Were you among the many gamers left a bit underwhelmed by the claustrophobic setting in Dragon Age II? Did you yearn to break free of the chains of Kirkwall like the zipper on the skinny jeans of an obese hipster? Were you upset by the limited story? Did the rags-to-riches tale ring hollow like the cranial cavity of Paris Hilton? Were you simply just upset with how BioWare handled the sequel? If so, the following news story may pique your interest.
In a blog post on BioWare's Dragon Age II forum, Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw offers as close to a mea culpa as gamers can expect:
I am absolutely aware of the concerns voiced here. Issues like level re-use, the implementation of wave combat, concerns about the narrative and significance of choice and so on have all been not only noted, but examined, inspected and even aided me (and many, many others on the team) in formulating future plans. Further, I'm not only aware of the concerns, but I agree that there are aspects of DA II that not only can but must be improved in future installments. And that is precisely our intent.
(Editor's Note: The emphasis is Laidlaw's.)
While many media outlets trumpeted the combat evolution between https://www.trueachievements.com/Mass-Effect-xbox-360.htm and https://www.trueachievements.com/Mass-Effect-2-xbox-360.htm Laidlaw understands that many gamers did not enjoy the same evolution from https://www.trueachievements.com/Dragon-Age-Origins-xbo....htm to Dragon Age II. While he does admit that the changes to the combat and story were made to appeal to a "larger potential audience" he further explains the choice with the following:
I believe that there's also more potential for rich stories, for deeper RPG mechanics, for more choice, and for something even more epic to come. The story events of DA II have fundamentally altered the political and power landscape of Thedas, in a way that's open to intrigue, drama and sweeping conflict in the future, and evolves a world that, while still very much involving the Grey Wardens and Darkspawn, is about more than just that one struggle.
As for what's to come in Dragon Age, Laidlaw admits to sharing some gamers' desire to explore outside of Kirkwall:
In the mean time, though, I stumbled across a few images I thought I might share with you folks. After all, there’s been a lot of requests to explore areas outside of Kirkwall, and I agree that seeing some more of the Free Marches would be cool.
There is no word from Laidlaw or BioWare on how these images are being used and if/when gamers can expect more, but it is known that BioWare is already working on Dragon Age III.