235 réponses à ce sujet

[robertmarilyn]

I was dreading this quest because of the timer. But I did it last night and ended up with 100 court approval (actually I think it was higher than that because I was able to mess up and it stayed at 100). At first I was hovering at 40   and was afraid I was going to get kicked out. But the dance got me close to 100 and then I stayed high after that. One thing I learned to do was to avoid talking to the NPCs standing around. I did better when my PC kept her mouth shut. 

 

I do think this quest will be more fun on my next game because I have a better idea of what is expected and I also know that I won't have to sweat the timer as long as I keep going back to the ballroom area. 

[Esperard]

Loved it, exactly what I usually expect from a Bioware game. Immersion ! As a warrior, I really felt out of place and had no idea what to say, it was awesome. Plus, it showcased Orlais' culture perfectly

[Terodil]

I usually don't post here much any more but... so much support for doing away with the timer mechanic.

 

I absolutely loved the whole quest complex, I loved the idea of court approval etc.... but the timer just felt so odd and out-of-place and ruined the enjoyment of this particular place for me. I like to take my time to look around, and it's bad design (imo), as well as illogical, that approval should drop as a function of time, especially if you introduce a contradicting feature that rewards exploration, such as the halla statues. If you want to add pressure, throw in guards that remove you on detection, if you absolutely want, but I really dislike timed missions, especially if there is so much to discover! It's like you give us a nommy cake and only allow us two forkfuls.

[Caojem]

The point of the game mechanic is to enforce the fact that Orlesians are hard to please and that The Game requires mastery to win. You don't need to have maximum approval to complete the mission, just enough to stop you being removed from the party altogether. Many characters across the series mention The Game and how it can burn even the most experienced of players - that you're ostensibly new to it and the Orlesian Court, could be from nearly any racial/class background and are representing an organisation that is fast becoming a new world power is enough to ruffle even the most ssecure feathers. The actions and decisions that net you approval from the Court are exactly as they should be, as is the decay from being away from the limelight/party seeing as your main reason to even attend is to win the approval of the Court to have them join you as allies, which you can't get from sneaking around the servants quarters or from hunting for halla statues.

 

The fact that you aren't introduced to the approval/decay system works in its favour to an extent - you are thrust into Orlesian politics and the Game whether you like it or not - you're warned firmly by Josephine and Leliana as to what to expect, and while I can only commend people getting into character and roleplaying there characters by sticking to what they feel is their character's attitude and motivation, most attitudes are very clearly not going to be excepted by the snobby, clique-ish Orlesian nobility.

[herkles]

my main issue with the mission is not with the mission it self, which i think is awesome and a delight. No, my main issue is that the civil war doesn't have a longer quest line. If there were say 2 quests before in the emerald graves and Exalted Plains about the civil war. Then ending with this mission would have made it so much better.

[Fyriaan]

The Ball was pretty easy, I was even an Qunari, starting with 0 approving. 
I even ended up with 97% approval.
But I actually liked the political situation, gives an other perspective and you are not a simple by stander.

[BurnedSamurai]

From a roleplaying perspective this mission is a pain. As I was playing as a character who disliked the aristocracy they were losing so much court approval that it became impossible. Instead of an instant fail state when the timer runs out they should have an alternate path for getting kicked out of the ball regardless of whether this has a negative effect on the progress of the inquisition - from what I've seen the orlesian support is inconsequential in the course of the game anyway  

[Aulis Vaara]

Aww, the Orlesian Court is the new fade! That gives me all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings inside. That actually makes me like Inquisition a bit more, like it's a real Dragon Age game now.

[StrayChild83]

I hated this part of the game as well, untill I got best reward for saving empress and 100% approval. That's some awesome masks, I think best helms in the game, so for all the crap I had to take I have to say that reward made up for it.

[Natashina]

I hated this part of the game as well, untill I got best reward for saving empress and 100% approval. That's some awesome masks, I think best helms in the game, so for all the crap I had to take I have to say that reward made up for it.

No arguments from me either.  Those are some awesome helms, and it did help make up for the timer.

 

Aww, the Orlesian Court is the new fade! That gives me all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings inside. That actually makes me like Inquisition a bit more, like it's a real Dragon Age game now.

 Never thought it that way, but I think you might be right.  

[Paul E Dangerously]

Timed level? Annoying, but okay.

Exploration level? Sure, why not.

A timed exploration level? No. Just no.

 

I think part of the problem is that unlike a lot of other stuff, there's a hard "right way" and "wrong way" in this mission. You're really limited in dialogue to an extent that the rest of the game really doesn't do.

 

I can't agree with it being the new Fade, either. The Fade doesn't even take as long as people act - it's linear if you want, just go clockwise, and more than possible to just haul through it, get the forms, kill the bosses, and get out.

[Natashina]

The "new Fade" comment came from the love it or hate it nature that already seems to have happened regarding this quest among players.  The comparison has nothing to do with game mechanics.  

[robertmarilyn]

I'm not very good at timed quests because they make me nervous. I did accidentally gain points though for being too slow...so I was "fashionably late" even though I was trying to hurry and that gave me extra points. Now that I understand the game, I can play it better. 

 

Oh, I can't resist playing the fade quest in DAO, because I feel sorry of Niall (sp?) so always play that quest, just to give him company before he croaks completely. 

