CJC
11-28-2014, 08:12 PM
The following is a discussion of features I would have changed in the memorable Bioware game Dragon Age Origins.
Before I begin, I would like to preface the discussion with a few statements:
1.) I LOVE Dragon Age Origins, and that enthusiasm has not withered with age. This discussion is thus not tainted by the rose-colored chronogoggles that older games usually suffer from. It is because I love a topic that I come up with constructive changes for it; this is one of the ways in which I get excited about a topic.
2.) Many of these ideas were not feasible at the time the game was created. Some of these ideas were inspired by subsequent entries in the series, and thus wouldn't have been available at the time the game is made. I am aware of this. The discussion is rather what I would like to see if I was in complete control of an infinite-budget remake (or perhaps what I would wish for with a magic lamp!).
3.) This discussion will contain extensive spoilers. If you haven't played the game at least part-way, I highly recommend skipping the discussion until you've given it a go. It really is a remarkable game despite any flaws I may have perceived and it is worth a go.
The discussion will cover the game AND its expansions, as I recently acquired and explored the ultimate edition.
If you're still here, and you've played at least some of the game, then let's begin.
Into Thedas we go!
170
Class Restrictions
For a great while I have been bothered by the class restriction imposed on the Dwarves. Each other race is permitted access to all three classes of the game, except the Dwarves who are only permitted two. I understand the thematic reasoning behind this (Dwarves sleep the sleep of stone; they don't dream so they can't DO magic), and I think I finally understand why it bothers me so much. I'm not actually upset that Dwarves can't be mages. I'm upset that Dwarves got the short stick. Everybody else has a completely flexible class selection and Dwarves are restricted, THAT is what bothers me. It makes them less favorable as a character choice when playing the game, and this is even reflected by EA's usage statistics (only 1% of the players who registered characters online picked a dwarven origin).
Here's my solution: Don't remove the restriction, place a new restriction. Humans are freelancers, so of course they can choose any class they wish. Dwarves sleep the stone sleep, so they don't have a connection to the Fade (Dream world if you missed the codex) and thus cannot be Mages. Finally, Elves lack the physical stature necessary to command raw, enduring strength, and so cannot approach combat as a Warrior.
The bone structure of the elves already does much to suggest this possibility; they are lithe and diminutive. It could also explain why the elves of the Dales could not withstand a full assault by the human nations during the second exalted march: be as clever and as magical as you please, it won't help as they're shattering your bones with battleaxes. Finally, it would give elves the same drawback as dwarves, leveling the player's selection to a more even spread (Of course humans still have the highest draw, but such is to be expected).
Origins
This is the big one for me. I did not like that origins were restricted by class selection, and I also felt there was an unfair spread based on race selection. Humans get the short-stick here, sharing an origin with the elves and having only one origin for Warriors and Rogues. Elves also had three origins to choose from, giving them way too many options for play as characters (By the time I got to Alienage Elf, I was so exhausted I didn't want to see the knife-ears anymore. Which is a pity because the Alienage Elf origin is one of the best-written openings in the game). I'll start with some general notes and then go into specific detail on how I would modify each origin. This is the primary way in which I would alter a remake.
Here's my solution:
1.) Two origins per race, each with no restriction based on class (other than the race restrictions of course). This idea was inspired by Dragon Age Inquisition, actually, which separated race and class distinction in its dialogue trees. For instance, a human mage in that game is still a noble, though one who practiced magic in secret to avoid being taken away to the Circle. Inquisition only has four origins, but my dream version of Dragon Age Origins would still have six. The only origin I really have a problem with is the Mage origin, but I'll list adjustments that are necessary for certain origins to accommodate classes that weren't available in the original version of the game.
2.) Five additional characters for the game, one for each origin the player did not select. I am aware it is hinted that, without Duncan's intervention, the other origins perished before the catastrophe at Ostagar. I don't like this, however, for several reasons. One, it's terribly pessimistic. Two, much of the origin-specific content is lost with the absence of these characters. And three, it is far more feasible in game production to recycle that origin-specific content by triggering it with a companion. The inclusion of these five 'other origin' characters would have allowed them to completely voice the protagonist, a feature that has been applauded in later installments of the series and its Sci-Fi cousin Mass Effect.
