Dragon Age: Inquisition Pre-Release Thread

[Stainless Veteran]

I guess that's the main reason TToN and W2 were so successful on the Starter - all the underserved 30-somethings pitching in to get something more mature out of the industry.

W2's story is many things, but "mature" it is not. At least not in the sense of serious storytelling. I get that they wanted to do an equivalent of 80s B-movie plot, sometimes successfully, sometimes... not. For example, screaming goat and honey badgers dropping nut sacks as loot kinda clash with Pitbull's "FUKSHAK".

 

[Jaedar]

Invasive DRM never stopped, you just stopped noticing when it was just called "steam" and came with bonus features.

Steam = DRM. Uh-huh.

How about you read more on the subject and then we can continue with this conversation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(software)#Software_delivery_and_maintenance
http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_using_Steam_authentication

I like how for around half the games on the list of DRM free games, it seems to be a bug/workaround rather than a feature.

Steam is DRM though. It is a lot more as well, which is why people don't seem to mind, and it can certainly be argued it is not invasive. I just don't see how anyone could seriously argue that steam has nothing to do with DRM(which is not necessarily what you are doing). From what you yourself posted

Steam is an internet-based digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer, and social networking platform developed by Valve Corporation.

I don't really see the point of continuing the conversation, since I don't really care about debating to what degree steam is drm and invasive.

 

[SniperHF]

W2's story is many things, but "mature" it is not. At least not in the sense of serious storytelling. I get that they wanted to do an equivalent of 80s B-movie plot, sometimes successfully, sometimes... not. For example, screaming goat and honey badgers dropping nut sacks as loot kinda clash with Pitbull's "FUKSHAK".

Things on Kickstarter are whatever you want them to be in the sales phase. I'm sure some people were expecting something along the lines of Fallout's story. So cvv's idea could easily explain part of the $$$.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

W2's story is many things, but "mature" it is not. At least not in the sense of serious storytelling. I get that they wanted to do an equivalent of 80s B-movie plot, sometimes successfully, sometimes... not. For example, screaming goat and honey badgers dropping nut sacks as loot kinda clash with Pitbull's "FUKSHAK".

Things on Kickstarter are whatever you want them to be in the sales phase. I'm sure some people were expecting something along the lines of Fallout's story. So cvv's idea could easily explain part of the $$$.

Well, Fargo talked a good game, but always said in his pitches that he wanted to make a Wasteland 2, and never explicitly stated that he wants to make (true) Fallout 3. He alluded to the latter, of course, being a good salesman, but never stated outright, if I'm not mistaking. And Wasteland 2 was way more whimsical that Fallout 1, or even Fallout 2 were.

 

[MicoSelva]

Steam is DRM though. It is a lot more as well, which is why people don't seem to mind, and it can certainly be argued it is not invasive. I just don't see how anyone could seriously argue that steam has nothing to do with DRM(which is not necessarily what you are doing).

I was arguing that it includes DRM, but is not one itself, but you are right, this is mostly semantics.

I don't really see the point of continuing the conversation, since I don't really care about debating to what degree steam is drm and invasive.

True enough. Also, what is considered invasive will vary from person to person. Personally, I do not mind Steam running constantly, but I understand that it might bother some people (I will also always prefer buying stuff at GOG, when it comes to digital distribution). For me the pros (like auto-patching, communicator integration, etc.) outweigh the cons. With that Denuvo DRM, I do not see any pros (for a paying consumer, the pros for publisher are obvious), just cons.

 

[Xenich]

Holy shit, invasive DRM in 2015 2014. I thought we have gone beyond such silliness.
And all future Warner Brothers published games are supposed to be using this? Does that also mean the North American version of supposedly DRM-free The Witcher 3? Because that would be somewhat hilarious.

Hopefully it will get patched out of DA:I in a few years - I am not in a hurry to play this, so I can wait.

I always shake my head every time I see these companies pull this crap. Didn't they learn that they can not keep people from pirating games with Diablo 3? You would think these companies would get a clue and stop pissing off their paying customers with these ridiculous systems.

 

[Infinitron]

Holy shit, invasive DRM in 2015 2014. I thought we have gone beyond such silliness.
And all future Warner Brothers published games are supposed to be using this? Does that also mean the North American version of supposedly DRM-free The Witcher 3? Because that would be somewhat hilarious.

Hopefully it will get patched out of DA:I in a few years - I am not in a hurry to play this, so I can wait.

I always shake my head every time I see these companies pull this crap. Didn't they learn that they can not keep people from pirating games with Diablo 3? You would think these companies would get a clue and stop pissing off their paying customers with these ridiculous systems.

