelling and game design of DAO and DA2. I hope future Dragon Age games will return to more focused main story, and less rambling and utterly forgettable sidequests that do little but eat time, while adding nothing of value to the tale.

[ArtemisMoons]

I would have loved for the main story to intertwine with the side quests a little more, but I do like the open world-ness. Seeing such pretty landscapes and discovering little villages/encampments was fun.

[Grayvisions]

I like sidequests, and I don't think there were too many, but I think that there were too many ~that didn't matter~. The game is about the Inquisition, the majority of those sides should have helped it along some way but for the most part they changed nothing. A handful added agents (awesome) but otherwise, it was all codex entries and gear that I just ended up NPCing. It was definitely a valiant effort on Bware's part, but, I hope they learn from this going forward and, rather than reduce sidequests, simply make them more meaningful. 

 

I don't even remember any of the side people I helped being referenced in the epilogue, now that I think about it. 

[ArtemisMoons]

Most likely, they didn't want them to matter too much or else they'd ruin the risk of the "war asset" fiasco. 

 

I would have loved a little bit of extra though for completing. Don't hinder those who didn't want to do them, but reward those who put in the extra effort.

[Spectre 117]

I keep seeing people say that it only has 6-8 main quests and I am sitting here, wondering how that is any different from the other recent bioware games.

Last I remember Mass Effect 1 had 5-6 missions as well. Eden Prime, Virmire, Noveria, Thorian, Finding Liara, End Game. 75% of Mass Effect 2's content was entirely optional (much like DA: I). A lot of Mass Effect 1's sidecontent consisted on fetch quests as well, yet everyone praises the exploration as one of the highlights of the game.

The same thing applies to DA:O. You have 6-8 main quests and a bunch of sidequest. And no, if we take the nostalgia goggles off, we'll see that it had quite a few fetch quests as well. So again, I'm curious as to how anyone who has played Bioware's recent work is surprised that the main story is only 6-8 quests and that a lot of the content is optional. That has been their modus operandi for quite a while.

[Dapper Pomegranate]

Most likely, they didn't want them to matter too much or else they'd ruin the risk of the "war asset" fiasco. 

 

They wouldn't have to though. Make them matter in an RP way rather than a gamey numbers way. So that the player doesn't feel like they've wasted their time doing sidequests, but also doesn't miss any of the main story for not doing them.

[LegendaryBlade]

I keep seeing people say that it only has 6-8 main quests and I am sitting here, wondering how that is any different from the other recent bioware games.

Last I remember Mass Effect 1 had 5-6 missions as well. Eden Prime, Virmire, Noveria, Thorian, Finding Liara, End Game. 75% of Mass Effect 2's content was entirely optional (much like DA: I). A lot of Mass Effect 1's sidecontent consisted on fetch quests as well, yet everyone praises the exploration as one of the highlights of the game.

The same thing applies to DA:O. You have 6-8 main quests and a bunch of sidequest. And no, if we take the nostalgia goggles off, we'll see that it had quite a few fetch quests as well. So again, I'm curious as to how anyone who has played Bioware's recent work is surprised that the main story is only 6-8 quests and that a lot of the content is optional. That has been their modus operandi for quite a while.

It's a matter of how it's written; I don't even think many of the people complaining realize it. DA: I ends very suddenly and has poor build up. There's no moment like going to Virmire, or entering the Suicide Mission, or marching on Denerim, or any of that. The final mission select in Inquisition is -literally- go right to the boss, and none of the decisions or how you built your army up to that point seem to matter. The main story feels like it just...stops. It stands out even more because of the sequel hook, which always leave a bad taste.

 

It's all about approach, is what i'm saying. The last two missions in Inquisition are approached poorly, there's no build up. The climax just comes and goes so suddenly and that makes it -feel- shorter than other games. It's almost jarring how suddenly Inquisition ends.

[holdenagincourt]

I mean, the Hinterlands alone would have required more manhours to build than the entire main story mission!

 

I'd have much prefered that all that effort went into another act or two - development time is identical.

 

First, you don't really have evidence for this, you're just making an assertion about a development process you weren't a part of. So I don't really think it helps your argument.

