91 réponses à ce sujet

[Storvacker]

I've noticed in this game that some companions' character arcs are highly approval-gated. In particular I've found it very hard to get Blackwall's personal quest.

 

Do you think cutscenes with companions should be approval-gated? Their personal quests? What about disapproval-gated?

 

IMO personal quests shouldn't be approval-gated. They are so important to character arcs and it really cuts people off from content to approval-gate them. I think Cole gives you his regardless of approval, and a number of other companions do as well. I think that each can have a cutscene or two that is approval-gated, as I've just got one with Vivienne on my new play through where she likes me that I hadn't gotten before, but it was a conversation she wouldn't have had with my first Inquisitor who she disliked. I wish that each of them had an equivalent disapproval cutscene, though, ideally before leaving. Cassandra has one and it allows people who disagree with her to still see content. So far Solas hates me this play-through and I have had special investigate options for it but no cutscene left. I'll report if one appears.

[The Baconer]

Personally, I haven't found it to be a very big deal. Even the person I have the rockiest relationship with, Solas, gave me a personal quest and then later even told me that he respected me.

 

Blackwall in particular seems very, very easy to please so I can't imagine it being that difficult to move his arc along.

[Storvacker]

Personally, I haven't found it to be a very big deal. Even the person I have the rockiest relationship with, Solas, gave me a personal quest and then later even told me that he respected me.

 

Blackwall in particular seems very, very easy to please so I can't imagine it being that difficult to move his arc along.

Over two playthroughs I have never received Blackwall's personal quest. If you role-play a character who does not agree with his views he is much harder to please - particularly in the warden-related segment of the game. I guess it depends on which companions are the ones who dislike you, as some give their personal quests regardless approval.

[LightningPoodle]

The way I see it is, if someone doesn't like you, they aren't going to open up to you, they are going to tell you about their pasts, their thoughts, anything. that is a repercussion for being a dick to them.

[Lady Sassenach]

I wondered the same thing. Solas pretty much hates me. I've never got his personal quest, and I've had the cut scene where he basically said he doesn't respect me, blah blah. I think I'm OK with Viv, I've done her first personal quest, or a quest - I don't know if it's a personal one. Companions tend to have more than one quests. I haven't had any cut scenes with her, though.

 

I kind of wish there was a bar or something to look at, so I could see what my approval rating was. Ehh.

[Dabrikishaw]

It was like this in the first game though.

[Yermogi]

I like the system quite a bit. I just wish there was a way to track affection ratings.

[Frybread76]

I wish there was a numerical value or something that told me my approval rating with my companions.

[LightningPoodle]

But you don't have approval ratings or numerical figures in real life. Why do you need them in game. In real life, you make choices that not everyone will agree with. The same thing has been implemented within these games. Characters will have their own feelings towards you, and it's your job to pick up on them, not be given them, otherwise it would detract from character development.

[Call Me Jord]

I love this system. I wouldn't mind a numerical value just as an indication of how Good/Bad I'm viewed by said Companion.

 

My only gripe with how it was in Origins was how I needed it to be a certain number, then do their personal Quest before maxing it out, otherwise I could miss out on Romancing them if thats my goal with that Companion.

 

That happened my first time with Leliana, but once I understood the system (aka Internet research) it wasn't a hassle.

 

However this system is great as I've said, as it relies on me more doing things that they agree with, instead of being like "Here's 15 gifts, now onto the next Companion!".

 

Edit: Now that I think about it, screw what I said about having a numerical value display!

[Storvacker]

The way I see it is, if someone doesn't like you, they aren't going to open up to you, they are going to tell you about their pasts, their thoughts, anything. that is a repercussion for being a dick to them.

What bothers me is that sometimes I'm not a dick to them, they just don't love me enough. Additionally, most of their personal quests don't require them to open up to you - they need something done. Iron Bull's quest seems to be approval-gated, but the events of it are driven by

Spoiler

the Qunari

not him. Blackwall's quest has him

Spoiler

go to stop an execution alone

which doesn't exactly require him to like the Inquisitor to happen.

 

This is why I disliked DA:O's system. Why does Leliana need to tell me about who Marjorlaine is before Marjorlaine will send assassins after her? That should happen regardless.

 

But you don't have approval ratings or numerical figures in real life. Why do you need them in game. In real life, you make choices that not everyone will agree with. The same thing has been implemented within these games. Characters will have their own feelings towards you, and it's your job to pick up on them, not be given them, otherwise it would detract from character development.

You can pick up on the feelings but that doesn't mean you can fix the numerical figure that does exist in the game enough to not be locked out of content. It is frustrating if you role-play a character instead of working to please everyone because it blocks you from quests because you are playing a realistic person.

[AlphaDormante]

Solas hates my guts, lmao. Which is a little disappointing, since I'm interested in finding out what he's all about, given his role in the story. Ah well. That's what YT is for.

 

Truthfully, I think he's just tired of me always jumping off the top floor and landing on his table full of books.

[LightningPoodle]

What bothers me is that sometimes I'm not a dick to them, they just don't love me enough. Additionally, most of their personal quests don't require them to open up to you - they need something done. Iron Bull's quest seems to be approval-gated, but the events of it are driven by

Spoiler

the Qunari

not him. Blackwall's quest has him

Spoiler

go to stop an execution alone

which doesn't exactly require him to like the Inquisitor to happen.

 

This is why I disliked DA:O's system. Why does Leliana need to tell me about who Marjorlaine is before Marjorlaine will send assassins after her? That should happen regardless.

 

I didn't mean you being a dick right to their faces. It's like, I think this person is a dick because his morals are all wrong. He's a decent person, but he can be selfish sometimes. "Being a dick".

 

I understand those examples, especially the Leliana one, however, in the case of both Iron Bull and Blackwall, they don't have to tell you. If Iron Bull doesn't like you, his reports to the Ben-Hassrath could have you in a bad light meaning the Qunari don't want to join you. With Blackwall, I haven't seen that quest yet but it seems personal to him. Like I said before, he probably doesn't want to open up to you, so does it whilst you are away or something. I don't know but that could be very likely.

[Tevinter Soldier]

eh i'll buy a guide for this, the weird apart is sera is under no illusions that i dislike her and yet i got her quests yet blackwall and bull nada.

[LightningPoodle]

eh i'll buy a guide for this, the weird apart is sera is under no illusions that i dislike her and yet i got her quests yet blackwall and bull nada.

 

The guide doesn't go into that much detail. It outlines the major decision approval at the end of main quests but not side quests or dialogue or anything like that.

[Who Knows]

I didn't have any problem getting approval after doing the "kill/find/destroy x" companion quests. Even Cassandra, whom I disagreed with constantly, considered my inquisitor a friend and also had feelings for him.

[Tevinter Soldier]

The guide doesn't go into that much detail. It outlines the major decision approval at the end of main quests but not side quests or dialogue or anything like that.

 

It should at least be enough to get me on track then i just pander to what they want. the biggest problem for me is the major decisions i think.

[LightningPoodle]

It should at least be enough to get me on track then i just pander to what they want. the biggest problem for me is the major decisions i think.

 

It has charts, for example, in Orlais, at the Winter Palace, it has all the possible outcomes and how each companion will react to them. It's useful, but you still have to do the brunt of the work in order to get them to like you. That, for now, must be done by gut feeling alone.

[Storvacker]

I didn't mean you being a dick right to their faces. It's like, I think this person is a dick because his morals are all wrong. He's a decent person, but he can be selfish sometimes. "Being a dick".

 

I understand those examples, especially the Leliana one, however, in the case of both Iron Bull and Blackwall, they don't have to tell you. If Iron Bull doesn't like you, his reports to the Ben-Hassrath could have you in a bad light meaning the Qunari don't want to join you. With Blackwall, I haven't seen that quest yet but it seems personal to him. Like I said before, he probably doesn't want to open up to you, so does it whilst you are away or something. I don't know but that could be very likely.

I do see your point, although I still have some reservations about the system but I do see why it is in place. (I am starting to think I may have a bug with Blackwall though since even with barely any disapproval he still won't give it to me.)

With Blackwall, though, once you see his quest you'll understand why it can't be done without the Inquisitor.

[karushna5]

I think it would work more if we could know where we are with the characters, if an approval bar is not an option than at least a pop up "companion is friends/enemies/dating/in love/dislikes you

[vertigomez]

When I saw this thread title I assumed it was gonna be about Sera's qunari > human = dwarf > elf approval thing.

[LadyofRivendell]

I think it would work more if we could know where we are with the characters, if an approval bar is not an option than at least a pop up "companion is friends/enemies/dating/in love/dislikes you

 

I know I'd like this, just something to figure out exactly where we stand, but not a number or a bar or anything overly definitive.

That being said, I do like the system, but there are some characters who fall into a seemingly neutral category towards liking me and I'd like to figure out exactly what they think. Like Varric, I was always nice to him, took him with me, yet I never really unlocked new dialogue and he always greeted me the same (though I did get cutscenes). Even Viv gave me a mission or two to fetch things for her despite her dislike of me. And Solas never had any new dialogue for me. Never. 

 

Like many other things in this game, the approval ratings would benefit a lot from a touch of clarity.

[Red.Social.Knight]

But you don't have approval ratings or numerical figures in real life.

 

I also don't have a numerical hit point score or strength rating in real life.

 

Anyway, the linear numerical approval score still exists in Inquisition -- they've just made it invisible to the player.

[EmissaryofLies]

I love the approval gate. It makes the game more realistic and immerses me more. .

 

Blackwall disapproves of my skullduggerous tendencies and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Pierce Miller]

Blackwall told me he hated me in our very first conversation, I did not get his personal quest