Dragon Age: Inquisition Status: Playable, Start to Finish

[Cognimancer]

Dragon Age: Inquisition Status: Playable, Start to Finish

Dragon Age: Inquisition's current build still needs a lot of work, but its developers can play the entire main storyline over the holidays.

As consumers, it can be interesting when developers pull back the veil and give us a glimpse at the process of making a video game. A blog post [http://blog.bioware.com/2013/12/19/mark-darrah-an-update-on-dragon-age-inquisition/] from BioWare just delivered a status update on Dragon Age: Inquisition, and evidently the game is coming along nicely - the latest internal build can be played all the way from the start to the credits (which, actually, probably haven't been made yet). The "Holiday build" will let the developers make sure that the main story's pacing feels right, and presumably gives them something to play over the coming holidays.

Now, just because you can technically play through the whole game doesn't mean that it's anywhere near finished. The Holiday build is focused on the handful of primary quests that make up the storyline, as well as the game's most important mechanics. It's lacking just a few things, though: the game's voice acting is just getting started, music has yet to be incorporated, and a lot of the graphics technology is still being ironed out. It's safe to say that what's seen in this build is a far cry from what the final version of the game will look like.

Meanwhile, Mass Effect 4 also just reached playable status [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/130675-Mass-Effect-4-Is-Playable-BioWare-Boss-Teases-On-Twitter] - probably by no coincidence. The Holiday build idea is likely in full effect over there as well, so both games have achieved a baseline - now the developers can focus on adding the rest of the features and smoothing out any wrinkles they may have overlooked. Future blog posts promise to go into detail on other aspects of the creation process, so keep an eye out for more.

Source: BioWare [http://blog.bioware.com/2013/12/19/mark-darrah-an-update-on-dragon-age-inquisition/]

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[Psychobabble]

Well being one of the dicks who refuse to purchase an EA published game, this isn't big news to me. However I do what to see how this and ME4 fly with fans so I can judge if Bioware has come to their senses and got their groove back or are still on their way to the mass grave where all the other companies EA has murdered lie.

 

[Vargras]

Well being one of the dicks who refuse to purchase an EA published game, this isn't big news to me. However I do what to see how this and ME4 fly with fans so I can judge if Bioware has come to their senses and got their groove back or are still on their way to the mass grave where all the other companies EA has murdered lie.

I think something a lot of folks miss is that BioWare actually does make improvements to their games based on how past iterations have been received. However, they have the unfortunate tendency to do so at the cost of something else. For example:

Mass Effect has very good RPG elements, but has pretty terrible combat. Mass Effect 2 has better combat, at the cost of RPG. Mass Effect 3 was a better (in my opinion) balance of the two.

Dragon Age: Origins has very good RPG elements, but like ME, has pretty terrible combat (balancing more than anything). Dragon Age 2 has better combat, at the cost of RPG. Noticing a trend here?

 

[Imre Csete]

I think something a lot of folks miss is that BioWare actually does make improvements to their games based on how past iterations have been received. However, they have the unfortunate tendency to do so at the cost of something else.

Well yes, they tend to use a chainsaw where a scalpel would be more useful.

Poor vehicle sessions. The MAKO segments integrated into the main missions were awesome: Feros highway, Ilos trench run. The Overlord DLC was a nice throwback to that, shame they got completely removed in ME3 in favor for turret sections. I don't remember anyone asking for that.

 

[Hawkeye21]

Poor vehicle sessions. The MAKO segments integrated into the main missions were awesome: Feros highway, Ilos trench run. The Overlord DLC was a nice throwback to that, shame they got completely removed in ME3 in favor for turret sections. I don't remember anyone asking for that.

Are you kidding me? Mako was fucking terrible. If first ME had any flaws, it was those horrible vehicle sections. It was nothing but waste of time.

Ontopic: I can't wait to see how many colored explosions DAI ending has. Also trannies.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Can they stop with this whole "it's ALIVEEEE!" stuff that they have been doing?

Yes, it is functional, but that doesn't mean much, the most that it does means that the game can be played without awkwardly finishing down the middle/an army of bugs glitching your game out of existence.

 

[Cybylt]

Poor vehicle sessions. The MAKO segments integrated into the main missions were awesome: Feros highway, Ilos trench run. The Overlord DLC was a nice throwback to that, shame they got completely removed in ME3 in favor for turret sections. I don't remember anyone asking for that.

Are you kidding me? Mako was fucking terrible. If first ME had any flaws, it was those horrible vehicle sections. It was nothing but waste of time.

Ontopic: I can't wait to see how many colored explosions DAI ending has. Also trannies.

