305 réponses à ce sujet

[godseiryuu]

I'll say it again firsthand I loved DA:I and played it for hours.

 

The gameplay though not as good (and tactical) as the first opus was still fun. One thing that I think would enhance the gameplay is if the classes available to the main character and the classes of your companions were not the same. I understand that that would require a lot more work but to make YOUR characer truly unique there really isn't any other way.

 

The environment and lore was on par with the previous installment (actually better than the second...). And the story was good too though not the best I've seen but genius writers are a rarity that's why we like them so much (I'll add to that that I prefer a classical ending over a trial at an original ending that just falls flat on it's nose 99% of the time).

 

The only thing that really got on my nerves were the characters. Why you ask? First of all why are some of the characters even present?

 

Cassandra is part of the chantry and was present since the beginning OK

 

Solas is there for his own reasons (which we all know now) OK.

 

Varric was a prisoner since the previous installment it was shown in the epilogue OK.

 

Blackwall is needed through the involvment with the Grey Wardens OK.

 

Dorian is needed through the involvment with the tevinters OK.

 

But when you start looking at the rest there presence starts to feel much less justified:

 

Bull I like your style and I'm a spy. Half OK for the spy part.

 

Cole... I felt your pain? NOK

 

Sera the little peolpe (really just I) are intrigued. NOK

 

Vivienne I want to help (cough manipulate) you (HAHAHAHAHA!). NOK

 

To me Bull, Cole, Vivienne and Sera really lack a bit in their reasoning for helping the Inquisition. But let's give the writer a pass and shut our eyes on that part.

 

As stated in my title the biggest problem I had with the game is the political correctness of the characters that just grates on my nerves throughout the game.

 

There are all kinds of races, colors and sexual orientations among your characters.... Now let's not be hasty and think I am racist or homophobistic (and frankly I'm not white myself and for all you know I could be homosexual (I'm not but I could be)), I say that because my friends often tell me I can be clumsy when expressing myself which can cause misunderstandings.

What bothers me is both how unlikely such a group of people assembling together is. It makes it all too clear they put them in just to satisfy everybody so they couldn't be accused of not putting in this or that type of character and not necessarily because they would be good characters or would add something specific to the story. In short the character panel is too clearly designed to be politically correct and this bugs me.

 

I know that a lot of people liked the diversity of course but my opinion is still that it ultimately weakens the story and immersion which as I said grates at me when I play this game. A shame really considering the rest. What do you people think?

[Ash Wind]

Not sure I'm getting what your getting at... diversity is a weakness? Ummmmm.... So all Characters should be 1 race and 1 sexual orientation and that would make things better??????

 

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. The main story was weak and the main villain was an incompetent stooge who peaked at the end of Act I and for the remainder of the story he was a bumbling clown.

 

The divergence of characters is the only thing that saves DAI for me. It was a strength, not a weakness.

[godseiryuu]

First of all I never said diversity is a weakness. I said that such diversity being unlikely as it is weakens the immersion factor of the story.

 

I don't mind diversity in the game what I'm saying is the way they implemented it was weak and too blatantly aimed at political correctness. It didn't add anything to the story for me.

 

It's like that film  that came out fantastic 4 (the latest one) that was a complete disappointment. Not only were the characters intentionally way too young (I don't know how to say "jeunisme" in english sorry) clearly with the aim of making a younger audience adhere more to the film. But they made the torch a black guy when anyone who knows the characters know that not only is he not black but he is also the invisible woman's brother.... I mean come on if they had to add a black character they could have put a normal human character that supports the fantastic 4 and plays an important role but no they decide to change one of the main characters that simply cannot be a black guy. They did the same with Jimmy allen in that supergirl tv series and I really liked the shy yet passionate irish guy too. Now it's a tall suave black guy presumably to satisfy the female audience...

 

Do you see what I mean? I can just imagine the marketers telling the writer put in an homosexual, put in a black guy, put in a qunari. IMHO the writer should only put a character if they come up with a good idea for that character not because it will be politically correct and pleasing to this or that audience.

[Riot Inducer]

Not sure I'm getting what your getting at... diversity is a weakness? Ummmmm.... So all Characters should be 1 race and 1 sexual orientation and that would make things better??????

 

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. The main story was weak and the main villain was an incompetent stooge who peaked at the end of Act I and for the remainder of the story he was a bumbling clown.

 

The divergence of characters is the only thing that saves DAI for me. It was a strength, not a weakness.

While I wouldn't have used quite so strong of words, I do agree, the main plot, or at least the way the main villain developed was quite weak, by the end it was more about cool lore bombs and exposition than a truly threatening antagonist. 

