I think that was one of the options on the table, maybe not the only and original one, but one that was considered. I'm also fairly certain that Warden Commander Clarel's role was considered for the HOF if alive.
That would be the worst thing ever.
My HOF is NOT that stupid.
To be honest I think Bioware spread themselves slightly too thin for DA:I, having multiple races would have worked well if they weren't too busy making everything open world. Or, we might have got a world with more depth and interesting side quests if Bioware weren't trying to make all the race options work.
In the end the open world we got was very pretty but ultimately filled with nothing and we got our multiple races but at the expense of quality.
If you told me Hawke was going to be the protagonist of DA:I before the game came out I would have been kinda annoyed, but now I think the game might have turned out better if he/she was.
I'm a pretty hardcore Dragon Age and Mass Effect fan and I couldn't care less about playing as an Elf, Qunari, Dwarf, Turian, Krogan ect. ect. If the next DA and ME protagonists' are strictly human -- fine by me.
But then that defeats the purpose of an RPG Bioware style.
What ever the argument, people cannot argue that Hawke is the odd one out of the current threesome. The Warden could be three different races with 6 wildly different backstories. Within those backstories, you can create your own story and express that. As a human noble, I was able to express that I was hoping to succeed instead of Furgus and that I was only out for power after the Blight was defeated. I then rolled another human noble and expressed that I hated being part of the nobility and wanted to be care free. I then did a radical shift and rolled a human hating Dalish. I then rolled a human sympathetic Dalish. You get the idea.
However as Hawke you have very little room to customise. For some reason, it's shoved down my throat that I MUST care about my family. Sure, it's understandable but it doesn't make sense. I wanted to play a Templar loving/mage resenting Hawke. Where was the option to turn Bethany in? I then wanted to play a Hawke on the verge of converting to the Qun. Where was the option to convert? Or even openly express support for them? Instead it's forced that I MUST attack the Qun. The closest we get is 'rival respect'. If I wanted to play a hardcore liberal mage, that's all fine until act 3 and Anders blowing up the chantry. I can let him live but my Hawke, without my consent, will always say 'what you've done is disgusting'. Where was the option to high five Anders? There isn't one, and I must watch this character I made that undermined the Templars/had the same ideology as Anders condemn him.
Hawke is a fine character for a game like Assassin's Creed or Tomb Raider or something along those franchises. For Dragon Age? Especially after it followed Dragon Age: Origins that's defining trait was character customisation? No, I don't think Hawke fits and you can understand the resentment. Like I said earlier in this thread, I did like Hawke. I'm not a Hawke hater. But s/he wasn't my character, it was a character that Bioware created. And that's fine, but it also marginlises a lot of DA fans that came from Origins; it didn't capitalise on Origins success, it went the opposite way.
That's why I prefer the Inquisitor. Sure, there's a little element of defined history but far more customisation compared to DA2. As a Dalish, I can express love or hatred for my clan, can express love or disblief for the creators and can even believably portray a conversation to the Chantry. As a human noble, I can express chantry love or dislike, liking my nobility history or hating it and wishing it away. The list really does go on, and for all the fauls of DA:I, I will still call it a good game because it returned to its RPG roots and allowed customisation.
That would be the worst thing ever.
My HOF is NOT that stupid.
Yeah, siding with the Architect in Awakening was one thing because everyone knew that was a calculated risk going in.
Still, it seemed like an acceptable risk to me, as having allies in the Deep Roads who can safely venture into places that the Wardens cannot, would be advantageous to allow them to scout out the Roads and keep a check of the horde's movements. Plus, gaining the Architect's knowledge of the Taint and how it can be used to both break the hold the Old Gods have over the 'Spawn and allow Ghouls to retain their sanity, seemed like it could ultimately prove a boon for the Wardens if it could help find a way to cure the Calling (which the HoF is now seeking), This is especially true since the Architect's experiments are essentially the same thing as what Avernus was doing, which allows you to pool both their research.
I never truly trusted the Architect (and given that he's possibly one of the Seven Magisters responsible for this mess, seems it was right not to), but the pros seemed to massively outweight the cons in that situtation. Even in retrospect, they still do, since unless he's playing a long game and will turn on us eventually, he's kept his end of the bargain for over a decade at this point. And if he's able to pull that same resurrecting trick as Corypheus, killing him and turning him against the Wardens might have ended up being even worse a mistake, given his intelligence and vast resourcefulness.
But I digress, having the HoF being in the place of Clarel would have never made any sense, because even if we've already done some questionable decisions along the road already, it doesn't seem in-character for us to go along with the Demon Army thing, especially when this requires sacrificing our own forces in a questionable ritual from an incredibly shady guy who's so obviously not a villain.
I like to think that the HoF is far wiser than Clarel in this regard, since unlike her, they already saw how badly trying to wrangle Demons into service ended when Avernus tried to do the exact same thing at Soldier's Peak, which ended up killing every Warden present and tearing the Veil in that location for over 200 years.
Just give me back my HoF. I need to know if he managed to teach Dog how to reach the center of the heart without digging like a mad.
