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| Beta Test: Patch 5, The Black Emporium |
Around the 13th of February, 2015, BioWare announced, Patch 5 Beta Program for Dragon Age: Inquisition. What this program supposedly entails is for a ‘select’ group of players—PC players—to test the patch before it is released. The mentality of this is to eliminate or reduce what patching a game usually creates. Sometime another patch must be dispatched to patch-up the previous one.
This news is posted on their BLOG as well as in the media and on their BioWare Forums: ‘A closed’ thread where the same article is pasted. This move to post information on the BioWare forums is recent, however, since the Developers (Devs) for Dragon Age, have vacated the forums where they were a vocal force to reckon with. Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy having the Devs there. I used to write on the wall of then Lead Developer (Now Creative Director) Mike Laidlaw, leaving an occasional poem there along with kudos. I often commented on John Epler’s (Lead Cinematic Designer) and other Devs’ pages and status messages. The Developers were so down to earth—very approachable and open to our feedback. The Lead writer, David Gaider, would at times respond to a forum comment of mine, prior to Dragon Age II’s released.
I enjoy the fact that we fans were such a big part of the game world—of BioWare’s world. It was a personal approach that only BioWare adopted. It worked for DLC’s for Dragon Age: Origins (DA: O) and Dragon Age II (DA II). I don’t know why DA II received such a backlash. I did enjoy my protagonist. It was very personal. Choices were still a big part—they were in your face kinds still.
I remember being torn in making certain decisions where I had to choose who lived and who died in DA: O. I decided that a child (avoiding spoilers) had to die in DA: O, the reaction I received from Alistair (the main-story companion in DA: O) was so unexpected. As soon as I got to camp, the cinematics came on and I could see the agony, the anger on Alistair’s face and in his voice. He was really upset with me. I remember how that had affected me that I had to take a walk outside to help me shake up the feeling Alistair had evoked in me. I ended up reloading a save to remake that choice.
Choices did matter in DA II. They were weaker in comparison to DA: O, but they were there nonetheless throughout the game, plenty of them. The cinematics made them that much stronger—we got thrust into the world of the Non-playable characters. The skill trees, the AI/UI were still intact. DA II even brought in more fun spells, which allowed our protagonists to be quite unique with each build. Being a mage was super fun and satisfying! Combat was so fluid and oh, so rewarding—very thrilling for me.
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| Sebastian being awesome in Dragon Age II |
The only problems for me in Dragon Age II were:
1. The detachment of the companions
2. My protagonist’s detachment from her mother
3. Occasional lost and found quests that made no sense
4. Lack of Interaction with the environment (Same problem with DA: O and Inquisition)
5. The ELVES DESIGN— (Space Aliens in DA II and In Inquisition, anorexic, with childlike bodies)
6. The BOLD REDS
7. The DIALOGUE WHEEL! (Oh, that thing!)
8. Lack of Wildlife (Same problem in DA: O)
9. The BIG change in Anders
10. The ENDING.
There was this big sense of rush, rush with the companions when you clicked on them while in the fields. Gone was the ability to speak with your companions anywhere in the world. That didn’t seat well with me at all.
Addressing the numbered concerned from DA II from above:
1—My companions felt very detached from me although each had their own stories to tell. The reason I felt this was because I had to go to the companions’ home in order to speak with them. Hence, speaking with my companions became a quest. I would see on the map that my companions desired to speak with me. What I would have enjoyed for BioWare to have done was to implement the same system that exists in Jade Empire instead of the system the Developers put in place in DA II. The change from the DA: O to DA II was too drastic.
I love change. I enjoy originality and new things. Nonetheless, going from the ability to speak with our companions anywhere to having to go to their residences in order to converse with them, and the player has to keep an eye out on the map for that was just too extreme of a change. Because BioWare took that route in DA II, why couldn't the Developers have the companions hinted to the player as it was done in Jade Empire: to have the dialogue symbols above their heads or simply: “I need to speak with you once you have a chance or an opportunity?”
“There was a lack of attachment in the relationship between my protagonist and her mother”
2—There was a lack of attachment in the relationship between my protagonist and her mother. This was a personal story; thus I expected a close-knit relationship to have existed between my protagonist and her mother. From the point of view of the story, if that had existed, more sentimentality could have felt (without giving away the plot) when that ill-fated misfortune befell her mother.
However, I must applaud DA II for the cohesiveness that thrived between the siblings. My protagonist had a solid relationship with her sister albeit not as strong as it could have been. The friendship that flourished between my protagonist and her sister was tender at intervals. I tried a warrior on my PC version until my character reached the Expedition to the Deeps Roads. I stopped there in that play-through. However, I did complete my first play-through on the X-box 360, where my protagonist was a deadly, DPS/Healer mage. Playing a mage was really satisfying! My mage very was powerful.
As a mage, my heroine’s relationship with her brother, a warrior, was still somewhat affectionate based on the decisions my character shaped via choices. Again, it could have been much more compelling if the feeling of rush, rush wasn't there. The ‘mission’ was truly stressed in DA II, whereas in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it isn't. I am taking much pleasure in that in the main quests as well as the side quests, where ‘time’ is unimportant for completing those tasks in Dragon Age: Inquisition (DA: I).
