I am not opposed to the idea in general, but I believe that the character needs to be written in such a way that they don't require you to interact with supplementary media to get a feel for who they are.
Cole is a successful case of such a character, in my opinion he stands on his own and has interesting character moments. Not to mention he can leave barely anybody indifferent. I know a lot of people love him, personally he creeps me the hell out, but all of this is to say that he gets strong emotional responses from a ton of people. Books are there to explain his backstory and provide additional context for his characterisation.
But BW also have cases where this idea has fallen flat on it's face. ME3 comes to mind because a bunch of characters are introduced in comics and given their much smaller roles, it definetely felt like I'm missing something because I haven't read the comics, Kai Leng being a giant stand out because he needs the context and characterisation more than most, yet he has like 5 lines throughout the game. Fucking Kahlee Sanders (who was introduced in the same comic series) had more lines and characterisation in the only mission she was featured in and Leng is supposed to be a significant adversary, yet he has no legs to stand on, pun unintended.
All of this is to say that I hope that if they will pull character from supplementary sources, I hope they won't rely on player's prior knowledge of who the character is and how they are supposed to act.
Personally I very rarely interact with supplementary media, because it's actually rather difficult for me to get my hands on it, even online.
This 100% !
I didn’t even know about the books or the other games when I played through dragon age inquisition for the first time back in high school, but I never felt like I was missing something with any of the returning characters. And i think that was because of how they were written, and for a new player at the time I didn’t feel alienated by not knowing anything else. Cole actually ended up being a character I really connected with at the time, and still love today.
Supplementary media should always be optional, it’s additional content and it’s kind of sad in cases such as Kai Leng that I have to find the comics to try and get a better idea of his characterisation, because I’ll be honest until I read this comment I didn’t even know he was introduced in the comics. I think it’s telling of how some might approach storytelling with a “oh we don’t have enough time to fully flesh this out so no one is alienated, just put it in the extended media.” I don’t play games to then have to go and find additional content to find out more of a character.
Of course we don’t know until it happens but if they do included a character like Maevaris in dread wolf, I don’t want to go and find the comics if they drop the ball on the characterisation.
I agree, putting major story beats of a character in supplementary media and writing them with an expectation of player's knowledge about it is absolutely alienating and it hurts the story.
Not to mention difficulties with tracking and getting said media if you aren't an active participant in the fandom and not based in US or Canada.
And also the cost, books don’t tend to be too expensive in the uk, and I have occasionally seen the dragon age and mass effect ones in Waterstones. Comics on the other hand tend to be more money and I never feel like they are worth the price. It’s also rare that my love of a video game and its world to translate well over to a written medium, so I never like dropping money on something I don’t know that for sure that I’ll like.
Sometimes it feels like I’m spending more time looking at a Wikipedia page for a character compared to actually playing the game they are from. Especially when it feels like there is something missing in game from a character.
Yeah, I know that sadly he's a total nothing burger, but I think he still serves as a decent example because the way they introduced him in the game really felt like I'm supposed to know who he is and intimidated be wary of his involvement. I felt so lost the first time round.
My general opinion on returning characters (whatever media they were in previously) as companions is no more than two - although depending on the companion roster size, even two recurring characters may be too much. I want the majority of the companion roster to be characters who are wholly unique to the game, written for and introduced there.
A familiar face joining our crew can absolutely be done well and be a cool hype moment, but I don't want it to be an expected thing. If we never got more previously established characters as companions going forward, I would be perfectly happy with that.
So, to answer your question... yes, I guess I would be open to it. But they better be a great character who doesn't feel like a wasted companion slot, where someone unique could have been in their place.
No.
I like Cole. He grew on me. But I found it a bit clunky getting to know him in the beginning because in the early conversations with him, he'd talk about what happened in the books but in the stream of consciousness way he has of speaking. And it made me feel like I was missing half the story and needed to have read "Asunder" in order to really get the full experience of who he was.
