• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dragon Age: Veilguard New Details

nowhat

Member
I think "Rook" sounds a bit off, but on the upside, at least you're not Bishop and forced to move diagonally.
 
  • Thoughtful
Reactions: Gp1

PeteBull

Member
Why not just make a new IP? This is so far afield from what I know as Dragon Age aesthetic (blood soaked characters, dark fantasy)
Coz they wanna take advantage of DA name to push that woke agenda, if it was new ip they wouldnt get any funds for AAA woke agenda game coz every1 knows this shit flops hard af, with DA ip they hope/deceive themselfs this astrocity can get decent sales/be profitable despite the wokeness, collatellal damage aka destroying DA series is non factor for them, basically same thing we had with woke Saints Row reboot :(
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Hopefully it's not gonna be an impossible choice like in starfield.
People whose entire identity is proudly formed around their DSM catalogue of mental illnesses aren’t going to write characters that are tolerable to be around.

The implication is that they changed the name of the game because it sounded too aggressive and masculine. I would abandon all hope.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
  • "We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions." - Game Director Corinne Bushe
  • Focus is on the team
  • Can select pronouns separately from gender and adjust physical characteristics like height, shoulder width, chest size, glute and bulge size, hip width, how bloodshot your eyes are, how crooked your nose is and more
  • Hundreds of sliders to customize proportions and features like skin hue, tone, melanin and more
  • Can customize genitalia
  • Looks cyberpunk-inspired with neon city lights and brimming with detail
  • Sweetheart and nerd for ancient elven artifacts


giphy.gif



If I had a flag store all my red flags would be sold out after reading all of this.
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
I don't know how familiar the rest of you are about genitals (I'm an expert), but customizing genitals is a lot of fun.

Guarantee by customise they are talking about only adding a dick to a female model or vajayjay to a man. Bet they don't have anything fun like bust size, and if they do it will be like A cup to B cup and that's it.
 

DelireMan7

Member
Skill trees


gi_rook_skill_tree.png

gi_exclusive_da_rook-skill-tree-rogue3-far-4k.jpg


gi_exclusive_da_rook-skill-tree-mage2-far-4k.jpg


gi_exclusive_da_rook-skill-tree-mage2-ability-4k.jpg
Hoo. Skill tree looks good. I understand why they mentioned the Sphere Grid of FFX as an inspiration.

I don't like the "refund points" option, especially if it's unlimited but I guess it's nice for those wanting to experiment.
I prefer when choice matters and you have restriction.
 

Stafford

Member
A lot of the stuff I've read, not everything (surprise me) sounds good to me.

Only things that can ruin it are a shit story, shit characters and choices that don't have consequences.
 
Wouldn't it be funny if we got one of these threads and nobody replied. Expecting too much from impulsive gamers but maybe someday we can achieve cohesiveness to stand silent

One day, lads..
 

Zheph

Member
A lot of the stuff I've read, not everything (surprise me) sounds good to me.

Only things that can ruin it are a shit story, shit characters and choices that don't have consequences.
Yeah I am more interested also, lot of useless stuff included but I still have some hopes for this
 
That Asian elf is the Peebee or Sera character isn't she. Her face just instantly annoys me.

Also I wonder if it ever dawned on these people that maybe the reason no fantasy product has ever gone with a purple theme for everything is because it looks terrible.
 
I have pre ordered every other Dtagon Age and Mass Effect game.

I will NOT preorder this one. It seems woke (pronouns? Pick genitals?) and has a color scheme, character design, and promo materials that make it seem too much like a Fortnite/kiddie game.

I’ll wait for reviews on this one. I hope it’s great, but the minute I hear “diversity and pronouns” I worry it has all gone to shit. The writing, especially, is a concern.
 

GymWolf

Member
People whose entire identity is proudly formed around their DSM catalogue of mental illnesses aren’t going to write characters that are tolerable to be around.

The implication is that they changed the name of the game because it sounded too aggressive and masculine. I would abandon all hope.
I know, mine was more of a moot question :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Yeah, definitely not jumping in blindly on this one. Too many red flags. Need to see what the consensus is first.
 

Life Diff

Member
Sounds like the old guard have left and it's just a bunch of new people, though I could be wrong.

I mean, these are the devs who gave use Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Their track record hasn't been good for a while.
Yeah I just thought some of the new staff that grew up with the old guard games would have at least absorbed some lessons through osmosis at least

Never thought I would want EA to put a studio down but here we are
 

Hudo

Member
Yeah I just thought some of the new staff that grew up with the old guard games would have at least absorbed some lessons through osmosis at least

Never thought I would want EA to put a studio down but here we are
It would be quite interesting to survey all employees of BioWare if they have played Baldur's Gate 1, 2 and Neverwinter Nights. Or at the very fucking least Dragon Age: Origins...
 

