31 réponses à ce sujet

[The_Shade]

One of my favourite features in DAO was the fact that unlike most RPGs we could actually play through our 

own created character's background and understand their motives and circumstances. I feel this has a more compelling 

effect than merely reading this in the codex section. 

 

We could meet particularly interesting characters from (Game of Thronish) Prince Bhelen to the racist and 

sadistic Vaughan Kendellas. These were some of the most interesting characters in the game and it felt like a 

privilege to meet such well written characters so early in a massive RPG before even reaching Ostagar. This really engaged me and made my character feel real as it provided the Warden with a personal motive before even having to deal with the Darkspawn.

Furthermore, when NPCs ask you 'what was X or Y like?' You can make a judgement from some experience 

rather than almost pure guesswork. This may also be one of the reasons Dragon Age fans (myself included) see the Warden as

one of their favourite protagonists. 

 

Personally, It would have been nice to have origins stories in Inquisition just to give the Inquisitor some flavour 

and detail. Some basic examples could include:

 

- Meet Josephine at one of the House Trevelyan's famous parties in a gargantuan noble house with your 

own servants (to give the impression that your character is truly privileged and affluent). 

- Learn an exclusive Keeper specialization from Clan's Levellan's own keeper where only mage Elves 

can use keeper based abilities to make your character feel unique and special due to their origin. 

- Have exclusive party members based on origin e.g. William 'Iron-Ass' Tully from Valo-Kas company as

a party member only if picked the Qunari origin. 

 

I have no doubt Bioware could craft better ideas relevant to the story but the premise remains the same, there is a lot of potential 

in origins stories that Bioware could use to help develop the main character and Dragon Age overall. 

 

Whilst I can understand that many of the origins stories or backgrounds in DAI were similar to DAO (such as the human noble, dalish elf and commoner/carta dwarf) and this may be reason not to include them in DAI. I seriously hope Bioware does decide to bring those origin stories back for DA4 especially if it is set in Tevinter.Tevinter's culture is quite the contrary to that of any other nation in Thedas. This could act as a great foundation to build any stories within DA4 on and help strengthen the history and culture of the future protagonist and Tevinter itself. 

 

Perhaps adding this as DLC may be a fair option? This way, those who wish to rush straight to the action can do so without being forced to play a slower and arguably less engaging part of the game, while those who favour of origins stories have the option of making a purchase. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The_Shade]

Seeing as DAI was the first DA game to be tested on a new engine, and they spent most of the time learning how it works, they cut out a lot of gameplay, so they might have done that if they had more time. Who knows? Now that they are more adapted to the engine, I have a feeling we will have lots of amazing stuff coming our way in the future.

 

Yeah, I hope so. I wasn't aware that Bioware cut out gameplay. Bummer, the more gameplay the merrier.

[andy6915]

Vaughan was not well written, and I say that despite city elf being my favorite origin. He was just a villain who was written to be so outlandishly evil that he might as well have had an evil mustache that he often twirls to go with it. He even had an evil laugh, one of the only examples in the entire series. They just used him being a rapist to women as a quick shortcut to show how bad he was. He was no more than a cardboard cutout of a villain who was rapist-sadist with an evil laugh and evil British accent, all for the sake of just making him as blatantly easy to hate as possible. He was to elves what this women was to dogs. He existed solely to make you love to hate him so much that you'd want to stab the guy in the face repeatedly, he's basically a cartoon villain who uses an adult concept (rape) instead of something slightly more childish (I want dogs to make a coat) as the means to make everyone hate him.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love cutting his head off and love to hate him. But well written he is not, he's one of the most badly written villains in the series.

[LightningSamus]

Origin stories were great but not sure if they would stay great as time goes on because they might become plain.

The background of your PC is enough and you can choose certain things to say in dialogue. Also they wanted you to leave more things to your imagination.

Then there is also games like The Elder Scrolls where you have no set background and it is left fully to the players imagination.

[Han Yolo]

The origin stories were my favourite part of DAO. I do hope they will return one day.

[Broganisity]

I prefer that they do not return for awhile, especially if we go up to Tevinter/the north.

The way I see things, it would be easy to start our time in a new part of the world from a singular set background per race/ and have the same role regardless. While multiple origins in a new part of the world could give us more background, having to bounce around and juggle these feels like a hassle.

