1659 réponses à ce sujet

[Ardent Blossom]

Sadly, we already had do it.. lots of times.

 

- When we prevented a romanced Leliana from becoming Divine because we feared that it could affect her romance with the Warden

- When we saved a romanced Alistair in the Fade because we didn't want to kill the HoF's beloved

- When we didn't let a romanced Morrigan drink from the well because we were sorry for the HoF (and his family) 

- When we sacrificed Stroud or Loghain in the Fade because we didn't want to distrupt our head canon happy-ending between Hawke and his/her lover (or even for his friends/siblings).

 

All of these choices were made for the sake of our previous heroes, and not according to our Inquisitor's thoughts. 

I was guilty of saving Alistair for non-Inquisition related reasons. Shameful, I know. I'd rather not be tempted to do something like that again. 

[Smudjygirl]

Right, i've had some time to think about how to say this, and i think i have come up with a way to better explain what i mean. It's mostly going to be an example followed by how i view what happened in the games. I am by no means a professional writer (so feel free to disagree, i;d love to see your point), but i am an avid reader. From all the books i have read, i know what makes a plot strong and what causes it to be weak. The idea of this thread was that the current theme of the story does not fit with the desire for new characters every time. While i'm hesitant to say whether it will or won't work, i have to say i lean more on the side of the OP's main point. This will be from a "writing" point of view, because games are just a story.

 

First of all, a strong story is directly dependent on character motivation. They need a good, strong reason to be involved with the plot. For example, let us say we have 3 close friends who want to explore a haunted graveyard. Could they do it just because they want to? Sure, but it's not really a strong story. Instead, let us say they want to explore it because our protagionist's little sister went missing in it 3 days ago. Is that a reason to go in? It certainly is. Is it a strong reason? Yes, and it also provides us with a destination and a goal that our character's have right from the onset. In terms of Dragon Age, Origins and Inquisition did this very well. Regardless of how you felt on the matter, you were involved and it was a goal you simply could not ignore. DA2 was not really like this, Hawke's goal was to look after their family...that only indirectly affected their plot.

 

Let us say, that in the haunted graveyard, there are 3 paths. The path to the right leads you to a journal that indicates that children being lost to the graveyard is a very common affair, but there is something in the journal that implies it is not the child that is the target, but rather a way to entice the target to come. Suddenly we have an indication of a bigger affair, and that we are now somewhat aware that we are being intentionally lead down this path.  The path to the left leads them to an abandoned cabin. Conversations deepening the characters relationship may occur, and let us pretend that by the end of this, we feel deeply for the friendship between the three, and we agree with their unanimous desire to save the little sister. There are subplots that link into the final affair, keep the reader interested, while foreshadowing what will happen. Happened in DA:O and DA2 led us into the event of DAI, one concluding the other.

 

Eventually on our journey through the haunted graveyard, we reach a pivotal point in the story. We find out that one of our friends is under the control of what stole the little sister. A fight occurs, but they escape before we have a chance to strike them down or gather answers. We now have a chance for our characters to reflect, but a new emotional drive to stop the events. Suddenly, the character's motivation has changed from wanting to help their sister, to wanting to stop their friend. Obviously, their original goal has not changes, but now we have a deeper connection to the events. But let us say, after the sister is saved, we simply leave the graveyard. We don;t stop the friend, we don't stop the evil. A few years down the line, someone else just happens to stumble onto the evil and they stop it out of a sense of duty. Is that a good reason? Sure. Was it as satisfying as having our hero previous stop the events surrounding their story? Probably not. Could they give us the same emotional drive as we had before? Not likely, they have no connection other than "Well, i might as well".

 

Getting towards the end of the story, what should happen is that the character should resolve all loose ends. Save the sister, stop the friend and get rid of what ever evil draws people there. This is what makes a story strong. (my story is rubbish, i know, but it's just an example). Looking at the Solas story from the perspective i have just shown, it makes that story weak. We lose the character motivation to stop him. Not completely. But i ask, which motive is stronger 1) We need to stop the bad guy that just showed up or 2) we need to finish what we started and save/kill our friend who is about to make a horrible mistake. While both have a motivation, one has a much stronger, much deeper connection to the events and as such is far more likely to have motivation to stop the "big bad", and with a much more satisfying result.

