Dragon Age: The Veilguard - A woke disaster? Yep!

[Sailor Swift]

how the fuck does a game have an environmental impact? "ugh we only ordered coffee from shops that use recyclable cups, we really care about the environment unlike those trumpers"

It sounds like a fake award for games that otherwise wouldn't get awards.

 

[hawkisnight]

If EA is anything like the big global corpos I had the misfortune to work in, BioWare is still around likely because these days, it is far more aggravating to dissolve a company than to just let itself run into the ground. The CEO knows he will be transferred out or retire in a few years, so why bother? His underlings have the same idea: why do extra work when they are already getting paid a lot for doing what they already do? The shareholders get their profits from other divisions, they don't give a shit about that one non-profitable department. The impetus to dissolve a company - which would require auditing, dealings with unions and lawyers and PR companies and more - is not there.

TL; DR: Lack of profits is not always the guaranteed killing blow in a big corpo. Just have to look at Lucasfilm and MCU to see that. Maybe BioWare would FINALLT die if the management were caught on tape announcing that they worship Trump as a god and they would love nothing more than to rim his uncleaned anus after he has taken a big shit? Who knows.

My speculation was always that someone at the very top has a sweet spot for Bioware. They easily shut down greater studios for far, far less.

 

[BlankSpaceBaby]

I didn't even know there was a podcast for this shitty game. Was it packed with high-pitched troons squealing about how Broodmothers are haram because it implies that only women can give birth to genlocks when men can too so it should be Broodpersons and... and... wait, I will actually tune in if it went off the rails like that.

 

[God of Nothing]

I didn't even know there was a podcast for this shitty game. Was it packed with high-pitched troons squealing about how Broodmothers are haram because it implies that only women can give birth to genlocks when men can too so it should be Broodpersons and... and... wait, I will actually tune in if it went off the rails like that.

nobody tell them about the gang rape
and implied sodomy or forced to eat vomit but probably just oral sodomy

 

[p1138]

I didn't even know there was a podcast for this shitty game. Was it packed with high-pitched troons squealing about how Broodmothers are haram because it implies that only women can give birth to genlocks when men can too so it should be Broodpersons and... and... wait, I will actually tune in if it went off the rails like that.

Here's the playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL38xVi19e7CKw97GC6DGYPNuOxVzh52PU

Yeah, it's got a bunch of the characters from veilguard in it. It's basically an audio drama, but I guess for modern audiences it needs to be called a "podcast".

 

[Lazy Drei]

Presented without comment, save for my horrified laughter:

View attachment 7493451

'I'm Commander Shepherd and this is my favourite Pride Parade on the Citadel'

'Stand in the ashes of a trillion ACK'ed troons, and ask if biological sex matter. The silence is your answer'

'Does this tranny have a soul?'

'I am a Biotic they/them, fear me!'

'You fucked up troon, I'm not proud of you'

'Would like to have run tests on children'

'Emergency. Induction. Axewound.'

'Is HRT not preferable to being straight?'

These are some 'Trick Weekes-ified' Mass Effect quotes.

 

[Mola Ram]

'I'm Commander Shepherd and this is my favourite Pride Parade on the Citadel'

'Stand in the ashes of a trillion ACK'ed troons, and ask if biological sex matter. The silence is your answer'

'Does this tranny have a soul?'

'I am a Biotic they/them, fear me!'

'You fucked up troon, I'm not proud of you'

'Would like to have run tests on children'

'Emergency. Induction. Axewound.'

'Is HRT not preferable to being straight?'

These are some 'Trick Weekes-ified' Mass Effect quotes.

We need to find out what the fuck happened to that guy.

 

[Lazy Drei]

We need to find out what the fuck happened to that guy.


View attachment 7522806View attachment 7522807

Near lethal doses of soy products, an ultra left-wing 'wife', the definition of being high on your own farts, herd mentality, a decade or more of disconnect to people outside his insular company/community and probably someone who thinks being 'genuine' is defined by coloured hair, ... Likely a lot more things still to mention.

Many such cases in the BioWare studio where the sheep who stray from the herd fall prey to the wolves.

 

[Janusz z Gliwic]

I finally finished DAO and expansions on Nightmare, and I have some thoughts.