[CathyMe]

I would gladly gave up playable origin in exchange for a better race implementation (*looks at Morrigan explaining elven history to lavellan, or femTravelyan not being able to become devine or marry gaspard* ) It can be really annoying how the game seems to forget that your quizzie is not a human, or andrastian. Besides, if inquisition had playable origins, than DAO would have lost the only thing that is better then the other DA games. My favorite was femTabris even though I agree with what andy said regarding vaugn...still felt good decapitating him

[KaiserShep]

Vaughan was not well written, and I say that despite city elf being my favorite origin. He was just a villain who was written to be so outlandishly evil that he might as well have had an evil mustache that he often twirls to go with it. He even had an evil laugh, one of the only examples in the entire series. They just used him being a rapist to women as a quick shortcut to show how bad he was. He was no more than a cardboard cutout of a villain who was rapist-sadist with an evil laugh and evil British accent, all for the sake of just making him as blatantly easy to hate as possible. He was to elves what this women was to dogs. He existed solely to make you love to hate him so much that you'd want to stab the guy in the face repeatedly, he's basically a cartoon villain who uses an adult concept (rape) instead of something slightly more childish (I want dogs to make a coat) as the means to make everyone hate him.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love cutting his head off and love to hate him. But well written he is not, he's one of the most badly written villains in the series.

 

Nonsense! Vaughn Kendells was a refined and complex villain! Just look at his tact when he approaches the elves.

 

[Broganisity]

Oh how I missed the pimp slap animation. . .

[CathyMe]

Nonsense! Vaughn Kendells was a refined and complex villain! Just look at his tact when he approaches the elves.

 

I've always wondered: is the guy vaughn pimpslaps related to tabris (he seems to resemble shianni) or just a random dude?

[Sifr]

Nonsense! Vaughn Kendells was a refined and complex villain! Just look at his tact when he approaches the elves.

 

 

Hands up if you can't help but hear Nicholas Boulton's voice on a loop when you look at this gif?

 

[Broganisity]

Hands up if you can't help but hear Nicholas Boulton's voice on a loop when you look at this gif?

 

I can't help but notice the Elf taking that slap like a champ.

Look at his face, doesn't even grimace.

[FiveThreeTen]

To this day, I still consider origins to be an awesome way to familiarize with your character and set the tone of the game. So yeah I could totally get behind their return.

Plus it really did add replay value in Origins for me.

 

I would gladly gave up playable origin in exchange for a better race implementation (*looks at Morrigan explaining elven history to lavellan, or femTravelyan not being able to become devine or marry gaspard* ) It can be really annoying how the game seems to forget that your quizzie is not a human, or andrastian. Besides, if inquisition had playable origins, than DAO would have lost the only thing that is better then the other DA games. My favorite was femTabris even though I agree with what andy said regarding vaugn...still felt good decapitating him

Morrigan being more well versed in elven lore than a Lavellan is not surprising (except the "Lol Mythal who?" which is a bug). A human Marcher marrying Gaspard would make no sense, you come from a minor house from the Free Marches, regardless of your Herald status. Becoming Divine could have been an option though, and there is evidence that Bioware thought about it in their concept art, but ultimately they dropped it. I suspect they didn't want to complicate things with their import feature.

 

So that all Quizzy are still Inquistors by the end of the game.

[andy6915]

I can't help but notice the Elf taking that slap like a champ.

Look at his face, doesn't even grimace.

 

Ah... Good ol' Origins and its dated facial expressiveness.

[The_Shade]

Vaughan was not well written, and I say that despite city elf being my favorite origin. He was just a villain who was written to be so outlandishly evil that he might as well have had an evil mustache that he often twirls to go with it. He even had an evil laugh, one of the only examples in the entire series. They just used him being a rapist to women as a quick shortcut to show how bad he was. He was no more than a cardboard cutout of a villain who was rapist-sadist with an evil laugh and evil British accent, all for the sake of just making him as blatantly easy to hate as possible. He was to elves what this women was to dogs. He existed solely to make you love to hate him so much that you'd want to stab the guy in the face repeatedly, he's basically a cartoon villain who uses an adult concept (rape) instead of something slightly more childish (I want dogs to make a coat) as the means to make everyone hate him.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love cutting his head off and love to hate him. But well written he is not, he's one of the most badly written villains in the series.

 

Vaughan certainly isn't a complex or sophisticated villain but a well-written villain does not need to be. They just need to be compelling, dramatic and entertaining for the audience, which Vaughan was (at least in my view).

[CathyMe]

Morrigan being more well versed in elven lore than a Lavellan is not surprising (except the "Lol Mythal who?" which is a bug). A human Marcher marrying Gaspard would make no sense, you come from a minor house from the Free Marches, regardless of your Herald status. Becoming Divine could have been an option though, and there is evidence that Bioware thought about it in their concept art, but ultimately they dropped it. I suspect they didn't want to complicate things with their import feature.

 

So that all Quizzy are still Inquistors by the end of the game.

Not really. Even if Lavellan is just a hunter (if they are First to their clan is even more embarrassing for them), Morrigan just repeats Dalish stories and legends not elven history, something which Solas keeps telling her. Also, does anyone has any links or proof of developers saying it's actually a bug and there are special lines recorded and whether they intend to fix it? Otherwise it proves that multiple races was just a last minute add-in to appease those who wanted it. As for the whole marrying Gaspard/Celene as a political move: I don't see it that impossible if you get high court approval or use black-mail, given how the inquisition does have some influence with the nobility, but that's debatable.

[FiveThreeTen]

But you get to comment on her stories if your a Lavellan when you're into the Temple. She has her knowledge from her Grimoire and/or her elven goddess host mom, and reactivated an eluvian, and build another.

As for the bug thing I admit I can't find a source. Was it something that people keep repeating without actually checking?

Marriage is option is kinda justified with a Cousland since you're (well, was after Howe) the second most powerful noble family in Ferelden. And still there, it take a lot of suspension of disbelief on my part to view it as a realistic option.

So no, would have been even more unrealistic with the Orlesian plot. The INquistor is enough of a special snowflake as it is.

[CathyMe]

But you get to comment on her stories if your a Lavellan when you're into the Temple. She has her knowledge from her Grimoire and/or her elven goddess host mom, and reactivated an eluvian, and build another.

And even those stories begin with Lavellan asking "what's that?". But if you are fine with those justification good for you. I on the other hand, cringe every time I do that quest at how blatantly obvious is that multiple races were an afterthought, and they wrote the story with a human quizzie in mind. I guess that's just me.

[FiveThreeTen]

And even those stories begin with Lavellan asking "what's that?". But if you are fine with those justification good for you. I on the other hand, cringe every time I do that quest at how blatantly obvious is that multiple races were an afterthought, and they wrote the story with a human quizzie in mind. I guess that's just me.

I don't deny the different races could have been implemented better. I was referring to the fact that Lavellans can explain their clans view when you click on Fen'Harel statue for example. So no, they don't go all "what's that?" at every turn. And Morrigan has been a bit obnoxious and a know-it-all. Also the temple we encounter in the Abor Wilds would still be a bit alien to a Dalish since ruins that old are not a common occurence. Dorian (minor spoiler from JoH)

Spoiler

isn't overly familiar with the Tevinter ruins encountered in JoH.

 

Given that many people complained about it it's not just you. But I do believe it's vastly overblown.

[Sifr]

It's worth noting that it's been established that the level of knowledge of their history greatly varies between Dalish clans? Some might be near-fluent and others might speak only a mere smattering of the language?

 

For example, in Origins, while the Sabrae clan members are capable of speaking a degree of Elvish, it seems that few of them are familiar with it's written form or capable of reading it? When Mahariel asks how Tamlen knew the writing on the artefact as being Elvish, he mentions that he only recognises it because he'd previously seen examples of the language written in the Keeper's scrolls?

[Carmen_Willow]

Vaughan certainly isn't a complex or sophisticated villain but a well-written villain does not need to be. They just need to be compelling, dramatic and entertaining for the audience, which Vaughan was (at least in my view).

Given the small amount of time and dialogue that each origin was allowed, I thought Vaughn was one heck of a good villain. Sure he was the short-hand version, but so were Rendon and Bhelen. It gave me GREAT satisfaction to slaughter his entire guard on my way to slitting his throat and telling Shianni (sp?) that he died like a dog. It was particularly satisfying to do it as a female elf.

 

I personally thought that the Origins concept was incredibly compelling and pulled me into the game more completely than any beginning I have played since.(I suppose almost being executed in Skyrim came in second.) And talk about replay potential! I wish wholeheartedly that the Origins concept would return again.

[Broganisity]

Given the small amount of time and dialogue that each origin was allowed, I thought Vaughn was one heck of a good villain. Sure he was the short-hand version, but so were Rendon and Bhelen. It gave me GREAT satisfaction to slaughter his entire guard on my way to slitting his throat and telling Shianni (sp?) that he died like a dog. It was particularly satisfying to do it as a female elf.

 

I personally thought that the Origins concept was incredibly compelling and pulled me into the game more completely than any beginning I have played since.(I suppose almost being executed in Skyrim came in second.) And talk about replay potential! I wish wholeheartedly that the Origins concept would return again.

Yes, albeit Belen and Rendon both play notable roles in the game and are noted snakes and powerhungry manipulators.

[Master Warder Z_]

Plus you know.

Tim Curry

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I'd rather not have origin stories.