chevalier
Thu, 17th Feb '05, 7:49pm
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>
Real-time Game-time, durations info? (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412090&post=3415742&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Why exactly does DA have no day-night cycles in place?<hr />This is an assumption based on comments I made earlier about the fact that a day/night cycle can be worked around, should Dragon Age not have them.
It hasn't been decided, yet, whether these day/night transitions will be used. At this point in development, asking me this week might get you a different answer from asking me next week. Why, just today someone told me that a feature I was sure was long-cut was back in... I literally did a Scooby Doo "ruh-uh?"
Character Cameos in DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412404&post=3415745&forum=84&highlight=)
Really the saddest moment of my life has been the realization that Deekin, Minsc and Tomi Undergallows are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hasbro. Sigh.
Dev response: Nonviolent solutions to hostile actions? (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=411659&post=3415753&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Will the hero have the option of nonviolence instead of the traditional hack-and-slash method of clearing out dungeons of enemies?<hr />Sometimes, sure. All the time? Of course not. Why would we focus so much on combat just to allow you to avoid it all the time?
It also doesn't strike me as particularly epic. Sometimes you're going to outwit the enemy and seek a peaceful solution, but sometimes it comes down to plain old kill-or-be-killed and a grand old melee between two armies on the field of battle.
Not that you couldn't have a fantasy game where the entire theme was "seeking nonviolent solutions", I guess. You put them invading gnolls into re-education camps and teach them the error of their violent ways and turn them into productive citizens, earning spirituality points in the process. I'm sure there's at least several parenting groups out there that would heartily endorse such an endeavour.
Character Cameos in DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412404&post=3415757&forum=84&highlight=)
Right. Because the companies involved aren't litigiously-inclined at all.
Suit #1: "Hey! Dragon Age apparently uses a vaguely derivative version of a character we happen to own."
Suit #2: "We own characters? You mean like fictional ones? How'd that happen?"
Suit #1: *shrugs* "Says here we have a role-playing division. I always thought that's where we went for, like, therapy or something."
Suit #2: "I hope you're not thinking of using that as an excuse to claim part of Bioware's intellectual property. That would be wrong."
Suit #1: "You're right. They're the ones who originally came up with that character anyway. I guess we can let a precedent be set of not defending our own intellectual property in the interest of fun and a good story!"
Suit #2: "Bravo! Fun first! Isn't that our motto?"
...I think we can safely label the above conversation as the real Dragon Age fantasy.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">David Gaider, Designer</font>
Real-time Game-time, durations info? (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412090&post=3415742&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Why exactly does DA have no day-night cycles in place?<hr />This is an assumption based on comments I made earlier about the fact that a day/night cycle can be worked around, should Dragon Age not have them.
It hasn't been decided, yet, whether these day/night transitions will be used. At this point in development, asking me this week might get you a different answer from asking me next week. Why, just today someone told me that a feature I was sure was long-cut was back in... I literally did a Scooby Doo "ruh-uh?"
Character Cameos in DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412404&post=3415745&forum=84&highlight=)
Really the saddest moment of my life has been the realization that Deekin, Minsc and Tomi Undergallows are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hasbro. Sigh.
Dev response: Nonviolent solutions to hostile actions? (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=411659&post=3415753&forum=84&highlight=)
<hr />Will the hero have the option of nonviolence instead of the traditional hack-and-slash method of clearing out dungeons of enemies?<hr />Sometimes, sure. All the time? Of course not. Why would we focus so much on combat just to allow you to avoid it all the time?
It also doesn't strike me as particularly epic. Sometimes you're going to outwit the enemy and seek a peaceful solution, but sometimes it comes down to plain old kill-or-be-killed and a grand old melee between two armies on the field of battle.
Not that you couldn't have a fantasy game where the entire theme was "seeking nonviolent solutions", I guess. You put them invading gnolls into re-education camps and teach them the error of their violent ways and turn them into productive citizens, earning spirituality points in the process. I'm sure there's at least several parenting groups out there that would heartily endorse such an endeavour.
Character Cameos in DA (http://forums.bioware.com//viewpost.html?topic=412404&post=3415757&forum=84&highlight=)
Right. Because the companies involved aren't litigiously-inclined at all.
Suit #1: "Hey! Dragon Age apparently uses a vaguely derivative version of a character we happen to own."
Suit #2: "We own characters? You mean like fictional ones? How'd that happen?"
Suit #1: *shrugs* "Says here we have a role-playing division. I always thought that's where we went for, like, therapy or something."
Suit #2: "I hope you're not thinking of using that as an excuse to claim part of Bioware's intellectual property. That would be wrong."
Suit #1: "You're right. They're the ones who originally came up with that character anyway. I guess we can let a precedent be set of not defending our own intellectual property in the interest of fun and a good story!"
Suit #2: "Bravo! Fun first! Isn't that our motto?"
...I think we can safely label the above conversation as the real Dragon Age fantasy.