Superlative Geek

Okay, so the interview is over and I’m now going to post the integral content onto this thread. I did the proper editing of the interview since there is lots of garbage questions and stuff. Hope you enjoy

Interview:

Jem Alexander:
Hey everyone! This is Jem Alexander from the European PlayStation Blog. I’m very happy to present the first transatlantic PlayStation Blog livechat. We’ve got some of the guys from Bioware with us who are going to answer your questions about Dragon Age: Origins.
I’ll let them introduce themselves and make their special announcement before we get started with the questions.

Ray Muzyka:
Hey everyone! Ray from BioWare here.

Mark Darrah:
Hi all, this is Mark Darrah Executive Producer of Dragon Age: Origins

Ray Muzyka:
We are pleased to announce that the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon Age: Origins will launch November 3rd in North America alongside the Xbox360 and PC versions.
The game is really high quality – I’m incredibly proud of the DA: O team. We’re really happy that our PS3 fans will get to check it out in NA at the same time as 360 and PC fans!

Question:
Cool, when´s the EU release?

Ray Muzyka:
Still working on the EU release timing for PS3 – we’ll have an announcement on that shortly – still planned for some time a bit later in November.

Question:
How was the experience working with the Playstation 3?

Mark Darrah:
We are really happy with the results on the PS3. It was our first experience and we were really impressed with the power of the machine. I think fans will love the end result!

Question:
That’s great news I was wondering if you guys have any plans for Playstation Home?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
Regarding Playstation Home – we’re been exploring it, but don’t have any announcements there right now.

Question:
Hello thanks for your time. I haven’t really been following this game. Can you please describe what kind of game it is and what the game is about? Thank You.

Mark Darrah:
Dragon Age: Origins is a Dark Heroic Fantasy. You play as a Grey Warden a group charged with saving the world from an unspeakable evil called the Blight.
The game has many choices and each choice you make will impact the way the game plays and reacts to you. These choices will have significant impact challenging you to make decisions where your family and friends may have to be sacrificed for the greater good.

Question:
How long will this game be?

Ray Muzyka:
Dragon Age: Origins is incredibly rich and deep – the game is approximately 60-80 hours for the average player, but the critical path could be as short as 40 hours – speaking personally, on one playthrough it took me about 120+ hours to go through about 95% of the game. And it was totally awesome! It actually got better and better the further I progressed, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Great news is, the adventure doesn’t end when you finish since we’re planning a ton of high quality post-release downloadable content too!

Question:
Are the trophies for the PS3 the same as the achievements for X360?

Ray Muzyka:
The trophies are indeed the same as Xbox Live achievements. Epic, all

Question:
So is there a HDD install?

Mark Darrah:
Yes, there is an HDD install. I encourage players to do it!

Question:
Will you guys release DLC for the game ?

Mike Laidlaw:
Regarding DLC for the game, absolutely. We have a two-year plan for additional content for Dragon Age: Origins, so you’ll be seeing the game expanding in content for quite a while to come!
In fact, you’ll be seeing the first DLC out on the same day the game launches. Purchasers of new copies of Origins will be able to pull down the Stone Prisoner and get a brand new follower to join their party for the rest of the game, and there will be Warden’s Keep available as well, an expansion to the game that explores the history of the Grey Wardens.

Question:
Will there be an option to tone down the blood or turn it off? I find the blood a little unsettling for me.

Mike Laidlaw:
Yep! There is an option to tone down the gore in the game, yes. You can disable the persistent gore, so that your characters aren’t blood spattered after battle.

Question:
Would you mind speaking about the technical side of the game for a moment. Especially with regards to coding, the language used and the techniques and how they are similar/different from those used for PC games?

Mark Darrah:
All three platforms are written in C++. We also use C# for tools. Additionally we use an internal scripting language for coding work as well.

Question:
Will the game make use of the custom soundtrack feature on PS3?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
Earlier – from Adam – custom soundtrack on PS3 is a great feature, but the audio and music experience in Dragon Age: Origins is hand-crafted to drive incredible emotional impact. As a result we didn’t implement custom soundtrack because the entire audio experience in Dragon Age: Origins is so incredible.

Question:
Whats the meaning of the “Origins” subtitle? Is Dragon Age Origins a prequel for a bigger game?

