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[katokires]

Keep up the good work! This topic is human kind last stand!

[Arne Saknussemm]

Look what I found "We wanted to develop Inquisition for the new consoles first and foremost"

Finding our match, paragraph 4

Made by pc gamers, for pc gamers? 

 

I found the original dictation of this "article" in a wastebasket over at EA

 

Red is the original...black as the intern typed it up...

 

Creating BioWare’s First RPG on the Frostbite Engine

Sucking dry the carcass

August 29 2014, By Julien Wera (Spotty Intern who does as he’s told)

 

The following is a guest blog post written by Jacques Lebrun, Technical Director at Bioware working on Dragon Age Inquisition. As time goes by, we will try to bring you more input from the developers behind the Frostbite engine, but also from all the teams using it to create great games.

Some marketing blurb EA sent over that we have to publish since they pay our wages.

 

As I write this, the Dragon Age team is only a couple of months away from putting the finishing touches on Inquisition, so it’s appropriate to look back at the long and arduous journey of getting to this point. Shortly after the launch of Dragon Age II, with a new generation of gaming on the horizon, we knew we needed to stretch our ambition and deliver a game well beyond anything BioWare had done before, which meant a major shift in technology and in the way we develop our games.

I told a down-trodden intern to type up a piece on this new game…what’s it called?…Dragon Sewage or something….anyway, you know, have to publicize. We’ve apparently not finished milking this cash-cow since the fans are too dumb; they keep lapping up whatever we throw out there…ROFL

 

Finding Our Match

Scraping the barrel

 

We started with an independent evaluation of engine technologies. We looked at an upgrade to our own Eclipse engine, at third-party game engines, and at game engines developed within EA, including DICE’s Frostbite. After a three-month evaluation, we chose Frostbite as our preferred technology for BioWare’s next generation of titles. There was no corporate mandate; this was decided unanimously within our studio. The timing was perfect because the Frostbite team was already making plans to break out into an independent engine team.

We were told not to waste time on this and the only way this was was going to be done was using an in-house engine to cut costs and maximize profit. Screw the game and the limitations of the engine…things would look pretty and that’s that.

 

Many other teams in EA were coming to the same conclusions. We were suddenly part of a growing community of developers able to share ideas, share code, and collaborate on common interests. This will open up all kinds of opportunities for BioWare since we’ve traditionally developed our games in a vacuum. (Until now, every BioWare title has made their own technology assessments, which has prevented us from collaborating on improvements.)

Same thing was happening to all EA games…throw everything together, make everything look and feel the same….punters are so dumb they won’t notice they are playing the same game if they are a marine in one and an elf in another. Until now there had been some artistic and storytelling integrity but we pretty effectively  managed to get rid of that LOL

 

Frostbite gives us best-of-class visuals, far more advanced than anything seen in a BioWare title. We typically focus our technology efforts on improving storytelling and gameplay, so pairing up with a team obsessed with physically accurate rendering was a great fit. We were also impressed by Frostbite’s capabilities for creating massive environments, with powerful terrain generation tools and flexible streaming options.

Frostbite gives us plastic fantastic visuals, it’s cheap as chips and cheerful as Christmas. We typically focus our technology efforts on improving storytelling and gameplay but scr*w that sh*t right this is just a cash grab.

 

Frostbite is also highly scalable, letting games optimize quality settings to suit the capabilities of a wide range of hardware. We faced the significant challenge of developing a game that would target the old and new generations of game consoles. We wanted to develop Inquisition for the new consoles first and foremost, and the scalability of the engine let us get as much as we could out of the previous generation while still providing a gameplay experience on par with the new generation’s offerings.

The engine is great for low level console dross, s*rew the PCs! consoles is where the quickest and easiest dollar is to be made.

 

 

A Clean Slate

 

Definitely, f*ck PCs.. it’s too hard

 

While Frostbite solved one set of problems for us, we were facing with a completely different set in building a story-focused RPG in the engine. It was initially designed for shooters, and we identified a number of additions required to support an RPG.

