Dragon Age Inquisition Vorschau - Choice & Consequence, Begleiter
Das US-Spielemagazin GameInformer hat das Entwicklerstudio Bioware besucht und in seiner aktuellen Ausgabe viele neue Infos zu Dragon Age: Inquisition als Coverstory veröffentlicht. In einem umfangreichen Artikel werden die neuen Details zu Dragon Age: Inquisition zusammengefasst.
Der Kern eines RPGs - Choice & Consequence
Bioware betont, dass sie auf keinen Fall die Tiefe der Story und die Dialoge für ihr Semi-Open-World-Konzept opfern möchten. Nach wie vor soll der Spieler vor viele Entscheidugen gestellt werden, für die es jedoch keine klar guten oder bösen Antworten geben soll. In Dragon Age Inquisition wird es kein System geben, das die Rechtschaffenheit des Spielers misst. Vielmehr verfolgt man den Ansatz, dass gute Menschen Schwächen haben können und schlechte Menschen möglicherweise einzigartige Fähgkeiten, und dass sich der Spieler zwischen Moral und Bedürfnis entscheiden muss. In vielen Situationen gibt es keine optimale Lösung für Konflikte, wie beim Konflikt "Freiheit vs Sicherheit" bei der Frage nach dem Status von mächtigen Zauberern. Nichtsdestotrotz wird der Spieler gezwungen, in schwierigen Situationen Entscheidungen zu treffen und Partei zu ergreifen. Bioware betont jedoch, dass Dragon Age Inquisition kein reines "Dark Fantasy" Spiel sein soll, bei dem man nur die Wahl zwischen mehreren schlechten oder aussichtslosen Positionen hat. Der Spieler soll sich aber vor seiner Entscheidung Gedanken machen, welche Konsequenzen diese oder jene Antwort haben könnte.
Entscheidungen in Dialogen werden in Dragon Age Inquisition mittels eines kreisförmigen Auswahlmenüs getroffen, das so ähnlich schon aus Dragon Age II bekannt ist. Um dem Spieler jedoch die Auswahl zu erleichtern, soll es die Option geben, sich mehr Informationen für die verschiedenen Antwortmöglichkeiten anzeigen zu lassen. Damit soll auch vermieden werden, dass es zu missverständlichen Antworten kommen kann. Langfristige Konsequenzen werden dadurch jedoch nicht offenbart.
Viele Entscheidungen sollen weitläufige und breit gefächerte Konsequenzen haben, die der Spieler selbst entdecken und erfahren soll. Manche Begegnungen und ganze Teile des Spiels werden dabei stark von den getroffenen Entscheidungen abhängen. Mit Inquisition möchte Bioware mehr als jemals zuvor die Handlungen des Spielers in den Mittelpunkt rücken und auf die Welt übertragen. So sollen unterschiedliche Entscheidungen nicht nur geringfügige Auswirkungen auf einzelne Dialoge haben sondern sogar dazu führen können, dass die Spielwelt permanent verändert wird. Umgebungen und Regionen können sich ändern, einzelne Orte können sich ändern, neue Inhalte können verfügbar werden. Manche Entscheidugnen sollen kurzfristige Auswirkungen haben, andere langfristige, die dem Spieler erst im späteren Spielverlauf begegnen.
Bioware verspricht jedoch auch, einige noch aus den Vorgängern offene Fragen endlich zu beantworten, anstatt ständig neue Fragen aufzuwerfen. So soll es in Inquisition Antworten auf die Fragen geben, was Rotes Lyrim wirklich ist, welchen Aktivitäten die Grauen Wächter in der Zwischenzeit nachgegangen sind, was die wahre Natur von Flemeth ist und wie es Morrigan so ergangen ist.
In vorigen Spielen getroffene Entscheidungen sollen auch Auswirkungen auf Dragon Age Inquisition haben. Bioware sucht gerade noch nach Wegen, wie man dies bei der Umstellung auf Next-Gen-Konsolen erreichen kann. Es soll aber definitiv eine Möglichkeit geben, seine Entscheidungen aus Dragon Age Origins und Dragon Age II mitzunehmen beziehungsweise abzubilden, auch wenn man für Inquisition auf eine Next-Gen-Konsole umsteigt.
Lasst die Party beginnen - die Begleiter
Quelle: Electronic Arts / Bioware
Wie es sich für ein Sequel gehört und wie man es von Bioware gewohnt ist, werden Charaktere aus den vorigen Spielen auch in Dragon Age Inquisition wieder auftauchen.
Wie es sich für ein Sequel gehört und wie man es von Bioware gewohnt ist, werden Charaktere aus den vorigen Spielen auch in Dragon Age Inquisition wieder auftauchen. Bisher hat Bioware Varric und Cassandra als Begleiter, die der Inquisition betreten, bestätigt, aber es ist davon auszugehen, dass noch weitere bereits bekannte NPCs hinzustoßen werden. Morrigan wird zwar auch eine Rolle in Inquisition spielen (Bioware verspricht eine tragende Rolle, keinen Cameo-Auftritt), allerdings wird man sie nicht in seine Gruppe aufnehmen können.
Als komplett neues potenzielles Gruppenmitglied stellt Bioware die Magierin Vivienne vor, die eigentlich für die Rolle der Ersten Verzauberin in Orlais auserkoren war, diesen Posten aber aufgrund des Bürgerkrieges und der Revolte der Magier nicht antreten konnte. Daraufhin tritt sie der Inquisition bei und steht dem Spieler als Partymitglied zur Verfügung.
Generell sollen die Begleiter in Dragon Age Inquisition nicht einfach so in Tavernen angeworbene Tagelöhner sein, sondern dem Stand des Spielers als Anführer der Inquisition entsprechen. Es wird sich also um hochgestellte und angesehene Persönlichkeiten mit ausgefallenden Fähigkeiten handeln, die vom Status des Spielercharakters angezogen werden.
Bioware entwirft die Begleiter um zentrale Storyelemente, etwa um den Konflikt zwischen Magier und Templer. Damit möchten die Entwickler eine "Humanisierung der Konflikte" erreichen, indem sie politische Situationen auf den Horizont einzelner Begleiter reduzieren. Auch wenn sich der Spieler eventuell nicht um Magier im Generellen kümmert, so kümmert er sich vielleicht doch um Vivienne, die klare Vorstellungen und Ansichten zu diesen Themen hat und die entsprechend reagiert, wenn sich der Spieler für diese oder jene Anwort entscheidet. Die Gefühle und Reaktionen der einzelnen Partymitglieder und die Interaktion mit dem Spieler und untereinander sollen nach wie vor eine tragende Rolle in Dragon Age Inquisition spielen. So hat jeder Begleiter eine ausgefeilte Hintergrundgeschichte und einen klaren moralischen Kompass, der ihn zu Zustimmung oder Ablehung der Handlungen des Spielers veranlasst. Ob und in weit tiefer gehende Interaktionen mit Belgeitern möglich sind (Romanzen, Kampf, etc), ist bisher nicht bekannt.
by Kimberley Wallace on August 19, 2013 at 03:00 PM
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Many narratives thrive off their rivalries, and Dragon Age is no different. Tensions between the Templars and mages reached a new level with an all-out battle in Dragon Age II, with Hawke having to pick a side. Dragon Age: Inquisition throws you right into the aftermath, and the two groups are still at odds.
Finding The Catalyst
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What if magic actually existed in our world? So many fantastical settings immerse themselves in the supernatural property, but few touch on how odd it would be to have people walking around with powers. When the Dragon Age team sat down, it was something they couldn’t ignore.
The conversation started off lighthearted as the group quickly recalled the Dungeons & Dragons spell “charm person,” which allows you to make someone your friend until the spell expires. The spell sparked some telling questions. “What if you met a mage and you could never be sure you like them?” asks lead writer David Gaider. “Do like them because they cast a spell on ?”
