Questa discussione ha avuto 21 risposte

[Chris Priestly]

BioWare, TOR Books and author David Gaider are pleased to announce the next novel set in the world of Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Asunder. A mystical killer stalks the halls of the White Spire, the heart of templar power in the mighty Orlesian Empire. To prove his innocence, Rhys reluctantly embarks on a journey into the western wastelands that will not only reveal much more than he bargained for but change the fate of his fellow mages forever.

Watch the interview with author David Gaider to learn more about Dragon Age: Asunder on BioWare Pulse TV

Modificata da Chris Priestly, 14 giugno 2011 - 07:22 .

[Luke Barrett]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...
I'm calling it -- Wynne dies in the book.

I heard Snape kills her.

[David Gaider]

Sweet! Nice to see this finally getting announced. I can stop being cryptic.

[Tonia Laird]

David Gaider wrote...

Sweet! Nice to see this finally getting announced. I can stop being cryptic.

When are you not cryptic, David?

[David Gaider]

Janus198 wrote...
One question: Is the story canon?
I ask that because of the possible death of Wynne and Shale.
Is this the same situation like Leliana where you ignore this.

The nature of a novel being what it is, it has to establish its own canon. Many elements will be similar to the game's (most of them, actually), but beyond that a book just isn't going to be able to react to your personal choices. That's self-evident, I'd hope.

Modificata da David Gaider, 14 giugno 2011 - 07:19 .

[Tonia Laird]

Strange double posting monster got me.

Modificata da Tonia Laird, 14 giugno 2011 - 07:23 .

[Tonia Laird]

Beerfish wrote...

Tonia Laird wrote...

David Gaider wrote...

Sweet! Nice to see this finally getting announced. I can stop being cryptic.

When are you not cryptic, David?

Dave Gaider ordering lunch:

"Yes, I'll have some kind of bun like bread thing, with some meat squashed like a hockey puck in the middle with some cheddar on top of the meat and a cucumber that has been soaked in brine and spices with just a touch of purreed tomato."

You mean you want a cheese burger with pickles and some ketchup?

"Yes, that is what I just said."

[David Gaider]

Yellow Words wrote...
This. I always want more Shale. No one else understands my hatred for birds. Not the way Shale does at least.  

I wrote Shale when I was stuck in a corner office that overlooked a landing that was full of dirty, disgusting pigeons every single day. There was hourly pigeon sex on the heat exchange unit right outside my window. Shale comes by her hatred honestly.

[David Gaider]

Alistairlover94 wrote...
Did you shoot at them with a bee-bee gun?

Worse. I glared at them and wrote words of derision.

[David Gaider]

Dave of Canada wrote...
Book canon is different from game canon.
Even Mass Effect has a book canon.

Correct. The nature of a novel means it must establish its own canon, and the novel's canon has no relation to the game's canon (such as it is). If you wish, think of the novel as an alternate universe where things took a specific path with regards to Wynne or other events. How those events would have played out in the world of your personal game might have been very different. I am not, however, telling that particular story.

If one expects a novel to follow their personal choices and change accordingly, then their expectations are out to lunch.

[David Gaider]

Nerevar-as wrote...
So no risk of meeting Wynne or Shale in DA3? Or does canon reset whit each new product?

In a game it would be possible to have Wynne or Shale alive/not alive however we wished, and its version of the events told in the book could be different-- if it needed to be. You don't know the story yet, after all.

Nerevar-as wrote...
I would say we expected the novel to skip characters and events involved in game choices.

So avoid any characters or reference to events completely? Sorry. I'd find that a terrible waste. If it bothers someone that much to differentiate between the two things, I'd simply advise them to skip the book.

Modificata da David Gaider, 14 giugno 2011 - 10:36 .

[David Gaider]

ElvaliaRavenHart wrote...
Is Rhys the character in DA Legends? I've never played the facebook game, and I was just curious.

Nope. Not the same character.

And for those who are wondering how I pronounce it, it's "Reece".

[David Gaider]

Glad to hear some folks are excited. Here's to hoping you enjoy the final product.

[David Gaider]

Dormiglione wrote...
Will the book be also available as ebook version?

I'm not sure what TOR's plans are for the book just yet. It's supposed to come out in December, so I imagine I'll know more when we're closer to that date.

[David Gaider]

mykeme wrote...
Judging by this review:

http://goldenpigsy.b...one-review.html

Nothing is worth purchasing if it has D. Gaider written on the cover or in case of movies/games, listed in the credits.

If anyone cares what that guy thinks, sure.

Sylvius the Mad wrote...
I'm sorry, David, but you weren't really being that cryptic.

Fine, fine... cagey, then.

Though I did have that one post where I mentioned Wynne's son by using the first letter from each word. That threw everyone for a loop, as I recall.

Modificata da David Gaider, 15 giugno 2011 - 06:14 .

[David Gaider]

Addai67 wrote...
I didn't get beyond the first few paragraphs of that supposed review, which consisted of nothing but elitist dismissal of franchise fiction and video games. Literary people are snobs. People who imagine themselves literary and post on the internet... they're a whole different category.

Haters can get in line for their head crushing, right after Shale is done with the pigeons.

I'm under no illusion that I'm some fantabulous writer who can do no wrong. I do my best, and the most I can ask of myself is that I improve... and that's going to happen with practice, not via "helpful" critiques. I'm well aware of what my verbs are doing, and it's a pretty rare day that I don't criticize my own work more than anyone else does. Writers dip their pens in self-loathing, or so I'm told.

If someone wants to suggest that my writing isn't publishable-- meh. There are people who enjoy it. Someone's estimation of their intelligence for doing so or my intelligence for providing it shouldn't impact on anyone else. Certainly doesn't bother me.