Just give me back my HoF. I need to know if he managed to teach Dog how to reach the center of the heart without digging like a mad.
Is it weird that part of my headcanon for why the HoF started to research a way to cure the Calling was influenced by them being worried about what the Mabari handler said back in Ostagar, that even though mabari's can survive exposure to Darkspawn blood, they end up going mad eventually?
Hopefully the Dog died of natural causes, because he was far too adorable to suffer that kind of fate.
As much as I hated DA2 and Hawk, I miss having his ability to tell people off taken away from me. Instead we stand there like a dope with a dumbfounded look on our face.
Also, if they replaced Clarel with my beloved HoF, I would have absolutely raged - Bioware would have become dead to me.
Yeah, we needed more sarcastic dialogue in this game, sarcastic Hawke was one of the more entertaining aspects of DA2, because it was fun to have a character who took absolutely nothing seriously and would happily mock everyone from the Qunari, to Meredith, to Demons, to even Corypheus.
I'd say it was the original plan. DA2 was touted as "the rise to power of the most influential character in Thedas" (or words to that effect), so it suggests that Hawke was intended to be the Inquisitor at some stage in their planning. Presumably the very poor reception of DA2 and the strong desire of the fans for race options led the devs to rethink their plans. Personally, I think they were trying to set Hawke up as the Commander Shepard of DA, but for various reasons it didn't pan out.
Aww man! That would have been awesome! I love Hawke and actually really enjoyed DA2. Imo, Hawke is the best written protagonist Bioware has ever made.
Stupid fans ruining everything [grumble grumble].
Ugh! People actually prefer the Mary Sue Hero of Ferelden to Hawke?! There truly is no accounting for taste. It's sad to see that I'm in the minority on this. It means I'll likely never get a Hawke-like protagonist from Bioware again.
P.S.
Bioware, if you set the next DA games in the North with a Hawke-like protagonist engaging in cloak-and-dagger Urban adventures, I promise to buy seven copies of the game. I realize six extra copies are far too few to influence your decision making on this; but it was worth a shot.
Maybe?
I for one am glad that we got a new protagonist.
Well, I think it is pretty obvious that DA2 is in some way a very elaborate origins-story for Hawke. The whole build-up is to something bigger, we play DA2 and refine Hawke's char and rise to importance, and the way Cassandra is acting about Hawke is like she is the key to solve the problems that are currently threatening Thedas aka Mage-Templar-Conflict.
Add to this Cory as main villain, and think a minute about how much more interesting it could have been with Cory, Hawke and the link between Cory and Hawke's family? A lot of potential for drama (and Cory lacks some drama severely with the Quizzy I'd say)
DAI was Hawke's story all along, I am very sure. Hawke was supposed to be the next Shepard. A cool face and hero to print on boxes and identify with...but then? DA2 was not a super-hit due to rushed development, and it was so different in style and mechanics to Origins it alienated people. And to make it worse: ME3 was maybe successful but also, well, you know what happened, and to have another potential Shepard in Thedas ending like ME-Shep in Wackyland and a shiatstorm covering Bioware again?
As much as I like DAI I think the game would have been a bit more dramatic in many places with Hawke. It just fits Hawke better in many ways, and her cameo is a bit forced, as if she was written in to fulfill her contract ^^
This reminds me a lot of Babylon 5... Jeffrey Sinclair was the captain the first season and a huge story was being built up around him. But then they changed the captain in the second season. I think I lot were unhappy with the original guy and he was replaced and the new guy stole his thunder.
I could easily see this being the case with Hawke, DA2 was not well received (I hated it), and I could see them deciding that they would have to replace Hawke.
Who knows what really happened.
As for Babylon 5, I liked the original captain, and was pissed when they replaced him.
I had the same thoughts, actually. Though if you're interested, here's why they replaced him.
Michael O'Hare made the series creator, J. Michael Straczynski, promise not to reveal why until after he had died. O'Hare died somewhat recently, so Straczynski made a statement. Apparently O'Hare was suffering from an extreme mental illness (Bipolar disorder, I believe.) It was very hard for him to complete even the first season. When offered to put the entire show on hold so he could get treatment, O'Hare said that it was unfair to all of those other people to be denied paychecks because of him; and insisted he be replaced as the series lead.
Looking back you can actually see it: O'Hare can act, yet he came across as extremely wooden much of the time. Then suddenly he would break out and emote rather well. Really sad, actually; his last major acting role and he's remembered by most as "wooden" and "stoic."
Aww man! That would have been awesome! I love Hawke and actually really enjoyed DA2. Imo, Hawke is the best written protagonist Bioware has ever made.
Stupid fans ruining everything [grumble grumble].
How dare fans prefer Bioware's route of having a new character each game 
How dare fans prefer Bioware's route of having a new character each game
I know right!
Well, I think it is pretty obvious that DA2 is in some way a very elaborate origins-story for Hawke. The whole build-up is to something bigger, we play DA2 and refine Hawke's char and rise to importance, and the way Cassandra is acting about Hawke is like she is the key to solve the problems that are currently threatening Thedas aka Mage-Templar-Conflict.
