Dragon Age
Hello. As Mass effect has just been released those biowarians must be just sat around twiddling their thumbs thinking ‘You know what? I could have sworn we had a small group working on an RPG for the PC but I can’t quite recall- *moment of horror* HOLY GOD! The Dragon Age project!’ The Bioware people run into the basement area, slide across a heavy metal door and enter a web-covered room with several skeletons at desks slumped over dusty keyboards. ‘Okay, okay, we can hide the skeletons, but we really must get moving on this game.... after all, it did win best of E3- two thousandandfriggin’four!. ‘Jeremy, clean this place up, Carl, get some power food for us’ ‘You mean Tacos?’ replies Carl. ‘Yes.... I mean Tacos’ says the lead programmer.
Dragon Age
The Spiel-
Dragon Age™ is a blockbuster fantasy role-playing game set in a vast new world created by BioWare.
Your adventures will take you across the kingdom of Ferelden. Explore blood-soaked battlefields, ancient forests and intriguing urban settings. Resist the corrupting power of magic as you discover the abandoned wizard's tower; then descend into the halls of a dwarven kingdom. But beware! Dwarven politics may prove as deadly as their blades. This is a world as real as our own, but where the dark allure of magic ultimately shapes every facet of society. It is a world where willpower and cunning can claim a kingdom!
Explore Dragon Age through a deep, cinematic storyline. Choose how you interact with the other inhabitants of the world: your interactions will influence how this immersive world changes in reaction to larger-than-life world events. Build a party of unforgettable companions you can befriend, romance, or simply exploit. Engage in tactically challenging, party-based combat against a cast of diverse opponents. In Dragon Age you will uncover hidden magic, battle horrific creatures, and challenge power-hungry nobles.
The last one is an early artists’ impression
EDIT-
These are pretty much all the pictures that have been released so far. Bioware has said it wants to keep the production ‘low-key’ which to me reads as ‘Badly behind schedule’. Still, I’m optimistic about a 2008 release (the same way passengers on the titanic were optimistic about the water not being too cold when they had to dive in). Here’s most info about the game that you can find at the official site.
Setting-
•There will be ruins in DA, yup. I think it would be a very unusual setting that didn't have them. Something had to come before the current civilization, right? Unless you're playing immediately after the hunting/gathering stage of evolution (unless your setting bypasses that, which would be strange to me). When ruins are done right not only is it a cool setting, but it gives you a sense of history.
•There are dragons during this age, as one would fairly expect. The game is not about dragons, however, and the main character has no special relation to them. Nor are they some dominant feature of the world or the story
•Religion is a large factor in the culture of every race and background in Dragon Age.
•There are, like, 8 whole Ages prior to the Dragon Age... and before that, you have to move onto the old Imperial calendar which is a completely different ball of wax.
•The older civilizations weren't the epitome of everything... there has been general progress in some areas which the ancients never had... but we're also talking about a world which has seen some major upheaval and that means that knowledge is sometimes lost and things fall to the wayside.
•Magic in DA is Low Magic in the sense that it is rare -- your average commoner is unlikely to encounter anything truly magical in his entire lifetime, and actual magic items are the things of legend
•How each culture treats their dead and what they believe actually happens to a person after they die is a rather important distinction.
•The cool thing about our world is that we can fit all sorts of religious beliefs into it.
Each culture can have a different opinion of creation, heaven, and the afterlife, and we get to make them all up.
•There are no alternate planes of existence that you can physically enter. Certainly no planes as they exist in the D&D sense.
•No vampires at all -- or, at least, nothing that you would recognize as a vampire, I'm sure.
•There are "undead" creatures in Dragon Age -- as in animated corpses of varying types, things that continue to move and act even though they are clearly dead.
There is a distinct rationale for how and why these creatures exist, and it provides no further proof of the divine or in the existence of souls and an afterlife than anything else, though some may choose to believe otherwise.
•Q: Is the DA world generally human-dominated or is it relatively diverse?
