Dragon age 3 you will once again be playing as a human

[alphamalet]

Bullshit. The game hasn't even entered production yet

Actually, the game has been in development for at least a couple of years now...

There is a difference between production and pre-production, and the article clearly states that Inquisition hasn't entered production yet.

Surely spending longer in pre-production means the team working on DA3 can distil what they want to do with the game, instead of it being a rushed mess like DA2?

One can hope for sure, and I definitely hope this is the case. Still, I am very apprehensive. It's one thing to come up with a great idea, but it's another thing to implement it. It all is going to depend on how will Bioware can plan and manage their assets.

Honestly, I hope the game gets delayed. Bioware has been around for a while, but producing a game with a scale they are claiming it has seems a bit ambitious to say the least. After all, it took them 5 years to make Dragon Age Origins. We will see though. I'm not convinced they can do it, but I'll be the first to admit that Bioware's recent endeavors have made me very cynical.

Hey man I think you just proved Revnaks first point. You are getting information that is positive, but rejecting it in order to fit a predetermined result.

You do it here as well.

I seriously doubt that one level exceeds the entire size of Dragon Age Origins. Bullshit.

I am sorry, but please show me the source you have giving you actual insight to size of the lvls. You dont. You are following a predetermined conclusion.

Also I would like to point out a major part in the DA:O long development time was the engine. They made the Eclipse Engine for DA:O, and new engine development will always increase the development time by alot (generally 2-3 years if you are working from scratch).

Also you need to understand how big a part of the process preproduction actually is.

http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/12/dishonoreds-owes-its-existence-to-years-of-pre-production-says-arkane/

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Lady+Shotgun+Games+news/news.asp?c=40556

Much like movies preproduction is a much more time and ressource consuming step than actual production.

Perhaps, but I would characterize my attitude as not taking the news at face value.

Like I said, they are touting the writer that wrote the disjointed plot of Dragon Age II. Sure, he was involved with Dragon Age Origins, but for me Dragon Age II's story is a major black mark.

They claim we will have more customization, yet take away the ability to pick our races (something important enough that Bioware thought they should market the multiple "origin stories" as the subtitle of Dragon Age Origins).

Yes, a game spends a lot of time in pre-production, but think about the gravity of the statement the guy from Bioware makes. One level is bigger than Dragon Age Origins. One Level! I don't think it is unrealistic or unfair to be skeptical about the final scope of the game, even if they are starting with an already finished engine.

You're basically asking me, "Where's the beef," when it comes to my arguments. That's fair, I don't have really any source to cite. However, I'd like to ask Bioware, "Where's the beef," on some of their claims. Not everything you plan in pre-production makes it into the game. It just doesn't. I'm not inclined to believe it until I see some sort of demo. As of now, I would characterize this "positive news" as hype, nothing more. That's fine, but I resent the accusation that I'm some sort of sad person looking for something to hate. That's why I was agitated with the original post I responded to. What I'm trying to do is use the information around me, my knowledge of game development, and the history of Bioware's recent games to affect my reaction to the information we've been given thus far. Dragon Age II got a lot of hype that masqueraded as "positive news", and look how that game turned out. I don't think my skepticism is as unjustified as it is characterized to be.

 

[New Troll]

I loved Dragon Age: Origins, putting hundreds of hours into it, beating it several times, experiencing several different experiences.

I love Dragon Age 2, putting hundreds of hours into it, beating it several times, experiencing several different experiences.

Did I miss the "Origins" of the first during the second? Not at all. Did I appreciate the more involved protagonist though? Most definitely. The first game felt more like a "party sim" while the second felt more like an actual "role-playing game."

One thing I did miss from the first though was how the story influenced which groups helped out during the final battle. It added more of a 'strategic' element. The sequel letting unused party members help out as long as they're on good terms is a nice addition though. "What would you do if I sang out of tune,would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song and I'll try not to sing out of key."

As for this one on the way.. I can't wait to hear more!

 

[Zhukov]

Despite being only mildly interested in DA3 (I'm more of a ME guy), I can't say this bothers me overmuch.

After all, the super-amazing-fantastic race options in DA:O consisted of human, short thickset human and small human with pointy ears.

...

I'd rather it focuses more on a central protagonist like Hawke, rather than the empty shell that sometimes said stuff in DA1.

Also, very much this.

Granted, Hawke and Shepard have the depth of a couple of talkative tea trays, but at least they have presence.

The dialogue in DA:O (and KOTOR for that matter) was significantly reduced by the fact that half of every conversation was being carried out by a mute, expressionless and motionless fence post with a face painted on it and an apparent inability to break eye contact.

 

[Bombastuss]

I loved Dragon Age: Origins, putting hundreds of hours into it, beating it several times, experiencing several different experiences.

I love Dragon Age 2, putting hundreds of hours into it, beating it several times, experiencing several different experiences.

Did I miss the "Origins" of the first during the second? Not at all. Did I appreciate the more involved protagonist though? Most definitely. The first game felt more like a "party sim" while the second felt more like an actual "role-playing game."

One thing I did miss from the first though was how the story influenced which groups helped out during the final battle. It added more of a 'strategic' element. The sequel letting unused party members help out as long as they're on good terms is a nice addition though. "What would you do if I sang out of tune,would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song and I'll try not to sing out of key."

As for this one on the way.. I can't wait to hear more!

Holy crap! Another person who actually liked DA2? You don't see that every day.

I'm really looking forward to DA3 and I honestly don't think it's a bad thing that you can only play as a human. It just makes more sense, it's their Chantry so why the hell would a dwarf or a Dalish elf get involved in a conflict that revolves around it?

 

[darkcalling]

Bullshit. The game hasn't even entered production yet

Actually, the game has been in development for at least a couple of years now...

There is a difference between production and pre-production, and the article clearly states that Inquisition hasn't entered production yet.

There's also a difference between development (which the game has been in for around 2 years now) and pre-production.

EDIT: argh that first sentence was supposed to be a quote from Alphamalet. still is but the quote tags disappeared. Wierd. Not sure how that happened.

 

[Tono Makt]

I'll wait until I see the actual game before I take anything Bioware says in an interview at face value ever again, thankyouverymuch.

I hope that the game being in pre-production for so long is a good sign, that they've been going over it with a fine toothed comb, are finding a great number of the problems that DAII and DA:O had, and are fixing them... and I totally wrote that with a fully straight face.

I r awesome.

 

[xemnahort]

I seriously doubt that one level exceeds the entire size of Dragon Age Origins. Bullshit.

Really? I'm the one who has to say this? (sigh)
It said bigger than all of Dragon Age 2's levels. Not bigger than Origins, not bigger than Origins' levels, and not bigger than Dragon Age 2, just bigger than Dragon Age 2's levels. Learn to fucking read.
Christ.

 

[Knight Templar]

button = forced gay romance fanfic.

Well that hasn't happened in any Bioware game yet, so what is the problem?

 

[Kyber]

I'm one of the few people who enjoyed DA2, so i'm excited about this, it has great potential as long as they don't keep the combat from DA2, which was really the biggest problem of DA2 because it was made easier for console gamers. The race isn't really a problem for me because i played Human Magi both times when i played trough DA:O

 

[el derpenburgo]

I didn't mind the whole Hawke thing, since I'm one of those people with crap imaginations and found conforming to my roleplay in Origins really hard after a time. There were a bunch of options I could choose in conversations, but I couldn't latch onto a consistent tone because my character always just stood there with a blank expression on his face looking very bored. At the time I played it DA2 was really fun. But in hindsight there are a lot of problems: the map repetition, lame moral choices, low item count, the map repetition, and a bunch of other things. If those get a look at then I don't think I'll mind too much.

But at the same time I know I'm in the minority about Hawke and I understand why people would feel betrayed by Bioware, essentially going for ME in a fantasy setting. I'm afraid the days of the old Bioware RPG are slowly fading...

 

[erykweb]

I seriously doubt that one level exceeds the entire size of Dragon Age Origins. Bullshit.

Really? I'm the one who has to say this? (sigh)
It said bigger than all of Dragon Age 2's levels. Not bigger than Origins, not bigger than Origins' levels, and not bigger than Dragon Age 2, just bigger than Dragon Age 2's levels. Learn to fucking read.
Christ.

I was thinking the same thing. Also, given the repetative nature of the levels in DA2, it shouldn't be that hard to have one level be as big as all of DA2's levels combined. I think DA:O could probably say the same thing as DA3 in this regard. I just hope that this won't be an overreaction to DA2's level design, taking 5 hours to slog through a sidequest area. But at least that wouldn't be repetative.

Incedentally, other than the level design, I liked DA2. The combat actually felt like you were acomplishing something on every hit, unlike in DA:O, where it takes 3 people to take out an average level creature, when any of the one creatures can kill you by themselves. Or maybe I just need to lower my difficulty setting.

 

[mrhateful]

I stopped caring once Project Eternity was announced. I know I should feel rage but I mean at this point is anyone actually surprised. I mean Bioware as we know and love it, is pretty dead has been for a while.

 

[C117]

Well, I'm looking forward to DA3. DA:O was great in its story, characters and dialouge system. DA2 was a bit shakier, but I did like the tighter focus on a small group of individuals, the protagonist who was actually able to emote, and they actually managed to balance the combat properly this time around (I remember using Morrigan and noone else when I got into a fight in DA:O, because every class apart from the mage was little more than cannon fodder).

What I didn't really like with DA2 was that they rehashed the same levels ad nauseum, and that the dialouge system was very simplified, with small icons telling you "this is what this option will lead to" (though they still made up for it by avoiding the usual Good/Evil malarkey, and instead having your companions decide whether you are trustworthy or not).

And I, unlike most people, don't think the ending of ME3 has "destroyed" Bioware in any way. Firstly because the rest of the game was, in my opinion, absolute brilliance, secodly because they actually CHANGED IT, when they could very well have told us "NOPE"!

So, yeah, looking forward to DA3. The inability to choose your race is slightly disappointing, but not a dealbreaker. I just hope it will have a focus on the characters, and that they perhaps show us what happened to Hawke and The DA:O-protagonist.

And even IF they botch it all up, I will probably already have bought it so... yeah...

 

[HannesPascal]

I had no problem with DA2's Hawke and the fact that you could be no one but Hawke. As long as DA3 will let me change the outcome of quests and the world if even slightly and doesn't recycle the same five levels over and over again I think it can be a great game.

 

[RagTagBand]

People need to get over the "Can only play human" thing, the fuck were your other choices? Human with pointy ears? Short Human with beard? How fucking varied and outrageously different! What a major negative it is that I can no longer make damage numbers spring from enemy knee's rather than enemy torso's, or roleplay hippy spock.

 

[Bvenged]

I honestly feel like I'm the only SoB who enjoyed DA2 more than 1. It seems to be the only instance where I've gone against the general consensus when it comes to what games do right and wrong.