37 réponses à ce sujet

[Vexille]

So I really enjoyed the game but after doing 2 playthroughs I noticed something that greatly bothered me, one character went through all the zones and the other skipped some entirely yet they both got roughly the same ending.

 

Am I missing something or do the zones without the main storyline missions have almost no effect on the game and the closing slideshow cards? I honestly felt that most non main plot zones (minus EDL which I liked) were incredibly weak/bland story wise, with the vast majority of quests being at skyrim levels of detail with only a tiny blurb from the quest giver when I accept and when I finish the quest.

 

I know in other bioware titles like ME, Kotor, or even origins if they send you to a huge zone it will have at least SOME effect on the games outcome or on the main plot...

 

But this unless I missed something, skipping a bunch of zones had no real negative effect on the plot and to me made several of the zones seem like the weak questing areas youd expect from an MMORPG, not a story telling powerhouse like bioware.

[veeia]

I can appreciate this perspective, but I disagree. Dragon Age the franchise, while its strength is in narrative and character, has always been about the world of Thedas. Inqusition was the first game to really let you explore it. It would have been awesome if there were main narrative quests in every zone and I agree some of the sidequests could have been improved on, but I'm fine with the way it was. Exploring the areas, learning about the history, finding the small details, enjoying the beautiful scenery, stumbling upon small awesome fun things (like the time frozen area in the WA, or the haunted house in the EG), and getting soaked up in the atmosphere of Thedas was a highlight of the game for me. 

 

Yes, there were lots of flaws, but it was their first stab at doing something like this, so overall I'd call it a success. As long as they learn from their mistakes and realize where their achievements were, I hope they continue to push the location aspect of the game. 

[Vexille]

I can appreciate this perspective, but I disagree. Dragon Age the franchise, while its strength is in narrative and character, has always been about the world of Thedas. Inqusition was the first game to really let you explore it. It would have been awesome if there were main narrative quests in every zone and I agree some of the sidequests could have been improved on, but I'm fine with the way it was. Exploring the areas, learning about the history, finding the small details, enjoying the beautiful scenery, stumbling upon small awesome fun things (like the time frozen area in the WA, or the haunted house in the EG), and getting soaked up in the atmosphere of Thedas was a highlight of the game for me. 

 

Yes, there were lots of flaws, but it was their first stab at doing something like this, so overall I'd call it a success. As long as they learn from their mistakes and realize where their achievements were, I hope they continue to push the location aspect of the game. 

 

It gave me the feeling of playing a weaker version of Skyrim and I really feel the main story suffered because it didnt get the attention it deserved so we could have 100 fetch quests in different zones that had absolutely nothing to do with the ending or the plot.

 

I love the games but I hate the idea that the story is suffering because they are trying to go into areas that frankly other game developers do far better, if I want a great story I think Bioware... if I wanteds to explore a giant world with bits of lore everywhere I'd play the elderscrolls, because frankly its just done better in their games.

[AtreiyaN7]

It gave me the feeling of playing a weaker version of Skyrim and I really feel the main story suffered because it didnt get the attention it deserved so we could have 100 fetch quests in different zones that had absolutely nothing to do with the ending or the plot.

 

I love the games but I hate the idea that the story is suffering because they are trying to go into areas that frankly other game developers do far better, if I want a great story I think Bioware... if I wanteds to explore a giant world with bits of lore everywhere I'd play the elderscrolls, because frankly its just done better in their games.

 

Compared to Skyrim, I would say DA:I was superior in terms of characters and storytelling overall. Skyrim almost entirely lacked any characters with actual personalities and/or senses of humor. I didn't care about a single person or thing other than Brynjolf and Karliah - at most. Everyone else in Skyrim was mind-numbingly boring. In DA:I, I found every single companion to be interesting, along with many of the NPCs that I interacted with. Even the ambient dialogue in DA:I was more interesting than most of the villager dialogue in Skyrim.

 

Certainly, DA:I could have used more main story content and more unique side quests, preferably with a larger impact on events. It's something to improve upon, and I do look forward to future story DLC which will, I hope, add to the game. In any case, I'm on my second full playthrough of the game, which is more times than I've played Skyrim (and at this point, I suspect that the total time I will invest in DA:I will eventually pass the 200 hours I put into Skyrim).

[Rannah]

I can appreciate this perspective, but I disagree. Dragon Age the franchise, while its strength is in narrative and character, has always been about the world of Thedas. Inqusition was the first game to really let you explore it. It would have been awesome if there were main narrative quests in every zone and I agree some of the sidequests could have been improved on, but I'm fine with the way it was. Exploring the areas, learning about the history, finding the small details, enjoying the beautiful scenery, stumbling upon small awesome fun things (like the time frozen area in the WA, or the haunted house in the EG), and getting soaked up in the atmosphere of Thedas was a highlight of the game for me. 

 

Yes, there were lots of flaws, but it was their first stab at doing something like this, so overall I'd call it a success. As long as they learn from their mistakes and realize where their achievements were, I hope they continue to push the location aspect of the game. 

 

Completely agree with you. It is a nice start Bioware made with DA:I, and hopefully it will get more polished in their future games.

[NRieh]

I wish more of zones were directly involved into the main plot, but I can't call them totally 'useless'.

There are some areas I loved (like WA, Storm Coast, Crestwood) and some I disliked (Hissing Wastes, Exalted Plains), but each is a piece of Thedas.  

It reminded me of ME1 MAKO exploration - it had tons of interesting lore and some nice zones, but they were optional, and only 'Geth' investigation was somewhat tied to the main plot.

That's the way to show player the World instead of 'levels' and 'locations', not to provide more fetch-quests. I think those areas do their job. 

[nbberm2]

I finished a play through without even unlocking the fallow mire or emprise de lion. They definitely dropped the ball on making you feel like you were working towards your final goal in each area. Rather disappointing but it gives you more of a decision on where you do or don't explore.

[X Equestris]

I wish more of zones were directly involved into the main plot, but I can't call them totally 'useless'.
There are some areas I loved (like WA, Storm Coast, Crestwood) and some I disliked (Hissing Wastes, Exalted Plains), but each is a piece of Thedas.  
It reminded me of ME1 MAKO exploration - it had tons of interesting lore and some nice zones, but they were optional, and only 'Geth' investigation was somewhat tied to the main plot.
That's the way to show player the World instead of 'levels' and 'locations', not to provide more fetch-quests. I think those areas do their job.

Yeah, my only complaint is that the zones didn't give you much of a reason to go there if they weren't needed for the story. I really liked Emprise du Lion, but there is no practical reason to go there if you don't need the power.

[QweenBeen]

I think the idea of the zones is less about end game and more about during the game. You're going through all these places, making decisions, changing lives. I think a before and after convo with mother giselle goes from "they're doing terribly" to "they have hope". It's about immersing yourself in the influence you gather. And I am sooooo glad they didn't do it like ME3, where you have to have a certain number of points on your map to get a certain ending. Annoying as hell. I think the zones are great for lore lovers too

[hong]

It gave me the feeling of playing a weaker version of Skyrim

Funny, it gave me the feeling of playing Baldurs Gate again. That's Baldurs Gate, not Baldurs Gate 2.

(ofc for it to TRULY replicate that BG1 feeling, it would need a bit more surreal comedy. And less wordiness. And Coran. But I digress.)

[Efvie]

Yes, there were lots of flaws, but it was their first stab at doing something like this, so overall I'd call it a success. As long as they learn from their mistakes and realize where their achievements were, I hope they continue to push the location aspect of the game. 

 

Learning does require making sure those flaws are made known.

 

I was rather disappointed in the lack of effects, myself. The War Table amounted to little more than a chantry board (even if it did have some good stories), and the areas could have done with some more dynamic content… ME3’s way may not be a good way to simulate resources, but ME2’s is.

[MuhidinSaid]

I was disappointed, several of the zones have no connections with the main story whatsoever. I'm finishing the main story now and I still have two zones(emprise du lion and hissing wastes) to explore. Honestly it kinda breaks the immersion, my inquisitor's just running around thedas while coryphish is blowing up the world.

[LightningPoodle]

They have nothing to do with the main storyline and need not even be unlocked in a play through. The only thing you are missing out on is codex entries, experience, fetch quests and the occasional decent bit of loot.

[CuriousArtemis]

I have to agree with the OP I am a massive Dragon Age (and BioWare) fan but so far I've only completed one playthrough of DAI and don't plan on a second anytime soon. I missed the tightly woven narrative with compelling characters and "OMG!" moments. Oh yes, the game is VERY pretty! Prettier than Skyrim, but that's only fair since Skyrim is now two years old (or is it three years??). And yes, of course, DAI's characters blow Skyrim's out of the water. The DA writing team are champs

 

It's just a shame that the emphasis on beautiful scenery and codex entries got in the way of telling a gripping story and forging bonds between us and our new virtual friends I felt such a lack of closeness with the DAI companions and advisors; my relationship with them does not even compare with the folks from the previous two titles.

 

Personally I think the War Table was an interesting idea that didn't quite work. The only thing fun about it were the cut scenes. Perhaps the War Table could've been restricted to 1. Opening up main quests, 2. Opening up areas on the map 3. Companion-related quests (i.e. Cole's amulet). I think the writers (?) let the idea get away with them when they had me picking a card, any card (Leliana, Cullen, or Josie) to deal with star-crossed lovers or which noble sibling should rule a small holding.

