Mass Effect Interview

Mercury News had the chance to interview Casey Hudson, project director for BioWare's Mass Effect.
(We were able to use a lot of what we learned on previous games, such as KOTOR,) he said. (We wanted to take it forward with digital acting, a combat system that is more active and something you can jump into right away. We wanted to make the basis of the interface more accessible. We also wanted to preserve the options for the hardcore players to customize the experience to their liking. The combat decisions range from the tactical to the strategic level. It's something new. Players will spend a lot of time on how to can draw out special abilities of the squad.)

Asked how BioWare's team tried to elevate Mass Effect's story beyond the typical sci-fi RPG, Hudson said, (We wanted to put players in situations where they would have to think. Challenge their values. These challenges would be entrenched in the story. It would pull you out of a conventional point in a story. You have to make a decision where there are costs on either side. On the one hand, you have to do a mission. On the other hand, you have a friend. You like having him around. He is fun. But can you carry him through the end of the game and keep him alive, given the choices you have to make?)