Dragon Age Dragon Age: The Veilguard Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Lovely Feather Pillow]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr8-5Fn_6XY

First result too.

He wrote about "the rampant faggotry" in Baldur’s Gate, not Dragon Age or BG3.

I’m playing through Baldur’s Gate for the millionth time and the rampant faggotry is becoming more and more intolerable.

Not even bg3?

Companions barely even TALK in bg1.

I’m using rampant faggotry as a general descriptor for my distaste for the tone and writing found in BG1, not in the literal sense. Like how we used to call everything gay back in the 90s. In the context of the conversation, I was agreeing with other people’s criticism about early BioWare writing and agree that Black Isle D&D is far superior in that regard.

 

[Silverfish]

Everyone is coping that the game is not what they wanted it to be.

It's exactly what I wanted it to be, but I've always thought that Dragon Age is only good for a laugh.

 

[skaraher]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr8-5Fn_6XY

First result too.

He wrote about "the rampant faggotry" in Baldur’s Gate, not Dragon Age or BG3.

I’m playing through Baldur’s Gate for the millionth time and the rampant faggotry is becoming more and more intolerable.

Not even bg3?

Companions barely even TALK in bg1.

I’m using rampant faggotry as a general descriptor for my distaste for the tone and writing found in BG1, not in the literal sense. Like how we used to call everything gay back in the 90s. In the context of the conversation, I was agreeing with other people’s criticism about early BioWare writing and agree that Black Isle D&D is far superior in that regard.

Plus David Gaider is an actual rampant faggot.

 

[Morgoth]

https://www.eurogamer.net/dragon-ag...am-native-so-you-dont-need-the-dreaded-ea-app

Steam Deck verified, and no EA App crap if you buy it on Steam (but likely still uses Denuvo).

 

[MjKorz]

https://www.eurogamer.net/dragon-ag...am-native-so-you-dont-need-the-dreaded-ea-app

Steam Deck verified, and no EA App crap if you buy it on Steam (but likely still uses Denuvo).

If it's 'eck verified, then what does this say about system requirements?

 

[Semiurge]

Morrigan broke her back shouldering the fanservice for this entire series.

It was a tough battle between Morrigan and Leliana, but in the end Morrigan wins because of her involvement in the main quest and her very own DLC that revolves around your shared spawn.

Morrigan

• A nihilistic wild witch who knows things.... savage things. Her mother is the legendary Flemeth - the original witch of the wilds.
• Cool design that reflects her raw beauty.
• The sex ritual.
• Funny sarcastic comments and banter.

Leliana

• Sexy redheaded spy with a french accent.
• Knows about political intrique and acts as your source of information for Orlaisian culture.
• Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

However, Morrigan will offer the ritual to your male warden even if you haven't romanced her, which means that it's easier to settle for Leliana. Best of both worlds. The only negative of romancing only Leliana (or Zevran) is losing the unique opportunity to break up with Morrigan at her request, which gives you an opportunity to romance another character after. So if you want to maximise this content, romance Morrigan first, then break up and romance either of the other two. I gather this is possible.

https://www.eurogamer.net/dragon-ag...am-native-so-you-dont-need-the-dreaded-ea-app

Steam Deck verified, and no EA App crap if you buy it on Steam (but likely still uses Denuvo).

If it's 'eck verified, then what does this say about system requirements?

Probably that it won't have D*nuvo. It has no official support for Linux, and even Wine can't do much about that. This is for the greater good.

 

[PunchYouInTheFace]

Morrigan

For those who liked Viconia

Leliana

For those who whished they can romanced Imoen.

 

[Alienman]

Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

In the original Dragon Age?

 

[Semiurge]

Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

In the original Dragon Age?

If you flirt with Isabela right, you can have a foursome with her, (hardened) Leliana and Zevran. They both will have to be in the party, of course.

 

[Orud]

I mean combat in previous entries isn't exactly the high mark.

The combat never was stellar in DA:O, DA2 or DA:I, but it had never anything to do with the chosen combat systems. Every time it was the chosen implementation, BY BIOWARE, that lead to its outcome.

