What?
I'm perfectly willing to argue about this all day, but The Witcher 2 had less character development (gameplay wise,) actiony combat (with no combat stances,) and a simplified alchemy system. The quests were still not that complex, but that's not too far different from the Witcher 1.
Random Divinity question, since the OP brought it up, but can you mod out the turn-based combat and the cartoony graphic style in that game? Those would probably be large projects, so I don't expect them right now, but one day I could see myself trying that game if so.
No, we are resources. Product is the profit. Game development is the process of extracting the product from the resources.
And yes, it's simple and easy, but what game nowadays isn't? That's what i liked about Divinity and Wasteland 2, they didn't assume i am an idiot 
Because DAI is not a thoughtless buttonmash? Have you played it?
In DAI you could faceroll and win 95% of the fights, Not to mention that EAWare's idea of difficulty is bigger hp pool and higher resistances, what most of the time only makes fights longer and more tedious. On several ocasions while playing on highest difficulty in DAI I was literally bored because of thoughtless tank and spank. In DAO you could at least be playful with spell combos and aim for a fight as you imagined it.
I'm perfectly willing to argue about this all day, but The Witcher 2 had less character development (gameplay wise,) actiony combat (with no combat stances,) and a simplified alchemy system. The quests were still not that complex, but that's not too far different from the Witcher 1.
1) I'd rather have less character development (gameplay wise) and a fully fleshed out main protagonist with more depth than any DA:I character, than a tame, domesticated and average one, as one of the forum members accurately described the Inquisitor.
2) gameplay and mechanics-wise, TW2 is an action hack'n'slash game. The developers were open about it from day 1. IMO the story, quality of writing, and coherency of the gameworld far surpass anything DA came up with (which is no mystery since the game is based on a celebrated series by Sapkowski, and developed with his help).
3) don't really know why you pointed out alchemy only, as it's just one division of crafting. Anyways, alchemy is as it as because Geralt is a witcher, and they prepare a handful of special concoctions (unique for witchers) for a given encounter. You also have traps and bombs within the alchemy concept. In regards to potions, TW2 is at least realistic (if one can really use this word); they are toxic and you cannot just drink them in the midst of the battle. DA:I has potion quaffing in your opponents face - in this regard, DA:I alchemy is more hack'n'slashish than TW2.
4) you want to compare complexity of storylines and quests? Do you really want to engage in that battle with DA:I having the most generic quests you can think of?
On a side note, I've noticed there is a group of forum members dissing the hell out of The Witcher series anytime they have a chance to. Is it because the two series are kind of competing and you feel the urge to protect Bioware with all the zeal you can muster? Both series are great, it just happens that one of them is going downhill.
Peace.
And you really think CD Project Capital Group, the company that owns the development studio responsible for Witcher 1, 2 and 3, listed at the Warsaw Stock exchange, doesn't care about money? Do you think their shareholders all think "now that we bought those stocks, we don't care about money anymore, we just want to deliver excellent games to videogamers, no matter what cost"?
For an investor, video games are always a tool to make money. Every video game developer has to think about development costs. Your accusation that this or that video game is bad and the company horrible because somebody wants to make money just demonstrate your complete lack of understanding of how the video game industry works.
Actually, your misconception about the terms product and customer show your lack of understanding of economics in any way.
It would be interesting to hear what CD Project's shareholders would think about the fact that they are giving away 16 DLC for free for Witcher 3. After all, there are development costs associated with DLC. Granted, CD Project is probably hoping the enticement of free DLC will cause more people to pre-order and purchase Witcher 3. So, I realize it is probably not being done as a completely selfless act. I certainly don't expect Bioware to give any free DLC for DAI. But, it would be nice if they did provide free DLC, for something like a storage chest and / or the ability to modify your character's appearance after initial creation (ala the Black Emporium for DA2). IIRC, the Black Emporium DLC was made available free-of-charge. Whatever Bioware does / doesn't do regarding DAI DLC, I just hope they don't pull a Bethesda with that Oblivion "Horse Armor" crap...