 

Sorry for having to make it a little off topic, but i just thought it would make my point clearer is i separated from "this story" to "a story", and i hope this helps people understand the point more. What is being said is much more out of concern for the story rather than being for or against new characters.

[Qun00]

You know, it's not like we merely got the announcement that DA4 will take place in Tevinter. The Inquisitor is actually going there by the end of the story.

We'll at least get a cameo.

[TheRevanchist]

*Snip of Awesome*

 

[thejoker1973]

Just to throw in my own two (or several) cents...

 

One impression I'm getting from this thread is that those insistent that the Inquisitor can not (or should not) return as the PC seem to be vastly underestimating what the writers for this series have proven themselves to be capable of. As Smudjy said up above, good storytelling is dependent on character motivation. ENTIRELY dependent, I would say. The Star Wars example has already been stretched to death for every argument under the sun in this thread, but I'll stretch it a little more simply to say that I never got the impression Luke is hellbent on stopping Vader based on the familial connection---rather, he cares about Vader BECAUSE Vader kills Obi Wan, who was Luke's Gandalf/mentor/father-figure. That is his motivation to carry on the fight. The rest is just icing.

 

For DA: before Trespasser, I would have agreed that the Inquisitor has no reason to return for DA4. But as others have said before me, Trespasser was the first bit of DA storytelling that really seemed deliberate. The Inquisitor is knocked down, kicked around, utterly betrayed by Solas, whether the Inquisitor viewed him as friend/lover/enemy. The story between them is gut-wrenchingly personal as a result. Regardless of whether your Inquisitor claimed their "adventuring days are over" or that they have to "save the world again," every player gets that final scene where they are planning the hunt for Solas. The writers deliberately put this scene in for every Inquisitor. They have given every Inquisitor strong motivation to stop Solas, and this is why the story has suddenly become so much more intriguing to many. It is because this is fantastic set-up. This is sequel bait at it's finest. This is some of the best storytelling I've seen from the DA team...IF they keep this fight between the Inquisitor and Solas. A new PC...simply loses that personal motivation. And no, I personally don't like the whole "but what if Solas kills the new PC's family!" or "but their world is threatened; they have to stop him!" Those motivations are a dime a dozen, and I trust the writers to do better than that.

 

Good writers know that rules are meant to be broken so long as it is for the benefit of the story. I've personally never bought into the whole "DA is about Thedas, not the heroes." Very, very few stories work well that way. World-building is an essential step of storytelling, yes; but generally viewers/players/readers connect more to PEOPLE than to places, for obvious reasons. Thedas has wonderful lore, getting better with every game---but we discover this lore through our PCs, we connect to the larger stories through their personal stories. Finally, we have a larger story that is also incredibly personal to the Inquisitor. The supposed "Big Bad" isn't a Coryphy-fish set on Godhood for reasons that are never clearly explained. Instead, we have an antagonist who the Inquisitor understands/respects/loves. The Inquisitor knows his motivations, his goals, his doubts. He begs the Inquisitor (in certain instances) to prove him wrong. I don't even know how to explain how amazing this is as a protagonist-antagonist set-up. The writers have to know this. I have too much trust in them after Trespasser to believe that they DON'T know this.

 

Also: am I the only one who saw the Inquisitor lose his/her arm and immediately think "WHOA"? There are so, so, so many cool aspects to that from both storytelling/gameplay perspectives. It is the perfect excuse to start the Inquisitor at Level 1. We've seen the multiplayer devs experimenting with hybrid characters---why not have this carry over to single-player for DA4? I think we've all become entrenched in the idea of three set classes, with the usual subsets to every class. What if the next game mixes that up? Honestly, I'm not creative enough to think of any examples HOW they would implement this---but those multiplayer devs are nothing if not creative and very, very good with experimentation. Let's just recruit them to the single-player side for the next game 

 

The other possibility, as others have proposed: multiple PCs. I knew Laidlaw had said something about it sometime back, and finally found the quote from the Kotaku Q&A:

 

As to multiple protagonists? Absolutely fascinating and, yes, we have discussed it some. There are a lot of challenges in terms of helping the player identify with more than one created character, but it's a long way from impossible. I thought, for example, that the weaving stories of the GTA V protagonists created a really interesting flow in the story and the gameplay.

