Why the Game's Title Should Have Been Dragon Age: Impositions

[Nixou]

Arcane Warrior was nice, but it was Blood Magic that was the most overpowered thing from the first two games...

Especially since you could ignore willpower and dump all your stats into constitution. If at least they had included drawbacks, like half of teammates leaving of choices in dialogue being closed off because a demon was pulling your strings, or made blood magic spells much more costly (empty your HP bar, have an enormous cooling off time, make your character's aggro go through the roof) that they were...

 

[qsuide]

Attention moderator!

Sorry for off topic but the main page picture of this article contains my art (The four potions). I am a bit baffled as I made those as concept art for a mod and I have not released them into the wild.

If a mod could provide an answer where the pictures were acquired I would be very pleased. I have no ill will and you can keep using them for this article.

 

[Drizzitdude]

It is baffling me how many people are swallowing this without glancing at the comments that the micro-transactions in Dragon Age are extremely tame and not at all like the values stated in the article.

 

[Wulfclaw]

It is baffling me how many people are swallowing this without glancing at the comments that the micro-transactions in Dragon Age are extremely tame and not at all like the values stated in the article.

That is normal. Most people agreeing blindly with this article did want to "hate" DA:I for some reason and are just thankfull someone gives a reason.

Unfortunatly, Shamus has a history with the last bioware games (ME and Dragon Age) and EA and rarely has to say something positive when talking about this. This goes to even stating something wrong - bordering on lying -> if there is one aspect he dislikes strongly, he does not bother to look past a certain point and begins to ramble and "hate" on.

latest example: potion buying in DA:I MP - Shamus sees this and immediately goes into "DA:I has microtransactions for consumables" overdrive and rambles on. Everything else is discarded. In his eyes, he is not there to objectivly look at the case - it is _his_ blog, he can say what he wants there and he wants to ramble on about MT and there is easy bait, he does not have to look deeper into the case, just as deep as is fitting to make his point.

The last ingredient are the many people who want to desperatly dislike something for something or who search for a reason to not buy something who take this (personal) rambling and hold it up as objective criticism (which it is not - and shamus even has stated repeatedly that he has no aspiration to make his game-posts objectivly).

On-Topic:
- No one forces someone to buy potions
- No one forces anyone to use real money!
- potions can be found in equipment chests too (for ingame money)
- the price (ingame money) for a large chest is low enough to get one even after around one failed game

 

[Sanunes]

Attention moderator!

Sorry for off topic but the main page picture of this article contains my art (The four potions). I am a bit baffled as I made those as concept art for a mod and I have not released them into the wild.

If a mod could provide an answer where the pictures were acquired I would be very pleased. I have no ill will and you can keep using them for this article.

You are probably going to have to go through the Contact option on the bottom bar of the page to get the answers you want.

 

[Drizzitdude]

It is baffling me how many people are swallowing this without glancing at the comments that the micro-transactions in Dragon Age are extremely tame and not at all like the values stated in the article.

That is normal. Most people agreeing blindly with this article did want to "hate" DA:I for some reason and are just thankfull someone gives a reason.

Unfortunatly, Shamus has a history with the last bioware games (ME and Dragon Age) and EA and rarely has to say something positive when talking about this. This goes to even stating something wrong - bordering on lying -> if there is one aspect he dislikes strongly, he does not bother to look past a certain point and begins to ramble and "hate" on.

latest example: potion buying in DA:I MP - Shamus sees this and immediately goes into "DA:I has microtransactions for consumables" overdrive and rambles on. Everything else is discarded. In his eyes, he is not there to objectivly look at the case - it is _his_ blog, he can say what he wants there and he wants to ramble on about MT and there is easy bait, he does not have to look deeper into the case, just as deep as is fitting to make his point.

The last ingredient are the many people who want to desperatly dislike something for something or who search for a reason to not buy something who take this (personal) rambling and hold it up as objective criticism (which it is not - and shamus even has stated repeatedly that he has no aspiration to make his game-posts objectivly).

On-Topic:
- No one forces someone to buy potions
- No one forces anyone to use real money!
- potions can be found in equipment chests too (for ingame money)
- the price (ingame money) for a large chest is low enough to get one even after around one failed game

Well I am glad someone else at the very least acknowledged it. Watching everyone in the comments flip out over false information just irritates me. Just because it is in an article doesn't mean it is true.

 

[Lucas Thompson]

Just logged into my account for the first time in years to state this article is total shit and click bait if he actually played the multi player at all you would know that you don't have to spend a single cent potion come easily from chests that you can purchase with gold (in game earn-able currency) and there is no items at all behind a paywall.

The most efficient chest is the large chest which is 1200 gold which is 2 complete runs on the easiest difficulty and it contains 5 Guaranteed Weapons or armor/weapon mods and 5 count them 5 random guaranteed consumable items including potions.

In my experience the gold rate is about 680 gold for Easy, 950-980 for Moderate, And about... 1200 gold for a run through the hardest difficulty not including any other items you find in chests while playing.

His argument is entirely based around that there is a cash purchase option for these chests as well but trying to say that you are forced to spend RL money is entirely false and in all honesty this guy reeks of someone who should be writing for tabloids instead of something that might actually effect the lives of people who make these products we love to play.

Also yes bad reviews or falsely spread information to promote outrage can cause a negative backlash on the people who actually make the product and not the executives marketing it above them.

I'm sad a site i used to love to read alot has hired a man who spout false nonsensical drivel. I can understand where his point is coming from (DLC and Paywall on some games getting ridiculous) but at least make sure to get you facts right or you just look like an idiot.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

So it's a MOBA but you actually have to pay to use items?
Fuck me sideways, and here was me thinking that Dragon Age wasn't affected by EA Bullshit, thank balls the didn't ruin the SP then.

 

[Sanunes]

I'm sad a site i used to love to read alot has hired a man who spout false nonsensical drivel. I can understand where his point is coming from (DLC and Paywall on some games getting ridiculous) but at least make sure to get you facts right or you just look like an idiot.

I think my problem with this article is unlike his two pieces on Shadows of Mordor which came across as his opinion and if it took that tone I wouldn't have a problem for that is how he is seeing it. My problem is that this article comes across as being "factual" where I have played only one multiplayer match because bad internet at the moment felt like I have a better understanding of how it works.

Edit:

One thing I have noticed with this article is it seems that most of the comments fall into one of the two categories.

1) Thank you for the warning, I haven't bought the game or played multiplayer yet.

or

2) I have played multiplayer and can't see where you got this opinion.

normally there would be this third one which I haven't noticed.

3) I played the multiplayer and you are right and that is how I see it as well.

 

[otakon17]

Seriously, is this real? I didn't even know da:i had multiplayer. Would this be noticable to me that only wants to play singleplayer?

Completely separate modes.

As for the topic, yeah everything can be gained with in-game funds. But it's all randomized, AGAIN!. Potions are VERY limited to the point where I'll see people flashing red for half a section to avoid using the damn things. 250 gold for a pack of five healing potions, the cost of a single RANDOM ITEM(and 2 random potions). Instead of just giving us the option to buy them right out the bat. Oh, and the game does NOT scale gear to the level of difficulty you're playing and unlocking classes to play takes a while.

According to Origin, I've played some 20 hours of the game(MP only mind you). I've only managed to get my Legionnaire to level 19, have YET to find a full suit of gear for even ONE class and have unlocked a grand total of two classes. Even playing areas that you VASTLY over-leveled for, the game can rip you to shreds if your equipment(like mine) is absolute garbage.

They need to definitely refine the MP, like some of the "bosses" need reworked attacks. The Templar Commanders 'Whirlwind' has like a 25 second duration and knocks down, lord help you if he corners you because you are DEAD. The Demon Commander? Unavoidable sprung up attack and a AoE stun with a LONG duration that slows your movement to a crawl so you can't even get away from it even if you know it's coming. The only boss that doesn't seem straight up broken is the Mercenary Mage Captain(Venatori I think?).

Equipment drops for classes you're playing seem to be extremely rare. I've gotten TWO upgrades for me Legionnaire and a host of crap for classes I don't even have access to. And the peer to peer sucks eggs, I've been in SO many super laggy matches, and even the smallest amount of lag can screw you over especially if you're playing a squishier class, not that it matters since armor is near worthless it seems. Even with a Warrior boosted up with a LOT of armor boosting, I have yet to come across properly leveled armor in drops, it's all Item Level 2-3, for a level 19 character. WAY underpowered.