 

As for the areas themselves, again, they are gorgeous. They are delight to tromp through! Unfortunately, you NEED to tromp through them, and for several hours each, just to level up and gain power to advance in the main quest. The main story line too loosely strung together when I was spending 5 hours closing rifts and finding lost rings in between each main quest. Heck I think I'd rather scan planets than have to go through that again True, lots of people enjoyed it, and I'm glad for them! Maybe it shouldn't have been so tied to leveling up and gaining power though. Or perhaps a story mode should've been provided; I don't know.

 

Again, it is a great game and a beautiful game, but it just feels a little lost and lacking in those elements I've come to love most in a DA game (characters and story).

[LordSeeker]

 

Compared to Skyrim, I would say DA:I was superior in terms of characters and storytelling overall. Skyrim almost entirely lacked any characters with actual personalities and/or senses of humor. I didn't care about a single person or thing other than Brynjolf and Karliah - at most. Everyone else in Skyrim was mind-numbingly boring. In DA:I, I found every single companion to be interesting, along with many of the NPCs that I interacted with. Even the ambient dialogue in DA:I was more interesting than most of the villager dialogue in Skyrim.

 

Certainly, DA:I could have used more main story content and more unique side quests, preferably with a larger impact on events. It's something to improve upon, and I do look forward to future story DLC which will, I hope, add to the game. In any case, I'm on my second full playthrough of the game, which is more times than I've played Skyrim (and at this point, I suspect that the total time I will invest in DA:I will eventually pass the 200 hours I put into Skyrim).

Yes, story and characters are quite weak in Skyrim but it's much more fun to explore coz it has more content and variety than DAI..World of Skyrim is much richer than DAI... Every NPC has some kind of unique dialogues in Skyrim, but in DAI they just stand in one place and repeat one line of dialogue over and over again.lol.

 

Skyrim has dynamic day/night cycle and weather system and Radiant A.I system which makes world better and more alive..DA only wins story and characters but overall Skyrim is a better RPG game in my personal opinion.Skyrim has more variety of enemies, weapons and armors..More areas to explore...It has proper quest line related to specific cities and regions unlike DAI...Skyrim is a true seamless open world game unlike DAI..

 

Also, Skyrim doesn't fill your map with exclamation mark like DAI...These icons are super distracting and kills the immersion   

 

Witcher totally beats DA in every department....Better, story, characters and more interesting world....It's video game version of Game of Thrones

 

 

That said - DAI is still awesome..

[I SOLD MY SOUL TO BIOWARE]

I do wish more of the areas were heavier in plot related content, yes. Or at least with some contained story of their own. It's one of the biggest complaints it seems, so here's hoping BioWare can build on it next game and make something good great.

[LordSeeker]

Anyone tried Divinity Original Sin here?

[LordSeeker]

I want a seamless open world game where i can travel from Ferelden to Orlais in real time without using fast travel...

[Vexille]

I have to agree with the OP I am a massive Dragon Age (and BioWare) fan but so far I've only completed one playthrough of DAI and don't plan on a second anytime soon. I missed the tightly woven narrative with compelling characters and "OMG!" moments. Oh yes, the game is VERY pretty! Prettier than Skyrim, but that's only fair since Skyrim is now two years old (or is it three years??). And yes, of course, DAI's characters blow Skyrim's out of the water. The DA writing team are champs

 

It's just a shame that the emphasis on beautiful scenery and codex entries got in the way of telling a gripping story and forging bonds between us and our new virtual friends I felt such a lack of closeness with the DAI companions and advisors; my relationship with them does not even compare with the folks from the previous two titles.

 

Personally I think the War Table was an interesting idea that didn't quite work. The only thing fun about it were the cut scenes. Perhaps the War Table could've been restricted to 1. Opening up main quests, 2. Opening up areas on the map 3. Companion-related quests (i.e. Cole's amulet). I think the writers (?) let the idea get away with them when they had me picking a card, any card (Leliana, Cullen, or Josie) to deal with star-crossed lovers or which noble sibling should rule a small holding.

 

As for the areas themselves, again, they are gorgeous. They are delight to tromp through! Unfortunately, you NEED to tromp through them, and for several hours each, just to level up and gain power to advance in the main quest. The main story line too loosely strung together when I was spending 5 hours closing rifts and finding lost rings in between each main quest. Heck I think I'd rather scan planets than have to go through that again True, lots of people enjoyed it, and I'm glad for them! Maybe it shouldn't have been so tied to leveling up and gaining power though. Or perhaps a story mode should've been provided; I don't know.

 

Again, it is a great game and a beautiful game, but it just feels a little lost and lacking in those elements I've come to love most in a DA game (characters and story).