 

 

Could be interesting to see something like this, and there are plenty of possibilities for how it would play out: Inquisitor as ring-leader, for example, with us taking control for Solas-related missions and the rest of our time as a new PC; or, perhaps, two seemingly separate stories entirely (Qunari invasion/whatever Solas is planning) that eventually DO intersect. Again, just spit-balling, but it creates the possibility of an interesting narrative change nonetheless.

 

Anyway. I've rambled on for longer than I meant to. That's what happens when I go a few years without posting here 

[Tielis]

Good and evil are terms I really despise as they are so dependent upon where we stand.  If you had evidence that some clan of elves were going to kill all the people in your village because of some ancient (whether real or imagined) reason and you swoop down on the back of a dragon and slaughter them.  Elves are going to see you as evil, but meanwhile your clan is going to hail you as a hero. 

 

As a human citizen of Thedas, yeah, I think it is bad that Solas plans on destroying my world to restore his, but would those entrapped, or himself feel they were doing bad?  So I do not consider him evil or bad, but from my point of view it doesn't matter, as I wish to live, thus must act to preserve my world. 

 

What if in DA4 you are faced with saving Thedas by knowingly destroying the Fade and everything in it?  Is doing good for your world by destroying another a bad thing?

 

*Very* interesting idea, I love it!

 

What if, in the next game, we are not the Inquisitor's ally, but his/her enemy!  Wow, this could really be mind blowing.

 

Still not sure how they'd handle the Solas/Inquisitor scene, but hopefully they could come up with something that doesn't leave us feeling so ripped off, storywise.

[Iakus]

I was pleased to hear Laidlaw's comments about the Dragon Age franchise being more about "Thedas" than individual characters.  It opens up infinite possibilities and besides, as the years go on, the last thing I want to see is some 90 year old, magically infused botox injected hero (known as the elder one by his friends back at the retirement home or down at the glowing hand tavern) go on yet another quest at level 843 wearing tier 140 armor that takes enough quilback hide to choke a black hole to prevent from being turned into a statute by Solas and placed in a Dr. Who episode.

 

New protagonist please.

I swear they could move the timeline ahead two centuries and there'd still be people b*tching about how the Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor wasn't made into a golem/undergone a blood magic ritual/harnessed the taint and should still be out there kicking butt and getting laid with their equally golemfied/blood magicked/tainted LI.

[TheRevanchist]

*Snip of Amazingness* 

 

I regret I can only click the Like button once. Perfect post. 

[Iakus]

 

What if in DA4 you are faced with saving Thedas by knowingly destroying the Fade and everything in it?  Is doing good for your world by destroying another a bad thing?

If that happens, I'd say they've been listening too much to the ME3 team...

[TheRevanchist]

If that happens, I'd say they've been listening too much to the ME3 team...

 

Indeed... As my Sig implies...no more of that nonsense...

[Tielis]

More thoughts on the prosthetic arm --

 

I play a Knight-Enchanter, who first had to make a hilt that becomes a home for a willing spirit to become the Spirit Blade.  Why would this not be possible for a prosthetic arm?  Especially since the most powerful Artificer and Knight-Enchanter in Thedas are our best friends (or at least allies).

 

And gloves are worn in Thedas, like, all the time.  If a prosthetic is covered by a glove or boot, and the person knows how to move with it, it is indistinguishable from the real thing.  I have experienced this in real life with disabled people that I have met.

[XxFAMOUSxX]

I'm totally in the middle. I don't care how they go about setting up future games as long as it made sense. With that said, don't squander a brilliant opportunity to do something very few games could do with a story. The story is key. The reason I favor the DA series over many others is because we have those emotional ties to our characters and their world. With that said, it's also because of that, I believe the developers are having a hard time with the game and story. Like having to bring back characters like a Morrigan because of past decisions some others may of made because they want to see that their decisions mattered. It can be both a good thing but also something that can be tiresome for both the developers and the fans seeing how one characters role was relatively done.

Some one like The Warden disappearing and not coming back makes sense to me. His story is over. Hawke making an appearance but not heavily having an influence on a new game makes sense because his story, also over. The inquisitor case in my opinion, isn't over and wouldn't make sense to me for him to just disappear into the horizon to never be mentioned again. Sometimes change is needed. A new protagonist wouldn't make sense in every game, and after awhile would just be bland. Same game different cover, though the returning of past characters is hardly a better answer, because it too would just ruin the gameplay experience after a while of having to see the same ol characters in a supposedly new game, but there can exceptions made If it made sense.