 

Ultimately it was the cast of companion characters that made it a fun experience. 

 

All that said OP, you know you have the option to not recruit or in some cases remove many of those companions if you feel they don't fit. Hell you can literally tell Sera to leave at any point whatsoever. Cole can be kicked out early on; you can refuse to hire Bull or recruit Vivienne.

 

As for the content of the post, do keep in mind that: 1.) BioWare has been doing this for some time, characters of different political views, races, & sexual orientations has been par for the course since at least Jade Empire (2005). 2.) BioWare is ultimately a company looking to have its' products appeal to the widest market, thus it only makes sense to have a wide variety of characters that many different kinds of people will find appealing. And 3.) In stories of heroes and their companions having a cast of varied and unique characters is about the only way to make them interesting for a viewer. If there are no differences of opinion, or even appearance it gets very dull very fast. 

[Iakus]

I should point out that all the characters you mentioned:  Bull, Sera, Cole, and Vivienne are not required for recruitment.  You can turn them down flat.  Sera can also be kicked to the curb at any time, and Cole will leave if your approval with him gets too low.  So if you find it unlikely that all these people would work together, then don't recruit them all.

 

For another, their reasons do make sense:

 

The Qunari are concerned about runaway magic and demons invading southern Thedas, so they send IB as their emissary.  The Qunari hate and fear magic, and demons are agents of chaos, something they loathe.  They will want to keep an eye on what's going on.

 

Cole is a Spirit of Compassion.  It is his nature to help others.  And the Inquisition is there to help people against the demons

 

Sera is quite clear why she's there, she wants things to go back the way they were.  Magic and demons and rebellion disrupt trade, and the "little guy" suffers for it.  It's pretty clear she neither understands nor cares about the larger stakes the Breach represents.

 

Vivienne sees an opportunity.  She's a political animal and sees the Inquisition as a tool for advancing her agenda.  You may like it, you may not.

[thats1evildude]

All your companions are there because they are extraordinary people. No common solider can keep up with the Inquisitor as they battle dragons and demons.

Cole is a spirit somehow made flesh whose abilities make him an excellent rogue. Sera is the Red Jenny herself, and a protege at archery. Vivienne is one of the most gifted mages in Thedas and a skilled player of the Game. Iron Bull is one of the best Ben-Hassrath the qunari have produced.

[Jedi Comedian]

I didn't like Dorian, I find him a walking stereotype, I think Mislav from TW3 was better handled. Also didn't like Iron Bull, the whole BDSM thing was a bit disturbing (even though I liked the character Hooded Justice from Watchmen). However Solas and Blackwall (prior to his reveal) were pretty interesting. Regarding romances, the only one I liked in this game was Cassandra (I only play male characters).

[vertigomez]

Yeeeeaah, you do realize there were all sorts of races, colors, sexual orientations, and religious backgrounds in DAO and DA2, right? Nothing has changed.

As for why they join the Inquisition... there is a giant ****** hole in the sky and an ancient darkspawn magister that wants to kill everyone. Who the hell wouldn't want to stop that?

[vertigomez]

Also, you mentioned that this level of diversity takes away from your immersion. You know what ruins my immersion? Feeling like people like me don't (or aren't allowed to) exist in a fantasy video game world.

Dragons and magic? Fine. RL minorities? HERESY.

[thaali]

I agree with what most others have said, the main villain was really forgettable to me.  The only decent part with him in it was the cut-scene in Skyhold and that is more because of how awesome your character is in that.

 

I liked the some of the side quests (rifts got really dull after a while), companion quests, and I like Solas' plot line.  The rest was meh.

I loved the variety of characters and I also agree with other in that each one had a very strong reason to be there.  Also I thought the diversity was very well done.  It would have been super flat and boring if you didn't have that kind of variety in your companions.  I don't think that variety has anything at all to do with them being politically correct and I didn't feel it was forced at all.

[Witch Cocktor]

Do you see what I mean? I can just imagine the marketers telling the writer put in an homosexual, put in a black guy, put in a qunari. IMHO the writer should only put a character if they come up with a good idea for that character not because it will be politically correct and pleasing to this or that audience.

So the only CORRECT audience to please is the audience you belong to?

[BioWareMod02]

Hello everyone. Please keep it civil in here so that the thread can remain open. Thank you.

[Sylvianus]

Let's be gentle with the op.. 

[The Baconer]

Less non-whites, got it. I'll shoot this over to Bioware. They were really stretching it with two, weren't they? 

