EA has multiple overlapping teams working on "seasons" of releases - this is not that at all. This is a game getting a sequel after more than 8 years has elapsed since the original.
I'm with you - a really beautiful vanilla map, that pushes the visplanes, is much more impressive than a limit removing equivalent. I'm not saying that the latter maps lack artistry, but vanilla requires that you look at your map from every angle in almost excruciating detail. The result -- to me -- just feels that much more intentional/authorial.
I think you're on to something. There's something more "grokkable" about Doom's 2.5 maps (some more than others, admittedly), both as a player and maker. And I think it shows in the incredible number of Doom maps people have made over the years.
And before that the majority of their content was scraped from other, well-meaning sources. They just have great SEO, don't mind copy+pasting, and hope that the network effect makes them to de facto source for [insert topic] while serving you ads.
Yeah a product like that needs a Big Personality to be a sort of spokesperson for it. To go around and do the press circuit, and be the face of the product. Get memed, etc.
My guess is it was just a bunch of well meaning nerds behind this one, and no one wanted to actually go out there and bat for it.
I'm loving BG3, but DA is honestly not that far off the mark. It's missing crunchy, turn-based combat, and the sprawling story, but they probably have the tech and writing chops to pull that off, too.
I have a PC, PS5, and Switch, and never felt like the Switch was underpowered. Samewise, my phone doesn't feel underpowered compared to my laptop, because I recognise they're completely different devices.
You don't get a Switch to play the latest God of War, you get it to play Mario and Zelda games, and cute lo-fi indie games
Yes. Good. Thank you