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[suitocatmail]

I just wanted to add my own appreciation and two thumbs up. My favorite part of this game is the interactions with other characters. I keep finding new companion banter, new NPC dialogue, new gems that I absolutely adore.



Thanks to everyone who put in the time to make this game more then just the average stabbity-stab game, and something really awesome.

[David Gaider]

Err... no offense, but I don't want to turn this into a discussion of the expansion. There's another thread for that. It really isn't a "let's ask David Gaider questions" thread either. While I don't mind answering questions, it seems I'm derailing the thread myself. Sorry!

[Tekkaman Saber]

I have really enjoyed the inter party banter that you get in this game, it reminded me abit of Baldur's Gate (though obviously dragon age has a more advance version.
Though as was allready said I love the game but if scenarios where other party members attempted/suceeded in romancing other party members occured then I would of been overoyed.
I don't know if this classes as a spoiler because the game has been out for a long long time, but one of my favorite moments in baldur's gate 2 was when Haerdelis begana relationship with Aerie while the player character was also attempting to romance Aerie, especially the culmulation where he challenges the pc to a duel over her.

Though i guess asking for this would be a task in itself after all I am pursuing studies in story and character development in the games industry and I have seen how much of a mammoth task they tend to be (especially when non linear plot routes are involved.)
The current quality of dialogue is to a high standard especially when coupled with voice actors and actresses who actually suit and play the parts they represent to a good standard.
Thankyou for all of the hard work it is certainly appreciated.

Modifié par Tekkaman Saber, 09 janvier 2010 - 08:22 .

[Phoenix Swordsinger]

Ginasue wrote...

I ask this same question about who will be in the expansion. The answer was only one member from your party now, will be with you in Awakening. Which one, they won't tell. You will be getting 5 new members, and will be able to do things with them.
Sure I would love to have the same group, but then I though about it, and it's always fun to develope new friends, and go with there story lines.

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to have new companions to interact with, It's just hard not to wonder how the "lives" of the others went.

[MoSa09]

It's just so tempting to ask questions about things you  want to know and otherwise probably never going to get answers :innocent:

[Sensella]

I´ve been reading this threath and I liked the idea of increasing the banter in future proyects, but I have a question: in da:o there was a bridge in Lothering that every time I crossed it a dialoge started between my party members. So I was thinking if this "banter locations" will continue in future proyects or are they going to be more random?. and I´ll also like to thank the writers for the good job (already ordered the books, Im anxious to read them)

[Phoenix Swordsinger]

To true, but I can't help it. I'm very inquisative.

[Ginasue]

Phoenix, that is what a fourm board is for, For people to ask the questions. Remember no question is a bad question,

[LadySeryn]

Unlike with a movie, the story can't be our only focus -- it has to be a game, as well, which is why writing is only one amongst the equally-important Design disciplines. Sometimes you need to do the best you can, and overall I think we did pretty damned well.

Well, I think the writers for Dragon Age: Origins did an exceptional job, and really stole the show!

I'm on my third complete run through of Dragon Age, and must have made about 10 different characters by now.  That is very rare for me.  Once through a game is usually enough.  Sometimes I might play a second time because there's an interesting game mechanic that I want to play around with.  With Neverwinter Nights, it was the absurd number of character classes and abilities that kept me playing.  With Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic it was the whole Good/Evil mechanic that made me play a second time.  But with Dragon Age, the combat system feels a bit shallow, the equipment and loot all feels the same, the talent trees and skills have that "Version 1.0" feel to them, and there is no clear-cut "Good" and "Evil" path.  Based on game mechanics alone, I probably would have put this game down shortly after my first run through it, or maybe sooner.

But Dragon Age: Origins is the first time that the writing alone is what's keeping me interested!    I just can't get enough of the story and the characters in this game.  I had to play through all the origins, just to see what happens (City Elf and Dwarf Noble being my personal favourites).  I finished the game as a Human Noble, then just had to keep playing as the other races to see how the world's reactions changed because of my origin.  Each time I've had to pick different companions, just to see as much of their dialog and banter as I can. 

Then there's the scenes that I just can't get enough of.  I could sit and watch the events at Ostagar over and over again.  What a great way to immediately get the player personally invested in the main quest.  Leliana's song was beautiful, and I was extremely disappointed when I failed to trigger it on my last run through the game.  And the inspirational speeches that each character gives you near the end of the game just before the final battle always make me choke up.

All of the characters were also very well done.  I loved Alistair's boyish, nervous attempts to romance the PC.  Sten's dialog really made you feel good when he goes from being cold and short with you to actually opening up and telling you about his past.  (Spoiler companion)'s dialog in the party camp really makes you think about that character's motivations and re-evaluate your feelings towards that character.   And once I unlocked Shale, I just knew I had to play again with Shale in my party the entire time.

