Dragon Age: Inquisition Video Interview and Tidbits
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Aficionados of BioWare's fantasy IP will probably want to check this couple of items we have rounded up today, starting from this NeoGAF summary of the new info contained in PC Gamer's recent Dragon Age: Inquisition preview, which was included in the latest issue of the PC gaming-focused magazine:
Gameplay:
-Red Lyrium is an anti-magic substance... an opposite force to normal (blue) Lyrium.
-Tactics are in (automated AI settings as described by the writer) and apparently you can set how much mana a mage companion can keep in reserve and at which HP threshold would a companion use a heath potion.. so looks like more grained control over tactics.
-After clearing parts of an area you can set up camps in that area, they give you access to scouts and you gain power, the resource you spend on operations.
-Certain parts of a map can be locked until you clear other ones.
-You can mark certain areas as operation points on the map so that you can deal with them when you return to your base of operations, Skyhold.
-You manage your operations through the war table in Skyhold, and by doing so you get resources like gold and loot or agents, some of the operations are tied to the main plot like an operation involving the chantry in Val Royeux.
-Some operations are resolved instantly and some require you to pick an advisor (Cullen, Leliana or Josephine) to resolve them, they're unavailable while conducting the operation.
-There's a new resources besides power (which you spend on operations) which is called influence.
-Influence gives you inquisition perks, those are divided into four types: Forces, Secrets, Connections and "Inquisition".
-The first three perks are tied to the advisors. A Forces perk might increase your potion capacity by four; a Secrets perk might increase the XP you earn from picking up codex entries; one Connections perk grants better merchant offers on rare items.
-Skyhold changes as a reflection of which perks you favour (doesn't elaborate more on how) though it won't be related to decorations since you do that manually from a menu. You can change everything from the windows, throne, banner, and heraldry to the drapes.
-Dragon fights are all scripted and they have their own personalities.
-Dragons have a main health bar and a health bar for each limb, you can't deal massive amounts of damage to it without dealing with its limbs first.
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Story:
-(Big levels obviously can't narrate themselves; that's impossible. The scope of that is too big. They need to give the player opportunities to tell their own stories and ultimately that's what comes from exploring this open-world gameplay.) -- Mark Darrah
-There's an operation to gain the friendship of Orzammar.
-You'll pass judgement on NPCs who come through Skyhold a la Awakening. He mentions the son of a barbarian leader you killed coming to the castle gates and chocking a dead goat against the walls which is some kind of ritualistic insult for killing his kin. You can decide whether to give him and his followers weapons and exile them, put him in stockade or a third choice.
-Judgment sequences as a way of getting players to reflect further on their decisions.
-Mark Darrah on the ending and the ability to continue playing afterwards: " you need to leave the world in a relatively unstable state but bring enough resolution so that the story has a satisfying conclusion.)
Meanwhile, Electronic Arts' UK YouTube channel has an interview with producer Cameron Lee:
