Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

I half wonder if the reason they are being secret is they can't release any info. At this point any of the marketing speak might be really stretching the truth... because the console they are releasing it on hasn't been announced either.

Honestly if we are to take the definition of pre production posted above is accurate I even doubt they are still in pre production given that they did announce it to the world...technically.

While the rumours of Hudson-EA clash of last year might not be true/completely true, I think they shown the teaser at the Game Awards to have it out in the public, as well as one of the focal point of the game (maybe to avoid another project cut?)
I think possibly waiting for the full announcement of the next gen platforms might also be a valid reason, if DA4 will indeed be released only on them.

It’d be nice to get something, even another blog post officially announcing the game and the title, for Dragon Age Day, but I think it might too early. Same for the Game Awards, unless they’ll show a cinematic trailer.

The original project being cut and having to start all over again sure sounds like being dropped to me. It's just a.... delayed drop that's only recently getting picked up again, maybe. Still ~super secret~ tho.

To adress your second point first 'what happened' was the production issues with both Anthem and MEA. What happened was they got the project rebooted to some capacity. What happened is...and this is pretty much a theory but it seems to fit...they had to release two other games plus TOR stuff and they don't have the staff to really work on more then one game at once. I think this is one of the reasons that they have moved offices. Plus with a new console generation coming up they might be waiting on all that to sort itself out.

As to the first point....if DA 4 is 'no better' then DAI it will be well worth it considering DA I is my favorite game of all time. But at the end of the day, imo, production values and technology is getting better industry wide. Quests and side quests are getting better all the time, people are treating side quests as being integral to the experience rather then just something players should do. Combat has been better one release after another, more or less, more responsive, faster. RPG tropes and conventions are getting more and more...convinient?...all the time in terms of things like going classless and several other QoL improvements...now all we need is to dump these convuluted inventories and we'd be set. Even BioWare with MEA made several improvements over DAI (despite it being over all an inferior game) which indicates they could be trending in the right direction if they decide to stick to their guns and not listen to the 'haters'. Dialogue systems, side quests, inventories, even companions to a certain extent (though I did prefer the cast in DAI). So I'm not that worried that DA 4 will be any worse then Inquisition when you get down to it...it could be...I think I have stated a couple of times where I believe the problem spots could arise but BioWare should be in good shape.

Oh, I loved DAI too. What I meant in terms of polish was more about whether they're able to integrate multiple races, backstories, etc. better than they were able to in DAI, whether the animation improves, possibly having cutscenes for conversations instead of the zoomed out animationless route. Less empty space, more meaningful quests. Complaints that people generally have with Inquisition. I just worry that they'll ultimately have more or less the same amount of time to iron out these kinks that they did with DAI, and the wait will feel like it hasn't been worth it.

Tbh tho I'm just bitching. Ignore me, everyone.

A. I just don't think he's as interesting as Tevinter is, or the Qunari invasion. It's cool if he's back there stirring the pot and orchestrating some of the madness, I just don't want the game to be All Solas All The Time

B. DAI might not've been so much about Corypheus, but it also wasn't titled Dragon Age: Corypheus Rises

I doubt everything will be about Solas, though I think his role won’t be simply about orchestrating in the shadow.

I don’t think the game will be called that, but yeah, Solas is in a different spot then Corypheus.

I do think that is the likely outcome of how they'll approach the game. Of course we should get more Solas in 4 then we did Cory in Inquisition but I imagine that...one way or another...Solas will be dealt with last and hopefully the meat of the story will be the more down to earth (hopefully character focused) threats of the Qunari and the Tevinter political situation. Hopefully they'll have a microcasm macrocasm thing going on where the two or three different plot lines will complement each other and then we'll have side quests fleshing them out.

Well technically the Dread Wolf Rises is just marketing at this point. Though I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they go with 'Dragon Age: Rising' at this point.

I didn’t mean he wouldn’t orchestrate from the shadows, but that his role won’t be limited to that. I think this game might end the plot about him, so a showdown might happen.

If the Inquisitor isn’t the PC, it won’t be.

Here's a thought:

A long vigorous pre production might be a good sign at this point since bios never had production problems... but pre production ones.

Emily (aka Domino) Taylor pentapod
New artwork is starting to get pinned up on the bulletin boards in the new #BioWare office and I for one am super excited to see it evolve 🤣





- I like that griffon in the background...