Hmm I wonder if Rasaan has gone rogue and taken over the antaam after Sten's assassination?
Well that would account for her calling it "my Antaam". It might also be that she saw a need for urgent action, because of the threat of red lyrium among other things, and so wasn't prepared to wait for the appointment of a new Arishok which, judging by how the process is described, might well take a while. If she also believed the knowledge to deal with Solas was likely to be found within Tevinter, she would want to press ahead because she would be aware of the urgency of the task and that Tevinter would never agree to her being allowed access to their archives. We should remember that the two nations have never not been at war because Tevinter refused to sign the Llomerryn Accord. So their history has been a long succession of ebbs and flows in the progress of each side, with periods of heightened aggression, followed by a lull in the fighting, at least on the mainland. Seheron has long been the main battleground, probably because of its strategic importance.
I seem to recall that back in the Steel Age, the Qun occupied the eastern cities of mainland Tevinter, largely because they took everyone by surprise with their offensive but once Tevinter got their act together and brought their immerse magical power into play, they managed to recover what they had lost. It probably helped the Qun were fighting on two fronts, with the southern Chantry launching their own Exalted March on the east side of Thedas, not to mention Yavana weighing in with her dragons in Antiva. We are told that the reason the Antaam are making such inroads down the east side of Tevinter this time is because they are not being held back by the priesthood but I would have thought it more likely that it is a combination of Tevinter being seemingly paralysed by infighting in the Magisterium and the southern nations at present staying out of the conflict. Which is why I found the idea of the Antaam launching an offensive in Antiva absurd as it would automatically bring in the entire south against them. However, manipulating a coup by co-opting a leading member of the Crows would be a useful ploy in ensuring that they prevented assistance for Tevinter from the east whilst not actually breaking the Llomerryn Accord. Trouble is I would have thought that level of sophistication in military strategy was typical of Sten, so that would indicate he isn't dead. Still, it could have come from Rasaan.
Anyway, the idea that the Antaam are acting without the approval of Par Vollen does not actually indicate a schism in the actual philosophical outlook of the Qun. It is a matter of discipline but something that the leadership on Par Vollen would ensure the rest of their citizens are unaware of. The Antaam may be acting more brutally than previously experienced, although I am sure the victims of the Steel Age wouldn't see much difference, but that doesn't mean those on Par Vollen have suddenly softened their outlook or are looking to reform the system. Any official denial of them giving approval to the Antaam is about them doing what they regard as in their best interests and pretty much in accordance with our previous experience of them. The Arishok failed to take Kirkwall, so Par Vollen distances themselves from him; the Viddasala failed in her plan for a "gentle path" in taking over the south, so Par Vollen denies all knowledge of it; should the Antaam over stretch themselves and invade the surrounding nations to Tevinter, so breaking the Llomerryn Accord, Par Vollen will point out they are acting without their approval. Sten said that they actually hold no value in pieces of paper signed with the Bas, so it is clear they will ignore the treaty as it suits them and then wriggle out of culpability if the plan fails. Don't believe all you have read concerning the latest action of the Antaam with relation to Par Vollen. To my mind, the Qun as a whole is still a threat to the rest of Thedas.
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2022 10:29:00 GMT by gervaise21
Hmm I wonder if Rasaan has gone rogue and taken over the antaam after Sten's assassination?
Well that would account for her calling it "my Antaam". It might also be that she saw a need for urgent action, because of the threat of red lyrium among other things, and so wasn't prepared to wait for the appointment of a new Arishok which, judging by how the process is described, might well take a while. If she also believed the knowledge to deal with Solas was likely to be found within Tevinter, she would want to press ahead because she would be aware of the urgency of the task and that Tevinter would never agree to her being allowed access to their archives. We should remember that the two nations have never not been at war because Tevinter refused to sign the Llomerryn Accord. So their history has been a long succession of ebbs and flows in the progress of each side, with periods of heightened aggression, followed by a lull in the fighting, at least on the mainland. Seheron has long been the main battleground, probably because of its strategic importance.