A: Primarily human-dominated, though that domination is and has been occasionally contested.
•Of the races that can inter-breed the child is of one race or the other -- there are no half-breeds.
•...the many dwarves who live on the surface are considered no longer part of the caste system and therefore beneath it.
•If you mean that elves are supposed to be haughty, immortal, nature-loving super-beings who are superior to humans in every possible way -- then no, those won't be our elves.
•Gnomes? Halflings? What are those?
•It's a design rule for DA: no anthropomorphic races. Period.
•Education is not common. Like in our own, similar, period of history it's restricted to the privileged few.
•The "common" tongue spoken is English (in the English version of the game anyway, yes) and it is a human tongue. It is also spoken by the other races of the area for economic reasons (in addition to their own, generally speaking).
There are other human tongues, however, such as the one that was described as "Imperial" in the article. There are in-game reasons why we needed to develop the Imperial tongue for this title. Other languages might be visited and developed later.
•Currency exists and has been spread by one particular culture (though the names for and appearance of currency varies from place to place). There are no banks, but some places have moneylenders (most often that same culture).
•We will have different types of coinage (not just the standard "gold piece"), with names that vary according to the nation of origin. Why? For flavour, I guess. It's not much cost for the feature, after all.
Party system
•The encounters will probably be balanced for a full party. However, you will be able to solo the game. We've actually kept the solo-gamer in mind while designing the plots, and we hardly ever assume the PC has taken other NPCs with him.
•[regarding henchmen] : In this case, it is more like the BG series than NWN. As to whether or not you can run solo, we can't really say at this time.
•The subject of pets is a difficult one to answer without going into detail. If what you're imagining is some kind of pet system, however, whereby you can own any pet -- like a familiar or animal companion of some kind -- then no. There's no pet system.
•There is no such thing as a familiar in DA
•There will not, however, be animal companions or familiars, whether people want them or not.
•We learned in BG1 that putting party members in past the halfway point of the game is pretty pointless. That said, you want at least enough characters available early on so that the player can form a reasonable party fairly quickly if he chooses (and finds them -- in DA we don't generally throw them into your path unless they're directly involved with one of the critical quests).
It's entirely possible that the party members you are able to get later on will be less-used... it's hard to say, as beyond the beginning most of the party members you can encounter can be discovered in any order. The one you met really late in your game might be the one someone else met really early.
•Some party members won't get along, some might take a serious exception to decisions you make
•Dragon Age has a separate systems for tracking how much a particular party member likes (or dislikes) you, and what their particular motivation is -- which can be nudged by the player in various directions.
•As for the party members themselves, there's only one who will always be at camp (if not in the party, which is entirely up to you). Everyone else you can elect to take with you when you meet them or send them on their way... and when you do they're gone forever. They don't stand around waiting for you to change your mind. I don't see a problem with that, really, as the only reason to not take them along is because you really don't care for them.
•...we're down to 1 NPC in DA being required -- and that's considering both the fact that you need never actually take him into your party and that there are... options... later on for removing him entirely, should you have developed a Carth-like antipathy.
•Q: Can you fire someone later on?
A: Yep. You won't be able to get them back again if you send them packing, however.
•You have to travel back to the camp in order to switch out party members.
•Your camp doesn't have a maximum capacity, and anyone you recruit who isn't in your active party is in the camp.
•There is not a single plot in DA that forces you to take someone into the party temporarily in order to do it.
•Plenty of NPC-NPC banter. We had a bit of that in KotOR, but there's considerably more of it in DA.
•Well, in DA there will be the opportunity for someone with a high Persuade skill to talk party members into agreeing with actions they might otherwise object to. So the persuasively evil player could be doing highly questionable actions and saying to the goody-two-shoes NPC, "You gotta bust some heads to make an omelette, am I right?"
•The idea is that every party member is built with the idea that you can build a friendship with them...