@Scrutinizer: Erm... while that's a nice, in depth critique of why you prefer the Witcher over DA, my post was about how The Witcher 2 is a simplified version of the Witcher 1 (simplified and less complex because that's where AAA studios are heading.) Someone questioned my original statement and I clarified with a bunch of stuff the second incarnation of the Witcher did worse than the first game in the series.
I'm a big fan of the first Witcher, but felt the atmosphere and gameplay of the second was inferior in almost every way.
Actually, our money is the product. EA sees gamers as a mine needing to be emptied so their profits increase, share holders are happy and CEO gets a bonus.
Just like you need equipment to dig out a mine, you need to build games to get money out of gamers. Bioware has been bought up by EA and is re-purposed to get as much money as possible out of as many people as possible. Not to deliver the best game gamers can make.
DA: I is a tool to get your money. It's measure of success does not come from the consumer response, but from sales.
It's sad, but especially after playing Witcher 2 I see that Bioware will never be what it used to be. I'm setting my sights on games like Divinity: Original Sin and Witcher 3. Not on DA: 4.
I don't really get your point. Welcome to Capitalism! It's a basically unfair economic system that favours those with the most money.
You could replace 'EA' in that sentence with any other company you like and it would still be true.
It would be interesting to hear what CD Project's shareholders would think about the fact that they are giving away 16 DLC for free for Witcher 3. After all, there are development costs associated with DLC. Granted, CD Project is probably hoping the enticement of free DLC will cause more people to pre-order and purchase Witcher 3. So, I realize it is probably not being done as a completely selfless act. I certainly don't expect Bioware to give any free DLC for DAI. But, it would be nice if they did provide free DLC, for something like a storage chest and / or the ability to modify your character's appearance after initial creation (ala the Black Emporium for DA2). IIRC, the Black Emporium DLC was made available free-of-charge. Whatever Bioware does / doesn't do regarding DAI DLC, I just hope they don't pull a Bethesda with that Oblivion "Horse Armor" crap...
Well so far they have already provided some free single player DLC, the Red Lyrium Reapers and the 'Dragon Age Inquisition' Pack on Raptr. They also provided the 'English VA' pack and I believe that all the multiplayer DLC will be for free, just like it was for ME3.
So far no other DLC has been announced so we'll have to wait and see.
Random Divinity question, since the OP brought it up, but can you mod out the turn-based combat and the cartoony graphic style in that game? Those would probably be large projects, so I don't expect them right now, but one day I could see myself trying that game if so.
wuut??? the turn based combat is the only thing that makes the game more than mediocre (at best)
It would be interesting to hear what CD Project's shareholders would think about the fact that they are giving away 16 DLC for free for Witcher 3. After all, there are development costs associated with DLC. Granted, CD Project is probably hoping the enticement of free DLC will cause more people to pre-order and purchase Witcher 3. So, I realize it is probably not being done as a completely selfless act. I certainly don't expect Bioware to give any free DLC for DAI. But, it would be nice if they did provide free DLC, for something like a storage chest and / or the ability to modify your character's appearance after initial creation (ala the Black Emporium for DA2). IIRC, the Black Emporium DLC was made available free-of-charge. Whatever Bioware does / doesn't do regarding DAI DLC, I just hope they don't pull a Bethesda with that Oblivion "Horse Armor" crap...
Well, I think the steady, ridiculously high price of Bioware Points (still the only way to buy DLC for ME2, ME3 and DA2 on PC - ME3 release date was almost three years ago, ME2 five years ago damnit) perfectly illustrates Bioware's approach.
@Scrutinizer: Erm... while that's a nice, in depth critique of why you prefer the Witcher over DA, my post was about how The Witcher 2 is a simplified version of the Witcher 1 (simplified and less complex because that's where AAA studios are heading.) Someone questioned my original statement and I clarified with a bunch of stuff the second incarnation of the Witcher did worse than the first game in the series.