I don't think Diablo 3 was ever pirated.

 

[Grauken]

Maybe that was his point

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

I think I remember seeing some complex server emulation hack for D3 soon after launch, but its author(s) was somehow threatened (bribed?) into discontinuing its support a short while after. Or something.

 

[cvv]

I guess that's the main reason TToN and W2 were so successful on the Starter - all the underserved 30-somethings pitching in to get something more mature out of the industry.

W2's story is many things, but "mature" it is not.

A scale bro, always a scale. Sure W2 is not the pinnacle of highbrow art but compared to all the YA fantasy shit it's fucking Beethoven soirée in Carnegie Hall.

Btw as degenerated as the Bioware and Bethesda RPGs are mechanics-wise at least they tackle some mature themes to a limited degree. In DA2 there is the Templars vs. Mages conflict dealing with the very real-world question of preemptive restrain - whether is it ok to imprison a whole group of people just because some of them are potentially dangerous (Japanese-Americans in FDR's internment camps anybody?).

And in Skyrim there was the optional story decision to join either the empire bringing civilization and prosperity to the land or the local leaders defending their right to rule their own country - and keeping it wallowing in backwardness and poverty (a parallel to British and French colonies in Asia and Africa).

I wish talented indie or mid-size devs like Larian grew a pair to attempt a full-scale adult RPG instead of the incessant derping with wizards, dragons and ancient relics.

 

[Morgoth]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php...est/32927/80791/0/Dragon_Age_Inquisition.html

One of my favorite German-speaking gaming sites. They're basically accusing Bioware of laziness, poor Bethesda plagiarism, and DA:I's world feels more like a MMO world.

Score: 59%

 

[Grinolf]

Story-wise vast majority of RPGs have always been decidedly young adult material. In book terms that's Eragon or Harry Potter territory for you. Lowest common denominator 2OP to resist.

Target demographic isn't an issue. Eragon had the same targeted demographic and almost the same story as A New Hope, but bi one un hua right mind would put them into the same category of quality. Same thing about HP, as I quite liked them (first 4 of them, as I hardly remember the rest), and if games on average would have been at least half as competently written as them, there wouldn't be a problem.

If you want make a point about demographic, much better to say that the younger targeted demographic is the more talentless mediocrities wrote for them, as it easier to make money spending much less effort. But not always, as there aren't many masterpieces for middle-aged housewives for example.

 

[eremita]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php...est/32927/80791/0/Dragon_Age_Inquisition.html

One of my favorite German-speaking gaming sites. They're basically accusing Bioware of laziness, poor Bethesda plagiarism, and DA:I's world feels more like a MMO world.

Score: 59%

M'kay, that same site (it's even the same guy acutally) gave Risen 3 69%! (Which is a fucking piece of shit.)

 

[Xenich]

Holy shit, invasive DRM in 2015 2014. I thought we have gone beyond such silliness.
And all future Warner Brothers published games are supposed to be using this? Does that also mean the North American version of supposedly DRM-free The Witcher 3? Because that would be somewhat hilarious.

Hopefully it will get patched out of DA:I in a few years - I am not in a hurry to play this, so I can wait.

I always shake my head every time I see these companies pull this crap. Didn't they learn that they can not keep people from pirating games with Diablo 3? You would think these companies would get a clue and stop pissing off their paying customers with these ridiculous systems.

I don't think Diablo 3 was ever pirated.

It was. I didn't even bother trying the pirate version, I knew the game was going to be shit. My friend tried the torrent version and ran the single player game for the whole 5-8 hours of game play it apparently had. /shrug

 

[Infinitron]

It was. I didn't even bother trying the pirate version, I knew the game was going to be shit. My friend tried the torrent version and ran the single player game for the whole 5-8 hours of game play it apparently had. /shrug

Well, these guys disagree: http://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/1v263q/so_has_diablo_3_been_cracked_yet_or_not_im/

This seems like something of an urban legend.

 

[Angthoron]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php...est/32927/80791/0/Dragon_Age_Inquisition.html

One of my favorite German-speaking gaming sites. They're basically accusing Bioware of laziness, poor Bethesda plagiarism, and DA:I's world feels more like a MMO world.

Score: 59%

M'kay, that same site (it's even the same guy acutally) gave Risen 3 69%! (Which is a fucking piece of shit.)

Wow, it's worse than Risen 3? Holy shit.

 

[eremita]

Another review claiming DAI is really a "slow" game: http://www.gaming-age.com/2014/11/dragon-age-inquisition-pc/

On your first playthrough it’ll probably take about 9-12 hours before the game starts getting good,and about twenty hours before you feel somewhat engaged. Prior to that, it’s actually somewhat mundane — schlock & grind gameplay with unnecessarily confusing game world politics… Yeah, I know; you basically have to play an averaged sized game in order to get to a point where Dragon Age: Inquisition finally hits its stride, but if you’re a fan of the genre or franchise, it should be worth it. Not only that, but in the grand scheme of things, even twelve hours is a drop in the bucket for Inquisition. At around that time (apparently it’s about 1/3rd of the way through the storyline) your main objective is reinforced, for better or worse the peripheral “set-up” choices have been culled, and your party/gear has reached a decent level of well roundedness. Most importantly, at ~10+ hours in, you’ll surely have a decent enough grasp on the universe to know who’s who and what’s what, allowing you to really start molding the world the way you want.

 

[PhantasmaNL]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php...est/32927/80791/0/Dragon_Age_Inquisition.html

One of my favorite German-speaking gaming sites. They're basically accusing Bioware of laziness, poor Bethesda plagiarism, and DA:I's world feels more like a MMO world.

Score: 59%

M'kay, that same site (it's even the same guy acutally) gave Risen 3 69%! (Which is a fucking piece of shit.)

Wow, it's worse than Risen 3? Holy shit.

According to these guys It is better than Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers though, but not much.

 

[Elim]

Jesus Christ, that 4players review was brutal.
Sadly, nothing new. The stuff was clear since it was announced.

We people in Europe seem to like our RPGs brutal, complicated and deep.
This is no Lebensraum for Bioware Dreck.

 

[eremita]

Jesus Christ, that 4players review was brutal.
Sadly, nothing new. The stuff was clear since it was announced.

We people in Europe seem to like our RPGs brutal, complicated and deep.
This is no Lebensraum for Bioware Dreck.

I have a feeling that guy didn't get pass those first 10 hours and called it a day...

 

[Branm]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php...est/32927/80791/0/Dragon_Age_Inquisition.html

One of my favorite German-speaking gaming sites. They're basically accusing Bioware of laziness, poor Bethesda plagiarism, and DA:I's world feels more like a MMO world.

Score: 59%

Thats a good review....Thankful I speak German... Even more reason to not spend a dime on this game and just leech it on release...

 

[Lhynn]

Holy shit, invasive DRM in 2015 2014. I thought we have gone beyond such silliness.
And all future Warner Brothers published games are supposed to be using this? Does that also mean the North American version of supposedly DRM-free The Witcher 3? Because that would be somewhat hilarious.

Hopefully it will get patched out of DA:I in a few years - I am not in a hurry to play this, so I can wait.

I always shake my head every time I see these companies pull this crap. Didn't they learn that they can not keep people from pirating games with Diablo 3? You would think these companies would get a clue and stop pissing off their paying customers with these ridiculous systems.

I don't think Diablo 3 was ever pirated.

Yes it was, pirated version comes with a server emulator ive heard. Not sure how it works tho.

 

[MrMarbles]

10-page review of typical German thoroughness. Nice scale too; 0-19% is inzufficient, 40-59% ja zat is zufficient, weil 60-74% is zatisfaktory. They probably rate porn the same way

 

[hell bovine]

Jesus Christ, that 4players review was brutal.
Sadly, nothing new. The stuff was clear since it was announced.

We people in Europe seem to like our RPGs brutal, complicated and deep.
This is no Lebensraum for Bioware Dreck.

I have a feeling that guy didn't get pass those first 10 hours and called it a day...

Nah, that's Germany for you, where most of the population seems to suffer from permament Sauerkraut poisoning. EDIT: I didn't make through the wall of text, since the review starts with the boring stuff (how characters look during dialogues and all the emotions), but the summary isn't that great either. Complaining that the world does not react to your character enough is valid criticism, but they compare it to Skyrim of all games.

 

[RPGMaster]

Story-wise vast majority of RPGs have always been decidedly young adult material. In book terms that's Eragon or Harry Potter territory for you. Lowest common denominator 2OP to resist.

Target demographic isn't an issue. Eragon had the same targeted demographic and almost the same story as A New Hope, but bi one un hua right mind would put them into the same category of quality. Same thing about HP, as I quite liked them (first 4 of them, as I hardly remember the rest), and if games on average would have been at least half as competently written as them, there wouldn't be a problem.

If you want make a point about demographic, much better to say that the younger targeted demographic is the more talentless mediocrities wrote for them, as it easier to make money spending much less effort. But not always, as there aren't many masterpieces for middle-aged housewives for example.

It's called STAR WARS. None of that George Lucas revisionist bullshit around here boy.