I seem to recall that back in the Steel Age, the Qun occupied the eastern cities of mainland Tevinter, largely because they took everyone by surprise with their offensive but once Tevinter got their act together and brought their immerse magical power into play, they managed to recover what they had lost. It probably helped the Qun were fighting on two fronts, with the southern Chantry launching their own Exalted March on the east side of Thedas, not to mention Yavana weighing in with her dragons in Antiva. We are told that the reason the Antaam are making such inroads down the east side of Tevinter this time is because they are not being held back by the priesthood but I would have thought it more likely that it is a combination of Tevinter being seemingly paralysed by infighting in the Magisterium and the southern nations at present staying out of the conflict. Which is why I found the idea of the Antaam launching an offensive in Antiva absurd as it would automatically bring in the entire south against them. However, manipulating a coup by co-opting a leading member of the Crows would be a useful ploy in ensuring that they prevented assistance for Tevinter from the east whilst not actually breaking the Llomerryn Accord. Trouble is I would have thought that level of sophistication in military strategy was typical of Sten, so that would indicate he isn't dead. Still, it could have come from Rasaan.
Anyway, the idea that the Antaam are acting without the approval of Par Vollen does not actually indicate a schism in the actual philosophical outlook of the Qun. It is a matter of discipline but something that the leadership on Par Vollen would ensure the rest of their citizens are unaware of. The Antaam may be acting more brutally than previously experienced, although I am sure the victims of the Steel Age wouldn't see much difference, but that doesn't mean those on Par Vollen have suddenly softened their outlook or are looking to reform the system. Any official denial of them giving approval to the Antaam is about them doing what they regard as in their best interests and pretty much in accordance with our previous experience of them. The Arishok failed to take Kirkwall, so Par Vollen distances themselves from him; the Viddasala failed in her plan for a "gentle path" in taking over the south, so Par Vollen denies all knowledge of it; should the Antaam over stretch themselves and invade the surrounding nations to Tevinter, so breaking the Llomerryn Accord, Par Vollen will point out they are acting without their approval. Sten said that they actually hold no value in pieces of paper signed with the Bas, so it is clear they will ignore the treaty as it suits them and then wriggle out of culpability if the plan fails. Don't believe all you have read concerning the latest action of the Antaam with relation to Par Vollen. To my mind, the Qun as a whole is still a threat to the rest of Thedas.
Wonderful story weaver, you are. You are looking at the political machinations of the Qunari from human lens. And, btw, it's a beauty to read .
However, I prefer to think that the alien mind is more disciplined by its teacings and warrior Qun brainwashing. Leadership decision more pragmatic that follows the two disciplines. More straight forward decisions that can easily be anticipated by humans, knowing their "straight-jacketed" thinking process. More machine-like, if you will, because of their single mindedness.
Magisterium infighting I accept but when invaded by a long known enemy, the focus would divert to stopping the incursion. What saved Tevinter from the Qunari back in the Steel Age was the southern intervention. Thus I believe this 'infighting' scenario has topped for the time being.
Last, your knowledge of DA Lore is waay above mine.
BTW, what would you say if Rasaan is one of our Qunari companions?
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Morpheus: "know what happened happened and that it could not have happened in any other way".
Magisterium infighting I accept but when invaded by a long known enemy, the focus would divert to stopping the incursion.
You would think? That's why I find the unstoppable advance by the Antaam somewhat unbelievable. Tevinter know that the Qun is a constant threat. They have agents keeping a constant watch on things. According to Sten's biography, back in 9:12 was when the Qun last launched a major offensive on the Tevinter eastern seaboard. As always the first target was the strategically important city of Qarinus (now known as Ventus because the current writing team found the original name confusing). Initially the offensive was successful but before long the Qun "as always" were "torn apart by Tevinter legions heavily reinforced by mages". It was after this latest humiliating defeat that a young Sten suggested that the Arishok should change his strategy and focus their energies on intelligence gathering before attempting another assault. The Tevinter agents at the time were concerned should the leadership ever follow his advice and when Sten became Arishok, they immediately recognised the danger of him being in command. In order to launch an offensive like the present one, there would have to have been a build up of ships either on Seheron or Par Vollen. Since allegedly Par Vollen didn't approve of this action, Seheron seems more likely. So even before the fleet sailed and made landfall, the danger ought to have been conveyed to the Archon. Thus, even if the initial drive by the Qun succeeded in taking Ventus (which according to the comic series occurred with hardly any real local defense occurring - which I also find absurd), by the time the Antaam started to advance further south, the Tevinter should have mobilised in force against them, just as in 9:12. Even if they couldn't recover the areas already taken, it should have been possible to hold the line, particularly as the Antaam (again allegedly) didn't have the back up of supplies, etc, from Par Vollen. Instead, according to both the comic series and Tevinter Nights, the Antaam appear to have surged on down the east side of Tevinter virtually unopposed, taking one undefended city after another. So what is so different this time round that wasn't the case in 9:12 and every previous occasion that the Qun were unsuccessful on the Tevinter mainland since the signing of the Llomerryn Accord (which no doubt they did in order that Tevinter wouldn't have the assistance of the south)? According to the epilogue to Trespasser it was infighting within the Magisterium. If the Arishok/Sten did base the assault on intelligence received about this, it would seem his timing was perfect. No wonder Tevinter spies warned against him and tried to assassinate him when he came to power.
