Some Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins

This is the place where the leaders of the Chosen post news. News about the Chosen, news about drow/Eilistraee, news about NWN/NWN2 and news generally considered interesting to us. This is also the place where you can comment on those news items. :rss:

Moderators: Shir'le E. Illios, Bhaern Quel

Post Reply
User avatar
Shir'le E. Illios
High Priestess
High Priestess
Posts: 2352
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:51 pm
Location: Eilistraee.com
Contact:

Some Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins

Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

I’ve put Mass Effect 2 first in the title there because I’ve already focused a fair bit on Dragon Age: Origins in the past. There’s a couple of reasons for that. First of all Dragon Age: Origins is in marketing overdrive right now considering that the game will release in some six weeks while Mass Effect 2 is still quite some time away (“early 2010”). Secondly I’m not following Mass Effect 2 as closely; though it’s a “must buy” for me I’m content that it’ll be another good product and am more interested in the new ‘shit’ (so to speak). And third considering the fantasy roots of this website it feels as if fantasy roleplaying games are a bit of a better fit than sci-fi roleplaying games.

But anyway, let’s get to the new.

We’ll start with [url=http://www.crispygamer.com/interviews/2 ... x:2o47lfte]an interview[/url:2o47lfte] that Crispy Gamer had with Mass Effect 2 lead writer Mac Walters. Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:2o47lfte][b:2o47lfte]Crispy Gamer:[/b:2o47lfte] Commander Shepard and the other Spectres in Mass Effect are a lot like the Greywardens in [url=http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/dr ... x:2o47lfte][i:2o47lfte]Dragon Age[/i:2o47lfte][/url:2o47lfte]. They're people tasked with a job. They're allowed to be above the law. What's the appeal of that kind of character?

[b:2o47lfte]Walters:[/b:2o47lfte] It sets you aside. You can make the choices you want, and deal with the situation however you want. There aren't restrictions on you. But there are consequences. It puts you in a position of power and lets you make these vast, sweeping decisions; but at the same time we reinforce that there might be consequences. I think that's what everybody wants. They want to be the great warrior. They want to be the Jedi. They want to be the Spectre. They want to be the person who is free to do things their own way and choose how to do it. But I think the thing that people really thrive on, with our games anyway, is that there really are consequences. We don't just let you do anything.[/quote:2o47lfte]
Second is [url=http://kotaku.com/5360658/all-things-bi ... e:2o47lfte]a talk that Kotaku had[/url:2o47lfte] with studio head Dr. Greg Zeschuk about, well, every game in development (that BioWare has announced; they’re also working on an unannounced “next gen” project). So Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Star Wars: The Old Republic (with some more thrown in for good measure). Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:2o47lfte][b:2o47lfte]Mass Effect DLC: Pinnacle Station - A Quick Post-Mortem[/b:2o47lfte]

"We wanted to make something different,' Zeschuk said of the recently released expansion to the first Mass Effect, Pinnacle Station. "The reaction's been quite vigorous from a lot of folks. I think part of it was the time. The expectation was that it took so long that [people thought] it would be something very grand. But what we want to do in Mass Effect was just riff on stuff a bit and do a combat simulator. We thought it would be neat to have this neat little encapsulated thing .... It [contained] a few things we weren't able to get in the full game."

Zeschuk said Pinnacle Station took longer than expected because, he laughed, "Games are hard to make." He said that BioWare didn't find it easy to incorporate downloadable content in the base game of Mass Effect. The team wanted to keep everything in the fiction — to make it accessible through the natural exploration in the game — but didn't find the most accessible hooks to attach the new content. "From a structural perspective, Mass Effect the game — even though we had one piece out pretty early — it wasn't ideally structured for downloadable content. I think, pretty early, we've been saying that Dragon Age is a platform. I would say Mass Effect 2 is as well. We took the learning from how tricky it is to put things into the game in Mass Effect and that was a very big factor."[/quote:2o47lfte]
That, I think, makes a nice segue from Mass Effect 2 into Dragon Age: Origins and there’s a couple of things there as well.

First is an article over on GameSpot titled “[url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dragonage ... s:2o47lfte]Rage of Mages[/url:2o47lfte]” which looks at the various talent trees and spells and such that mage characters can employ (and thus is completely spoiler-free). Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:2o47lfte]While Dragon Age's list of skills is universal for characters of all professions (including such abilities, as conversational coercion, potion-brewing herbalism, thievery, and combat training), the game has a unique set of "talents" for mages. Mage characters have a single line of mage-specific skills that include a basic attack spell, arcane bolt, improved ability to zap people using a magic staff, personal shielding magic, and an overall boost to wizardly power. This basic line of skills never seems like a bad choice to spend talent points in as you gain experience levels, except that there are four other talent lines (or "schools of magic," if you prefer) with plenty of other interesting and useful spell abilities that are worth exploring.[/quote:2o47lfte]
Next is a video over at GameStop titled “[url=http://www.gamestop.com/gs/gscinema/def ... 5:2o47lfte]Writing an Epic[/url:2o47lfte]” where the developers talk some about creating the game and such, interspersed with gameplay footage. Since they don’t seem to offer embedding you’ll have to follow [url=http://www.gamestop.com/gs/gscinema/def ... 5:2o47lfte]the link[/url:2o47lfte] to see it. And be aware that there are a couple of spoilers in it as well.

And last, but not least, two of the writers on Dragon Age: Origins (Sharyl Chee and Mary Kirky) put up a mock [url=http://blog.bioware.com/2009/09/16/the- ... /:2o47lfte]‘interview’ on the BioWare blog[/url:2o47lfte] with a couple of the characters in the game (namely Wynne, Sten and a red-shirt Tower Guard). This is completely spoiler-free and is mostly for comic value (as well as getting to know the personality of two of the possible party members). Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:2o47lfte][b:2o47lfte]Q: Hi there. Thanks for giving this interview.[/b:2o47lfte]

[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/characters/wynne:2o47lfte]Wynne[/url:2o47lfte]: It’s a pleasure.

[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/characters/sten:2o47lfte]Sten[/url:2o47lfte]: Am I to understand that an “interview” is an occasion set aside for the sole purpose of asking questions?

[b:2o47lfte]Q: Yes.[/b:2o47lfte]

Sten: If this turns into another discussion of cat-girls, I’m leaving.[/quote:2o47lfte]
I’m also pleased to announce that since the interview Mary apparently did get a coffee mug.

And that’s it for now; I’ll keep you posted when I come across more.


[[url=http://www.crispygamer.com/interviews/2 ... x:2o47lfte]link[/url:2o47lfte]] to Mass Effect 2 interview at Crispy Gamer.
[[url=http://kotaku.com/5360658/all-things-bi ... e:2o47lfte]link[/url:2o47lfte]] to talk with Dr. Greg Zeschuk at Kotaku.
[[url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dragonage ... s:2o47lfte]link[/url:2o47lfte]] to “Rage of Mages” article at GameSpot.
[[url=http://www.gamestop.com/gs/gscinema/def ... 5:2o47lfte]link[/url:2o47lfte]] to “Writing an Epic” video at GameStop.
[[url=http://blog.bioware.com/2009/09/16/the- ... /:2o47lfte]link[/url:2o47lfte]] to the ‘interview’ on the BioWare blog.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le
F'sarn natha tithaur wun l'su'aco.

-= Shir'le E. Illios =-
Chosen of Eilistraee
Post Reply