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

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

There aren't any official numbers AFAIK. What we do know:

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition had a very strong launch,
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition consistently failed to chart thereafter (low sales),
3. EA eventually fired Mike Laidlaw, the game director,
4. EA also eventually fired Aaryn Flynn, the general manager, after the Mass Effect 4 debacle, which leads to believe that EA had been disappointed with his performance for a while,
5. EA will continue to support the series.

I believe DA:I did well enough to break even or make a small profit. That said, don't expect DA:I 2 anytime soon - or ever.

Dragon Age: Origins is also the most beloved game in the series and apparently sold well over 5 million copies, so maybe they will be moving back to that formula. We shall see.

It is funny you say don't expect DA:I 2 because in many ways that's how I would characterize Mass Effect: Andromeda. It takes a lot elements. Like the first mission with the hole in the sky. And mission tables. Lots of dull crafting elements. Lots of MMO-style "quests" with very little narrative/emotional impact.

Yeah, I didn't play either, but Andromeda sure looked like it took a lot from Inquisition. Some of those elements I remember seeing in an earlier version of Jade Empire, (back when you had a home base and there was a shadow realm) so it seems they're things BioWare has had on their minds for awhile.

If they're doing some kind of turn-based tactics game I'd think they'd be trying to do lots shit found in Inquisition and Andromeda again. If so I guess there's some hope they don't fuck that shit up like they did in those games given others have already shown how to do base building and sending multiple forces around a map. Then again the same could be said of what they tried doing in their real-time games and they shit the bed two times in a row on that front, so who knows.

 

[Reinhardt]

Once again the Codex is missing the bigger picture and avoiding the important questions. Ask not what kind of game this may be but rather the total number of gay romances and trannies in the game, for it is by that measure that this game will be judged.

If not enough they can add more later, like they did in andromeda.

 

[Reinhardt]

It is funny you say don't expect DA:I 2 because in many ways that's how I would characterize Mass Effect: Andromeda. It takes a lot elements. Like the first mission with the hole in the sky. And mission tables. Lots of dull crafting elements. Lots of MMO-style "quests" with very little narrative/emotional impact.

Bioware re-using older Bioware ideas is hardly a sequel. It's business as usual. Hell people have made quite good charts to get the point across.

Spoiler

ME:A does inherit a lot from DA:I no question, but only superficially. It's a much, much better game than DA:I ever was.

There's hardly any MMO-style quests in ME:A and crafting is just one of those box-ticking things which just don't matter. There's no rarity or chance to "crit" in crafting, no MMO bullshit in other words.

ME:A is sadly way underrated and it's mostly because ME1 doesn't really have a lot of fans - but ME:A was made for ME1 fans. It's the only ME sequel worth playing.

Underdark, a city under the city. Major town Nashkel. Iron Council.
Looks like someone who made this never played BG.

 

[Simple Simon]

Bioware re-using older Bioware ideas is hardly a sequel. It's business as usual. Hell people have made quite good charts to get the point across.

Spoiler

ME:A does inherit a lot from DA:I no question, but only superficially. It's a much, much better game than DA:I ever was.

There's hardly any MMO-style quests in ME:A and crafting is just one of those box-ticking things which just don't matter. There's no rarity or chance to "crit" in crafting, no MMO bullshit in other words.

ME:A is sadly way underrated and it's mostly because ME1 doesn't really have a lot of fans - but ME:A was made for ME1 fans. It's the only ME sequel worth playing.

I mean, I played through both Inquisition and Andromeda more than once so it is not like I hate either game. But I think you have to admit there are a lot of quests that amount to collect or scan a certain number of rocks/plants/dead animals. Lots of quests also involve going to a place and taking out bandits/aliens but afterwards the good guys never use the now empty strategic location. In my opinion, that's just filler content. It doesn't impact the narrative or the way I feel about my characters in any way. I agree that ME:A could be considered underrated. I think it has the best combat in a Mass Effect game, though not being able to control companion power use is frustrating. Lots of the characters in ME:A are either dull or poorly executed.

 

[Readher]

https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/04/dragon-age-4-2021/

Dragon Age 4 is at least 3 years away

Above: Casey Hudson, general manager of BioWare, at EA Play 2018.


BioWare chief Casey Hudson really wants to make a new Dragon Age role-playing game, so BioWare is doing exactly that. Sure, the studio continues to focus on Anthem. That cooperative online sci-fi shooter is due out February 22, and it has an alpha test starting this week, December 8. But Hudson wants to make sure you know that his team hasn’t forgotten about its roots — even if it may take until 2021 for you to return to them.

