Nah, I had more in mind stuff like
I'd much rather make a game that challenges people and doesn't just rest on its laurels.
It boils down to a game that challenges a fair amount of convention: it doesn't tell the usual fantasy story or present the usual fantasy combat, and in doing so it does run the risk of someone going, "Wow, this is just too different and I cannot handle it."
And also the way he feels the need to diminish DA:O in order to make DA2 look good in comparison
There's this strange perception that because the combat is faster - characters leaping into place or charging forward - it's an inherently console thing. We designed that because we thought that the ability to whirl around and snap off a fireball at a guy who's charging you, rather than shuffling in and launching it usually a couple of feet behind him, created a much stronger sense of responsiveness.
see what steps we can take to increase the overall speed and the way that characters execute the orders that I give, as opposed to awkwardly waiting to get there.
(apparently part of increasing responsiveness is to significantly increase the likelihood that enemies will stunlock your characters. Everyone say hi to the Arishok*!)
He's done this a few other times in a few other places--I think. But now I can't find them, so maybe not.
I'm overstating the case, but I enjoy hyperbole.
Oh, and there was
So I think there is absolutely room to make an isometric six-player tactical combat RPG, but we shouldn't only be making those. Because if we do, we're going to get very self-referential, and potentially not see any RPGs coming out in the future.
What the ****, Mike? Only making those? When was the last time your company made one of those? Right, DA:O. And before DA:O? Right, BG2. So...a decade, then. Yeah, I can totally see how you'd be worried about becoming self-referential by making so many tactical combat RPGs.
One thing I do want to give the team a lot of credit for is making 4/5 of the romance options available to a Hawke of either gender. Given the generally, mm, retrograde state of entertainment media, that's no small thing.
*That reminds me. Was anyone able to solo the Act 2 boss with a mage or rogue
without kiting him forever? Because that's what I ended up doing, and it was tedious and stupid. But there was no way to go toe to toe with the ****er, and I hadn't specced into invisibility/doppleganger talents, so...