As the team talked, they focused on the paranoia that would come with a world where people possessed magical powers and how that would be an interesting story to tell. “You always have to have in the back of your mind, ‘What if this person had powers?’ What kind of suspicions would that breed? That’s where it eventually led to the Circle of Magi and the kind of the controls it would require,” Gaider recalls.
The controls BioWare decided on brought an abundance of tension to the Dragon Age world. By involving the Chantry, the prevailing religion of Thedas, in governing the Circle of Magi, it not only gave the vocal group additional power, but also let the Chantry spread and act on its message about the dangers of magic. For those who need a refresher, the Circle of Magi teaches mages how to control their powers. Chantry law dictates that anyone who gains powers must join the nearest circle and be monitored. Part of the monitoring comes from the Templars, who are the watchdogs for mages and the Circle, and hunt down the apostates who refuse to join.
According to Gaider, Dragon Age: Origins was about setting up this dilemma. As the team moved on to Dragon Age II, the focus shifted; “Then it was, ‘What would it take for that to come crashing down?’” Gaider recalls. As we all know, peace and order are constantly challenged...and maybe the mages are tired of being looked at as outcasts.
Choosing Sides
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As seen throughout our own history, all it takes is one dominant group to forecast something as a threat and people will follow. Dragon Age’s asset is its two viewpoints people can relate to, and it set the stage for a tense rivalry fans latched onto and passionately defended on message board forums. In fact, even within BioWare’s own staff, team members disagree about who’s in the right.
On the one hand, the Chantry and Templars have a reasonable fear: Magic in evil or incompetent hands could be diabolical for society. For mages, this presumption of guilt is disheartening. “What would it feel like to have it assumed that you’re a time bomb waiting to go off?” Gaider asks. “Should I not be judged for the things that I do, not the things that I may do?”
These two disparate concepts drove players to think about magic in greater complexity. “It just seemed like such a juicy argument to dive into,” Gaider says. “Dragon Age has always been about hard decisions, where there’s not necessarily a clear moral path. But the idea is that if we can successfully argue either side of an issue and not feel like a sociopath doing so, then that is a good avenue for us to explore.”
In Dragon Age II, BioWare deliberately presented both groups at their worst, as creative director Mike Laidlaw puts it, “kind of accelerating or turning the volume up on each of their extremisms.” Instead of letting you watch, the game ended with you finally voicing support for one group or the other. “I think by letting the player put a stake in the ground with Hawke as your avatar was something that we needed to do, having been presented the increasingly loud evidence,” Laidlaw says.
“Dragon Age II is always about Hawke being drawn into events perhaps outside of his or her control, and we wanted to give the player the opportunity to see the conflicts start,” Gaider adds. “I think that was more at the heart of it than the player actually deciding, because it’s too large of an issue to resolve in a snap.”
The Continuing Battle In Dragon Age: Inquisition
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The start of Dragon Age: Inquisition has the Chantry, Templars, and mages assessing the aftermath. The mages have declared their independence from the Chantry, allowing them to break away from the Chantry-controlled Circle. The Templars want to hunt down the mages, fearful of what they’ll do without control. But the Chantry, just as fearful, thinks it’s best to make peace. The Templars, enraged that the Chantry doesn’t see it their way, decide to split off. “Basically, you have a situation where the Templars are hunting mages in the streets,” Gaider says. “That’s not everything that Inquisition is about, but that’s where it begins. The world’s kind of falling apart.”
Entering Inquisition, tensions are higher than ever before, and no one is safe. Those who read Dragon Age: Asunder, a book that details some of the aftermath three years after the Mage-Templar war, already know of some of the chaos. “We struck down the mechanisms that would normally keep these things in check. Even the governments like Orlais are in a state of civil war that was established at the end of Asunder. So even there, the most powerful empire in the world is not in a position to intervene in these events either, so that just all plays into the state of the world at the beginning of Inquisition. We set up all our ducks in a row,” Gaider says.
