Dragon Age and Identity (an Origins/Tactics discussion)

So with another Dragon Age on the way, we're also seeing continued discussion about how much the series the diverged from Origins. I thought I'd start this discussion so Origins related conversations could have a specific thread prior to the lead up to DAV's launch.

Some of the discussions I've seen have centered upon the lack of Tactics-based systems, such as the Tactics menu in setting up your party AI. For others, it's the lack of having all of your abilities accessible at once. Others have taken issue with the series tonal shift, both in terms of visual design and story.

With the new gameplay we've seen from DAV, it's no surprise that - for a sizable part of the community - these concerns have once again reared their head. This has left these same individuals deciding to either lament what could have been and thinking of moving on from the franchise (if they haven't already), or just pushing forward with what's available.

For what it's worth, I think you can find a swath of people who played Origins for different reasons. Some certainly played it for the fact that it was a CRPG with good production quality (and being narrated). Others played it for the story, setting, and characters. For myself, I'd likely say I cared more for the latter. I honestly don't remember much of the combat with Origins, but I do remember cheating on Leliana to sleep with Morrigan during the final act.

I do think some people, who are more in the Origins camp, may overstate just how much people cared for the Tactics side of the game. While I know a good amount did, I don't know if this could account for everyone. Some people may have just slogged through it because they just wanted to see the story unfold. You could argue that this a similar playstyle choice for those who enjoyed BG3. What I'm saying is, I don't think Origins being a CRPG inherently made it such a great game.

At the same time, for those (though not necessarily on here) who have largely been of the opinion that, "Origins die-hards need to get with the times," or "We're not going back to CRPG," I think these arguments are sometimes misplaced. It feels like there's this snap judgement that it's the gameplay from Origins that people want. While it might be true in the sense that these specific fans prefer slower-paced combat, I think it's moreso that they just want more depth within the gameplay systems.

There has been a sizable abatement of many of the systems we used to have in prior games. This includes the types of weapon combinations we can use, along with our magic options, how we distribute attribute points, and - for some - the reduction in total dialogue choices in favor of the dialogue wheel. We're also hearing- and seeing - that we can only have two companions in DAV, and we cant even control our companions either. Even I wish the Tactics system came back, like many others.

We've seen some gameplay footage for DAV, and I would like to see more before jumping into this. While I don't need Origins Tactics or combat systems in its entirety, I do sympathize with its ardent fans who miss these features.