madzilla84

[madzilla84]

say what you will about dragon age but it does kind of fuck that in their medieval christianity equivalent religion they believe their god to have abandoned them after they corrupted heaven

[madzilla84]

little used fantasy trope i love: when two people are playing cards in a shady bar and it's the tense moment where they show their hand but it's a fantasy so they can't say things like "full house" or "royal flush" so they same some nonsense like "three crowns and a dead crow" and the crowd is like "oooOOHH" so we know that's good

[madzilla84]

oh………,,,,,,, ok

[madzilla84]

shout out to everyone who participated in the january-february mass depressive episode

[madzilla84]

shadow dragon to shadow dragon communication

[madzilla84]

dudes will be like yeah that's a fantastic episode of the show one of my favorites in fact. i can't watch it straight all the way through because the mental distress it causes me is too acute

[madzilla84]

Let’s explore the companions and game design of Veilguard.

But first, let’s talk about Baldur’s Gate 3, the game I’ve spent [redacted] hours playing. While BG3’s main quest is decent, it’s the companions that truly make the game come alive. However, BG3 underwent six years of development under a unified vision, which means you can lose all companions and the game is still comprehensive. The game’s flexibility is just that good. It’s one of its main selling points.

Now, Veilguard’s main quest is truly exceptional. But BioWare also recognised the importance of companions and managed to integrate them seamlessly with the main quest and the broader world events. At a pivotal moment, they realised that the Veilguard was the heart and soul of the game, leading to the infamous retitling of the game.

One thing I can see is that it’s likely a combination of time and budget constraints  led to reduced flexibility in Veilguard. While you can complete BG3 alone, you can’t do the same with Veilguard.

But the game design regarding the integration of the companions is truly good. Firstly, the companions often serve as the primary quest givers and the focus of story quests. You can’t progress through the game without recruiting them and resolving their individual storylines. The game also acknowledges that you’re expected to lead these characters, a concept that’s evident in other games but is more openly emphasised in Veilguard.

Rook is designed to interact with the companions, but the companions are also designed to interact with each other. You can take the same two companions on every quest, but you’ll miss out on a lot of lore and narrative depth. You’re not just getting a static story; the story and your impressions are dynamic. The team is supposed to work together not only through banter and interactions at the Lighthouse but also through the combat system. Depending on the region and the enemies present, you want to bring different characters with you. They all have personal stakes in the main conflict and would fight the elven gods regardless, but Rook also has a personal stake in the companion stories. A lot of them have unique knowledge necessary to complete not only the main quest but also each other’s quests as well. (Looking at you, Emmrich.) They are all deeply connected to their world and their fractions, and through them, we gain insight into new parts of Thedas.

The relationship you have with the companions deepens over time, and it has a valuable impact on the final resolution of the game. However, the companion’s life still progresses beyond just the time spent with Rook. Taash’ quest of self-discovery is ongoing throughout the game with minimal impact from Rook at the beginning, but it’s handled by Neve and Taash themselves later. 

The companions aren’t just included in the story; the game relies on them to tell it. They are not side quests but pillars of the experience.

[madzilla84]

but its important

[madzilla84]

does anybody else have a discord server thats only yourself and nobody else exclusively used to send images from your mobile phone to your tablet or computer

[madzilla84]

The seige of Weisshaupt is so good. SO good.

We first saw dreams of Weisshaupt in the Fade in Origins. We've been imagining it for fifteen years. And in my opinion, it really lived up to that.

The seige is so intense. It's terrifying. It really feels unwinnable, and in the end you do get away just by the skin of your teeth. The whole time I was thinking of my warden, making their desperate last stand in the tower at Ostsgar. And all the warden history in the library. It's nostalgic in the best way.

And Mila! The first time I played it I was so terrified for her the whole time. So scared I would lose this brave child. And when I replay, knowing she survives, I still worry about her the whole time. When she shows up to rescue Rook with her ladder? What a great moment.

And the fact that all the rest of the team is there to help? Everyone pushing on the door together? This is one of the biggest strengths of Veilguard for me - everyone is there, working together. It really feels like a real team.

I just love it. This quest really does justice to the history of Dragon Age while bringing it forward into the present. Whatever you think of the rest of the game, they really nailed this quest.

[madzilla84]

Naner video

[madzilla84]

You're Right Actually: Veilguard is a Bad Direct Sequel and That's Why It's a Great Dragon Age Game

Or why I love Veilguard because it's not Inquisition 2.0. Disclaimer this is not a knock on Inquisition we're just having fun with this one I'm a fan of both. I'm an out and proud Veilguard Defender (Trademark Pending)

The thing is….I’m really happy about that. Because to be honest Inquisition is a terrible direct sequel to DA2 and DA2 is a terrible direct sequel to Origins. None of them are meant to be that and if I need that from BioWare Mass Effect is right there. Yes I do have thoughts on ME5 no we don't need that energy today. I really wasn't expecting Veilguard to be but I also wasn't paying attention until the game was announced so I missed 90% of the news on it over the years. That was a good thing as it turned out.