While you cannot polish a turd, you definitely can take a shit on everything. Bioware is just up to their usual selves, by trying their best to avoid having to show an inch of self-reflection, and why the combat in the game will probably fair no better.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Interesting, not sure if this is news

If the best example of writting by BioWare is Baldur's Gate 2 or Dragon Age: Origins, and the best example of Black Isle (Avellone) is Planescape: Torment, then the later completely mogs the floor with the former.

Not only because Torment has much greater atmosphere, characters and plot - which it has; but because there's something inherently vulgar and repelling about all BioWare games. Both in the more wide sense of the world and the original sense of lowly mundane. There's something about their writing and aesthetics that never stop crossing as ungenuine and mockery, even if not always present. Meanwhile Torment, which is set on a weirder and stranger world never rubbed me that way. Everywhere you go the characters are fun, serious, crazy, adorable or despicable, but never ungenuine. The stories told, including those that are not the main one are cautivating and the ending is truly moving. On top of being set on an exotic setting which is invariable harder to set in motion.

Any hack can take a world and fill it with idiocy, jokes and general unseriouness. Mid or decent writers can take generic and safe worlds like Forgotten Realms and make stories equally mid on it. But it takes more than a pinch of real talent to make a genuine story in a strange place like Planescape. These Bioware guys were never as good as they think they were.

Pretty much the same feeling I've gotten about Bioware's characters. They are cliches and archetypes designed to be fuckable first and foremost, all other nuances are but flavor subservient to this highest purpose. Every character is a specific "type" that appeals to some certain subset of people sexually.

It's like those writers either do this knowingly, or they're only familiar with Harlequin novels where this kind of lame pandering is commonplace.

Interesting, not sure if this is news

The problem with Bioware is that, at least for me, there is always a feeling that the characters are cosplayers or LARPing actors, if that makes sense.

I think this is part of a bigger process than just Bioware. I remember that one of the actresses of The Outer Worlds had several lines deleted because they did not give her a chance for self-expression. And this last word is the key if you want to understand why so many contemporary creative professions cannot produce anything good. Self-expression is a part of life, especially art, but for it all to have value, you must understand that there is not only you in the world and you do what you do for others. And they behave as if their work was to create their ideal version of the world in which they do not always get what they want. As a result, their work only serves them and therefore has no external value.

Someone somewhere already underlined why - because Bioware writers self-insert. That's all that amateurs can do. They lack the wisdom, unique insight and the ability to create literary magic. Our most beloved authors possess these qualities that hacks can't even dream of.

Interesting, not sure if this is news

The problem with Bioware is that, at least for me, there is always a feeling that the characters are cosplayers or LARPing actors, if that makes sense.

I think this is part of a bigger process than just Bioware. I remember that one of the actresses of The Outer Worlds had several lines deleted because they did not give her a chance for self-expression. And this last word is the key if you want to understand why so many contemporary creative professions cannot produce anything good. Self-expression is a part of life, especially art, but for it all to have value, you must understand that there is not only you in the world and you do what you do for others. And they behave as if their work was to create their ideal version of the world in which they do not always get what they want. As a result, their work only serves them and therefore has no external value.

Someone somewhere already underlined why - because Bioware writers self-insert. That's all that amateurs can do. They lack the wisdom, unique insight and the ability to create literary magic. Our most beloved authors possess these qualities that hacks can't even dream of.

Of course, but why did this happen?

Because they can't face reality. But why? The answer must be complicated, ranging from the fact that video games are written by specific people to the fact that parents in North America do not let their children grow up.

The child is the recipient. His love for his mother is geared towards receiving unconditional affection. In mature love, people strengthen each other.

This principle is universal. Child writers practice self-insert so often because they think of creativity as an act focused on them and their needs (realized in fiction). They don't want obstacles, challenges, problems. Note that in most of these Tymbrl-like stories, the characters "overcome" adversity because they want to, not because they sacrifice anything or because they particularly understand their world. In other words, they don't want to bend to reality, reality has to bend to them.

