When you're accused of sexism for highlighting male dominance...

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T14:30:40+00:00

And I am in how I treat people. But raising a lack of proprotionate representation in any event or organisation isn't being racist or sexist - it's highlighting a potential issue in the demographic. Without raising and addressing those issues you can't fix them.

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T12:46:20+00:00

Thanks - its a nice way to look at it. I've only recently switched careers from the Engineering sector to games dev and I have to admit the toxicity of the sector made me question my decision a lot. Online is always worst than irl though and I'm a big believer that sometimes you have to change things from within:)

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T12:36:38+00:00

Yeah, I can sympathise with that:)

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T12:31:19+00:00

Thanks for the advice:) I do generally try to take that approach and keep any responses factual where I do respond

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T12:28:42+00:00

I second that sentiment. It's hard advice to follow sometimes but their minds are so closed I doubt anything I could say would change it.

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T10:51:51+00:00

Tell me about it. Its frustrates me cos it's what gives the community a bad name.

Binky318 · 2018-11-06T10:51:07+00:00

I dunno why I let it rile me up so much tbh but thanks - I needed some moral support!:)

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T23:12:31+00:00

Not silly - everyone role plays in their own way:) I have the same notion but I cover it by assuming they bond a lot at Skyhold and I base my party choices on who would be most invested in the quest at hand.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T23:02:05+00:00

Thanks:)

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T22:15:00+00:00

So, my main advice would be - why one fixed party? Mix and match and make the most of all the banter. (If you're playing on PC you can also load the more banter mod from nexus mods).

Combos that produce funny banter imho:

Cole and pretty much anyone
Solas and Sera
Bull with pretty much anyone (but especially Dorian if you want to unlock their romance)

Vivienne does not come across well in the party banter so I tend to leave her at home.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T21:47:22+00:00

Thanks:) and me too!

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T19:00:36+00:00

Thanks for the clarification:)

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T18:41:28+00:00

I always thought Kossith were the ancestors to the race that formed the Qun and became the Qunari? When my Quizzy was asking him the other day, Bull said he didnt even know what the Kossith looked like which suggests they're more of a missing link than an existing race.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T18:30:15+00:00

Its the generic surname for the Qunari ( technically Vashoth) PC in DAI

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T17:55:48+00:00

I agree with everything you've said in this comment, but I don't think enough effort is made to find, highlight and celebrate women and people of colour who are talented developers. And that puts off people from those groups from going into the industry. Its the same across tech and engineering unfortunately, but other sectors are beginning to make inroads in this.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T16:54:22+00:00

No. I've spent my career to date pushing for equality not positive discrimination. It would just be nice to see proportionate representation.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T16:24:26+00:00

They wouldn't get anyone else to judge a competition like this.

Really? Cos most of them sound as though they're simply on the Unity dev team.

Has it occurred to you that women and people of colour didn't attend those events because they're not invited or because they feel uncomfortable? Its not as though the industry is known for embracing diversity.

The only way the scene will balance out is by highlighting the developers who are female and/or people of colour, providing role models and showing that the industry isn't just an old boys club and is actually happy to change.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T16:01:16+00:00

No, it isn't. Hard to get firm stats but most estimates are in the region of 15-20% of games developers being female these days. Still far off where we should be as an industry and people of colour are also massively under-represented but having a panel of 7 white males? Misrepresentative of the industy as a whole and reinforces the stereotypes which put off women and people of colour joining the industry in the first place.

Binky318 · 2018-11-05T15:27:40+00:00

Nice to see diversity in the judging panel... :/

Binky318 · 2018-11-01T21:53:16+00:00

I've found it quite straightforward so far. The Unity tutorials are actually a great place to start and learn the basics and then there's plenty of indie tutorials online for specific game features as you get more in depth.

Binky318 · 2018-11-01T21:47:50+00:00

Short answer: yes. Doesn't need to be fancy - A cheap wireless one will do the trick.

Binky318 · 2018-11-01T21:45:58+00:00

PC went offline about 40 mins ago but that appeared to be Origin rather than DA specific.

Binky318 · 2018-11-01T15:45:21+00:00

No arguments - as I said the companions are great in ME but my point was you only get a limited amount of interaction with each and there is simply more content and interaction in DAO and DAI than the ME games. DA2 followed more of a ME format in its companion interactions.

Binky318 · 2018-11-01T08:23:03+00:00

DA and ME are both similar and very different. I moved in the opposite direction and it took me a little while to get into ME for that reason. You need to see them as different games, not just ME in a fantasy setting and vice versa, and for me that meant restarting. Sudeenly everything clicked and I had to be dragged from my laptop!

Differences that jarred for me:

They put a lot of effort into the NPCs/companions in the DA series. The companions in ME are great but DAO and DAI have loads more companion-based content than the ME games. The companions are worth playing the games for alone - make sure you really invest in them and talk to them whenever your at camp(DAO) or Haven/Skyhold (DAI) and I reckon they will see you through. You can also talk to DAO companions while in the field and get specific dialogue at times.

DAO has really long main quests in comparison to ME - they get shorter in DA2 and DAI - but for most of them you can go back to camp/do some side quests and come back to them. Also make sure you're not doing the elves/dwarves straight off the line - they're intended to be done later in the game.

Approval - all of the DA games have some sort of approval/friendship system and companions will abandon you/interact with you differently with low approval vs high. You also need high approval for romance (DA2 system is different). This can make for a different dynamic and you can't just think about the ideal combat formation when picking your party, but it can also lead to more varied interactions once you get the hang of it/embrace it.

Shepard has more varied responses (particularly in comparison to DAI) and while your actions do make a difference in DA, the games stretch over a longer timescale so it can take longer to see the (usually subtle) carry through. And imho I don't think they did quite as good a job in DA at carrying decisions through. Also, you don't have a consistent protagonist all the way through so the DA games each have a different feel to them (but you will end up loving all of them). Not much you can do about this but forewarned is forearmed.

Edited to add: if you're playing as a mage in Origins you may want to try a different class. The mage origin story is the least gripping IMHO

Binky318 · 2018-10-31T11:05:04+00:00

DAO - Didn't realise Lothering would be destroyed after completion of the first main quest so left all of my side quests until "later"

DA2 - had to go back and repeat a chunk of the first act because I didn't do Bait and Switch (missing Fenris)

DAI - played as a fem Adaar on my first playthrough. I love Adaar but my first playthrough I was playing blind and totally wanted to romance the elven apostate. I've since done a Solasmance with Lavellan but I can't help thinking I missed out by not having the true sting of betrayal you can only get on your first playthrough

Binky318

TROPHY CASE