Not everyone loves the game-deal with it and down town your agressive fanboyism
You and I are simply very different types of gamers. I'd be over the moon if DA4 was 50 hours of cutscenes and 20 hours of gameplay. Fortunately for you that'd never happen!
No offense, but yeah I'm glad they are not catering to that preference.
For all criticism I may have on some aspects of the combat in the franchise, I found it still engaging in all of the three games and always greatly enjoy my Nightmare runs.
I think the camera angle is really the thing, here.
Though In Exile made the point in another thread that doing Origins' style companion conversations (no cinematic scenes, but fixed close-range camera) would probably save them a whole lot of time and money.
I really want them to go back to what DAO and DA2 were already doing in terms of camera angle. Everything demands resources allocation, and I don't think any of us on these boards know exactly what is more demanding or whatever. So no harm in asking for its return.
I suspect building everything for the Frostbite might have played a part on how resources were spent though.
I really want them to go back to what DAO and DA2 were already doing in terms of camera angle. Everything demands resources allocation, and I don't think any of us on these boards know exactly what is more demanding or whatever. So no harm in asking for its return.
Indeed. Gaider has made the point several times about how cinematic designers were already at max capacity in terms of workload. What I'd suggest is going back to something fans grumbled about but ultimately didn't really mind: fixed close-range camera angle with canned animations for NPC responses. No need to handcraft every NPC scene like the companion scenes. Hopefully that would diminish or eliminate much of the workload for the designers.
Indeed. Gaider has made the point several times about how cinematic designers were already at max capacity in terms of workload. What I'd suggest is going back to something fans grumbled about but ultimately didn't really mind: fixed close-range camera angle with canned animations for NPC responses. No need to handcraft every NPC scene like the companion scenes. Hopefully that would diminish or eliminate much of the workload for the designers.
I've been playing "Knights of the Old Republic" lately and I think this is something they utilise in the game. Granted, it's a bit different there since the companions seems to have no facial expressions beyond one which is coupled with a body pose amongst other things so it's a bit different but I think it could potentially work well.
The lack of facial expressions in KOTOR does not bother me since the voice acting more than makes up for it and helps convey it just fine along with the writing but I do not think it would be everybody's cup of tea. I've always reacted stronger to voices than I do faces so I always have more an interest in the former than the latter.
I agree @duckley the fetch quests are kind of boring but they do get you exploring the world and the amazing scenery that they've created so it's not all bad and I'd say graphically it's one of the best games I've seen. I wouldn't quite say it's the best game I've ever seen but I don't think it's far off.
Indeed. Gaider has made the point several times about how cinematic designers were already at max capacity in terms of workload. What I'd suggest is going back to something fans grumbled about but ultimately didn't really mind: fixed close-range camera angle with canned animations for NPC responses. No need to handcraft every NPC scene like the companion scenes. Hopefully that would diminish or eliminate much of the workload for the designers.
Perfect then, cause personally, I don't play DA games to be blown away by cinematics. I can appreciate them putting some effort in a few scenes but I never seen anybody complaining too much about how things were in Origins and DA2 in terms of camera angles in conversations.
I've been playing "Knights of the Old Republic" lately and I think this is something they utilise in the game. Granted, it's a bit different there since the companions seems to have no facial expressions beyond one which is coupled with a body pose amongst other things so it's a bit different but I think it could potentially work well.
The lack of facial expressions in KOTOR does not bother me since the voice acting more than makes up for it and helps convey it just fine along with the writing but I do not think it would be everybody's cup of tea. I've always reacted stronger to voices than I do faces so I always have more an interest in the former than the latter.
I'm replaying it too atm and it had aged really well in that regard. Sure they don't have much variety in the facial expressions and and camera angles, but it's still enough and it still works for me so...
I'm replaying it too atm and it had aged really well in that regard. Sure they don't have much variety in the facial expressions and and camera angles, but it's still enough and it still works for me so...
It is immensely enjoyable to me and I am very much looking forward to playing the sequel especially since I have the TSLRCM mod which restores content. It does have me jump through loops when it comes to crashes since I pretty much always have to window screen the game and put it on the lowest setting when travelling in space and prevent some loading screens from freezing.
It's worth it, though.
It is immensely enjoyable to me and I am very much looking forward to playing the sequel especially since I have the TSLRCM mod which restores content. It does have me jump through loops when it comes to crashes since I pretty much always have to window screen the game and put it on the lowest setting when travelling in space and prevent some loading screens from freezing.
It's worth it, though.
I don't know if it will fix you graphical issues but I'm using FlawlessWidescreen to run Kotor to run it in higher resolutions (up to 1080p) and force a fullscreen display.
I still encounter some loading screen freezing issue from time to time but far less and I don't have to lower my settings.
