Interview Dragon Age's online bits with Fernando Melo

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age

Another Ausir interview at polygamia. <a href="http://polygamia.pl/Polygamia/1,101109,7210533,Fernando_Melo__Widok_z_gory_w_Dragon_Age_na_konsolach.html">This time it's Fernando Melo</a>. Who the fuck is he I hear you ask:
<br>
<blockquote><b>What is your job at BioWare?</b>
<br>
<br>
I'm the online producer of Dragon Age: Origins. So basically I oversee the team that is going to take over Dragon Age: Origins after it ships, which includes downloadable content, patches, updates, the toolset and parts of the social site.
<br>
[...]
<br>
<b>Can it also allow you to track how people play your game and react to that in future titles?</b>
<br>
<br>
Absolutely. Even in the downloadable content, we have a plan to support the game for about two years afterwards. And a lot of that is not just us saying that we want people to play this, it's listening to our community in both what they're doing in the game and what they choose to let us now, but also traditionally through forum posts, now on the social site we also can take a look at their stories, we can also look at blog posts and wikis, how many people are following other players and characters through their game, and those are really good indicators of the type of content people enjoy in Dragon Age. So it's going to be less about what we think people want and what they actually want to play. It's very important for us.</blockquote>
<br>
BioWare is watching you play.
<br>
<br>
Thanks <b>Ausir</b>!

 

[Arcanoix]

I'm the online producer of Dragon Age: Origins. So basically I oversee the team that is going to take over Dragon Age: Origins after it ships,

Absolutely. Even in the downloadable content, we have a plan to support the game for about two years afterwards.

BioWare is watching you play.

Wasn't NWN supported for about 4 1/2, 5 years? lawl.

EDIT : I seen his face and thought, "Pete Hines lost twin has downs syndrome too!?".

 

[Ausir]

Speaking of that, why was the top-down view taken out of the console versions? Was it because of problems with the controls, or maybe you thought that it wouldn't appeal to console players?

To be honest, the biggest reason was due to memory. For us to do something like that, we would have to sacrifice a lot of things that we didn't want to. The console experience, the balancing of combat, the way the controls are set up, all of those are done so that it shouldn't feel like a PC game on a console controller, it should feel like a console game. And for me, to enjoy a console game, you shouldn't need a top-down view, you shouldn't feel like you're missing that. But we also know that we have a lot of PC fans that also have 360 and I'm sure that they'd love to have that as well, but to do that we would have to sacrifice other things that were much more important to the game.

The lack of isometric perspective is the biggest downside of the console versions to me. TPP is fine for exploring, but isometric is pretty much essential in combat in this game, unless you want to play on very easy.

 

[MetalCraze]

Wasn't NWN supported for about 4 1/2, 5 years? lawl.

Didn't they release a new patch this year (or back in 2008)? It makes it 6 1/2 years at least.

 

[Ausir]

Didn't they release a new patch this year (or back in 2008)? It makes it 6 1/2 years at least.

He means support in terms of DLC, not patches. The last one of these for NWN was Wyvern Crown of Cormyr in 2006.

 

[treave]

And a lot of that is not just us saying that we want people to play this, it's listening to our community in both what they're doing in the game and what they choose to let us now, but also traditionally through forum posts, now on the social site we also can take a look at their stories, we can also look at blog posts and wikis, how many people are following other players and characters through their game, and those are really good indicators of the type of content people enjoy in Dragon Age.

In all seriousness, considering the 'stories' that most die-hard Bioware fans usually fantasize about... well, why'd I want to be a part of the social site at all? It'd be like socializing with lepers.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

EDIT : I seen his face and thought, "Pete Hines lost twin has downs syndrome too!?".

Whoa.

 

[Suchy]

WTF?

 

[GarfunkeL]

As much fun as it is to bash Bioware, their support for NWN is/was exemplary.

 

[Volourn]

I gots the game!