 

I agree. there was just so much to go through just to advance the plot, and the wartable... sure a nice idea but ultimately it felt like there was meant to be more (maybe leading to more in zone quests?) that just never materialized.

 

 

Not to mention I felt some of the Zones felt ridiculously out of place depending on your choices earlier.

 

Am I the only one who Found EDL RIDICULOUSLY out of place if you sided with the templars? They simply shouldnt have had the manpower... Ugh its just stufff like that, that highlighted how most of these extra zones have no impact at all on the plot.

[Basement Cat]

To me it feels like a lot of the zones should have opened later. Something like this:

 

First part: we need to close the Breach: get access to the Hinterlands, the Storm Coast, the Fallow Mire and Val Royaux to recruit first agents/companions.

Second part: we need to stop this guy: get access to Crestwood, the Western Approach and the Arbor Wilds.

Last part: the source of the main problem is gone, time to solve other problems. Get access to all the other zones.

 

I was a little disappointed by the agent recruiting mechanic. All they do is reduce the time it takes for a given advisor to complete a war table mission. I would have liked it better if an agent opened a type of operation: recruit this guy so he can gather resources, recruit that woman and get a steady flow of coin, recruit this group and get some soldiers, etc.

 

A lot of the stuff in the 'side zones' feels like a grind. Go there to farm this plant/metal/whatever because it's good, go there to close rifts and get more power points, etc.

[Farangbaa]

I was a little disappointed by the agent recruiting mechanic. All they do is reduce the time it takes for a given advisor to complete a war table mission. I would have liked it better if an agent opened a type of operation: recruit this guy so he can gather resources, recruit that woman and get a steady flow of coin, recruit this group and get some soldiers, etc.

Eh. No. Some don't reduce time but give you war table operations (Florianne, Movran, maybe more I dunno )

And seriously, people... what are we calling a 'grind' these days? If it doesn't have cutscenes it's automatically a grind?

Grinding is killing thousands of mobs just for the xp and a 0.001% chance for an ultra rare drop or something.
Pff. Gamers these days.

[Basement Cat]

Eh. No. Some don't reduce time but give you war table operations (Florianne, Movran, maybe more I dunno )

And seriously, people... what are we calling a 'grind' these days? If it doesn't have cutscenes it's automatically a grind?

Grinding is killing thousands of mobs just for the xp and a 0.001% chance for an ultra rare drop or something.
Pff. Gamers these days.

Even then it's just flavor text. It doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme whether you do it or not. Not saying everything has to be tied to the plot, but other than the odd accessory/weapon/other piece of equipment, those missions don't do much. Most of the stuff we get from them is average.

 

Maybe it's more 'farming' than 'grinding', and yes I know it's optional. Go there to harvest this or that material so combat is easier, etc.

[Computron2000]

The useless areas are more lore oriented. You don;t need to visit them if you don't want to but you get good back ground history if you do.

 

 

As for the running around useless areas wasting time while the main villain is doing bad things, that cannot be helped. Unless you want a timed game where you have a fixed amount to time to sort out the main plot, you cannot stop players from simply running around exploring. Once you go the timed plot style, you will be accused of being linear or of not letting the player experience the full game.

 

Personally i like using those areas to build your power (useless as it is). It gives the impression that you are bringing order to those areas which contributes manpower and resources (hence he influence and power increases). It would have been nice if power and influence had a greater use.

[Fandango]

I can appreciate this perspective, but I disagree. Dragon Age the franchise, while its strength is in narrative and character, has always been about the world of Thedas. Inqusition was the first game to really let you explore it. It would have been awesome if there were main narrative quests in every zone and I agree some of the sidequests could have been improved on, but I'm fine with the way it was. Exploring the areas, learning about the history, finding the small details, enjoying the beautiful scenery, stumbling upon small awesome fun things (like the time frozen area in the WA, or the haunted house in the EG), and getting soaked up in the atmosphere of Thedas was a highlight of the game for me.

Yes, there were lots of flaws, but it was their first stab at doing something like this, so overall I'd call it a success. As long as they learn from their mistakes and realize where their achievements were, I hope they continue to push the location aspect of the game.

I always enjoy reading your thoughts veeia, but I'd actually take Vexille's point a little further and say that the sheer size and number of Inquisitions (albeit very beautiful) sandboxes kind of dilutes the narrative focus of the game.

I mean, I take the point that Inquisitions environments are well crafted and do a good job of revealing a lot to the player without words, but their inclusion made the games footprint a little too large - and its story and character focus a little too thin - for my fancy.

So yeah, something a little smaller in terms of virtual square footage, but closer to what was demoed at PAX (and experienced whilst playing Origins), would have been much more like it from my POV.

[Milan92]

Sadly they are.