Dragon Age 3 II: [This Thread Title Was Deemed Inappropriate By The Chantry]

[Psyren]

I want to stress that when I say "dominant tone is gone," I mean "how Hawke would respond in casual dialogue."

For instance, let's say Hawke had to walk up to a market stand filled with coconuts. Without your input, DiploHawke would say "This is my favourite coconut stall on the Citadel." SillyHawke would automatically hold two coconuts up to his chest and say "You know what these remind me of?" AggressiveHawke would snarl in his best Batman voice "Get your coconuts out of my face." Then further dialogue options would be chosen from the dialogue wheel.

Now, all our Inquisitors walk up to the stand, say "What a lovely bunch of coconuts standing in a row" and then choose further dialogue options from the wheel.

Well, that could be less because they are de-emphasizing tone, and more because they are simply cutting back on auto-dialogue from the PC. So you speak less, but when you do speak you have that full control over how you sound. And I wonder if they really are getting rid of it entirely - maybe a funny Inquisitor will throw out the occasional funny line here and there, just not as much as Hawke did and possibly even not outside of true zoom-in-on-face dialogue.

Also - Frostbite is freaking gorgeous. Those water effects in the swamp. That rain. The spell and magic weapon effects lighting up the night. The water running down the rocks. This game is going to be stunning. Hopefully my computer can run it

I'm wondering what the point of the dialogue wheel is without tone, unless they're bringing back the morality meter.

Tone in the dialogue wheel is definitely still there. They're even keeping the little icons in the middle that preview how you're going to say something, as we saw in the E3 video.

[StabbityRabbit]

Tone in the dialogue wheel is definitely still there. They're even keeping the little icons in the middle that preview how you're going to say something, as we saw in the E3 video.

I was lurking on the BSN, and I read that tone was back but it had been changed. Instead of being diplomatic/snarky/agressive it's now noble/clever/direct. I'll see if I can find the exact quote again stating this again.

[Zevox]

I was lurking on the BSN, and I read that tone was back but it had been changed. Instead of being diplomatic/snarky/agressive it's now noble/clever/direct. I'll see if I can find the exact quote again stating this again.

If so, that sounds more like a slight change in the how they describe it than much of a practical one, honestly.

[Beowulf DW]

From the demo, it sounded like they had recycled the banshee's scream from ME3. Not sure if that's supposed to be a shout-out or if they just got a bit lazy.

[Avilan the Grey]

From the demo, it sounded like they had recycled the banshee's scream from ME3. Not sure if that's supposed to be a shout-out or if they just got a bit lazy.

To quote TV Tropes:
Yes.

[Morty]

Of all the sounds they might have imported from Mass Effect that I'd like to hear again, the banshee's scream is only a bit higher on my list than "Hold the line!" and "Enemy is everywhere!".

[Beowulf DW]

To quote TV Tropes:
Yes.

I'm caught between laughing and grunting in frustration. It's a rather strange noise.

[Avilan the Grey]

I'm caught between laughing and grunting in frustration. It's a rather strange noise.

Just remember to breathe.

[Psyren]

If I hear it I'll start having PTSD from Platinum matches.

[Zevox]

Well, finished my re-run of DA2. I'm honestly kind of impressed that there was actually enough health bloat to make Meredith and Orsino take a while despite the ridiculous damage output my Berserker build was doing by the end there, even if I was on hard. I was seriously chopping through entire waves of non-boss enemies in no time for a while there. Two-handed fighters are definitely the class that got the most improvement going from Origins to 2 I'd say (possibly excluding sword-and-shield fighters, the one class I haven't played in either game), and became a hell of a lot more fun in the process.

[Beowulf DW]

If I hear it I'll start having PTSD from Platinum matches.

Yeah...We might start having flash-backs.

[Rodin]

Well, that could be less because they are de-emphasizing tone, and more because they are simply cutting back on auto-dialogue from the PC. So you speak less, but when you do speak you have that full control over how you sound. And I wonder if they really are getting rid of it entirely - maybe a funny Inquisitor will throw out the occasional funny line here and there, just not as much as Hawke did and possibly even not outside of true zoom-in-on-face dialogue.

