There are a bunch of little things in ME1 that carried over throughout the years that I thought was really nice (as long as I remembered the reference 
). They were minor blips in the grand scheme, but it added that bit of personal touch. I suppose the biggest running gag was Verner, though IIRC, he never shows up if you never completed his quest in the first game - a shame they didn't have time to come up with an alternative "first meeting" in 2/3. I do recall some gangwar you got mixed up in the first game too and the lady could meet you in the second game. Even that woman who was arguing with her brother-in-law about genetically modifying her son.
The feeling of continuity for the time invested is what it's about.
Sure, it may mean missing out if you don't carry over, but I think they'll also have to draw a line at what extra details they can add to the game that's worth their development dollars as well - does it make sense to go into hardcore detail with tiny references that go back to the first game when the majority of the audience doesn't.
TBH and IMHO, DA: O was so fucking long that I barely remember anything other than major plot points, and even then the combinations were stupid silly with your 6 origins and romances and the possible twist at the end. DAII had its moments IIRC, but I can't remember a damn thing about it other than some creepy shit with the player's mother's fate. I don't think I'll mind if I never meet Ser what's-his-name or bandit-X, but maybe some major demon? I don't even recall their names. I'm not sure it'll matter as much since we're playing different people in every game.
I don't know how in-depth the Dragon Age Keep tool will be, but it seems like they're putting a lot more effort into it than the comic book selection thing they introduced for ME2 and ME3. I suppose they would have to, what with all the different origins. *shrug* Will be interesting to see.
The ME trilogy is certainly a neat experiment in that regard, and I'm sure they've learned a lot from their tracking data there. Heck, by the 3rd game, a lot of the little things simply get referenced in e-mails or datapads that are kind of minor as far as dev time should go. Does it need to be rewarded? I think a mix is sufficient - small tokens of 'appreciation' or just simply your own satisfaction at seeing that little bit referenced again and continued.
). They were minor blips in the grand scheme, but it added that bit of personal touch. I suppose the biggest running gag was Verner, though IIRC, he never shows up if you never completed his quest in the first game - a shame they didn't have time to come up with an alternative "first meeting" in 2/3. I do recall some gangwar you got mixed up in the first game too and the lady could meet you in the second game. Even that woman who was arguing with her brother-in-law about genetically modifying her son.The feeling of continuity for the time invested is what it's about.
Sure, it may mean missing out if you don't carry over, but I think they'll also have to draw a line at what extra details they can add to the game that's worth their development dollars as well - does it make sense to go into hardcore detail with tiny references that go back to the first game when the majority of the audience doesn't.
TBH and IMHO, DA: O was so fucking long that I barely remember anything other than major plot points, and even then the combinations were stupid silly with your 6 origins and romances and the possible twist at the end. DAII had its moments IIRC, but I can't remember a damn thing about it other than some creepy shit with the player's mother's fate. I don't think I'll mind if I never meet Ser what's-his-name or bandit-X, but maybe some major demon? I don't even recall their names. I'm not sure it'll matter as much since we're playing different people in every game.
I don't know how in-depth the Dragon Age Keep tool will be, but it seems like they're putting a lot more effort into it than the comic book selection thing they introduced for ME2 and ME3. I suppose they would have to, what with all the different origins. *shrug* Will be interesting to see.
The ME trilogy is certainly a neat experiment in that regard, and I'm sure they've learned a lot from their tracking data there. Heck, by the 3rd game, a lot of the little things simply get referenced in e-mails or datapads that are kind of minor as far as dev time should go. Does it need to be rewarded? I think a mix is sufficient - small tokens of 'appreciation' or just simply your own satisfaction at seeing that little bit referenced again and continued.
