Very Impressed By the Level Design

[Jellydrake]

Just had to say that the level design in this game has been VERY impressive.

Not only is everything gorgeous to look at but there is just the right amount of exploration in each level. When I do find something off the beaten path, it's always designed in a way that I find myself going back in the right direction without having to trek through platforming puzzles backwards.

Example, Blackthorn manor, after a platforming puzzle, I found a chest on an island of floating books and there was a ladder next to the chest that put me on a floating ledge high enough to jump back on the "right" path. I didn't have to retrace my steps to get back on my journey.

My biggest complaint about Inquisition was things were too big and too empty. I never wanted to see the Hinterlands again after my first slog through it.

[Boltergeist]

I find it amusing how every Dragon Age so far managed to fix many problems of prior titles, and then make a lot of their own mistakes the prior titles did right.

Its like they took DA2 and fixed the atrocious repeating levels and encounters, then didn't quite manage the great companions style and gameplay.

[Jellydrake]

Originally posted by Boltergeist:

I find it amusing how every Dragon Age so far managed to fix many problems of prior titles, and then make a lot of their own mistakes the prior titles did right.

Its like they took DA2 and fixed the atrocious repeating levels and encounters, then didn't quite manage the great companions style and gameplay.

I disagree about the gameplay too. It reminds me of Mass Effect 3 and the cool combo detonations you could do. So, for me, it's Inquisition with ME3 combat (which is arguably the most fun combat is in any Bioware game).

[StimJunky]

I don't know how you can be impressed with the exploration in Veilguard. Yes, Inquisition was bloated, repetitive and a slog but Veilguard's levels while gorgeous looking are linear and extremely small. Every mission is just load into zone and run straight to waypoint with an occasional side path leading to a dead end with a chest containing some junk to sell.

There's no side quests to be discovered off the beaten path like Origins had, no hidden temples/puzzles to discover, or unique items. The hub design that was a holdover from the rebooted live service multiplayer version they were going with previously kills the immersion because it's all just a bunch of random locations you have no reference point to on a map and make the player feel disconnected to the game world.

[Cairn.L]

I think the level design is pretty good in this game too.
I spend lots of time exploring and enjoy searching for hidden chests.

[Shad]

The actual level design is actually pretty good.
It just sucks to actually traverse any of it.

[Kiya]

I love all the different secret areas unlocked by our companions abilities. Doing the run/jump/ledge combo to get across obstacles is a bit of a pain with keyboard and mouse controls though.

[Elvi]

On one hand, yes it seems fairly good for what it is attempting to do.
On the other hand tho, calling it exploration is much like calling an ant "HUGE", a bit of hyperbole.

[max]

This game suffers from too many pivots. It wants to be Uncharted but isn't, it wants to be Mass Effect but isn't, it wants to be Dragon Age but isn't. Level design is beautiful but all those Uncharted elements are only there to slow you down. Once you've seen them all - you will hate them if you want to 100% every location.

[fangerzero]

Originally posted by Boltergeist:

I find it amusing how every Dragon Age so far managed to fix many problems of prior titles, and then make a lot of their own mistakes the prior titles did right.

Its like they took DA2 and fixed the atrocious repeating levels and encounters, then didn't quite manage the great companions style and gameplay.

I agree DA2 was bad from a level design, but I can forgive them considering the game I guess was made in 9 months. That to me is F*ing amazing considering what we got. DA2 had an awesome story, I think it was my favorite since it was so damned dark at times.

[Kiya]

I love the ziplines. Ziplines are so much fun. I had a bit in game yesterday where I needed to use three in succession to get where I wanted. Loved it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3360089308

[max]

Oh and btw, DA2 repeated locations are aplenty in Veilguard. It's just instead of one city and surroundings, you have two cities, and multiple surroundings.

[Bags]

I would call it competent not anything like impressive. There's not a single clever thing going on that hasn't been seen in a ton of other games. I'd go as far as to say it gets pretty mind numbing pretty fast so it's a good thing they made them colorful and pretty to look at.

[Leosiris]

Impressive lmao, it's just different themed hallways you are rail roaded down with the game holding your hand constantly, nice try

[DaliLhama]

Originally posted by Leosiris:

Impressive lmao, it's just different themed hallways you are rail roaded down with the game holding your hand constantly, nice try

What they did with this is remove all the meaningless exploration and fetch quests and collection quests. Its all story related content which is nice. In Inquisition , there was just a lot of bloat to fill out the large maps , in this its streamlined. Which is fine really , for the story they are telling , it works.

The notion of , its hallways...is small minded if I am being honest. No offense , but think a bit more on it before making a remark like that. All games can then be labeled in a childish way , makes your look stupid , not only that....you seem to maybe not have played the game? If you did , you would come to a reasonable conclusion , that it really isn't hallways or hand holding.

But do understand , the game is what it is. You can choose to not like it and continue to wish it was made differently to appease you. But It wasnt , and you just need to deal with that reality , not lash out on the forum for the game you chose not to buy. Makes you look weird , stop being weird.

[Jellydrake]

What I am impressed by is when I go off the "path" to explore that the exploration often leads me back to a point where I can leap back into a major crossroads or path so I can get back to exploring along where I just was. Rather than having to climb up five different cliffs, find the chest, and then have to climb down the cliffs again. That kind of level design is harder to do than just setting dead end forks in the path.

Yeah, you can tell the people that haven't played the game if they think there are only two cities.

Arthalan is huge. The Crossroads are huge. The Necropolis is a giant clock. Really enjoyed Hossberg Wetlands.

Complaining about architecture, dude, they have MAGES building Minranthas so it is of course gonna look slightly impossible. If you go to the poorer districts the buildings are smaller save for the few "must be big enough for fights and cutscenes" buildings. Treviso looks completely different and is, yes, zipline heavy but your entry point starts on the roof of a freaking casino. You have to zipline to get to the ground. JFC.

Most of the time those ziplines are there to give you a shortcut so you don't have to trek through the third mini-dungeon they put in the middle of the city to get out of it.