Dragon Age: Inquisition
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| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dragon Age: Inquisition |
| Abbreviation(s) | DAIII, DA3, DA:I |
| Developer(s) | BioWare |
| Release date | Sept. 2014 |
| External link(s) | http://www.dragonage.com |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Dragon Age: Inquisition is the third game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. The game was officially confirmed in 2012,[1] although speculation about the game already existed.
While many fans were enthusiastic about a new Dragon Age game, some of BioWare's more vocal fans expressed doubts. Some people had lost faith with BioWare after Dragon Age II, which had been rushed through development and suffered for it. While the Mass Effect series had a different development team, Mass Effect 3's controversial ending was also a factor in some fans' wariness about Inquisition.
Characters
The Inquisitor
- Trevelyan (human)
- Lavellan (elf)
- Cadash (dwarf)
- Adaar (Qunari)
Companions
Advisors
Other
Romances
Like in the previous games of the series, the player character's relationships with other characters play a big part in both the game and the fandom. In DA:I there are eight love interests, though as they aren't playersexual all of them aren't available depending on the Inquisitor. LIs include Cassandra, Dorian, Iron Bull, Blackwall, Sera, Solas and the advisors Cullen and Josephine. There's also a handful of NPC pairings, for an example Iron Bull/Dorian is a popular canon pairing in the fandom.
Reception
Pre-Release
Some fans pitted Dragon Age: Inquisition against The Witcher 3, another fantasy RPG initially slated for release in 2014.
Romantic relationships were a popular topic of discussion prior to the game's release. These discussions grew heated with the revelation that LI's would have set sexualities, rather than being playersexual. Some fans feared that the same sex options would be the "lesser" choices. People also expressed concerns about NPC romances, as in previous DA games, LIs had always been companions.[2] Some fans were annoyed at the haphazard way the LIs were revealed—in an interview, on Twitter, on an episode of Heroes of Cosplay, etc. When all the LIs were finally revealed in an official post on the BioWare forums, some fans were upset to find that straight male Inquisitors only had two potential LIs, whereas female Inquisitors had two additional (but race-gated) options. While that thread has since been deleted(?), the complaints about DAI's perceived anti-straight male bias continue to pop up in other threads.[3]
The BSN had a long-running thread devoted to the female Inquisitor, female representation in games, and female gamers. The participation on some of BioWare's devs in the discussion impressed fans enough that some of them banded together to send cupcakes to BioWare's Edmonton offices. While early trailers did show a generic white dude hero, the gameplay demos at E3 used a male dwarf, and a female qunari. DAI's cover was also designed to be gender-neutral.[4]
No more blood magic specialization upset some fans. Others were upset that the elven Inquisitor was Dalish, rather than being a city elf. Various other points related to gameplay, design, and lore were the source of discussion and complaint.
Fans were unhappy with graphics in general, though that was due in part to the difference between console generations. Fans were also divided about the numerous re-designs. Some characters were seen as "less attractive" than in previous games, whereas some fans welcomed re-designs of elves.[5]
Post-Release
The game was well received, both critically and financially: Dragon Age: Inquisitor had the most successful launch in BioWare's history.[6] The success of the game has also brought in a lot of new fans, which has changed the fandom landscape somewhat.
Of course, it was not universally beloved as a game. EA told Bioware to use the new Frostbite engine for the game, but the engine didn't have the tools that they need for the game, so production schedules, especially for editing their writing, were massively behind.[7] Many players critiqued the writing of different parts of the game. Critiques include: the last minute additions of the War Table missions, where one can kill the entire clan of a Lavellan Inquisitor incredibly easily; the reliance on material from the not well read Dragon Age novels during the crucial quest Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts; and both whether Hawke was OOC during their return for Here Lies the Abyss and whether it was appropriate to fairly unceremoniously be forced to kill beloved characters like Hawke or Alistair during that same quest.
Fandom
Modding
DAI has an active modding community just like the other games in the series. There was controversy in fandom after the creation of mods of different-sex options for LIs Sera (an exclusively lesbian character) and Dorian (an exclusively gay character). While some in the fandom felt that these mods were no different than mods that made same-sex relationships possible for straight LIs like Cassandra, other pointed to the rarity of queer relationships and characters in video games and the way that Dorian's entire character arc was structured around him being a gay man almost forced into heterosexuality.[8]
Clothing and Visuals
In this game, unlike the previous Dragon Age games, there is a system for creating clothing. The fandom in general has a despairing and mocking attitude towards the plaidweave cloth that can be used on clothing the player may make in the game. Fans often comment on how ridiculous characters look in it.[9]
Dragon Age Multiplayer (DAMP)
A multiplayer component to Dragon Age: Inquisition was a possibility early on, but was only officially confirmed a few months prior to DAI's release. While many fans eagerly hoped for multiplayer, others hated the idea. Some people feared that multiplayer would "steal" resources from the singleplayer campaign. Others recalled Mass Effect 3's "optional" multiplayer, which was initially necessary to get the "best" ending in the singleplayer storyline.
Unlike ME3MP, there are defined characters with backstories in DAMP.
The long wait for the reveal of multiplayer, and those for and against it.
Resources
Communities
Archives
Other Resources
References
- ^ http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Viktoria_Landers/Dragon_Age_III:_Inquisition_is_confirmed Dragon Age III: Inquisition is confirmed
- ^ http://forum.bioware.com/topic/504934-worried-about-having-my-romance-options-limited/ Worried About Having my Romance Options Limited (Thread created May 7, 2014. Thread Accessed July 16, 2014)
- ^ For example, Romance Suggestions (Thread started Sept. 8, 2014. Thread accessed Sept. 12, 2014)
- ^ http://forum.bioware.com/topic/496580-could-we-please-see-more-of-the-lady-inquisitor/ Could we please see more of the lady inquisitor? (Thread started March 09, 2014. Thread accessed July 16, 2014)
- ^ http://forum.bioware.com/topic/505601-elf-design-in-dai/ Elf design in DA:I
- ^ http://www.pcgamer.com/dragon-age-inquisition-had-most-successful-launch-in-bioware-history/ Dragon Age: Inquisition had most successful launch in Bioware history. Article published in January 28, 2015.
- ^ Schreier, Jason. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. Harper Collins, 2017.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Plaidweave is a gift from the Maker by vinnie-cha, Jun 16 2017