MrRenegade

Banned
Maybe the EU could chime in and say: if you release your fucking game in the EU, you have to remove the pronoun bullshit.

Also: judging by the feature list, this is the same old, broken, used as toilet paper RPG system that we see everywhere. You have to wipe everyone's arse, nobody does anything for you, essentially you are a pleasing machine for the npcs. Well, just fuck off already with this overdated shit. Already couldn't go higher than 6/10.

Sanity checks:

"We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions." - Game Director Corinne Bushe

Childlike mentality:
- Each companion has access to five abilities, you can only take 3 into combat

sigh

[AAnderson sends his regards]
 
Last edited:
On Name Change:

  • "We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions." - Game Director Corinne Bushe

I don't think Bioware could possibly trigger Gaf any harder than they did with this wording (well... I guess if they'd said something like "written for modern audiences"). It's like they do this on purpose.
 

NickFire

Member
I don't think Bioware could possibly trigger Gaf any harder than they did with this wording (well... I guess if they'd said something like "written for modern audiences"). It's like they do this on purpose.
I often wonder if some of these companies are trying to lose or make less money on purpose. I’d actually respect a company more if it actually was trolling normal people for the hell of it. It’s so sad when they close studios or miss targets because they actually thought normal guys want anything to do with the modern audience shtick,
 

Metnut

Member
Seems like the game could be good but there’s certainly a lot of wokeness in it. I’ll let other people play it first before I decide to try it.
 

stn

Member
Maybe the combat and story will be good, but I am not hopeful. The art direction sucks, this does not look like Dragon Age at all. I'm not gonna bother pre-ordering, too many red flags.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
Ok, let's go, hold on to your they/them.

  • "We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions." - Game Director Corinne Bushe
Incredibly stupid answer, but in the end quite pointless. Let's see they needed a catchy sentence for the article. But wait - let's see what makes these companions truly diverse and authentic!

  • Focus is on the team rather than Solas as the Dreadwolf and so the name was changed to reflect that
  • "Dreadwolf suggests a title focused on a specific individual whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team" - Creative Director John Epler
Why is this a bad thing? WTF is up with everyone being obsessed with the team? No - way to distinguish yourself would have been to go super hard on the main enemy, making him incredibly powerful. At the start you get wasted, it takes many adventures and all the way to end game to stand toe to toe with him/her.
  • Can select pronouns separately from gender and adjust physical characteristics like height, shoulder width, chest size, glute and bulge size, hip width, how bloodshot your eyes are, how crooked your nose is and more
  • Hundreds of sliders to customize proportions and features like skin hue, tone, melanin and more
  • Can customize genitalia
Actually I am going to roast CDPR for that as well with what they did in CP 2077:

the wolf of wall street idgaf GIF


I would love one dev to explain how in his/her/their opinion changing the dong or pubic hair contributes to role-playing aspect of a character we play. Take your time.
  • Ascends to leadership due to competency rather than destiny (although technically there is some sort of magical reason too that I will not go into)
Everyone that ever played a Bioware game knows this to be a complete and utter bullshit that will fall apart in the first 15 minutes of the game, this is why they give themselves "some sort of magical reason" as a way out. You know who is competent? Geralt, because it is established he is a master monster slayer. We are not playing a pre-determined character, so GTFO with this bullshit.

  • Looks cyberpunk-inspired with neon city lights and brimming with detail
Yes, what I want from my dark fantasy is sci-fi inspiration. What?

On Base of Operations:

  • Called "The Lighthouse", this is the Skyhold equivalent of the game
  • Where your team bonds, grows and prepares for its adventures throughout the campaign
  • Responds to your world state and emotion and reflects the chaos and disrepair of Thedas
  • Optional conversations here will have a clock symbol over a dialogue icon in the distance for each character that you can speak to
  • Library is where your party will often regroup and prepare for the next mission
  • Companions will have unique dialogue with you at the base based on current events along with your Rook's background
Exactly the same MMO-inspired bullshit that was the Skyhold, incredible they were unable to come up with anything different than something we had in DA:I 10 YEARS AGO.
On Arlathan Forest:

  • This is where you meet the Veil Jumpers faction
  • BioWare does not shy away from minutes-long cutscenes as it helps you define your Rook's leadership style with your choices and how your team will react to your leadership
    • This is demonstrated within game's dialogue and a special relationship meter on each companion's character screen
  • Elven ruins, dense greenery, and disgusting Blight tentacles and pustules
  • Most impressive aspect of GI employee's time seeing the game
  • Art style is more in line with high fantasy reminiscent of Fable
  • Use of magic is more prevalent in the game in general which will be shown by the locations you visit
  • Whimsy of area will starkly contrast to other areas with promise of some grim locations and even grimmer story moments
    • Contrast is important
Generic fantasy shit.
On Bellara:

  • First companion you meet and recruit in-game (Neve automatically joins)
  • Like all companions, they are the face of their faction and your window into understanding their world
  • Sweetheart and nerd for ancient elven artifacts
  • Dressed more like an academic than a combat expert
  • Specializes in electricity and can use magic to heal you
  • Specific magic is more effective on certain enemies, however, you can equip runes that will provide you access to those different magics without necessarily having them as part of your arsenal
  • Has a unique ability that interacts with the world, but Rook can acquire these abilities to complete ability specific tasks for instances where Bellara is not in your party
More generic fantasy shit. Oh, she's a nerd AND a sweetheart! I never, ever had that in a Bioware game before!
On Combat:

  • Every swing is done in real-time with special care taken to animation swing-through and canceling
  • Dash, parry, ability to charge moves and a revamped healing system allows you to use potions at your discretion using the d-pad on controller
  • Can combo attacks and "bookmark" combos with a quick dash (can pause a combo's status with a dash to safety and continue the rest of the combo afterward)
  • Pause-and-play gameplay mechanic
    • Can choose abilities, queue them up, and strategize with synergies and combos, all while targeting specific enemies
    • Letting go off wheel will play out your selections in real time
    • Bushe uses combat wheel primarily for companions while Epler uses it almost exclusively for every ability and combo
  • Each character class has a light and heavy attack, using abilities with the same inputs and interact with the combo wheel in the same way
  • The difference is in secondary attacks and defense
    • Warriors can throw their shield and can block and parry
    • Rogues can use a bow and have a longer parry window
    • Mages have magical ranged attacks and cannot parry but can throw up a shield that blocks incoming attacks automatically which uses up your mana
  • Showcased some high-level gameplay
    • 3 stacks of arcane build-up to create an "Arcane Bomb" on an enemy which does devastating damage after being hit by a heavy attack
    • Charges a heavy attack on magical staff then switches to magical daggers in a second loadout accessed with a quick tap of down on the d-pad to unleash some quick attacks, then back to staff to charge it some more and unleash a heavy attack
Every single boring, generic ass combat system we already had 1000 times before. Pause-and-play? Check. Weapon loadouts nobody uses? Check. Light and heavy attacks? Check. Attack combos? Check.
On Companion Skills:

  • Can advance bonds by helping companions on their own personal quests and including them in your party for main quests
  • Relationship levels you rank up nets you a skill point to spend on them
  • Choices you make, what you say to your companions, how you help them, and more all matter to their development as characters and party members
  • Each companion has access to five abilities, you can only take 3 into combat
    • Strategize different combos and synergies within your party
  • Each companion has issues, problems, and personal quests to complete
We are Persona now. Can companions leave your party if they disagree? Nope, because you are the CHOSEN ONE.
unimpressed michael keaton GIF


On Not Being An Open World:

  • Not an open world even if some of its explorable areas might feel like one
  • Hub-and-spoke design where the needs of the story are served by the level design
  • A version of Inquisition's Crossroads, network of telporting Eluvians, returns
    • How players will traverse across Northern Thedas
  • Some areas are larger and full of secrets and treasures while others are smaller and more focused on linear storytelling
  • Arlathan Forest is an example of a smaller area but there are still optional paths and offshoots to explore for loot, healing potion refreshes, and more
  • Minimap exists for each location though linear levels will not have a fog of war that disappears as you explore like some of the bigger locations
  • Largest number of diverse biomes in series history
We don't know how to do open world, so we will just copy paste from DA:I.

I hope developers had fun with their ping pong tables and pilates classes, because this operation is getting shut down after this game releases. Generic Age: Veilguard it is.
 
The game's not going to recover from its reveal and what this game director is saying is definitely not going to help.

I predict a sales bomb and we'll see if EA keeps Bioware open after two disastrous games.
 

BbMajor7th

Member
It's like there's this magical machine somewhere in west-coast Cali that you can feed any IP into and it'll spit out the same game. It's so good that you can take IPs as wildly different as Saints Row and Dragon Age and make identical games from them...
 
Top Bottom