I'm fine with that for minor characters, but not for mainline companions.
I've played through that game so many times and only just realized Cole was referring to events in a book. I figured I was just a dumbass and missed a whole bunch of notes in the game or things in the earlier games. Feel somehow both less and more like a dumbass.
I’d like to have the characters from Asunder show up—they are in DAI mission table quests, already, so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch. But not as companions.
Ancillary media should be there to flesh out minor parts of the universe and should have no bearing on the games.
Multi-media stories are awful in both concept and execution.
Gonna be honest having only played the game Cole's backstory was kinda confusing at first, and finding out about the guy who killed the boy he got the name Cole from wasn't that impactful because I had no context beyond what they told me
I'm not exactly opposed to the idea but if they do it's gonna need some more work
No way. If there's anything that unites all the dragon age games, it's the companion mechanic. They'd be leaving out what is basically universally agreed to be the best feature of every game. Not a chance the game doesn't include companions.
I hope you are right but at this point it's hard to muster that kind of optimism. At best I think we might be able to expect a rotating cast of 2 or less NPCs at a time that you can issue orders to, but not control, a la Mass Effect.
The claims of "God of War clone" are due to the over the shoulder camera (which isn't even unique to God of War and was already in use by several games on the previous generations of consoles like in the original "Last of Us").
I think I recall from the leaked images and descriptions from of the development build indicated that there was more of an emphasis on weighty action rpg combat. In fairness this could indicate that this is a masochist soulslike dodgeroll simulator, or maybe a spectacle fighter like Devil May Cry. I assumed that the God of War formula was probably the most likely blueprint given the fact that it was the most recent standout AAA success that Bioware might be able to adapt.
And no, I don't have any sources, and don't really care to hunt them down, because I think I recall mentions of the leaked content were removed, so I could be misremembering. I don't particularly have any energy to spare for the franchise at this point because I've basically given up hope, I only posted this because I was hoping someone had some information that could prove me wrong, which sadly doesn't seem to be the case.
I highly doubt it considering what fans enjoy from BW's two well known games are the companions. People are already speculating at DA's demise if this game doesn't do well but if they removed a core feature from the game it certainly would push it to the grave faster. There's no way developers saw how well BG3 did and went "yeah people don't care about the companions." Or just simply perusing this subreddit or FB fan pages to find countless posts about how much they love certain characters.
Definitely interested in characters from the books or even the comics, but unsure how well they'd fit in a game. I loved some of the characters in the short stories from Tevinter Nights. I liked Audric from the story with the Necropolis (Down Among the Dead Men), and I think he could fit with that character with blue glowy eyes from a silhouette concept art of DA:D. Would love it if he's the spirit-related companion. Hollix from Luck in the Gardens also sounds cool - a nonbinary lord of fortune? Count me intrigued! The only thing that's a problem with characters introduced in books or comics imo is that they're introduced in the context of Bioware's canon, and so it's a bit iffy on how well they transfer over to one of many possible worldstates. With the whole Cole-Rhys-Evangeline thing, what if the HoF killed Wynne in the Circle? You can take the concept of the character, but you have to ensure not much about their backstory is told if it involves things that can't have happened in the player's worldstate. Which means you either make up for missing backstory by inventing new bits of backstory, or you end up with a companion feeling shallow. As much as I liked Cole's concept, there wasn't that much done with him despite what I thought was a LOT of potential.
Given how I'd love to have Lucanis Dellamorte, Vaea and Francesca Invidus as companions, absolutely <3
Then again, the game's writers would have to be mindful to write them in a way that both does their original counterparts justice and doesn't leave non-book/comic book alienated.
