Dragon Age 2 - Limited Character Creation and More

figment · July 9, 2010

I think I'm mostly disappointed just because the different character backgrounds and races was central to DA:O. However I'm willing to be tolerant if it means getting the game sooner or with other expanded features. As others have indicated PS:T, Gothic, and The Witcher all had fairly fixed character designs. I normally dont play non-humans so it doesn't affect me terribly. I'd like choice of sex but not strictly required. I suppose its just a waiting game to see how much ultimately gets streamlined out of the game.

Badesumofu · July 9, 2010

Well, that is a little disappointing - I thought the origins were awesome, and this certainly detracts a lot from the player's ownership of character.

However, I'm willing to accept all that, provided Bioware leverage the benefits that those changes are capable of bringing to a game. Do we really want them to make the same game again so soon after the first one? I already spent 100+ hours playing Origins, if I'm to spend another 100+ hours on a sequel, it wouldn't be such a bad thing if it were a distinctly different title.

I have to admit, I didn't finish Awakenings, it felt too similar, and I had other games to play. Mixed feelings here, for sure. I'm willing to give Bioware the benefit of the doubt and wait and see how the game plays, though.

juv3nal · July 9, 2010

guenthar said:
People are complaining because they have pretty much said this is going to be a fantasy version of Mass Effect without saying it directly and most people here would rather have a more complex and less streamlined game. Pretty much they are dumbing down Dragon Age just like companies have been doing with the rpg genre for years. This makes some people sad because they are degrading what we like to the point where some of us won't even have games that we like anymore.

I think that's reading an awful lot into the only thing they've actually stated (which is the restriction of character choice). I think it's pretty uncharitable to suggest that they don't realize that DA, the more complex, less streamlined/dumbed down title, sold more than ME2. That's what I mean by cynical.

guenthar · July 9, 2010

They already said that they were changing the combat system to something more action oriented which means 2 of the most important elements are pretty much Mass Effect like and it sounds like the rest of it is going to be also with having your character being fully voiced which reduces choices in dialog.

Tragos · July 9, 2010

"With Dragon Age 2, the world’s preeminent RPG developer is revolutionizing the genre again"

French like revolution as Dwarfish & Elfish heads will roll

HoHo , sounds like Gothic crap to me .
But why a human you racists ?!? If this Hawke guy is not a black dude with 100% African characteristics i am not paying for this.

Davion · July 9, 2010

BanalityDUFF said:
possibly Hawke is your and morrigans love child? Although, that would constitute a somewhat large step-forward in the timeline and set clear a canonical ending for Origins (I haven't played Awakening so they possibly already set out a cannon ending that doesn't involve a love child, hah).

The developers have already stated that you are not Morrigan's child.

Maylander · July 9, 2010

I like the idea of it being the spirit of the arch demon reborn through Morrigan. In that case, it would probably have to be human, as Morrigan is most likely the deciding factor (due to the ritual etc). Also, the options beyond the main character (Loghain/Alistair) are both male humans.

Then again, I don't even think there is such a thing as half-elf or half-dwarf in Dragon Age. Probably decided by the mother or some such thing, who knows.

In any case, if their reason is good, then I'm okay with it. I certainly didn't mind the main character in PS:T being a male human, nor did I mind it in Gothic or Risen.

I just hope they have a very good reason, considering how well the Origin stories worked out (as mentioned previously in this thread, it's one of the best features BW has developed so far, a whole lot better than the "import your choices" thing in ME2 - the big choices hardly even mattered).

Edit: They have Davion? Crud. Well, let's still hope the reason is good..

RivianWitch · July 9, 2010

The: "changing the combat system to something more action oriented " is what worries me most. To me the combat system was 100% fine just the way it was.

Plus I'll be so p'd off if I cannot get to choose my class; rogue, mage, warrior, etc. … though let's hope they don't get idiotic enough not to let you have those choices.. I mean, then it won't really be an RPG, will it? Though, like noted elsewhere on the Watch, that designation doesn't stand for much these days…

Anyway, regarding the story and the format thereof; considering there's such a short space of time between the release of the 2 games, the story was probably laid out before or pretty close to release of the first game anyway.

Davion · July 9, 2010

Maylander said:
Then again, I don't even think there is such a thing as half-elf or half-dwarf in Dragon Age. Probably decided by the mother or some such thing, who knows.

I'm not sure about half-dwarves, but I'm 100% positive that there is a specific topic in the ingame Dragon-Age codex that talks about this. It states that the offspring from the union of an elf and a human will always be a human, regardless of which parent is which race.

holeraw · July 9, 2010

I wonder… will, according to the most recent tradition by Bioware, that Hawke guy be a commander?

I suppose that's somewhat of a gutsy move - I didn't see it coming even though many people complained about the 'mute' protagonist while I can't remember many being too exited that they had a choice of race and gender (excluding the great origins idea). Of course if that's the reason then once again they will cure the disease by killing the patient (apologies for the cliche) - sort of like they did in ME2 with that vehicle… which I actually liked (and certainly a lot more than that planet scanning thing that felt like a second job)

For the record, I've never been at all against having a predefined protagonist but I also dislike the idea of having important features of a game removed in the sequel… so I am very much against it this time.

RivianWitch said:
Plus I'll be so p'd off if I cannot get to choose my class; rogue, mage, warrior, etc. … though let's hope they don't get idiotic enough not to let you have those choices.. I mean, then it won't really be an RPG, will it?

Aren't you a big Witcher fan?

Lemonhead · July 9, 2010

RivianWitch said:
The: "changing the combat system to something more action oriented " is what worries me most. To me the combat system was 100% fine just the way it was.

This is also my biggest concern. What is it gonna be like now? Click-fest alá Diablo? Timing combos like The Witcher/Age of Conan? Removal of RTwP? Removal of party combat? Removal of topdown perspective? Only 3rdperson camera that "everyone" finds soooo imershuuuuun inducing.

I'm scared.

Lemonhead · July 9, 2010

My conspiracy theory is that this is what EA wanted to do with DAO in the first place. But since they bought Bioware well into development of DAO they couldn't muck about too much with the formula. But DA2 will be what EA wanted in the first place: more streamlined, more mass appeal, more ACTION combat, less tactical, more console oriented, art style will be more for kids like their Star Wars: Old Republic MMO. It's just a theory though...

Alrik Fassbauer · July 9, 2010

Too bad : My whole reply just vanished.

The result of my reply was this (recalled from my memory) :

guenthar said:
Pretty much they are dumbing down Dragon Age just like companies have been doing with the rpg genre for years. This makes some people sad because they are degrading what we like to the point where some of us won't even have games that we like anymore.

This leaves Drakensang as the ONLY *real*"old school" game ...

Oh, the Irony ! - People should have better put their money into Drakensang - if they had known it (Marketing : EPIC FAIL ! - blame THQ for NA, for example) - thus securing the future o a REALLY old-school game spirit series ...

... but instead everyone put the money into EA and into Bioware (now being part of EA), with the hopes of "old school reborn" - thus leading BOTH into the fall of Radon Labs AND (another) rise of EA ... thus leading into what EA wants to have RPGs to be designed like.

This whole marketing approach with the "Baldur's Gate spiritual successor" stuff appears to me like a glue trap for flies ... And everyone is hanging into it, now.

Thus the complaints. The glue is working.

holeraw · July 9, 2010

Lemonhead said:
My conspiracy theory is that this is what EA wanted to do with DAO in the first place. But since they bought Bioware well into development of DAO they couldn't muck about too much with the formula. But DA2 will be what EA wanted in the first place: more streamlined, more mass appeal, more ACTION combat, less tactical, more console oriented, art style will be more for kids like their Star Wars: Old Republic MMO. It's just a theory though…

That doesn't sound very paranoid to me.
I still find it kind of an odd decision: DA has practically no serious competition and sold well didn't it? So they decide against keeping playing safe by doing something that works well while maintain their monopoly. Doesn't that have more risk than necessary?

blackcanopus · July 9, 2010

BanalityDUFF said:
possibly Hawke is your and morrigans love child?

That was exactly what I thought when I saw his hand and how his shadow resembles an Archdemon.

Kostas · July 9, 2010

blackcanopus said:
That was exactly what I thought when I saw his hand and how his shadow resembles an Archdemon.

That's a very good point but that would make this most important decision of Origins completely trivial,I don't think Bioware would take it this far.

RivianWitch · July 9, 2010

holeraw said:
Aren't you a big Witcher fan?

Of course. ..but let's compare apples with apples. It would be a bit weird if Diablo 3 came out suddenly with a party of 5 and D&D rules, wouldn't it?

The Witcher came out as an action RPG, and never claimed to be "The spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate."

DA:O was perfect the way it was, and it made EA a lot of money. Why totally mess with a formula that obviously worked?

I'm really hoping they're not in the process of churning out another consolised action game here. ...and they cannot copy the Witcher formula, which makes use of a pretty unique character, based on a certain lore from a popular already established body of fiction; or it simply won't be unique anymore, right?

RivianWitch · July 9, 2010

Why totally mess with a formula that obviously worked?

..unless Lemonhead's theory is right… :anxious:

JDR13 · July 9, 2010

RivianWitch said:
I'm really hoping they're not in the process of churning out another consolised action game here.

Dragon Age: Dark Alliance?

Lemonhead · July 9, 2010

holeraw said:
That doesn't sound very paranoid to me.
I still find it kind of an odd decision: DA has practically no serious competition and sold well didn't it? So they decide against keeping playing safe by doing something that works well while maintain their monopoly. Doesn't that have more risk than necessary?

I agree. You have two different franchises with two different formulas that are selling very well. Probably two different target groups that somewhat overlap. Why try to change one franchise (DA) into the other (ME) when both stand well enough on their own? Seems risky. You might then loose all the fans(customers) that loved DA but didn't care for ME. You'll still might get some of the ME fans though, so maybe it evens out in the end?

Dragon Age 2 - Limited Character Creation and More

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