•You can give gifts to all your party members…
You can give gifts to any party member, which become their personal property once given, and the party member appreciates it more or less depending on the gift's value and their personal motivations.
•Q: Are most of the recruitable NPCs humans, or are they varied?
A: Half of them are human, I think.
•Your relationship with a party member can have several different levels, including friendship and romance right up to fearful and hostile. Their opening lines when you talk to them differ in each instance, just as Valen's did.
•No. Party members are available to all players, though their relationship with you might be different based on your background.
•DA has both. There are critical path party members as well as optional ones. Most of them are optional... the ones that are critical path are logically so.
•At the start of the game, you only make the one character and any party members you gain you do so during the course of the game.
•You only create your own character right from the start. Even if there are custom-made party members to be had (and that's not a guarantee), you don't start with them.
•The total size of the part (including the player) is still between 4 and 6. The exact size hasn't been settled on yet.
[Editor Note: I believe this is now confirmed to be 4]
•The only place where we quantify reputation is in relation to how your actions are viewed by your other party members, and that part does have a mechanic involved.
Classes -
[Editor's Note: It's been confirmed that Dragon Age will have three base classes: fighter, magic user, and rogue (a skill-based class).]
•The abilities of non-mages can sometimes be considered spell-like, but they are not spells.
•There is, in fact, nothing restricting mages from wearing armor, provided that they have the strength to do so.
•A rogue will get to select from the skill pool more often, but there's nothing stopping you from having a dextrous mage or warrior specialize in lockpicking if you feel that's a must-have skill for your party. It simply means sacrificing other skills which might otherwise have been useful for that character.
•Rogues fight quite well, certainly, but they can't take the hits as well as a Warrior and aren't likely to be heavily armored (although that might make for an interesting build, hmm). So their ability to protect others is questionable. Though I suppose sometimes the best defense is a good offense.
•Many of the advanced classes cover these sorts of crosses. There are classes that allow fighters to become more "magical" at the expense of fighting ability. There is also a class for mages to move into that allows them to become more of a fighting spellslinger, sort of, but I wouldn't call it a classic fighter/mage as in someone who casts spells AND uses weapons AND wears armor. The "tank mage" scenario is never a good idea.
•…here is a magical advanced class that focuses on healing and buffing -- though I would say that's more useful than an absolute necessity as it is in some systems.
•…there is more than one tier of advanced classes.
•Q: Is there a second tier of advanced classes?
A: There is, indeed. It is up to the player to decide whether or not to move into a more specialized class or to continue purchasing talents in his current class. There are trade-offs at every level.
•I should add that the backgrounds are only class-specific when that class has special requirements…
•There is an example of a class or two which some races cannot learn, however, but only by way of it being logical that they couldn't.
•The classes have access to an array of class-specific, role-specific and general purpose abilities that give you quite a bit more choice in what direction you want to specialize.
•Some classes are more popular with or originated with a particular culture, but anyone can learn them.
•If you mean mixing any two classes, then no. There's lots of customization paths for classes to take, but we have very distinct class roles -- magic, for instance, lies in the hands of the very few in the DA world and having anyone being able to pick up mage levels willy-nilly would rather dilute that.
•[Wizards are] not a melee class, so yes... they don't have access to melee skills.
There are development paths available, as well as other classes -- though if what you're asking is whether or not wizards in DA get access to anything beyond basic melee skills, no they don't. Nor should they, really, in light of the fact that we're using a class system and the way that the DA wizard works in particular.
•We've chosen the level-based route. This doesn't mean it's D&D-style, though, as some believe -- there's quite a variety of level-based systems to choose from.
•…we have no cleric class.
•There are no monks.
•There are no paladins in DA. (DAMN! –me)
•Hmmm. My qualified answer is that there are no classes that by design are tied specifically to nature like the D&D rangers and druids, no.
Magic-
•Magic in DA is Low Magic in the sense that it is rare -- your average commoner is unlikely to encounter anything truly magical in his entire lifetime, and actual magic items are the things of legend...
