DA:O A proper DA:O sequel

Just wondering how many of you would like to see a proper DA:O sequel? One which carries on directly from the end of DA:O, and has the same aesthetics, combat, vibe etc.

And is there any remote chance of us ever seeing it?

Little chance, me thinks.
At best, Bioware will consider their open world/MMO escapade more of a failure and try to balance it out...slightly toned down DA2, if you will.
In my opinion, Bioware needs more fresh blood when it comes to writing more than anything else.

I believe everyone would love to see it, but there is no chance.

I would love to see it, though with less darkspawn in it. The politics and characters of DA: O are very interesting, but the main plot and villain is not.

As for seeing such a game? Doubtful. We'll see more Dragon Age games, but probably more along the lines of DA: I than DA: O.

It baffles me a bit though, because I think there's plenty crying out for a proper DA: O sequel. It'd be easy money for them, and - apart from a tweak here and there such as a graphical polish - they wouldn't have to work much on the technical aspects either, so it'd theoretically take less money & effort to produce too.

I believe it has something to do with the engine.

If you look carefully, you'll notice that DA:O runs on something that looks suspiciously similar to NWN's Aurora junk, but highly polished and capable of not irritating the player.
By the time they started developing DA:I they had to choose between that and DICE's Frostbyte. If you ask me, they did a better choice, DICE's engine makes stunning visuals and runs like a butter on PC although I believe it was mainly designed for consoles.

However current (at that time they developed DA3) Frostbyte seems not friendly to RPG systems but aimed to stupid_or_no AI shooters with just a few weapon switches which resulted in less rich skills/spells/trees/characterdevelopment options in DA:I.

If by some means Bioware decides to work on it some more, I believe they could make DA:O 2 that'd feel like DA:O just with improved visuals.
But it's EA. They don't want it. Such stuff hurts their brain. And if it hurts their brain, it most probabaly hurts the brain of others - that's what they believe. They're not alone, 99% of RPGs released in past decade are so forgiving one might ask if building a character matters at all, it really feels that clicking randomly on character "properties" after level up makes no difference in the game, but you'll finish it (win) whatever you choose.

It had an effect that some indies (and to be honest good ones) decided to go another route, screw up your character or party and you'll get stuck in the middle of the game without any possibility to progress - you LOSE. Blackguards anyone?
But isn't a point of a game, any game not just videogame, to provide the player such mechanics where instead of guaranteed win there is a possibility to lose? Not only a fight but the game itself?

Yea, now one will ask me why I dislike roguelikes because those are definetly "loseable"… In roguelikes you lose just because. You don't lose because you didn't build your character or party carefully but because some gambling slot machine decided not to grant you a jackpot.
I do think that recent explosion of indie roguelikes didn't happen because it's supereasy to code a slot machine but because it's nearly impossible to lose in most mainstream games. All mainstream games, not just RPGs. Tell me, did anyone manage to lose in - Farmville?

I think everyone lost in Farmville.

What's this about character development being more limited in DA:I?? I'm not so sure about that. When you factor in the modifications (e.g. virulent walking bomb was a modification to a spell instead of a completely separate spall in DA:I), I think they probably come out roughly the same. And you've got more characters to develop, too.

Another DA:O style game would be great but they aren't likely to do it. It's just too much thinking for the console crowd that mostly just wants to mix in a good story with action battles. EA makes BIG games with BIG budgets so they simply can't afford to blow those folks off. Theoretically, EA could make a fine DA:O style game with a smaller budget but they just aren't set up for that sort of development - better to let the mid-tier publishers like Larian, Paradox, and Harebrain deal with that stuff. Which they are.

I sure would like to see another DA:I style game, too. So much exploration!!

You see, I personally hated DA:I. I can see why others liked it, but it was like drinking beer when you're wanting a single malt whiskey.



As Joxer says, EA's mentality is the issue. I just don't see the harm in giving a small team a smaller budget, and saying "here's the gameplay, style and lore foundation, update the graphics, and fill your boots with a new story".



I think they'd make a fortune from the existing DA fans who have felt disappointed by the inferior sequels released.

Loved Dao , Dao was awful and DAI was a crappy mmo...probably the next game to scratch that itch will be another developer...certainly not bioware

I mean da2 was awful

DA:I an MMO? Errr, yeah, whatever you say.

Zloth said:

DA:I an MMO? Errr, yeah, whatever you say.

Click to expand...

I only played 10 or so hours of it, but it definitely had that type of feel to it IMO.



So much mundane, pointless stuff. A lot which you had to do.

I would like to EA and all of their off spring just make sport and phone games. Though I haven't liked them since LB sold his soul to them.

I understand your point and I would have also loved to see a prope sequel to DA:O.

I did enjoy DA 2 and not so much DA:I but still both of those felt like different games with the same name attached to it, not building upon old ideas but doing something totally new.

But I will agree with others - I don't think it is happening, EA is not the type of publisher to do something like that IMO.

For me DAO just had this magical feeling in both combat and story (though still with its flaws).

What REALLY REALLY frustrates me is why don't new games like PILLARS copy some of these systems instead of inventing these "new" ideas that have resulted in just clunky and tedious combat and gameplay mechanics. I mean all these useless spells that are just tedious to use, the crap systems like camping and limited per rest spells that just add tedium and limit the fun of the game. When there a many enemies on screen it becomes a clustertruck and messy. I feel like DA:O tanking and threat system just felt so much better.

I have been feeling this loss of magical feeling that I used to get from older RPGS like DAO, Balders Gate, KOTOR, ME1 etc etc.

I think a big thing I dislike about new AAA games is this:

In BG, DAO, ME1. KOTOR etc you start as a "lowly" (for lack of a better word) underdog, with a more personal story and a character and world relationship that grows and matures from the start to end of the game.

But in these new games (worst in AAA games like DAI, ME3) your character starts as the chosen one "king and saviour" and ends as the chosen one "king and saviour" with no change or growth from the start to end of the game. The stories all feel so political and impersonal and I find them very unsatisfying. I end up not giving a flying frock about the main story.

TLDR - for the love of God someone please make me a DA:O spiritual sequel or at least copy some of its game mechanics.

kangapoo said:

Balders Gate

Click to expand...

In b4…

On a serious note, I cared about not just main story in ME3 so much I bought everything possible including "rags" from official Bioware store. The only thing I refuse to buy, ever, is horse armor DLC priced in Bioware points, missions DLC I did buy however.
Yes the main protagonist is space Jesus, yes because of DLC scheming without paying a crapload of $ you can't possibly enjoy it completely, yes they borked the ending that feels disconnected in design sense, yes they screwed the singleplayer fans by allowing MMO audience to get the best score by just rushing through the main story and never touching anything else, yes they introduced the most boring sidekick in whole gaming history (James Vega) and filmed an animated movie that sucks more than Uwe Boll's works… But still.

In DA:I, sadly, I cared only about the main story and nothing else. Well and sidekick stories... I did those other boring things, but almost nothing of it "enriched" the experience - the game has a filler problem. Thus I never bought, nor will, any of it's DLC.
But IMO you have to compare it with DA2, not with DA:O. It's a huge step forward after a dozen of steps back in DA2.

My main problem with DA:I (apart from the blatant dev lies about pc control systems, and the horrible cheesy antagonist) was that the "open" worldish opportunity was completely wasted. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, but there was nothing to find or do. No interesting characters to meet. Apart from less than a handful of average side quests, all you would find while exploring were notes. Every time you would go into a building or ruin , nothing else, but always someone managed to leave a note behind conveniently for you.

I think the game would have been better off half the size but with some actual content in the open world areas, not just in the story dungeon sections.

Have to admit i was also somewhat jaded by the game by this bug in which the game saw my male character as female. Almost every male side character or companion was flirting or offering me sex at some stage. Felt like I was in homo simulator 2016 or something and really started to piss me off (keep in mind i did not realise it was a bug until 80% of the way through the game. Thought it was just this SJW BS that everyone is always rattling on about).

Though now I guess I can see how it can suck for a homo person to have hetero relationships constantly forced upon them in a game.

kangapoo said:

My main problem with DA:I …. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, but there was nothing to find

Click to expand...

Oh but there was. Bears. Lots and lots of - bears.

kangapoo said:

Have to admit i was also somewhat jaded by the game by this bug in which the game saw my male character as female… i did not realise it was a bug until 80% of the way through the game.

Click to expand...

That bug was fixed fast. In fact even before the fix we knew what causes it so it could be avoided (although starting a new game had to be made).
I don't usually defend EA, but with this one they didn't stall and besides, we talked about it here on the forum so check RPGwatch frequently.

Woo some memory are short. Let list some bad aspects or at least weaker than in DAI:
- DAO character building was a weak aspect of the game, only one class well done, mage, all other was offering very few choices and at end of game there was like one build with all abilities. It's been slightly improved later but if there's something wrong in DAO it's character building. Not only that but also the streamlining of skills you take or don't, the ridiculous simplified line trees. DAI is just marvel in comparison with a lot more building abilities.
- Exploration in DAO was also almost always a very weak aspect, very small areas, very linear, not much exploration. On that aspect DAO is a park when DAI is a country.
-A very weird feature of DAO was companions in comp and joking machine puppets in adventuring. And the bonus system and gift system is just a boredom. The whole system done more naturally in DAI even if too much with a similar idea.
- DAO probably succeed implement the most boring crafting system ever, it's been a little bit improved later but still very boring. DAI system is weak too but at least better,
- stupid potion system, since DA2 the series did better.

DAO is just better because:
- Morrigan,
- almost every single combat get a polished dedicated design,
- it had a rather good enemy scaling system I only see BG2 doing better,
- better combat system than DAI, I'm more skeptical for comparison with DA2,
- set of companions very interesting to dig if you bother enter in mini game of companions talk in camp,
- items and equipment with a much better design,
- many good secondary stories sustained very often by good writing and a few strong characters,
- many places compensating a bit the tiny size of most areas and overall weak exploration design,
- mages building rather complex and set of spells is probably more interesting than in both DAI or DA2.

If DAO is really on upper top it's for only two elements, combats and companions if you can suffer the camp design.

I really have nothing to do when waiting ME1 installation, sigh.

DA:O:




DA2:




DA3: