Development Info Dragon Age Community Update

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Tags: BioWare; David Gaider; Dragon Age

The latest Bioware Official Community Newsletter - not to be confused with the unofficial one where you can read Deekin smut - brings some information about <a href=http://www.bioware.com/>Bioware</a>'s epic blockbuster in the making, <a href=http://dragonage.bioware.com/>Dragon Age</a>. Lead writer David Gaider speaks about Classes in <a href=http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=560058&forum=84>this forum thread</a>:<blockquote>There's a big difference between dictating how a particular class must feel and dictating how others might feel about that class. A mage is free to be as religious as he likes. That still does not mean he is going to be able to be part of any church.
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Does that mean there are no classes at all that involve something like priests who are also mages? Why yes, yes it does mean that. Does that mean there are no witch-hunters of some kind? Not at all, though they certainly won't be casting spells.
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And if you don't like that, well tough noogies. There are all sorts of things the setting dictates which makes things different from D&D or other RPGs out there.</blockquote>You read it right, people - tough noogies! <i>IN YOUR FACE!</I> There's additional information about the gameworld size <a href=http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=563350&forum=84>here</a> and about its Mature rating <a href=http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=563494&forum=84>here</a>.
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You can also find a list of relevant and not so relevant information about the game <a href=http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?forum=84&topic=557686>here</a>.
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[aboyd]

You read it right, people - tough noogies!

To some degree, that's fan service. However poorly expressed, I appreciate that they're trying to cater (lamely) to the "choice & consequence" crowd.

Anyway, thanks for posting. I'm off to read all the material at the links you provided. Should make for a pleasant half-hour.

 

[Baphomet]

An M rated RPG? This is relevant to my interests.

But beware! Dwarven politics may prove as deadly as their blades.

Christ, don't tell White Wolf. I'd rather not be knee deep in gay emo Dwarves.

 

[Jason]

And if you don't like that, well tough noogies.

That is totally going to stick with him from now on. David 'Tough Noogies' Gaider. Maybe he needs to get his own 'Tough Noogies' tag.

"Enslaving nations with my tough noogies."

 

[jiujitsu]

Just chatter. Still, I'm interested in seeing how this game turns out.

 

[aboyd]

Wow. I'm still reading that thread started by Maria-something. The one where she assembled all the developer quotes from the past year or so. If even half of it is accurate for the final product, then Dragon Age may be a compelling return to the good old days for me (that being PS:T/BG/Arcanum).

It's probably a better advertisement for the game than anything the Bioware hype machine has put out.

I think the thing I'm liking the most so far is Bioware's resistance to breadth of classes, in favor of making the few they have rather deep. Your choices for class & race seem like they will really have an impact -- not just token dialogues that don't do anything. My impression is that the game as it is envisioned will allow for good replayability, as the experiences with each character can be rather different.

 

[Saxon1974]

Its still to early for me to get excited about this game.

The fact they are spending lots of time developing the world and back story is a good sign....however I don't wanna get my heart broke again like with Oblivion.

 

[Joe Krow]

I'm optimistic about this one. Admitadly my standards have dwindled of late. I'm playing Dungeon Lords now. It will be better then this.

 

[Saxon1974]

I'm optimistic about this one. Admitadly my standards have dwindled of late. I'm playing Dungeon Lords now. It will be better then this.

You playing the collectors edition (The one that has the complete working game that was supposed to come with the original game).

I bought that game when it first came out figuring a DW Bradley game had to be at least decent. I think that might be the most uncomplete game ever released. There were entire rooms complety empty, the hall of weapons had no weapons in it.

Then later they added the missing content and release it as the CE edition and didnt offer it for free download even to those who bought it (Me). I sure as heck was not going to pay more money for it, so I lost 40$ on that one.

 

[Dgaider]

You read it right, people - tough noogies! <i>IN YOUR FACE!</I>

Gosh.

I sure hope that sounds better when one reads it in the context of the thread. I was getting a little flip with that guy who apparently could just not deal with the concept of not having his D&D Paladin class, I have to admit, but sometimes there is no getting through to people otherwise.