Hey, great idea why not make everything an FPS shooter…much less hassle than RPGs…just throw out all that imaginative engaging stuff.

 

BioWare games are known for developing its characters and story through cinematics and interactive dialogue. We’ve spent years developing a powerful suite of tools for writing and scripting conversations into a cinematic experience that interacts with a complex plot structure, while feeding into the pipeline for voice-over recording and localization. Many of these tools wouldn’t integrate with the Frostbite tool chain, so we rewrote them for the new framework. It was a massive undertaking we wanted to do only once for all of our future games. Accordingly, we collaborated with the Frostbite animation team to develop engine improvements that would support rapid creation of cinematic content. We also worked with the teams for the next Mass Effectgame and the unannounced IP to incorporate the cinematic authoring tools into the workflows for conversation scripting and localization.

This is mass production baby! One size fits all! If it’s outside the box it eats into the bottom line…cinematics…out…banter….out! Sreamlining baby!

 

Another major undertaking was creating a next-generation RPG combat system. We created new workflows in the Frostbite toolset for visualizing animations with visual effects, sound effects, and gameplay scripts. This visual workflow has allowed our designers to create hundreds of unique spells and abilities along with a wide variety of interesting and challenging enemies. The dragons that you’ll encounter emphasize the complexity that we can now get from our combat systems. These apex predators showcase targetable limbs and a component system that lets designers reconfigure each dragon to take on a unique set of behaviors.

The awesome button is where it’s at! Mash it baby mash the awesome button!…you know the button that prints cash while you mash! Hahaha…I guess we have to put a dragon in there right..it’s in the title.

 

The Frostbite engine is designed to let game teams make modular extensions that other games can then use. Collaborating on common modules means that we could do the tedious work once and leverage it in our future titles. Cinematics and combat are only a fraction of the many additions we needed to make to the engine. If you look at the Venn diagram of everything you put into a fantasy RPG that isn’t in a modern shooter, the list is daunting: character statistics, character customization, melee combat, magical effects, items, crafting. Even a concept as simple as pausing the game during combat represented a difficult problem that hadn’t been solved in Frostbite yet.

Making games is tedious…we don’t want to do it but we like cash so I guess we’ll have to throw something together…just make sure it’s entirely the same as what we’ve already done f*ck all that character statistics, character customization, melee combat, magical effects, items, crafting s*it…well most of it anyway.

 

From the get-go, we didn’t want to simply take the engine and branch off a BioWare version. Instead, we wanted to work with the Frostbite team to keep up with the latest improvements and, at the same time, contribute the improvements we were making. That’s easier said than done while the engine is undergoing major enhancements and we’re making major additions. We needed the discipline to resist design patterns developed from our previous titles and the rigor to carefully review every modification to engine code. Keeping our code in sync with the Frostbite development code required a massive effort, but it paid off in the critical updates we received from the Frostbite team: the majority of the next-generation platform code, continuous improvements to the toolset, and hundreds of cool features, such as terrain that can have caves built into it.

From the get-go we simply wanted to trade on what was left of the BioWare name because it seems they still don’t get the fact that it’s gone….hahahaha I wonder how long we can string this out before they notice. Have to make a massive effort not to crack up laughing in front of anyone….can’t believe it’s going to pay off again!

 

Looking Forward

Looking Forward to your money!

 

Dragon Age: Inquisition represents BioWare’s first next-generation RPG on the Frostbite engine, and the games we’re developing now will only build on this foundation. Several years ago, we placed a few big bets on moving to the Frostbite engine and changing our development methodologies. It’s exciting to be able to finally soon lay down our hand.

This is all you’re gonna get suckers!