 

[Ausir]

I have the download code for the game, but I don't have a computer that will run it yet.

 

[jiujitsu]

The Codex doesn't cover this game enough. Which is funny, since before Mass Effect came out it was every other news story on this site and that game was hardly an RPG. Dragon Age looks like it has decent RPG potential and it takes Ausir to do an interview for the game to get any attention.

After all these years maybe I should join RPG Watch instead...

 

[aries202]

-ehm-

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers. They have always 'watched our' play as they have been there on the forums, responding to our concerns and always answering questions in a very sincere and respectfull manner. We, as gamers, might not like the answers, but Bioware is, so far, one of the only, if not, the only game developer, that (still) does this - i.e. listening to their fans.

In the future, as well as now, companies that listen to their (core) audience i.e. market, will prevail -companies that don't, will slowly go away...

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers.

True. They did add a gay romance for male characters in Dragon Age after their forums regulars bitched about Mass Effect not having one.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Bioware is, so far, one of the only, if not, the only game developer, that (still) does this - i.e. listening to their fans.

Get out of my sight.

 

[Jim Cojones]

The Codex doesn't cover this game enough.

6 topics on the first page of news comments and 9 on the first page of general RPG discussion.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

-ehm-

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers. They have always 'watched our' play as they have been there on the forums, responding to our concerns and always answering questions in a very sincere and respectfull manner. We, as gamers, might not like the answers, but Bioware is, so far, one of the only, if not, the only game developer, that (still) does this - i.e. listening to their fans.

In the future, as well as now, companies that listen to their (core) audience i.e. market, will prevail -companies that don't, will slowly go away...

This is some awesome brainwashing you got there.

 

[Xor]

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers.

True. They did add a gay romance for male characters in Dragon Age after their forums regulars bitched about Mass Effect not having one.

Didn't JE have a gay romance?

 

[jiujitsu]

The Codex doesn't cover this game enough.

6 topics on the first page of news comments and 9 on the first page of general RPG discussion.

I was referring to front page news.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers.

True. They did add a gay romance for male characters in Dragon Age after their forums regulars bitched about Mass Effect not having one.

Didn't JE have a gay romance?

It did. ME didn't. Crying ensued. Now it's back.

 

[Arcanoix]

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers.

True. They did add a gay romance for male characters in Dragon Age after their forums regulars bitched about Mass Effect not having one.

Didn't JE have a gay romance?

It did. ME didn't. Crying ensued. Now it's back.

You realize that in the Orient (China, Japan, Korea, etc.) if you're gay you are either exiled from the country or you're killed, right?

 

[MetalCraze]

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers.

True. They did add a gay romance for male characters in Dragon Age after their forums regulars bitched about Mass Effect not having one.

Didn't JE have a gay romance?

It did. ME didn't. Crying ensued. Now it's back.

No sorry - in JE you couldn't fuck your male party members in the ass so it doesn't count.

 

[Nostradumbass]

-ehm-

Bioware, regardless of how most codexians here thinks about them, always listens to their customers and gamers. They have always 'watched our' play as they have been there on the forums, responding to our concerns and always answering questions in a very sincere and respectfull manner. We, as gamers, might not like the answers, but Bioware is, so far, one of the only, if not, the only game developer, that (still) does this - i.e. listening to their fans.

In the future, as well as now, companies that listen to their (core) audience i.e. market, will prevail -companies that don't, will slowly go away...

This is some awesome brainwashing you got there.

the codex is not "bioware's fans". that's why they dont listen to you.. they listen to people like volourn, r00fles!!

 

[Clockwork Knight]

You realize that in the Orient (China, Japan, Korea, etc.) if you're gay you are either exiled from the country or you're killed, right?

I don't see what that has to do with...anything, really

 

[RainSong]

You realize that in the Orient (China, Japan, Korea, etc.) if you're gay you are either exiled from the country or you're killed, right?

I don't see what that has to do with...anything, really

humanity decline.