That led Hudson to post the following on the official BioWare blog, which he writes himself:

“If you’ve been following these blogs, or myself and Mark Darrah on Twitter, you know we’re also working on some secret Dragon Age stuff. Dragon Age is an incredibly important franchise in our studio, and we’re excited to continue its legacy. Look for more on this in the coming month (though I won’t tell you where to look …).”

It’s The Game Awards. You should look during The Game Awards. On Thursday night, EA and BioWare will show off something about Dragon Age at The Game Awards.

But what is the studio going to show from the next entry in its fantasy role-playing games? Well, the more interesting question is this: Does it even have anything to show?

EA declined to comment on the details of this story.

Dragon Age is still very early
Dragon Age 4 — or whatever name it’ll carry — is at least three years away, according to sources familiar with the studio. That timeline could change, but that is the current expectation at EA. BioWare and EA have not even settled on a name for the new Dragon Age — although that is something they could decide in preparation for a reveal at The Game Awards.

And this is not new for Dragon Age. The game has spent more than a year in limbo at EA.

In January, I reported that BioWare pushed aside Dragon Age to focus on Anthem. The studio started pre-production on a new Dragon Age, but EA threw out most of that work. At that time, the publisher was shifting its games to live services. That Dragon Age project wasn’t going to fit into that business model. As a result of that reboot, Dragon Age writer Mike Laidlaw — who had an outline prepared for the new game — left BioWare.

Following those events, the developer has not put a substantial amount of work into a new Dragon Age. BioWare needs a hit, so the entire studio is putting its efforts into ensuring a successful launch for Anthem.

So then why does Dragon Age keep coming up, and why does EA plan to talk about it in some capacity at The Game Award? That’s likely due to the passion that BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah and Hudson have for the series. And they are determined to ensure fans of the series recognize that passion within BioWare as well.

 

[Drax]

I played through both Inquisition and Andromeda more than once

Holy crap

 

[Atlantico]

I mean, I played through both Inquisition and Andromeda more than once so it is not like I hate either game. But I think you have to admit there are a lot of quests that amount to collect or scan a certain number of rocks/plants/dead animals. Lots of quests also involve going to a place and taking out bandits/aliens but afterwards the good guys never use the now empty strategic location. In my opinion, that's just filler content. It doesn't impact the narrative or the way I feel about my characters in any way. I agree that ME:A could be considered underrated. I think it has the best combat in a Mass Effect game, though not being able to control companion power use is frustrating. Lots of the characters in ME:A are either dull or poorly executed.

Agreed, and I played through both games as well - there are quests there that are filler quests, but because they're pushed far in the background of ME:A, unlike DA:I, it's fine. They're there if you are looking to 100% the game, but in DA:I they made up the entire game, because quests in the game world were never connected to the main plot. The main plot was completely instanced. So in DA:I you had all these areas, full of quests, and not one of them part of - or connected to - the plot of the game, i.e. filler.

In ME:A, this is reduced to a handful of collecting/scanning quests, and the in-world quests fit in with the main quest - much like in ME1.

I agree about the combat and the characters - and considering how much shit ME:A gets, I think it is safe to say it is underrated. Most people hate it because it isn't ME2, or because the hive-mind demands it, but ME2 was nothing like ME1 and the hive mind is sometimes completely wrong.

ME:A is for people who liked ME1. That's not a lot of people. Doesn't mean it's a bad game. Hence, underrated.

Anyone playing ME1 and liking it, and goes straight to ME:A, will be p. happy with it. Anyone who thinks ME2 is the pinnacle of the series or is an edgelord, well. It's just not for them. But then, ME2 was not for me.

 

[aweigh]

it's been a bunch of years since i last played the ME games but i don't remember ME2 being that different from ME1 other than that I remember ME2 had better story and chars.

 

[karoliner]

ME2 was the only good one of the trilogy.

 

[Dodo1610]

If true, sounds like they've learned from Bethesda's E3 tactic: https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/04/dragon-age-4-2021/

Dragon Age 4 is at least 3 years away

BioWare chief Casey Hudson really wants to make a new Dragon Age role-playing game, so BioWare is doing exactly that. Sure, the studio continues to focus on Anthem. That cooperative online sci-fi shooter is due out February 22, and it has an alpha test starting this week, December 8. But Hudson wants to make sure you know that his team hasn’t forgotten about its roots — even if it may take until 2021 for you to return to them.