But unlike a lot of Low Magic, DA's magic is very powerful and those who wield it have had a great impact on the world and on its history.
•I said magic was powerful. I said magic has changed history -- not rolled across those non-magical losers in a display of uber-pwnage.
•Magic can be powerful, but magic cannot do everything. It cannot, for instance, bring the dead back to life or be used for teleportation.
•Spellcasting is subject to extreme scrutiny. Some uses of magic are very much forbidden.
So while there is plenty of magic in the world and it has helped shape history in some large ways, it is not omnipresent nor without limits, and those who use it are relatively rare and subject to restrictions.
•It operates under certain laws... magic is not something that can "do anything" provided one is powerful enough. There are indeed some very powerful mages in DA. It's not an issue of power level. The issue is that even those powerful mages must operate under the same laws of magic as everyone else.
•There is no time travel, nor magic that affects time directly. Just like there is no teleportation (not even for NPC's), no dimensional portals and no resurrection. Zounds! Amazing, I know.
•There's no "instant heal" magic…
•As for teleportation, it's simply not something that magic can do. That's there as a rule as, while we want magic to be grand and powerful, we don't want it to trivialize the setting. Teleportation trivializes distance and obstacles (and makes it far too tempting for us to use for NPC's). Resurrection trivializes death. Certain things like mind control are allowed, but are considered abhorrent rather than 1st level spells that no-one thinks about.
•…there's no reason a given magic system couldn't create illusions that hurt or create living animals out of thin air -- but that simply doesn't fit our vision of how magic works in DA.
•At any rate, I'm afraid it ranks right up there with teleportation as not something that magic does in Dragon Age. An illusionary bear could be created, maybe, but certainly not a real one.
•And the entire point is moot. Under no circumstances do you actually conjure, summon, transmute, transmogrify, doodle or call any kind of animal into appearing to do your bidding.
•Who says there will be such a thing as an ability to charm someone? There won't, so no.
•We have a mana system worked out, but I think the expectation is that it will change significantly as we move forward.
As for where we're leaning vis a vis regeneration, it's more towards the slower side -- I'm not even certain there will actually be anything like a "mana potion".
•There's no plan for any kind of potion that instantly provides health or mana. There's something like a mana potion, I guess -- but it has definite drawbacks and would be a more strategic decision to use rather than a no-brainer (more potions = more mana/health in a fight = duh).
The closest we come is a potion that lets you stretch what mana you have a little further, but it has drawbacks to consider as well, making it more of a tactical consideration instead of a no-brainer.
Backgrounds/Races/Origin Stories
Backgounds/race/origins
•the backgrounds are a matter of location and social standing
•That's about right. Once you've chosen your race and class, you get to choose your background from amongst the options that apply.
Backgrounds are race-specific or class-specific.
•…if there's one thing these background stories do, it's remind you from time to time that they're still around and still following you.
•"Nemesis" makes it sound like every origin has a villain who is your archenemy that carries forward into the story. Every origin has a character (or more than one) that carries forward in a significant fashion, but not all of them are enemies.
•Even if a background doesn't have a nemesis, it doesn't mean that you having come from that path of life isn't relevant to the story. Some paths of life don't lend themselves to having a Professor Moriarty.
•Religion is a large factor in the culture of every race and background in Dragon Age. There aren't any priest origins, however, I suppose you could decide that your character always wanted to be one.
•Q: .is there a barbarian background or a background that starts out in a place like this?
A: We were thinking about it, but no.
•In fact, we did consider implementing the "Mysterious Stranger" origin story for a while -- until it became clear that it simply didn't work for the type of game we were making.
•You get bonus skills based on your background origin.
•I should add that the backgrounds are only class-specific when that class has special requirements -- otherwise the backgrounds are race-specific and involve having cultural options that would be available to someone of that race.