This time around, it’s not about extreme viewpoints, though. You’ve seen both groups at their worst; now it’s time to see the other side. “I think a big part of Dragon Age II was letting the player see the people who thought that things were bad by these extremists,” Gaider says. “And now in Dragon Age: Inquisition we want to show the player the people who feel that they’re right. That they’re on the side of good, not from the side of, ‘I am an extremist who has this view that might be hard to understand,’ more, ‘This is why my position is morally correct.’” This also extends to seeing characters approach these views differently.
As many recall, Cassandra, a seeker of the Chantry, interrogated Varric about Hawke in an attempt to prevent war. “You will find out more as to why,” Gaider teases. “She wasn’t just investigating; there was more behind what she was doing. You find that out as the Inquisition comes around.”
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Both Cassandra and Varric have been confirmed as party members, but we didn’t get to know much about Cassandra in Dragon Age II beyond her mission. This will change in Inquisition. “To some degree, I think that Cassandra undergoes probably the biggest transformative arc of any character in Dragon Age II,” Laidlaw says. Cassandra has always supported the Chantry, but after talking to Varric and seeing both sides of the issue, her opinions may change. “In a lot of ways, I think she represents the opportunity to grow by understanding getting increasingly lost in the noise of Dragon Age’s rising chaos,” Laidlaw says.
Another character who may be set to re-enter the Dragon Age ring? The redheaded, religious bard Leliana. “We’ve been building Leliana up to essentially act as an agent to the divine,” Laidlaw says. “I think it would be fair to expect that she might have some say, especially given her appearance at the end of Dragon Age II. But beyond that, mum’s the word.” Leliana has always represented faith and spirituality, often testing belief and being a way to question players about how they feel about the Maker. “As far as I can tell, if you look among our fans, people have a lot of strong opinions on ,” Gaider says. “It’s a good place to go.”
The power is in your hands to bring peace back into the world as the Inquisitor. “We’ve always wanted to ask the question, ‘what if you could found the Jedi Order instead of becoming a Jedi?’” Laidlaw says. The space has been made for the Inquisitor to step in and shape the world as you wish. “If going to start something, what would it be? What would you make that you would want to be a part of?” Gaider asks, setting up the questions BioWare wants players to explore as the Inquisitor.
Inquisition takes players into darker pastures as alongside the warring groups, a new threat emerges: a tear opens up in the world and demons are pouring out. The questions are bound to get more complicated, and BioWare has put a lot of thought into your role as the Inquisitor. “Making the decision harder is stopping and thinking, ‘What is the right outcome? What do I want out of this problem? What do I need to have happen?’” Gaider says. “For some players that’s very simple, but if you can have an argument about it, that makes it Dragon Age.”
Quelle: Building A Dragon Age Rivalry: Mages Versus Templars - Features - www.GameInformer.com
Da die Frostbite-Engine zum Einsatz kommt, erwarte ich eine super Grafik, auch wenn die mir bei DA eigentlich nicht so extrem wichtig ist.
Und es wird wieder der gleiche Minikonflikt verwurstet, der bereits zuvor schon in beiden Teilen aufgesetzt und absolut konstruiert wirkte.
Egal, wieder mal Geld gespart. :-D
Bioware muss sich ja auch gar nicht für DA2 entschuldigen. Wieso auch?
1. Das Spiel war gerademal ca. anderthalb Jahre in Entwicklung, was für ein RPG doch extrem knapp ist. Was daraus wurde, ist zumindest ein gutes Action-RPG für Actionfreunde.
2. Jemand, der ein Bild malt, entschuldigt sich ja auch nicht für vermeintlich miese Pinselführung. Er malt es so, wie er kann und wie er es für richtig hält.
