Obsidian's Project Eternity's kickstarter raised $4,163,208 (65 is mine, yeddur), and it's being touted as the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.. I've liked all 60 updates they've made on their progress so far, and CAN'T FUCKING WAIT for the final product even with >Obsidian.

My god.

 

They aren't as different as you think. Dragon's Dogma camera is just better implimented third person, and you can't go into first. As far as the actual nuts and bolts of combat goes, yes, they are different, but that's a good thing. The combat in Elder Scrolls games has been at best acceptable and at worst horrible, and it's kept the course firm in those murky waters of mediocrity-bordering-shit.

Dragons Dogma cribbed most of what it does from Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter is an entire franchise that is devoted solely to combat. That's all it is. There's a vague plot, in theory, but it's barely there. It's just an excuse to get you to go out and kill monsters.

I've talked about this far too much already, so I won't bore you by elaborating again. Suffice to say that an Elder Scrolls MMO that stays true to the lore, doesn't have a stupid story, and takes notes from games like Dogma and Hunter basically couldn't fail.

If it kept the room size limited to six or so people, and didn't have PvP, yes. I see no reason why multiplayer Dragon's Dogma/Monster Hunter/Elder Scrolls MMO shouldn't be functional.

 

Specializations in DA2 didn't matter story-wise, but combat-wise, that's completely untrue. Berserker was the straight-up glory highway for warriors, Force Mage\Blood Mage combo wiped the floor with absolutely everything in the game and as far as Rogues go, Assassin was so powerful it was retarded (one-shotting Elites with Assassinate all day everyday), Shadow made the game a steamroll after the stupid patch and a buff of total 100% crit dmg and while Duelist had only one really good skill going for it (Vendetta), the passives were nothing to sneeze at and Vendetta was godly.

Good/great games will probably continue to need seven digit budgets, but I agree that there's no need for them to go sky high. IIRC Minecraft, one of the best (imo) and most successful games of recent years was made just by Notch (I dunno if he hired people after he made money, but at least in the beginning) and made him millions of dollars in return.

Call me out if I'm being and idiot right here, but I think I read about some game industry veteran kickstarting a game where he wanted to make it so hardcore that when an NPC told you to find a village in the mountains, you wouldn't get a shiny-glowy quest mark on your minimap - you'd be expected to get your ass up and scour the entire mountain range for that godforsaken village, probably stumbling upon a ton of other cool shit in the process. I, actually, would fucking love to see something like that. Gothic 3 wasn't as good as the first two, but you literally could spend hours upon hours in this game looking around hunting stuff and doing sidequests, not caring a bit about the main storyline. I didn't play Skyrim, but I've been told you could do that in it too.

 

For returning specializations in DA:I, I have to say that I'd like Arcane Warrior to come back. I loved it in Origin's not only because it was just about a game-breaker it let me wear armor and use swords so I got to play a warrior-esk mage. Although it looked odd to see an elf in huge heavy armor wailing on things with a sword nearly as big as him.

Battlemage was also awesome, but to be honest it felt more like it was just a regular mage with ramped up spells. It didn't feel like it was a lore like specialization, more like a really powerful mage. Which was cool, but eh.

The Shapeshifter (I hope I got it right.) was pretty much useless, it sounds badass in theory but practically it had jack. Revising it would be interesting, but I don't hold hope to it.

Keeper was interesting, to be honest I never used it much because I was a Bloodmage/Arcane Warrior/Battlemage. Although I did select it (Mostly from mods, increasing the level cap and the like let me reach high enough where I could pick a 4th one.) I never really used it because I was kicking the shit out of everything already and didn't need it. I would really like to try it/see how it would be implemented though.

The Force mage in DA2 was pretty cool, but it did feel like it was...like it wasn't lore friendly. I dunno, I wouldn't mind seeing it again but I'd like a better explanation with it.

Bloodmage is a given to return. And I loved playing as a Bloodmage, so there's that.