On specific origins:
Dwarven Noble
-=SPOILER=-
Dwarven Commoner
-=SPOILER=-
City Elf
-=SPOILER=-
More in the next post (Hit the character limit)
Before I begin, I would like to preface the discussion with a few statements:
1.) I LOVE Dragon Age Origins, and that enthusiasm has not withered with age. This discussion is thus not tainted by the rose-colored chronogoggles that older games usually suffer from. It is because I love a topic that I come up with constructive changes for it; this is one of the ways in which I get excited about a topic.
2.) Many of these ideas were not feasible at the time the game was created. Some of these ideas were inspired by subsequent entries in the series, and thus wouldn't have been available at the time the game is made. I am aware of this. The discussion is rather what I would like to see if I was in complete control of an infinite-budget remake (or perhaps what I would wish for with a magic lamp!).
3.) This discussion will contain extensive spoilers. If you haven't played the game at least part-way, I highly recommend skipping the discussion until you've given it a go. It really is a remarkable game despite any flaws I may have perceived and it is worth a go.
The discussion will cover the game AND its expansions, as I recently acquired and explored the ultimate edition.
If you're still here, and you've played at least some of the game, then let's begin.
Into Thedas we go!
170
Class Restrictions
For a great while I have been bothered by the class restriction imposed on the Dwarves. Each other race is permitted access to all three classes of the game, except the Dwarves who are only permitted two. I understand the thematic reasoning behind this (Dwarves sleep the sleep of stone; they don't dream so they can't DO magic), and I think I finally understand why it bothers me so much. I'm not actually upset that Dwarves can't be mages. I'm upset that Dwarves got the short stick. Everybody else has a completely flexible class selection and Dwarves are restricted, THAT is what bothers me. It makes them less favorable as a character choice when playing the game, and this is even reflected by EA's usage statistics (only 1% of the players who registered characters online picked a dwarven origin).
Here's my solution: Don't remove the restriction, place a new restriction. Humans are freelancers, so of course they can choose any class they wish. Dwarves sleep the stone sleep, so they don't have a connection to the Fade (Dream world if you missed the codex) and thus cannot be Mages. Finally, Elves lack the physical stature necessary to command raw, enduring strength, and so cannot approach combat as a Warrior.
The bone structure of the elves already does much to suggest this possibility; they are lithe and diminutive. It could also explain why the elves of the Dales could not withstand a full assault by the human nations during the second exalted march: be as clever and as magical as you please, it won't help as they're shattering your bones with battleaxes. Finally, it would give elves the same drawback as dwarves, leveling the player's selection to a more even spread (Of course humans still have the highest draw, but such is to be expected).
Origins
This is the big one for me. I did not like that origins were restricted by class selection, and I also felt there was an unfair spread based on race selection. Humans get the short-stick here, sharing an origin with the elves and having only one origin for Warriors and Rogues. Elves also had three origins to choose from, giving them way too many options for play as characters (By the time I got to Alienage Elf, I was so exhausted I didn't want to see the knife-ears anymore. Which is a pity because the Alienage Elf origin is one of the best-written openings in the game). I'll start with some general notes and then go into specific detail on how I would modify each origin. This is the primary way in which I would alter a remake.
Here's my solution:
1.) Two origins per race, each with no restriction based on class (other than the race restrictions of course). This idea was inspired by Dragon Age Inquisition, actually, which separated race and class distinction in its dialogue trees. For instance, a human mage in that game is still a noble, though one who practiced magic in secret to avoid being taken away to the Circle. Inquisition only has four origins, but my dream version of Dragon Age Origins would still have six. The only origin I really have a problem with is the Mage origin, but I'll list adjustments that are necessary for certain origins to accommodate classes that weren't available in the original version of the game.
2.) Five additional characters for the game, one for each origin the player did not select. I am aware it is hinted that, without Duncan's intervention, the other origins perished before the catastrophe at Ostagar. I don't like this, however, for several reasons. One, it's terribly pessimistic. Two, much of the origin-specific content is lost with the absence of these characters. And three, it is far more feasible in game production to recycle that origin-specific content by triggering it with a companion. The inclusion of these five 'other origin' characters would have allowed them to completely voice the protagonist, a feature that has been applauded in later installments of the series and its Sci-Fi cousin Mass Effect.
On specific origins:
Dwarven Noble
-=SPOILER=-
Dwarven Commoner
-=SPOILER=-
City Elf
-=SPOILER=-
More in the next post (Hit the character limit)