Mike Laidlaw:
“Origins” has two meanings. First, it’s the beginning of our new fantasy franchise, so it seemed to fit. This is where it begins, after all! Perhaps more importantly, though, one of our coolest gameplay features is that we offer players 6 origin stories. Each one launches you into the game with a unique perspective and unique story, meaning the way you start the game is going to change based on which Origin you choose. So, the question you guys will want to start thinking about is this: will you be a Dwarf Noble, Dwarf Commoner, City Elf, Dalish Elf, Human Noble or Mage?

Question:
Do the origins and choices actually change the way the main plot plays out, or do they just change things like side-quests, companions, dialogue and the starting point of the game?

Mike Laidlaw:
Origins do affect the game all the way through. You’ll meet characters from your origins later in the game, you’ll have different reactions, and there are even moments at the VERY END of the game where your origin story changes things.
Mark Darrah:
There are 6 orgins that the player can choose from. Each of these origins spans several hours of gameplay and the choices made in their chosen origin will have impacts that will ripple throughout the rest of the game.

Question:
Is David Gaider planning on writing any more Dragon Age books?

Mark Darrah:
David Gaider is a great author! He has already written two great novels in the Dragon Age universe. This is a rich universe and there are a lot more stories to tell.

Question:
For clarification, will the Blood Dragon armor be available for the PS3 version? If so, is there a possibility that through purchasing the PS3 version you will still be able to unlock the Blood Dragon armor in ME2?

Ray Muzyka:
Blood Dragon armor comes in all new copies of the game on PS3 as well – it kicks ass. The Blood Dragon armor is linked to your online community account so once you register and download it for PS3, it’ll ‘unlock the magic’ of the Blood Dragon armor in Mass Effect 2 on 360 and PC too!

Question:
I’ve heard some people in the media saying this is a successor to Baldur’s Gate, one of my favorites, but the games seem so different. Can you comment on that?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
Right from the beginning of the development of Dragon Age: Origins we tried to capture the magic of the Baldur’s Gate series (one of our first sets of games). Many of the same team members worked on Dragon Age: Origins and Baldur’s Gate, so this gave us a bit of an opportunity to really drive a similar experience.
Things like the expansive world, deep and interactive characters, romance and thoughtful/tactical combat are present and very powerful in both games. Based on our experience playing Dragon Age: Origins we believe we nailed it!

Question:
I’ve never played a Bioware game before, can you explain what the combat system is like to someone whose never played one of your games before?

Mike Laidlaw:
The combat in Origins lets you take control of four different characters, each with their own abilities, spells and the like, and make them work together to fight the hordes of enemies hell bent on your destruction.
You can really play the game a number of ways. We have an advanced AI system called tactics that will let your party members fight intelligently even if you’re not under direct control, so you can focus on a single character. Other players, though, will want to swap between characters, coordinating their spells and attacks manually. All this would be hard to do, except we let you pause and issue orders in the middle of battle, if you wish, meaning you can pull off some pretty sweet advanced maneuvers. Ultimately, how you play the combat is up to you!

Question:
Heys guy, i’m just wondering how the DLC will fit into the game’s story?

Ray Muzyka:
The DLC is integrated right into the game fiction – you can access it through your party camp via a quest giver. Pretty slick in terms of integration and presentation.

Question:
Who composed the soundtrack? Give him my congratulations if all the music in the game is as good like in the trailers

Mike Laidlaw:
Inon Zur was the composer for Dragon Age: Origins. He flew up, met with the team and really dug into the world before he started scoring the game.

Question:
Who is your favorite character in the game?

Mark Darrah:
For me its Sten. I love him, his humour matches mine exactly!

Mike Laidlaw:
Favorite character? Leliana. A cute redhead, a deadly archer, a devastating accent and there’s a very good chance that she’s clinically insane. Somehow I find that adorable!

Ray Muzyka:
My favorite character in the game is Morrigan – tough choice though since there are a lot of great personalities. I like mages though (playing with three is awesome since you can animate 3 undead if you choose that spell progression path), and Morrigan’s super powerful as a shapeshifting mage – and pretty hot too

DoktorZee_BioWare:
My favorite is the dog, and not because he’s a dog, but because he’s super-tough as the ultimate tank! And he’s house trained.