Ah, who am I kidding? There's no getting through to people even then... but it did make me feel better.

Though why I'm being quoted in our newsletter I really have no idea. In the absence of actual info they will dispense pithy quotes from yours truly, I guess.

 

[The_Pope]

This idea of not using or cloning DnD makes me optimistic about Dragon Age. It will be interesting to see what Bioware produce in a setting that isn't the very definition of generic.

 

[Kingston]

Big world, M-Rated, not DnD clone and tough noogies? Interesting.

 

[made]

Meh. The last RPG I got excited about was Oblivion, and I've sworn never to buy the hype again after the disaster it turned out to be. I wouldn't mind to be positively surprised for once, however.

 

[Shoelip]

This is starting to seem promising. The fact that they aren't aiming for a T rating means quite allot.

 

[The_Nameless_Prick]

I'll check the feedback here first of course when it gets released (although I'm surprised at how much positive feedback NWN2 got here and I really was not impressed at all with the game).

I'm pretty optimistic about Dragon Age though. Something original and fresh that's PC only sounds really nice. Please let it have depth and good roleplaying. pretty please. Not being able to cross class may not be bad as long as the class of the character has a wide variety of skills and maybe even a unique story arc for that particular character class.

David Gaider's response: We have the right to make our games the way we want and if you don't like what Dragon Age has to offer, tough noogies.

 

[aries202]

I, too, am looking forward to this game. Dragon Age seems to be a possibility for a return to the good ol' games of the 1990's aka PS:T, Ultima series, Badlur's Gate series, Arcanum, Temple of Elemental Evil and the great games of this 'golden area'.

David Gaider is Lead writer which reassures me a lot about this story in this game. The point about DA not using the (generic) D&D rules surprised me at first, but then I thought that 'hey, maybe this could actually by a good point, as this means that we can stary away from the typical clichees of the D&D genre.

I have also noted that death seems to somewhat permanent in DA. Something I like Not that death in D&D game are handled badly, but it is not fun when you just can set a cleric to do a resurrection spell --- whenever one of your characters die. (it is fun the first two-three times, but after the 10th time it is just not that fun --- anymore ).

I'm also somewhat content that magic in DA seems to be very low magic and that everyday people can't use magic in the same way as say mages can in the DA universe.

 

[serch]

I'm also somewhat content that magic in DA seems to be very low magic and that everyday people can't use magic in the same way as say mages can in the DA universe.

If I remember correctly what has been said by Biowarians, magic will be rare but powerful. Those who wield it could potentially enslave nations with tough noogies . Maria Caliban has a big, fat post stuck on the forums with a lot of bio's quotes about the game, but we won't see the PR machine in motion until after Mass Effect is released.

 

[Kingston]

 

[The_Pope]

I thought tough noogies were what we hardcore uber leet codexers wanted?

Oblivion would have been a good game if they followed the tough noogie design system. Want to be arena champion at level one? TOUGH NOOGIES! Want to lead all the guilds? TOUGH NOOGIES!

Don't make fun of the noogies, otherwise we might be stuck without them.

 

[Ladonna]

Its funny what Mr Noogies said about the Paladin freak....Thats what happens for old Bioware; Years of making DnD games/Games based off DnD mechanics and they wonder why the emo kids go crying when they cannot build a Paladin.

Anyway, sounds ok. Real opinion reserved until later. Much later.

Mr Noogies might be a jolly fellow with enough Noogies to say something here, but that doesn't mean I am going to suddenly change my mind about Tunnelware.

 

[psycojester]

Kingston watches farscape... or steals screenedits from somebody who does

 

[Kingston]

Kingston watches farscape... or steals screenedits from somebody who does

z0mg? I've never watched Farscape. What coincidence have I created?

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

 

[Kingston]

And the obvious one...

 

[stony3k]

After reading the links, I feel that the developers do seem to be more focused on making a game with more depth rather than width. It appears much more promising than NWN2 or even NWN. Let's hope it comes out as good as it sounds right now (and that the marketroids don't dilute it).