BioWare "Surprised" by Mainstream Success of Dragon Age

Meggiepants

Not a pigeon roost
Jan 19, 2010
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No MMOG, please. I do not want other people messing up my Dragon Age, thank you very much.

If I wanted to play a standard fantasy setting with random people as my party companions I would have continued playing Guild Wars.

If what Bioware wants is continual income from a gaming source, then they should keep doing what they are doing. Release expansions every four months. I'll keep giving you money if you keep giving me fresh Dragon Age.
 

i64ever

New member
Aug 26, 2008
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What if part of the reason Dragon Age is so successful IS that it's a single player game? Maybe all those WoW people are playing it because you can do all the quests without teaming up with obnoxious 14 year olds. Instead of raking in the big money by changing it into a MMO, Bioware might be killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
 

Eleima

Keeper of the GWJ Holocron
Feb 21, 2010
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I liked Dragon Age: Origins, but think it's not the best game Bioware's done (I like stuff like KotOR or Mass Effect better, and of course, Baldur's Gate is the ultimate RPG. Ever.). I'm happy that it's done so well, though.
However!... I'm begging... No MMOG, please, please, please... :(
 

Falseprophet

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Jan 13, 2009
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I was really impressed with how well thought-out and well-designed the setting was. I have half a mind to pick up the pen-and-paper version of the setting they released for this, and I thought I was done with warmed-over Tolkien clones.

But I won't play an MMO because I don't play any MMO. I don't even really play computer/console RPGs anymore--DA:O taking over my life for two weeks in January reminded me why.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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There surprised? I was actually expecting it to be an epic success. It had been advetised that way and got alot of word of mouth. Shows Bioware has got a good image for awesome games
 

Doug

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Apr 23, 2008
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The DSM said:
Thats because its a good game.

Bioware make some of the best RPGS on the planet, they deserve the attention.
That's never ensured success before.

It is a great game, true, but the greatness of a game has never ensured its sales.
 

9of9

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Feb 14, 2008
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UltimatheChosen said:
I'm actually surprised it's so popular. I'm a big RPG fan (and a Bioware fan), but I thought Dragon Age wasn't all that great. In my opinion, it's a pretty mediocre game (at least on console, I never got to try out the PC version).
It's a surprisingly unpopular opinion, but I agree with you. It uses a terrible engine, is riddled with badly-designed plots and bugs, suffers from a truly atrocious artistic direction and characters who look like deformed, mutant mannequins. The dwarven plotline was the worst, very badly designed to handle instances where the player does not immediately join either of the two extremist factions with open arms with lots of opportunities to break the game if you're not careful. Even if you don't, dialogues still bug out, with NPCs first complaining you're allied to one faction, then complaining you're aligned to the other.

Overall the level of polish is on par with a mediocre German RPG like Risen or Drakensang. Especially comparing it with the well-designed and far better-looking Mass Effect 2, it's hard to believe these two games were made by the same studio. It nearly put me off buying ME2 as I thought Bioware had gone entirely creatively bankrupt. Thankfully, that's proved not to be the case, but DA:O has seriously tarnished my opinion of them.

I'm still trying to understand why others think it's such a good game. If you're yearning for dark fantasy RPGs, the Witcher is a much more interesting and original game - and does the choice/consequence system just as well, if not better. The level of polish is questionable, but DA:O never rises in quality above the Witcher in neither graphics nor writing (I'll spare judging the gameplay, since the choice between the two is a much more personal preference). Considering the Witcher is a much older game made by an obscure Polish studio, I think that's another reason for Bioware to be ashamed of DA:O.
 

Cryo84R

Gentleman Bastard.
Jun 27, 2009
732
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9of9 said:
UltimatheChosen said:
I'm actually surprised it's so popular. I'm a big RPG fan (and a Bioware fan), but I thought Dragon Age wasn't all that great. In my opinion, it's a pretty mediocre game (at least on console, I never got to try out the PC version).
It's a surprisingly unpopular opinion, but I agree with you. It uses a terrible engine, is riddled with badly-designed plots and bugs, suffers from a truly atrocious artistic direction and characters who look like deformed, mutant mannequins. The dwarven plotline was the worst, very badly designed to handle instances where the player does not immediately join either of the two extremist factions with open arms with lots of opportunities to break the game if you're not careful. Even if you don't, dialogues still bug out, with NPCs first complaining you're allied to one faction, then complaining you're aligned to the other.

Overall the level of polish is on par with a mediocre German RPG like Risen or Drakensang. Especially comparing it with the well-designed and far better-looking Mass Effect 2, it's hard to believe these two games were made by the same studio. It nearly put me off buying ME2 as I thought Bioware had gone entirely creatively bankrupt. Thankfully, that's proved not to be the case, but DA:O has seriously tarnished my opinion of them.

I'm still trying to understand why others think it's such a good game. If you're yearning for dark fantasy RPGs, the Witcher is a much more interesting and original game - and does the choice/consequence system just as well, if not better. The level of polish is questionable, but DA:O never rises in quality above the Witcher in neither graphics nor writing (I'll spare judging the gameplay, since the choice between the two is a much more personal preference). Considering the Witcher is a much older game made by an obscure Polish studio, I think that's another reason for Bioware to be ashamed of DA:O.
You played it on PC then? I never had any game breaking moments or bugs past the beneficial ones.
 

PurpleLeafRave

Hyaaaa!
Feb 22, 2009
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This is my favourite 360 game at the moment, I'm on my third play through as a mage :)
I don't usually play through games like it more than once, I got bored of mass effect after the first playthrough.

Can't wait for Awakening! Only 8 days until I get to pwn the children. :D (look up dragon age - the children on youtube.)
 

Byers

New member
Nov 21, 2008
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No no no.

No more mother¤%#¤%"% MMOs.

Sequels? Sure, if you must. More worthless money printing machines? No.
 

samsonguy920

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Mar 24, 2009
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Maybe if they wait til AoC and the other failed fantasy MMO's get shut down, then spring in DAMMO I would see it working, but right now if people see one more fantasy MMO pop up its going to warrant a big "meh."

Though I have to admit the first thought that came to mind is if the MMO would also have the trademark Bioware sex scenes.
 

Insurance Salesman

New member
Sep 15, 2009
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NOOOOO! Don't do it Bioware!

Seriously, enough with the MMO's. I want my single-player RPG's with a well-written story, fun characters and a distinct lack of griefers, damnit.
 

valhala89

New member
Mar 9, 2010
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really another medival fantasy based mmo?

i would pay good money for a jade empire mmo with better attacks... love that game to bits
 

high_castle

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Apr 15, 2009
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Ugh, as much as I adore Origins, the last thing I want to see is a Dragon Age MMO. The game is so good because it's a single player story-driven RPG. The moment you add in lots of other people, you start sacrificing a tight story for the sake of grind and repeatable quests that make no impact on the world. I think part of the love lots of folk have for Origins (including myself) is it's story and your potential to impact it. Completing quests in different ways, engaging in dialogue and relationships with different characters all have a tangible impact on the story and can really create diverse experiences with each playthrough. Craft an MMO and you're going to strip away the individual's ability to impact the world. It just won't work. IMO, of course.
 

Tyrannowalefish_Rex

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May 30, 2009
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Nice idea for a press release to milk some more predictable success out of the mainstream.

Anyway, most of the attraction seems to be based on Soap Opera factor.