I'm a big fan of the first Witcher, but felt the atmosphere and gameplay of the second was inferior in almost every way.
Sorry, have gotten you wrong then.
Agreed on the mechanics (at least some, not all) simplification, but I'd say the atmosphere got enhanced. Then again, it's a matter of perception.
In any case, after hearing that TW3 will be an open-world game (or at least semi-open) I am genuinely concerned and worried.
I should point out ... about those 16 free DLC the Witcher 3 is giving away:
- Armour set
- Beard and hairstyle set
- Alternative look
They could have included these as part of the game, which is effectively the same as having them as a "free DLC"... just saying 
@ keyip
I remember reading the devs' response to 'you can include these in the main game...' arguments, and they stated that the ideas for this content popped up late in development process, and therefore, they are treated as additional content. First, the main content. Then, whatever they want to add. Sorry for the lack of sources; but I read it in Polish (even if I quoted I doubt you guys would understand) on their forums, and don't really have the time (nor desire) to search their forums for this.
I think the bottom line is they could have easily charged a few bucks for that and no one would be offended, since it's a common practice today,
are we humans or are we dancers? He-he
You are right OP and it is too late to 'vote with wallets'. We are 'doomed' indeed.
It would be interesting to hear what CD Project's shareholders would think about the fact that they are giving away 16 DLC for free for Witcher 3. After all, there are development costs associated with DLC. Granted, CD Project is probably hoping the enticement of free DLC will cause more people to pre-order and purchase Witcher 3. So, I realize it is probably not being done as a completely selfless act. I certainly don't expect Bioware to give any free DLC for DAI. But, it would be nice if they did provide free DLC, for something like a storage chest and / or the ability to modify your character's appearance after initial creation (ala the Black Emporium for DA2). IIRC, the Black Emporium DLC was made available free-of-charge. Whatever Bioware does / doesn't do regarding DAI DLC, I just hope they don't pull a Bethesda with that Oblivion "Horse Armor" crap...
I thought CD Project is a privately held company. That matters a lot in terms of what they can offer and how they structure their finances. There are also issues with the jurisdiction where it's incorporated but that's beside the point.
I thought CD Project is a privately held company. That matters a lot in terms of what they can offer and how they structure their finances. There are also issues with the jurisdiction where it's incorporated but that's beside the point.
Yeah, they were till very recently.
You could say that they still are in the sense that the founders are still in control, either directly (holding 33% or more of the capital of the listed company) or indirectly. It's a legal and financial thing.
originally, stock markets were used to raise money, not to speculate. If they get listed on Euronext or Nasdaq, I will start to be more worried.
Some of the biggest companies in the world are public, listed companies but are still controlled by the founders or their extended families.
It would be interesting to hear what CD Project's shareholders would think about the fact that they are giving away 16 DLC for free for Witcher 3. After all, there are development costs associated with DLC. Granted, CD Project is probably hoping the enticement of free DLC will cause more people to pre-order and purchase Witcher 3. So, I realize it is probably not being done as a completely selfless act. I certainly don't expect Bioware to give any free DLC for DAI. But, it would be nice if they did provide free DLC, for something like a storage chest and / or the ability to modify your character's appearance after initial creation (ala the Black Emporium for DA2). IIRC, the Black Emporium DLC was made available free-of-charge. Whatever Bioware does / doesn't do regarding DAI DLC, I just hope they don't pull a Bethesda with that Oblivion "Horse Armor" crap...
You can talk to CDPR's developers about this (they're pretty good at responding). They as a company and moreso individuals (maybe it's a European or Polish gamedev mindset) are vehemently opposed to DRM and DLC in principle. There's a interview in Eurogamer (iirc) that they mention that putting DLC as 'free' is somewhat satirizing the concept of DLC, which is the point.