This is largely because of personal preference but what I’ve always enjoyed about Dragon Age is that each game gives us new POV’s, new protagonists, and new cultures to explore. That we don’t know everything about Thedas or even what's across the sea, and that new information is always heavily biased, is the best part of the lore. Like anything Brother Gentivi says….if you’re new to the series don’t trust him lmfao good all Southern Chantry bias.

You can’t take anything in any Dragon Age game at face value because it is never that simple. This includes Veilguard. I think a lot of the pushback to the game is people playing 60-80 hours and missing the environmental storytelling(not codex entries I mean the game's actual environment and what it's telling you). Which is perfectly fine! It’s their time and I won't fault anyone for this! But my first playthrough was 83 hours and I missed a ton of stuff! And that's okay. I just don't get mad at the game or other people when they point it out. It's DA that's what I love about it. I noticed a lot more on my second and third time around and my...you get the picture.

Like there are visible slaves in Minrathous but how many people assumed there weren’t because they didn’t see them. Or ran past the creepy people trees without realizing they’re screaming because it's easy to miss, I did! My personal favorite I missed was Lucanis' whole mind prison hahaha. Sorry pal. I didn't even know it was a thing until my second run and I played it. Lo siento.

(I missed this shit did you?)

This isn't even mentioning how differently the game treats you depending on your Rook!!! If you only analyze this game through say a MW Rook’s POV you’re getting very different info than if you did it through a Warden’s which is what’s so fun with Dragon Age. There's a ton of stuff you miss just from Rook to Rook let alone with each faction and how you're treated and this is by design. It's why I love the roleplaying in this game so much. The way your companion's treat you differently too is awesome. There’s a ton of replay value here.

The reason I point all this out is….I never thought the Inquisition was a good thing. I love the game itself but having a divinely mandated faction with the power of a monarchy is deeply disturbing to me on several levels (shockingly this rarely ends well for people like me) and while I love the game I was uncomfortable which was the point of the game. But I did not want to do it again. I disband it every time. The Southern Chantry does not need more power than it already has to subjugate elves and mages. I did not want to go to war with Solas and his army. (What was this pitch did we need an Exalted March on the elves again????) I did not want to play my Inquisitors again after everything that had happened to them. I wanted a new experience because that’s what DA has always given me before. I was happy to put that game to rest and move on because it was quite flawed but I love new stories in the same universe.

I’m really really really glad we got Treviso, Docktown, the Lighthouse (I like it better than Skyhold sorry not sorry) Kal-Sharok, the Anderfels, Arlathan Forest is insanely cool, Rivain is gorgeous even if I wish we’d gotten more of it, and the Hossberg Wetlands are my favorite you had me at the Grey Wardens and blight, the Necropolis is fucking awesome. Actually, my biggest critique of the game is not getting more of Kal-Sharok and Rivain and the Qunari but ya know #developmenthell and AAA companies are the wooooorst. But expanding on Thedas was all I knew I really wanted from Veilguard (and new juicy lore and a satisfying conclusion with Solas and they also knocked those out of the park) and I found it very satisfying on this front and then got so much more than I anticipated.

There was a lot of talk about Bioware nixing import decisions for this game. I was apprehensive about this at first as well, until I played it. I knew the devs had talked about how complicated these decisions are to incorporate because of how many branching narratives there can be. I understood it in theory. I know Bioware always held their own canon world state for this reason. But when playing Veilguard for the first time I realized how badly having to include so many disparate narratives into every game was affecting the overall structure. Having to focus on telling one story made the overall cohesion and narrative of this game so much better than Inquisition's. (It's actually why DA2 is tighter on that front as well imo, there was less to incorporate). Once I realized this, I figured they could always add in older characters later when they're relevant to the story again.

This is also why the companions feel so fleshed out in this game as well, because we spent way more time with a smaller cast that each got their own arcs. They have a lot more to say to the pc and each other, and they have more to do. They're great characters as a result. This is my favorite cast of companions we've ever had as a unit, because it's the first time I love the whole squad and that I don't feel like anyone is extraneous or that I can leave anyone behind. It's beautiful how each of their arcs reflects the main themes of the overall story. This is even reflected in how the side quests each feed back into the main plots of each main location as well, and how those reflect what's going on in the rest of the game.

So much of this game felt like a love letter to fans like me who have played each game A LOT while also giving me more and new things to chew on and I love it so much for that. It felt like a combination of the three games before it while not retreading old ground and it’s so much fun and so much lore to ponder. It feels like they knew it might be the last one so they gave it their all. Anyways I love Veilguard. Crazy I know.

Oh and I was happy we didn't get this guy again:

Wait sorry I have trouble telling them apart. My bad.

[madzilla84]

dragon age the veilguard text posts

previous: 1 | 2

[madzilla84]

Zach Mendez, Lucanis Dellamorte’s voice actor, gets a lesson in how to properly pronounce “paella”

[madzilla84]

dr who’s on first, doctor strange is on second and doctor house is on third. theres no way theyre getting through a single inning

[madzilla84]

one sec, have to say hi to our boy

[madzilla84]

Happy Worf Wednesday