I know this won't win over many people, but maybe some will see what I'm trying to say.
We've been the Hero of Fereldan. We've been the Champion of Kirkwall. We've been the Inquisitor. In other video games of this particular genre, we typically play that same role. Big. Powerful. Important. A leader.
I like that role, but I'm getting tired of it since it's the same role we play in most of these games.
What about playing a protagonist (in a future DA game) with a more intimate role? Instead being "in charge" of everything and making sweeping decisions - what about a story that is more personal? There are bigger, badder things happening around you, but you are not at the head of the table. You're not called on to lead armies and save "the whole wide world."
Consider this: Each race you choose has a specific, intimate storyline from beginning to end. The characters you meet along the way are the same, but depending on your race selection, they meet you in different ways. And the conflict you're trying to resolve is different, based on your race. Even the antagonist is different, based on your race.
You could start off as a human, desperately trying to track down the person or entity who kidnapped your baby brother. And that's what you spend the game working toward.
You could start off as a qunari who has been framed for murder of a comrade, and you spend the game trying to unmask who framed you.
And so on and so forth for the other races. Each comes with a different story. A different conflict. A different villain. But they're part of Thedas. The game play experience is within Thedas and around the many different people of Thedas. Their turmoil. Their drama. *Their* conflicts. But you have a more significant conflict of your own, and your game play experience would be deeply personal because of the unique and intimate cause that drives you. You may not be a hero, but as Varric said we've had plenty of heroes. You'll be a character. And your story would be special. As for the game, it can still be large, expansive, and explorable.
I Would Like to Take A Break From Saving The World
Débuté par
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, déc. 15 2014 08:56
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#3
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:01
EmperorSahlertz
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While hero fatigue is a thing, I can guarentee you that "farmer joe's story" simply isn't all that captivating.
We want our main characters to be larger than life. It is ingrained in us.
#4
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:03
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
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DA2 tried that. It didn't work.
Seriously, the dev themselves used the expression "more personal story".
I don't see why it cant work in an expansive, explorable setting and with a dev timeline that isn't rushed. There are a lot of reasons DA2 failed. Striving for a unique game play experience isn't one of them. In fact it wasn't unique in most parts and you had only one race option. Also there was no exploration.
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#5
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:05
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
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While hero fatigue is a thing, I can guarentee you that "farmer joe's story" simply isn't all that captivating.
We want our main characters to be larger than life. It is ingrained in us.
I disagree. I'm more interested in a character's story than in the melodrama of heroic grandstanding.
But I do agree that we've been conditioned to be "unstoppable heroes of everything/the universe". It feels so bland.
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#6
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:06
AtreiyaN7
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Individual stories like these might conceivably be interesting, but I'm not sure that they can carry a whole game. Some of this stuff would make for decent sidequests, though. And yes, they sort of did try something on a smaller scale in DA2, which I liked...but I think that most people do not share that sentiment.
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#8
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:10
EmperorSahlertz
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I disagree. I'm more interested in a character's story than in the melodrama of heroic grandstanding.
But I do agree that we've been conditioned to be "unstoppable heroes of everything/the universe". It feels so bland.
There has to be some sort of struggle, and you have to rise above it and "champion it". You have to become the hero. Without the struggle there is no hero. Without the hero, there is no story.
#9
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:14
Revangroe
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Good writing would make the most minute conflict feel like just such a struggle and make someone feel like just as much of a hero. Where DA2 got bloated was in naming Hawke "the most important person in Thedas." Hawke was a hero thrust into the role of everyman, instead of the other way around. Something like the OP is talking about would make the everyman feel like the hero. If anyone could pull it off, Bioware could.
#10
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:14
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Yeah, it would be a personal struggle. You would become the "hero" (a subjective term anyway) of your own plight.There has to be some sort of struggle, and you have to rise above it and "champion it". You have to become the hero. Without the struggle there is no hero. Without the hero, there is no story.
If there is a character and there is a conflict, then there is a story. There will always be a story with those two things.
Magnitude does not make or break a story. Depth, structure, character development - those make or break a story.
#11
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:14
Camenae
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You take plenty of breaks from saving the world.
Between collecting 235123235 pieces of Elfroot, leading a farmer's lost buffalo back to the farm (seriously dude you couldn't find it yourself? I need you to at least try? It was a 30-second walk away!!) AND tracking down a special golden ram, herding another special ram (halla) back to the Dalish, and all those requisitions (really people? I'm the Herald of Andraste and the Inquisitor, *I* should be giving *you* requisitions)......
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#12
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:17
Basement Cat
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Playing the hero is always fun, but there is one role I've always found intriguing: the team psychologist/counselor/confidant. Like Deanna Troy from Star Trek. What would it be like to be the person everyone confides in? How would we feel if we saw them fall apart? How would we feel if our advice made the situation worse? How to decide what advice to give?
But that kind of role is not really suited to medieval fantasy. Unless it was made by Telltale.
#13
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:21
Feranel
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I thought DA2 was a break from saving the world. I mean, we kinda saved a city, kinda, when we weren't too busy messing the whole place up, idunno about you, but my Hawke messed more **** up that she fixed, finally rounding out assisting a terrorist starting a civil war by unleashing The Elder One upon the world. "Gee Hawke, the Wardens NEVER thought to try to kill Corypheus, that's why they've been manning this prison for a thousand years, because they are just too dumb to kill him. It's so great that you thought of releasing him so you can kill him, you're so smart."