I don't know if you remember this, but there was a scandal about Female City Elf Origin because a) the player character was forced to get married b) the player character was kidnapped during this fake wedding. Of course, he immediately breaks free and cuts enemies into pieces (this is Bioware, after all), but even something like that, this brief moment of deprivation of power and unwanted responsibilities was too demanding for some. So Inquisition is basically the story of how the player comes from outside, gets everything, everyone loves him, and fighting is just a formality.

 

[Morgoth]

Probably that it won't have D*nuvo. It has no official support for Linux, and even Wine can't do much about that. This is for the greater good.

There are plenty of games on Steam that have Denuvo and are Steam verified.

 

[Alienman]

Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

In the original Dragon Age?

If you flirt with Isabela right, you can have a foursome with her, (hardened) Leliana and Zevran. They both will have to be in the party, of course.

Oh. Isabela, is she in Dragon Age 1?

 

[darkpatriot]

I don't know if you remember this, but there was a scandal about Female City Elf Origin because a) the player character was forced to get married b) the player character was kidnapped during this fake wedding. Of course, he immediately breaks free and cuts enemies into pieces (this is Bioware, after all), but even something like that, this brief moment of deprivation of power and unwanted responsibilities was too demanding for some. So Inquisition is basically the story of how the player comes from outside, gets everything, everyone loves him, and fighting is just a formality.

This isn't really as meaningful as you think it is. That is what most video game stories are. Especially RPGs. Especially ones where you are expected to be able to create your own character so it is much more of a direct stand in for the player.

Players by and large want an escapist fantasy. This is even more true for RPGs. And this is certainly true for the tastes of the codex.

When video game developers do try to create a different narrative it is almost always with a more developer specified character rather than a player created character. And the results can be very mixed. It can work out sometimes, but always at the cost of some of players just not really liking the main character or the journey they go through and as a result not liking the game. When they do a bad job, it is not just a small number of players that don't like the main character and their journey.

Writers recognizing the limitations that player agency and player customization have on their story and writing to those strengths isn't really a sign of hack writing. That is also a sign of video game writers understanding their player base and the role the narrative plays in the overall game experience. Which is good writing. I would say trying to write a game narrative that is better suited to a novel or some other medium is a more reliable sign of hack writing.

As much as Bioware games are flawed, the idea that their developers, and writers in particular, are absolute bottom of the barrel is just not true. Mediocre maybe, but it gets so much worse out there.

 

[Semiurge]

Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

In the original Dragon Age?

If you flirt with Isabela right, you can have a foursome with her, (hardened) Leliana and Zevran. They both will have to be in the party, of course.

Oh. Isabela, is she in Dragon Age 1?

That dialogue though... the joke Zevran makes after the foursome will haunt me forever.

 

[Harthwain]

This isn't really as meaningful as you think it is. That is what most video game stories are. Especially RPGs. Especially ones where you are expected to be able to create your own character so it is much more of a direct stand in for the player.

A character created by the player could be a stand-in for the player, but you could also create a character that isn't. That's the whole point of roleplaying: playing as someone you're not.

This is also where alignment plays an important role. Because a character who doesn't care about good or evil will act differently from one who falls into either stereotype. Yes, getting into details of one's character can be tricky (especially when it concerns morality), but I think it highlights the importance of creating the actual character of a player-controlled-character in an RPG. People like to hand-wave this aspect of RPGs, but usually they also tend to be the same types who don't care about anything but combat. They also dislike party NPCs because they are mini-maxing control freaks who don't care about party dynamics, even though the very idea of the PnP RPG is about that.

 

[Alienman]

That dialogue though... the joke Zevran makes later will haunt me.

Last time I played, I slit his throat. If that makes you feel better

Edit:

Btw, on Isabella. Is it ever recognized that she met the hero from Dragon Age 1 in 2?

 

[Camel]

Btw, on Isabella. Is it ever recognized that she met the hero from Dragon Age 1 in 2?

https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=Is+it+ever+recognized+that+she+met+the+hero+from+Dragon+Age+1+in+2?

