Dragon Age - the women of DA in Maxim Magazine - a marketing ploy?

Originally Posted by Tan
Oh, and just for curiosity's sake - what are the "pros" for you, from the things I listed?

You caught me. On rereading, most are things I'm either apathetic about or against. I like romance plots and sex in RPGs though, as long as it's not just fan service and there's at least a modicum of sophistication to it.

Originally Posted by hishadow
All what some of us are saying is that the marketing from EA has been piss poor.

And what others are saying is:

Dyspaire: I'll be honest… as nonsensical as this may sound, I want Dragon Age to fail a little bit, based solely on how the marketing campaign has been run.

Sirfartsalot: Totally agree with this statement. I don't think the graphics are all that hot myself.

And if Dragon Age does not do well, I'm sure those posters will be pleased to see BioWare drop RPGs of this ilk and never return to them. Best of luck, guys!

Tan: I haven't kept up with everything but some of the things you say are wrong with Dragon Age are not even true. An example is the regen rate for hp and mana being very high. I have seen gameplay videos and in them the people playing had to be careful and heal or else they would die which means even with regen of hp it wasn't enough to keep characters alive without needing to heal multiple times in battle.

Also some of the complaints would mean you must have not liked those things being in some very well known rpgs. Violence was plentiful in Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines and Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Gothic 2, had prostitutes among other games. Even Ultima 7 had sex in it and if I remember right even lesbian sex.

PS. Usually when these games have blood and gore there is usually a way to shut it off if you want.

PPS. I'm not sure on the rest of the stuff you said since I don't really keep up with marketing that much even when it is from the devs. (I have only read 2 or 3 interviews with the devs. I usually only look at a few pics and videos just to get a feel for the game and mostly base my experience on playing the game myself.

Originally Posted by Guhndahb
You caught me. On rereading, most are things I'm either apathetic about or against. I like romance plots and sex in RPGs though, as long as it's not just fan service and there's at least a modicum of sophistication to it.

It's alright. And I should've explained better the first two points; violence and sex. I was not saying I find these things bad per se in games, no, I was suggesting since there's lots of it in the game; marketing is just "reporting" the things how they actually are.

Originally Posted by guenthar
Tan: I haven't kept up with everything but some of the things you say are wrong with Dragon Age are not even true. An example is the regen rate for hp and mana being very high. I have seen gameplay videos and in them the people playing had to be careful and heal or else they would die which means even with regen of hp it wasn't enough to keep characters alive without needing to heal multiple times in battle.

I was talking about… regen after battle. That's why I said "battle-to-battle strategical planning". Since your resources (HP/mana/stamina) recharge very quickly after each battle, this element, which I enjoy, is absent. I like planning when to rest and limit resting myself. That way it's more challenging.

I should mention that there are items and abilities that let you regenerate HP even in combat. Mana, which powers (healing) spells recharges even during combat. Now, if there are no ranged enemies in a certain encounter (or you dispatched them) you can just run around and wait for your health to replenish. That's bad.

Also some of the complaints would mean you must have not liked those things being in some very well known rpgs. Violence was plentiful in Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines and Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Gothic 2, had prostitutes among other games. Even Ultima 7 had sex in it and if I remember right even lesbian sex.

PS. Usually when these games have blood and gore there is usually a way to shut it off if you want.

As I explained above, I'm not against it. Actually, I find the beheading of random darkspawns pretty cool. Sex is also ok if it doesn't become a fantasy bordel instead of a fantasy game.


PS. Forgot about no day/night cycle and static NPCs (an overwhelming majority stays in one place, waiting for you to come, so it all looks very much not city-like). Not to mention taverns where all the people are on their feet, next to the chairs…

Originally Posted by Tan
As I explained above, I'm not against it. Actually, I find the beheading of random darkspawns pretty cool. Sex is also ok if it doesn't become a fantasy bordel instead of a fantasy game.

They literally had a bordello in all three of the Realms of Arkania games

It's good to see a little of your crazy hate washing away, Tan. I can still see your skepetical, but not so much……umm……..Chihuahua like . You're actually debating reasonable topics.

Stop following me around. You know what happens when I turn back and lift my foot, weasel?

Oh, and I still think all the Rs are dumb just like.. *points finger at weasel*. So is naming after real-world cultures.

Nevermind, the Chihuahua is back barking at flies again. Well, it was nice for awhile.

Edit: You thought The Realms of Arkania games were dumb????? How so? Realms is and always will be one of my favorite trilogies.

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
Nevermind, the Chihuahua is back barking at flies again. Well, it was nice for awhile.

Such a low self-esteem, even for a weasel, thinking he's a fly.

Edit: You thought The Realms of Arkania games were dumb????? How so? Realms is and always will be one of my favorite trilogies.

No, you missread. I've never played RoA. I was talking about naming after real-world cultures and places in DA.


Now that you're part of the RPGwatch team you should know better than derailing threads with idiotic provocations. Be a model for all future candidates, weasel!

Ok, little chihuahua, you have yourself a nice day barking at shadows. Remember spread the hate around a bit. Go bark at some Borderlands threads or some Alpha Protocol coverage. It's not healthy to just have all that hate for one game. Mass Effect 2 needs some hate as well

Have a nice day and don't pee on the rug!!!

Ah, and they gave you this little job to find & post newz thinking you'll be occupied and stop posting BS in other threads. Boy, were they wrong. Anyway, mommy shouldn't give you sugar after 8 pm.

Cut this crap out!!!! Now.

Originally Posted by Tan
Ah, and they gave you this little job to find & post newz thinking you'll be occupied and stop posting BS in other threads. Boy, were they wrong. Anyway, mommy shouldn't give you sugar after 8 pm.

Drunk too much milk ?

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Drunk too much milk ?

Who? Why?
What's wrong with drinking milk?

I did saw a couple of photos and compared to some other games ( like Sacred 2 -massive aRPG buttock show ) those girls look like dressed for the church .
I have nothing against nudism & sex when they serve a purpose but like in movies so in games the display of female interesting parts for nothing indicates lack of content to me.

*Something needs to be done with the sites asking birthday (had to fill the blanks 4 times already today) , i understand that the developers are ignoring the fact that 50% of the internet is accessible pr0n but thinking that underage people not only can not google but also can not count is stupid ; two ADULT - NON ADULT buttons will do.

My care-o-meter:
| |

And that's about as much effort as I'm willing to put into this silly topic.

If Bioware stops making "deep" CRPGs because this marketing campaign fails, then one has to question their motives for doing them in the first place.

If they care, then maybe they'll consider another marketing approach, I mean - the game is entirely separate from the marketing. I would hope so.

I would think one of their biggest motives is money. More sales means more money and a far better opportunity of seeing more "deep" CRPG's from Bioware. If the game turns out to be good, I would think it is worth enduring the marketing campaign because of that.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
I would think one of their biggest motives is money. More sales means more money and a far better opportunity of seeing more "deep" CRPG's from Bioware. If the game turns out to be good, I would think it is worth enduring the marketing campaign because of that.

I don't care about the marketing campaign, as it has zero influence on whether I'll buy the game or not. I just look at something awful and state my opinion - and maybe my expectations are lowered. But I'll always wait until the actual game is out before making any kind of final call.

I'm just saying that if sales are hurt because they made a crappy marketing campaign, then maybe the way to react is to change marketing approach, rather than stopping the development of "deep" CRPGs altogether.

This is basically a response to what PatrickWeekes seems to be saying.

What is Patrick's role at Bioware? Lead Designer or janitor who empties the wastebaskets? I just know he works there, so I'm jealous I have no qualms with Patrick jumping in to the conversations but I'd rather see posts describing what he enjoyed the most during the development and playing rather than him trying to defend the marketing. Now, if Patrick is PR/marketing then he should just face the music. Fess up! You marketed this to youngsters while having it rated for adults. Where's the sense in that? I really don't see anything wrong with the marketing, as long as you realize it's 100% focused on the kiddies, who shouldn't even be allowed to buy it.

How's this for an idea: instead of Patrick jumping into the various DA posts, why don't one of the more rational moderators set up a Q&A with him? I would be EXTREMELY interested in reading that instead of Tan's 6000 reasons he hates all things Bioware. I'm guessing that Patrick stole Tan's binky (pacifier), but who knows

I don't really care what he is, as he's participating in a debate. If he doesn't want to defend the marketing, then maybe he shouldn't.