 

[otakon17]

Just logged into my account for the first time in years to state this article is total shit and click bait if he actually played the multi player at all you would know that you don't have to spend a single cent potion come easily from chests that you can purchase with gold (in game earn-able currency) and there is no items at all behind a paywall.

The most efficient chest is the large chest which is 1200 gold which is 2 complete runs on the easiest difficulty and it contains 5 Guaranteed Weapons or armor/weapon mods and 5 count them 5 random guaranteed consumable items including potions.

In my experience the gold rate is about 680 gold for Easy, 950-980 for Moderate, And about... 1200 gold for a run through the hardest difficulty not including any other items you find in chests while playing.

His argument is entirely based around that there is a cash purchase option for these chests as well but trying to say that you are forced to spend RL money is entirely false and in all honesty this guy reeks of someone who should be writing for tabloids instead of something that might actually effect the lives of people who make these products we love to play.

Also yes bad reviews or falsely spread information to promote outrage can cause a negative backlash on the people who actually make the product and not the executives marketing it above them.

I'm sad a site i used to love to read alot has hired a man who spout false nonsensical drivel. I can understand where his point is coming from (DLC and Paywall on some games getting ridiculous) but at least make sure to get you facts right or you just look like an idiot.

Two Easy runs assuming you beat them(with level 1 characters starting out? VERY unlikely) and have a whole host of teammates to cover every door(and get every optional objective). The actual success rate of this game seems pretty low even with a team that works well together because of lack of healing. Especially the final areas, there is only ONE strategy that even is remotely works- fall back to the door and bottleneck the enemy there and hope they don't spawn behind you.

Bosses can and will one shot you with unavoidable attacks, you'll be outnumbered 4 to 1 a lot of times, not to mention lag screwing you over. And one match can take around 25 minutes to beat. The MP in this game is not as polished as it was in ME3 in my time with it so far, it needs rebalancing and patching.

 

[Doctor Teatime]

I've also been playing a fair bit of the MP and I gotta agree with everyone who's calling this article rubbish. The writer blatantly has an axe to grind.

The Demon Commander? Unavoidable sprung up attack and a AoE stun with a LONG duration that slows your movement to a crawl so you can't even get away from it even if you know it's coming.

It's actually easy to dodge once you know the trick: sprinting.

 

[Something Amyss]

normally there would be this third one which I haven't noticed.

3) I played the multiplayer and you are right and that is how I see it as well.

I wouldn't expect to see this so much, especially from a game where most people are steering away from the multiplayer. However, Shamus isn't the first time I've seen these claims, so even i they're not true, there is to be some reason they're coming up (even if that reason is bad).

I expect a heavier chunk of people to be defending it.

I had planned on confirming or debunking this by watching footage on YouTube, but couldn't make it more than 3 minutes into a video without getting bored. For a game this boring, I'll let the folks complaining that Shamus is "lying" have it, though.

 

[pearcinator]

I am completely opposite here.

I think this is the BEST system of micro-transactions. It is just like Mass Effect 3's and I bet they made quite a bit of money from that! It never forces you to buy the crates with real money and everything can be earned if you play the game long enough. The RNG makes every crate exciting to open (until you get 3 or 4 complete duds in a row, then you rage quit...but always return later for that fix).

The difficulty is good. It ensures that people keep coming back to try and beat it, I think Shamus is just having a rant because he wiped multiple times in a row. I played many Mass Effect 3 multiplayer matches with absolutely no consumables left (like medi-gel) and you know what? I got better at the game! I had to stick close to my team and be more supportive. The 'Rambo' people who run out, die, use medi-gel, die, use medi-gel, die are not helping at all!

All multiplayer DLC is also FREE. Thus never segregating the players (oh, you want to play? Sorry, you don't have this map) and those that haven't spent a cent are rewarded with new characters/maps/weapons etc. It's only the few that choose to purchase crates with real money that make so much for the company.