Question:
Will there be non magical explosions and usuable area effect weapons (like flame and acid and such) that are not related to magic?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
From Emery – there are tons of both magical and non-magical effects in the game. There’s the usual magic effects like Fireballs and Ice Storms, but there are also a bunch of non-magical effects like poisons you can put on your weapons, and a variety of “flasks” of things like acid and other tools to help you win battles. There are a myriad of tactical options you can access to win your battles…

Question:
Can player always see the subtitles on the screen?

Mike Laidlaw:
Subtibles can be turned on or off as you prefer.

Question:
Hello! I’d like to know what percentage, approximately, of enemies in DA level scale? Do all of them scale? (I know it’s just within a certain range.)

Mark Darrah:
All creatures scale. Some creatures will always be tough though dragons.

Question:
How was it working with Tim Curry and the other voice actors of the game?

Mike Laidlaw:
We had an awesome cast, 144 voice actors in total spread between the US and U.K. Working with folks like Tim Curry and Kate Mulgrew is always a blast. They’re consummate professionals, and it was really encouraging when they dug into their character and starting asking for more motivation and details on the history of the world.

Question:
What are your favourite classes guys?

Mark Darrah:
I love a Bloodmage / Spirithealer combo! Both for its irony and its power.

Mike Laidlaw:
I’m a rogue player. I love opening chests, picking locks, sneaking and, of course, unleashing backstabs.

Ray Muzyka:
My favorite class is definitely a mage. I like the battle mage (Arcane Warrior) and Blood Mage specializations – your character is a death machine. Walking bomb and Animate Dead spells are also highly recommended

Question:
How many hours of recorded dialogue is there in Dragon Age?

Mark Darrah:
There are 800,000 words of recorded dialog. So in hours… A lot.

Question:
Hello! I have a question. How much does the Playstation 3 version differ compared to other competiting platforms? What was it like working with the PS3 for the first time?

Mike Laidlaw:
The PS3 version is identical to the Xbox 360 version in content, and the two control the same. Working with the PS3 was a blast. It was nice to go hands on with the hardware and flex our programming muscles to make sure that Dragon Age was the same great experience on all three platforms.

Question:
About how far into the game can we expect to see the stone prisoner, or wardens keep? (DLC’s)

Mark Darrah:
Once you become a Grey Warden you are basically at the point where you can access this content. In both cases you can choose to leave them until later.

Question:
Are there any more items players can unlock for the game before release, other than pre-order bonuses, and through Journeys?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
We’ve always got a lot of tricks up our sleeves regarding unlocks. If you pre-order there are a bunch of different unlocks, And, as you note, playing Dragon Age Journeys (at the ingeniously named Dragon Age Journeys) will get you more unlocks (I got my first one last night – it’s a really cool game we did in collaboration with EA2D). Check out Dragon Age Origins – Home for more info.

Ray Muzyka:
Journeys (the browser game recently launched) was indeed very well done by the EA2D team – nice work by Mark Spenner and the Journeys team!

Question
Is the game going to have a special edition? If so, what does it include?

Mark Darrah:
The PlayStation 3 has a special edition.
It contains:
A special disk with a featurette and other content
Cloth map
Tin Case
3 exclusive in Game items
And More!

Question:
Some people with review copies have spoken about the difficulty of the game? Are we talking Demon’s Souls difficult or Neverwinter difficult? I love both games, just wondering.

Mike Laidlaw:
The difficulty scales based on how hard you want it to be. The nightmare mode is in the same realm as Demon’s Souls, while you can crank the difficulty right down to easy. The best part is that you can adjust on the fly. Feeling like the game is too easy? Go ahead and set it harder.
The best thing about Origins’s combat, I think, is that it rewards you for player smarter. You learn how to use your party and their abilities as a coordinated strike team, and it’s not long before you’re demolishing your opponents.

Question:
How are you looking to get the non-RPG playing crowd into Dragon Age?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
Dragon Age: Origins is a really great story. We think that will go a long way to engaging people that haven’t played a RPG before. Additionally, we’ve gone through and done a super-thorough overhaul on the PS3 interface to make sure that you’ve got all the power from the PC version, but in a much more accessible package. We think that anyone that loves a great story will love Dragon Age: Origins.

Question:
Are the writers of the main game also working on the scripts of the DLC quests/stories?

Mike Laidlaw:
The same team of designers are working on our downloadable content that worked on the main game, yes.

Question:
Are the combat mechanics and game balance different than on the PC or has only the UI been changed?

