I'm about 30 hours into the game, having killed 3 dragons and around level 17-18, and I'm enjoying it so far, but I feel like the characters are a bit more flat than their Origins or even DA2 predecessors.
Combat is a bit more fluid, but I would've liked to see the Tactics screen from Origins or 2 making a return, as either would be preferable to "Yes, use this ability," "No, don't use this ability," and "Use this ability whenever possible." Outfitting tactics like that so that your allies played half decently was part of the fun, at least for me, and in Inquisition you end up with enemies charging next to your squishier party members, and the party members sitting right next to them, firing a bow or swinging a staff in their face. I like the concept of the Knight-Enchanter for Vivenne, but when she mostly sits back and swings her staff around ineffectively, I'm wondering why they didn't add in the more robust tactics systems from the previous games.
Also, as far as keep upgrades, did anyone else go for the Chantry? I'm having a hard time figuring out what, exactly it meant by "Gathers money for you," as I don't seem to get any income from it of any sort. I feel gipped, as I probably should've gone the garden route, so that I could grow the harder to get herbs like Felandris.
Some bits also appear to be a bit wonky for PC... I mean, why is there no quick key to Take All when looting enemies, something that appeared in both previous games? Occasionally, the mouse will stop functioning when I go into menus, such that nothing becomes selectable... I can use keyboard keys to navigate, but an annoying bug nonetheless.
And while I like the open world feel, adding in the equivalent of Mercenaries/Assassin's Creed/Far Cry/[insert open world game here] as far as collectibles is a detestable move that preys on my ADD. Overall it feels like senseless game padding rather than anything that adds to the game. My first thought was that it basically boiled down an MMORPG into a story focused single player version, what with the dispatches that require real time to pass, some one which can take close to a day to complete. Yes, I know they do so outside of the game, but it added a cheapy, freemium feel to the council map, and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
Come to think of it... flat characters, useless party members, needless grinding and game padding, freemium tendencies and time sinks... Maybe DAI was going to be an MMO, or is basically their prototype.
My most interesting bugs so far include after a storyline event, my character appeared in the middle of Skyhold in the default "dress up doll" position, with both arms and legs spread out, and never left it until I went to another area completely (basically, he hovered, and jumping was the only way to turn directions, but he was able to otherwise move normally). Another point, I was in the Forbidden Oasis, and after getting off the horse, my view switched over to an NPC that wandered around the area whenever I selected my main character.
Has anyone else noticed that the horse is quite possibly the creepiest part of the game? It sort of reminds me of those
creepy Watson videos that turn lazy programming into entertainment.
You go to call you horse, and it might as well be a summon, as it always appears opposite of the camera, usually directly behind you. I'm fairly sure the horse is an Old God of some sort. And you're using it as a mount.
It doesn't matter whether you are in a pit, just left a darkspawn infested cave, or are in a dragon's nest: The horse will always appear behind you, even if there was no way for it to feasibly get there beforehand. Normally, your character will take falling damage, but if you jump on your horse and fall far enough, its legs will shatter and rebuild themselves right before your very eyes. It devours the souls of your party members when you mount up, catching them in a black mist, only to release them temporarily from the black mist from which it itself came.
The horse waits, and watches. Always watching.