Dragon Age: Inquisition - E3 TRAILER

MrPiggles

MrPiggles

CAGiversary!
Feedback
62 (100%)
PD4t1.png
Bioware's next entry into the Dragon Age series has just been officially confirmed (with a scheduled late 2013 release date). Here's their official statement:

An open letter from Mark Darrah, Executive Producer
Hey everyone,

We are going to do things a little differently today. Some of you may not know who I am so to start out, I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself.

I joined BioWare in May of 1997 making this year my 15th year with the Company (So, old…). I am a programmer by training and implemented the AI, scripting, and combat systems in Baldur's Gate. After that, I moved into a lead programmer role on Tales of the Sword Coast, BG2, and Throne of Bhaal. I kept my hands dirty during this time; you have me to blame for the wild mage.

After the Baldur's Gate series, I was the lead programmer on Jade Empire, though I made a brief detour to implement the first version of the DM client in Neverwinter Nights.

Then through a weird series of un-relatable stories, I ended up on BioWare's handheld title Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. I started out as Lead Programmer and finished in charge of the project. Along the way I managed to write a scripting language somehow WORSE than the one in BG, yet at the same time coded a stats system that I am VERY proud of. Fundamentally, the core achievement was that you could not die after you had already; it's surprising how hard that can be to ensure, sometimes.

Finally I moved over to the Dragon Age franchise. I have been the Executive Producer since just before Dragon Age: Origins shipped.

I am part of an active D&D campaign, love collecting pen and paper stuff and like walks on the beach.

Actually I don't like walks on the beach, too smooshy.

Okay, enough about me, why have I called you all here today?

I am pleased to confirm that we are, in fact, working on the next Dragon Age game. Not a big surprise to most of you, I know. We have been working on it in some way for about two years now with the bulk of our efforts ramping up about 18 months ago.

Part of that effort has involved you, our fans, and the feedback you've provided for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and their DLC. We've visited message boards, read reviews, and we've gone to events to have direct face to face conversations with some of our most passionate fans. We've been listening, and we will continue to listen.

Recently, I said that we didn't want to talk about Dragon Age III unless we had something to show. I'm trying to stick to that plan and won't be revealing much today. That said, a lot of information and rumors have surfaced recently and we don't want to hide from them. There are a BUNCH of things that I really want to share with you but I want to do this right, and doing it right requires some more time.

So here's what I can confirm for now:

* The next game will be called Dragon Age III: Inquisition.
* We won't be talking about the story of the game today. Though you can make some guesses from the title.
* This game is being made by a lot of the same team that has been working on Dragon Age since Dragon Age: Origins. It's composed of both experienced BioWare veterans and talented new developers.
* We are working on a new engine which we believe will allow us to deliver a more expansive world, better visuals, more reactivity to player choices, and more customization. At PAX East, we talked about armor and followers… Yeah, that kind of customization. * * * We've started with Frostbite 2 from DICE as a foundation to accomplish this.
There's much more to talk about, of course, but it will have to wait until it's ready for the prime time.

We are going to be as open as we can. We will continue to have a dialogue with you and answer what questions we can. Keep providing us with your feedback. I'm excited about what we are working on and I hope that you will be too. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but it is just as hard for me not to tell you stuff as it is for you to wait.

With thanks for your enthusiasm, and your patience,

Mark
Click to expand...
Source: http://dragonage.bioware.com/inquisition/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8v3Et4tGE

 
Last edited by a moderator:
They've got a long road ahead of them to convince me that:

A) a Dragon Age game is still worth playing
And
B) a Bioware game is still worth playing.

...After the 1-2 punch of Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']They've got a long road ahead of them to convince me that:

A) a Dragon Age game is still worth playing
And
B) a Bioware game is still worth playing.

...After the 1-2 punch of Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3.[/QUOTE]

Dragon Age II was no doubt rushed, and was fairly shitty. But it looks like they've taken more time with developing DAIII, so hopefully it'll redeem Bioware. And it'll be based on the frostbite 2 engine, so at least it'll be pretty.
 