Ray Muzyka:
DA: O has awesome tactical combat too, great exploration…rich deep fantasy world, and it’s fantasy with a bit of an edge, a bite to it.

DoktorZee_BioWare:
we’ve completely reworked the overall interface and lovingly re-tweaked the entire game on the PS3. The PC feels like an awesome tactical combat game, while the PS3 has more of an action feel. This was something that we discovered during the development of the PS3, but we certainly went with it and tried to make sure each platform felt right. One of our goals at BioWare is to make sure that each version of any game we release feels absolutely designed for that platform.

Question:
Do you have a favorite origin in the game? One that speaks to you in particular?

Mark Darrah:
My favorite origin is Dwarf Nobel. A bit of a contradiction with my class choice, I know. The Dwarf have such interesting undertones.

Mike Laidlaw:
I love the City Elf origin. Seeing how the elves live, practically in squalor and under human rule, will give you a really unique idea of how Origins is a dark fantasy.

Are all items characer specific or can you interchange itmes between characters, like having mages who wield bows for example.

Question:
Are all items characer specific or can you interchange itmes between characters, like having mages who wield bows for example.

Mike Laidlaw:
You can move items between characters. Weapons and armor have requirements, like being strong or dexterous enough, but if your character meets the requirements, they can weild and wear everything in the game. There’s a few items that are unique to certain characters, but those are in the minority.

Question:
How demanding is the pacing of this game? Is it the kind of game you can sit down and play for a few short quests in a burst, and pick it up later and not feel a lack of immersion? Or is it something that you’ll have to sit down and play for some time before finding a natural breaking point?

Ray Muzyka:
The pacing in Dragon Age accomodates a number of different play styles – there’s a really solid journal and map system, and a “story thus far” feature whenever you load a save game – and there are a lot of short quests available if you feel like playing a half-hour or hour or so. But sometimes you’ll start playing and realize you can’t stop…groggy at 0500 the next day realizing you need to go to sleep before work the next day

Question:
What diffrences are there in the Origins if you play as a male or female?

Mark Darrah:
People will definately react to you differently based upon your gender. Some origins, in fact, will play out VERY differently. I won’t reveal more now.

Question from me
Considering the epic level of stories you’ve created in games like Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic. What can we expect from the story in Dragon Age?

Mike Laidlaw:
Nuno –

The story is a sweeping epic. From your origin story, you’ll join the Grey Wardens and be tasked with forging an army able to defeat the blight. Along the way you’ll be changing the face of Ferelden, making choices, necessary sacrifices and ultimately leading a force against the Archdemon that commands the teeming hordes of the blight. At the end, my hope is that you feel that you’ve played a game that you really helped shape. I want it to feel like it’s your game, not ours.

Question:
What was you guys’ inspiration for the combat? If you had an exact source or if it was mainly from mixed sources such as movies or books?

Mark Darrah:
We draw inspiration from a variety of sources. From the combat side, we draw upon the tactical richness of Baldur’s Gate. Additionally, the action wheel from Mass Effect is a great influence.
From a lore perspective, we have drawn from books like the Goeage R. R. Martin series.

Question:
What kinds of side quests will we be available?

Mike Laidlaw:
The game has hours of sidequests for you to explore. You’ll be working with rogue mages, hunting down fugitives, exploring lost ruins and more.

Question:
Why did you guys stray from the dialogue model in ME?

DoktorZee_BioWare:
One of our goals at BioWare is to explore different narrative structures, and one of our goals is to have our games be substantially different from each other. Specifically, we believe there are two main approaches to dialogue, first person and third person. Dragon Age: Origins uses a first person dialog model, where you truly are the character and hear the answer in your own voice. In Mass Effect we use a third person model, where you provide general guidance to Commander Shepard, but he (or she) decides how to resolve your instructions (and frankly can really suprise you at times). Both systems, when implemented well, are very effective, and we believe both dialog models work very well.

Question:
Do you see yourself working with PS3 in the future?

Mark Darrah:
Yes, we look forward to more PS3 work in the future.

Ray Muzyka:
Thanks for your support everyone and for joining us today – we’re dedicated to always delivering high quality games for our fans. Hope you have as much fun playing DA: O as our team did crafting it for you!

And that’s it folks… Hope you enjoyed the read
I know I now feel even more fired up for Dragon Age: Origins.