 

[La vie sexuelle]

I don't know if you remember this, but there was a scandal about Female City Elf Origin because a) the player character was forced to get married b) the player character was kidnapped during this fake wedding. Of course, he immediately breaks free and cuts enemies into pieces (this is Bioware, after all), but even something like that, this brief moment of deprivation of power and unwanted responsibilities was too demanding for some. So Inquisition is basically the story of how the player comes from outside, gets everything, everyone loves him, and fighting is just a formality.

This isn't really as meaningful as you think it is. That is what most video game stories are. Especially RPGs. Especially ones where you are expected to be able to create your own character so it is much more of a direct stand in for the player.

Players by and large want an escapist fantasy. This is even more true for RPGs. And this is certainly true for the tastes of the codex.

When video game developers do try to create a different narrative it is almost always with a more developer specified character rather than a player created character. And the results can be very mixed. It can work out sometimes, but always at the cost of some of players just not really liking the main character or the journey they go through and as a result not liking the game. When they do a bad job, it is not just a small number of players that don't like the main character and their journey.

Writers recognizing the limitations that player agency and player customization have on their story and writing to those strengths isn't really a sign of hack writing. That is also a sign of video game writers understanding their player base and the role the narrative plays in the overall game experience. Which is good writing. I would say trying to write a game narrative that is better suited to a novel or some other medium is a more reliable sign of hack writing.

As much as Bioware games are flawed, the idea that their developers, and writers in particular, are absolute bottom of the barrel is just not true. Mediocre maybe, but it gets so much worse out there.

I agree with the escapist function of games and how shitty their plots are. However, I also think that people are judged by their escapism, and this crap about Female Elf Origin reflects really badly on the people who started it and even worse on those who apologized for it.

In short, my point was that if we live in a world where FEO is too much, we are living in a nightmare.

Has that good girl / bad girl duality that works either way depending on your taste. If you reinforce the bad girl aspect, she will partake in an orgy with you.

In the original Dragon Age?

If you flirt with Isabela right, you can have a foursome with her, (hardened) Leliana and Zevran. They both will have to be in the party, of course.

Oh. Isabela, is she in Dragon Age 1?

That dialogue though... the joke Zevran makes after the foursome will haunt me forever.

Bioware has never been good. It was just better than now.

 

[Inhabitants of Khorinis]

Retarded players who engage with romance and sexual content (especially one that's clearly there just for laugh) deserve shitty dialogue.

 

[Modron]

We also get shitty dialog even without those things.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Retarded players who engage with romance and sexual content (especially one that's clearly there just for laugh) deserve shitty dialogue.

I love sexual content.

 

[lycanwarrior]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard took "so long" as BioWare "wanted to make sure we got this one right" - that, and "it takes a long time to record 700 characters" and 140,000 lines

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/dr...me-to-record-700-characters-and-140000-lines/

And, according to Barlow, five years isn't that long considering the amount of work the cast had to do: "It takes a long time to record 700 characters, you know - 80,000 lines or 140,000 lines with all the Rooks. It just takes time to make good." Personally, I can't wait to hear some of these lines when The Veilguard officially releases - especially the ones voiced by Baldur's Gate 3's sex noise specialist, of course.

 

[Bulo]

 

[Semiurge]

"It's perfectly normal for a woman to have a massive jaw that puts men's jaws to shame" -- Bioware

Even the mouth is masculine. I bet if you ran those images through a facial recognition A.I it would tell you that the person is most likely male.

The eye/brow/nose bridge region is all kinds of fucked up. It doesn't look organic, but rather "randomized" in the Oblivion potato generator way.

Modders have managed to even improve Sera. Many of the changes, such as the removal of the shine and those creases around the mouth and nose, are so intuitive that I suspect these imperfections were added deliberately. As if there's any doubt since it's now commonplace in the industry to steer away from "female objectification". They have forgotten that they're supposed to design a product that's has general appeal, instead they inject ideology into it. Visually attractive characters are just one aspect of this appeal.

Sure, you could call Sera's treatment dollification, but this modder didn't go overboard either and make her look Korean. Instead, this is probably what Sera would look like if it hadn't been for those activists working under the guise of "designer". Someone should've told them that maybe they're just not artists, like how Claire Fisher gets told in Six Feet Under. This sort of hubris thrives in their back-patting bubbles.