BTW, what would you say if Rasaan is one of our Qunari companions?
I really want this to be true. Mostly because I would like to quiz her about the history of her race (which she must know) but also because, hopefully, she would be absolute in her loyalty to the Qun philosophy, as opposed to companions like Tallis and the Iron Bull, who argue for it whilst holding doubts, so a bit like the Arishok in DA2 but with more command over her emotions, even in the face of chaos. Also, knowing how much Solas loathes the Qun, it would amuse me to have a companion who no doubt reciprocates the feeling. I mean at least you would know where you stood with her; no hidden surprises. Well, not for me as a player, although no doubt the writers would find a way to make my PC look an idiot for trusting her. I imagine for maximum conflict within the party, there would also have to be a Tevinter loyalist for her to lock horns with (metaphorically speaking). Rasaan against Maevaris might be interesting.
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2022 18:46:52 GMT by gervaise21
Magisterium infighting I accept but when invaded by a long known enemy, the focus would divert to stopping the incursion.
You would think? That's why I find the unstoppable advance by the Antaam somewhat unbelievable. Tevinter know that the Qun is a constant threat. They have agents keeping a constant watch on things.
Snip
Exactly.
My mindset is this: Thedas story writers have no Epic Vision, from start to finish. No orchestra conductor. Individual pieces are fine but brought together there is a tedious harmony. Yes, humans and Qunari are mortal enemies because Human societies are chaotic whereas Qunari society is Order and the latter dislikes chaos. Ergo, the constant wars. The DA stories don't seem to weave the individual strands into one. That bugs me. The fact that the Qs have advance so rapidly in Tevinter's eastern flanks is bizarre...
Having said that, It would not surprise me if DA:DW contains two main story arcs. The war with the Qs and finding Baldy to see what he's up to. If Rasaan is our companion she may try to convince us Solas is the bigger threat. Thus, diverting our focus in obtaining military intelligence and war assets for the Magisterium. This will serve Rasaan well. She gets help in removing Baldy and removes a key piece ( our hero ) from the war board.
Now, as you pointed out Maevaris and Rasaan banter would be fireworks in display if both are recruitable.
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____________________
Morpheus: "know what happened happened and that it could not have happened in any other way".
You would think? That's why I find the unstoppable advance by the Antaam somewhat unbelievable. Tevinter know that the Qun is a constant threat. They have agents keeping a constant watch on things.
Snip
Exactly.
My mindset is this: Thedas story writers have no Epic Vision, from start to finish. No orchestra conductor. Individual pieces are fine but brought together there is a tedious harmony. Yes, humans and Qunari are mortal enemies because Human societies are chaotic whereas Qunari society is Order and the latter dislikes chaos. Ergo, the constant wars. The DA stories don't seem to weave the individual strands into one. That bugs me. The fact that the Qs have advance so rapidly in Tevinter's eastern flanks is bizarre...
Having said that, It would not surprise me if DA:DW contains two main story arcs. The war with the Qs and finding Baldy to see what he's up to. If Rasaan is our companion she may try to convince us Solas is the bigger threat. Thus, diverting our focus in obtaining military intelligence and war assets for the Magisterium. This will serve Rasaan well. She gets help in removing Baldy and removes a key piece ( our hero ) from the war board.
Now, as you pointed out Maevaris and Rasaan banter would be fireworks in display if both are recruitable.
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____________________
Hmm. I'm not that quick to say there's *no* plan. But I still wonder what it is and how writer turnover might have affected it. Besides that DAO was crafted to work as a stand-alone in case it failed.