I hope this isn't the case. Winding up with a personality based on dialogue choices was one of the best things about Hawke, especially when Snarky Hawke would make jokes at the most inappropriate times. It makes the character work a lot better if you can't switch from Captain Diplomat to Raging Berserker at the drop of a hat.

[StabbityRabbit]

There was a leak of Dragon Age Keep a little bit ago. I'll see if I can find the page for anyone who wants to see it, but I imagine Bioware has been hard at work stomping out the leaks.

On a different note we should probably start voting on the name of the next thread, seeing as we hit the page limit next page. Maybe:

Dragon Age 3 III: Where Is Your Maker Now

It's bad and terribly unoriginal, but I can't seem to think of anything else.

[Psyren]

Dragon Age 3 III: Where Is Your Maker Now

I like it, +1.

I'll wait until Keep is released, they will most likely let us play with it ahead of the actual game. Hopefully they include it on the disk as well for our unconnected console brethren.

[StabbityRabbit]

I like it, +1.

I'll wait until Keep is released, they will most likely let us play with it ahead of the actual game. Hopefully they include it on the disk as well for our unconnected console brethren.

Thanks.

I wish I had the willpower to stay away from leaks. For me it always goes something like this:
"What, a leak? Why would anybody squander the trust placed in them to- Oh look, a link!" *click* "I regret this immensely."

I don't really think having it online will be that much of a problem. I know that the Xbox 360 had USB ports, and I can use my PS4 to surf the interwebs. I imagine it's similar for the PS3 and XBox One.

[Psyren]

Oh, I know the consoles are capable of going online - but there are some folks for whom this is not always feasible, most notably the military.

[StabbityRabbit]

Oh, I know the consoles are capable of going online - but there are some folks for whom this is not always feasible, most notably the military.

Hmm, I'd never considered that. Well, I guess I share the concern now.

If they didn't it'd be a bit of an oversight.

[Beowulf DW]

I like it, +1.

I'll wait until Keep is released, they will most likely let us play with it ahead of the actual game. Hopefully they include it on the disk as well for our unconnected console brethren.

Agreeing on both the new title and including Keep on the disc. People should be able to get the full experience regardless of their ability to access the internet. Pretty sure we went over that in the ME3 Thread.

[Nerd-o-rama]

That's one thing where I'll side with the anti-EA paranoiacs and guess Keep isn't going to be on the disc because whether for DRM or other purposes, they really like making people connect to the internet. Hopefully, I'm either wrong or it'll be a free-DLC-style hard drive app. If nothing else, you should only need to generate your results when starting a new game.

Also, I'll throw out "Dragon Age III:I III" even though there's no actual number in the title for exactly that reason.

[Giggling Ghast]

Yeah, the Keep isn't going to be on disc. You need to go to the Keep, input your decisions and then connect with the Keep through your console or PC to import your world state at the start of the game.

Does that mean some people aren't going to be able to create imports for DAI and will have to use the default background? Yup. Is that pretty sucky for them? Yup. Is there anything that can be done? Nope.

As for the thread title, I also like "Think of the Mayhem."

[Hyena]

Eh, as if save import is going to change anything. A few scenes at most - at least Bioware gives us the premade characters, unlike Mass Effect, where the save import is literally designed to make you play the previous games - because if you don't, your Shepard is presumed to make the most sucky choices possible.

As of the title, I suggest Dragon Age Inquisition: Inquisition, as sort of in-joke about how Bioware dropped "III" part from the title and stopped numbering games.

[Rodin]

Dragon Age III: The Thread Nobody Was Expecting.

[Zevox]

Dragon Age III: The Thread Nobody Was Expecting.

That was the first one.

[Giggling Ghast]

Here's something interesting: the official website describes the racial bonuses for the for types of Inquisitors. Dwarves get magic resistance, elves can an added bonus against ranged attacks, qunari get a health bonus and humans get an extra talent.

