14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare has just talked a bit more about the special follower customization mechanic that might be used in the future Dragon Age III fantasy role-playing game, showcasing just what it wants to achieve with the upcoming sequel.
Dragon Age: Origins delivered a great role-playing game experience reminiscent of old-school titles like Baldur’s Gate. Dragon Age II, however, tried to take the experience into a more action-filled direction and scrapped many of the deep RPG mechanics that made the original so popular, a decision that didn’t go well with BioWare’s loyal fanbase.
With the all-but-confirmed Dragon Age III, the studio is going straight to its fans and is sharing details about the systems that will be included in the next RPG.
During PAX East earlier this month, the studio talked about the customization mechanics that would allow players to personalize their followers and companions.
Now, as part of a post on the BioWare blog, Dragon Age Lead Writer David Gaider has talked in-depth about this system.
Basically, the next game should combine elements from the previous titles and personalize each piece of armor for each character.
Gaider exemplifies this by showing the image above, which presents a Grey Warden and a Seeker both wearing the Sterling armor. As you can see, while the armors look similar, they’re quite different from one another in terms of style, reflecting the nature of the character.
“This piece of plate has a different result on each follower that can use it, but has a “look” that is specific to that piece of armor,” Gaider said about one piece of armor. “So the Sterling Breastplate results in a silvery piece of chest armor on any given follower which stays silvery but doesn’t remove that follower’s visual identity.”
BioWare will continue to present more systems that might be included in Dragon Age III, as it wants feedback from fans before it commits to investing in them.
“We’ve read the feedback on DA2, the bad as well as the good, and as we slowly move forward we intend to explain our intentions in more detail,” Gaider added. “This system is an example of something we’d like to change, and we’re showing it at a stage where we could still get feedback that would matter. If someone wishes to offer their thoughts about the system, or has questions regarding it, we’d be pleased to hear it.”
Are you pleased with what BioWare is trying to do with Dragon Age III?