 

Second, I reject the premise that main plot content and open world content are mutually exclusive or some kind of trade-off. At a tautological level, of course, everything in a development process is a trade-off, but we don't know where the rubber hits the road on this kind of choice. The main plot may be the way it is for story, character development, pacing or any number of other reasons, not because of a (comparatively unlikely, in my opinion) conflictual relationship with open world/companion/strategy/customization content. Saying that one has to go for the other to be feasible is an assumption that has to be unpacked and debated. For my part, I think the huge amount of lower-level content in the game serves as a solid foundation for more plot-related DLC later, as well as acting as an excellent model for more sandboxes that could be added in the future, and so was a wise design choice.

 

Third, I should note that I generally agree with the spirit of your topic. The main plot feels a bit short and like it needs a few more major hooking points, and I would love to see them. I think part of the problem is that the game can't let up the sense of urgency and mounting evil past a certain point. Maybe adding in a lull in the middle of the game, induced by the perceived vanquishing of the big bad only to have it/someone else return after some time of mounting hints that something is amiss, could be a way to achieve this.

[Fisva]

Just finished the game, and loved it. On a dualcore PC no less!

 

The major issue I had was the balance of main missions to sidequests. I enjoyed most of them, but I think the game would be much better served if the development time for sidequests was halved, and a hefty act or two were added onto the main mission.

 

I love the sidequests, but the number of them is ludicrous. I mean, the Hinterlands alone would have required more manhours to build than the entire main story mission!

 

I'd have much prefered that all that effort went into another act or two - development time is identical.

 

Or even simpler - just make power actually matter, so doing the side missions is important to unlock the main story. I was never short on power - and ended the main story with over 100 spare - and I'm not an OCD completist and huge tracks of the Exalted Plains are left unexplored. It doesn't feel like a resource to be earned if you always have a ridiculous amount of it.

 

I've said the same to my boyfriend: "They could eliminate half of the side quest because there are too many of them, and they could develop the main plot more, because it has some huge holes and is too flat". I think the main plot is too simple and too short. Why Bioware, why?

[Zoralink]

I agree that they could chop out a ton of side quests, but honestly I would be fine with them instead devoting time to making the remaining side quests actually feel meaningful. The main story as it is I feel is fine in length. Perhaps they could have better balanced it, as some missions you might spend an hour on, others you can spend up to 4 on (Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, I'm looking at you.). 

 

As it is though, many, many side quests feel pointless, or very rushed. A few minor spoilers ahead, but nothing major (sidequest stuff). For example, the sidequest involving Ritts in the Hinterlands. It's a random quest to go find a scout. Nothing special. You walk around, have to kill two templars attacking her, then you can either click on the two things by her to learn a tiny bit more, or just go back to the scout. Clicking on the two things gets you an extra two lines of dialog and the ability to recruit her. Quests like this just... feel like a lot of wasted potential. They could have easily changed the premise to something along the lines of "My scouting partner Ritts has been acting odd lately, disappearing at weird hours, taking just a bit longer on scouting missions. I'm worried she might be in some sort of trouble. Can you keep an eye on her?" Cue the ability to either trail Ritts and gather evidence about what is going on, confront her about it (And possibly confront her even with partial evidence, allowing you to draw completely incorrect conclusions. Let us screw up!), or possibly ask Leliana to look into it. Give us some sort of investment in this person who was important enough to be considered an agent other than "lol u r good at sexin' da pplz, u spai now."

 

Same with recruiting Tanner. You find a random letter, run up to her in Redcliffe, go "I KNOW YOU'RE BAD, BUT YOU SHOULD WORK FOR ME NOW." and you suddenly have another agent. Why can't we investigate this? Why couldn't it have been a lengthy dialogue if we so chose instead, working to convince her, using bluffs and evidence?

 

Etc, etc. I have no issue with the game being heavy on side quests, in fact I really, really like it (Though I wish there was a bit more scaling, so I didn't feel punished if I went off the beaten track for too long and overleveled), but there's too much junk to sift through to find the interesting things. Too many side quests feel like they were scared people would get bored if there wasn't something super neat every two feet in this giant zones, but it instead it's completely counter intuitive and actually makes these zones feel more boring, as we're then 'forced' (Yeah, I know, we're not really FORCED, but for those of us who like side quests it can feel that way) to do these incredibly dull side quests, many times back tracking through areas we've already combed over.

 

As to why there are so many dull side quests, I wouldn't be surprised if in part it was due to different departments being done at different times. "Hey, we're done writing the codex entries, we don't really have much else to do..."