As one of the only people (maybe the only person? :lol:) who thought that Dragon Age II was a big improvement on the first, and was quite satisfied with Mass Effect 3 overall (though I didn't think it was quite as good as ME2), I'm still firmly in BioWare's camp. Looking forward to Dragon Age III with zero reservations.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']As one of the only people (maybe the only person? :lol:) who thought that Dragon Age II was a big improvement on the first, and was quite satisfied with Mass Effect 3 overall (though I didn't think it was quite as good as ME2), I'm still firmly in BioWare's camp. Looking forward to Dragon Age III with zero reservations.[/QUOTE]

DA2 was an improvement gameplay and combat wise (minus auto attack debacle) and ME3 was mostly rectified with the EC, so I'm not straying anytime soon.
 
Dragon Age 2 was nowhere near as good as the first. Mass Effect 3 I thought was good but not as good as 2. Overall I am still satisfied by the games that Bioware puts out. Now this might not be a Day 1 purchase for me, but I will eventually play it.
 
I'm one of DA2's biggest supporters, as well. I loved everything about it and thought it improved on everything over DA:O except for the volume of DLC and crew customization. But, it's pretty much confirmed that is coming with DAIII, so consider me happy.

So, the wait begins. *sigh*
 
I knew it was coming, but I am excited to see the official announcement. I loved DA:O and loved a lot of the gameplay changes that came with DAII. Sure, each left room for improvement and no game is perfect, but the story in both was great and I had a lot of fun.

With the books, comics, and other media they have tied in, BW has done a lot to expand and build on the story they started with the games. I'm excited to see where this 3rd installment is taking us. However, I just know that "late 2013" will become "Q1 2014" so I'll have to be patient waiting for this one.
 
[quote name='MrPiggles']Dragon Age II was no doubt rushed, and was fairly shitty. But it looks like they've taken more time with developing DAIII, so hopefully it'll redeem Bioware. And it'll be based on the frostbite 2 engine, so at least it'll be pretty.[/QUOTE]

The rushing of DA2 was practically inexplicable. They had a plan to string out the DLC for DA:O but then all of a sudden went "fuck it, let's rush out the new one."

The combat on 2 wasn't too bad but what really got me was just how much smaller in scope and variety it had versus the 1st one. There was essentially 3 different main dungeon setups and the world in general had nothing to it. Severely disappointing considering how expansive and open DA:O felt.
 
Well the story and locations were clearly sub-par but I thought the characters and combat made up for it. I heard 3 might be for next-gen consoles which would suck because I probably wont have the $ to buy one right away. Let's hope it's not true....
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']They've got a long road ahead of them to convince me that:

A) a Dragon Age game is still worth playing
And
B) a Bioware game is still worth playing.

...After the 1-2 punch of Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't say it better
 
Yes, the Dr's are out. But, Mike Darrah, Mike Laidlaw, Dave Gaider and the rest of the Bioware crew are still there. We're in good hands.
 
[quote name='MrPiggles']Oooh boy. My doubts for DAIII are starting to get stronger. It says that they "retired", but considering how they're both retiring AT THE SAME TIME, then there's probably some internal issues in Bioware.[/QUOTE]

If you look at where Bioware was in terms of industry standing prior to their acquisition by EA and where they are now they've fallen very, very far. I mean we're talking about a company that set the bar for western RPGs and made them relevant with stuff like Neverwinter, KotoR, Mass Effect.

Now they're in a position where their name has been bastardized with Bioware Victory studio and it's seemingly "development hell"-ed Command Conquer reboot. On top of that you've got Bioware proper having a string of critically panned releases including Star Wars The Old Republic, Dragon Age 2, and Mass Effect 3. We feared that EA's buyout could spell disaster for Bioware and now it seems as if those fears are coming true. Personally, I don't think Mass Effect 3's issues has much to do with the EA buyout but very clearly the other 2 were the result of EA meddling and rushing.
 
I have Dragon Age Ultimate Edition in my backlog. Should I still play Dragon Age 2 after I finish DA:UE because I heard DA2 was a letdown?
 
