DAII Officially Ends Development

[sarasa_cat]

Some of you may have already seen this: Today Bioware  officially scrapped development of DA2 DLC to shift those developers over to "something else" -- presumably DA3.

All of the discussion on that second link is a bear to get through, but it seems that there is talk about creating closure for the EVENTS that Hawke was involved in via a non-game/non-interactive media.  :(

The only plus about the above is that perhaps the characters and events in Kirkwall now get to live on mostly in fan artist/writer headcanon, which is *not* a bad thing given the talent in fandom.

Meanwhile, Dragon Age's Executive Producer, Mark Darrah addressed one person's lengthy concerns/dislikes by saying that DA3 will have:

1. More customization (Let's me change follower armor. More equipment upgrades)
2. More traditional fantasy story (Epic enemy, clear villain)
3. More areas and areas variety
4. More control over my story.

I'm not surprised. I'm most happy with 4 and least happy with 2. I know I'm in the minority. I had a ton of fun playing DA:O but that was because of the characters far more than the story. It was a little too b&w heroic for my tastes. DA2's ambiguity is far more satisfying for me. Again, I know I'm in the minority. I am far more into realism over fantasy, and no good moral choice over obvious moral-driven heroics.

As for 1, more customization, I hope they strike a balance between equipment management overload (DA:O) and the highly streamlined system in DA2 where at least one party character is quite literally wedded to his crossbow (oh, Varric, I still love you anyway). DA2's system annoying me at first but after 20 hours of play I actually preferred focusing on PLAYING THE GAME rather than spending hours at a time (!!) messing about with a half dozen characters' armor, accessories, and primary & second weapons. :|

And then there is 3, more areas and areas variety. More variety in each after is, obviously, a big win. I don't want to visit the same warehouse. mansion, cave ninety-eight times. But... what I love about DA2 is how well I got to know Kirkwall. Kirkwall mattered to me by the time Act II ended. Hawke was invested in the city and I felt like I lived there. While skipping through all four corners of Ferelden in DA2, I only had that same sense of "living somewhere" in Awakening's Arling of Amaranthine (again, my Warden became invested) and, to a lesser extent in the Circle Tower (but *ONLY* with a mage origin and also revisiting after it is rebuilt in WitchHunt), and in Orzammar. I like getting to know the feel of a place rather than merely blowing through to save the day.

In DA3 would like to revisit Kirkwall and some of the places in Ferelden that we saw in DA:O/A but, of course, I am looking forward to the large map that was announced a month or so ago, and the potential of visiting Orlais plus other fabled places.

Comments

[ex_pendency799]

Darrah followed up his forum post on Twitter, revealing that a downloadable expansion titled 'Exalted March' had been planned.

"We did have plans for an expansion pack to DA2 but, other DA opportunities came up. There were even shirts! It was called Exalted March," he said.

First thoughts, THEY SCRAPPED AN ANDERS!LIVES/SEBASTIAN SHOWDOWN?!? Because of course Sebastian's army-raising tanty was clearly the start of the next Exalted March, heh.

Disappointing about the lack of DLC, though, gecause DAII has this absurdly high level cap (50) and I barely hit Lv18 in my first playthrough, and I had hoped it was built in specifically for DLC. :/

[sarasa_cat]

I assume that it would have been the divine sending her armies into Kirkwall to stabilize matters after all hell broke loose during Act III. If so, THAT is something I really wanted to see and I'm full of sad (and would rather not know if this is what they canceled).

On the other hand, maybe they've rolled it into the beginning of DA3 as a transition? Much like the start of DA2 is in Blighted Lothering and acts as a transition from DAO.

[owlmoose]

You may be in the minority in the wilder world of game players, but I saw many similar sentiments to yours on Tumblr, in particular liking the less traditional type of story.

I'm feeling a little more moderate on the issue, especially as I loved Origins; bottom line is if the tradeoff is between post-game DLC/Expansion or a better-developed DA3 -- without the rough edges that plagued DA2 like repetitive environments and the rushed Act Three, then I will take the focus on the sequel and be content. (Assuming the sequel is any good, but for now I'm willing to trust them.) And I'm actually okay with Hawke's story being done where it is, because I can't imagine any way for them to tell a coherent story that works equally well for both the Viscount and fugitive endings.

That said, I certainly feel the disappointment, too. I was looking forward to another adventure with Hawke and her companions, and future content without them just won't be the same.

I see your Anders and raise you one Fenris!

[sarasa_cat]

My film friends (film critics, hardcore film festival goers, etc.) who also happen to be RPGers tend to favor the less traditional nature of DA2 over DAO. I suspect that the Tumblr ground skews more toward SERIOUS FANS who think deeply about the games they play, my film crew skews extremely media savvy (especially the ones who study film, video games, and/or teach at universities) and they prefer more literary and experimental experiences. When I compare my media crew and the people I'm starting to get to know on Tumblr, they're far more similar than many of the "wilder world of game players" I know--people who tend to plow through games rather quickly/fiercely with the goal of "beating the game" so they can rush on to the next hot release (whereas I may only play a few games per year).

Oh, as for that "beating the game" mindset, I think it is impossible to watch the credits roll on DA2 and feel like you "beat" the game. Win the boss battles, yes. "Beat" with optimum outcome? Eh. Heeheheheh.

Ever since I saw my first DA2 ending, I was okay with Hawke's story being done purely for the reason you state: Viscount vs Fugitive would be difficult to juggle. But, I do want to know what happens to Kirkwall in general. Also, I would have *really* liked a DLC that takes place in the Act III and fills out the content there a little more. (And I want more Varric.)

And, yes, much agreement that I'd rather have all of the DA developers working on making DA3 better than splitting their efforts. I hope that some of the ideas they were (rumored?) to be working on for a post-DA2 DLC somehow get rolled up into DA3. At that point, I'll be happy (mostly, I think).