DA4 / Dragon Age: Retribution LEAK, GET IN HERE GUYS!!!! [Please keep discussion about this 'leak' t

This is pretty creative and mostly solid, even if it turns out to be mostly fanfic hoax material.

There are things in this that make me say, "Yeah, that would be cool." There is other stuff that makes me "bitter beer face"; and still more that is clearly nonsense.

I couldn't help but imagine a beautiful, sprawling Minrathous in the vein of an AC city. Then I imagined DA's poorly animated, wooden-doll figures running about in it. Until animations and gameplay are completely reworked and made much more fluid, I'll never get excited for anything other than story in a DA game.

Is the toggle controlling the PC, or NPCs? I was never quite clear what all those poor sad hetero guys were whining about, so what problem is this fixing?

Eh, I for one wouldn't care.  Playing different races meant little more than slightly different CC in teh game.  Playing a Qunari didn't feel much different from playing a human or elf.  Having the merc backgrount as opposed to a nobleman felt like it had more difference.

Probably untrue, but some interesting ideas to be sure.

I also like this idea! A good unifier, and certainly better if they let us play out some of it rather than just go right for 'POW! Now you're special.'

I won't write it off or be too excited yet (most logical stance tbh).

Though if true, I'll be disappointed if Maevaris isn't at least a mentor.

Dragon Age: Revengeance

Well, that was quite the tumultuous read! From hilarity to outrage and indignation then a resignation of melancholic disbelief to a sobering rational destination called "This is absurd!"

Bioware would never implement a sexuality toggle nor devolve the CC races to only human. The temptation to play as an elf is too alluring even from a writer's perspective with Solas as the antagonist! Why waste that to play as a human, infact all the races have an abundance of compelling stories to create, it's unequivocal Bioware wouldn't pursue such interesting angles. DA writing team is too ambitious and quite innovative in their approach to simply replicate the DA2 template. 

Bad poll.

I think "Its okay and probably fake".

I'm not especially impressed, but I don't feel disappointed.
There's parts I especially like, but parts I especially dislike.

It sounds like another game that I'd play but:
1)Maybe get my partner to buy me for birthday/holiday gift.
2)Maybe get on discount/collection version.
3)Not care about microtransactions for.

It sounds nearly exactly what I expect, when I'm in realist-mode (as in, not what I hope for, not more than I'd dislike).

But its also all easy-to-imagine things, which both sounds convincing in its content but unconvincing as a package of /V/ troll statements.


I'd accept a lot of it in a game if all sorts of other RP elements were expanded a lot upon. For example I'd take lack of race options as long as:
1)Protagonist gets a lot more other RP options for things (an example is the blood mage). This seems counteracted by the 'always a mage' ('mage') focus though.
2)Companion racial elements are more detailed and varied. Do some NPCs just whisper things about their race, or does it matter a lot? Its Tevinter, so if it matters anywhere, it'd matter here.
3)Its still a DA thing to consider race option. So in a MP mode, all the races. In a 'DA5', still go for races.
(Okay, no MP? Still, the races are everywhere. Have super polished Qunari content for once. Have even more polished Elf content. Don't reserve Dwarf focus for DLC. Maybe elaborate possible further races.)
The race thing is just one example.

I can see her going after Solas for messing with Kieran for sure. Or maybe she shows up with weird dialogue because Flemmeth was able to possess her or something. As we saw in DA2, Flemmeth has more than one 'out' for death!

I'm with ya, but here's an imagination exercise.

-Salos is not exactly 'Solas', and there's a plotline of how they're related but not the same. I mean, I've seen theories of how Solas is to do with twin gods or whatever, so.. Anyway, even a loud warmongering 'Solas' doesn't mean that's what he stays as. For all we'd know, its just a face he puts on for the sake of new players, before learning how he's so much more (and old players go WTF, but then intrigued when they learn that there's more going on).

-Human-only could involve with a plot of humanity's history and origins, so its especially important (more than DA2 even with its human family angle). This could be 'ok' to me if there's increased content of the other races (no Descent to get Dwarves proper, Qunari less stepchild feeling, etc).

-Spying/black ops organization better allows exploration and roleplaying variety without worrying about drastic consequences. (Sidenote: This is how I think they justify other media like the new Star Trek show)

-They can sell microtransactions for speedier SP progression, depending on the new 'War Table' setup (I feel they were considering it for DAI but decided not to) and otherwise design with Qunari war etc. I'm not saying this is good (in fact it can add to 'SP MMO' hatred if at least done badly), I'm saying this is a thing I've been noticing in the industry in the last year or two. Even MEA had a layer of it with how open mapped things were but how you could speed gameplay rewards with the SP-MP cross Strike Team system. Add a more deliberate cosmetic fluff DLC system and they could have all they need.

-If they have a substantial expansion pack plan, a main game can focus on Solas story, one that involves all sorts of other things, but expansions can use Minrathos as the hub of further adventures. Dragons would clearly be involved because of Old Gods tie to protagonist.

-early 2019 (with option to push to late 2019) seems perfectly plausible to me. Especially if the idea is to use DAR/4 as the strong core of a platform for further highly marketed content over 2019. For all we know they could do a SP DLC focus and make more money off people who somehow want faster progression though it (ugh so gross, but its happening in industry). My prediction for DA4 was anywhere from early 2019 to late 2020, and we're early enough that the date could very well shift forward.

-Retribution is plausible to me as well. Origins, Exodus/2, Inquisition, Retribution? Sure. Is it the best I could imagine? No. Is it something I'd believe? Yes. If this is made up, hey, still, grats for being believable.

