chevalier
Sun, 12th Sep '04, 9:42am
Here are today's Dragon Age forum highlights, collected by NWVault (http://nwvault.ign.com). Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">David Gaider, Designer</font>
Found out more about the world... (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381312&post=3149202&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Will DA world have conventional geography or will it have bizzarre elements (e.g. discworld, inside hollow sphere, ice-cainoes, seas of living evil purple slime)?<hr />Conventional geography.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Georg Zoeller, Designer</font>
Is Elder Scrolls IV or NWN2 a Threat to DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381339&post=3149151&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />LdyShayna, as I say, the "threat" now will be base on the numbers of games, not only by the quality of games.<hr />A threat implicates danger for someone. That's nothing I can see from the pure existance of other games on the market or even the fact that having a couple of games coming out in the same genre over a span of likely more 12 to 18 month. If you define "danger" as "you might sell a few boxes less because of competition", then this topic would be valid, but with that definition of "danger", the word would become pretty meaninglest really fast. According to mobygames there were 129 products that classify as RPG or have RPG like components and thus were probably competing in that market segment in released or rereleased in 2002, when we released NWN - 73 of them PC games. Sure, there are many "non rpg" titles on that list, but that is exactly the point - I think most people buy games from multiple genres and if you say "people only buy so many games in a certain time span", you need to take these into account as well. It's not that you go into the year and think "this year, it's 2 RPGs, 1 RTS and 1 FPS for me", it's "I want to play this game, because".
So did those 73 games impact NWN sales? Sure as hell. Did that make them a "threat" to NWN? You need to answer that for yourself - but apparently enough people decided that NWN was different enough from the other games they bought before it to get it.
The average gamer does buy multiple products over a year, and the hardcore RPG fan is probably even more likely to do that. DA is different enough to stand out, so I personally don't see a problem there and certainly not a "threat". I would be worried if we released the same day as, let's say, "Doom4", but 2-4 weeks after that would already be fine again (unless you get tied up in the crowded 4 weeks before xmas spot). Sure, there is a certain percentage of people that only buy RPGs, and maybe only one per year, but DA will be a very cool game, so I'm confident many of them will make the "right" decision anyway http://forums.bioware.com/_global/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
Short: Even if you add 5 other AAA games that come out 1-6 month before or after DA, it still does not make them a "threat", just competition.
Plus, if it's RPGs, I'll be a very happy gamer as it gives me the opportunity to play AAA titles that I haven't read the design docs on and got spoiled on the plot.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Tim Smith, Tools Programmer</font>
Found out more about the world... (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381312&post=3149024&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Dave G. came in and spoke at length about the current thinking on the world of Dragon Age. It's all early concept stuff of course but as a loooong time fantasy gamer I am very pleased by what I have heard. I am very glad to work for a company that would go to such pains to create a world.<hr />You are an evil evil man. http://forums.bioware.com/_global/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">David Gaider, Designer</font>
Found out more about the world... (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381312&post=3149202&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Will DA world have conventional geography or will it have bizzarre elements (e.g. discworld, inside hollow sphere, ice-cainoes, seas of living evil purple slime)?<hr />Conventional geography.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Georg Zoeller, Designer</font>
Is Elder Scrolls IV or NWN2 a Threat to DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381339&post=3149151&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />LdyShayna, as I say, the "threat" now will be base on the numbers of games, not only by the quality of games.<hr />A threat implicates danger for someone. That's nothing I can see from the pure existance of other games on the market or even the fact that having a couple of games coming out in the same genre over a span of likely more 12 to 18 month. If you define "danger" as "you might sell a few boxes less because of competition", then this topic would be valid, but with that definition of "danger", the word would become pretty meaninglest really fast. According to mobygames there were 129 products that classify as RPG or have RPG like components and thus were probably competing in that market segment in released or rereleased in 2002, when we released NWN - 73 of them PC games. Sure, there are many "non rpg" titles on that list, but that is exactly the point - I think most people buy games from multiple genres and if you say "people only buy so many games in a certain time span", you need to take these into account as well. It's not that you go into the year and think "this year, it's 2 RPGs, 1 RTS and 1 FPS for me", it's "I want to play this game, because".
So did those 73 games impact NWN sales? Sure as hell. Did that make them a "threat" to NWN? You need to answer that for yourself - but apparently enough people decided that NWN was different enough from the other games they bought before it to get it.
The average gamer does buy multiple products over a year, and the hardcore RPG fan is probably even more likely to do that. DA is different enough to stand out, so I personally don't see a problem there and certainly not a "threat". I would be worried if we released the same day as, let's say, "Doom4", but 2-4 weeks after that would already be fine again (unless you get tied up in the crowded 4 weeks before xmas spot). Sure, there is a certain percentage of people that only buy RPGs, and maybe only one per year, but DA will be a very cool game, so I'm confident many of them will make the "right" decision anyway http://forums.bioware.com/_global/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
Short: Even if you add 5 other AAA games that come out 1-6 month before or after DA, it still does not make them a "threat", just competition.
Plus, if it's RPGs, I'll be a very happy gamer as it gives me the opportunity to play AAA titles that I haven't read the design docs on and got spoiled on the plot.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Tim Smith, Tools Programmer</font>
Found out more about the world... (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=381312&post=3149024&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Dave G. came in and spoke at length about the current thinking on the world of Dragon Age. It's all early concept stuff of course but as a loooong time fantasy gamer I am very pleased by what I have heard. I am very glad to work for a company that would go to such pains to create a world.<hr />You are an evil evil man. http://forums.bioware.com/_global/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif