Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Storytelling is obviously a big part of the game, and important to BioWare too. So how does the story pan out? Does the engine allow for multiple endings of the game based on whether the player plays a good or evil character?

“It’s actually more complicated than that,” Darrah asserted. “There are endings based on good and evil; there are endings based on your origin; there are things that are open to certain origins that aren’t open to others, so counting the number of endings is impossible. There are so many things that impact the way the game ends.”

The game is set to launch on multiple platforms, which isn’t always an easy task. Often the translation can suffer from one platform to the next, but BioWare believes it is a fun experience on any system, albeit, it can play differently.

“On the consoles, it’s amazing how different it plays than on the PC. I think it’s a great experience, regardless of the kind of game you’re looking for,” Darrah noted.

Right alongside consoles, the rest of technology has advanced tremendously over the past decade as well. The game is wrought with character model’s facial emotion and reaction to the environment, which makes for extraordinarily immersive game play.

“In Baldur’s Gate, everything was presented in word form,” Darrah expanded. “Cutscenes just weren’t possible with that engine. Then, with early or mid 3D, it became necessary to tell stories that way, but it wasn’t the strongest way to tell the story. I think we’re now getting back to the point. We’ve crossed the chasm where now it’s possible to tell stories and narratives from within the engine. It’s showing you so much more. With the technologies now, it is finally possible to tell a cinematic story.”

The game play technology also expands on the role playing field by getting the player more involved. Darrah analyzed: “Mass Effect was a third person narrative. You played a pre-defined character with more defined behaviors, and the player was a spectator. However, with Dragon Age, it’s more of a first person narrative. You play more of a character that you’re projecting yourself onto the screen, so in that case, you want more choices in dialog, and that’s why we’ve chosen that presentation between the two. We don’t want the voice acting to interfere with what you’re projecting on the story itself,” so BioWare has opted for a mute protagonist to help create the role playing environment they’ve envisioned.

Keep It on the DL

With such a massive amount of stories, and so many possible endings, where does the game go from there?

“We don’t have anything specifically announced yet, but I think there is a place in the market for full expansions that bring significant amounts of stories and content to the game,” Darrah assured us. “The plans as they are, go from small bits of content like weapon packs up to individual plots and mini stories to miniature expansions, to potentially full retail expansions. Some of this content will be at the end of the game, while other content will be accessible very early in the game.

“For example, the Stone Prisoner, which you can download free when you first purchase the game, is something you can access very early and something that will enrich the rest of the game. It’s another playable golem character that you acquire. It’s fully detailed, with its own plots and its own areas. It’s huge in scope for downloadable content.

“It also serves to introduce players to the downloadable content concept. You’ve bought the game, and you can download this content free, and the game is going to be supported for two full years.”

But how can a game that’s so detailed and interconnected through so many webs of stories, areas and world events maintain a library of downloadable content without breaking something else in the game?

“That’s one of the things that makes Stone Prisoner so huge in scope,” Darrah elucidated. “This character has things to say everywhere. Everywhere you go, there are extra intricacies and webs, but it is possible to make content that’s a little more stand-alone and off to the side. It really depends on what exactly we decide to do. There are ways to keep it under control.”

The Verdict

So, maybe BioWare isn’t crazy after all. There is a large segment of the player population who still crave the fantasy RPG genre. The studio also recognizes the importance of immersion, and takes the term “role playing” as seriously as one can, keeping it in the forefront of any decision and direction the game is taken in. The technology is available to build an engine that can bring cinematic storytelling to the player like never before, and downloadable content promises to keep the gamer engaged for many, many hours.

So yes, there is lots of room available for another single player fantasy RPG. And come November 3rd, this is one writer who will be making room for it on his own PC as well.