3—Finding an item and returning it to a Non-playable Character (NPC) or to just complete it silently as in stuffing it in a mailbox (Dragon Age: Inquisition), I do not like in Dragon Age. These types of senseless quests started in Dragon II, where my character would find an item in the environment and returned it to an NPC who didn’t know that item in question was missing.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, there are some occasional side quests, where I would find a corpse where there is a memento I can take to his/her surviving kin; I do not mind that at all. To me, that adds to the feeling of the conflict that exists between the Mages and Templars. A close family member could be waiting for word from a loved one, where none is forthcoming makes senses when there are no survivors to return with news. But just stumbling on ‘this’ or ’that’ and then returns it and receives no acknowledgement? That I cannot stand. It has no place in Dragon Age. Those meaningless occasional quests add no value to the game.
4—What I always wish for in Dragon Age, from DA: O to DA: I is: the ability to interact with the environment. In DA: O, seeing the Reverend Mother sits in a chair was so refreshing. In Dragon Age II, this only occurred in cut-scenes, where the companions would sit or act life-like. I did appreciate that. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, this should have been there since Executive Director: Mark Darrah stated that he looked into Skyrim. In Skyrim, or The Elder Scrolls (TES) games, the NPCs have lives. They sit, they sleep, they lie down, and they move around and act like they are alive. To show that the NPCs have lives in TES, there is a day and night cycle, where at night shops are closed, but a player can always fast forward time and have the shops re-open to do his or her business.
I would have loved to see my character sits on the couch where a book is propped-up and to lay on the bed in her quarters without it being in a cut-scene in DA: I (also in DA II). Sure, I can role-play my character to my heart content in Dragon Age: Inquisition. That’s delightful! As I mentioned on the Bioware forums on several occasions, all the fundamentals are in place in Dragon Age: Inquisition. All that is left to do is for BioWare to populate the world with towns and people.
“The Elf Design was exclusive in Dragon Age:
Origins”
5—The Elf design in DA: O is interesting. The Elves are exclusive in that installment. I didn’t complain much about the height. I saw them as Wood-Elves in some instances, in others I couldn't. Their faces are unique to them. Some forumites on the Dragon Age forums complained that they look like humans with pointy ears. I declare that they are not. Humans are proportional and tall, with their own distinct looks in DA: O. The Dalish Elves (as well as City Elves) are too skinny (still plumper than DA II's Elves) and the City Elves are hunched-back since they are in servitude to their human masters. This is a radical departure from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elves.
In Dragon Age: II, the Elves were simply just too horrid. They looked like some species from out of space. And the settlement of the Dalish was laughable. The Dalish Elves pride themselves as the lore keepers of their group. They enjoy nature; to place the Dalish Elves in a slab, concrete areas, both in Dragon Age II and in Dragon Age: Inquisition was/is simply ridiculous. And the Developers interpreted their travelling units as boats (instead of wagons) on land with BOLD RED sails. To me that’s screaming: “come and find me humans!” In DA: O, it felt great to be a Dalish Elf. I enjoyed how they were portrayed. They were surrounded by nature. Sometime, I would just go there to simply enjoy the woods, where the Dalish Elves situated themselves.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, to place the Dalish Elves right in the open and on a dirt slab, rocky , non-grassy area where the stunning forest looms there in the balance, untouched is simply outrageous! Why this hatred for the elves? Why couldn't they be in the lush-ful forest? To me, Inquisition provided the rightful environment for the Dalish Elves. No, The Emerald Graves remains free, except for the nugs and deer (halla) and occasional wolves that roam that stunning area. Bioware needs to remedy this either in a patch or an upcoming DLC. That is unforgivable BioWare! Also, Bioware, while you’re at it, give the Elves proper physiques. The anorexic, teenage bodies that the Elves sport in Dragon Age: Inquisition is just horrific!
“The BOLD RED has no place in Dragon Age”
6—The BOLD RED has no place in Dragon Age. In Dragon Age: Origins, the atmosphere was clearly medieval. It has this feel to it: I enjoyed going to Redcliffe village to simply admiring the castle of Redcliffe from a distinctive vintage: across the lake, which shimmered most hauntingly. The ambiance was (still is for me) surreal, haunting! In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Redcliffe has changed to reflect a bold, crisp area. The surrealistic aspect of it all gone. It’s bold! And throughout Dragon Age: Inquisition, there is this bold red that screams! That’s too bold for a medieval setting. This trend started in Dragon Age II. In that installment, I can understand it, for it was all about grittiness and being dark. It fitted there in that sense, but to repeat it in Dragon Age: Inquisition? That was a bad design choice.
Still, I can say that this BOLD Red is appropriate in Val Royeaux. The entrance to the Dwarf lair: Valammar can be thus. But seeing that bold red within the catacombs of their dead ancestors, I would trust not! Gold is always appropriate anywhere and can be spectacularly BOLD! What I would like to see, though are cobweb-covered coffins. BOLD-BRIGHT RED has no place among the dead or among the Dalish since they are keeping a low profile.
