535 réponses à ce sujet

[Yokokorama]

Seriously? That is the worst and most laughable thing I've heard about the quests so far.

 

What exactly is so laughable about what I stated?

[Natureguy85]

What exactly is so laughable about what I stated?

 

Like you said, why does the Inquisitor take it upon him/herself to kill the bears? Someone is sensitive.

[Yokokorama]

Like you said, why does the Inquisitor take it upon him/herself to kill the bears?

 

Apologies, I took your post as sarcasm / attempted mockery rather than genuine response.  Hard to tell on forums.

 

That being said, I have no idea why.  These type of quests are even worse than fetch quests, as fetch quests (despite their boring, repetitive nature) are given context and you can always expect a reward or "thank you" from the quest giver at completion.  Here, the Inquisitor randomly starts a quest and also ends it as well, almost as if he himself is the quest giver; there are absolutely no interactions whatsoever.  It is beyond odd.

 

And the problem is that quests like this plague the game left and right; in fact, the majority of the game's side quests either fall under this category of fetch quests or "worse-than-fetch-quests."  Many defend this by saying that all RPGs have fetch quests, which is true, but this game's reliance upon fetch quests is far more pronounced than anything else I've played in my life.  You're looking at something like a 10 to 1 ratio of irrelevant to relevant quests. 

[Lebanese Dude]

Apologies, I took your post as sarcasm / attempted mockery rather than genuine response.  Hard to tell on forums.
 
That being said, I have no idea why.  These type of quests are even worse than fetch quests, as fetch quests (despite their boring, repetitive nature) are given context and you can always expect a reward or "thank you" from the quest giver at completion.  Here, the Inquisitor randomly starts a quest and also ends it as well, almost as if he himself is the quest giver; there are absolutely no interactions whatsoever.  It is beyond odd.
 
And the problem is that quests like this plague the game left and right; in fact, the majority of the game's side quests either fall under this category of fetch quests or "worse-than-fetch-quests."  Many defend this by saying that all RPGs have fetch quests, which is true, but this game's reliance upon fetch quests is far more pronounced than anything else I've played in my life.  You're looking at something like a 10 to 1 ratio of irrelevant to relevant quests.

It has a purpose.

Completing it gives you three hides used for masterwork crafting. It's a reward for seeking out what the hunter was going for and to give incentives towards hunting creatures for masterwork items. Did you read the letter properly?

Its not a quest as much as a task taken upon by your character. Like any zone quest, it can be utterly ignored, even more so in this specific case because there is little emotional drive or logical reason to do it.

 

And no, you're completely and utterly wrong about the quest content in DAI.

 

Most of the quests have context, whether explicitly stated or part of the codex. 

 

There are very few "no-context" quests such as the Drufallo escort (which makes sense given it's a board quest and not explictly given to you by someone), but most of them have a purpose that you seem to be content in ignoring. 

 

Some are tangential to the plot such as the refugee camp quests in the Hinterlands that comes up a lot here. Is helping the refugees not reward enough for roleplaying your character? You even get several tangible rewards and environmental changes near the end after completing all the relevant tasks.

Others are meant to drive exploration such as the widow's ring which directs you towards the templar encampment. Sometimes it's more subtle like

Spoiler

the cache quest which takes you near a burning building which you shortly discover was set on fire by templars while mages were hiding inside. This adds to the feel of the setting.

 

Then you have those that offer insight into the Dragon Age lore and setting such as the landmark "quests". Ignoring the codex is all fine and good if you wish to do so, but it's part of the game and it is context. In DAI it even evolves as your knowledge of the environment and the characters change. 

 

They can also be simple tasks that allow you to roleplay your character and provide meaningful interactions with companions such as the widower quest in Redcliffe (and also the war table quests).

 

Sometimes it's just about the comedy such as the Lord Woolsley quest.

 

---

 

 

The flair for the dramatic hyperbole abounds in this forum.  I only wish people bothered to analyze before slapping descriptions onto things they barely bothered to make sense of.

[AlanC9]

"Little logical reason" isn't true if you actually want those bear hides, of course. That's a logical reason for doing it.