First and foremost, @Ishtar is right, expansions set up reveals from DA2/DAI/DAV all the time, as fucked up as DAV execution is, the core is most likely taken from Gaider's lore bible. Not something I enjoy as I like ambiguity of DAO (though I can't stop thinking how it would be executed if DAO's direction was kept in next games). The biggest disappointment is the very end of Witch Hunt with Warden crossing the Eluvian with Morrigan. All this setup, and for what, exactly? Trashfire that was DA2? A single letter in DAI? Out of all mistakes BioWare made with the series, ditching the Warden as a protagonist must be the worst one.

Architect in Awakening is very compelling, interesting character. Too bad that he was completely and utterly forgotten. The consequences of sparing him are huge yet they remain untouched throughout the next games.

Companions in Awakening are great, it's a shame they have so little screen time. I like Sigrun the most, and I really hate how dirty they did Anders in DA2. In Awakening he's a man who just wants to be free and is shown to be sensible - if he's brought to conversation with Wynne, he declares the idea of splitting Circles from the Chantry to be madness. I'm unconvinced of his merging with Justice, he's very sceptical of the idea of fighting the opression of mages.

I played as an Arcane Warrior and I'm not impressed, I read a lot about this class yet it's boring mage that fights in melee as most spells are too expensive or take too long to cast. And I honestly expected more out of the Nightmare, with few exceptions the game is quite easy even on this difficulty. Harvester was probably the only really hard fight but it's too easy to cheese with bronto and taunt.

All things considered, DAO represents the very best of BioWare and should've been a standalone game, with maybe Awakening as an expansion. BioWare's vision and culture changed too fast and too much (as evidenced by next games, be they DA or ME sequels) for the series to have any chance.

Sidenote, Owlcat just announced their shot at the big league with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. BioWare is supposedly working on next Mass Effect, it would be funny if their flagship series was snubbed for the second time, first time being DAV by BG3.

 

[God of Nothing]

Sidenote, Owlcat just announced their shot at the big league with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn

triple a don't take my based slavs from me

 

[Ishtar]

The Warden was basically impossible to keep as a protagonist. Its 3 races, 6 origins, 12 sexes. Not to mention you can RP your warden wildly different ways.

It just wasn't possible. Origins has as much variety as it does because a sequel wasn't planned. Stuff like the old god baby or the circle being independent or Dalish given land was impossible to carry over.

 

[Peaches the Wonder Cat]

The Warden was basically impossible to keep as a protagonist. Its 3 races, 6 origins, 12 sexes. Not to mention you can RP your warden wildly different ways.

It just wasn't possible. Origins has as much variety as it does because a sequel wasn't planned. Stuff like the old god baby or the circle being independent or Dalish given land was impossible to carry over.

A sequel was always planned, the game is called "Dragon Age Origins" because it's the first game set in their little Dragon Age universe. Just like a sequel was planned for Mass Effect. Bioware had worked on enough games with sequels to know there's big money in franchises. Certainly EA did and they bought Bioware.

Whether they planned it well is another matter. Big Choices are easily discarded by railroading the universe or just dropping or minimizing plotlines. ME1 had the Rachni presented as a big decision, which really doesn't matter except you get a few more war assets in ME3 if you save the queen, and some extra dialogue in 2/3.

It's very easy for the writers to say Circle independence didn't matter because it would go independent anyway or the head enchanter tried sacrificing everyone to blood magic and the Templars cracked down. These choices matter as much as they did in Telltale games.

 

[Ishtar]

I'd say the Rachni are more a moral barometer.

DA's problem was always the fact that world states keep on splitting-quantum effect and all. You saw all the backlash when they resurrected Leliana because they decided that she should play a major role in the series as a whole.

There's a reason why characters like Fenris or Anders at best get references in Inquisition-their fates are too varied, VA and animation resources are limited. Eventually you have to making different games entirely.

There's also the problem that unlike Mass Effect the Dragon Age games do not have a single antagonist(beyond maybe the Blight itself?).

I'd say Origins is set up in such a way it can work as a self contained game-but if there were sequels they had a lot of plot hooks to work with. Awakening sets up even more(Anders' entire story is initially set up in Awakening, and Velanna was also considered).

There are some elements that carry over. Isabela's interactions with the protagonist(mostly sleeping with them), Merrill's clan(Clan Sabrae)-with the eluvian plot. The Awakening stuff was largely forgotten, but yes there are seeds laid for future installments.