7—The Dialogue Wheel was improperly implemented in Dragon Age II but a welcome change in Dragon Age: Inquisition. When it veers its ugly head in Dragon Age II, my protagonist would say the ‘opposite’ of what I desired her to utter. I dislike that with a passion in DA II. But in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the Dialogue Wheel is a welcoming breath of fresh air, almost always.
They are nuances added in the Dialogue Wheel that when I role-play my character, I am quite satisfy with the result. An example is when my protagonist sits in judgment. She would just sit there and wait for me to select a choice of my choosing and what she delivers is what I desire her to say (I play the game in French.). That’s freedom of role-play! Kudos there, Lead Writer David Gaider.
8—Wildlife was missing in Dragon Age: Origins and in Dragon Age II. I asked the Devs on the Dragoon Age forums to please add this. Creative Director, Mike Laidlaw answered and added the sounds of it in DLC’s for DA II. What DA: O lacked and what DA II didn’t have as far as adding life to the game: Dragon Age Inquisition delivered in quadruples! What a stunning, huge—breathtaking world! Creative Director, Mike Laidlaw replied to the critics who criticized the re-used environments in Dragon Age II by creating a beautiful, immense world with many semi-open, huge, stunning areas in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Would I have loved Dragon Age: Inquisition to be a TRUE opened-world? Yes, I would! I dislike the ‘invisible’ barriers between the zones or areas in DA: I. I wish people would state: semi-open rather than open world. The ones who say that Dragon Age: Inquisition is an open-world game, truly didn’t play the entire game!
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| Romantic, charming, debonair Anders in DA : O Awakening |
9—The Big Change in Anders was mind-boggling for me. I couldn't ingest the change in him from the Expansion: Dragon Age: Origins- Awakening. He was the opposite of what he became in Dragon Age II: a psychotic. He was charming, romantic, and debonair in that expansion. Many fans wanted him as a love interest. He flirted and joked; he was the ideal romance companion.
10—The Ending in DA II was hard to accept. I couldn't accept it. No matter what one did, the ending was always the same.
So, could the above cause a backlash for Dragon Age II? Possibly, but it is all suggestive. I rated the game as an 8/10. My protagonist had a personal story. I loved that. The combat was fluid, fun and thrilling, especially on x-box 360 where I can feel the thrill of the battle via the controller. They were many fun spells and abilities added and the AI/UI was still intact. Healing was still present.
This backlash removed the Devs from the forums. When I left the forums, the Developers were still active on there. They distanced themselves when the fans became too passionate after my departure. Most fans wanted a DA: O 2. When I was there last, both Creative Director Mike Laidlaw and John Epler (Lead Cinematic Designer) were still around. I read in December of last year that writer; Jennifer Hepler (I like her) was threatened by fans. She quit Bioware, although I read it was due to other personal reasons.
Returning to topic, when I learned that Beta for Patch 5 will allow the selected players to interact/work directly with the Developers for Dragon Age: Inquisition, I smiled and shook my head. This is nothing new—especially not to us Bioware fans! The Devs used to be a part of our lives.
With the Black Emporium being a part of this Beta in Patch 5, I’m very curious about it. I read purchase in the article. Does it mean it would be a DLC? Do we have to purchase it? I did purchase the Black Emporium in DA II; would it be free for us players who purchased it in Dragon Age II?
The other news: Armor tinting, STORAGE Space (many of us have asked BioWare from day one to give us some space in our huge mansion in Skyhold to store those rare items we pick-up in the world in the hopes of sharing them with our alts), Auto Attack on PC and other goodies, is news to our ears. By BioWare’s willingness to add the aforementioned, states to me that they are reading the forums and that maybe they will return, where they were such a big part of the community.
With BioWare’s announcement of the Beta and with an unspecified date for selecting players, I didn’t think BioWare would immediately decide to open Beta sign-up for Patch 5. When I learned of this on the Devs' Twitter page, I immediately went to the: Dragon Keep to sign-up. But guess what? It was already closed. It was less than a full day! This was truly unfair! If BioWare was really looking to improve Dragon Age: Inquisition, the company would allow more time—give all players a chance to sign-up! Is this Patch about fixing bugs and glitches as well as making needed improvement to the game? If it is, I am the merrier for it. My enthusiasm for Dragon Age: Inquisition is dampening. I would think Bioware would want a wider audience and then select from that pool.
I wish that I had a chance to sign-up to test the Beta for Patch 5. I have always given BioWare nothing but the best constructive criticism on the forums and many wonderful suggestions that appeared in the Dragon Age series. BioWare, please be more selective with the next patches. Give players a chance to sign-up—widen the pool. Dragon Age: Inquisition as I have stated on several occasions, can be ‘truly’ a beloved game. That can o.nly happen with the suggestion and feedback of players who truly love the series and who want the franchise to thvrie
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