 

Arcane Warrior won't return unless the Warden teaches someone how to do it. People seem to forget that the only reason it was in the first game was that it was taught to the Warden by the spirit of one of that long forgotten and wiped out sect of Elven mages. So no. It probably won't be in any of the games until the Warden comes back.

 

Forgot about that. Yeah, unless you come across another phylactery in an Elven ruin or something similar I don't see it happening. Still, it would be interesting to hear about it, perhaps from using a Origin's save where the Warden was one or something.

 

They could always pull a Jamaican out of a sarcophagus like in ME3, would be neat to have an Arcane Warrior companion.

 

I liked the Arcane Warrior specialization, but like I said, feel it was a kind of unique thing to The Warden. Also, if they're bringing back Varric as a companion, they'll probably keep Companion Specific Specializations. Which was kind of cool, but at the same time a tad frustrating, because I would've loved to have had one of the Archery Specializations that Varric and Sebastian had.

Which is actually why I used console commands to get them, despite how ungodly overpowered they were. Level 9 and nearly 80% crit for x2 damage? By end game I had 100% crit and 4x damage. For non-elite or Boss enemies I was 1-2 shotting everything with basic attacks.

But yeah, if they keep the Unique Companion Specs, then I doubt we'll see an Arcane Warrior. I mean, maybe, but it'll probably be renamed a something else.

 

Or someone else finds forgotten knowledge.

Or if someone cuts a deal for it with a daemon.

Or if Flemeth decides to show it to someone just for shits and giggles.

 

Coming back to the combat video from earlier - I just realized that the guy with the shield they used to show how the warrior's chain worked seemed like pretty much a rip-off of the Cerberus guardians from ME3... well maybe not so much of a rip-off since DA and ME are both from Bioware, but still, different teams. I suddenly fear the prospect of more ME3 enemies in DA:I.

Find a Banshee in the picture

Bioware...:facepalm

 

So, I'm just noticing the third person in that pic that looks like a mage, but does it look like she has the same hairstyle as Flemeth in DA2? I'm not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I feel that the Hairstyle should (have?) stay(ed) unique to Flemth's character, what with her ability to turn into a giant Dragon that could kick most people's collective asses. On the other, with all of the Hairstyle mods out there that add it to the game, apparently the players want it.

I guess it could still be a companion or NPC specific hairstyle (Or maybe just a helm with a resemblance), but I very much doubt it.

 

As for DA:I specializations, if Blood Mage isn't in the game, it's gonna suck. BM was the way to cut down on potion-chugging. Plus it was badass and had great dmg/CC spells in both games. Spirit Healer was also in both games and it covers the 'healer/support-mage' angle nicely, so I think there's a good chance of it being in DA:I.

As for Rogues, Assassin was in both first games as well and in both it was the critical dmg enhancing spec, basically letting rogues go from 'single target dps master' to 'destroyer of worlds'. I feel like the Dog-summon button was DA2's version of Ranger. Really, I have no idea for any other rogue specs aside from perhaps Duelist, because the ones they added in Awakening were just bizzare. DA2 ones, I feel, were better constructed - as in you actually knew what was what.

For warrior, I'd say Templar is pretty much guaranteed to return considering the mage/templar war. It just fits. Berserker felt useless in DA:O, but it was a game-breaker in DA2, so I'm hoping for some kind of warrior spec that lets you build the character as a dmg dealer instead of a classic tank.

 

Well, BM and SH are pretty much given, or they wouldn't have said that people will react positively or negatively to your specializations. Assassin and Duelists are likely too. I think they did say something about us traveling as far as southern Antiva, so the chances of meeting a Crow or a Duelist are pretty high. Keeper, too, as there was Dalish concept art.

Arcane Warrior I would like to have, but they would have to explain it really well how to unlock it. I guess the Warden could have taught it some other mage Wardens during his time as commander.

 

I found, for me at least, the being a Blood Mage in Origin's was awesome and not so in DA2. Blood Wound in Origin's was pretty damn overpowered, which I felt was appropriate because it was taught as this powerful but forbidden art. DA2 taught it as this 'If you use Blood Magic you become arrogant and stupid as all Hell.', which is funny because by canon (The Destiny trailer.) Mage Hawke was a Blood Mage.

I felt that Merril was the most grounded one about it funnily enough, even if she was fairly naive. Being cute as a kitten probably helped sway me over though.

Anyways, I'd like for the Blood Mage specialization to be...I guess it doesn't have to be overpowered like Origin, but I'd like for it to be strong to reinforce it's 'powerful but forbidden' shtick. I'm really looking forward to how you're treated taking it since Bioware's said that your 1 specialization has more impact on the plot.

 

Paralyzing Hemorrhage on a staggered target hit like a truck in DA2. 900% physical dmg stated in the spell's stats. And that was going into the range of 3-4k dmg. Plus there was Grim Sacrifice which allowed you to heal yourself as long as your tank had spare hp for you to drain, so I'd say BM in DA2 was pretty damn neat.

And Destiny trailer - yes, Hawke was clearly shown cutting his arm before ripping Arishok apart, but the spell he used (the hands of doom) is actually in the game and you can see it in action in one very specific situation.

 

The hands are the mage finishing blow. You don't have to be a Blood Mage to get them. They can fire against any boss enemy that is below a certain health threshold (generally believed to be 20%), and staggering them improves the odds.

You get it from using Crushing Prison under those specific circumstances (Boss, 20% health, staggering improves). If you pull it off correctly, you lift them into the air and the hands appear and tear them apart. And it doesn't happen "the one time." You can use it on any boss or Ogre in the game. You can use it to kill the Arishok in game. I've never done it, but apparently it plays a Destiny-trailer-esque cutscene where you do him in like the trailer if you actually pull it off.

We don't actually know what the hands are. Some argue that they're Blood Magic, some that they aren't. But you don't have to be a Blood Mage to use them, and if they are blood magic, then Hawke, Bethany, Anders, and Merril are all confirmed for dabbling in Blood Magic, because it's a finisher available to every mage in the game.

 

Don't take DA2 seriously. In DAO they state that mages cannot teleport, yet in DA2 we have mages teleporting all over the place. BioWare will retcon or ignore any lore at this point, to suit their design 'needs'.

 

Not "design 'needs'", but "artistic integrity"

 

I'm not defending BioWare in the slightest, but the Old Hermit does it in Origins when you try to kill him via dialogue options. When questioned about it (I believe she needs to be in your party at the time), Wynne says that he is using illusions to appear in places that he is not, and thereby give the appearance of teleportation, when it is actually just trickery.

It's possible similar things are happening in Dragon Age 2. No one is teleporting. They're either using illusions to confuse you, or they're popping in and out of invisibility (which is, I believe, possible in the DA universe).

We actually saw something vaguely like this in the Inquisition dev play. There were mages wielding daggers that appeared to teleport into and out of melee range, but in another showing where someone was using the same devset to explain a different thing they were using, the graphics were effectively 'off,' and we saw what appeared to be the same enemy using the same tactic, but they were actually dodge rolling into and out of striking range. So it's possible that that's what was happening in 2, and it will continue to happen in Inquisition, but unlike 2, we'll actually be able to hit or trap them while they're dodging, because they're still there, they just can't be seen.

It's also possible, given the fact that Inquisition is dealing with a mass invasion of Daemons from the Fade, that they really are teleporting, because Daemons probably aren't bound by the same rules of the material realm as we are, even if they're in the material world with us.

Or a bunch of fans overthought this because they care too much to admit it's a contradiction until they have no other choice, and BioWare just doesn't give a fuck anymore.

 

Just got this months Game Informer and they answer the armor question. You can fully change everyone's armor. And they'll look different but they'll keep their specific character's theme. So you won't have a team of people looking the same if they're wearing the same armor.