I don't believe sticking to just one formula is the answer. A returning hero for a new game every blue moon would be a good change just as long as it made sense and not abused.

[dsl08002]

Just to throw in my own two (or several) cents...
 
One impression I'm getting from this thread is that those insistent that the Inquisitor can not (or should not) return as the PC seem to be vastly underestimating what the writers for this series have proven themselves to be capable of. As Smudjy said up above, good storytelling is dependent on character motivation. ENTIRELY dependent, I would say. The Star Wars example has already been stretched to death for every argument under the sun in this thread, but I'll stretch it a little more simply to say that I never got the impression Luke is hellbent on stopping Vader based on the familial connection---rather, he cares about Vader BECAUSE Vader kills Obi Wan, who was Luke's Gandalf/mentor/father-figure. That is his motivation to carry on the fight. The rest is just icing.
 
For DA: before Trespasser, I would have agreed that the Inquisitor has no reason to return for DA4. But as others have said before me, Trespasser was the first bit of DA storytelling that really seemed deliberate. The Inquisitor is knocked down, kicked around, utterly betrayed by Solas, whether the Inquisitor viewed him as friend/lover/enemy. The story between them is gut-wrenchingly personal as a result. Regardless of whether your Inquisitor claimed their "adventuring days are over" or that they have to "save the world again," every player gets that final scene where they are planning the hunt for Solas. The writers deliberately put this scene in for every Inquisitor. They have given every Inquisitor strong motivation to stop Solas, and this is why the story has suddenly become so much more intriguing to many. It is because this is fantastic set-up. This is sequel bait at it's finest. This is some of the best storytelling I've seen from the DA team...IF they keep this fight between the Inquisitor and Solas. A new PC...simply loses that personal motivation. And no, I personally don't like the whole "but what if Solas kills the new PC's family!" or "but their world is threatened; they have to stop him!" Those motivations are a dime a dozen, and I trust the writers to do better than that.
 
Good writers know that rules are meant to be broken so long as it is for the benefit of the story. I've personally never bought into the whole "DA is about Thedas, not the heroes." Very, very few stories work well that way. World-building is an essential step of storytelling, yes; but generally viewers/players/readers connect more to PEOPLE than to places, for obvious reasons. Thedas has wonderful lore, getting better with every game---but we discover this lore through our PCs, we connect to the larger stories through their personal stories. Finally, we have a larger story that is also incredibly personal to the Inquisitor. The supposed "Big Bad" isn't a Coryphy-fish set on Godhood for reasons that are never clearly explained. Instead, we have an antagonist who the Inquisitor understands/respects/loves. The Inquisitor knows his motivations, his goals, his doubts. He begs the Inquisitor (in certain instances) to prove him wrong. I don't even know how to explain how amazing this is as a protagonist-antagonist set-up. The writers have to know this. I have too much trust in them after Trespasser to believe that they DON'T know this.
 
Also: am I the only one who saw the Inquisitor lose his/her arm and immediately think "WHOA"? There are so, so, so many cool aspects to that from both storytelling/gameplay perspectives. It is the perfect excuse to start the Inquisitor at Level 1. We've seen the multiplayer devs experimenting with hybrid characters---why not have this carry over to single-player for DA4? I think we've all become entrenched in the idea of three set classes, with the usual subsets to every class. What if the next game mixes that up? Honestly, I'm not creative enough to think of any examples HOW they would implement this---but those multiplayer devs are nothing if not creative and very, very good with experimentation. Let's just recruit them to the single-player side for the next game 
 
The other possibility, as others have proposed: multiple PCs. I knew Laidlaw had said something about it sometime back, and finally found the quote from the Kotaku Q&A:
 
 
Could be interesting to see something like this, and there are plenty of possibilities for how it would play out: Inquisitor as ring-leader, for example, with us taking control for Solas-related missions and the rest of our time as a new PC; or, perhaps, two seemingly separate stories entirely (Qunari invasion/whatever Solas is planning) that eventually DO intersect. Again, just spit-balling, but it creates the possibility of an interesting narrative change nonetheless.
 