Add to this Cory as main villain, and think a minute about how much more interesting it could have been with Cory, Hawke and the link between Cory and Hawke's family? A lot of potential for drama (and Cory lacks some drama severely with the Quizzy I'd say)
DAI was Hawke's story all along, I am very sure. Hawke was supposed to be the next Shepard. A cool face and hero to print on boxes and identify with...but then? DA2 was not a super-hit due to rushed development, and it was so different in style and mechanics to Origins it alienated people. And to make it worse: ME3 was maybe successful but also, well, you know what happened, and to have another potential Shepard in Thedas ending like ME-Shep in Wackyland and a shiatstorm covering Bioware again?
As much as I like DAI I think the game would have been a bit more dramatic in many places with Hawke. It just fits Hawke better in many ways, and her cameo is a bit forced, as if she was written in to fulfill her contract ^^
This.
BUT I did like my Hawke's cameo- a lot actually. Choosing between him and Alistair was pretty painful though, I hope he's doing alright against that fade spider thingie- I trust my Hawke can jest it to death.
Ugh! People actually prefer the Mary Sue Hero of Ferelden to Hawke?! There truly is no accounting for taste. It's sad to see that I'm in the minority on this. It means I'll likely never get a Hawke-like protagonist from Bioware again.
P.S.
Bioware, if you set the next DA games in the North with a Hawke-like protagonist engaging in cloak-and-dagger Urban adventures, I promise to buy seven copies of the game. I realize six extra copies are far too few to influence your decision making on this; but it was worth a shot.
Believe me, it's much easier to make a character that has three choices of personality.
Guest_Challenge Everything_*
Yes. Hawke was the Inquisitor and GIR was the turkey.
Well, I think it is pretty obvious that DA2 is in some way a very elaborate origins-story for Hawke. The whole build-up is to something bigger, we play DA2 and refine Hawke's char and rise to importance, and the way Cassandra is acting about Hawke is like she is the key to solve the problems that are currently threatening Thedas aka Mage-Templar-Conflict.
Add to this Cory as main villain, and think a minute about how much more interesting it could have been with Cory, Hawke and the link between Cory and Hawke's family? A lot of potential for drama (and Cory lacks some drama severely with the Quizzy I'd say)
DAI was Hawke's story all along, I am very sure. Hawke was supposed to be the next Shepard. A cool face and hero to print on boxes and identify with...but then? DA2 was not a super-hit due to rushed development, and it was so different in style and mechanics to Origins it alienated people. And to make it worse: ME3 was maybe successful but also, well, you know what happened, and to have another potential Shepard in Thedas ending like ME-Shep in Wackyland and a shiatstorm covering Bioware again?
As much as I like DAI I think the game would have been a bit more dramatic in many places with Hawke. It just fits Hawke better in many ways, and her cameo is a bit forced, as if she was written in to fulfill her contract ^^
I'm with you on that. And I would have loved DAi if the protagonist was Hawke. And making my mage-hawke a Knight-Enchanter would make me so happy *o*
I'm glad Hawke isn't the Inquisitor and I'm especially glad DA isn't following Mass Effect with reusing the same protagonist
I have to ask is there any actual evidence of Bioware's plan for DAI to star Hawke outside people thinking it to be pretty obvious based on their own narrative evidence? As the current official statements on the matter, made when DA2 came out, was that each DA game would have a different protagonist, so this current line of thought seems to be that they decided to lie then knowing that they would be proven as liars in the next game?
As for the clear story evidence, if they had intended Hawke to be the Inquisitor, wouldn't they have ended DA2 with Cassandra finding Hawke instead of conferring with Leliana how Hawke had disappeared and how they had to then do without him/her?
I have to ask is there any actual evidence of Bioware's plan for DAI to star Hawke outside people thinking it to be pretty obvious based on their own narrative evidence? As the current official statements on the matter, made when DA2 came out, was that each DA game would have a different protagonist, so this current line of thought seems to be that they decided to lie then knowing that they would be proven as liars in the next game?
I'm basing it on the whole "Hawke's the most important person in Thedas." crapola from before DA2's release. It made no sense with how DA2 came out (not even the most important in DA2) but if you look at DA2 as a sort of origin story for DAI then it's fitting.
I'm basing it on the whole "Hawke's the most important person in Thedas." crapola from before DA2's release. It made no sense with how DA2 came out (not even the most important in DA2) but if you look at DA2 as a sort of origin story for DAI then it's fitting.
There's also the cancelled expansion which that quote most likely applied too
There's also the cancelled expansion which that quote most likely applied too
You think Hawke might've ended up giving Cory the orb? That might've been hilarious for the rage.
You think Hawke might've ended up giving Cory the orb? That might've been hilarious for the rage.
I dunno, but I think the expansion had something to do with the hinted exhalted march which would make someone important if they stopped it
I dunno, but I think the expansion had something to do with the hinted exhalted march which would make someone important if they stopped it
Oh yeah. That ended up being stopped by the breach didn't it?
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