Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 2:45 am

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M.Steiner
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Anyone interested in some Dragon Age: Inquisition screenshots? :)

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CLICK TO ENLARGE
Such a beautiful looking game and there are no cutscene screenshots in that batch btw, all gameplay!
Cannot wait to see some of the other environments in the game as if The Hinterlands is anything to go by (where 6 of the above screenies were taken, and I've only seen a small portion of the zone lol), they're pretty damn big and really great for exploring. Basically the complete opposite of what DA2 had to offer.
Will have more screenies to share as I progress through the game so expect lots more!. As if the game won't be lengthy enough as it is, it's going to be one of those games where I go around playing photographer too. Which is never a bad thing! :D


(Note: I'm splitting this off into its own thread so I'm not spamming the 2014 thread with too many screenshots of the one game)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:08 pm

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Anubis
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Visually, that is absolutely stunning.

How is the story so far?
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:45 pm

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M.Steiner
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I've literally only played through the introduction area (Fostback Mountains - screenies 1 & 2) and done a couple of side quests in the Hinterlands so far, as such tis way too early to say anything about its story tbh. It's easy to get side tracked and go off exploring the map and other things, oh and taking pictures ofc haha. I'm going to continue with the main quest when I load it up again this evening though! :thumb:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 3:02 am

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M.Steiner
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Second batch of screenshots!
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CLICK TO ENLARGE
Continued on with the main story today which I'm happy to say has been fantastic so far. Really enjoying it!
It can be quite overwhelming at first (since it really is a huge difference over DA2's scale), but one thing to note for ya'll, don't get too bogged down in the Hinterlands. - http://kotaku.com/psa-if-youre-playing- ... 1661855879 <- Tis good advice. Explore a bit, do some side quests, but don't try to tackle it like you normally would as you can return whenever you want.

Unless this suddenly turns to shit later on (which I doubt), DA:I is probably going to be my GOTY btw :thumb:
Will have more screenies to share over the weekend/next week!
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 6:06 pm

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Padishar
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Am a BIG DA:O fan & you are tempting me to break my EA/Origin boycott, just to play this badmamajamma!
Although I know its inevitable and have been teetering on the fence for a while to give in and finally install Origin, just been dragging my feet.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:48 pm

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M.Steiner
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hehe. I still feel like I've got a fair way to go with the story but from everything I've seen of the game so far I'd highly recommend it. Thoroughly enjoying it!

annnd I bring the third batch of screenies:
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This game is screenshot heaven for me :D
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:18 pm

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Anubis
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This thread is making me want to replay Origins before I start Inquisition :(
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 1:37 pm

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SL33PY
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how do i make screenshots in da:i and where does origin dump em?

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:55 am

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M.Steiner
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Anubis wrote:This thread is making me want to replay Origins before I start Inquisition :(
Gogo get Mordor finished and then you can start Inquisition!
SL33PY wrote:how do i make screenshots in da:i and where does origin dump em?
There appears to be a screenshot directory in Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age Inquisition\Screenshots so I'm guessing Print Screen will send screenies to there. I'm using FRAPS like usual :)
You can open up the console and type "UI.DrawEnable 0" to remove the HUD for screenies too, and "UI.DrawEnable 1" to re-enable it.

Alternatively, if you want even more control you can use these cinematic tools which work as a kind of manual "photo mode" as it were. I've been using it myself but only for the free cam and HUD toggle. Free cam is great for lining up that perfect shot since you can move it where ever you want (and without your party in view for example), then use the HUD toggle to hide that and take your screenie. You can mess about with visual settings too (lighting, fog etc) but the only one I've touched is the depth of field and only for the dragon screenshots.


I should have another batch of screenies to share by the weekend I expect!
I'm currently using:
M.Steiner wrote:Image
as my wallpaper too. Looks really nice :D
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:08 am

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SL33PY
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what level were you when you went after the fire dragon in the hinterlands? Care to share tactics too?

I'm having troubles adapting to the new control scheme too

I also spotted a lightning dragon fighting a giant on the sword coast :)

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:57 pm

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M.Steiner
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I just went back to kill the Hinterlands dragon (Ferelden Frostback) last night actually, at level 15. I tried when I first took the pics above but I got raped heh. I'd acquired a few things since then, higher level and better gear for one (and more skills to use), a few fire resistance pieces, and the perk which allows you to carry an extra 4 health potions has been very handy too.