[JujuBindweed]

I loved it!

You had to act like an Orlesian ... Don't come to late, ect ect. It was SO MUCH RPG!!! ... 

And...I had 100 Points with my Female Mage Elf hihi

[VilniusNastavnik]

I got 99 by the end of it, had 100 before the dance, did not unlock the achievement.. Was funny their reaction to a giant qunari playing the game better than everyone else.. It is not hard.. just be a sociopath.. if you are RPing an ass normally, put on the mask of the master manipulator.

[Z.Z]

I didn't find it hard...the game does give you hints. Pay attention to what Josephine says at the beginning and you won't fail the dance. I got tons of approval from the dance and the Bella achievement the first time. And I was fairly slow during exploration.

[squidney2k1]

I thought it was very clever and creative.

 

You're supposed to "appeal" to all of the nobles, meaning don't ****** them off and say things to placate. If you fail at this, you're doing 2 things wrong:

 

1. You're sticking to your "character" and choosing always aggressive/sarcastic/peaceful comments. You think that EVERYONE is going to be ok with that and still like what you say??

2. You simply don't have any understanding of how people feel when they talk to you.

3. You don't listen and choose the first & fastest response.

 

 

I understand the hate about the timer, but it's a weak argument since there are enough ways to get a total of what would amount to 350 approval. There are plenty of "timers" in games....just that in this one, the timer has a name.

[JujuBindweed]

I thought it was very clever and creative.

 

You're supposed to "appeal" to all of the nobles, meaning don't ****** them off and say things to placate. If you fail at this, you're doing 2 things wrong:

 

1. You're sticking to your "character" and choosing always aggressive/sarcastic/peaceful comments. You think that EVERYONE is going to be ok with that and still like what you say??

2. You simply don't have any understanding of how people feel when they talk to you.

3. You don't listen and choose the first & fastest response.

 

 

I understand the hate about the timer, but it's a weak argument since there are enough ways to get a total of what would amount to 350 approval. There are plenty of "timers" in games....just that in this one, the timer has a name.

 

 

RIGHT! ....

[Joxer]

Hate what you want, but unlike enormous filler in this game, WEWH quest is top notch no endless respawns, no grinding, brilliant C&C design. I with the rest of the game was like it.

[Brishon]

I hate it because I read everything very carefully and paid close attention yet I was still confused as to what was going on. My Inquisitor mentions that I found Gaspard's dagger? Where? I don't remember that. Also the fact that unless Celene dies, screwing Gaspard is your only option. Also the way the party members disapproves/approves of certain actions make no sense.

[Rhifox]

This was my one of my most favorite quests so far due to the approval mechanic. Hit 100 despite starting starting from very low as a Qunari mage. Actually having to watch what you say was very fun, moreso than any of the combat in the game IMO. That's what roleplaying is all about. I do agree though that there should have been some form of continuation for players who fail/choose not to act 'proper' and get thrown out. A simple game over for hitting 0 is just dull and discourages players who would want to play an abrasive character.

 

The only issue with it was the needing to rush when off in the side/combat areas. While the purpose of it is understandable and makes sense, in practice it ends up only being frustrating. And also counterintuitive at points: Climbing up and down the wall in front of a crowd of people seemed like something that would be much more of an approval hit than spending a few minutes searching the library on the upper level. I actually avoided the climbing at first precisely because I expected that I would take a massive approval hit for doing it, I only did it after I could find no other way to progress.

 

The other thing I disliked was that they made the discovery of the villain so obvious. I greatly enjoyed hunting the clues down and finding out that way, and already had suspicions about who it was without the heavy-handed ambush. I would have preferred this whole quest to not include any combat all, really.

[caradoc2000]

A few seconds before the end it dropped from 100 to 99 for me.

 

At that moment my feelings got promoted from Captain Awkward to Major Facepalm ... ...

[Tsunami Chef]

I liked the mission TBH. I kind of fucked myself over my first playthrough because I didn't necessarily get the act Orlesian part so I kept actually trying to talk straight to the Duchess which lost me a lot of points.

 

The only thing I think was dumb was the losing points if you were gone for long. It encouraged gameplay of jumping down into the party and then leaving 2 seconds later...when if you think about it would probably make it even more obvious since you have climbed this ladder up the stairs 50 times in the last 20 minutes.

[StrangeStrategy]

No, it's dumb design. 

 

If it was dumb design, it'd be intuitive for you. It clearly isn't though, hence your whining.

Turn your nose up at the Grand Game if you like, shubnabub, but we play for the highest stakes, and to the death. - Leliana

 

Seriously though. Its a court, you're not popular if you're stupid... Try to be a bit more tactical, faster, and smarter... And maybe you won't suck so much.

[eyezonlyii]

I loved it. it was supposed to represent the Great Game, and to me it did a pretty good job. Sure the timer was a bit fast, but you are a significant dignitary at a court function, like the game says, people are going to notice if you're away for too long. What I think would have been a pretty cool mechanic is instead, have the Inquisitor with one group of allies attending to the party and racking up approval and whatnot, while another group is doing the actual investigating. Depending on who you took as your entourage and who is investigating could then affect how far you could go as opposed to the Halla statues.