Lol, human societies, both orlesian andrastian and Tevinter, are pretty much obsessed with order and conformity. It is just that for some that kind of order and conformity (and they ways they are enforced) are more familiar. Unless you wanted to talk "barbarians".
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2022 23:13:39 GMT by Buckeldemon
"Magic can't be made safe and it can't be destroyed. Fear makes men more dangerous than magic ever could." - Merrill
"Strength and steel are well and good, but magic is the true power in this world." - Wuunferth the Unliving
"Maschinen abgeschaltet, Ventilatoren kaputt! Alle ersticken und tot!"
Magisterium infighting I accept but when invaded by a long known enemy, the focus would divert to stopping the incursion.
You would think? That's why I find the unstoppable advance by the Antaam somewhat unbelievable. Tevinter know that the Qun is a constant threat. They have agents keeping a constant watch on things. According to Sten's biography, back in 9:12 was when the Qun last launched a major offensive on the Tevinter eastern seaboard. As always the first target was the strategically important city of Qarinus (now known as Ventus because the current writing team found the original name confusing). Initially the offensive was successful but before long the Qun "as always" were "torn apart by Tevinter legions heavily reinforced by mages". It was after this latest humiliating defeat that a young Sten suggested that the Arishok should change his strategy and focus their energies on intelligence gathering before attempting another assault. The Tevinter agents at the time were concerned should the leadership ever follow his advice and when Sten became Arishok, they immediately recognised the danger of him being in command. In order to launch an offensive like the present one, there would have to have been a build up of ships either on Seheron or Par Vollen. Since allegedly Par Vollen didn't approve of this action, Seheron seems more likely. So even before the fleet sailed and made landfall, the danger ought to have been conveyed to the Archon. Thus, even if the initial drive by the Qun succeeded in taking Ventus (which according to the comic series occurred with hardly any real local defense occurring - which I also find absurd), by the time the Antaam started to advance further south, the Tevinter should have mobilised in force against them, just as in 9:12. Even if they couldn't recover the areas already taken, it should have been possible to hold the line, particularly as the Antaam (again allegedly) didn't have the back up of supplies, etc, from Par Vollen. Instead, according to both the comic series and Tevinter Nights, the Antaam appear to have surged on down the east side of Tevinter virtually unopposed, taking one undefended city after another. So what is so different this time round that wasn't the case in 9:12 and every previous occasion that the Qun were unsuccessful on the Tevinter mainland since the signing of the Llomerryn Accord (which no doubt they did in order that Tevinter wouldn't have the assistance of the south)? According to the epilogue to Trespasser it was infighting within the Magisterium. If the Arishok/Sten did base the assault on intelligence received about this, it would seem his timing was perfect. No wonder Tevinter spies warned against him and tried to assassinate him when he came to power
I wonder if perhaps they're taking cities so quickly because they have a fifth column. Ben hassrath agents could have been recruiting elves and other slaves/the poor in Tevinter for years. If each city was already in chaos from an unusually organised and we'll supplied slave revolt when the antaam attacked then i imagine it would fall quite quickly. Though such coordination would probably require the assistance of the Ben hasrath, so unless rasaan is influencing them separately from the rest of their commend structure, this would imply ariqun support.
"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eye tight or open one's arms wider, either way one's a fool." - Flemeth
I wonder if perhaps they're taking cities so quickly because they have a fifth column. Ben hassrath agents could have been recruiting elves and other slaves/the poor in Tevinter for years. If each city was already in chaos from an unusually organised and we'll supplied slave revolt when the antaam attacked then i imagine it would fall quite quickly. Though such coordination would probably require the assistance of the Ben hasrath, so unless rasaan is influencing them separately from the rest of their commend structure, this would imply ariqun support.
Now this is something I've explored myself in my fan fiction and would make sense. The Qun must have been made aware of the history of Andraste and Shartan. Honest scholars admit that her exalted march would have failed without the intervention of the slaves. Now the Dalish version of events has them joining up before the decisive battle of Valarian Fields but Sister Petrine says that it was the revolt that occurred "behind enemy lines" that swung the tide of battle. In other words, it was likely slaves being utilised as troops who turned on their masters. Although, I suppose it would have surprised them even more if ordinary servants suddenly took up arms and attacked them from the rear. Another version of the story says they did exactly that. Whatever the case, it is generally acknowledged that the slave revolts that occurred across the Imperium at around the same time as Andraste's march, whether independent of or in response to it, seriously undermined the Imperium's defence.
