I hope that future story doesn't limit you to using companions chosen by the writer.

[Khevar]

I get that the idea was to create a more "cinematic" story, and that it also saved on writing and VO work by having fewer lines of dialogue.

 

But it is one of the things that makes it hard to run through KotFE / KotET again.

 

I'm not sure what the plans are for future content, but I sincerely hope that more options are available. I'd rather have the companion of my choice that doesn't have much to say during a cutscene than a companion of someone else's choice that cannot be changed, even for non-cutscene combat.

 

Just my 2cr.

[kodrac]

Same.

[TUXs]

Agreed! I HATED that about KOTFE/KOTET...let me choose my partner. If another character needs to be along to progress the story, have them follow us.

[Jdast]

/signed and endorsed in full, Dasty

 

The main problem is that they become the center story too often guiding decisions. Don't they realize I'm the center of the universe?

Edited October 29, 2018 by Jdast

[DeVanagloris]

Totally agree. Even though i plan on replaying Kotfe/et on my new sorc, it is actually a bit of a pain in the rear, simply bc i cant play it with my favorite companions.

 

Also, i hope the Lana romance doesnt glitch, ffs.

[xordevoreaux]

Easy to do.

 

Just don't use voice-overs.

 

It would be a little odd asking Lydia Leonard to walk into the recording studio to dub Lana Beniko's voice for the dialog cut scenes that support the story but the player chose T-7 or whomever else to fight with.

 

It's why we have the messages that pop up from time to time in cut scenes that say "companion so-and-so must be with you."

 

If comps were completely interchangeable, no matter where or what the story was doing or why, you'd never see those messages, and the voice dubs for story-driven cut scenes would be impossible to record for all the possible comps, so we'd be using voiceless menu prompts.

Edited October 29, 2018 by xordevoreaux

[Khevar]

It's why we have the messages that pop up from time to time in cut scenes that say "companion so-and-so must be with you."

I've only seen those for companion quests in the vanilla game.

 

As in, a quest that was given to you by the companion for a situation directly involving them. It's perfectly reasonable to expect that it would required to bring that specific companion along in those circumstances.

If comps were completely interchangeable, no matter where or what the story was doing or why, you'd never see those messages, and the voice dubs for story-driven cut scenes would be impossible to record for all the possible comps, so we'd be using voiceless menu prompts.

Or, how about stopping the completely contrived experience of "even though there are several us present, we're all going to do something else while the two of you go alone"

 

Imagine the companion of your choice in Chapter 11, AND Jorgan. That way they can record the cutscene as they wished, but you're not as limited in your gameplay experience.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Khevar

[IoNonSoEVero]

I'd settle for at least not having to use brand-new companions. I like Raina Temple but having to spend the first 10 minutes of the Copero flashpoint gifting her because I don't want to run level 70 content with a level 1 influence companion is really tedious.

 

We know they have the tech to allow two companions so as a compromise they could at least let you choose one in addition to the one that is required in the story.

[Goreshaga]

We know they have the tech to allow two companions so as a compromise they could at least let you choose one in addition to the one that is required in the story.

This would be perfect for me

[Sarova]

Plus 1 in favour of them not limiting me to their choice of companion, because as Dasty says:

The main problem is that they become the center story too often guiding decisions

BUT being a realist/pessimist, based on what was revealed in the 5.10 livestream we will be limited to their choice of companion(s) once again. There's even something on the PTS dailies I ran into which can't be done without one

I've given up on this happening with 5.10 and hope for it in 6.0.

[AdornedBlood]

Agreed! I HATED that about KOTFE/KOTET...let me choose my partner. If another character needs to be along to progress the story, have them follow us.

 

Unfortunately, this is not possible because of the VA, some are more expensive than others. Still it could be doable by using already recorded pieces of conversation - for example , let's say you want to use Akaavi Spar on a BH/smuggler character. You defeat the bad guy and Akaavi says " stay down, fool! ". I don't presume to know if that's ok with you, but it works for me.

[Ardrossan]

Or, how about stopping the completely contrived experience of "even though there are several us present, we're all going to do something else while the two of you go alone"

 

I'm afraid that's far too revolutionary. I like the idea in your OP but this is something they will never do, as sensible as it is. idk if it's a coding issue or just stubbornly sticking to tradition, but every BW/Obsidian game seems to use this 'you two or three go save the universe while we wait by the ship'.

 

Kotfe is actually interesting in that respect since companions do something else while they're waiting. It's reminiscent of the Gauntlet fight in the trooper class story, ie. 'yay all our comps are useful for once'.

 

Ideally I'd like to see comps participate in FPs and even Ops. Was doing the intro mission to SnV [i think] and Saresh says something about this being a mission suited to Havoc. Well, possibly, but only one person from havoc is going to be doing it. Whereas if you have yourself and a partner, and they each are allowed up to 5 comps, that's 12 total, that ought to be enough for a story mode op regularly done at 8 man.

[TUXs]

Unfortunately, this is not possible because of the VA, some are more expensive than others. Still it could be doable by using already recorded pieces of conversation - for example , let's say you want to use Akaavi Spar on a BH/smuggler character. You defeat the bad guy and Akaavi says " stay down, fool! ". I don't presume to know if that's ok with you, but it works for me.

Our companion doesn't really need to say anything at all (but if they did, I like your suggestion, just use existing snippets) - it could be similar to how Depth of Manaan is with Jakarro and C2-D4, where they enter the action to help you and for cut scenes, but your companion and you travel alone most of the time.

[Storm-Cutter]

 

 

 

 

If comps were completely interchangeable, no matter where or what the story was doing or why, you'd never see those messages, and the voice dubs for story-driven cut scenes would be impossible to record for all the possible comps, so we'd be using voiceless menu prompts.

 

It was BioWare's choice to keep us in a holding pattern by recruiting dozens of extra companions. Someone must've missed the memo about 'choices matter' - except choosing companion X over companion Y.

 

So......I'm finally reunited with my wife after 5 long years.... and I go off for a combat-heavy adventure with some blonde bimbo who can't fight nearly so well and who is completely opposed to my world views.......... Yeah.....Riiight......

 

"Dear outlander. While you were off on your jolly with your fancy-woman, I sold the ship to the Jawas, dismantled the base, set Scorpio, Kalio and HK to kill-stuff-and-mount the outlander mode.... and shaved the woookiee with your clippers, leaving a note saying it was you."

Edited October 29, 2018 by Storm-Cutter

[Lunafox]

I love the cutscenes, but I think it would be nice if more than one VA contributed with similar lines, so that the player can choose who they want along on their adventure. If this is not possible, then I would be happy with a few moments included with the player's romance comp where they can have a few words together about the mission, feelings etc. This actually might be better, in my thinking, anyway. Edited October 29, 2018 by Lunafox

[AdornedBlood]

Our companion doesn't really need to say anything at all

 

That's fine by me, now let's see how many will agree.

[Lunafox]

It was BioWare's choice to keep us in a holding pattern by recruiting dozens of extra companions. Someone must've missed the memo about 'choices matter' - except choosing companion X over companion Y.

 

So......I'm finally reunited with my wife after 5 long years.... and I go off for a combat-heavy adventure with some blonde bimbo who can't fight nearly so well and who is completely opposed to my world views.......... Yeah.....Riiight......

 

"Dear outlander. While you were off on your jolly with your fancy-woman, I sold the ship to the Jawas, dismantled the base, set Scorpio, Kalio and HK to kill-stuff-and-mount the outlander mode.... and shaved the woookiee with your clippers, leaving a note saying it was you."

 

Thanks for that, I got a good chuckle. "Fancy woman" I love it lol.

[Goreshaga]

I love the cutscenes, but I think it would be nice if more than one VA contributed with similar lines, so that the player can choose who they want along on their adventure. If this is not possible, then I would be happy with a few moments included with the player's romance comp where they can have a few words together about the mission, feelings etc. This actually might be better, in my thinking, anyway.

If we can't have both, then i think i'd rather take the private moments with my character's LI to add to the romance.

 

That's fine by me, now let's see how many will agree.

The silent companion standing behind my character reacting to nothing that happens was what i didn't like in SoR and with the possibly dead comps in KOTFE/ET (perfect example being Scourge. Revan and him knew each other but have 0 reaction to seing each other again after the 300 years of Revan's captivity after Scourge betrayed him and killed the Exile...)

 

I'd clearly take a default talking companion over one of my choice who ends up being just an empty shell

Even though i'd like to be able to take the companion of my choice with me.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Goreshaga

[AdornedBlood]

perfect example being Scourge. Revan and him knew each other but have 0 reaction to seing each other again after the 300 years of Revan's captivity after Scourge betrayed him and killed the Exile....

 

I agree, Scourge not saying anything during the fight with Revan wasn't OK at all, since they knew each other. If I remember well, Revan says something about his own family turning against him ( Satele & Theron) but no mention of Scourge.

