Podcast Interview With BioWare

[DigiWiz]

Spotted at NWNvault (http://nwvault.ign.com):

Gamer's with Jobs has a very interesting audio interview (http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/20614) for download (~16 megs) and podcast with the Bioware community manager touching on topics like Dragon Age (wheee) and Mass Effect as well more general topics about managing their community and games. The interview starts around the 30 minute mark in the file.

[Morrolan]

Little actual info on the games, but a very interesting interview, nonetheless. I'm interested in this supposedly revolutionary conversation system.

[Frogleg Special]

Dragon Age -> Vaporware -> DNF of RPG

Prove me wrong, then I'd be very delighted.

[51|RandoM]

bioware broke my heart when they lost the d&d license, end of story. Black Isle took their infinity engine and made the best computer-based rpgs ever, and I want more of them.

Argue this with me? Nobody can, we're all depressed over this one.

Instead of a deep, 3d/3e rules based rpg, we end up with jade empire and that star wars bullshit. Those are action rpgs at best, and not what we want from them, imho.

[Voodoo]

Dragon Age -> Vaporware -> DNF of RPG

Prove me wrong, then I'd be very delighted.

WTF?! A game that they have annouced a year and a half ago is now vaporware? Are you even able to point to another gaming development company that has produced something even simular to either NWN or Dragon Age? Producing a PC game is no easy feat at all, especially when you are making something that has no peers and you are more or less in unknown gaming territory.

[Frogleg Special]

WTF?! A game that they have annouced a year and a half ago is now vaporware? Are you even able to point to another gaming development company that has produced something even simular to either NWN or Dragon Age? Producing a PC game is no easy feat at all, especially when you are making something that has no peers and you are more or less in unknown gaming territory.

It's 2 years ago. It's not a easy feat of all, with Mass Effect + Jade Empire 2 take most of the teams, and the skeleton crew keeps circling ideas over and over again.

2 years and what they have is the same pathetic website. No publisher they said. Heh.

[BioGeorg]

Dragon Age -> Vaporware -> DNF of RPG

Prove me wrong, then I'd be very delighted.

Hrhr, no, it doesn't work that way.

DNF has been like what, 7 years in development now? DA has been announced at GDC 2004. NWN was 5 years in development before release, as Jay points out in the interview. Proper PC RPGs take their time to make, and we take whatever time we need to make our games. If you have a problem with that attitude, there are always sports games where you can get your yearly fix of minor upgrades and facelifts :p


It's 2 years ago.

Not really, but anyway, why is that a problem?


It's not a easy feat of all, with Mass Effect + Jade Empire 2 take most of the teams, and the skeleton crew keeps circling ideas over and over again.

Really. You must work here then, if you know all that ah so well. For a skeleton crew, DA is surely consuming a lot of building space. Maybe LTFA? :p


2 years and what they have is the same pathetic website. No publisher they said. Heh.

Do you want a game or a flashy website? The game is still a long time out from release, so dedicating resources to the website just to keep the "I need my daily reassurance that the game is still in development" crowd happy would not be a good use of resources and frankly, a website wouldn't keep the attention of someone who is losing patience after two years until the game is released anyway :). We have forums where people can keep themselves up to date and lend their input and ideas.

As for publishers, not only do these things take time, there are also benefits of signing a publisher late in the process (such as retaining full creative control). We're not dependent on outside funding to run our operations, which is the main reason why you usually want to sign a publisher early.

In the end it boils down to a simple question - Do you want a game that was rushed in 2 years or do you want a properly done PC RPG?

If you want the former, you will need to find another developer, because we're not in the business of doing rush jobs. You can't make a BioWare style PC rpg in 2 years, it's impossible.


Instead of a deep, 3d/3e rules based rpg, we end up with jade empire and that star wars bullshit. Those are action rpgs at best, and not what we want from them, imho.

"We". as in "We, the Borg?"

DA is the spiritual successor to our previous PC RPGs such as BG, if that helps you.

However, if it offends you that we are creating more than just sequels to our previous games, I'm sorry. Well, not really :).

Let's see how long it takes Kelegacy to show up, but maybe he has been disabled by that rocket chair of his :)