So if Ben'Hassrath cells had been primed to act whenever the Qun next launched an offensive, it wouldn't necessarily need an official command from Ben'Hassrath HQ for them to mobilise, simply "when the big horned guys appear on the horizon, do what you have been trained to do". This would also explain how the Antaam are able to manage without the auxiliary back up from Par Vollen, because there would be plenty of artisans, craftsmen and general workers among the slaves and poor soporati who could make up the difference.
What is disappointing is that is not how it appears in the comic series. The Qun just seem to swoop in using brute force and the local peasantry are lucky not to be slaughtered along with their masters. However, Tevinter Nights did not go into detail of how Ventus fell so quickly, so it is possible that this is the explanation we will be given for their rapid advance in DAD.
Last Edit: Jun 15, 2022 19:03:22 GMT by gervaise21
Can't believe I had to be the one to remind Colfoley of this gem from Origins.
One of my all time favorites even when it ends the available companion conversations and repeats 237 times. Do yourself a favor and find it online so you can marvel at Claudia Black and Mark Hildreth working together on this little piece. You're welcome.
I had completely forgotten about that!
Though not sure I ever heard it in game but that does remind me of gamermd's very funny pantomime videos back in the day.
This exchange has led me to develop the following imagined initial dialogue when my Fortunate One meets the female Qunari companion for the first time:
" I can bite through two inches Veridium Steel, ma'am."
The Rules of the Game 1: All gamers are Gamers 2: It's not Your Game, it's not My Game, it's Our Game 3: Developers aren't lazy or out to get You 4: Of course Publishers want more money, it is how Games get made 5: Listen, Rethink, Build
I wonder if perhaps they're taking cities so quickly because they have a fifth column. Ben hassrath agents could have been recruiting elves and other slaves/the poor in Tevinter for years. If each city was already in chaos from an unusually organised and we'll supplied slave revolt when the antaam attacked then i imagine it would fall quite quickly. Though such coordination would probably require the assistance of the Ben hasrath, so unless rasaan is influencing them separately from the rest of their commend structure, this would imply ariqun support.
Now this is something I've explored myself in my fan fiction and would make sense. The Qun must have been made aware of the history of Andraste and Shartan. Honest scholars admit that her exalted march would have failed without the intervention of the slaves. Now the Dalish version of events has them joining up before the decisive battle of Valarian Fields but Sister Petrine says that it was the revolt that occurred "behind enemy lines" that swung the tide of battle. In other words, it was likely slaves being utilised as troops who turned on their masters. Although, I suppose it would have surprised them even more if ordinary servants suddenly took up arms and attacked them from the rear. Another version of the story says they did exactly that. Whatever the case, it is generally acknowledged that the slave revolts that occurred across the Imperium at around the same time as Andraste's march, whether independent of or in response to it, seriously undermined the Imperium's defence.
So if Ben'Hassrath cells had been primed to act whenever the Qun next launched an offensive, it wouldn't necessarily need an official command from Ben'Hassrath HQ for them to mobilise, simply "when the big horned guys appear on the horizon, do what you have been trained to do". This would also explain how the Antaam are able to manage without the auxiliary back up from Par Vollen, because there would be plenty of artisans, craftsmen and general workers among the slaves and poor soporati who could make up the difference.
What is disappointing is that is now how it appears in the comic series. The Qun just seem to swoop in using brute force and the local peasantry are lucky not to be slaughtered along with their masters. However, Tevinter Nights did not go into detail of how Ventus fell so quickly, so it is possible that this is the explanation we will be given for their rapid advance in DAD.
May I offer another element that I haven't seen brought up yet: The Venatori. First, their attempt to join with Corypheus drained personnel, talent, and coin directly from the Imperium to mount fruitless searches for artefacts in distant wastes and engage (and be destroyed by) the Inquisition and allied forces. Second, it operated as a Fifth Column in Teventer society requiring internal security efforts to seek out and destroy adherents after the fact. Third, those internal security efforts also likely removed resources that otherwise might have detected the Qunari assaults. Even if the number of Venatori had been relatively small, conflicts between equals can be swung heavily by such slim margins. Thanks for your time.