 

Jacques Lebrun

 

Technical Director, Dragon Age: Inquisition

Some accountant suit with no soul no creativity or any experience with PC gaming

[Brogan]

Also, if you can't show kindness and respect to them (even if they failed you by your opinion), why should they to you? That's probably on reason why this communication between players are developers are so cut off and can be misreading. On paper it probably looked good that it'd perhaps please us, in a way console players got handed in things PC players wanted; they brought back tactical camera, gave us limiting healing and abilities that focus heavily on tactical play. Whatever the execution, they had that in mind still.

They may or may not have known it'd receive this... Feedback... But I'm sure they didn't want to make us angry on purpose. Things get cut and overlooked, we're all human beings with limits that make tons of "mistakes" (still an opinion). We ain't perfect working AI's, we get sick, we get tired and more, all the reasons why things may get delayed/overlooked (especially when there's a "deadline" that needs to be hit).

What a load of utter **** this is.

You talk as if this was a relationship between developer and customer that devolved and degraded over time into the current state. There never was a relationship. EA and Bioware made that choice perfectly clear to all of us from Day 1. They put us squarely in this position by starting a pc feedback thread then never actually utilizing it.

'Didn't want to make us angry on purpose', .... So Lying and scamming customers for pre-order money was done, what.... to foster our love of bartering and good business strategies?

[Kurt M.]

I suppose an official modding toolkit is out of the question....

[Randomguy]

...

 

They are looking for the next franchise to milk (as always) and any employee of EA would laugh at all of us if they read this forum. You are probably right, dummies will continue to buy next DA games even after this, Make no mistake, we are dummies too, buying this after DA2... Witcher 3, WoE and ST: Legends need to be the real **** this year to wash away the bad taste of this.

[Dubya75]

What a load of utter **** this is.

You talk as if this was a relationship between developer and customer that devolved and degraded over time into the current state. There never was a relationship. EA and Bioware made that choice perfectly clear to all of us from Day 1. They put us squarely in this position by starting a pc feedback thread then never actually utilizing it.

'Didn't want to make us angry on purpose', .... So Lying and scamming customers for pre-order money was done, what.... to foster our love of bartering and good business strategies?

 

LMAO, @Jirec, you clearly have no concept...(totally agree with Brogan on this)

 

But you sure got one thing right: Bioware only looked at things "on paper", overlooking (or forgetting, I guess they were tired awwww) to ACTUALLY PLAY THE GAME ON PC to see if it is up to the minimal standard required by PC gamers in this day and age, comparative to other games in the genre.

 

They happily marketed the PC version of the game which, BY DEFINITION means that a Keyboard & Mouse will be the preferred control surface for 90% of people buying the game on PC.

 

But what you are saying is that Bioware thought we would be really happy with the COMPLETE OMISSION of mouse button mappings for gaming mice, poorly implemented and incomplete keybindings and a Console UI? Why would anyone who has played PC games in the last 5 years be happy with that? 

 

This games was NOT TESTED with Keyboard & Mouse.

 

And Bioware knew EXACTLY what they were doing: It is their INTENTION to alienate PC gamers for whatever reason.

If it wasn't, then we would not be having this 568 page discussion called "PC Community Concerns".

 

This kind of thing did not exist after the release of DAO, neither for DA2.

 

Think about that!

[Arne Saknussemm]

They are looking for the next franchise to milk (as always) and any employee of EA would laugh at all of us if they read this forum. You are probably right, dummies will continue to buy next DA games even after this, Make no mistake, we are dummies too, buying this after DA2... Witcher 3, WoE and ST: Legends need to be the real **** this year to wash away the bad taste of this.

It is true, I have to hold my hand up to that.

 

Fool me once shame on you...fool me twice shame on me.

 

DAII was fair warning but I let my wish/hope for a new Origins cloud my judgement and I let their  "By PC gamers for PC gamers" lie take me in.

 

I will not pay for an EA game again. That simple.

[Dubya75]

I believe that part of DICE is under third-party licensing. In other words, they have to reinvent it or pay someone to have it.

 

Well well....what have we here! So Bioware decided NOT to invest in this. Now that makes a lot of sense!

[Randomguy]

Well well....what have we here! So Bioware decided NOT to invest in this. Now that makes a lot of sense!

 

I dont think they decide anything. Bunch of droids following commands of the top (EA).

[Kurt M.]

They don't own all the third-party portions of the engine. EA doesn't own DICE as a whole. It has several licenses attached to the engine.

 

<Put a sad face here>

[Ashen Nedra]

I have just watched The Elder Scrolls Online videos. I would like to find the turkey who vandalized the elves in DA2 and DAI. They look sooo scrawny!

Why can't we have elves that look like ESO ones? It's probably the person who set up all the romance options.

/disgusted noise

 

edit: It is so jarring to think that some scrawny, oppressed elf is going to be asked to lead the Inquisition. It beggars belief.

 

They are supposed to be shorter, but lithe and athletic AND beautiful!! Not starved and malnourished.

 

/end of rant!

Lord Surinen is in the house, dear Tobyjake...male elf Inquisitor, sorry... starving child sitting in a huge throne, very believable, rewarding and empowering indeed.

 

Mine was so hideous in PJs that I minimized any and all interaction in Skyhold during my whole walkthrough...............

 

And someone at Bioware obviously was on the same page since both Sera and Solas use a different body structure and model in game.

 

Whatever.

[Hexoduen]

My point exactly! People keep apologizing for Bioware because this is their first crack at Frostbite 3. But how does that compute when they themselves were jibbering about working DIRECTLY with DICE on the project.

 

For that reason, I have absolutely ZERO sympathy or understanding for Bioware's "attempts". They failed, for whatever reason. Simple as that.

 

The way I see it Inquisition might have had less PC specific issues if it was created using an internal Bioware engine such as Eclipse, rather than adapting an external first-person shooter engine to Dragon Age. Well that, and the feeling I had at launch when the game in every way screamed controller at me.

 

Did I mention inventory management? That screen gives me nightmares 

[Dubya75]

The way I see it Inquisition might have had less PC specific issues if it was created using an internal Bioware engine such as Eclipse, rather than adapting an external first-person shooter engine to Dragon Age. Well that, and the feeling I had at launch when the game in every way screamed controller at me.

 

Did I mention inventory management? That screen gives me nightmares 

 

Indeed, I firmly believe DAI would have been 10 times the game it is currently if they had stuck with Eclipse. For all its limitations, it was a SOLID engine for creating the awesome DAO. Especially the upgraded "Lycium" engine they used for DA2.

Because it is within those limitations where a developer ironically have more freedom to be creative.

All the mechanics and gameplay systems were already in place...It would have been a truly marvellous game with the same authentic charm of the previous 2 games....but alas....here we are. 

[Windev]

All you need to know

 

[Dubya75]

All you need to know

 

 

Notice how whenever the devs test the gameplay they are working on, they pick up a controller...

 

I want to kick myself for not having noticed that back in 2013!

[glosoli]

do we know when will the beta-testing end? Is there a time frame?

[Dubya75]

do we know when will the beta-testing end? Is there a time frame?

 

No idea.

[Errationatus]

I would like to non-hostilely remind everyone that EA and its operatives do not like the word 'lie' nor allusions that it or any of its representatives engage in active falsehoods.

 

To continue in a non-threatening and completely calm manner, we've been warned before about that as it borders on the litigious - and definitely bannable - side of things.

 

Allow me, in full control of my faculties and extending a positive aura of peace and tranquility to all of you to state in the most placid terms possible that EA did not lie about DA:I.  It's 'marketing may have contained errors not realized after release'. 

 

May I so inform you, cascading a beam of radiating amity and accord from all my rested and tranquil orifices that you were not misled, you were 'perceptually repositioned' to 'enable actualization of a new gaming paradigm.'

 

Exuding and extruding all my love and massive tumescent-ness to all present, I must also add that just as using the term 'EAWare' or stating 'BioWare' no longer exists or functions as its own entity is both offensive to devs and corporate, you will all please refer to it as an 'active independent ancillary', even if it does defer to all corporate, design, feature incorporation and marketing decisions made by EA regardless of usefulness or 'potential brand quality deflection'.

 

As I conclude, gazing with deep reverence at the various protrusions, projections and odd but satisfactory curvatures of various appendages of our male and female members - in the most non-aggressive way, of course - let me just say, that all video, printed and external evidence, both by outside sources and in the product itself ('game') that definitively proves that EA and its representatives did in fact lie - or 'engage in creative factual repositioning' should be from now on referred to as 'optional strategic verbiage rebranding' to 'suit the variable malleable perceptual acuity of potential external impulse-driven financial repositories'.

 

I am so Zen now that Zen itself appears to me as chaos personified, as if I sit now in a cosmically-warm hottub of serenity.  Come join me, O Angry Ones. 

 

Please Don't Harsh The Buzz.

[Randomguy]

All you need to know

 

 

They were showing off how this game is never meant to be played with mouse + keyboard, and  mainly combat does not feature party-based tactics. They seemed very proud of what they did.  Ok, you made your point i am really stupid for mistaking this **** for a PC game any bought it. You are right, and no sarcasm intended.

[Dubya75]

I would like to non-hostilely remind everyone that EA and its operatives do not like the word 'lie' nor allusions that it or any of its representatives engage in active falsehoods.

 

To continue in a non-threatening and completely calm manner, we've been warned before about that as it borders on the litigious - and definitely bannable - side of things.

 

Allow me, in full control of my faculties and extending a positive aura of peace and tranquility to all of you to state in the most placid terms possible that EA did not lie about DA:I.  It's 'marketing may have contained errors not realized after release'. 

 

May I so inform you, cascading a beam of radiating amity and accord from all my rested and tranquil orifices that you were not misled, you were 'perceptually repositioned' to 'enable actualization of a new gaming paradigm.'

 

Exuding and extruding all my love and massive tumescent-ness to all present, I must also add that just as using the term 'EAWare' or stating 'BioWare' no longer exists or functions as its own entity is both offensive to devs and corporate, you will all please refer to it as an 'active independent ancillary', even if it does defer to all corporate, design, feature incorporation and marketing decisions made by EA regardless of usefulness or 'potential brand quality deflection'.

 

As I conclude, gazing with deep reverence at the various protrusions, projections and odd but satisfactory curvatures of various appendages of our male and female members - in the most non-aggressive way, of course - let me just say, that all video, printed and external evidence, both by outside sources and in the product itself ('game') that definitively proves that EA and its representatives did in fact lie - or 'engage in creative factual repositioning' should be from now on referred to as 'optional strategic verbiage rebranding' to 'suit the variable malleable perceptual acuity of potential external impulse-driven financial repositories'.

 

I am so Zen now that Zen itself appears to me as chaos personified, as if I sit now in a cosmically-warm hottub of serenity.  Come join me, O Angry Ones. 

 

Please Don't Harsh The Buzz.

 

Ohmmmmmmm......ohmmmmm......

 

Wait, what?! O_O

[Errationatus]

Also, sleep-typing this from my peace-coma I would like to add that the phrase "Made for PC gamers by PC gamers For PC Gamers" should now read "Made On a PC by People Who Use PCs For PC gamers who own Consoles."

 

For accuracy's sake.

[Errationatus]

Ohmmmmmmm......ohmmmmm......

 

Wait, what?! O_O

I quietly extend soft apologies in the most passive way possible to you, Dubya75 for any confusion or 'misaligned perceptual cerebral incorporation' you may be currently suffering.  As we know, suffering leads to beta-testing DLC, which leads to disappointment and loss of tranquility and mental stability. 

 

Please refer any questions to EAnswers, where if you're very nice, someone might help you.  Eventually.