Dragon Age: Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Looking past DEI bullshit, what baffles me time and time again is why use an IP if you're going to shift key themes and notes and go in your own direction? I understand branding is super valuable but I feel if you're going to distort what made the IP what it was just for the branding and market recognition then ultimately you'll have a shittier product each and every time.

Just the age old adage of passionate people build passion projects, marketing comes in and adds massive overhead and ruins everything. Best Steve Jobs quote

Penance said:

Looking past DEI bullshit, what baffles me time and time again is why use an IP if you're going to shift key themes and notes and go in your own direction? I understand branding is super valuable but I feel if you're going to distort what made the IP what it was just for the branding and market recognition then ultimately you'll have a shittier product each and every time.

Just the age old adage of passionate people build passion projects, marketing comes in and adds massive overhead and ruins everything. Best Steve Jobs quote

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The DEI garbage isn't even the most egregious problem with this game.

The art and story direction are so far off base that if I didn't already know this was DA I could easily be convinced it was an entirely different game from a completely different genre.

DA has a brand; a brand that has been cultivated for years and changing the formula to attract a 'new' audience is an absolutely braindead move. Particularly if the formula is so drastically different it alienates the existing players. In some industries it makes sense to pander to a new audience, but that typically only makes sense if the existing fanbase is leaving/aging out, but the fans of DA haven't gone anywhere. In fact, they've all been salivating for years waiting to suck off the team that gives them what they want.

So many of these studios have allowed themselves to be infected with socially inept retards that believe everyone else is like them. No, motherfucker, we're not adult-children who use goofy 11-year old anime characters in our online profiles and think it's cute when people say UWU.

I've said it before, but I just cannot comprehend the decision-making processes of those running the studios. My knowledge of game development is limited, but I'm absolutely confident that if I were to be the primary executive producer for DA, the game would be, objectively, better. And that's pathetic.

Penance said:

Looking past DEI bullshit, what baffles me time and time again is why use an IP if you're going to shift key themes and notes and go in your own direction? I understand branding is super valuable but I feel if you're going to distort what made the IP what it was just for the branding and market recognition then ultimately you'll have a shittier product each and every time.

Just the age old adage of passionate people build passion projects, marketing comes in and adds massive overhead and ruins everything. Best Steve Jobs quote

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It's a money grab on the nostalgia feels. They see Baldurs Gate 3 making buckets of cash after 2 decades and figure why not them?

I guess a new Bards Tale is next even though they already had 2 dumpster fire remakes.

They're 100% going for the BG3 numbers using the D&D movie comic book theme. It's just that the game would've been 10x more well received had they just called it Veilguard.

Grabbit Allworth said:

DA has a brand; a brand that has been cultivated for years and changing the formula to attract a 'new' audience is an absolutely braindead move. Particularly if the formula is so drastically different it alienates the existing players. In some industries it makes sense to pander to a new audience, but that typically only makes sense if the existing fanbase is leaving/aging out, but the fans of DA haven't gone anywhere. In fact, they've all been salivating for years waiting to suck off the team that gives them what they want.

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eh... has it though? isn't that been the complaint about DA the entire time? DA has always had a problem with tone and bad marketing. following "trends"

da O is a rtwp/turn based isometric tactical rpg throwing back to baldurs gate.
Meanwhile the trailer as Tuco linked was this... marilyn manson. "this is the new shit"



Da 2 then pissed everyone off turning into an corridor action rpg. generic rock here.



Then DA 3 is an mmo light, with riddler trophies and AC towers/collectables.

more modern music. not going to bother look up who it is.

now, yes, these all keep the dark fantasy theme better. outside of the terrible music choices. none are comedic.

Tuco said:

A key question is whether DEI garbage is a root cause of the issues being discussed. I'd argue that any DEI garbage filled outfit like Bioware 2024 is incapable of producing a game like DAO (in terms of design) or even the trailers posted here.B

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Ah, yes.

I was exclusively referring to within the game and the characters, but you're absolutely correct that the DEI component of the development team is responsible for this 'gem.'

Kinda funny that the new thread title is arguably pulling double/triple duty.

Mist said:

Does it though? All 3 games had totally different interface styles, combat, story, and themes.

Only a few characters, mainly Morrigan and Varric, stayed consistent throughout the games.

DA does not have a consistent brand, which is why it kinda sucks as a franchise.

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It does have a brand, but the execution has failed on multiple occassions.

The same way that D&D has a brand, but has failed to produce on many, many occasions. There have literally been dozens of D&D games developed, but only a handful have successfully captured the essence of the brand. The entire Baldur's Gate series is one of the few examples to do it well.

DA:O was pinnacle and the proper execution of the DA brand, but I really enjoyed Inquisition, too (despite all the inherent faggotry).

Just because the studio has failed to execute does not mean that the IP doesn't have an identity/brand.

Tuco said:

What is the DAO brand and how is it differentiated from other popular fantasy RPGs?

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It's not something that's easily described, but we all know it when we see it. I feel the exact same way about D&D games. It's difficult for me to pin down the exact details regarding what makes a good D&D (PC) game good without coming off like I'm trying to dodge the question.

However, in an attempt to answer you: it's the environments, the harsh gritty tone, the considerable lore, and the recurring characters, but the game also needs a mechanical skeleton to layer the previous elements on to. And that's where the tactical combat and progression shine.

Lastly, I don't think DA:O is all that different from the other great RPGs. All the great ones have interesting narratives, well-written characters, engaging tactical combat, rewarding progression systems, and plenty of options for customization. The art direction and the implementation of system mechanics are the about the only way they're different from each other. Of course there are outliers that introduce/expand-upon new/novel concepts like player-driven narratives through cause and effect.

The majority of studios that create RPGs follow very similar formulas but, like anything, you have to execute to create something great and many of them fail. And the most glaring failure in most games is the writing. A singular person in a basement with access to the Unreal engine can produce incredible graphics, but it takes real talent to write well.

Gavinmad said:

Kinda funny that the new thread title is arguably pulling double/triple duty.

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You came for the gendermancing, stayed for Mist