The Rules of the Game 1: All gamers are Gamers 2: It's not Your Game, it's not My Game, it's Our Game 3: Developers aren't lazy or out to get You 4: Of course Publishers want more money, it is how Games get made 5: Listen, Rethink, Build
Even if the number of Venatori had been relatively small, conflicts between equals can be swung heavily by such slim margins
I think that is what the writers of the epilogue to Trespasser were probably thinking of when they spoke of in-fighting. There seems a fair bit of covert support for the Venatori in the Magisterium, even if they can't declare openly because technically the Venatori cult is illegal. Then again, the comic series with Tessa and Marius had the Archon admitting he was employing them to do his dirty work because there were several high ranking Magisters involved with the Venatori and he couldn't risk going against them openly himself. So, basically Tevinter is a mess and to a certain extent Corypheus will be indirectly the cause of its downfall unless they get their act together soon. Perhaps that will be one of the tasks assigned to our new hero. I still think their efforts could be compromised by the number of slave sleeper cells that the Qun has seeded across the Imperium. World of Thedas suggested that some Qun agents deliberately sold themselves into slavery for this very purpose, so it would be a waste if the writers didn't build on this scenario.
Of course, the other factor to take into consideration is that it seems likely the time line will have moved forward to 9:52, some 7 years after the Qunari invasion began. Given it took them a matter of weeks to move down the east side to Neromenian, if Tevinter hadn't taken action by now, I imagine there wouldn't be much left to save. So, I suppose it is more likely that at some point in the intervening years, they did manage to stem the tide and it has now become a war of attrition, probably centred around Vyrantium.
It will be interesting to see if any reference is made to the war in this Netflix series.
Last Edit: Jun 15, 2022 19:19:58 GMT by gervaise21
I had an idle DA-related thought, and I figure this is the best place to share it? At any rate, I played Expeditions: Rome recently, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker a couple years ago. I'd describe both games' writing as clunky and amateurish, yet serviceably entertaining by RPG standards. But I've never been more aware that I'm playing something written by a bunch of dorks than when experiencing those two games' idea of flirty banter.
It is really quite bad, and retrospectively it has made me more appreciative of Bioware's own take on the matter. I haven't played any of their games in the better part of a decade, but I still remember some of the fun conversations and dialogue lines from the DA and ME games. At least in terms of fun adventure writing, which is all I ask from an RPG, Bioware's writers could be pretty good at their job and not that easy to match.
I have a working theory that the quality of the flirty dialogue in an RPG is directly proportional to the involvement of women in the writing team. Other, non-Bioware RPGs that I remember doing well in this area—The Witcher 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2—would seem to confirm that impression. But I would need more hard data before coming to any definitive conclusions
If you've played a game with romance options, you may have encountered someone you wanted to romance but couldn't. Dragon Age 2 has playersexual romances. That is, the romances lock to the player on first interaction. They (mostly) aren't pan sexual. Playersexual has its issues from a fidelity perspective.
If you've played a game with romance options, you may have encountered someone you wanted to romance but couldn't. Dragon Age 2 has playersexual romances. That is, the romances lock to the player on first interaction. They (mostly) aren't pan sexual. Playersexual has its issues from a fidelity perspective.
An interesting insight into a dev's decison making process.
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Morpheus: "know what happened happened and that it could not have happened in any other way".
Post by luketrevelyan on Jun 16, 2022 15:37:02 GMT
Haven't watched the video yet, but generally my thoughts on playersexual romances depends on the game. If you are going to have 4 or fewer romances, you probably should have playersexual. Otherwise (assuming you want to still have diversity) you end up having essentially one romance option per orientation. Then the player won't feel like they had any choice other to pursue their one romance fitting their orientation or not. That's CP2077.
On the other hand, if you are going to have a large number of romance options, then it is probably better to have specific orientations (with a fair number of bi/pan options). That way the characters can feel more realistic and it is easier to have backgrounds for them referencing past lovers or whatever. That's DAI.
The only other issue I have with specific orientations is there tends to be quite a bit of stereotyping going on with gay characters, to the point I can usually figure it out just by appearance or a text description of the character (the bulkier male will be straight, prettier character gay, warrior almost always straight, rogue often gay/bi, etc). Although it is getting better over time and generally BioWare is pretty good about it. But still, I find I'm often happier with romance options as a gay male when games are playersexual because the variety is better even though the characters aren't canonically gay. So it is a bit tricky and I feel for the devs trying to please everyone.