I get the feeling that a lot of the angst over such quests would go away if they weren't classified as "quests" in the first place.

[Lebanese Dude]

"Little logical reason" isn't true if you actually want those bear hides, of course. That's a logical reason for doing it.

I get the feeling that a lot of the angst over such quests would go away if they weren't classified as "quests" in the first place.

 

In retrospect there is a reason, but prior to that quest on your first playthrough you very likely did not even know what masterworking is.

 

Given many people complete this quest before getting to Skyhold, and the "supposedly appropriate" level to do so is level 7 or 8-ish (while most of us "completionists" get there around level 12-ish), you may get a different impression on the usefulness of the quest.

 

It's a task your character takes up. Whether you complete it is your choice, something that many here too easily forget.

[Yokokorama]

It has a purpose.

Completing it gives you three hides used for masterwork crafting. It's a reward for seeking out what the hunter was going for and to give incentives towards hunting creatures for masterwork items. Did you read the letter properly?

 

This is not a strong story purpose whatsoever.  You can go ahead and say killing any high level monster has a purpose too, because doing so usually yields decent loot.  Killing monsters (without any unique mechanism involved) isn't worth the title of "quest."
 

 

Its not a quest as much as a task taken upon by your character. Like any zone quest, it can be utterly ignored, even more so in this specific case because there is little emotional drive or logical reason to do it.

 

You pretty much hit the nail on the head; its a task, not a quest.  Far too many of this game's "quests" are tasks of similar nature.  Telling me I can ignore them is great, but when you have got a massive world the size of Inquisition filled with "tasks" of this menial and unmotivated nature is almost equivalent to telling me a large chunk of the game is ignorable.

 

The size of Inquisition is unproportional to its relevant content is my main point.  A lot of Inquisition's "space" is filled with uninspired "tasks" that hardly live up with what one would expect from a decent side quest.

 

 

And no, you're completely and utterly wrong about the quest content in DAI.

 

Most of the quests have context, whether explicitly stated or part of the codex.

 

If the only motivation to do something is Codex, I consider that a weak driving force to perform said quest.  I enjoy reading Codex occasionally, but it should not be the primary method with which to encourage me to perform a given task.

 

 

 

There are very few "no-context" quests such as the Drufallo escort, but most of them have a purpose that you seem to be content in ignoring.

 

Placing flowers on a dead wife's grave, finding a widow's ring, and lighting candles for a dead son's grave . . . these all have context that could perhaps be labeled as improving morale and the Inquisition's relations with others.  That doesn't change the fact that small-scale menial tasks of this nature to be performed by the Inquisitor himself of all people is extremely weak motivation and in turn, weak context.

 

Then you've got plain odd context.  Killing ten rams has context of feeding the crossroads civilians . . . but wait, aren't there several armed soldiers not several meters away from the rams that seem fully capable of doing so themselves?

 

So, yeah.  We can give anything context if we try hard enough.  Fact of the matter is, most of it is weak.  Just because context exists doesn't mean it is well established or motivating enough to push through it.

 

Good context, in my completely subjective opinion, is enforced through consistent dialogue sequences balanced with combat and Codex / letter trails in between.  Compare companion quests, which perfectly hit that balance, to these quests you have appropriately dubbed "tasks" and you will get an idea of what I am getting at.

[Realmzmaster]

A leader knows full well the importance of influence even on a small scale. For example take the example of placing the widow's flowers on the grave. A menial task to the Inquisitor yes, but it means so much to the person you do it for. That person then tells others that the Inquisitor is a good and kind leader. That influences other people to think more favorable of the Inquisition as a whole. A simple task that can be done since the party is exploring the Hinterlands anyway.

 

The same with helping the sister find the remains of the dead in Crestwood. The party is going to old Crestwood anyway so is that hard to look for the remains. The sister is even taken aback that the mighty Inquisitor cared enough to perform the task.

 

That shows caring for the subjects. It is more than just closing rifts and killing the Big Bad. IMHO, it is part of role playing. People remember the small acts of kindness that are done. But, YMMV.