I re-encountered the Storm Coast dragon yesterday as well (the area she is in was not available on my first visit) but she's level 19 so I'm going to have to wait a bit before attempting her!
The fights seem really well designed though. Take Skyrim, the dragons in that game looked great and all and the first few times you went up against one they felt threatening and fun but the fights themselves were nothing special, became a piece of piss for the most part and once you'd fought one, you'd fought them all basically. Imo at least. The dragon encounters in DA:I on the other hand seem more like Onyxia in WoW for example.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:15 pm

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SL33PY
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I started the level to close the rift. That went too easy, and then
the big attack happens, I lost some villagers, but I was like 'whatever' :p I wanted to close down the level since it was time for bed.
Then I had to go and point the trebuchet towards the temple and fire it. I get to the trebuchet and fight off the incoming enemies (i'll be as abstract as possible) when all of a sudden this huge one comes and I was already out of potions and thus, royally <censored>. also he's vulnerable to ice and i didn't bring my ice mage :s
Is this really the end fight? I really hope not cause then da:i no longer is my goty and EVE will win it

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:51 pm

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M.Steiner
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SL33PY wrote:I started the level to close the rift. That went too easy, and then
the big attack happens, I lost some villagers, but I was like 'whatever' :p I wanted to close down the level since it was time for bed.
Then I had to go and point the trebuchet towards the temple and fire it. I get to the trebuchet and fight off the incoming enemies (i'll be as abstract as possible) when all of a sudden this huge one comes and I was already out of potions and thus, royally <censored>. also he's vulnerable to ice and i didn't bring my ice mage :s
Is this really the end fight? I really hope not cause then da:i no longer is my goty and EVE will win it
The attack on Haven, yes?
Nope, don't worry :)

(Tiny upcoming spoiler) You may have seen
[spoiler]Skyhold[/spoiler]
in some of the gameplay demos before release.
[spoiler]this is where you relocate to after Haven is destroyed. Still lots more to come ;)[/spoiler]
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:19 pm

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SL33PY
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ok then I'll reload my save, level up some more in the hinterlands and then redo that part then
I've done the dwarven thaig behind the waterfall in the hinterlands, but several doors are locked... not only there but other places too, will they automagically unlock after the breach closure?

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:31 pm

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M.Steiner
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4th batch!
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In regards to locks (I answered this on IRC last night but for the threads sake too): rogues can open a lot of these by default but for the ones they can't, you need a certain perk to unlock them. It will tell you this when you try to pick those locks, actually, but you can find this on the war table under Inquisition Perks > Secrets > Deft Hands, Fine Tools :)

Also, SL33PY. If you're going through every location on your map, completing all the side quests there, closing rifts, finding collectibles, engaging with your companions and doing their quests, war table stuff, judgements etc etc on top of the main story, there's nothing to worry about. I'm probably nearing the end of the main story I think but I've been doing just that. I've still got Emprise du Lion & The Hissing Waste to do, haven't completed all of my companion quests etc and I want to try and craft some better gear for my party but I'm nearing 90hrs now and still not done. So yeah, unless you're gonna rush through shit (which you definitely shouldn't, just take your time), the game is pretty huge. The biggest and best DA yet :thumb: (I just did the "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts" mission yesterday which was rather amazing. Loved everything about it ^^)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:16 pm

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Anubis
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I just found out there's a second map in Shadow of Mordor :(

I'm never getting to this game!
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:47 pm

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M.Steiner
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Anubis wrote:I just found out there's a second map in Shadow of Mordor :(

I'm never getting to this game!
:lol:
Saying this, and forgetting my "gogo" comment for a sec... whilst the game is fantastic and people should get to it asap, maybe it would be better you waited a bit before jumping into Inquisition anyhow?. Mordor is very small in comparison (both the world you have to explore and its average game length for 100% completion) and you've been playing that for quite some time now and only just discovered it has a second area heh, since I know you've been busy putting the new site together for one (<3). Might be better leaving Inquisition until you can give it the proper time & attention it deserves though so as not to spoil your experience of it. (The Wolf Among Us might be a good choice to play next perhaps?. I'm sure it will get a deal during Steam's Winter sale if you haven't already bought it from previous recommendations. A must play yet not too long, should be perfect if you're a bit strapped for game time atm!)

