Dragon Age: Origins Interview
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1UP: How much do your writers relish the opportunity to craft a fantasy world outside the confines of Dungeons & Dragons' Forgotten Realms? BioWare's stories for the Baldur's Gate series were excellent, but the tale for Neverwinter Nights didn't grab players in the same manner. Is Dragon Age a return to the epic storytelling that BioWare's known for? Or is the tale more personal for your character? Or is it something else?
ML: When developing your own intellectual property, as we've done with Jade Empire, Mass Effect and, now, Dragon Age: Origins, you have both disadvantages and advantages. On one hand, you don't have the reams of rich, detailed source material to comb through, like we did working with the Forgotten Realms. On the other hand, you get to make up your own rules, which is fun, rewarding, and challenging -- in equal parts. As to specifics, I'd say "both" to answer your questions about the kind of story. The origins make each character's adventure very personal, but the overall goal of ending the Blight is certainly epic.
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1UP: What's Dragon Age's approach to magic? Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights are tied to D&D's magic system, where you have "X" spells per day based on your magic user's level. Are you using something different in Dragon Age, and if so, how does it work? And are the spells your standard fantasy D&D-archetype spells, or are you creating stuff that you consider to be fairly original? Care to share one of the cool high-level magics?
ML: Our magic system is mana-based. Each spell uses a specific amount of mana that can regenerate over time. One of our cool spells, literally, is Cone of Cold. Yes, it does damage and looks pretty sweet, but it shines when you realize that it can deep freeze the foes to the point where they can be shattered by melee attacks. Shield bash, anyone?