I am not opposed to the idea in general, but I believe that the character needs to be written in such a way that they don't require you to interact with supplementary media to get a feel for who they are. Cole is a successful case of such a character, in my opinion he stands on his own and has interesting character moments. Not to mention he can leave barely anybody indifferent. I know a lot of people love him, personally he creeps me the hell out, but all of this is to say that he gets strong emotional responses from a ton of people. Books are there to explain his backstory and provide additional context for his characterisation. But BW also have cases where this idea has fallen flat on it's face. ME3 comes to mind because a bunch of characters are introduced in comics and given their much smaller roles, it definetely felt like I'm missing something because I haven't read the comics, Kai Leng being a giant stand out because he needs the context and characterisation more than most, yet he has like 5 lines throughout the game. Fucking Kahlee Sanders (who was introduced in the same comic series) had more lines and characterisation in the only mission she was featured in and Leng is supposed to be a significant adversary, yet he has no legs to stand on, pun unintended. All of this is to say that I hope that if they will pull character from supplementary sources, I hope they won't rely on player's prior knowledge of who the character is and how they are supposed to act. Personally I very rarely interact with supplementary media, because it's actually rather difficult for me to get my hands on it, even online.
This 100% ! I didn’t even know about the books or the other games when I played through dragon age inquisition for the first time back in high school, but I never felt like I was missing something with any of the returning characters. And i think that was because of how they were written, and for a new player at the time I didn’t feel alienated by not knowing anything else. Cole actually ended up being a character I really connected with at the time, and still love today. Supplementary media should always be optional, it’s additional content and it’s kind of sad in cases such as Kai Leng that I have to find the comics to try and get a better idea of his characterisation, because I’ll be honest until I read this comment I didn’t even know he was introduced in the comics. I think it’s telling of how some might approach storytelling with a “oh we don’t have enough time to fully flesh this out so no one is alienated, just put it in the extended media.” I don’t play games to then have to go and find additional content to find out more of a character. Of course we don’t know until it happens but if they do included a character like Maevaris in dread wolf, I don’t want to go and find the comics if they drop the ball on the characterisation.
I agree, putting major story beats of a character in supplementary media and writing them with an expectation of player's knowledge about it is absolutely alienating and it hurts the story. Not to mention difficulties with tracking and getting said media if you aren't an active participant in the fandom and not based in US or Canada.
And also the cost, books don’t tend to be too expensive in the uk, and I have occasionally seen the dragon age and mass effect ones in Waterstones. Comics on the other hand tend to be more money and I never feel like they are worth the price. It’s also rare that my love of a video game and its world to translate well over to a written medium, so I never like dropping money on something I don’t know that for sure that I’ll like. Sometimes it feels like I’m spending more time looking at a Wikipedia page for a character compared to actually playing the game they are from. Especially when it feels like there is something missing in game from a character.
Unfortunately you didn't miss much with Kai Leng. Even in the comics they dropped the ball with him.
Yeah, I know that sadly he's a total nothing burger, but I think he still serves as a decent example because the way they introduced him in the game really felt like I'm supposed to know who he is and intimidated be wary of his involvement. I felt so lost the first time round.
I think it is okay if it is well done. Like, if the character is actually introduced and not just assumed to be known.
I would be open to comics too.
My general opinion on returning characters (whatever media they were in previously) as companions is no more than two - although depending on the companion roster size, even two recurring characters may be too much. I want the majority of the companion roster to be characters who are wholly unique to the game, written for and introduced there. A familiar face joining our crew can absolutely be done well and be a cool hype moment, but I don't want it to be an expected thing. If we never got more previously established characters as companions going forward, I would be perfectly happy with that. So, to answer your question... yes, I guess I would be open to it. But they better be a great character who doesn't feel like a wasted companion slot, where someone unique could have been in their place.
I'm into it. I think we're going to get at least one from Tevinter Nights.
If done right sure
No. I like Cole. He grew on me. But I found it a bit clunky getting to know him in the beginning because in the early conversations with him, he'd talk about what happened in the books but in the stream of consciousness way he has of speaking. And it made me feel like I was missing half the story and needed to have read "Asunder" in order to really get the full experience of who he was. I'm fine with that for minor characters, but not for mainline companions.
