... I feel like there was a lot of potential in this game but I can't put a finger on what specific things might have improved it.
*Slams inquisition book on the table*
Fire all the combat developer team.
Tell the new team to play DA:O and recreate that Tactical UI. Electro-shock the entire team when someone suggests 'holding left mouse button to attack' as a valid feature.
That's a start.
The rest are just ideas with fatal flaws in execution.
It's not pure trash, which is why it's so hard to understand why it did not turn out well.
But let's start slow, in the memory of monocause, who wants to read numbers and spreadsheet. Plus, Core Game Mechanics.
Firstly, darkpatriot said the table missions have branching path either you do it so well you gain best rewards, or you pick the wrong counselor for the job and end up with a marginal victory / botched result - reflected by the text and the resulting lesser rewards.
So what's the problem, Steve? That's C&C amirite?
To me, this is irrelevant, since the cost of table mission is actually ZERO and just requires time investment, who the hell cares?
You're not losing a damn thing since it's still a net gain no matter what happens.
And as DalekFlay said, money seems useless in this game, so you're not very sensitive to loss and gains on the table. After doing around 30 text missions with negligible results in terms of plus and minuses, my brain just can't give a fuck anymore. I'm just clicking shit cause it's a resource waiting to be exploited, not because I cared about the textual background.
Now, to the whole 'combat is a hassle and clusterfuck being turned over after 5 minutes of class spec. considerations' is probably the fastest turnaround I've experienced in modern RPGs. Fallout 3 had no difficulty curve, ME3 had very little aside from gear and pumping points on the proper skill, a good aim also helps.. But DA:I is just a case of terrible combat devs not understanding basic maths and how the whole math play out in their own game.
I already told you the Thousand Cuts, a focus Skill that has 38 hits dealing 300% weapon damage at maximum.
Someone thinks this isn't crazy enough and thought Flask of Flame's no resource consumption should also apply to this move as well.
So we have situations where Tempest can unload 38 hits with nary a single point in Focus consumed. And then do it again immediately.
76 hit at 300% weapon damage? Hello? Wake the fuck up.
Wait, Steve! Dagger has higher DPS and therefore is more rewarding than bows!
WRONG LAH!
Absolutely WRONG.
Your DPS means dick if you had to reposition every few seconds to land regular attacks. You also had to contend being squished by Dragons or other big bad's AOE. Not to mention knockdowns and shit mean you had to worry about when to go in and when to go out.
And your active skills barely scratch the mobs on the region of 1000+ DMG that Longshots can do. That doesn't even include Full Draw dealing 1600% Damage as opener. If that Full Draw crits, it's 3000 damage. It's instakill on non-heavy armor mobs.
3000 damage in one attack. You can't fucking outperform that even if I give you 10 seconds as daggers.
You can't fucking outperform ONE awesome button.
What hope do you have in countering FOUR?!
And since pure, raw damage gives more Focus gauge, you end up in situations where Bow user's Focus Gauge fill up much quicker than Dagger assassin while taking MUCH LESSER RISK AND DEALING MUCH MORE DAMAGE FROM 15 METERS AWAY IN MUCH LESS TIME.
<---- this doesn't happen in DA:I cause the enemies don't even know how to use cover. Nor do they even have a chance to use cover.