Starfield will have a silent protagonist. There is a cost saving on voice acting, naturally..
What are the chances for same in DA:DW ? It worked very well for DA:O. Plus the cost saving can be added to NPC character development/romances.
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I highly doubt silent protagonist for DAD. Bethesda games IMO work better silent because they are all about giving you the freedom to be whoever you want, do whatever you want to do, and go wherever you want to go. A voice can really restrict that freedom.
On the other hand, BioWare tells more narrative driven and cinematic games. They do still give you freedom to create your own character (unlike say The Witcher) but you are more constrained in what things you can do and the type of character you can be. So the voice can work well, although silent I think also works in their older games. One of the nice things about DAI was the ability to choose multiple voices, which I hope they do that again because it does help with roleplaying and replayability while still improving cinematics by having a voice.
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Starfield will have a silent protagonist. There is a cost saving on voice acting, naturally..
What are the chances for same in DA:DW ? It worked very well for DA:O. Plus the cost saving can be added to NPC character development/romances.
(◔‿◔)
__________________
I highly doubt silent protagonist for DAD. Bethesda games IMO work better silent because they are all about giving you the freedom to be whoever you want, do whatever you want to do, and go wherever you want to go. A voice can really restrict that freedom.
On the other hand, BioWare tells more narrative driven and cinematic games. They do still give you freedom to create your own character (unlike say The Witcher) but you are more constrained in what things you can do and the type of character you can be. So the voice can work well, although silent I think also works in their older games. One of the nice things about DAI was the ability to choose multiple voices, which I hope they do that again because it does help with roleplaying and replayability while still improving cinematics by having a voice.
I wonder if the voice actors for our character will be one of the first bits of details that come out of the game.
I highly doubt silent protagonist for DAD. Bethesda games IMO work better silent because they are all about giving you the freedom to be whoever you want, do whatever you want to do, and go wherever you want to go. A voice can really restrict that freedom.
On the other hand, BioWare tells more narrative driven and cinematic games. They do still give you freedom to create your own character (unlike say The Witcher) but you are more constrained in what things you can do and the type of character you can be. So the voice can work well, although silent I think also works in their older games. One of the nice things about DAI was the ability to choose multiple voices, which I hope they do that again because it does help with roleplaying and replayability while still improving cinematics by having a voice.
I wonder if the voice actors for our character will be one of the first bits of details that come out of the game.
For MEA, they announced the voice actors N7 2016 so about 4.5 months before release. I don't remember for DAI, but guessing we will not be getting this until next year sometime.
Edit: Found on reddit an announcement on July 8th, 2014 so pretty similar to MEA at about 4 months before release.
Last Edit: Jun 16, 2022 16:59:01 GMT by luketrevelyan
Post by The Elder King on Jun 16, 2022 17:34:25 GMT
My opinion of romances is that I want people to have multiple choices. I’m fine with whatever direction they’d go moving forward. I don’t personally mind having locked out romances the way DAI did it ‘originally’. I also don’t mind Cullen and Solas’ romances, which were added later in development according to BioWare, but I see the issue with that.
On the PC being voiced or not, I like silent protagonist so I’d be fine with it, but I don’t see BioWare returning to that. Bethesda is much different in this then BioWare, as they moved on from silent protagonist only once (while also going for a far more restricted background then usual), and the reaction wasn’t positive overall. While the same could be said for DA2 and Hawke (the initial reaction was for sure quite divisive from what I recall), Bioware already had Mass Effect as an IP with a fully voiced protagonist, and continued on that path with DAI.
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Remember, remember the Palace of Winter, the Qunari gaatlok attack. I know plenty of reasons, why Fen’Harel’s treason should end with a knife in his back.
If you've played a game with romance options, you may have encountered someone you wanted to romance but couldn't. Dragon Age 2 has playersexual romances. That is, the romances lock to the player on first interaction. They (mostly) aren't pan sexual. Playersexual has its issues from a fidelity perspective.
Gotta to say I disagree with him in regards notion that you can have an ever expanding range of inclusivity and retain quality and choice in options for player. I’d much prefer they largely go down the playersexual route with alternative being the exception(such as Dorian etc) rather than the norm.