That led Hudson to post the following on the official BioWare blog, which he writes himself:

“If you’ve been following these blogs, or myself and Mark Darrah on Twitter, you know we’re also working on some secret Dragon Age stuff. Dragon Age is an incredibly important franchise in our studio, and we’re excited to continue its legacy. Look for more on this in the coming month (though I won’t tell you where to look …).”

It’s The Game Awards. You should look during The Game Awards. On Thursday night, EA and BioWare will show off something about Dragon Age at The Game Awards.

But what is the studio going to show from the next entry in its fantasy role-playing games? Well, the more interesting question is this: Does it even have anything to show?

EA declined to comment on the details of this story.

Dragon Age is still very early
Dragon Age 4 — or whatever name it’ll carry — is at least three years away, according to sources familiar with the studio. That timeline could change, but that is the current expectation at EA. BioWare and EA have not even settled on a name for the new Dragon Age — although that is something they could decide in preparation for a reveal at The Game Awards.

And this is not new for Dragon Age. The game has spent more than a year in limbo at EA.

In January, I reported that BioWare pushed aside Dragon Age to focus on Anthem. The studio started pre-production on a new Dragon Age, but EA threw out most of that work. At that time, the publisher was shifting its games to live services. That Dragon Age project wasn’t going to fit into that business model. As a result of that reboot, Dragon Age writer Mike Laidlaw — who had an outline prepared for the new game — left BioWare.

Following those events, the developer has not put a substantial amount of work into a new Dragon Age. BioWare needs a hit, so the entire studio is putting its efforts into ensuring a successful launch for Anthem.

So then why does Dragon Age keep coming up, and why does EA plan to talk about it in some capacity at The Game Award? That’s likely due to the passion that BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah and Hudson have for the series. And they are determined to ensure fans of the series recognize that passion within BioWare as well.

Yeah sounds about right. We know that Bioware has been working on a Dragon Age game but is currently busy with Anthem. Even EA cannot be stupid enough to ignore the success of recent single player pseudo RPGs like AC Odyssey. Let's hope they show more then the original Mass Effect Andromeda teaser.

 

[fantadomat]

Yeah sounds about right. We know that Bioware has been working on a Dragon Age game but is currently busy with Anthem. Even EA cannot be stupid enough to ignore the success of recent single player pseudo RPGs like AC Odyssey. Let's hope they show more then the original Mass Effect Andromeda teaser.

It will be bad because it will use the same shitty engine. Frostbite is a popamole shooter engine and it is good for what it is,but it is shitty one for making openworld and rpg games.

 

[aweigh]

Would be cool if they don't make an open world game. I mean, KOTORs weren't "open world" and they were great (yeah, yeah, come at me); they'd look fantastic in the modern Frostbite engine.

EDIT: Yes, of course, I know there is zero chance of them not making it an open-world game of some kind.

 

[Wunderbar]

Would be cool if they don't make an open world game. I mean, KOTORs weren't "open world" and they were great (yeah, yeah, come at me); they'd look fantastic in the modern Frostbite engine.
EDIT: Yes, of course, I know there is zero chance of them not making it an open-world game of some kind.

it'll be a open world game-as-service with microtransactions.

 

[Terra]

Would be cool if they don't make an open world game. I mean, KOTORs weren't "open world" and they were great (yeah, yeah, come at me); they'd look fantastic in the modern Frostbite engine.

EDIT: Yes, of course, I know there is zero chance of them not making it an open-world game of some kind.

Indeed, it always makes me chuckle when someone says that Trespasser was great and gave reason to be hopeful for the future. Any successes that dlc had came about solely through its limited scope, which provided a more Origins-esque linear hub-like structure and thereby avoided the open world bloat that defined the main game. But there is absolutely zero chance that a full blown sequel wouldn't be trying to check every single AAA+ open world checkbox EA's marketing department can muster.

They're incredibly lucky the microtransaction backlash happened with Battlefront 2, rather than Anthem and/or this game, which would undoubtedly have been the killing blow for this franchise. Laidlaw doubtless jumped ship after seeing that future on the horizon, but didn't count on that anti-microtransaction/gambling backlash being as strong as it was; potentially enough that a theoretical DA4 won't be laden with microtransactions, perhaps. Time will tell.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Would be cool if they don't make an open world game. I mean, KOTORs weren't "open world" and they were great (yeah, yeah, come at me); they'd look fantastic in the modern Frostbite engine.

EDIT: Yes, of course, I know there is zero chance of them not making it an open-world game of some kind.