Wäre DA2 zudem noch mit zahlreichen Bugs geplagt, dann wäre eine Entschuldigung seitens Bioware wohl angebracht. Aber das Spiel kam fertig auf den Markt, nur eben mit zahlreichen falschen Designentscheidungen und arg kurzer Entwicklungszeit. Außerdem muss man es eben auch professionell sehen. Das sind immerhin arbeitende Leute.
Und das trotz der vermeindlich besseren Grafik :-D
Naja, Morrigan ist im 3. Teil ja auch ein paar Jahre älter. Klar, dass man da vielleicht nicht mehr so aussieht, wie früher. :D Ich fand sie in Origin hässlicher.
Und das trotz der vermeindlich besseren Grafik :-D
Naja, sie sieht jetzt eben mehr aus wie eine Hexe, was ja nicht ganz unpassend ist....;-)
Ich finde die neue Version aber ganz ansehlich und zum Glück ist die aufgespritzte Lippe passé... :-P
Und das trotz der vermeindlich besseren Grafik :-D
by Kimberley Wallace on August 12, 2013 at 12:00 PM
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Morrigan is one of the most mysterious characters to grace the Dragon Age universe. The seductive mage keeps everyone guessing about her true intentions, and knows more than she lets on. If the cheers following her appearance in Dragon Age: Inquisition’s E3 trailer are any indication, fans are glad to have her back. With so many questions lingering, including Morrigan’s whereabouts since performing the dark ritual to conceive a child, Inquisition is her chance to return to glory. Not only do we catch you on to speed on Morrigan, but we also sat down with BioWare to discuss the creation of one of the most-discussed Dragon Age characters and her role in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
How Morrigan Came To Be
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Lead writer David Gaider’s initial vision for Morrigan was vastly different from the defiant and vociferous woman he presented in Dragon Age: Origins. Strangely enough, Gaider first wrote Morrigan much like her nemesis: Flemeth, the woman who raised her. “Remember meeting Flemeth and she’s talking in circles and kind of out there? I had Morrigan kind of the same way,” says lead writer David Gaider. “She would never give you anything straight.”
Gaider wanted players to wonder what she was talking about every time she opened her mouth, but soon decided with the team that the whimsical Morrigan just wasn’t working. Gaider had to completely rewrite her, and he liked the idea of having a character speak obtusely, so he came up with a compromise. “I decided rather than make her like Flemeth, make her a teenage girl who just resents her mother. completely blunt because she doesn’t like that her mother talks in circles,” Gaider says.
With one hurdle for Morrigan overcome, the team was on to the next: Finding the perfect voice. BioWare considers this one of the most critical elements to a character. “Morrigan took forever to cast,” Gaider says. At one point BioWare settled on a different voice actress, but like Morrigan’s initial conception, decided she just wasn’t working for what they envisioned. But then Claudia Black (the actress who portrays Aeryn Sun in Farscape) came along in an unexpected way. “She did not actually audition for Morrigan,” Gaider says. Instead, Black sent in a recording she had done to let BioWare know she’d be interested in future projects. “We listened to it and were like, ‘that would be perfect.’ And of course I watched Farscape, so that was just great,” Gaider recalls.
Even with time away, Black came back for Inquisition’s trailer and delivered exactly what BioWare needed. “She falls right into that space again and she just has that whiskey voice that works so well,” Gaider says. “Every now and then you get a voice actor who just hits it out of the park the first time and makes what you wrote better,” Gaider adds.
The Morrigan We Know
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Fans quickly became captivated by Morrigan’s mystique and sharp tongue, especially in her banter with fellow party member Alistair. Part of what makes Morrigan tick is her backstory and position within the Dragon Age world. Magic is feared in Thedas, and as a way to have keep their power in check, all mages are required to enroll in the Circle of Magi. Unsurprisingly, Morrigan refuses to comply, making her an apostate – a rogue mage – isolated from civilization. Morrigan’s upbringing is drastically different than most characters you encounter in Dragon Age, and she clearly hasn’t had many interactions or relationships with others because of it.