[quote name='anotherpoorgamer']I have Dragon Age Ultimate Edition in my backlog. Should I still play Dragon Age 2 after I finish DA:UE because I heard DA2 was a letdown?[/QUOTE]
Play DA:O and then decide if you want more of that.
 
[quote name='anotherpoorgamer']I have Dragon Age Ultimate Edition in my backlog. Should I still play Dragon Age 2 after I finish DA:UE because I heard DA2 was a letdown?[/QUOTE]

If you enjoy DA:O and the story, I suggest you find a cheap copy of 2 and give it a shot. It's not a total disaster or anything. I thought it had its faults, but it was a lot of fun too.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']If I recall last year after Skyrim's success they said they wanted to have a more open world game.[/QUOTE]

I don't know why Skyrim would provoke that but Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout: NV wouldn't.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']I don't know why Skyrim would provoke that but Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout: NV wouldn't.[/QUOTE]

Money.

Skyrim has already outsold Oblivion supposedly and hasn't even been out a year yet.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Money.

Skyrim has already outsold Oblivion supposedly and hasn't even been out a year yet.[/QUOTE]

And fallout 3 outsold Oblivion. And Oblivion outsold Morrowind. Their sales have simply been growing over time. Skyrim also came out at a time when consoles were well established. It's not surprising.
 
I don't really have high hopes for this after DA2. Origins was such an amazing game, by far one of the best games I've played in the last 10 years and it still astounds me to this day how DA2 turned out after its release. I had my doubts and was unfortunately proved to be right when DA2 premiered and I really don't see them improving a whole lot even with more time. I'll still play it anyway just to see how the story turns out but I'll probably wait until the "ultimate edition" comes out this time.
 
The main problem with DA2 was just that it was called DA2. It would have been a fine game on its own, but it really was NOT a sequel to DA:O at all. The question is - which game is DA3 really going to follow? (or neither)?
 
They said the limited scope storyline was intentional to setup further games. I didn't mind the story and the narrative style was interesting, but it was a rushed game. Recycled environments got old and it was missing features like auto attack out of the box.
 
Let me know when they make jade empire 2
other wise I'm not wasting the effort I put into dragon age 2
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']As one of the only people (maybe the only person? :lol:) who thought that Dragon Age II was a big improvement on the first, and was quite satisfied with Mass Effect 3 overall (though I didn't think it was quite as good as ME2), I'm still firmly in BioWare's camp. Looking forward to Dragon Age III with zero reservations.[/QUOTE]


I loved Dragon Age II, so IDC.
 
You can put me into the camp of people that liked DA2 a lot as well, though not quite as much as the first. My wife actually likes DAII more than Origins, so yeah... We're excited :)

Also, It's astounding how so many people enjoyed 98% of ME3 yet crap on the game because of the ending.
 
Not to intentionally continue the off topicness but that Gamespot article is news to me regarding Bioware guys retiring, think it has a lot to do with the failure of The Old Republic.
 
[quote name='hustletron']Not to intentionally continue the off topicness but that Gamespot article is news to me regarding Bioware guys retiring, think it has a lot to do with the failure of The Old Republic.[/QUOTE]


I highly doubt it has anything to do with that... This kind of thing happens a lot in this industry, people like to move on and try new things, even those who are high up in these studios. I mean, just this year CliffyB left Epic, Kellee Santiago left Thatgamecompany(right after the monstrous success of Journey), & key members of Irrational(Gerritsen & Wells) moved on to further ventures.

I think these people just become successful(especially the first two), and like to try branching out in new ways... It's not always because of something bad that happened.
 
Ray and Greg left at the same time, which is what I think alarmed people. One of the writers for TOR also left, but that was an obvious move as he's solely becoming a writer (Karphyshn).
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Ray and Greg left at the same time, which is what I think alarmed people. One of the writers for TOR also left, but that was an obvious move as he's solely becoming a writer (Karphyshn).[/QUOTE]

Drew was also one of (maybe the main one) the writers for Mass Effect 1 & 2, and I think he had a major role in creating the universe. The ME books he wrote are very good, and I feel that his departure will be missed a bit more than the aforementioned people. I mean, I doubt that they had too much of a major role anymore, and with Drew's artistic visions for both ME & TOR may prove to be more of a vital loss in the long run(perharps the ME3 debacle could have been avoided with him at the helm, as I don't think he was involved in the series' conclusion, he had already moved on to TOR)... Who knows what else he could have helped come up with for them. We'll see.