 

"Here, write some letters about an apostate and his templar brother meeting up at a cabin, we'll use it as a quick side quest."

 

TL;DR:

 

Medium amount of quality side quests good.

Tons of dull and uninspired side quests bad.

Main story needs better balancing and pacing but is a good length as is.

[Aesir26]

I completely agree. I still loved the game and I like the open-ish world as well. As much as I did love it, like you, I felt the game could have been improved by having less sidequests since most of them were fetch and collection quests anyway. I would have loved to see more added on to the main story simply because I really enjoyed the main story they did have.

 

Although, a lovely alternative could have just been having more interesting sidequests as well, similar to what we saw in Origins or even DA2.

[Defendor]

I think many of the posters here misjudge just how long it takes to make a detailed main quest like "In Your Heart Shall Burn" vs. how long it takes to make a bunch of fetch quests. The former probably took more dev time than all the side quests in starter areas (Hinterlands, Storm Coast, Fallow Mire) combined.

 

The quests are mostly there to populate the huge optional areas. Removing some of the areas could've freed enough resources to make the campaign longer, but that would conflict with DAI's open world-ish goals.

[Chari]

I say that if they made most maps twice small, halved the number of sidequests and as a result spent twice more time on the rest, the game would feel much better
But alas what's done is done. At least I can enjoy Thedas's beautiful lands. They feel real

[DarkSeraphym]

I am of the opinion that the Operations feature contributed too much to the fluff as well. I can promise you that a more than insignificant amount of my play time was dedicated to having to return to Skyhold long enough to send one of the of my advisors on one of those operations, and for what mind you? A little fluff text and almost no references to any of the consequences (such as eradicating the Venatori spy network) of my actions? They might as well have not even included it at all. I can totally get into flavorful filler, but this is a BioWare game. When my entire clan has been eradicated at the War Table, I'd like a cutscene to see the impact of that on the Inquisitor.

[Arkevilex]

While I was a little letdown by the length of the main campaign, I did enjoy the story very much. I also love the companions. Every one of them (especially Cassandra, Iron Bull, and Sera. Inquisition succeeded. It's main strengths were the characters, exploration, and holy balls the combat. The game play in it's entirety is incredible (save for a few minor glitches). Inquisition easily owns the title of best combat system in an RPG to date. I can't wait to fight more things. 

I hope whatever story DLC is added, that it's enough to flesh out the Inquisitor's Path a little more. I need more HOLY CRAP missions like In Your Heart Burns


 

[DarkSeraphym]

While I was a little letdown by the length of the main campaign, I did enjoy the story very much. I also love the companions. Every one of them (especially Cassandra, Iron Bull, and Sera. Inquisition succeeded. It's main strengths were the characters, exploration, and holy balls the combat. The game play in it's entirety is incredible (save for a few minor glitches). Inquisition easily owns the title of best combat system in an RPG to date. I can't wait to fight more things. 

I hope whatever story DLC is added, that it's enough to flesh out the Inquisitor's Path a little more. I need more HOLY CRAP missions like In Your Heart Burns


 

 

The combat is the best part, for me anyway. I tend to play archers and the Dragon Age series has not been kind to me in the past. However, this time around, it's more fun than I've had in a long time. Assassin Spec + Archery + Bow with Masterwork Explode on Death = easy mode.

[Ianamus]

I think that they should have cut one or two of the areas entirely and made an extra story mission in it's place, or at least given the remaining areas more interesting and story-intensive quests like the primary quest in Crestwood, which was one of the few side-missions I enjoyed. 

 

The emerald graves and exalted plains, for example, could probably have been merged into one medium-sized level. 

[DarkSeraphym]

I think that they should have removed one or two of the areas entirely and made an extra story mission in it's place, or at least given the remaining areas more interesting and story-intensive quests like the primary quest in Crestwood, which was one of the few side-missions I really enjoyed. 

 

The emerald graves and exalted plains, for example, could probably have been merged into one medium-sized level. 

 

Personally, I think the Exalted Plains could have been dropped entirely. The Fallow Mire already kind of filled that role with tons of undead enemies to fight and a curse on the land. We really didn't need two areas with the exact same enemies. the only difference being that one of them isn't in a perpetual, never-ending thunderstorm and has a lot less trees.