Anyway. I've rambled on for longer than I meant to. That's what happens when I go a few years without posting here 

this cross playing PC is what I wished for in DAI where you could play as WARDEN and HAWKE.

however I think it would be better to focus in DA4 on the characters we already have instead of introducing a new one

[Iakus]

Just to throw in my own two (or several) cents...

 

One impression I'm getting from this thread is that those insistent that the Inquisitor can not (or should not) return as the PC seem to be vastly underestimating what the writers for this series have proven themselves to be capable of. As Smudjy said up above, good storytelling is dependent on character motivation. ENTIRELY dependent, I would say. The Star Wars example has already been stretched to death for every argument under the sun in this thread, but I'll stretch it a little more simply to say that I never got the impression Luke is hellbent on stopping Vader based on the familial connection---rather, he cares about Vader BECAUSE Vader kills Obi Wan, who was Luke's Gandalf/mentor/father-figure. That is his motivation to carry on the fight. The rest is just icing.

 

For DA: before Trespasser, I would have agreed that the Inquisitor has no reason to return for DA4. But as others have said before me, Trespasser was the first bit of DA storytelling that really seemed deliberate. The Inquisitor is knocked down, kicked around, utterly betrayed by Solas, whether the Inquisitor viewed him as friend/lover/enemy. The story between them is gut-wrenchingly personal as a result. Regardless of whether your Inquisitor claimed their "adventuring days are over" or that they have to "save the world again," every player gets that final scene where they are planning the hunt for Solas. The writers deliberately put this scene in for every Inquisitor. They have given every Inquisitor strong motivation to stop Solas, and this is why the story has suddenly become so much more intriguing to many. It is because this is fantastic set-up. This is sequel bait at it's finest. This is some of the best storytelling I've seen from the DA team...IF they keep this fight between the Inquisitor and Solas. A new PC...simply loses that personal motivation. And no, I personally don't like the whole "but what if Solas kills the new PC's family!" or "but their world is threatened; they have to stop him!" Those motivations are a dime a dozen, and I trust the writers to do better than that.

 

I don't think anyone believes the Inquisitor is just going to sit out DA4 entirely.  But it's been made abundantly clear that the Inquisitor is not going to be the one to lead the charge against Solas.  Solas knows too well how the Inquisitor and the Inquisitor's allies think.  He was, after all, a founding member of the Inquisition, deep within their councils, and has proven extremely adept at manipulating everyone, including the inquisitor.  

 

Thus someone new is going to have to take point.  Someone Solas doesn't know and can't anticipate so easily.   The inquisitor may operate in the shadows, providing support, intelligence, perspective.  Even distract Solas by making moves against him.  But the Inquisitor would still be an ally of the protagonist, not the protagonist itself.

 

Think, perhaps, of Morrigan in DAI.  

 

 

 

Good writers know that rules are meant to be broken so long as it is for the benefit of the story. I've personally never bought into the whole "DA is about Thedas, not the heroes." Very, very few stories work well that way. World-building is an essential step of storytelling, yes; but generally viewers/players/readers connect more to PEOPLE than to places, for obvious reasons. Thedas has wonderful lore, getting better with every game---but we discover this lore through our PCs, we connect to the larger stories through their personal stories. Finally, we have a larger story that is also incredibly personal to the Inquisitor. The supposed "Big Bad" isn't a Coryphy-fish set on Godhood for reasons that are never clearly explained. Instead, we have an antagonist who the Inquisitor understands/respects/loves. The Inquisitor knows his motivations, his goals, his doubts. He begs the Inquisitor (in certain instances) to prove him wrong. I don't even know how to explain how amazing this is as a protagonist-antagonist set-up. The writers have to know this. I have too much trust in them after Trespasser to believe that they DON'T know this.

 

Interestingly, while Solas isn't claiming to be a god, or even aspiring to be one, he is showing all the arrogance and ruthlessness of Corypheus.  Even if it pains him to destroy Thedas, he'd still kill every man, woman, and child to see his goal of a "better world".  Whether he's "evil" or not, he's a monster.  If he can't be talked down, he must be put down.  Dread Wolf indeed.

 

But at any rate, shared worlds have been done before, and done rather well.  Take Thieves' World as an example.  There was no central protagonist or even an ensemble for those books.  There must have been at least a dozen contributing authors to that series, each with their own characters with their own adventures to follow.  