Also, as Cheapy once mentioned, you had to have seen this coming after the merger with EA. It would seem that they decided quite a while ago that they were ready to move on.
 
http://kotaku.com/5963954/a-dragon-age-iii-mystery-a-star-wars-theory-and-some-gaming-secrets

An EA Shanghai level designer who worked on a vertical slice of Dragon Age III earlier in the year states on his LinkedIn page that the "Scope of the DAIII has been chaged [sic], which will target next gen platform [sic] and will be postpone [sic] to 2014." The claim of the delay is probably a misinterpretation of the rumors of the RPG sequel's delays from fiscal 2013 (before March 31, 2013) to fiscal 2014 (after that date), which was pegged to EA wanting to avoid the rushed development criticisms that dogged Dragon Age II. However, those "development cycle" posits are seemingly not entirely accurate, as the designer says that EA wanted to refocus Dragon Age III from a current-generation title to a marquee next-generation RPG.

Dragon Age III coming to next-generation platforms should not be a surprise to anyone, as EA tellingly excluded any specifics on platforms in the game's September announcement—a way of saying that the intended platforms have not yet been announced.
Click to expand...
 
What I suspected all along. Now the question is if the delay is true, is that rework on the game or because the platforms don't launch until then? Makes me thankful though. I won't have to waffle on console purchase on account of games I don't care about.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yeah, what I suspected/hoped as well. I'd rather wait for a crazy-good product than a half-developed one. This would sell me a new console, no question (not like I needed much prodding, though).
 
[quote name='Mixer236']Drew was also one of (maybe the main one) the writers for Mass Effect 1 & 2, and I think he had a major role in creating the universe. The ME books he wrote are very good, and I feel that his departure will be missed a bit more than the aforementioned people. I mean, I doubt that they had too much of a major role anymore, and with Drew's artistic visions for both ME & TOR may prove to be more of a vital loss in the long run(perharps the ME3 debacle could have been avoided with him at the helm, as I don't think he was involved in the series' conclusion, he had already moved on to TOR)... Who knows what else he could have helped come up with for them. We'll see.

Also, as Cheapy once mentioned, you had to have seen this coming after the merger with EA. It would seem that they decided quite a while ago that they were ready to move on.[/QUOTE]

The LA times writer Ben Fritz (yeah the one that bricked his Wii U) theorized that since it had been almost 5 years exact since EA bought Bioware maybe this was the plan all along for them to leave after 5 years. Similar things happen with big entertainment mergers/acquisitions in other areas of the media.

Also yeah, no way in hell that's the ending for ME 3 with Drew at the helm. It would have explored the dark matter causing all the suns to go supernova early b/c of the use of the mass effect relays as starting to be explored in Tali's mission in ME 2 and tossed aside at the end of the Conrad Verner story arc in ME 3.
 
[quote name='Navex']I don't really have high hopes for this after DA2. Origins was such an amazing game, by far one of the best games I've played in the last 10 years and it still astounds me to this day how DA2 turned out after its release. I had my doubts and was unfortunately proved to be right when DA2 premiered and I really don't see them improving a whole lot even with more time. I'll still play it anyway just to see how the story turns out but I'll probably wait until the "ultimate edition" comes out this time.[/QUOTE]

If the game doesn't sell it won't get an Ultimate Edition, see DA 2.

In terms of DA 2 I liked it fine except for the destruction of Anders' character post-Awakening, having only 3 dungeon layouts for everything except the main questline, and the Isabella loyalty slow-down bug that caused me to have to stop playing the game for a 2-month period waiting a patch then having to replay almost all of Act 2.

I love all the characters in 2 much more than 1, Varric is my favorite dwarf ever in any fiction.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top