Indeed, it always makes me chuckle when someone says that Trespasser was great and gave reason to be hopeful for the future. Any successes that dlc had came about solely through its limited scope, which provided a more Origins-esque linear hub-like structure and thereby avoided the open world bloat that defined the main game. But there is absolutely zero chance that a full blown sequel wouldn't be trying to check every single AAA+ open world checkbox EA's marketing department can muster.

They're incredibly lucky the microtransaction backlash happened with Battlefront 2, rather than Anthem and/or this game, which would undoubtedly have been the killing blow for this franchise. Laidlaw doubtless jumped ship after seeing that future on the horizon, but didn't count on that anti-microtransaction/gambling backlash being as strong as it was; potentially enough that a theoretical DA4 won't be laden with microtransactions, perhaps. Time will tell.

tresspasser was poo

they struck gold with "The Descent" DLC

 

[sullynathan]

It will be bad because it will use the same shitty engine. Frostbite is a popamole shooter engine and it is good for what it is,but it is shitty one for making openworld and rpg games.

no it isn't. That's not how engines work.

 

[DayofBlow]

Yeah sounds about right. We know that Bioware has been working on a Dragon Age game but is currently busy with Anthem. Even EA cannot be stupid enough to ignore the success of recent single player pseudo RPGs like AC Odyssey. Let's hope they show more then the original Mass Effect Andromeda teaser.

DA4 got shitcanned like a year ago and rebooted completely. That thing would have been in pre-production atleast since DAI came out, realistically, even before, production should've started increasing in '17. It's why Laidlaw left, he worked on the thing for 3 years and then EA said start over. Question is, why? It was most likely a straightforward sequel to Inquisition, using the same design formula. But then MEA failed with it and EA said change that shit, probably also demanded they make it far more microtransaction oriented.

it's been a bunch of years since i last played the ME games but i don't remember ME2 being that different from ME1 other than that I remember ME2 had better story and chars.

It was quite a bit different. Main story is a 6 hour long cover shooter with 20 short stories tacked on top of it that relate only to your eclectic group of space weirdoes. The collector narrative by itself is ME3 levels of dogshit. You just happen to spend 80% of the game playing self contained mini narratives and forget about it. I'd call it one of the most dishonestly made games, everything in it is designed to distract from itself. Some of the squadmate are fun, but they veer too much into the special snowflake territory. ME1's cast was basically average representatives of their respective roles/races, so your first impression will be böring, until you dig into their backstories and worldviews through conversations. ME2's cast all signpost their coolness and edgyness from the first time you see them, and a lot of them have ultra unique backstories even for the setting.

ME2 was the only good one of the trilogy.

That's really only the case if you want to hang out with a big group of space weirdoes. Story is shit, and gameplay in retrospect is pretty shitty too.

I remembered it being a decent Gears knock-off, but I was mortifited when I played it a year ago. It's really stiff and limited. C-tier UE3 Gears rip-offs like Inversion play better than it.

 

[fantadomat]

tresspasser was poo

they struck gold with "The Descent" DLC

Both were shit because how spongy the combat was,tresspasser was the worst. Also the narrative and the dialogue was forced and shit,i didn't like how i didn't get the option to just march my army and hang all the whores. You were the divine chosen and people were fed up with them anyway. The whole event felt unrealistic.

 

[Reinhardt]

Who cares. Bioware can't make not ugly female romance option even if their collective lives were at stake and there is no other reasons to play their games.

 

[Falksi]

it's been a bunch of years since i last played the ME games but i don't remember ME2 being that different from ME1 other than that I remember ME2 had better story and chars.

ME1 was WAY more interesting, and structured far better.

 

[Wunderbar]

it's been a bunch of years since i last played the ME games but i don't remember ME2 being that different from ME1 other than that I remember ME2 had better story and chars.

ME2 story was basically "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way".

 

[Frusciante]

This thread makes me sort of wanting to replay DA:O. Maybe my memory is too positive but it was pure incline compared to later Bioware games. Especially the multiple ways to go though the story I remember very fondly, for me one of the best C&C implementation I have seen.

 

[markec]

I cant wait for new Dragon Age since I hope it will be final nail in Biowares coffin.

 

[Atlantico]

I cant wait for new Dragon Age since I hope it will be final nail in Biowares coffin.

P. hopeful Anthem is going to be that nail and a new Dragon Age will not be developed by Bioware.

 

[markec]

I cant wait for new Dragon Age since I hope it will be final nail in Biowares coffin.

P. hopeful Anthem is going to be that nail

We can only hope.

and a new Dragon Age will not be developed by Bioware.

With all the diversity hire I doubt that there is any real talent left in whole EA to make a good game.