The writing team really has done an exceptional job, and turned what would have been a decent but forgettable game into a truly outstanding experience that I'll definitely be playing over and over again.

I can't wait to see what's coming in future DLC, expansions, and (hopefully) sequels.

Modifié par LadySeryn, 09 janvier 2010 - 08:30 .

[Phoenix Swordsinger]

To LadySeryn, very well said. I've never played a game over and over before. Frankly I'll get bored. But I keep playing this one just for the story. I'm on my 4th character and I'm still finding new dialoge. The writers did a supurb job. I can't wait for more.

[KariTR]

Ferret A Baudoin wrote...

Hee hee, I'm glad you liked them. I wrote a lot of the characters in the Denerim Marketplace and some of the folks in the Alienage. And some other stuff here and there. Slim Couldry, Master Ignacio, Ser Landry, and many others. I did a lot of the scripting for them, as well.

Oh now you're totally my hero.

Master Ignacio is, for me, the most fascinating and interesting of all the side characters. And the fact that so much love and detail is put into a character you speak to for all of 5 minutes (real-total-time) is exactly why this is more than a game, it's a work of art.

And David Gaider wrote both Alistair AND Zevran?? He must be a very dangerous man, I don't know whether I want to meet him, or run for the hills

Modifié par KariTR, 09 janvier 2010 - 08:44 .

[Xaila]

I can't really add much that hasn't already been expressed, but I'm gonna throw my voice in anyway and say that I LOVED the writing in the game and have thoroughly fallen in love with the setting. I came in not really expecting to get attached to another "high fantasy" setting, but it was definitely more than I thought it would be. I'm personally a fan of settings that focus more on interacting groups with political and social issues wherein 'fantasy' elements like magic are a part rather than the focus. In that way, the setting had a lot of appeal.



Keep on doing good things. I hope there will be more books and other media in the setting as well. My amateur world-creating heart is happy that some people have succeeded in putting out a 'fresh' setting that seems to have done so well so far.

[Apocalizz]

KariTR wrote...

And David Gaider wrote both Alistair AND Zevran?? He must be a very dangerous man, I don't know whether I want to meet him, or run for the hills

Indeed! He knows how to hit all the secret girl buttons!

[Ginasue]

Have you ladies seen his picture yet. His wife is a lucky women.

[David Gaider]

Apocalizz wrote...
Indeed! He knows how to hit all the secret girl buttons!

This statement is both amusing and ironic at the same time.

[MoSa09]

I hope i am not spoiling, but which one of you had the idea with Schmooples? As much as i think this "thing" is pretty ugly, it added so much atmosphere and depth to a character that it is possible to get one?
And as we're just talking about it, who came up with that name?

oh, and before i forget, who came up with that funny "superman reference? I nearly fell from the couch laughing when i saw it ?

That is, ofc, if you're willing to answer, i am turning this into "Ask David questions" again, sorry.

Modifié par MoSa09, 09 janvier 2010 - 09:04 .

[AndreaDraco]

It's really hard to have David around and not ask him questions! And this is a testament to the beauty of DA's setting! ... And of course the many questions these sneaky witches-thieves writers have left unanswered!

[MoSa09]

AndreaDraco wrote...

It's really hard to have David around and not ask him questions! And this is a testament to the beauty of DA's setting! ... And of course the many questions these sneaky witches-thieves writers have left unanswered!

thx Andrea, that's really nice of you. I never saw it that way, now i feel a little less bad of torturing him with questions:blush:. 

[Apocalizz]

David Gaider wrote...

Apocalizz wrote...
Indeed! He knows how to hit all the secret girl buttons!

This statement is both amusing and ironic at the same time.

I have my amusing moments  But ironic? Why! I sure hope that "in real life" you're making the best out of all that buttery goodness that you were able to put into Alistair and Zevran....a waste of good man-skills to only use it to make awesome game/book characters that is 

[Namirsolo]

I'd also like to chime in with my respects for the writers. I honestly don't think any other game has made me laugh out loud as much as this one did, or made me care as much about what happens to my character and party.

[RogueWriter3201]

David Gaider wrote...

glenboy24 wrote...
I have to ask if there were 'any' moments or lines of dialogue to which you were partial that you were forced to cut from the final cut of Dragon Age?

Oh, sure. Some of them were painful, too, and made the story less reactive than I might have wished. That's part of game development, however. Unlike with a movie, the story can't be our only focus -- it has to be a game, as well, which is why writing is only one amongst the equally-important Design disciplines. Sometimes you need to do the best you can, and overall I think we did pretty damned well.

