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Dragon Age Interview Part 3
The final part of our exclusive interview, today we talk about shared development culture and BioWare's return to fantasy
Written by Andy Griffiths, 16 October 2009
So here's our final part of our epic interview with BioWare's Mike Laidlaw. Today we take it back a little bit and talk about the shared development culture that's within BioWare and what it feels like for the company to finally return to the fantasy genre. We'll have the full unedited interview in next week's PCGZine but until then, please enjoy our final segment.
GZ: Dragon Age appears a lot more bloody, a lot more adult and more mature thematically. With the whole lesbian sex scene controversy from Mass Effect, did the team look at that and say "You know what, we are going to go for it this time and produce what we think is appropriate".
ML: That's an interesting way to look at it and I'd say that's about right. There wasn't any notion on the team to make specifically mature content, instead let's not hold ourselves back. We don't want to shoehorn it in sideways, if it fits we are okay with it. That was definitely the philosophy that we used and the whole design team put in. When I look back at Mass Effect, the thing I'm most proud of is that under scrutiny, when we got past the skipping on the surface approach, it absolutely make perfect sense. There was nothing lewd about it, I would have shown it to my mother! I think that it's important that when you do that sort of thing, either have a little fun with it or make sure that it is part of an arc which has some emotional engagement. But the thing I never want is to back away from something which is a human experience, something which has been part of drama for centuries. To back away from that due to the potential for controversy... is something I feel like I couldn't defend.
GZ: Obviously BioWare are known most for fantasy based RPGs. Do you feel like it's a return to something you know, love, understand and appreciate?
ML: It is, it absolutely is. You know Dragon Age was part of a desire that we didn't leave those roots behind. I would say that Baldur's Gate was the game that defined BioWare, it set us on the course of story-based RPGs as a major focus of the studio. There are still people who talk about Minsc and Jahiera in Baldur's Gate 2. We really try and recreate that feel of an epic, sweeping fantastical world. Of course then the challenge was, how do we do it a little bit differently? That's where elements like we talked about earlier, the elves being second class citizens and the mages being under lock and key with people desperately afraid of them. Those elements of fantasy which put it on its ear. Not just to return to it but to forge something, a landmark in fantasy which is different, to redefine things.
GZ: How well would you say Dragon Age scales on the PC?
ML: Exceedingly well actually, our engine was built from the ground up for Dragon Age and is very scale-able. You are able to dynamically adjust the number of ambient creatures, which add flavour to the world. They will drop out in order to maintain the framerate and keep it smooth.
GZ: How far can you go when changing the world in Dragon Age?
PCGZine Issue 40
For our latest Dragon Age coverage, click here to download PCGZine Issue 40 for free.ML: I think you can go quite a ways. There's a blight on the land and as a Grey Warden, your goal is to forge an army. Some of the major choices are around what kind of allies you'll be taking into battle. That will play out in the end and will have a direct effect on the climax of the game. Of course there is the aggregate feeling of how people are coming away from your interactions. For instance there's one part we showed a while back, which basically features you defending a small town from attacks from the undead, which are just swarming down from a castle and no-one knows why. It's actually possible for the player to say, "Tough, I don't have time for this." There are responses from people that travel with you, that encourage you along these lines. That say, "This is a waste of time, we have more important things to do." It's not necessarily that you're doing it because you're twiddling your moustache and cackling evilly, it's more that there is a strong reason not to do it, there are more important things ahead of you.
GZ: BioWare seems to have grown exponentially, in the way that so many projects are now going on. How does the company deal with that?
ML: The studio has managed to communicate a very clear and focused vision, in terms of what we want to achieve. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are there at the top and reminding us that our goal is to make some of the finest story driven games in the world. When you have a mantra like that, there are variations on how you do that. Mass Effect is a very different style of game to Dragon Age, but their goal is still the same- telling an amazing story that really engages the player. A big part of that involves what kind of mechanics are used to earn the story moment, that's where we get our different approaches. So I think it's a good vision from the top, coupled with teams that are intensely passionate and have a lot of trust. We've got designers and programmers that really know their stuff and that are going to make the best damn game they can.
GZ: Do you have a shared development culture where the Dragon Age team talks to the Mass Effect team and share ideas?
As best we can and you certainly see it at its best across the disciplines. Our writers for instance are exceptional communicators, bouncing ideas back and forth. Like:
"Hey, we were thinking about doing this, we have a new mechanic which you might want to consider. It works well for us, but it might be even better for you, especially if you did X."
It does create a culture of ideas, to be as open as you can between projects to really help the company grow.
GZ: Final question for you Mike, and it's a big one. What character class do you personally choose when playing Dragon Age: Origins?
ML: I personally have always had a soft spot for rogues. I like the feeling of popping open chests that no-one else can, I love that sort of gameplay. Of course the rogue is a very tactical character in terms of position, you're always focusing on getting around characters or stunning. It's all about giving yourself opportunities to do the extra damage and I find them a very satisfying class to play. If I'm going to dive into any origin story as a rogue then I would go with the city elf, I find their circumstances and opening to be really compelling. With mage being a very close second, because there's nothing like dropping a fireball.
Dragon Age coverage available in PCGZine Issue 40 - click here to download it for free!
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