Also, it talks about some of the backgrounds for Inquisitors. For instance, the human mage Inquisitor is from Ostwick and was briefly pressed into service to hunt his/her fellow mages. The qunari Inquisitor was a mercenary providing security at the Chantry enclave.

http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/inquisitor

[StabbityRabbit]

Here's something interesting: the official website describes the racial bonuses for the for types of Inquisitors. Dwarves get magic resistance, elves can an added bonus against ranged attacks, qunari get a health bonus and humans get an extra talent.

Also, it talks about some of the backgrounds for Inquisitors. For instance, the human mage Inquisitor is from Ostwick and was briefly pressed into service to hunt his/her fellow mage.

http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/inquisitor

I am in awe. This is a great addition to the sight. I get to have a look at my dual dagger vashoth, and he looks awesome.

Fanboying aside I'm surprised that qunari get such a large bonus to health. It's going to be pretty big at lower levels, and I'm not sure it's ever really going to become useless. I expected +1 to a few stats, so this is a pleasant surprise.

EDIT: Holy crap, did the Cadash clan take a turn for the worse. Also I like how if you pick dwarven mage the site says "Ha, no."

Also all the races got impressive racial abilities...except humans. An extra ability point? Really?

I kind of hope they overhauled the ability point system otherwise humans look kind of weak.

[Zevox]

Here's something interesting: the official website describes the racial bonuses for the for types of Inquisitors. Dwarves get magic resistance, elves can an added bonus against ranged attacks, qunari get a health bonus and humans get an extra talent.

Also, it talks about some of the backgrounds for Inquisitors. For instance, the human mage Inquisitor is from Ostwick and was briefly pressed into service to hunt his/her fellow mages. The qunari Inquisitor was a mercenary providing security at the Chantry enclave.

http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/inquisitor

Sounds like Elves got the short end of the stick as far as racial bonuses go. Though I will say that I like the sound of the Elven Mage Inquisitor's background - Dalish, second to your clan's Keeper, sent to the Chantry as a spy. Very interesting.

Guess I get to choose between the more interesting background and the better racial bonus when picking between Human or Elf for my first character, then.

Edit: Wait, the Human bonus is just an ability point, not a talent point? Misread that pretty badly then. Yeah, unless every ability point has a much bigger impact than in previous games, they got the worst of it then. Makes it easier on me picking my first character's race though.

[Giggling Ghast]

Whoops. I misread the description for the human mage. S/he had to fight against Templars and attended the Chantry conclave to broker peace.

I think the elven bonus is a bit weaksauce, myself.

[Psyren]

I find it funny that every human mage protagonist in the series is a noble
And it looks like, if you go human, you are caught up in the mage-templar thing like everyone else. This is like a Mass Effect game where you have to be a Quarian or Geth

YES! Elven Mage is the First to a Keeper this time. I am so doing that playthrough.

Also all the races got impressive racial abilities...except humans. An extra ability point? Really?

I have a feeling that ultimately this is going to be the best one.

[Zevox]

I have a feeling that ultimately this is going to be the best one.

Doubtful. +1 to one stat isn't a big bonus in Dragon Age, at least in the games so far. The Qunari health bonus is almost certainly as good as at least several points in constitution (in DA2 it would be equivalent to 10 points, not sure exactly in Origins), and while the other two are situational, I'd bet they're more helpful in those situations than +1 to any given stat is most of the time.

[Beowulf DW]

Doubtful. +1 to one stat isn't a big bonus in Dragon Age, at least in the games so far. The Qunari health bonus is almost certainly as good as at least several points in constitution (in DA2 it would be equivalent to 10 points, not sure exactly in Origins), and while the other two are situational, I'd bet they're more helpful in those situations than +1 to any given stat is most of the time.

It says ability point, not attribute point. It's like getting an extra feat in D&D.

EDIT: Yep. I checked. The Dragon Age lingo has Attributes as things like Str and Con, and Abilities as...well...your abilities.

That aside, I've noticed that there's not much variety in the backgrounds. You always come from the same clan/family/group. Personally, I think that this is a good thing, as it will allow Bioware to incorporate more of your origin into events throughout the game, since they have less differences to account for. I'm also exited about the class specific story elements mentioned.