•It varies. Sometimes it's very minor, sometimes you get entirely different dialogue and even different plots or different rewards. Essentially what we want is for the player to feel the recognition of their race/gender/background at least a little bit everywhere they go. In one area you might just have one or two characters that bring it up, in another it will be very different for everyone, but the idea is for it to be at least noticeable throughout.
•see relatively little point in the idea that there needs to be many different races, classes and class variations just to add choice and complexity for their own sake.
I think it's important to make the choices meaningful instead of shallow (like the hundreds of prestige classes which come out for 3rd edition daily and which are best, in my opinion, ignored in their entirety) and focus on ensuring that the system is elegant and balanced.
•The DA origin preludes are much, much longer. Unique areas. Plot. Combat. Lots of dialogue. Essentially a small chapter. They also have a big affect on the rest of the game, both in terms of dialogue as well as plot (like, say, characters from your past showing up later on).
They are also not the tutorial. Not except in the story sense in that the world is introduced to the player therein.
•The origins tell you little about your past. They mostly focus on your present. This is where you live. This is your family. These are your neighbors. Pretty much everything that game assumes about your "past" is based on events as they play out in your origin story. So whatever happens, you're there to make your choices and have your say in it.
•The trade-off is that being that race will have an actual effect throughout the game. If you are an elf and you meet other elves, they treat you differently... perhaps have entirely different dialogue or plots.
•I don't know exactly how the encounters are going to be set up, but there are portions of the later plot that vary quite a bit depending on which origin story you picked. That dungeon may be the same one you went through as a dwarf noble, for instance, but your elf character may know the prisoners and the jailor this time. And you'll encounter characters from the other origins in somewhat different circumstances than they would be had you chosen their origin, so you can see the people who in another lifetime might have been your family and friends going on as if you had never existed a la It's a Wonderful Life.
Themes-
•It's not sparkly happy fun-time fantasy. Magic isn't fun. People don't react to magic as though it's fun. They react the same way you or I would react to a person who could blow your head off with a flick of their wrist. Your average teenager isn't going to have dreams of becoming an adventurer and finding 'quests' in a tavern. People become what you would traditionally call an 'adventurer' out of necessity. There are heroes, but they can be forgotten.
There are no gods sitting on celestial planes waiting to heap divine spells upon you. There is no ultimate good and ultimate evil. Sometimes people have to choose between bad and worse. You can look at someone who seems evil and say "Yes, I see why he did this, and his intentions were good."
But does this mean that the world is just overwhelmingly dark and bleak? No. If there are no gods that you can see, then you must have faith. People may be selfish, narrow-minded and hateful, but you can show generosity and kindness and nobility. Even if all the world is against you, you will have love, and friends that stand by you. There is darkness in Thedas, but you can be the light.
•We're not trying to tell a story about there being no right and wrong and how everything is grey. We do, however, want being good to be a struggle -- an achievable struggle -- and I honestly like the idea of occasionally encountering dilemmas where there is no clear right thing to do, and you'll simply have to do what your heart tells you.
•We're aiming for a Mature rating, so we're not avoiding any mature content if it serves our purposes -- but neither do we intend to dwell on it or use it in a gratuitous fashion. If a whorehouse is called for by the story, there will be a whorehouse, and it won't be just to see jiggly bunny-suited women bouncing about the bordello.
•If you're looking for multiple sides to any argument and allies who are sometimes more trouble than they're worth, Dragon Age is the game for you...
•The world is a mess of power struggles, wars, disasters, etc. Bad things happen to good people. That's the backdrop of the game.
•There is also a sense of menace or danger that permeates the game, and no one is immune to that. It means that the small pockets of blissful ignorance of world events are few and far between, that naive idealism is quickly transformed to grim determination, and laughter is, as often as not, forced from the belly to keep you from giving into despair.
So... new legendary RPG or Duke Nukem forever sibling? You decide...
EDIT-
Official site
http://dragonage.bioware.com/
Videos
http://dragonage.bioware.com/gallery...l#main-heading
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Originally Posted by The Mongol
