Hopes for Dragon Age III

[5ilver]

All I want, all I'm hoping for is NPC's I like. Remember Minsc and Edwin? More of those, less of the DA2 Companions. I would be fine with recycled environments and terrible combat if I'm allowed to like the people I'm travelling with.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

By then, gamers - saturated with yearly FPS rehashes - will realize that not all games have to be action, cinematic, or hack and slash. Other genres exist and fun is in the gameplay mechanic and interacting with the game world, rather than watching the world like a movie with occasional QTEs / mini-games.

If you're that starved for off-mainstream gaming, jump on one of the 8 million kickstarters resurrecting the late-90's RPG. Or grab an emulator and play an early 90's or late 80's RPG. No cinematics there. DOSBox could have you playing the original Bard's Tale in all it's magnificent 8 bit glory in about 15 seconds. Because that's what you WANT, right? A "pure" gaming experience, unmuddled by fancy dancy state of the art UI improvements or graphics. Hell even games like Planescape Torment and Fallout started screwing things up by wasting so many resources on graphics and sound. I don't want to know what characters sounded like. When Iolo talked in Ultima IV, I got to use my imagination to picture his voice, which vastly improved my roleplaying possibilities!

Actually, it would be nice if gamers realized that action, "cinematic", hack and slash, etc are also valid game play formats and can be perfectly entertaining in their own right. I hear more whining about that these days than anything else.

It would also be nice if "gamers" stopped with the no true scotsman name calling and sneering disdain for the preferred genres and game play styles of others.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

How about more than three dialogue options in any given situation? I remember Origins could have up to like 5 or 6 at times.

Let me play as an elf again!

If the previous one is not possible then give me more combat options.
SPEAR COMBAT! Ever since Dark Souls i've really ejoyed spear/halberd styles of fighting. Even back in Assassin's Creed i could've seen the signs 'cause every time an enemy dropped a spear i'd be like "MINE!" And carry on to replace some guy's spine with a sharp, wooden stick.

Everything else was probably covered already. The environment design, customizing companions, stay closer to enemy design of Origins etc...

 

[chainguns]

Actually, it would be nice if gamers realized that action, "cinematic", hack and slash, etc are also valid game play formats and can be perfectly entertaining in their own right. I hear more whining about that these days than anything else.

Hack & slash and FPS are indeed great genres. Diablo 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 are in my top 10. Any genre done well is great to play. I have no "sneering disdain" for a genre on principle. My concern is when cinematic action adventure/FPS represent 90% of all (non mobile/social) releases. That is a shame simply because there used to be more variety and creativity in game design. I'm sorry you don't share my enthusiasm for variety.

Principally there used to be room for thinking- based games to exist along side reflex- based games. Now they're almost exclusively reflex- based. It's a pity you think asking for one deep, non-action game per year, is "whining" and intolerant.

In older games, you would look beyond graphics and see what the core mechanic was. And yes, imho it works exactly as you said with 'functional' visuals - your mind and imagination make up the difference. It's your world. Now people expect to see perfect hair physics in someone else's world. They'd rather 500 man hours went into a 10 second cutscene than into level design that would add depth. And that's the way Dragon Age 3 will go.

 

[Chris Tian]

I'd like Hawke to be a character (either a companion or a side character

Really? I would not like that, because than it wouldn't even be "my" Hawke who is appearing there that would make it even worse, for me, than having him/her not appear at all.

Well if you didn't care for either previous DA games, its pretty unlikely the third one will appeal to you.

Oh, I did care. Many fundamentals were solid. They're typical BioWare games, and, in principle, I like those types of games. There were just a lot of elements that prevented me from really liking games. But many of these elements could be rectified, and I'm actually confident that this is going to happen. Many of the flaws of Dragon Age 2 were things that were more or less objectively bad, you find them mentioned in most reviews - BioWare knows what they should do here (and if their few announcements are to be believed, they do work on some of them). Dragon Age 2, as well as the sequel's title, "Inquisition", suggests that the story will be going into the direction I would like to see.
Frankly, I am puzzled why we don't see more stories like that; don't plots about freedom, oppression, slavery and so on resonate just as deeply with people?

Well then, lets hope it will be the one of the three you really like, and i love like the first one.

And, by the way, Game of Thrones should have proven by now that even fantasy fans like stories that are about something else than saving the world from evil.