-I have never purchased a cosmetic item on TF2 (I don't give a flying fuck about cosmetic items)
-I have never purchased a map pack for games like Halo/COD (I stop playing multiplayer when a map pack comes out and forces me to buy it to play)
-I have, however bought 2 packs on Mass Effect 3's multiplayer with leftover MS points. No regrets.

 

[gargantual]

Well even if BioWare has been more careful to enter the scummier realm of microtransactions, it doesn't mean the temptation is still not there to go scummy for other companies or titles., to prohibit content and discovery by means of consumables and pay prompts, when traditionally challenging obstacles, and demanding you to think outside the box were how we engaged with action games.

The standard must return, and I think microtransactions shouldn't go any further than what valve or Path of Exile does. The balance of the match must not be compromised, because people naturally tend to take the path of least resistance. To make them simulate great accomplishments, the game must put its perks and resources around challenges to prompt players, and convince them that with a change in approach, they can conquer such insurmountable obstacles.

This fundamental feedback loop and principle is eroding in popular gaming.

This is the cancer that is killing the heart of what makes a video game a video game. If there is no skill to develop or true sense of intellectual payoff, from hard won accomplishment (or simulated accompishment) a toy of discovery has been reduced to a wind up doll. You pay it and it does its dance.

If we look at how Valve talks about level design, these gamification tactics are antithetical to what the core experience has been for decades earlier.

Thats what we get for merely reducing the value of entertainment and modern technology to an instant pleasure box or genie in a bottle, and not pleasure through challenge and engagement.

 

[otakon17]

I've also been playing a fair bit of the MP and I gotta agree with everyone who's calling this article rubbish. The writer blatantly has an axe to grind.

The Demon Commander? Unavoidable sprung up attack and a AoE stun with a LONG duration that slows your movement to a crawl so you can't even get away from it even if you know it's coming.

It's actually easy to dodge once you know the trick: sprinting.

Yeah no, it still hits you even if you start sprinting when you see the tell tale smoke markers on your character. The tracking is 100% and combined with even the smallest lag you will get hit.

 

[Harry Mason]

First thought - "DA:I has multiplayer?"

Second thought - "Mmmm... Gumbo..."

Third thought - "Man, I really want to play DA:I's amazing singleplayer mode."

Normally I get extremely bent out of shape about this kind of shit, but for once I don't really care. Maybe it's because, when this stuff really gets under my skin, it's because the game feels incomplete without the payed content. But DA:I? They could nail four crappy free-to-play modes to the side of its head and I would still feel like I've gotten the most for my money from this game that I've gotten in any title since fucking Skyrim.

I sure hope this article doesn't talk anyone out of a game that they would love. I mean, if, using my example, someone tacked the Dungeon Keeper FTP onto the start screen of Skyrim, I'm fairly certain no one would notice because they'd be way too busy having kickass dragon slaying adventures.

 

[Doctor Teatime]

I've also been playing a fair bit of the MP and I gotta agree with everyone who's calling this article rubbish. The writer blatantly has an axe to grind.

The Demon Commander? Unavoidable sprung up attack and a AoE stun with a LONG duration that slows your movement to a crawl so you can't even get away from it even if you know it's coming.

It's actually easy to dodge once you know the trick: sprinting.

Yeah no, it still hits you even if you start sprinting when you see the tell tale smoke markers on your character. The tracking is 100% and combined with even the smallest lag you will get hit.

I start sprinting as soon as the demon disappears into the ground and it works just fine. I can't account for lag though, don't think I've had that in a demon match yet.

 

[sumanoskae]

Never thought multiplayer would work for a Dragon Age game. Mass Effect lent itself to multiplayer pretty well, as it turns out, because it was already essentially a more sophisticated version of Gears of War. Dragon Age has always placed emphasis on carefully managing a party; having total control of a combat situation. It could be said that Mass Effect is tactical whilst Dragon Age is strategic.

So I was pretty sure the multiplayer would be a last minute shoehorn. I'm having a great time with Inquisition so far, but I really wish they had axed the multiplayer and spent more time fixing all the goddamn bugs.

I'd go so far to say that almost nobody who bought Inquisition even cares about multiplayer; hell, some of the fans might even refuse to play it on principal.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Selling disposable nothings again, eh EA?
*shrugs*
Just one more reason I don't buy their rubbish.