Having read a fair amount of reviews and impressions of Dragon Age, I’m a bit confused by the complaint by some that it’s too linear, or not ‘sandbox’ enough. I view those statements the same way I view “Aion is too grindy” or “CoD:MW2 needs more user mods”; what the hell did you expect going in?
The oddest comparison is Dragon Age to Oblivion, because how far does your head have to be in the sand to think DA is trying to be Oblivion, or that Oblivion was trying to do what DA does? One is very clearly a linear RPG, while the other continues a series that has always been more sandbox. If you don’t like linear or sandbox games, why go into DA/Oblivion and expect anything else?
I’ve also seen a few comments about people expressing surprise that I’m enjoying DA as much as I am, given my preference for sandbox MMOs over themeparks. To me the answer is rather obvious, DA is a SINGLE player RPG, MMOs are (or should be) MULTIPLAYER games, but I guess some further clarification can’t hurt. The reason I want my single player games to be a little linear is because I’m there for the story, and I don’t intend to hang around forever or become truly invested in that world. I accept and enjoy the fact that in a single player game everything revolves around me. The concept of a ‘solo-hero’ does not really apply because, well, that’s the one and only point (hero in this case does not mean you do everything and are all powerful, just that everything is driven by only your actions).
Part of the appeal in an MMO for me is that things DO happen outside of your control, and in ways you don’t always expect. That’s what makes them living, breathing worlds, or should anyway. To me a solo-hero friendly MMO like WoW removes that aspect, and you are left with the tedious aspects of an MMO (poor story, limited gameplay, treadmill gaming) without the benefits that a single player game really provides. Add in that you are paying $15 for that sub-par single player adventure, and I’m all set. And really that’s why I do enjoy a game like Dragon Age so much, can dislike WoW, and love DarkFall.
WoW (and other solo-hero themeparks) to me are stuck between DA and DF. Their not the player-drive, interactive worlds that a game like DF has, but their also not the top-notch story-driven adventure that DA is. They have little bits of solo-driven story (Wrathgate) and little bits of virtual world (auction house, raids, arena), but each piece is weakened due to having to co-exist with everything else. DA can have imbalanced gear or skills if used in PvP because PvP is not a factor. DF can have a lack of PvE-driven story because the PvP moves Agon’s story along daily. The story in DA can be expertly paced because Bioware knows your exact progression before you even do it, while Blizzard can only provide short bits due to the unpredictable nature of 80 levels and thousands of gear/class combinations.
So yes, I do indeed enjoy a linear, themepark-like ride for my single player gaming. But when I’m logging into a virtual world, I also fully expect it to be just that, a world, where I’m just a cog in a far greater, far larger machine, one that is cranking 24/7, spitting out changes and ‘content’ at all times.
Hardcore Casual 
The problem is that several bloggers are comparing Dragon Age and MMORPGs… and I don’t know why. Maybe it is because some time ago some people thought that Dragon Age would be a MMORPG.
Anyone would compare WoW or LOTRO to Bioshock? they are games from different genre.
Dragon Age is a lightyears better game than WoW is, but WoW is a better social experience. I think that’s the extent to which you can compare the two.
People will compare them, though, because they compete for the player’s time. It doesn’t matter that they’re very different experience. It’s the same kind of comparison you go through when deciding whether to read a novel or play WoW. There’s no implication of equivalence, just an easy to see opportunity cost of choosing either option.
But that’s my point about themepark MMOs, their so ‘accessible’ because you can solo, which is the exact opposite of the strength you state (social). That’s the part that confuses me. Is the (often ignored) option of doing some social stuff in a themepark enough to overlook all the other aspects that make it an overall weaker game compared to something like DA?
Social, to me, does not imply that I am always playing “with” (i.e. grouped with) others. In a way it’s true that I do want a chatroom that I cannot get outside of game, because the people “chatting” are engaged in the same or similar activities that I am, and that makes me feel connected to them, partied together or not. I dislike single-player games because I cannot get that experience in them. So yes, I am looking for a single-player “MMO” experience in my themepark MMOs.