The more consumers/developers in general ridicule portions of games being cut up pre-release and *sold* separately, the less popular the idea becomes as a rule.
DAO is absolutely a faceroll.
No, I reinstalled it, it's not. Not unless you're min-maxing. Playing a melee party with shapeshifter Morrigan is a blast though if you have Dog with you as well.
I should point out ... about those 16 free DLC the Witcher 3 is giving away:
- Armour set
- Beard and hairstyle set
- Alternative look
They could have included these as part of the game, which is effectively the same as having them as a "free DLC"... just saying
And 1 Contract, initially. Since I don't know much about The Witcher 3, I am not sure if a "Contract" is an actual quest or more along the lines of a DAI War Table Mission that you assign an advisor to. What the other 12 free DLC are remains to be seen. Most will likely be small / cosmetic in nature. But, the developer could have charged for them and chose not to. I am at least hopeful that Bioware will release a free storage chest and the ability to change your Inquisitor's appearance, post initial creation (ala DA2 The Black Emporium DLC), but that remains to be seen. Then again, given that Bioware released The Black Emporium based upon customer feedback you would think Bioware would have included a mirror (or something) in the Inquisitor's Bedroom in Skyhold, along with a Small Chest for extra storage, with vanilla DAI instead of opting to potentially include those as DLC.
No, I reinstalled it, it's not. Not unless you're min-maxing. Playing a melee party with shapeshifter Morrigan is a blast though if you have Dog with you as well.
Of course I'm power-gaming. There are people here that can't handle DA:I on normal. That doesn't mean anything. The difficulty of a game has to be evaluated objectively when you're pushing it to its limits, not based on the random potential talent of some gamer.
The idea that we are somehow the "product" is wrong. This is true for Google services and Facebook, but not for products such as this. Let's not kid ourselves. We're playing with digital toys. That some of it may use microtransactions doesn't change that.
true.
Microtransactions are a lot more profitable than your average drug trafficking business and use the same techniques for getting the consumer addicted...but true.
Random Divinity question, since the OP brought it up, but can you mod out the turn-based combat and the cartoony graphic style in that game? Those would probably be large projects, so I don't expect them right now, but one day I could see myself trying that game if so.
No way to do it at the moment. The editor is too handicapped and nobody has figured out how to put in their own graphics or affect things that are hard coded like the turn based battle system.
None of the Dragon Age games are difficult, they are not supposed to be. They are supposed to be entertaining and completed by the average gamer.
They tacked on nightmare mode for the same reason Cassandra is given fan-girlism for a story written by someone she interrogated, to give the facade of depth and dimension when there is none.
Its a pretty shiny thing that people can play and get a medal for, but it doesn't really say anything because the game does not become harder, it just gets more tedious since the enemies have bloated health and higher resistances. You still beat them the exact same way, it just takes longer.
I don't like DA:I because its a hybrid and disappointing to play. There is nothing DA:I does that is not better in another game, they should have stuck to what they do best and perfected it. Instead Dragon Age will always just be a hodge podge of whatever else is selling atm that is in any way remotely connected to RPGS or Fantasy.
They tacked on nightmare mode for the same reason Cassandra is given fan-girlism for a story written by someone she interrogated, to give the facade of depth and dimension when there is none.
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If that is what you got from Cassandra enjoying romance novels then I feel sorry for you. That Cassandra enjoys romance is a surprise depth to her character, most other warrior woman are usual depicted has hard people, who've cut off emotion in order to succeed in their role.
That is what makes Cassandra and Aveline in DA2 so great, they are well rounded characters with believable inner selves. Warriors with a romantic side.
The fact that she enjoys Varric's books and could still interrogate him, just illiterates how well she can separate her work from her personal life, which fits in with what we know of her as a person.
There's plenty of depth to Bioware's characters and generally when they're accused of lacking depth what the critic usually means is they don't like the personality of that character. In video games Bioware's characters are usually near the top (depth wise,) Cassandra is no exception.
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