Joystiq - How to keep a good RPG going

Joystiq's weekly RPG column looks at the different styles of DLC being made for RPGs and concludes a number of models just aren't suited to the genre. The piece is built around Dragon Age: Origins, with the author having just caught up on the DA:O DLC:

Add New Quests: Two of the Origins add-ons, "Warden's Keep" and "Golems Of Amgarrak," simply give you a new location and new quests to do. "Warden's Keep" is nothing special, but it succeeds in giving you a new location to travel to while playing Origins, a decent challenge, and an expansion of the world. On the other hand, "Golems," which takes place after Origins and can only be accessed from the "Other Campaigns" menu, is a disaster. Detached from the main quest and the main characters, "Golems" has to stand entirely on its own – and it doesn't.

This helped me realize something critical about adding content to RPGs: it has to fit within the game. Dragon Age: Origins is an epic, multiple-character-based RPG. It's not perfect, and not every quest is a model of storytelling, but by building the characters and world over the course several interconnected quests, under the aegis of saving the kingdom, each quest can feel bigger than it would be on its own. The weaknesses are papered over by the larger context. In "Golems Of Amgarrak," there is no larger context. It stands on its own, without a connection to the troubles of Ferelden, and without the characters who make Dragon Age: Origins so interesting. On its own, the weaknesses are all that's apparent. "Golems" might have been a decent quest had you wandered through it with Morrigan and Shale, as "Warden's Keep" was. Instead, it's a waste of time and money.

More information.

As part of the "Ultimate Edition" bundle, I found nothing wrong with any of the DLC's. Amgarrak wasn't impressive, really, but I would've happily played another 80 hour game in the DA:O engine so it was worth it.

If I bought it on it's own for $15 or whatever it cost when it was released, I'd have felt a little ripped off though. It wasn't enough content for it's price point. Then again, very little DLC is.

Good luck to Bethesda as they are still working on bringing RPG to computers.

More and more articles keep refering to the latest release in the so called RPG genre, bringing in more and more distortion.

Questing is another revealing field as questing can go from Akella's Sea Dogs implementation of questing to what it is today the norm, that is simple, punctual missions.

But while other genres have kept inclining their developpment, RPG genre is declining its. And each new decline is made the new norm.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
Good luck to Bethesda as they are still working on bringing RPG to computers.

More and more articles keep refering to the latest release in the so called RPG genre, bringing in more and more distortion.

Questing is another revealing field as questing can go from Akella's Sea Dogs implementation of questing to what it is today the norm, that is simple, punctual missions.

But while other genres have kept inclining their developpment, RPG genre is declining its. And each new decline is made the new norm.

And in how far are your ramblings connected to the content of the article?

It is connected in several ways, first, the state of questing in so called RPGS, second, the use of DAO as a reference.

Is it enough for your enlightment it or is more detailling required?