Dragon Age 2 - Limited Character Creation and More

They went in the totally opposite direction I wanted them to go. Oh well, hope the console kiddies enjoy it.
 
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holeraw said:
Aren't you a big Witcher fan?
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The Witcher was fantastic for it's unique setting, atmosphere and meaningful, ambiguous moral choices & consequences.

People liked DA:O for it's character creation and party based, RTwP combat.

Dragon Effect, hehehe, I like that. In line with the other choices they've already made let me predict the story & maps for Dragon Effect will be much more linear. I wonder if I'm going to have to go assemble my team to fight the darkspawn from desperate outlaws and then solve their family problems on the way?
 
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LuckyCarbon said:
I wonder if I'm going to have to go assemble my team to fight the darkspawn from desperate outlaws and then solve their family problems on the way?
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Like in Origins you mean? ;)
 
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Lemonhead said:
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?
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The corporate reasoning (assuming all the rumoring is true) would go like this:

DA:O cost us $X1 and made us $Y1.
ME:2 cost us $X2 and made us $Y2.
If the ratio $Y2/$X2 is larger than $Y1/$X1 then obviously that is the better formula.

If you have ever worked in a big company you see this sort of reasoning all the time. Sometimes it is valid and other time you just want to grab the person doing it and shake some sense into them.

BTW, I liked *BOTH* DA:O and ME:1/2 but I would prefer the styles to remain separate.
 
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Alrik Fassbauer said:
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.
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The thing is though, that I preferred DA:O to Drakensang not only regarding to story and dialogue, but to some extent combat as well.

I enjoy playing magic users, but in Drakensang, I detested the fact that some spells took up to 3 turns to cast… :p I'd prefer less powerful but quicker spells.

Yeah, I know that sounds like nitpicking, but that's just one aspect out of a whole lot of little things that made me enjoy DA:O more, and it had nothing to do with the publisher.
In fact, I was very sceptical towards DA at first because of : 1) EA (whose games I normally avoid) and 2) many aspects of the marketing campaign they employed.

…but the proof of the pudding is in the eating…

Though I think I see what you're saying: if more people bought Drasang, they could afford to improve aspects of it. True; but I invested in both Drasang and DA, didn't most of us?
 
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Very disappointing.

Based on how much of a let down ME2 was, I guess I'll hold off on pre-ordering DA2 until I have some inclination that Bioware has regained some sense.
 
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BillSeurer said:
The corporate reasoning (assuming all the rumoring is true) would go like this:

DA:O cost us $X1 and made us $Y1.
ME:2 cost us $X2 and made us $Y2.
If the ratio $Y2/$X2 is larger than $Y1/$X1 then obviously that is the better formula.

If you have ever worked in a big company you see this sort of reasoning all the time.
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This is true, but it's really sad when publishers start applying profitability formulas to art, literature and games… :'( The quality of any artistic endeavour tends to go down a bit when it is measured by the biggest common denominator.
 
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Fully voiced PC confirmed. I just hope they're not going to saddle us with a dialogue system as restrictive as ME's, but it seems likely.
 
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RivianWitch said:
This is true, but it's really sad when publishers start applying profitability formulas to art, literature and games… :'( The quality of any artistic endeavour tends to go down a bit when it is measured by the biggest common denominator.
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Though keep in mind that a lot of utter drivel is produced when "artsy" folks forget that they have to pay the bills, too.
 
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RivianWitch said:
I enjoy playing magic users, but in Drakensang, I detested the fact that some spells took up to 3 turns to cast… :p I'd prefer less powerful but quicker spells.
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Yes, I imagine you are just used to that.

Everything just SO combat-oriented nowadays that spells must be quick.

Because slow spells don't work in ombat.

I'm not sure, because I still know very little about the mechnics in (A)D&D, but I'd say this is the influence of a more-than-dominating rules system over the overall/complete market.

Nowadays, everything must be oh so quick. Even that "spell memorizing" thing in (A)D&D is considered nothing but a nuisance.

Sorry, if I sound cynical, but I guess you might already know me. ;)
 
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RivianWitch said:
This is true, but it's really sad when publishers start applying profitability formulas to art, literature and games… :'( The quality of any artistic endeavour tends to go down a bit when it is measured by the biggest common denominator.
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And thus - in my philosophy - they are stripping all this art, literature, games thing, that is inherent that that - that DEFINES them ! - from previously art, literature & gaming.

It becomes nothing but wares.

Everything's a ware. even WE are considered by NOTHING BUT costs and earnings we bring into companies.

This is what some people call a "dictatorship of the economy".
And defining whether something is good (only profits) and not good (only costs) is just the way the Nazis thought. That's why they were killing people they believed "didn't deserve to live", which were handicapped ones, ill ones, mentally ill ones etc. ...
 
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Dragon Effect.... I'm sorry, Dragon Age 2 will be a great action game. For the roleplaying part, well, who needs that anyway. :)

It's not the predetermined main character thar worries me. It's the statement in the PR about more action, revolution bla bla bla. R.I.P tactical gaming.
 
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Just got back from my holiday trip and I don't know if I should cry or laugh when I read this article. :-/
 
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Deep breaths and calm down everyone. You're reacting to some promo copy blurb and a few sentences in various press releases. They're in the business of selling games, remember? The DA:O TV ads were entirely misleading, so don't take this "news" so seriously.

They'd get slammed if they released the exact same games, they get slammed when they don't. I have problems with DA:O but I still liked it a lot. I'm sure everything will be fine with DA2.
 
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Hey we need something to whinge about, or life will get entirely boring, and besides, we wouldn't know where to channel our angst. ;)
 
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Ovenall said:
They'd get slammed if they released the exact same games, they get slammed when they don't. I have problems with DA:O but I still liked it a lot. I'm sure everything will be fine with DA2.
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If they'd release Baldur's Gate 3, or even BG2 with upgraded graphics and setting, I'd buy the game a dozen times! :D
 
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What a letdown. The origins were among the best thing in the game. Its a HUGE step back of something that made the game. Playing some premade char... I am not sure I am anymore interested in that.
 
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Meh.

Gothic series, Risen, The Witcher and many other great RPGs have defined characters to play through.

Spiritual successor to baldurs gate? Oh I remember, that's the game that also put me in a specific role and told a story around me ;) Come on guys, that's what Bioware do best. If you want roleplaying freedom then there's the excellent Elder Scrolls games which you all know and love.
 
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It's too early for me to be logically disappointed about something I havent even seen a preview of yet, but my emotional inner child is a bit concerned. I think it's the bombardment of "gonna put you smack dab in the middle of an action-packed thrill-fest" vibe that really makes me think things may go south.

I'm just not getting a good feeling
 
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http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/3054393/4#3074424

First info from the GameInformer article apparently.
I'm not sure what to think about it, guess I'll wait 'til we have a clearer picture.

P.S. : Please note, that, from the look of it, the 'radical changes' to the combat system mainly consist of making the console controls more responsive.
 
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