 

 

 

Also: am I the only one who saw the Inquisitor lose his/her arm and immediately think "WHOA"? There are so, so, so many cool aspects to that from both storytelling/gameplay perspectives. It is the perfect excuse to start the Inquisitor at Level 1. We've seen the multiplayer devs experimenting with hybrid characters---why not have this carry over to single-player for DA4? I think we've all become entrenched in the idea of three set classes, with the usual subsets to every class. What if the next game mixes that up? Honestly, I'm not creative enough to think of any examples HOW they would implement this---but those multiplayer devs are nothing if not creative and very, very good with experimentation. Let's just recruit them to the single-player side for the next game 
 

I saw the Inquisitor lose an arm and went "They're making it abundantly clear that the Inquisitor isn't going to be the starring in the next game" 

 

 

 

Could be interesting to see something like this, and there are plenty of possibilities for how it would play out: Inquisitor as ring-leader, for example, with us taking control for Solas-related missions and the rest of our time as a new PC; or, perhaps, two seemingly separate stories entirely (Qunari invasion/whatever Solas is planning) that eventually DO intersect. Again, just spit-balling, but it creates the possibility of an interesting narrative change nonetheless.
Anyway. I've rambled on for longer than I meant to. That's what happens when I go a few years without posting here 

 

Eh, I see the Inquisitor as an adviser, like I said.  Maybe running some War Table operations.  Telltale's been doing some interesting things with multiple pov characters with their Tales from the Borderlands and Game of Thrones.  But I don't see Bioware making that move yet.  

[thejoker1973]

More thoughts on the prosthetic arm --

 

I play a Knight-Enchanter, who first had to make a hilt that becomes a home for a willing spirit to become the Spirit Blade.  Why would this not be possible for a prosthetic arm?  Especially since the most powerful Artificer and Knight-Enchanter in Thedas are our best friends (or at least allies).

 

And gloves are worn in Thedas, like, all the time.  If a prosthetic is covered by a glove or boot, and the person knows how to move with it, it is indistinguishable from the real thing.  I have experienced this in real life with disabled people that I have met.

 

Spirit arm? That would actually be...insanely cool!

 

See, this is exactly why I think it's so dismissive to the dev team to assume that crippling the Inquisitor absolutely rules them out as a future PC. The Inquisitor knows Dagna/Bianca/Vivienne/etc. There is nothing in the established lore that says it would be impossible for any of these characters to come forward with a solution that then goes on to create some incredibly interesting gameplay changes.

[TheRevanchist]

Spirit arm? That would actually be...insanely cool!

 

See, this is exactly why I think it's so dismissive to the dev team to assume that crippling the Inquisitor absolutely rules them out as a future PC. The Inquisitor knows Dagna/Bianca/Vivienne/etc. There is nothing in the established lore that says it would be impossible for any of these characters to come forward with a solution that then goes on to create some incredibly interesting gameplay changes.

 

No, aside from the fact that the writer's were not thinking about things like that at all when they came up with the concept. I can almost promise that. Since DA4 isn't even Greenlit yet theres still time for them to see ideas like this and go with it, but still...

[thejoker1973]

I don't think anyone believes the Inquisitor is just going to sit out DA4 entirely.  But it's been made abundantly clear that the Inquisitor is not going to be the one to lead the charge against Solas.  Solas knows too well how the Inquisitor and the Inquisitor's allies think.  He was, after all, a founding member of the Inquisition, deep within their councils, and has proven extremely adept at manipulating everyone, including the inquisitor.  

 

I suppose this is where it merely comes down to different interpretations. See, the impression I got is that the Inquisitor is absolutely going to be the one to lead the charge---perhaps behind the scenes, yes, but ultimately the one calling the shots. As to Solas knowing the Inquisitor too well...this argument simply doesn't make sense to me.

 

At the beginning of a story, the antagonist is absolutely MEANT to seem out of the protagonist's league. That's sort of the point. The story is the protagonist finding a way to beat the odds and come out on top.