[David Gaider]

macrocarl wrote...
Isn't this pre-warden Wynn? Do we know fir sure? Anyway, if Leliana and Zev can come back, maybe she can too? And there's a really rocking reason other than retcon? Maybe it ties in with the warden and Hawke disappearing too? That'd be nifty.

There is nothing happening in the novel that will directly tie into a future game. They are tangentially related at best. In the case of the novel, it takes a few events/characters that have variable outcomes in the games and it chooses one-- establishing an internal canon which is necessary simply by virtue of what it is. If you're worried about this doing so extensively, don't be. I tend to avoid such references unless required.

The alternative, as mentioned, would be to avoid all such referneces and characters altogether. Which I didn't want to do, and don't see a need for. This is a "might have been" as much as it is insight into events that followed DA2's timeline, and part of the fun is using that timeline-- not avoiding it. It is not, however, laying a foundation for things future games will draw directly from.

Hope that's clear.

Modificata da David Gaider, 16 giugno 2011 - 05:16 .

[David Gaider]

Brockololly wrote...
Tangentially related, but will we ever get a clear timeline for DA? Like one that firmly states whenthe events of Origins / Awakening/ Witch Hunt / DA2 happened and so forth? Especially for something like WH, its a bit all over the place.

Laid out for you, you mean? Hard to say-- like you suggest, there are some points of divergence at which it gets quite complicated. Far easier to take the major points which the timeline has in common and work from there.

If we did draw events from the book into the game, we would be varying the references based on the differences in that particular game (Wynne being alive or dead is a good example), but the nature of keeping the world as reactive as possible makes the process of laying it out more difficult. For some continuity nerds buffs, it will never be reactive enough... but that's a different story.

[David Gaider]

krissyjf wrote...
Like you, I assumed that the male child in Mr. Gaider's book was Alistair... however Mr. Gaider quite nicely corrected me of my error. He said the the male child in question was not Alistair... which led me to believe that Maric actually had three sons with three different women.

Is this correct Mr. Gaider?

I have made no such clarification.

[David Gaider]

Imported_beer wrote...
1. In your previous books, you wrote about characters as they were before. That would allow more freedom to construct their character, I'd think. Was it more challenging to write a book that is based after the events of DA2? Especially if Wynne is a prominent character? I don't mean this in terms of "plot", I mean in terms of characters. Was it limiting knowing that Wynne was a rather strongly etched out character?

It might have been were I not very familiar with her, sure. Regardless, neither Wynne nor Shale are primary characters in the book. I only mentioned that they appear, not that the book focused on them-- so it would be a mistake to dwell on them as if that were the case.

2. Was Wynne easy to write for, given that she was mostly written by Sheryl Chee? Was there any point where you went- huh, don't know if this rings true, let me bounce this interaction off Sheryl?

Sheryl gave me carte blanche to do as I pleased, so no-- not really.

3. Do the qunari feature in this story? How about Shale? Any other DA characters?

I think I've already mentioned Shale. As for anyone else, you'll have to wait and see.

4. Is there DANCING?!!

I was about to say "no", but then I remembered this one section... so, yes, there is.

[David Gaider]

RinpocheSchnozberry wrote...
DUN DUN DUN!

I don't think you should post such a thing without also linking appropriately.

[David Gaider]

Imported_beer wrote...
1. Did you consider other "plot" ideas, or was this the most dominant of all the stories you considered writing this time?

I did consider some other plots, sure. I was considering doing a classic adventure, nothing political... but then I decided that would be silly, as I happen to like political intrigue.

2. I am assuming you had a broad outline of how things were going to go, but did anything change dramatically from when you were just putting down pen to paper to when you started winding it up. (Like you decided to change the entire ending because you thought the original no longer was as appealing once you wrote down the word.)

Two things changed dramatically, yes, primarily because the characters refused to cooperate with my very detailed and organized outline. Stupid, uncooperative characters! So fine. I'll change the outline. Dammit.

3. What do you write on? Paper, computer, typewriter?

Computer. Do people still write on paper? I've tried... I require words to appear with a certain speed, or I get frustrated. My manual writing has also become incredibly sloppy, probably from lack of practice.

4. Are you the sort of writer who needs to get all reclusive, locked up in a mountain cabin with nothing but your muse, or do you discuss your ideas, bounce thoughts off others or basically what I call the "gregarious writer"?

Elements of both. I require sounding boards to brainstorm with at the beginning, then once I'm in the thick of things I just need a couple of trusted friends (trusted because I know they'll tell me it's crap when it's crap) to read what I'm producing while I'm producing it. Beyond that, I don't want to talk to anyone. I vanish off the face of the earth, and my friends wonder where I've gone.

Well, that's a lie. They all know where I am. THey're very patient.

5. Are you able to write and then let go or do you keep obsessing over what you have finished writing?

I obsess while I'm writing. Once I'm done, I'm done. I have very little possessiveness over my writing, learned from years of working on video games where I have only a certain amount of influence over what I'm producing. In games, there are many restrictions beyond what I can simply dream up, and the story is likely to be forced to change by virtue of things completely outside my control (things getting cut, budgets, etc.). So I'm used to letting go.

6. How did your cats handle this? Cats are usually not very supportive of their people paying more attention to something else.

Helo sleeps on the back of my chair while I'm writing, generally ending up on my neck (and falling down whenever I get up-- though it never stops him from doing it again 10 minutes later). Ajax pretends to ignore me and not care. Both of them have Cori to turn to, so she tends to get mobbed a lot while I'm writing ("lovemelovemelovemeOMGloveme" as she puts it).

7. Why was the decision made NOT to name this book after a Falco song?

Because too many people would wonder who the hell Amadeus was.

8. Will we get a perspective of how different cultures treat mages?

You'll see how things work in Val Royeaux, sure.