You are right of course. But like i stated in my post above, if i have to choose, i care more for how a story is told, than what it is about. I mean if Game of Thrones would be badly written, even the rather interessting plot couldn't save it, at least for me.

I don't find A Song of Ice and Fire to be particularly well written. In fact, I stopped reading after the third book. It actually is the setup, the plot, that does save it for me, and makes me still care. And watch the series, which I find better than the books.

Wow, is the angry SoIaF Fanmob allready at your doorstep ready to drag you out and quarter you?
I, haven't read any of the books, i started with the show and liked it so much i didn't want to spoil it. But it seems we agree to a point, only the interesting plot isn't enough to make you really enjoy the books too. And i think you are right that there is much need for more storys in rpgs that cant be reduced to "save world from evil". I hope they get this done with DA3, i would also like if there is not one clearly good and one clearly evil side. In DA2 i actually felt that both, mages and templars, had a point, that is before everybody went nuts and startet do turn into crazy ass monsters.

 

[Uhura]

Well, with Isabella you got a pirate that seems to have slept with half of Thedas, and that's her most defining trait. I still liked her, and the concept of the character, but really, you gotta tone it down a little. You run into an NPC every few minutes that seems to had intercourse with her. Merrill is extremely socially insecure. She reminded me of Tali a lot, just here, it's way over the top, I couldn't take it seriously anymore.

Ahh, ok. Well sounds like I'm not going to romance either of those characters. Sigh. The "extremely socially insecure" aspect is especially off putting for me. Liara had some of that going on in the first game and it was such a turn off (imo Tali manages to be bit more charming about it).

That might also have to do with the fact that the facial animations in DA2 are just way worse than in ME2&3.

Hmm... yeah, the facial animations may have something to do with it. I think I just have put more hours into DA2 to figure out why the dialogues bug me so much.

 

[Chris Tian]

Actually, it would be nice if gamers realized that action, "cinematic", hack and slash, etc are also valid game play formats and can be perfectly entertaining in their own right. I hear more whining about that these days than anything else.

You are right with that.
For me the thing i didn't like about DA2 combat is that is so badly balanced. They should have sticked with balanced tactical combat or go full on hack and slay action style, but not this weird combination. Its not so bad on the lower difficulties, but on Nightmare the game favors pure Damage Dealers above all else and the most effective way is to just make every char a damage dealing glass-canon. That takes most of the depth out of the combat. If they went full action game they could have implementet a better balanced combat system that offers a different experience depending on which class Hawke is, like Diablo.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'm sorry you don't share my enthusiasm for variety.

Yes, clearly the problem here is that I do not share your highly cultivated tastes, just as the problem before was that "gamers" as an amorphous unit do not "realize" that good games actually align with YOUR tastes, rather than theirs. Let's just put aside that I've been gaming since 1980, that I've played (and loved) everything from text adventures to physics puzzles games to hardcore simulators to RPGs of every stripe to strategy of every variation to FPS to racing games to sports games to MMOs and on and on and on. The issue here CAN'T have been with the tone you took. It must be with my lack of appreciation for variety that is the problem.

Principally there used to be room for thinking- based games to exist along side reflex- based games.

And there still is. There are games of every variety available. Indeed, the rise of digital distribution has been a GODSEND for niche gamers and far flung genres. Maybe five, six years ago I would've had to scour the earth to find a turn based strategy game, and what few there were needed to be ordered special at EB Games, and would take weeks to ship in. Now I'm positively spoiled for choice. I honestly CANNOT comprehend how anyone could sit there and groan that there was no variety in gaming, unless they were being willfully disingenuous or they limited their gaming experience to what was on the budget shelf at the local Walmart.

It's a pity you think asking for one deep, non-action game per year, is "whining" and intolerant.

Ah, our good friend, Captain Strawman. Did it feel good when you knocked him down? I bet this one went over particularly easily. Let's look at what I DID say...

Actually, it would be nice if gamers realized that action, "cinematic", hack and slash, etc are also valid game play formats and can be perfectly entertaining in their own right. I hear more whining about that these days than anything else.

Look at that. All I said was "These genres are perfectly valid", and not "Asking for even one game outside these genres is whining". That was a pretty bad paraphrase, chainguns, even by internet debate standards. Let's not even get into the hyperbole of claiming that there isn't "one deep, non-action game per year". Let's just give you a mulligan on that entire sentence.

In older games, you would look beyond graphics and see what the core mechanic was. And yes, imho it works exactly as you said with 'functional' visuals - your mind and imagination make up the difference. It's your world. Now people expect to see perfect hair physics in someone else's world. They'd rather 500 man hours went into a 10 second cutscene than into level design that would add depth. And that's the way Dragon Age 3 will go.

Yeah yeah. I've been hearing this "Graphics killed the video game star" lament ever since Myst set inexplicable sales records, and it wasn't true then, and it isn't true now. And I see we're back to talking about what "people" would "rather" see. Damn those "people"! Screwing it up for the true aficionados by liking what they like! Rather than just take advantage of the STAGGERING variety of games available to us, we should shit on them and the titles they enjoy! Viva la gaming elite!

For me the thing i didn't like about DA2 combat is that is so badly balanced. They should have sticked with balanced tactical combat or go full on hack and slay action style, but not this weird combination. Its not so bad on the lower difficulties, but on Nightmare the game favors pure Damage Dealers above all else and the most effective way is to just make every char a damage dealing glass-canon. That takes most of the depth out of the combat. If they went full action game they could have implementet a better balanced combat system that offers a different experience depending on which class Hawke is, like Diablo.

I preferred the way DA2 combat handled, because DA:O combat was a sluggish mess, but the "waves" were irritating and the highly silly arcade feel were often at odds with the game's grim-faced grasps at realism. Dragon Age has always been a troubled series though, that can't seem to decide which direction it wants to cut in. It feels like a pastiche, like multiple visions all pulling in different directions. It's a dour faced, gritty, black/grey morality tale. It's a classic fable about bold heroes battling Ultimate Evil. It's a lighthearted romp with goofball companions. It's a heavy handed parable about racial tension and bigotry. And on and on. They really need to find an identity. That's far more important with a game like Dragon Age, really, than making sure combat is finely balanced. It needs to be a tonal match. The entire game needs to be a tonal match with itself, and so far they haven't been. This is something they handled far more expertly with ME, at least through the first two games.

Games like Fallout, Planescape, Baldur's Gate, the Ultimas, Elder Scrolls, etc have a very consistent vision and tone. Even when the thematic presentation is weak, it's at least consistent. I can't say the same about Dragon Age. Some of the main complaints about the 2nd chapter have been true of the series as a whole. It's a lot of good ideas that work well in isolation and then just become a bit of a mash when they're brought together. I think the first game was embraced at least in part because it was something of a throwback, and its issues were hand waved or at least more readily overlooked. Even putting aside 2's ghastly-short production time, the style and presentation made it a more direct comparable against the far more assured (at the time) Mass Effect, and it was not a flattering comparison.

TLDR - Dragon Age needs to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

- Fix the combat system. I'm not having fun with DA2 combats.
- More customization options. I liked tinkering with companion armors etc. in DA:O.
- Ability to choose race & different origin stories, like in DA:O.
- "Deeper" character interactions. The discussions in DA2 feel awkward and superficial and I'm not sure if I like the discussion mechanic used in the game.
- the PC doesn't have to be voiced.
- Better romance options for "Fem-Hawke" (or whatever the main character is going to be called in DA3). As I understand, the options Fem-Hawke has in DA2 are all quite moody/emo and I prefer Alistair type of LJs.
- Larger setting. I hear rummaging around Kirkwall gets a bit boring after a while.

Yeah... I guess I could summarize it by saying, go back to DA:O type of story/gameplay. Duh.

From what little the devs have shown (and I mean they are seriously being tight-lipped) here is what I have gathered. Keep in mind that some of this info may become outdated.

-They are tweaking the combat system to require more teamwork between you and your squad. Everything will be more strategic.
-Armor has been shown to have multiple customization options.
-Race is off the table though you can have a different origin story.
-They have said that they are making the interactions deeper, while keeping some of the things that worked well for DA2.
-The PC will most likely be voiced, though there is nothing definitive.
-Nothing on romances
-The setting has been been shown to possibly take place in Orlais, Nevarra, Ferelden, and maybe een the Tevinter Imperium. Basically most of the known world.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I really hope they don't step too far back into the DA:O roots like some people want, because I found that DA2 fixed all the problems I had with DA:O.

I seriously hope they keep the fast combat(which I still found to be fine for planning, as I could still pause and give orders).

I also hope that they keep the branching abilities/leveling system, because it felt more rewarding and better explained compared to the horrible system of DA:O.

I hope we see a bunch of old characters come back, especially Varric, I really hope Varric comes back in some way. Cause if you need a badass comedian in that world, you call Varric.

And again, seriously, keep the full control combat. I don't just want to control the secondary attacks like in DA:O, I want full control of my basic/main attack, so that it feels and looks like I'm actually attacking instead of trying to give the enemy a friendly pat on the back.

 

[The_Lost_King]

I'll still probably check out DA3, but the information that again you can't choose race and are forced to play human is already a bad start.

I am actually hoping i get to be Hawke again, otherwise DA2 would be completly futile and the only important part would be a short summary of the last act: Templars and Mages in Kirkwall went batshit crazy and kicked off a big ass war.

It is not Hawke again and I am glad. They are introducing a new Character for DA3.

I am hopefull about, not optimistic, but hopefull.

 

[Souplex]

I hope...
That we don't have to play as a human again.
That you can actually equip your teammates with armor again.
That the combat is fun and strategic again.
That it basically isn't more DA: II.

 

[Uhura]

From what little the devs have shown (and I mean they are seriously being tight-lipped) here is what I have gathered. Keep in mind that some of this info may become outdated.

-They are tweaking the combat system to require more teamwork between you and your squad. Everything will be more strategic.
-Armor has been shown to have multiple customization options.
-Race is off the table though you can have a different origin story.
-They have said that they are making the interactions deeper, while keeping some of the things that worked well for DA2.
-The PC will most likely be voiced, though there is nothing definitive.
-Nothing on romances
-The setting has been been shown to possibly take place in Orlais, Nevarra, Ferelden, and maybe een the Tevinter Imperium. Basically most of the known world.

Ooh! Dare I say this sounds quite promising. I could deal with not having different playable races, if the human origin stories are varied and interesting enough. And I hope they are going to ditch the DA2 dialogue wheel (I doubt they will but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed). All in all, I would be happy with those changes.

 

[DSK-]

I have no hopes for DA3 because I've pretty much lost all interest in the trilogy after DA2. I might replay DA:O again at some point though.

MIGHT pick it up if it is the best thing since sliced bread, though.

 

[spartandude]

- Fix the combat system. I'm not having fun with DA2 combats.
- More customization options. I liked tinkering with companion armors etc. in DA:O.
- Ability to choose race & different origin stories, like in DA:O.
- "Deeper" character interactions. The discussions in DA2 feel awkward and superficial and I'm not sure if I like the discussion mechanic used in the game.
- the PC doesn't have to be voiced.
- Better romance options for "Fem-Hawke" (or whatever the main character is going to be called in DA3). As I understand, the options Fem-Hawke has in DA2 are all quite moody/emo and I prefer Alistair type of LJs.
- Larger setting. I hear rummaging around Kirkwall gets a bit boring after a while.

Yeah... I guess I could summarize it by saying, go back to DA:O type of story/gameplay. Duh.

From what little the devs have shown (and I mean they are seriously being tight-lipped) here is what I have gathered. Keep in mind that some of this info may become outdated.

-They are tweaking the combat system to require more teamwork between you and your squad. Everything will be more strategic.
-Armor has been shown to have multiple customization options.
-Race is off the table though you can have a different origin story.
-They have said that they are making the interactions deeper, while keeping some of the things that worked well for DA2.
-The PC will most likely be voiced, though there is nothing definitive.
-Nothing on romances
-The setting has been been shown to possibly take place in Orlais, Nevarra, Ferelden, and maybe een the Tevinter Imperium. Basically most of the known world.

They also said the Mass Effect 3's ending would have 18 drastically different out comes and wouldnt have an ABC like choice.

also nearly all developers say they will have deep gameplay and they'll have this and that and such.

until we see any gameplay im not holding out hope and even if this early game play isnt any good i will lose all interest. you can argue that isnt fair (and youd probably be right) but im desperately trying to find good qualities in bioware that the next bad thing from them may just kill my faith in them

 

[Chris Tian]

From what little the devs have shown (and I mean they are seriously being tight-lipped) here is what I have gathered. Keep in mind that some of this info may become outdated.

