Why do people here act like animations....

I have no idea where this is coming from or how it relates to the discussion at all.


It's called role-play. The game made my character the Inquisitor, with all that that entails. It didn't come with a fully-formed organization, but a few followers, a world threatened by demons pouring through rifts, templars toying with red lyrium, mages rebelling, and everyone questioning who/what this Inquisitor is and why they should follow her.

And BTW, the game did not require me to do that Hinterlands content prior to visiting Val Royeaux - it was my choice.


Acquiring resources (including followers, agents, troops, horses, craftsmen, weapons, armor, crafting supplies) for the Inquisition is a no-brainer for me. You started with nothing, and need to build and supply an organization. Even so, you can send agents to collect resources via the War Table if you so choose. Any player who doesn't understand the need to build the Inquisition's power is reminded of that fact by the War Table mechanics.

Putting flowers on a grave is something I might do if I happen to be in the area. You're dealing with a citizenry who are frightened and have had their world turned upside-down, and you need to build influence (power). Boosting their morale and gaining their favor with simple acts of kindness is also a no-brainer for me, but it's entirely optional content.


DAO had stealth/stealing, but aside from that, BioWare games have always been a little short on ways to interact with the world. Some titles have had some form of hacking/lockpicking, and DAI apparently replaced that with elemental barriers, bashable walls, etc. It isn't a mechanic I especially appreciate because, combined with the way cross-class combos work, I feel like the game really pushes party composition.

Most games with large maps/open worlds respawn enemies. I'd guess the reason for that design choice is that it allows players to level up more and acquire more resources than they could if things didn't respawn. For my part, I get a bit tired of it - but I also get tired of all the wildlife (especially wolves) that spawn on the roads in Skyrim.

That aside, while not technically "interaction", some of the storytelling they did was in the level design itself. The deposits of red lyrium and templars affected by it. I also remember a fort with a specific series of events and bodies strewn around that were there to tell a story about what had happened there.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with my response to you, however.


I don't think I've ever played a game, certainly not an RPG, that didn't have some optional side content. It has value to me for its role-playing potential and allows me to create emergent narrative - via justifications for doing it or not, prioritizing it relative to other tasks, etc.

But again, I'm not sure how or why the existence of a fair bit of optional side content has anything to do with my original response.

Cutscenes interactive?  I suppose that depends on the cutscene - some of them do bring up the dialogue wheel or offer interrupts.  But some cutscenes provide no interactivity whatsoever, and are there only to be watched.

Most combat doesn't happen in cutscenes, either, yet you seem to recognize combat as a way of interacting with the world. Dialogue with NPCs is also direct interaction with the world, whether or not it occurs in cutscenes. Wrapping dialogue in cutscenes does not change the content of the conversation, only how it is presented.