Dragon Age: Inquisition - Combat Refined @ Game Informer

aries100

SasqWatch
Joined
October 18, 2006
Messages
2,147
Location
Denmark, Europe
Game Informer continues their DA: Inquistion coverage with a video feature revealing how the combat works in DA: Inquisition.

While BioWare wouldn't confirm the return of the tactical view from that game, creative director Mike Laidlaw and executive produce Mark Darrah are pushing for more strategic encounters in Inqusition. We spoke with Laidlaw and Darrah about their vision for the next iteration of combat in the series, and senior gameplay designer Josh Stiksma showed off some pre-alpha footage.
More information.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,147
Location
Denmark, Europe
It's always so hard to resist the urge to be snarky whenever a developer uses the term "strategic" to describe the combat encounters in their games. Especially when said developer previously claimed that "pushing a button and something cool happens" was the basis of their new combat system.

But yeah, it's hard for me to not do that. Anyway, I'm going to sit back and watch the gameplay vids on the net once the game hits. I'll reserve my own final judgement until then.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
89
They tout party-based combat in real-time game play then spend most of the demo showing off single character combat and the need for direct player control to exploit openings. Huh?
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
5,521
Location
Seattle
They tout party-based combat in real-time game play then spend most of the demo showing off single character combat and the need for direct player control to exploit openings. Huh?

Game is pre-alpha, most of abilities are probably not even presentable right now.

edit:

From a dev comment on the BSN, whoever cut the video did a strange job, suggesting that Game Informer did film party based stuff and choose to not show any.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,313
Call me biased and old fashioned if you will, but I'll never be able to take the claim of "yes, we have tactical party based combat" seriously whenever I see a demo where one is playing with a control pad of some kind. :)

I'll wait for more previews to see you're right Azarhal, but really I sense more of the influence of DAII than Origins thus far, certainly from what this Game Informer video displayed.
 
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
1,974
Location
Australia
It looks like they're going for a full on aRPG approach, with "tactics" being eg strike when the enemy's knocked down, or use ice against fire etc. In other words, as "tactical" as Witcher 2 or Kingdoms of Amalur.

It looks like they're giving the player direct real time control over every individual blow - what type it is and the timing, as well as active dodges. These are action game conventions. The only silver lining on this cloud is that at least it looks better than the mindless cooldown spam against generic enemy waves of DA2.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
360
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,313
It looks like they're going for a full on aRPG approach, with "tactics" being eg strike when the enemy's knocked down, or use ice against fire etc. In other words, as "tactical" as Witcher 2 or Kingdoms of Amalur.

It looks like they're giving the player direct real time control over every individual blow - what type it is and the timing, as well as active dodges. These are action game conventions. The only silver lining on this cloud is that at least it looks better than the mindless cooldown spam against generic enemy waves of DA2.

Yup pretty much what I was thinking off. Once again bioware uses smoke and mirrors to blur "the truth". To me this kind of combat system looks fairly action oriented. Sure there may be skills, stats and abilties, but it ain't what the classic party rpg tradition was about. If orgins was spiritual successor to bg2/nwn2, this game has fairly different roots. Well atleast we have project eternity, bg2 ee, torment and wasteland to look forward to :)

That being said I'm not going to judge da3 too harshly beforehand. I'll wait for reviews and gameplay videos. Real time combat similar to blade of darkness, witcher 2, gothic 1-2, skyrim etc can be tons of fun if done right and it can feel satisfying in it's own way. Yet each of those rpgs were single person rpgs. I just have to question how tactical could it be when player has to constantly focus on giving commands to his own character and when the camera is locked on over the shoulder view. Where is my tactical bird's eye overview camera option? Why are everyone of these devs playing the game with a xbox controller? :)
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
2,468
Combat looks very similar to DA2. I would have lapped up a DAo clone with the teenage angst gaider loves so much. But this looks more like HnS than RTwP tactical combat.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
14
Real time combat similar to blade of darkness…
-Dez / RPGWatch

Whoa I found a back of the box quote! ;)

But seriously, wow… you pulled out a Blade of Darkness reference. I haven't thought about that game in a while. If they were to put that combat system in an RPG, consider me sold. And that's not sarcasm!
 
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
15
Origins was perfect and needed to be built upon.This game will not have party based tactical combat and will be DA2 without the silly animations that looked like a benny hill sketch.
 
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
154
I know it's not much to go by, but based on the limited gameplay footage I've seen so far, this game looks absolutely dreadful.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,133
Location
Florida, US
I skipped Dragon Age 2 already and it doesn't look good for Dragon Age: Inquisition, too.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
19,813
Location
Germany
But seriously, wow… you pulled out a Blade of Darkness reference. I haven't thought about that game in a while. If they were to put that combat system in an RPG, consider me sold. And that's not sarcasm!

Well I try my best to remind people of BoD from time to time. Its such a classic ;) I have hoped to see something as complex as bod's combat system in an action rpg, but so far only few games have come close to that experience. Most real time combat systems simply feel so one dimensional compared to bod.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
2,468
I don't mind action-based combat at all if it is implemented well.

But I couldn't help but groan at the enemy who spent a couple of seconds winding up his arm and striking forward at the empty space where the player USED to be. That was just ridiculous. And using the harpoon to yank at the shield causes the opponent to fall to his knees and be winded? That was cringe-worthy :(
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
803
Location
Singapore
And using the harpoon to yank at the shield causes the opponent to fall to his knees and be winded? That was cringe-worthy :(

I agree. It looked like something you would see in a game like God of War, etc. not in a "strategic" party-based RPG.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,133
Location
Florida, US
I'm a bit more positive about DA:I after some of the recent changes, but this video really underwhelmed me. I just really hope they have a decent vision for what they want the combat to be, and they're not just trying to be all things to all people.

The problem for me with what they showed in the video is that it looked just like an action rpg - ie, you roll behind an enemy to get behind his shield etc. I don't mind that in a game with one controllable character, but I want dragonage to be about party combat. If its all about timing your individual attacks and rolling about etc like dark souls or something, that really isn't going to encourage you to swap between party members. You're going to get stuck playing one character and just leave the rest of the party to computer control. And, if I'm controlling a mage for example, will my pc controlled fighters be any good at carrying off the time-based attacks? If so, if I'm playing a hard enemy, maybe I just leave them to it and throw some magic missiles or something from afar.

If they really want to do a game where your party is computer controlled like Mass Effect, I wish they'd just do it. Hell, I might even like it. But trying to make it an action game and a party based strategy game just sounds like nonsense to me.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
1,901
Location
UK
People here write as if nobody soloed DAO on nightmare or never played with the Advanced Tactics mod...
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,313
Back
Top Bottom