Mako was the best part. The maps of non-important planets however, not so much.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I don't understand why they tease us with stuff like "The game is playable and devs will play it on the holidays, but you have to wait 1 more year" Yeah, thanks Bioware. Same thing happened with Mass Effect 4; this doesn't raise hype, it lowers it for me.

 

[putowtin]

Seriously Bioware, either crap or get off the pot!
I'm sick of all this "ohh we've got a game, we can play it but you can't, but ohh we've got a game!"

Dragon Age Inquisition was supposed to be out already!

 

[josemlopes]

Oh, is that right? Then that means that the release date is probably next week or something considering what EA thought of Battlefield 4 being playable

 

[Seventh Actuality]

What, all three maps??

 

[Elfgore]

Does Bioware feel the need to tell us a game is working? We know it is in production. I really don't give a damn what stage you're at, just give me a damn release date already!

 

[Amaror]

Dragon Age: Origins has very good RPG elements, but like ME, has pretty terrible combat (balancing more than anything). Dragon Age 2 has better combat, at the cost of RPG. Noticing a trend here?

What?! You Seriously thought that that lackluster snoozefest of a combat engine was better than the thoughtfull, tactical combat of Origins? Are you kidding me? Sure, Origins combat might be a bit boring to people with an attention span of a few nanoseconds, but DA 2 was just so much worse. Respawning enemies, button mashing, no tactic whatsoever. That's not fun, that's a needlessly complicated Quicktime event that drags on too long.

Yeah, anyway, not buying this one, Bioware. Fool me once, shame on you ...

 

[james.sponge]

My theory is BW wants to tell us it is still alive and working on a "highly anticipated" game. With Witcher 3 on the horizon along with kick starter projects like Wasteland 2 and Pillars of Eternity BW feels threatened. Since they have a serious competition in the field, they cannot be as lazy as they used to be

 

[Legion]

If the game is playable at this stage, then this will give them a decent amount of time to work the finer details, so they have learnt from Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 in that regard at least.

It still doesn't necessarily mean the game will be any good as a Dragon Age fan though. The pattern of changing sequels in order to appeal to "a wider audience" is still a large possibility, so I wouldn't be all that surprised if they basically made it a third person Skyrim with a party system at this point.

If the game doesn't have an atrocious amount of auto-dialogue like in DA2 and ME3, nor a tacked on multiplayer system "because all Triple A games need one", then I will have hope for this yet.

What I won't be doing however, is pre-ordering it on faith that it will be a decent game. I got burned the last two times, seeing as I foolishly ignored all of the warning signs about DA2 and ME3, so I will take advantage of the fact that in the UK games always come out several days after the USA. So if the same criticisms occur that I ignored last time, I know to save my money.

 

[bug_of_war]

Seriously Bioware, either crap or get off the pot!
I'm sick of all this "ohh we've got a game, we can play it but you can't, but ohh we've got a game!"

Dragon Age Inquisition was supposed to be out already!

They're not trying to be assholes and say, "haha look what we have and you pathetic mules have to wait" they're trying to let people know that currently the game is playable, and that they have ample time to scrub out any bugs. Seriously it's fucking ridiculous how many people are saying they're being assholes for doing this.

I also like seeing how there is already the "It should have been out now" posts, as previously Bioware was scorned because of releasing a game early.

OT: Cool.

 

[CloudAtlas]

They're not trying to be assholes and say, "haha look what we have and you pathetic mules have to wait" they're trying to let people know that currently the game is playable, and that they have ample time to scrub out any bugs. Seriously it's fucking ridiculous how many people are saying they're being assholes for doing this.

I also like seeing how there is already the "It should have been out now" posts, as previously Bioware was scorned because of releasing a game early.

If you're keeping silent, you're an ass because you're not "communicating with the fans". If you don't you're an ass because you're teasing or, you're supposedly gleeing in the fact that they can play it already and you don't (that's a stupid accusation if there ever was one). If you delay a game because it's not ready yet, you're blamed because it's supposed to be out already, if you release anyway, you're blamed because you didn't took the time to finish it.

Gamers are stupid.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I'm still trying to find a reason care about Dragon Age. But the second one just made the entire series pointless. I'm not mad like I was when ME3 ended, I just sincerely don't give a shit.

 

[tmande2nd]

Coming up next!

"Hey we could totally cut out this character for DLC! And this quest! Maybe those items to!"
Sorry.

I just have a sore spot with BiowarEA.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Dragon age 2 was mediocre because it was rushed. It could have been a better game if it they had enough time.

I'm glad they actually seem to be taking the necessary time to make something good.