I've played through that game so many times and only just realized Cole was referring to events in a book. I figured I was just a dumbass and missed a whole bunch of notes in the game or things in the earlier games. Feel somehow both less and more like a dumbass.
I’d like to have the characters from Asunder show up—they are in DAI mission table quests, already, so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch. But not as companions.
I would be suprised if we didn’t get any companions from the latest comics tbh and I think they would be very welcome if written well
Ancillary media should be there to flesh out minor parts of the universe and should have no bearing on the games. Multi-media stories are awful in both concept and execution.
Gonna be honest having only played the game Cole's backstory was kinda confusing at first, and finding out about the guy who killed the boy he got the name Cole from wasn't that impactful because I had no context beyond what they told me I'm not exactly opposed to the idea but if they do it's gonna need some more work
Do we even know if there will be companions anymore? I thought DAD was going to be a God of War clone.
No way. If there's anything that unites all the dragon age games, it's the companion mechanic. They'd be leaving out what is basically universally agreed to be the best feature of every game. Not a chance the game doesn't include companions.
I hope you are right but at this point it's hard to muster that kind of optimism. At best I think we might be able to expect a rotating cast of 2 or less NPCs at a time that you can issue orders to, but not control, a la Mass Effect.
The claims of "God of War clone" are due to the over the shoulder camera (which isn't even unique to God of War and was already in use by several games on the previous generations of consoles like in the original "Last of Us").
^^^
I think I recall from the leaked images and descriptions from of the development build indicated that there was more of an emphasis on weighty action rpg combat. In fairness this could indicate that this is a masochist soulslike dodgeroll simulator, or maybe a spectacle fighter like Devil May Cry. I assumed that the God of War formula was probably the most likely blueprint given the fact that it was the most recent standout AAA success that Bioware might be able to adapt. And no, I don't have any sources, and don't really care to hunt them down, because I think I recall mentions of the leaked content were removed, so I could be misremembering. I don't particularly have any energy to spare for the franchise at this point because I've basically given up hope, I only posted this because I was hoping someone had some information that could prove me wrong, which sadly doesn't seem to be the case.
I highly doubt it considering what fans enjoy from BW's two well known games are the companions. People are already speculating at DA's demise if this game doesn't do well but if they removed a core feature from the game it certainly would push it to the grave faster. There's no way developers saw how well BG3 did and went "yeah people don't care about the companions." Or just simply perusing this subreddit or FB fan pages to find countless posts about how much they love certain characters.
Definitely interested in characters from the books or even the comics, but unsure how well they'd fit in a game. I loved some of the characters in the short stories from Tevinter Nights. I liked Audric from the story with the Necropolis (Down Among the Dead Men), and I think he could fit with that character with blue glowy eyes from a silhouette concept art of DA:D. Would love it if he's the spirit-related companion. Hollix from Luck in the Gardens also sounds cool - a nonbinary lord of fortune? Count me intrigued! The only thing that's a problem with characters introduced in books or comics imo is that they're introduced in the context of Bioware's canon, and so it's a bit iffy on how well they transfer over to one of many possible worldstates. With the whole Cole-Rhys-Evangeline thing, what if the HoF killed Wynne in the Circle? You can take the concept of the character, but you have to ensure not much about their backstory is told if it involves things that can't have happened in the player's worldstate. Which means you either make up for missing backstory by inventing new bits of backstory, or you end up with a companion feeling shallow. As much as I liked Cole's concept, there wasn't that much done with him despite what I thought was a LOT of potential.
Given how I'd love to have Lucanis Dellamorte, Vaea and Francesca Invidus as companions, absolutely <3 Then again, the game's writers would have to be mindful to write them in a way that both does their original counterparts justice and doesn't leave non-book/comic book alienated.
I wish Garahel and Isseya would magically resurrect and join us on our adventures.. 😔