Re: your separation of single-player themeparks vs multi-player, that does make sense given your starting position.
‘Solo’ and ‘social’ are not mutually exclusive, and *they’re* not opposite ends of a spectrum.
It’s also a mischaracterization to state that the social options are ‘often ignored’. Often in relation to what?
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/9/6/
Between the comic and it’s writeup, there is a lot of ‘content’ behind that link. What point are you making with it in relation to this post? (Just curious, not being snark)
Someone can make a comparison does not mean it should be made; thought you would appreciate the strips relevance.
I agree with you and understand you also have some personal vested interest as a handful were aimed at you, but I do wonder if some bloggers just play Madlibs when they post.
Also, “Ogres have layers.”
Hi SynCaine, I haven’t had a chance to check out Dragon Age yet, but if you compared it with, say, Baldur’s Gate 2, is it more or less linear?
i.e. is there a lot of “side questing”, giving you a choice between puttering around being a hero-for-hire, or just sticking to the main story?
There are side quests, yes. Some are things you can do while working on the main quest, others are totally off the path. DA is not linear in a ‘level 1, level 2, level 3’ sort of way, you still decide where to travel and such, although you might be limited to 2-4 locations depending on your progress, and eventually you will need to visit most of them. Very much like BG, yes.
Heh! You answered the question I was just about to ask. I have DA bought and installed but I won’t be playing it until Sunday at the earliest. You had me worried for a moment, because I bought it specifically because so many reviews said it was “3D Baldur’s Gate”.
I played BG before I played my first MMO (Everquest) and I played BG the same way I have played MMOs ever since. I don’t follow storylines, I wander about, I set my own goals. I am anticipating not being railroaded by storyline, which I never was in BG.
Solong as it allows the same degree of freedom of action that BG did, I’ll be content. If it forces me to follow a linear storyline like all the other disappointing Bioware games since then, I’ll not last long.
To me BG was linear (in a good way). Sure you could select the order you complete certain objectives in the middle part of the adventure, but the game had a very clear beginning and end. So far (40hrs?) DA is the same way. The first 4-6 hours is basically point-to-point, after which it opens up a little and you can select from different locations to visit. I don’t know at this point, but my guess is eventually you have to visit most (if not all) of the locations to progress to the final stage and see the ending.
There is also some non-linearity in terms of who is in your party, how certain quests play out, etc.
“…spitting out changes and ‘content’ at all times.”
I see what you did there!
Love your blog bro. I gotta say that DA is prolly the best single player RPG ive played since Oblivion. And yes they are complete opposites. Im really enjoying the vast range of tactics and play styles that it offers. If anyone is on the fence on this one, i say go ahead and buy it, and roll a mage, they are fun as hell.
I dont think any MMOs will be able to capture the awesome story driven style of gameplay that DA and other bioware games bring (and yes im aware that bioware is making an MMO, which i cant see being successful).
Only problem with this game, and general shift of gaming industry in general is the micro transactions in it. But i guess thats just the direction things are going and the players just have to deal with it.
I only have one question.. when did the “C” in Syncaine become a capitol?
Regarding the post itself — spot on. DA is a themepark, why complain that it’s not a sandbox?
From my perspective, prior to this post, I had never heard DA referred to as a themepark in the many reviews I read about it. I have no previous experience with Bioware games. All I heard was that there were a multitude of player choices, that you can change the outcome in a variety of ways, etc. all of which led me to draw conclusions based on my past experience, i.e. with sandbox games that claim the same things about their gameplay.
Perhaps there are no gamers whose lack of experience led them to the wrong impression of DA going in.
The name format change (and a few other little things around here) are the result of finally getting some time and going into the blog options and changing around some things.
“To me the answer is rather obvious, DA is a SINGLE player RPG, MMOs are (or should be) MULTIPLAYER games, but I guess some further clarification can’t hurt.”
We’re gonna be 80 years old and in between watching reruns of “The Price is Right” and “T.J. Hooker” down in Florida we’ll get together and still regurgitate this point.