DA2 focuses on the aftermath of the Blight, the Mage-templar conflict, and to a lesser degree the state of elves in Thedas(with...some dwarf hints here and there).

Inquisition wraps up the Mage-Templar stuff, is heavily elf centric and also adds Dwarf lore. While we never visit Orzammar again(different kings, dwarf wardens, etc....)

 

[Janusz z Gliwic]

The Warden was basically impossible to keep as a protagonist. Its 3 races, 6 origins, 12 sexes. Not to mention you can RP your warden wildly different ways.

It just wasn't possible. Origins has as much variety as it does because a sequel wasn't planned. Stuff like the old god baby or the circle being independent or Dalish given land was impossible to carry over.

I disagree.

By the end of the Witch Hunt, what Warden was before is mostly irrelevant. At this point, with two exceptions (dead or king/queen), they're the Warden-Commander of Ferelden first and foremost. If they're dead, well, it's too bad, no save import for you, if king/queen, I'd say it's not that big of a jump in power level from THE Warden-Commander, the Hero of Ferelden.

Their origin is at this point reduced to flavour - it was important in DAO because Warden hailed from one of the major locations in the game and returns there not long after leaving, and people will inevitably be judgemental because they don't have much prestige or power base. Few years later, does it really matter if they are a duster, or a noble, or a dalish? Their cred as the person that ended the Blight and now commands fereldan Wardens is infinitely more important than that, nobody will dare to bash them for having funny tattoos on their face. On top of that, all these years were spent mostly in the company of Fereldans, even if Warden is not human, they're fully immersed in human culture at this point.

The choices from DAO are the bigger issue but it wouldn't be impossible to incorporate most of them into the background. As an example, Dalish getting land would take years if not decades before becoming relevant - land granted to them was always backwater, and now it's depopulated, war-torn, Tainted backwater, material for a minor quest at most. Circle gaining autonomy can be easily incorporated into brewing conflict between the mages and templars - hell, in Awakening Wynne says that libertarians want to declare independence and are gathering more and more support - the only difference in quest would be some dialogue.

Honestly, the only truly hard choice to implement is the Old God baby. All the others can be handwaived, ignored or written into background.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Honestly, the only truly hard choice to implement is the Old God baby. All the others can be handwaived, ignored or written into background

At least in Inquisition they bailed that part very quickly and only being different in a boss fight or not.
At least the game aknowledges both main popular romances in Origins.
I'm gonna stay cool in this: for me, Dragon Age ends with Inquisition. Solas dies when leaving. Tresspaser is only a dream and a aftermath for the Inquisition itself. Any shit with Solas involved isn't.

 

[God of Nothing]

everyone knows dragon age ended with witch hunt

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

everyone knows dragon age ended with witch hunt

Nah, i prefer thinking it as a trilogy of sorts.
Like Mass Effect. They are very compeling between them, but some incosistences.

 

[Lightning]

I prefer thinking Dragon Age ended with Mark of the Assassin, but preferably in the world where we got the unrushed version of DA2 & Tallis was heavily de-Mary Sued.

 

[Ishtar]

I like Tallis. Its important to remember that she is doing the entire mission ultimately to convince herself the Qun is right. If you pay attention both to her dialogue and commentary-she's unsure and uncertain. Yes she's a hollywood ninja and Felicia Day(apparently was unpopular) but DA has plenty of Hollywood ninjas.

She is our first introduction to the possibility Qunari find the whole set up unsatisfying-because what she wants and what the Qun wants are not in alignment. She goes after her former mentor not because she was told too, but out of some personal need for closure.

It also gives us insight into the Qun more broadly-namely its very collectivist ethos and appeal to the lower classes. Something Origins only alludes too with some of Sten's dialogue.

 

[Snekposter]

It also gives us insight into the Qun more broadly-namely its very collectivist ethos and appeal to the lower classes.

Its strict, uncompromising, and ultimately makes no difference between the lower classes and the higher ones in treatment, only responsibilities. If you're an elf, lower-caste dwarf, or poorfag human you're already used to getting shit on constantly and bossed around like you're unimportant by nobles who never have to suffer the consequences of their actions. But as we see with the Arishok not even his lofty status would be able to protect him from the consequences of failure: he too is expected to come back victorious or not at all, and he is a man of deep, unswerving principle, quite unlike the upper classes everywhere else.