Most noticeably, Morrigan has a strained relationship with Flemeth, but Morrigan is unsure if the witch is actually her mother. When your caretaker is a legendary shapeshifting witch who is rumored to kill men through fear alone, it’s hard not to pick up on her tactics and resent her power. Whether Morrigan or Flemeth can be trusted is a lingering question, as they always seem to have ulterior motives.
Morrigan’s cryptic personality has worked well for the story and something Gaider deliberately wanted. “I had Morrigan talk a lot about herself in Dragon Age: Origins, and considering how ended, players walked away thinking, ‘how much of that is true?’” Gaider says. “You’d be foolish to recognize and then not have her take advantage of it, right? She knows the power that she has...”
Morrigan presents players with a big choice before the final battle against the Archdemon in Origins. She claims that a certain dark ritual would allow her to conceive a child and save a Grey Warden from having to make a grave sacrifice. She explains that the essence of the Archdemon, once it is slain, will go into the unborn child. Morrigan believes the child will then have the soul of an Old God. Male players are given the option of conceiving a child with Morrigan themselves, but even if they refuse, the other Grey Wardens of the world may not have the same resolve. After the final battle, Morrigan leaves and the child’s fate is unknown.
Morrigan’s departure to continue her mission was something Gaider felt strongly about. “From my perspective, making a strong female character is about having her have her own agenda,” Gaider says. “The most important thing for me when I wrote was that at the end even if Morrigan loved the player, she had this thing that she believed in, that was so important that she would do it regardless of the player. And I think that a lot of players expected that she would bend herself to do whatever they wanted because they’ve done the romance, gotten her approval up, and of course she would just sort of follow their destiny. But Morrigan has her own destiny.”
Role In Dragon Age: Inquisition
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Morrigan’s fate is being teased for Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the anticipation of her role is keeping fans on the edge of their seats. One role she won’t have has already been confirmed. “I think it is fair for people to understand that will not be a party member,” says creative director Mike Laidlaw. “That’s going to disappoint some people, but I think it’s important for us to be upfront about that.” Although, she won’t be cast as one of the followers, her role is important. “It’s not a cameo. She plays a significant role,” Gaider teases.
Gaider and Laidlaw’s excitement for her return in Inquisition is palpable. They’ve been building up her return for some time now. “The kernel of Inquisition’s story we knew from about midway through Dragon Age: Origins. The story has been in the making for a very long time,” Laidlaw says. “The story of Inquisition is moment, which is a good way to think about it.” Fans were hoping that she’d make an appearance in Dragon Age II, but only heard her referenced a few times. The wait to see what Morrigan has been up to has been agonizing; fans have been waiting since 2010’s Witch Hunt DLC to be reunited with her. “I think you could say in Dragon Age II, we didn’t go to that story, but it has always been there, waiting for us,” Gaider says.
When asked if any references would come up from your past interactions with Morrigan, like about your Grey Warden if you romanced her, Gaider says, “Yes. The various states that Morrigan can be in – of which there can be quite a few, because we don’t know when to stop when it comes to making decisions – they’re all recognized. Whether or not they have the ultimate effect like the kind of reactivity someone imagines, that depends on the person. But we do recognize them and it does play a role of varying degrees depending on the surroundings.”
Does this mean Inquisition will tie up the loose ends in her story? The dark ritual has been in fans’ minds since Origins, but Morrigan has more depth than a single scheme. “ has a human role in this plot, which I think may surprise some people because they might only think of her as a plot device,” Gaider says. “She has this big plot she’s involved in, and while that’s true to an extent, I’m taking her to a human place. That will make sense after the fact.”
Dragon Age: Inquisition continues a story that’s been in the cards since 2009. With a character as brilliant and unpredictable as Morrigan, her role should be anything but ordinary. After all, Morrigan desires change in the world, and this might be her chance to see her wishes become reality.
Quelle: Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Morrigan – Past and Present - Features - www.GameInformer.com