Tutorial on YT for Kotor and Kotor2.
I don't know if it will fix you graphical issues but I'm using FlawlessWidescreen to run Kotor to run it in higher resolutions (up to 1080p) and force a fullscreen display.
I still encounter some loading screen freezing issue from time to time but far less and I don't have to lower my settings.
Nah but I appreciate the thought, though. It's workable and thankfully my computer can run just about anything in the highest graphical settings the game will allow. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to buy the games on Steam but man, my heart goes out to whoever bought the same sale as I did but was completely unprepared for all of the issues.
I'll save the tips for KOTOR 2, though 
Yeah, shoutout to all people wanting to try Kotor games. Buy them on GOG or try to find a CD version :/
Hey, as long as we're talking resources, camera angles, and such, how does the total amount of dialogue for the various games stack up? It was pretty easy to compare this for the ME series because they all used the same sort of .tlk file for the dialogue plaintext. IS this still true for DAI? I don't have access to a DAI PC install at the moment.
Like you with TW3? I just read your post in the feedback thread
I suggest you take your own advice seriously otherwise it makes you look silly
And I don't even want DA:I to fail I just don't want Bioware to make DA:I 2 (with terrible side quests + lackluster story) just because
Inquisition was successful
Not everyone loves the game-deal with it and down town your agressive fanboyism
no I love the game probably the best Bioware game to date
typical RPG tropes in the main storyline? have you even played DA:origins? ridiculous
ohh god another one of these "hardcore" RPG players so sick of them everything was better before we get it now get out
there are many who are enjoying this current direction
yes there is something wrong with you
the game is awesome a shame you can't enjoy it
Guest_john_sheparrd_*
Oh really.
You again? I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you this but this wasn't my account a few months ago (actually my bro's)
Why would I change my opinion of a game this drastically (and in every way)? Doesn't make sense ("best Bioware game" wut?)
Believe what you have to believe though not my problem
Indeed. Gaider has made the point several times about how cinematic designers were already at max capacity in terms of workload. What I'd suggest is going back to something fans grumbled about but ultimately didn't really mind: fixed close-range camera angle with canned animations for NPC responses. No need to handcraft every NPC scene like the companion scenes. Hopefully that would diminish or eliminate much of the workload for the designers.
Not to bring up "the series which shall not be named" to many folks here in the DA:I forums, but Bioware is going to have to contest with comparisons to TW3 if DA4 has the same ratio of static, linear conversations in their side quest content. And that won't work in their favor, regardless of resource cost.
What will be interesting is seeing CDPR's efforts in Cyberpunk2077, as they introduce gender options or other options that might result in more VO actors. Bioware spreads its efforts very thin to account for all PC character options as well as companion loadouts and choices while committing to a cinematic experience. Meanwhile, the Witcher series capitalizes on its one main character design to create a polished movie-esque presentation.Well, but TW3 has a much easier road here. Their VO costs are 1/4th, ignoring cross-border related costs, and they have no actual companions. Thst means no VO cost for banter, base camp conversations - all of that is spread to quest NPCs. Bioware will never able to compete with TW3s resource investment in this regard unless it deleted all companions.
What will be interesting is seeing CDPR's efforts in Cyberpunk2077, as they introduce gender options or other options that might result in more VO actors. Bioware spreads its efforts very thin to account for all PC character options as well as companion loadouts and choices while committing to a cinematic experience. Meanwhile, the Witcher series capitalizes on its one main character design to create a polished movie-esque presentation.
Bioware can't do it all. Because when they try, it not only risks lower quality, but it also results in lots of efforts and projects that get completely scrapped, totally wasted development hours on features that never see the light of day (such as the Keep management systems or destructable environments).
BioWare was successful with a movie-esque presentation with ME2 but as you were saying about developers spreading themselves thin that was a game that didn't. It was very focused and intended to deliver a tight, directed experience.
It didn't try to spread its budget over vast zones and it also only had two versions of the same protagonist.
Exactly. Not to mention squads were smaller (only three member teams instead of DA's four), as well as less romances, less dialgoue and less overall time after recruitment, since that was the main plot for most of the game (example - Legion is recruited literally right before the final story arc begins). I didn't like ME2's "on the tracks" presentation as much as ME1's more wider affair, but it certainly kept scope creep down, I'm sure.BioWare was successful with a movie-esque presentation with ME2 but as you were saying about developers spreading themselves thin that was a game that didn't. It was very focused and intended to deliver a tight, directed experience.
It didn't try to spread its budget over vast zones and it also only had two versions of the same protagonist.
*snip*
I can agree with you that it may have been too much too attempt for more or less the first in one game rather than attempt it little by little.
"She who swallows wishdom in tiny chunks avoids choking"
Oh really.