Mordor only took me a few days to 100% but you should expect to be spending over 100hrs with DA:I if you're wanting to get the most out of it, which I know you will since you're a bit of a completionist like me (especially when it comes to RPGs). The game is huge. Otherwise (if Mordor is an indication of your free time for gaming atm) you will still be playing this several months from now and I know if that was me I'd either get tired of it and never actually finish it, or I'd rush my way through the main story just to move onto something different, missing a ton of content in the process. This is easily (and by far) the best game released this year imo and definitely one you should play as soon as you can, but when you know you can give it the time and can play it at a decent pace I'd say.

Either way you're in for a treat when you get to it and it's worth the wait if that doesn't happen to be for another few weeks or whatever. Honestly can't get enough of it atm :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 7:43 pm

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Anubis
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I know what you're saying, but I worry for when I'll ever play it should I not manage it before Arkham and The Witcher 3 release :lol:

Someone invent me a time machine damnit!
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:45 pm

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M.Steiner
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haha. I'd gladly take one of those but for Jan 27th first (GTAV PC), but not until I've finished DA: Inquisition! lol :D

I expect I'll be finished with this either come this weekend or early next week since I've only got one more map/leveling spot to visit, then to wrap everything else up. I won't have completely 100%ed it (like I won't have collected every single shard, maybe 2/3 of them?. Saying that, those shards do have a purpose btw.)
They are used to open doors in the Forbidden Oasis temple, where you can get some very nice elemental resistance gear. You should get a quest at some point.
but I always try to finish everything there is to do in each zone, unless it's something really insignificant and then I might leave it.
The full list of maps are:

The Hinterlands
The Storm Coast
Fallow Mire
Forbidden Oasis
Crestwood
The Western Approach
Exalted Plains
Emerald Graves
Emprise du Lion
Hissing Wastes

There's Haven, Val Royeaux & Skyhold too but they're not leveling areas like the others, as well as other cut off locations you may visit for certain quests outside of those too ofc. Those are the big zones though.
I think my least favourite area has been the Forbidden Oasis.
M.Steiner wrote: Image
It looked great and all and made a nice change for exploring at first due to the design and type of place it is. The other maps aren't all flat or anything, far from it, but the Oasis has quite a bit of added verticality to it. That being said, it was an absolute bitch to navigate at the same time. Thankfully you don't really need to spend that long of a time there but you'll know what I mean heh.
As for my most favourite area. Hmmm. The locations are all very different from one another and all have something I like about them tbh, I would be hard pushed to pick a favourite as other than the Forbidden Oasis which started to annoy me after a while when trying to reach certain points, I loved exploring all the others. The locations and reused areas were my biggest complaint of DA2 but they've certainly listened here :)

Anyhow, we shall see what my save file playtime is once I'm done and I should have one final batch of screenies to share then as well :thumb:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:29 pm

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SL33PY
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In regards to locks (I answered this on IRC last night but for the threads sake too): rogues can open a lot of these by default but for the ones they can't, you need a certain perk to unlock them. It will tell you this when you try to pick those locks, actually, but you can find this on the war table under Inquisition Perks > Secrets > Deft Hands, Fine Tools
It's not yet available for me I think

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:48 pm

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M.Steiner
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Final batch! Enjoy :)
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They're all on my Flickr profile too should any of you want to favourite them or whatever :thumb:

annnnd done. Got a few things left in my journal like 2-3 maps, some notes and the spirit doors in the Forbidden Oasis (I'd collected enough shards to open all the doors for fire & cold though) but that's about it. 120hrs on the clock. So yeah, big game if you're going to put the time in, explore and try and complete everything there is to do.
[edit:
Still my GOTY btw. No contest.
Having now played it for myself I'm very happy that it won GOTY at the Game Awards just recently too. Well deserved imo :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition

PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:37 pm

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The game is... problematic to say the least.

