Mike Laidlaw, creative director for the entire Dragon Age franchise, explains the use of the Frostbite engine, addressing some fan trepidations about falling into the same traps as Dragon Age 2.
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RPGSite got a hold of Laidlaw in an interview you can read in full here. We'll give you a rundown of some of the most interesting topics discussed.
On the use of the Frostbite engine: "Well... the wild card for the whole thing is really the move to Frostbite, right? So, we're on a whole new engine, we're changing tech. When that happens, you basically have to rebuild all of your systems from the ground up. Frostbite is an amazing engine for visuals, but it is definitely not an RPG engine out of the box by any means. [...] [However,] Frostbite can do things Eclipse never could. The two biggies were big spaces - it's an engine built for jet fighters having dogfights over tanks! We can do a big, big level in Frostbite. "
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On their approach to levolution: "[The] whole "levolution" concept, the idea of a level changing over time. In Battlefield DICE uses that for destruction, but I was like... what if we put a spin on that and make it construction? What if you and your party could have an influence that spread over these big levels, and you could see them change and evolve over time because of your influence and your decisions, the actions of the Inquisition."
On Dragon Age 2 quality comparisons: "[It was] a very good opportunity to sit back and look at everything. To say, "Okay, what do we consider to be the defining characteristics of the Dragon Age experience?" Obviously, feedback for Dragon Age II was incorporated into that. But that aside, I think that's more about understanding what makes Dragon Age unique, what makes it stand out, rather than what did or didn't work in the previous game. [...] [If] I had to boil it down to a single concept, it's the party. It's not just you; you're not a solo adventurer - you are part of a team. Teamwork in gameplay is a part of that. The fact that we have a bunch of rich characters is a part of that. The fact that the follows are probably the most beloved part of Dragon Age is a part of that. It all really comes back to the party."
Did you think a small, repetitive playing area and an unsympathetic party were a large part of the problem in the second game? Sound off in the comments below!