-They are tweaking the combat system to require more teamwork between you and your squad. Everything will be more strategic.
-Armor has been shown to have multiple customization options.
-Race is off the table though you can have a different origin story.
-They have said that they are making the interactions deeper, while keeping some of the things that worked well for DA2.
-The PC will most likely be voiced, though there is nothing definitive.
-Nothing on romances
-The setting has been been shown to possibly take place in Orlais, Nevarra, Ferelden, and maybe een the Tevinter Imperium. Basically most of the known world.

Ooh! Dare I say this sounds quite promising. I could deal with not having different playable races, if the human origin stories are varied and interesting enough. And I hope they are going to ditch the DA2 dialogue wheel (I doubt they will but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed). All in all, I would be happy with those changes.

While thats sounds good, i developed the habbit of taking the promises devs make for their games with a HUGE spoon of salt.
The dialogue wheel in DA2 didnt really work for me either, strangely enough i had no problems with it in the ME series, but in DA2 Hawke would often say something that was not at all what the wheel indicatet and i wantet to say. And what they tried to do with these three different personalitys, the good, the bad and the witty didn't sit well with me.

 

[votemarvel]

I fully confess that I want the game to be more like Dragon Age: Origins and not the Dragon Effect that was DAII.

Things like the dialogue wheel simply didn't belong in Dragon Age, it needs to get its identity back instead of trying to copy its sci-fi kin.

Basically I want Dragon Age III to be more like Dragon Age: Origins and less like Mass Effect.

"i fancy you" sorry captcha, I don't feel the same way.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

More RTS/TBS less crappy action game knock off like ME2/DA2....

 

[CloudAtlas]

Seriously what the heck is the frostbite engine is going to be used for? Destructible terrain for the bedroom scenes?

What about good graphics in general? With less technical issues than the older titles with their Eclipse engine had? Hi-res textures, credible faces, perhaps even really atmospheric fog and weather effects - that's what I would like to see.

Wow, is the angry SoIaF Fanmob allready at your doorstep ready to drag you out and quarter you?

Not yet, apparently. Perhaps they understand, in contrast to many other fandoms, that you can like something even if you don't like everything about it?

And i think you are right that there is much need for more storys in rpgs that cant be reduced to "save world from evil". I hope they get this done with DA3, i would also like if there is not one clearly good and one clearly evil side. In DA2 i actually felt that both, mages and templars, had a point, that is before everybody went nuts and startet do turn into crazy ass monsters.

I don't want to come across as dismissive, saying all these classical stories of good vs. evil are boring or something. I enjoyed a lot of those stories myself. But in order to impress me with such a story, after having witnessed many similar ones before, a game or a movie needs to tell such a story really well. And it would be nice if such a story would also have some deeper theme, some deeper meaning(s). Mass Effect 3, for instance, had both, and it was executed well (to my mind). Dragon Age 3 will probably have such a theme, so that's already something.

 

[ChiliNoMore]

I purchased DA2 about a week ago and I'm now 5 hours into the game. Based on my first impressions, I would like to see the following improvements in DA3:
- Fix the combat system. I'm not having fun with DA2 combats.
- More customization options. I liked tinkering with companion armors etc. in DA:O.
- Ability to choose race & different origin stories, like in DA:O.
- "Deeper" character interactions. The discussions in DA2 feel awkward and superficial and I'm not sure if I like the discussion mechanic used in the game.
- the PC doesn't have to be voiced.

Based on the things I've heard about DA2, I also have to add:
- Better romance options for "Fem-Hawke" (or whatever the main character is going to be called in DA3). As I understand, the options Fem-Hawke has in DA2 are all quite moody/emo and I prefer Alistair type of LJs.
- Larger setting. I hear rummaging around Kirkwall gets a bit boring after a while.

Yeah... I guess I could summarize it by saying, go back to DA:O type of story/gameplay. Duh.

you probably won't have any of your requests fulfilled... instead you'll get a even more dumbed down version of da 2.
who's to blame? EA and their usual approach to sales successes before they step in, everytime they do a sequel for an original game from a studio they bought they have the power to make it way worse than the first one... without improving anything from the first game and even worse, removing everything that made the first one appealing and a success in behalf of making a game for a "wider audience".

so, lower your hopes and start couting the days to "dragon age 3: generics aventures from homoerotic heroes" + day one DLC "DRAGONS!!!"