You again? I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you this but this wasn't my account a few months ago (actually my bro's)
Why would I change my opinion of a game this drastically (and in every way)? Doesn't make sense ("best Bioware game" wut?)
Believe what you have to believe though not my problem
You again? I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you this but this wasn't my account a few months ago (actually my bro's)
Exactly. Not to mention squads were smaller (only three member teams instead of DA's four), as well as less romances, less dialgoue and less overall time after recruitment, since that was the main plot for most of the game (example - Legion is recruited literally right before the final story arc begins). I didn't like ME2's "on the tracks" presentation as much as ME1's more wider affair, but it certainly kept scope creep down, I'm sure.
For any flaw that someone can find with DA:I, being overly ambitious probably can easily be traced back to the culprit - tons of customization, hugely open world design, developing for five platforms with widely varying levels of technology, utilizing a new engine not optimized for RPGs for the first time (as well as developing all the tools for it)... these things and so many more are monumental tasks and forget some of the other things Bioware did or tried to do (more in-depth crafting system, return of the overhead camera, reactive environments to things like hunting, etc.).
It really shows that Bioware really tried to tackle far too much with far too little. And I think TW3 in a way proves that, with its seemingly much more polished product but with its much more focused approach.
Exactly. Not to mention squads were smaller (only three member teams instead of DA's four), as well as less romances, less dialgoue and less overall time after recruitment, since that was the main plot for most of the game (example - Legion is recruited literally right before the final story arc begins). I didn't like ME2's "on the tracks" presentation as much as ME1's more wider affair, but it certainly kept scope creep down, I'm sure.
For any flaw that someone can find with DA:I, being overly ambitious probably can easily be traced back to the culprit - tons of customization, hugely open world design, developing for five platforms with widely varying levels of technology, utilizing a new engine not optimized for RPGs for the first time (as well as developing all the tools for it)... these things and so many more are monumental tasks and forget some of the other things Bioware did or tried to do (more in-depth crafting system, return of the overhead camera, reactive environments to things like hunting, etc.).
It really shows that Bioware really tried to tackle far too much with far too little. And I think TW3 in a way proves that, with its seemingly much more polished product but with its much more focused approach.
The problem is if BioWare ever tried to scale back it gets such a negative reaction, including all the people that are demanding multiple voices for each gender/race combination. I do agree that BioWare probably would be better off story wise if they cut some of the things that make the story get minimized, but the question then becomes would there be enough people to accept it for there are still people talking about how Mass Effect 2 is a worse game compared to Mass Effect 1 because they cut really important things from the game instead of fixing them.
The game was certainly less ambitious but going for a smaller scope made sense given the aggressive two year development cycle and the very rough state ME1 was released in which was a result of overreach just like with DA3. You could see some seams where the level budget ran out like with Legion being shoehorned in and that strange incident where everyone just leaves before the ship gets hijacked but compared to the laundry list of problems in the first game it's not that big of a deal and at least this time the action was half-way decent.
Not that DA3 needed to go full corridor like ME2 but a more conservative approach from the beginning could have resulted in fewer zones to create content for and focusing on your existing content instead of adding racial options because you got an extension.
I agree. I am not that familiar with who is in charge of what with these games but this sounds like it would be a project management issue.
There have been a series of post here on the comparison between CDPR and Bioware in this thread.. CDPR is located, last I checked in Poland, which is a much poorer country than Canada. Last I checked annual GDP per person in Poland is somewhat more than 1/3 that of Canada. Understand that even if CDPR paid the same rate as Bioware to its development staff,. its operating costs are probably still significantly lower. Just as a quick, totally unscientific example and comparison I looked at the rent for two offices, one in Krakow, a major city possibly Capital, in Poland and the other in Edmonton, which is a cowtown but home to Bioware's main office. The rent per square meter in Krakow is about 2/3 that of Edmonton. General truism in comparative economics: food,. labour and rent costs are generally proportional to the GDP / person of a country.
What's this mean? People comparing the products of the two different companies need to understand that Bioware is always going to be faced with higher up-front, fixed costs and likely higher variable (labour and other) costs. To compete Bioware is always going to have to look for economies. A good example is the Frostbite engine, which has been developed for and can be used for multiple releases. As well, Bioware as a subsidiary of EA can look for cheaper distribution and finanacing costs. The need to take advantage of these type of economies is going to be the basis of some criticism - 'Frostbite means DA is going to be like COD. EA is a cabal of witches'. But that is just the reality of the situation, what Bioware has to cope with and hopefully create good games with.
You also shouldn't be too quick to blame project management as you have done. (Not that I care). People also give CD too much slack, given their likely lower costs and the fact that their games are the same price as everybody else. shouldn't they be doing even more for their consurmers?.
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