[DameMagpie]

RP asks you to fill in blanks, true, I suppose the OP doesn't want an RP world, but a completed fiction. I like both, but don't get put out finding a reason to go off road for Duffy

[TevinterSupremacist]

RP asks you to fill in blanks, true, I suppose the OP doesn't want an RP world, but a completed fiction. I like both, but don't get put out finding a reason to go off road for Duffy

The problem is, some of us like rp worlds, but are unable to find a non-laughable rp reason for the leader of a military organisation to complete some of the side quests.

[Natureguy85]

 

It has a purpose.

Completing it gives you three hides used for masterwork crafting. It's a reward for seeking out what the hunter was going for and to give incentives towards hunting creatures for masterwork items. Did you read the letter properly?

Its not a quest as much as a task taken upon by your character. Like any zone quest, it can be utterly ignored, even more so in this specific case because there is little emotional drive or logical reason to do it.

 

But are these special bear hides? Does your Inquisitor know that these are special hides or is it explained in the letter? If not, then it's pure gameplay mechanics driven with no story or context, which is the point. You're not picking up a trail to buried treasure, as with the Chasind trail signs in Origins. Does the Inquisitor know why he/she is killing the bears?

 

Also, codex entries are a reward for the player, but the question remains as to why the Inquisitor does them. Unless of course they give a benefit, such as the monster books in the Witcher, that actually teach you important information to fight the monsters.

[Phoe77]

I think it is actually explained in the letter.  I only read it once or twice, but I thought it said that you can use materials gained from hunting bears to make something to impress the ladies or something.  It doesn't explicitly say "Masterwork crafting material" in the letter I don't think, but the implication is obvious and it's confirmed if you look in the journal I think.  

 

I never had a reason justifying the Inquisitor's desire to complete that mission or most of the other ones.  For that mission in particular, it makes sense that he'd want to acquire materials that can be used to craft more powerful equipment.  Other quests that seem largely pointless like delivering flowers to the gravesite can be justified as the inquisitor looking to gain the peoples' goodwill and support.  It might seem small and pointless, but considering the Inquisitor is likely going to be heading that way eventually, is there really any reason he wouldn't take a second to deliver some flowers?

 

As to codex entries, I assume you mean landmarks and stuff.  There are plenty of reasons to seek them out.  Landmarks are useful for orienting yourselves and issuing directions, especially in unfamiliar environments.  They can provide insight into the culture and beliefs of the area since a lot of the landmarks are actual man-made structures after all.  Finding them doesn't provide a tangible benefit to the Inquisitor maybe, but information about the areas they're conducting business in can certainly be useful.

[schall_und_rauch]

Apologies, I took your post as sarcasm / attempted mockery rather than genuine response.  Hard to tell on forums.
Here, the Inquisitor randomly starts a quest and also ends it as well, almost as if he himself is the quest giver; there are absolutely no interactions whatsoever.  It is beyond odd.

That's something that was annoying me as well: I get this quest "do 5 times this thing". Then I go to 5 places, do this thing, and in the end, all I get is a bell-sound, +1 power and +30 influence. There is no real resolution in the story sense, the game just informs you that you are done with the quest.
From a story perspective, I'd like to have at least a person acknowledging that I did this quest.

[Natureguy85]

I think it is actually explained in the letter.  I only read it once or twice, but I thought it said that you can use materials gained from hunting bears to make something to impress the ladies or something.  It doesn't explicitly say "Masterwork crafting material" in the letter I don't think, but the implication is obvious and it's confirmed if you look in the journal I think.  

 

I never had a reason justifying the Inquisitor's desire to complete that mission or most of the other ones.  For that mission in particular, it makes sense that he'd want to acquire materials that can be used to craft more powerful equipment.  Other quests that seem largely pointless like delivering flowers to the gravesite can be justified as the inquisitor looking to gain the peoples' goodwill and support.  It might seem small and pointless, but considering the Inquisitor is likely going to be heading that way eventually, is there really any reason he wouldn't take a second to deliver some flowers?