 

That's why I see this scene at the end of Trespasser as brilliant set-up. The Inquisitor is back at the bottom with the antagonist beyond their reach. DA4 would be a pretty short game if the Inquisitor was already two steps ahead of Solas. It would also be a very short game if the Inquisitor could just pull in New Random Hero #4 and 'lo and behold, Solas will never see this guy coming!' (I'm sure it will be more complex than this, of course   )

 

Interestingly, while Solas isn't claiming to be a god, or even aspiring to be one, he is showing all the arrogance and ruthlessness of Corypheus.  Even if it pains him to destroy Thedas, he'd still kill every man, woman, and child to see his goal of a "better world".  Whether he's "evil" or not, he's a monster.  If he can't be talked down, he must be put down.  Dread Wolf indeed.

 

 

I completely agree with this, for what it's worth. The difference between the two is that we have some idea of why Solas is doing what he's doing (even though it's still genocide and horrible). Corypheus would have been a much more interesting antagonist, in my opinion, if we had similar insight into his actions, as opposed to him just being a mad god...because he wants to be a mad god.

[Tielis]

No, aside from the fact that the writer's were not thinking about things like that at all when they came up with the concept. I can almost promise that. Since DA4 isn't even Greenlit yet theres still time for them to see ideas like this and go with it, but still...

 

Well, there is the gold prosthetic arm lying around in some room in Trespasser, or so I hear...

[TheRevanchist]

I suppose this is where it merely comes down to different interpretations. See, the impression I got is that the Inquisitor is absolutely going to be the one to lead the charge---perhaps behind the scenes, yes, but ultimately the one calling the shots. As to Solas knowing the Inquisitor too well...this argument simply doesn't make sense to me.

 

At the beginning of a story, the antagonist is absolutely MEANT to seem out of the protagonist's league. That's sort of the point. The story is the protagonist finding a way to beat the odds and come out on top.

 

That's why I see this scene at the end of Trespasser as brilliant set-up. The Inquisitor is back at the bottom with the antagonist beyond their reach. DA4 would be a pretty short game if the Inquisitor was already two steps ahead of Solas. It would also be a very short game if the Inquisitor could just pull in New Random Hero #4 and 'lo and behold, Solas will never see this guy coming!' (I'm sure it will be more complex than this, of course   )

 

 

I completely agree with this, for what it's worth. The difference between the two is that we have some idea of why Solas is doing what he's doing (even though it's still genocide and horrible). Corypheus would have been a much more interesting antagonist, in my opinion, if we had similar insight into his actions, as opposed to him just being a mad god...because he wants to be a mad god.

 

"That guy was the Tevinter-yist Vint In his history of Vints. The Original mold from which all other Vints were cast"- Iron Bull. I think that was kinda the point. Ancient Tevinter just really was that shallow and pathetic. 

[Iakus]

I suppose this is where it merely comes down to different interpretations. See, the impression I got is that the Inquisitor is absolutely going to be the one to lead the charge---perhaps behind the scenes, yes, but ultimately the one calling the shots. As to Solas knowing the Inquisitor too well...this argument simply doesn't make sense to me.

 

At the beginning of a story, the antagonist is absolutely MEANT to seem out of the protagonist's league. That's sort of the point. The story is the protagonist finding a way to beat the odds and come out on top.

 

That's why I see this scene at the end of Trespasser as brilliant set-up. The Inquisitor is back at the bottom with the antagonist beyond their reach. DA4 would be a pretty short game if the Inquisitor was already two steps ahead of Solas. It would also be a very short game if the Inquisitor could just pull in New Random Hero #4 and 'lo and behold, Solas will never see this guy coming!' (I'm sure it will be more complex than this, of course   )

 

And the impression I got is the Inquisitor it totally unqualified to face Solas.  The inquisition no longer has the favor of the nations, is riddled with spies, the Anchor is gone, and it turns out Solas has been manipulating the Inquisitor's actions all along.

 

And in the epilogue, we don't see the Inquisitor plotting how to track down and confront Solas again.  We seen the Inquisitor looking for new allies.  Allies with no connection to the Inquisition or Solas.  Someone whom, yes "Solas will never see coming"  

 

Though there may in fact be other qualifications we are not yet aware of.

[Tielis]

Spirit arm? That would actually be...insanely cool!

 

See, this is exactly why I think it's so dismissive to the dev team to assume that crippling the Inquisitor absolutely rules them out as a future PC. The Inquisitor knows Dagna/Bianca/Vivienne/etc. There is nothing in the established lore that says it would be impossible for any of these characters to come forward with a solution that then goes on to create some incredibly interesting gameplay changes.