If so, I would very much like to have a few examples and wonder if we might see those moments brought out, modified slightly, and shown in future chapters of the DA Saga, and if so, which ones?

Oh, I don't know that I really want to get into the "Might Have Been" game. The trouble with talking about such things is that folks tend to leap on them and start picturing them as these perfect gems that were unfairly cut -- rather than how they probably would have ended up had we attempted them, with the limited resources we had to allocate. I think everyone's still a little too emotionally invested to start teasing them with that stuff.

And some of them are really just too painful for me to discuss, yet. You think the "Might Have Been" game is bad for you guys? Us developers have a bit of trouble looking at our own projects objectively towards the end... we see every missed opportunity, every story that was short-cut out of necessity, every plot that didn't turn out like we'd pictured, and often these things become all we can see. You have to remind yourself sometimes in those dark, final days that there's still good there at all and that most people will never see behind the red curtain quite as thoroughly as you do.

As for seeing these things in the future, it really depends. A lot of it was just variants to the story, things like alternate ways the game ended or variations on how some of your companions turned out, and they're pretty specific to this story -- they're not really things you can use again. A few things, like some of the cut companions or specific plots are things I wouldn't mind using again elsewhere. I won't go into details on those, either, because I probably will.

Maybe later there will be enough distance to start talking about the Lost Tales of Dragon Age. But not today.

I am a bit late in doing this, and for that I apologise profusely, but I wanted to give my Sincere thanks to Mr. Gaider for taking time out of his likely hectic schedual to answer my little inquiry regarding, as he put it, The Lost Chapters of Dragon Age. Though it would have been enjoyable to get a little peak behind the proverbial curtain as to what might have been, it was none the less thoughtful of you, sir, to answer in any capacity. Again, you and the other DA writers have my complete respect and adoration. Cheers!

[AtreiyaN7]

*heaps voluminous praise on all the writers for their stellar work*



I've waited a loooong time since the Baldur's Gate series for something like DA:O, and it was an amazing experiences. I loved the writing and the party banter in particular (nice job on the romances too), so kudos to all involved! I also really appreciate the level of moral ambiguity in some situations as well and liked that not everything was cut & dried or turned out exactly the way that I was expecting (a la Orzammar). And before I forget: I just want to say that that creepy part in the Deep Roads was awesome (you know what I mean) - scary and with brilliant writing!



Finally, I enjoyed the fact that you don't necessarily get the ideal happy ending either and that there can be alternate outcomes ranging from the really tragic but heroic endings to endings that are sort of "happy" but that there's a price to be paid no matter what you ultimately choose to do. I think actions and choices should be difficult and have consequences, so it was great to experience all those things even though I initially railed against, ahem, what happened at the ending of my veeeerry first playthrough. I later thought about what had happened and realized that A) it meant that I was emotionally invested (good) and it was another time that my expectations got turned upside down (also good).

[ozsras]

I want to throw in my appreciation for DAO and all of Bioware's games.

I'm not a hardcore gamer, and until a few years ago I didn't even know what RPG stood for let  alone what it was, but Bioware - you guys changed all that. I bought KOTOR for the XBox and fell in love. With your writing, world building, characters...just everything.

See, I'm a book nerd. I like plot filled books but ONLY if the characters are good. And  you guys at Bioware excell in so many things but your characters? Are golden. Seriously. You make them flawed and funny and sad and everything thing in between and it's wonderful.

But what I really want to say is that for me not only did you get me with your stories and your characters but - your codex's are just, god, fantastic.

I can't remember the Codex name but in Redcliff you will find a Codex of a letter written by a man who was in captivity and Wow, just WOW. It was beautiful. Made me tear up it did. The fact that all of the writers at Bioware but so much thought and love into the codex's makes the game even better. It makes me want to know more about your world and makes me want to see these places you write about. I just cannot tell you how much I love your codex's. (in DAO and in Mass Effect)

So, really all I wanted to say was thanks. Thanks for the game, the characters, the interaction and lore. Thank you for giving gamers a chance to feel like I've stepped into a book or a movie. Thanks for leaving me wanting more.

<3

[MoSa09]

i might add, apart from the party banter, that i absolulety adore the comment's your party members make on events that happen throughout the game or when you just reached a new area and so on.

They are sometimes so funny and always so apposite, they make me laugh most of the time, and they really intensify the feeling that you're really there and that your party members are alive and have their own thought's about what's going on right now.

Thx to all the writers

[0LunarEclipse0]

The writing in this game is some of the strongest I have ever seen. The character depth is probably the best part of the story in my opinion.