 

As to codex entries, I assume you mean landmarks and stuff.  There are plenty of reasons to seek them out.  Landmarks are useful for orienting yourselves and issuing directions, especially in unfamiliar environments.  They can provide insight into the culture and beliefs of the area since a lot of the landmarks are actual man-made structures after all.  Finding them doesn't provide a tangible benefit to the Inquisitor maybe, but information about the areas they're conducting business in can certainly be useful.

 

Ok, well as long as they give it a sense of value, then you can see where the Inquisitor would be interested.

 

The reason the Inquisitor wouldn't do it is that the Inquisitor has more important things to do. I don't know what else is going on at that time so maybe it is indeed no big deal, but I'll compare this to the problem I have with the premise of ME3: Citadel. They are in the middle of a war to stop galactic genocide, with Shepard and crew being the most important players: the only ones working to form an alliance among species. Yet somehow they have time for shore leave and a party.

 

I don't have the game, so I don't know specifically what you're referring to. I was talking about the quests that people say the reward is lore.

 

 

That's something that was annoying me as well: I get this quest "do 5 times this thing". Then I go to 5 places, do this thing, and in the end, all I get is a bell-sound, +1 power and +30 influence. There is no real resolution in the story sense, the game just informs you that you are done with the quest.
From a story perspective, I'd like to have at least a person acknowledging that I did this quest.

 

But do you prefer it to bringing an item to someone you never had any interaction with for no reason at all?

[Fiery Phoenix]

The real solution is to have more content that actually involves real questing and to do a better job of including real sidequests that generally tie into the theme of the story in the future. 

This.

 

The game suffers from a quantity vs. quality dilemma. BioWare kept adding in those meaningless filler sidequests with little to no attention given to what they actually convey.

[Spirited Treasure]

I think you've pretty well summed up my feelings on the game as well. Have a like.
There were times when the story seemed to get lost in the world.

+1

[dlux]

This.

 

The game suffers from a quantity vs. quality dilemma. BioWare kept adding in those meaningless filler sidequests with little to no attention given to what they actually convey.

What made Bioware think the their fan base would accept such terrible quest design? Because Skyrim, Far Cry and Assassin's Creed (DA:I is largely influenced by these games) are full of filler too?

[dlux]

Bioware has always made games like this

 

 

Wat

[dlux]

Name a bioware game that didn't act upon the semi open world model.

I suppose your point is that Dragon Age: Inquisition can be full of boring filler content because Bioware has always made semi open world games.

 

[turuzzusapatuttu]

I think that exploring would be much better with party banter firing sometimes. Alas, this seems to be missing from the game...

[DragonAgeLegend]

No.

 

The OP is asking for bioware to stop making semi open world games because they spoiled dragon age but bioware has always made games like this. Semi open world is what they do, the only difference is that the maps where a bit bigger this time around.

I should have been more specific. I don't want them to create tiny spaces where we can hardly move but spaces similar to that of Origins, where all areas focused on the story and didn't sidetrack you making you forget the reason you were even in the area. DAI seemed to do that, and on top of that take you to new areas only explorable while in the story. 

[In Exile]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head; its a task, not a quest.  Far too many of this game's "quests" are tasks of similar nature.  Telling me I can ignore them is great, but when you have got a massive world the size of Inquisition filled with "tasks" of this menial and unmotivated nature is almost equivalent to telling me a large chunk of the game is ignorable.

 

The only nail you've hit on the head is the discovery you've made that all of Bioware's quests are just assignments to the PC. This is almost every quest in DA:O - including the main quest, and the subquests that made up the individual main quest. There are two major differences between DA:I and DA:O. The first is that there was more formal cutscene content in DA:O when introducing a task. The second was that, sometimes, there was more plot importance explicitly assigned to your task. 

 

Bioware cut down on the volume of conversation per quest to add in a greater number of quests, and I think that this changed the subjective feeling of the quests for a lot of people. The design is still ass, though. It was bad in DA:O and it just shows more in DA:I because Bioware removed all the distractions that covered up their poor quest design.