I mean, you are only the "Champion of Kirkwall" because you were the toughest person around to fight the Arishok, who only attacked because of something YOUR FRIEND DID.
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#14
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:22
The Loyal Nub
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I don't know if this is something BioWare could pull off now even if they wanted too. People's expectations being what they are asking BioWare to deliver something on a smaller scale/scope that's more intimate and personal might not be possible.
These are some good ideas however and I think it's the sort of thing an indie company could do a better job of if given the rights to set it in the Dragon Age universe but outside the main games or the canon.
#15
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:22
LightningPoodle
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You know what? Yeah. Yeah! I agree! I want a game where I can kick back, have a beer and watch the pixels float by!
#16
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:23
MisterJB
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DA2 tried and succeeded on that front. With more money and time...
Success is subjective. I distinctly remembre many complaining they didn't like having a plot that didn't revolve around saving the world.
#17
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:25
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I thought DA2 was a break from saving the world. I mean, we kinda saved a city, kinda, when we weren't too busy messing the whole place up, idunno about you, but my Hawke messed more **** up that she fixed, finally rounding out assisting a terrorist starting a civil war by unleashing The Elder One upon the world. "Gee Hawke, the Wardens NEVER thought to try to kill Corypheus, that's why they've been manning this prison for a thousand years, because they are just too dumb to kill him. It's so great that you thought of releasing him so you can kill him, that plan will work flawlessly."
I don't think DA2 qualifies as anything in regard to this topic. DA2 was rushed and low budget, as well as limited.
DAI showed us what they can do with the new consoles, a better engine, and time. Though we ended up with the same old, "save the world! Do some fetch quests!" - which is cool, but nothing new.
I dunno about you guys but I'm tired of my fantasy video games all feeling the same. Someone should break the mould.
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#18
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:25
Basement Cat
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You know what? Yeah. Yeah! I agree! I want a game where I can kick back, have a beer and watch the pixels float by!
Go play the Sims, then. 
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#19
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:26
LightningPoodle
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Go play the Sims, then.
Can't play a game where it sounds like I'm controlling Teletubbies. Just can't. Hated them as a child. Pure, f***ing loathe them!
#20
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:28
Guest_Shove Dragons_*
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Success is subjective. I distinctly remembre many complaining they didn't like having a plot that didn't revolve around saving the world.
So....what are you saying? You want to save the world every single game? Same formula? Same "final showdown with X - the villain who wants to rule everyone"? The same cliches? Same regurgitated melodrama? The same roles?
Agree to disagree then.
This genre just feels..............stagnant.
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#21
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:30
Ynqve
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Playing the hero is always fun, but there is one role I've always found intriguing: the team psychologist/counselor/confidant. Like Deanna Troy from Star Trek. What would it be like to be the person everyone confides in? How would we feel if we saw them fall apart? How would we feel if our advice made the situation worse? How to decide what advice to give?
But that kind of role is not really suited to medieval fantasy. Unless it was made by Telltale.
Medieval psychologist game by Telltale? I NEED THIS!
I guess I have the GoT game, but that's not really the same thing.
#22
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:30
Former_Fiend
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DA2 tried that. It didn't work.
Seriously, the dev themselves used the expression "more personal story".
There are a lot of reasons why DA2 didn't work. That doesn't mean it didn't have good ideas that aren't worth trying again.
Personally I feel that alternating between the sweeping, epic, world saving stories and the smaller, more personal stories is a good way to keep the series fresh, avoid ridiculous escalation, and keep the setting rooted in low fantasy.
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#23
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:32
Taleroth
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DA2 tried that. It didn't work.
Not very hard, at two points you're trying to stop the outbreak of a world war. Kirkwall may not be as big as Ferelden, but two-thirds of the subplots were about saving the city. The only personal subplot is the first one they drop.
OP: I've nothing against personal quests, but once you start saying things like every race gets its own story you've lost me. I don't think you know what you're really asking for.
#24
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:35
Basement Cat
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So....what are you saying? You want to save the world every single game? Same formula? Same "final showdown with X - the villain who wants to rule everyone"? The same cliches? Same regurgitated melodrama? The same roles?
Agree to disagree then.
This genre just feels..............stagnant.
I get where you're coming from. Just to take the medieval fantasy genre: we could play as a revolutionary leader trying to overthrow a tyrant (Fable 3 kinda did that but... it wasn't too good.) Or inversely, play the monarch who has to quell the rebellion. Evade assassination attempts. Stop attempted coups.
I wouldn't mind a game that focuses on intrigue where pretty much everyone is a potential enemy. But for RPGs, the big hero is the go to formula because it's escapist fantasy. Most people are ordinary, small time people with little impact on the world. It's nice to play the most important/powerful person in the world.
#25
Posté 15 décembre 2014 - 09:35
XxPrincess(x)ThreatxX
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I doubt it'll happen again, all they'd get is "this game isn't epic enough" just like DA2, if the PC isn't some larger then life power fantasy who solves everything by themselves it gets hate
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