-Several years after DAI/Trespasser is annoying, but plausible, as long as the story starts in the early/middle (and not before) big conflicts. So yeah, Qunari already in battle, Solas plans already in motion, Wardens already up to something, Inquisitor on a years-long hunt and we learn the consequences of it (either in main game or fan-focused DLC) and so on. This establishes the setting for the new protagonist, even if many of us may prefer slower burns. This is still a setting that takes months for smaller events to happen and years for bigger events to get going, after all.

-CC filter for sexuality can determine dialogue that occurs, without determining outcome. However, I wouldn't trust Bioware to do this as appropriately as I want. But personally, I think a 'origin sexuality' option in RPGs could, instead of constrain sexuality, instead open it up to fluid options (if we want). Again, if done appropriately. I certainly do NOT want a 'filter the gays/straights/bis' thing anywhere but maybe mods and fanfiction. I hope they wouldn't get too 'problematic' with the idea of 'lesbian/gay finds the ONE opposite sex person that teaches them to be straight!'. If they do this - and I'm leaning on them not doing this - I don't think its automatically terrible, but I also think I don't trust them yet with doing it right.

-Inquisitor as reference role sucks!!!!!! But could be mitigated by the reference role being profound (and just not visual), or the role being instead a focus in a optional DLC, as to not alienate how I've seen some people felt when dealing with Hawke in much of DAI. That said, with 'Hawke in DAR', I dunno, lol. Maybe an experiment to see how much better that could deal with Inquisitor later on (DLC). Yes, I'm mixed feelings about this idea, at best.

-Initial drafts always seem kinda ridiculous, due to many factors like spitballing of concepts and us lacking much creative context. So whatever.

-What we have to realize is that as a main Bioware brand game, even if DA4 is a more 'grounded fantasy RPG' compared to what Mass Effect or Anthem may offer, it still has to measure up to them. So I can certainly imagine larger maps (even than DAI; though hopefully with much better SP-focused design and flow), more NPCs that move around more, traversal options including even flying mounts (albeit less specatular than the flying that'll be in Anthem). A 'living city' centerpiece of DA4, and larger battlefields, is both predicted for years, and perfectly plausible now.

-Being 'auto-mage' can mean we (and potentially our whole team, and more elements throughout the setting) is being 'elevated' into a more 'magical' world where Bioware can 'justify' more spectacular combat and cinematics. I can see how this can be problematic to fans, but its still something I see Bioware doing. Warriors and Rogue would still more passively use their magics (or still have anti-magic), and therefore still not justify a Mana meter if there is one, but Mages would still specialize in magical practice and we still need to manage their Mana. It could be fantastic, or it could feel like a bat copycat of the superhero craze (and DAI was already getting too close to that for my liking). But I have to admit that in the DA setting, the greatest powers all had to do with magic (even Andraste has the lore associations), so Magic is damn well important. I just hope that Bioware remembers how Warrior needs its boosts too (which may be happening if they do larger battlefields) and Rogue needs more intriguing material (which may be happening if they Assassin's Creed maps and movements more, as well as the whole Old Order concept and city environs anyway). I have to admit that if we're facing Solas, we need some sort of power boost. I just hope this doesn't bring Bioware to keep power boosting everything as a rule, or stop them from making other games where we can play as/use units that are just as plain as a Level 1 DAO Pre-Warden Warrior .

-Just because no eluvians were mentioned, doesn't mean they're not there. They could still be the transportation between zones in the North. It already stretched logic to believe the Inquisitor moving across (the most) southern Thedas, but a DAR protag moving from Anderfels to Arlathan? No. Mirrors. Maybe more and faster mount/movement options than ever, but eluvians may still be important. And well, they're practically a franchise staple at this point, in some form.

-I hope that if we're Tevinter, there's a sneaky enough story where we can (for once) 'side' with Qunari. Even if you don't think that's far enough, its still more than ever (DAO you don't but you have a friend, DA2 you don't but you can circumstantially sympathize, DAI you don't but you can have a degree of friendship and temporary circumstantial allyship). Of course, I'm against the Qunari more than maybe anything else, but I want the option.
-I hope that if we're 'Old Order' of the 'Old Gods', there's a sneaky enough story where we can be neutral to negative about the whole thing, even from the start. Up to later movements/choices against the Order. Of course, I wouldn't mind if Bioware puts up a sort of 'sympathy for the devil/Old Gods' story, with new lore and perspectives on old lore, but I'd still want to be able to oppose even a watered down Old God agenda. I'm sure there's secrets of the Old Gods that relate to a more benign or even benevolent story, but still.
-To be clear though, I don't much mind being a Tevinter human that is against the Qunari and working to help the remaining Old Gods, and I don't mind being able to go more hardcore about all of that as the story progresses. But I do want to optionally develop a character that may end up siding with the Qunari if only for the sake of peace, working against the remaining Old Gods if only because Old Order goals don't strive for peace, and being reformist of Tevinter. Then again, that's kinda a Bioware thing to do, so I wouldn't be too worried.



I'll presume its fake, but this exercise was enjoyable, and there's nothing in it that screams fake to me - unlike how many on this thread regard it. Even 'Salos' is like 'Peebee' to me - something that seems ridiculous, and always kinda would be, but is not something I'd put past Bioware to both use as a device for the narrative and for future jokey dialogue (Varric: Salos? Really?). Its more the package together and the source (4chan) that has me especially skeptical.

And with dialogue actually having options, the fools don’t realize that the toggle was already there the whole time.