[Iakus]

I didn't like Dorian, I find him a walking stereotype, I think Mislav from TW3 was better handled. Also didn't like Iron Bull, the whole BDSM thing was a bit disturbing (even though I liked the character Hooded Justice from Watchmen). However Solas and Blackwall (prior to his reveal) were pretty interesting. Regarding romances, the only one I liked in this game was Cassandra (I only play male characters).

I don't get this whole Dorian being a sterotype thing.

 

I mean, he's the scion of a wealthy family, likes to drink and party, wears fashionable clothes and has a snarky iconoclastic attitude.

 

Are people worried he's a Tony Stark expy? 

[Shechinah]

I don't get this whole Dorian being a sterotype thing.

 

I mean, he's the scion of a wealthy family, likes to drink and party, wears fashionable clothes and has a snarky iconoclastic attitude.

 

I see plenty of cultural and societal elements that could have developed these sides to him.

 

Like you've said, he is from a wealthy family with a high status in society where appearance and verbal wit plays an important part in societal theatrics. Dorian may reject aspects of Tevinter society and culture but that does not mean he rejects all aspects of Tevinter. He may still believe in dressing the part, attending the parties and making the comments. Oh and tasting the wine, of course.
 

[BSpud]

"It breaks my immersion" HAHAHAHAHAHA

[vertigomez]

I don't get this whole Dorian being a sterotype thing.
 
I mean, he's the scion of a wealthy family, likes to drink and party, wears fashionable clothes and has a snarky iconoclastic attitude.
 
Are people worried he's a Tony Stark expy? 

Gaider wrote about this, actually. It's like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, because if you write a "straight-acting" gay man the question becomes... are gay dudes not allowed to do anything 'stereotypical'? Is there something wrong with caring about fashion? Alternatively, if you write a gay man who is in any way flamboyant everybody claims he's a walking stereotype. So he dispensed with all that and wrote a character instead, one who has his own personality and history and likes and dislikes.

[Ghost Gal]

This is the 21st century. Games are no longer required to cater only to straight white male sensibilities. Women, people of color, and LGBTQ folks exist and play these games and like seeing people like them presented well in these games too. Times are changing and we gotta change with them.

 

My favorite quote from this video: "When a filmmaker [or video game designer] adapts an older story to film [or makes a video game] and shakes up the ethnicities of certain characters in order to be more diverse, that is not 'giving into political correctness.' That's acknowledging that this is the 21st century."

 

[Qun00]

I don't see why it would be unlikely for a group to be diverse. That just happens.

[Witch Cocktor]

I would also like to point out that just because LGBT folk are a noticeable minority (2-10%?????) in planet Earth, it doesn't mean the same '' law '' applies in the Dragon Age universe. For all we know, the Dragon Age universe has a much bigger LGBT population than the world we live in. Stop applying the ways of Earth into the ways of Dragon Age universe. One is fictional, one is reality.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Gaider wrote about this, actually. It's like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, because if you write a "straight-acting" gay man the question becomes... are gay dudes not allowed to do anything 'stereotypical'? Is there something wrong with caring about fashion? Alternatively, if you write a gay man who is in any way flamboyant everybody claims he's a walking stereotype. So he dispensed with all that and wrote a character instead, one who has his own personality and history and likes and dislikes.

 

Clearly not everyone viewed it this way, but I interpreted Dorian's personality to be a function of his upbringing and environment, not his sexuality.  He's not snarky because he's gay, he's snarky because it's a defense mechanism.  He has expensive taste because he was raised noble.  Same principle holds true for Bull, Josephine, or Sera.  Sexuality is part of their personalities, but not the sole informing characteristic.

 

IMO, what the player perceives as a "realistic" depiction of diversity is a function of where they live, and what they've experienced.  I've been in Los Angeles for a while, and whenever I go back to the Midwest to visit friends, I'm always a little weirded out by how everyone is white  So for me, a more homogenous cast would be just as jarring.  Since there's no way to make the cast "realistic" to everyone, why not err on the side of more inclusive?

[Qun00]

Also, you mentioned that this level of diversity takes away from your immersion. You know what ruins my immersion? Feeling like people like me don't (or aren't allowed to) exist in a fantasy video game world.

Pardon my prying, but who are your people specifically?

[JJ Likeaprayer]

I'll say it again firsthand I loved DA:I and played it for hours.

Stop right there....keep playing!   If you've only played it for hours,then.....?

[Sable Rhapsody]

Stop right there....keep playing!   If you've only played it for hours,then.....?

 

Then you're a normal human who hasn't lived, breathed, and dreamed Thedas for thousands of hours