[Khevar]

I'm afraid that's far too revolutionary. I like the idea in your OP but this is something they will never do, as sensible as it is. idk if it's a coding issue or just stubbornly sticking to tradition, but every BW/Obsidian game seems to use this 'you two or three go save the universe while we wait by the ship'.

While that would certainly be an undertaking, it need not be quite as heavy an implementation.

 

It could be as simple as:

 

1. You

2. Your companion of choice

3. The companion the writers chose

 

All running around together. We know this is possible, as it this is how Chapter 13 works with Gault and Vette. One of the two companions is the one you can give orders to, the other is purely AI driven.

[Farferello]

My main issue with companions being forced on me in KOTFE/ET is that unless I happen to be romancing one (like Koth, Theron, Jorgan, etc) then I usually have the other companions at very low influence because I have no plan on ever using them. So I end up having to either feed them loads of gifts so they're not utterly useless on whatever mission I have to use them on (Raina Temple) or I just have to deal with them being useless, whilst my level 50 influence companions are just hanging back at base whilst their lover/best friend/whatever is off running some dangerous mission without them.

 

As much as I hated the companions being mute in certain stories (Scourge having nothing to say to Revan during the SoR stuff and vise versa) at least I could bring whoever I wanted with me.

 

Sometimes it feels very much like writers pet when I'm constantly forced to keep bringing certain companions with me that my character would never willingly use.

[AdornedBlood]

While that would certainly be an undertaking, it need not be quite as heavy an implementation.

 

It could be as simple as:

 

1. You

2. Your companion of choice

3. The companion the writers chose

 

All running around together. We know this is possible, as it this is how Chapter 13 works with Gault and Vette. One of the two companions is the one you can give orders to, the other is purely AI driven.

 

That's an interesting idea, it could really work since there are more than one occasions when the player had two companions active during a purple mission :

 

 

- BH class quest on Taris, you have both Mako & Torian

 

- Dragon's Maw chapter, if you saved Senya you have both Theron & Arcann

[IoNonSoEVero]

The issue of the forced companions being low level and therefore useless has been a problem for a while. You end up trying to get through tough content with a companion who can't heal you unless you waste a lot of credits on them. It's not just something that comes up with one particular companion, either. The GEMINI chapter in KOTFE is a nightmare because SCORPIO and Senya usually have influence levels of around 2 for me and I refuse to spend money on either of them.

 

There are a bunch of places where you have two companions (Nathema, Umbara, the end of KOTET, etc.) and several where you actually have a posse with you (KOTFE 16 when you have I think four companions fighting with you in that one scene). Clearly they're able to add more than one companion if they want, so they could allow you to choose someone you like to accompany you along with whoever is needed in the story.

 

From a story standpoint it would actually make sense if you took along a second companion of your choice, too. In KOTFE and Copero it didn't make sense for the Outlander, who was wanted dead by so many and had been betrayed by so many, to waltz off with random people they didn't know well without anyone from the Alliance to watch their back.

Edited October 29, 2018 by IoNonSoEVero

[Storm-Cutter]

Now that companions are pretty much all cookie-cutter templates of one another, you can't even have a selection based on their abilities. - Blow something up, chose a terrorist like Kalio, do Sithy things chose Lana, need a slicer, choose Mako or Theron. Need a droid, choose HK or T7.....

 

I know that budget constrains the studio, but you could write around that quite simply. In some chapters the companion choices are obvious, but shouldn't one have the option to take the wrong one? Wasn't this whole story arc about making choices?

Edited October 29, 2018 by Storm-Cutter

[Celise]

I get that the idea was to create a more "cinematic" story, and that it also saved on writing and VO work by having fewer lines of dialogue.

 

But it is one of the things that makes it hard to run through KotFE / KotET again.

 

I'm not sure what the plans are for future content, but I sincerely hope that more options are available. I'd rather have the companion of my choice that doesn't have much to say during a cutscene than a companion of someone else's choice that cannot be changed, even for non-cutscene combat.

 

Just my 2cr.

 

doesn't matter in the end, the game has always been around a main character and a specific companion at your side, while the vanilla campaigns gives you multiple companions to choose from over the duration, none the less it makes little difference if it were just the one or all of them, if they all have the same thing to say it will be limited and in that, all those companions are in the same boat.

 

what it comes down to in effect is an illusion of choice and that was ironically the thing some people hated the most in FE, yet you offer it like it was an option for something different?

 

On that basis? no, it isn't a change and i'd rather bioware keep to their preferred choice of character in their place where they can do the most good.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Celise