 

As a disabled gamer myself, though with invisible disabilities, I also think this would be the perfect time for BioWare to really show us how much they care.

 

http://www.ablegamer...th-disabilities  (DAI under "Games to Avoid")

 

http://arstechnica.c...diabled-gamers/  (DAO)

[ComedicSociopathy]

I don't see why the PC has to be the Inquisitor in the next game.

 

Should they be heavily involved in DA 4? Of course. Would having two PC's like Witcher 3 be warranted in this situation. Sure. But having Inquisitor be the next protagonist isn't necessary in my opinion if their motivation is simply to confront Solas at the last boss fight of that game. We can do that without making them our avatar for the other possible 90% of gameplay, where were probably going to be dealing with situations that are only tentatively connected to the Solas doomsday plan plot line, like the Grey Warden unrest in Weisshapt, Tevinter-Qunari war and whatever else Bioware throws at us. Having a new character with their own personal stakes in those conflicts would be interesting especially if Bioware decides to return to form and have actual Origins back. I can't say that will happen of course, but seeing that form storytelling again in an new environment like Tevinter would be great, especially since that was the main complaint of the Inquisitor, that our PC never felt interesting, ironically enough until this DLC. 

 

Also, if were going to have the Inquisitor back we're also going to deal with bringing and making references to many of the characters we dealt with in Inquisition, especially when it comes to romances. The complaints about why my favorite or romanced companion is not showing up is going be problem that Bioware's pretty much going to have to handwave away for the most because their some many variables to that come along with having over characters romances along with twelve characters. It's to much factor in and with Trespasser doing everything it could to put those character storylines mostly to rest I'd much rather we start off fresh and focus on new characters and their motivations. Have Dorian and the Inquisitor show up when needed, but leave the rest to the wayside, which is something more easily done with a new PC. 

 

My final point here is this, Trespasser does almost everything its power to tell you that the Inquisitor is not going to be the leading the hunt for Solas at least when it comes to doing most of the actual fighting and footwork. Their arm has been cut off, they've told the Exalted Council that their adventuring days are over, they've admitted that Solas knows them to well and that using catspaws that he's never encountered before would be far more effective in stopping him and lastly Bioware has been committed to having a different protagonist for every Dragon Age game. They did this Hawke even through he was the one one first killed Corypheus and they'll probably do it again in DA 4. Remember this isn't about a single protagonist, but the world of Thedas. A lot of people many find this idea rubbish in light of recent events, but Bioware seems pretty committed to this idea in their game design and storytelling.

 

Honestly, I don't even hate the idea of the Inquisitor coming back as our main PC, but since the game eludes to the idea that's not going to happen and Dragon Age's history when it comes always having a new protagonist even when the story may call for it, I'm not holding out much hope. 

[ArianaGBSA]

Well the Inquisitor could be present until the end of the Dragon Age, but with diminishing role, like I suspect Morrigan, Leliana, Cassandra, Vivienne and others will
People don't disappear from history like that (except for one hit pop stars), so we are going to see/heard of people important as those

But playing them again, as main character, I don't think so
 

Thus my suggestion of side games, smaller games, just to go in adventures with beloved characters, we can have anyone in these games, like HoF in a deep roads dungeon crawling, possible and easy, Hawke in the fade, same thing, and so on. Things that would be VERY difficult to handle in a main game due to choices/implications, but that would be easy and joyful to explore in a spin-off, a what if, of the series. Perhaps an action game with a collection of "what if" missions, yeah that's it! "What if Hawke was left in the fade..." "What if the warden is looking for a cure for the calling..." and so on. They could even make money out of it, like selling all the packs separatly for abusive price.

[TheRevanchist]

I just realized something, not sure how many people have ever taken the time to notice. Everyone is aware of this wonderful picture yes?

 

 

Now...observe who takes the place of Judas.

 

 

The proof was there, all along...

[leadintea]

I just realized something, not sure how many people have ever taken the time to notice. Everyone is aware of this wonderful picture yes?

 

 

Now...observe who takes the place of Judas.

 

 

The proof was there, all along...

 

People noticed that a long time ago, though it was more just for fun back then...