There were several things that I felt were off with this game as I was playing it, but couldn't pin it down from the start. Now I'm pretty certain I know what's wrong with it.

I did a search on DA:I news to see what I've missed since its release last month, as I haven't read anything about the game because I didn't want anything spoiled. One of the articles was that the game was really prototyped as an MMO of sorts, or a scaled down version of an MMO, which pinpointed what I felt was core of my dislike of the systems. Indeed, the game looks and plays like an MMO.

The large maps are imposing and quite breathtaking, and all the credit for their creation, but eventually as I went on through the game I realized they're really MMO areas with repeatable sidequests that don't really have much to offer. The "main quest" in those areas is basically a re-hash of the old idea where you go to 4 planets to pick up 4 pieces of the map for the location of the Star Forge. However, these entrants are a step back actually, because at least in KOTOR the shit you did on those planets amounted to something that had bearing on the main quest. Logically, you need the 4 pieces to progress to the main bad guys place.

In DA:I however, you're just vaguely "weakening" the force of the main bad guy, however this destruction of his henchmen has nothing to with the main plot. You can just as easily ignore it and proceed to fight the main bad guy. The pinnacle of the 4 planets > Star Forge concept was really Mass Effect 2. There, at the end of the game, they cut in the shit you did sidequest wise on all the planets you visited, and made it part of the cutscenes and generally the things that were going on. The team mattered, their emotional state mattered towards the grand conclusion, as dumb as that conclusion was. Since then, there's been a regression, and DA:I is part of that regression.

The main negative thing however is how the game handles the plot. It handles the plot in a straightfoward dumb action adventure manner, in what I can only assume was an attempt to cater to children who love two dimensional characters and action scenes. It's the game's way of subverting and using the story in order to tell special effects, instead of using special effects to tell a story. The main plot is absolutely irrelevant to the three good parts of the game, and the main bad guy is reduced to an object that functions as a McGuffin.

So what are the three good parts of the game?

The first is the only remaining thing that is good about Bioware games, and that is the characters. The characters, most of them anyway, are well fleshed out, well voiced, and have strong arcs when it comes to the main character's interaction with them. This felt like the only good thing that was grafted into this aborted MMO game, a game that in essence has a completely different purpose from being what Bioware games used to be, namely character driven adventures.

The second one is the lore that the game hinges on, which I feel should've been moved to the foreground. The only reason I can think of that they kept the lore in the background was the aforementioned attempt to cater to teenagers with a two dimensional "I AM EVIL" bad guy, because that is easy to understand for everyone. This lore however is what the post credits scene hinges on, and is a blatant admission by the developers that they focused the game on the wrong things.. Without this lore, that is well hidden inside the main - largely garbage narrative, the game is atrociously bad. Hence why it was elevated to the foreground in the post credits scene, because that is really the only part of the story worth exploring after the mind numbing "save the world" plot concludes.

The third one is the engine. As much as I dislike the botched scaling and lack of granularity as far as gameplay is concerned (this is why Mass Effect was a step forward as a third person shooter, while Dragon Age games have continued down the path of the KOTOR interface, even further distancing it from the player's perspective and moving it into MMO territory) it has to be said that the engine produces very appealing visual results. I hope they use it for the next installment, and re-focus on the narrative of the well developed lore, rather than shitty bad guys who are threatening to destroy the world.

If you decide to play the game, and wish to get the most out of it:

a) Take Solas with you everywhere,
b) Make sure the other person with you drinks from the fountain, don't drink from it yourself

This will maximize the very few good parts that are in the game.

P.S. - Just an addendum that goes to my point:

The name of the game is literally "Dragon Age".

It made sense in the first game. The first game revolved around the Blight, the Darkspawn and the mythical Old Gods in the Fade, and the fact that in the lore they come back as Dragons that have to be slain or the world is doomed, blah blah. All backed up by the lore, as the dragons are representations of the Old Gods, and everything that's related to the Fade, etc. intricate stuff. Naming makes sense, right?

In this game, they give you ten sideshow dragons to fight, completely irrelevant to anything. They're just there for leveling and loot purposes. Go kill 'em.

Game could've been called "Giant Green Rift in the Sky: Inquisition" and it would've made more sense.

That's basically the main TL;DR problem I have with the game.

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