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[Atcherseid]

On the whole, the writers have done a good job of keeping modern slang out of the game. However, every now and then there are expressions that are strikingly out of place. One that comes to mind is when you ask Alistair about his background and he says something along the lines of "Hello? Haven't you been listening ..." etc. The use of "Hello?" as a synomym for " pay attention" seems pretty recent. Ten or twenty years ago, hello was an answer, not a question.

[David Gaider]

In terms of the style we use specifically for Dragon Age, we do indeed have some rules about anachronisms.

We tend to avoid words that have a specifically modern origin -- but we do not restrict our word usage only to things of medieval origin. That wouldn't be very helpful in communication, so anything non-idiomatic prior to the 20th century is generally okay.

Slang we also avoid, but in terms of the way a character speaks it can sometimes be okay. That's a judgement call, both on the parts of the writers as well as the editors. We are, after all, attempting to communicate with a modern audience. Some characters do this more than others (Alistair being an example, as his verbal patter was based on Joss Whedon's "Buffy-speak" specifically), but overall the idea is to be consistent rather than rigid.

Insofar as inventions go, there are indeed clocks in Thedas. They are fairly rare and expensive, but the dwarves make them and export them to the surface. There is also such a thing as a lamp post-- it is a metal post on which one hangs a lamp (in some places this lamp is magical, in fact, and they're said to line the streets in Val Royeaux as a display of Orlesian extravagance).

Is the Dragon Age style specifically medieval? Of course not, nor is it intended to be. Is it appropriate for a fantasy setting? You tell me. Some people prefer fantasy to be all "thee's" and "thou's", some prefer romantic and melodic, some prefer Tolkienesque... tastes vary so I don't think there's any one "right" style. It is what it is.

[David Gaider]

Ravenman1 wrote...
So is Alistair supposed to be a South Californian teenager?

There is a style to Joss Whedon's dialogue patter that goes beyond the setting.

[Ferret A Baudoin]

The "epic fail" line cracked me up the first time I heard that, too. The rest of their lines were great, as well. But that line in specific was a laugh at loud moment.

[David Gaider]

silver-crescent wrote...
Well Bhelen failed epically, so the cryer saying "epic fail" isn't that strange in the context of the game.

Sten going on about how the cake was a lie however, was pretty annoying.

Those are indeed out-of-game references... but we've never been above using those. Not in BG, and not in DA. Some people may not like them... but meh. *shrug*