Forum Discussion

l_Fire_St0rm_l's avatar
2 months ago

⚠️☠️Mechanics: Major Flaws That Demand Urgent Fixing"☠️⚠️

💩The Absurdity of Breaking Objects for Resources🤮

This is a point that truly defies RPG logic and immersion. Someone thought it was a good idea to have players break barrels, vases, and parts of the scenery to collect valuable items, as if it’s normal for honorable characters, respected leaders, or noble warriors to destroy everything around them in search of coins and resources.

In previous titles like Dragon Age: OriginsDragon Age II, and even Inquisitionresource collection was much more natural and immersive, allowing players to find items by defeating enemies, exploring the world, or searching carefully placed chests and hiding spots. This approach maintained narrative focus and encouraged exploration without compromising the player’s chosen character identity.

In Vailguard, however, we’re forced to interrupt the game’s pace to break every pot, vase, or barrel in sight. This might seem trivial, but it creates a conflict when considering the characters we’re controlling. Imagine a noble warrior, a paladin, or a wise mage who should uphold integrity and respect for others' property, suddenly turning into a vandal just to gather some resources. For characters with high moral standards or honorable behavior, this mechanic makes no sense. How can we expect a paladin focused on protecting the weak and fighting evil to start destroying merchants' or villagers' items just to earn some coins?

For a character like this, it makes no sense to interrupt a serious dialogue or exploration scene to destroy the scenery, as if the goal were indiscriminate looting. This forced mechanic, besides being out of context, undermines the role players aim to perform, which should reflect the character’s choices and values. Putting players in this situation breaks immersion and contrasts absurdly with anyone trying to stay true to a character’s chosen behavior.

Additionally, the activity itself is tedious and repetitive. Even a beginner developer might realize that this compromises immersion, especially in a game where storyline and character-building are everything. With this mechanic, our heroes—who should be seen as saviors or respected figures—end up looking like scavengers out for loose change. Why force players into being vandals in an RPG that has always been synonymous with meaningful choices and consequences? Instead, items and resources should be available as natural rewards from combat and exploration, integrated into the narrative, just as they were in previous games.

😐 Save System😒

It’s surprising that, in a game focused on choices and narrative, the save system requires so many clicks. Wouldn’t it be more logical to have a quick shortcut to save and load the game? Imagine the situation: you make a wrong decision, get distracted for a moment, and then, wanting to correct the story’s course, you have to go through several screens just to save. In 2024, it’s absurd that an RPG of this caliber doesn’t offer a basic shortcut for manual saving.

Although the game has an autosave system, it doesn’t replace the manual control that every RPG player desires. Especially in a game with so many choices and twists, having total control over saves allows the player to return to specific points and explore different options without relying on autosave points, which don’t always align with the exact moment we’d prefer. Being able to save quickly provides a smoother, uninterrupted experience, which is crucial for immersive RPG gameplay.

👆To be continued…⚠️

  • You're right, I guess? But also tell that to any game dev that thinks it's natural for people to literally loot in front of people in their houses.

    • l_Fire_St0rm_l's avatar
      l_Fire_St0rm_l
      New Scout

      Yeah!!! The interaction with the environment and NPC reactions could be much more realistic and immersive. This idea of "breaking into someone’s house and smashing things" really takes away from the believability, making the world around feel like just an empty stage.
       Beyond hurting immersion, this lack of NPC reaction makes the game feel somewhat hollow. It’s frustrating because the essence of an RPG is to create a living world where choices and actions have real consequences. And, of course, gathering resources in this repetitive, nonsensical way is just tiring. It’s something that could be better developed to enrich the gameplay experience and keep players engaged.

  • Oh, of course! Because every great hero needs a special talent for smashing pots and vases, right? Congratulations, developers, you’ve just turned heroism into a joke. 🧐😱😓

     

     

  • Dztaurl's avatar
    Dztaurl
    Seasoned Newcomer

    Imagine noble heroes rooting through piles of rubble to find items, and going into people's home and rooting through boxes and chests to take their items - because that's what you did in previous DA games. 

    • l_Fire_St0rm_l's avatar
      l_Fire_St0rm_l
      New Scout

      First, it’s important to clarify a key difference: searching through chests or cabinets in a classic RPG doesn’t have the same impact as destroying random objects like vases and barrels to gather resources. In earlier Dragon Age games, item collection was always contextualized. If the player chose to inspect a chest or drawer, it was a deliberate action, logically justified by the setting itself; chests and safes were placed intentionally as sources of resources.

      However, breaking barrels and objects as a method of collection is different and contradictory, especially in a game that relies on narrative and character development. In story-driven RPGs like Dragon Age, a player’s actions go beyond simple mechanics; they influence the protagonist’s relationship with their companions. Actions... whether heroic, ethical, or questionable; directly affect how allies perceive the protagonist, creating a system of approval or disapproval that deepens character interactions and the narrative. Imagine a respected leader, such as a paladin or a noble mage, choosing to respect property and values around them. Companions with a strong moral compass, like Leliana, Cassandra, or Alistair, would recognize and value these actions, seeing the protagonist in a consistent and positive light. However, Vailguard’s mechanic, which forces players to break objects for resources, compels them to act inconsistently with the moral code they aim to uphold, resulting in negative reactions that don’t reflect their actual choices.

      In a game where a player’s actions are monitored and judged by companions, being forced to vandalize objects creates a narrative conflict. Companions who expect respectful behavior may react negatively to acts of senseless destruction, which are not genuine choices by the player but mechanical impositions. This breaks immersion and turns a collection mechanic into a point of disconnection between the player and their allies. In Inquisition, for example, Cassandra would disapprove of dishonorable actions, while Solas might criticize senseless destruction yet in Vailguard, the player has no choice, leading to artificial and unnecessary disapproval from companions.

      With that in mind, I suggest that next time you reflect more carefully before posting simplistic and unfounded arguments. If you really want to debate, bring specific and detailed points about the other games, clearly emphasizing your comparisons. I had to explain how the mechanics worked in previous titles myself. Something you should have addressed from the start to support your position. If you lack the knowledge for a proper discussion, I suggest avoiding generic comments that only confuse the analysis.