BioWare - On Mass Effect PC and More @ Tom's Games

The BioWare doctors have been interviewed at a site called Tom's Games, discussing Mass Effect for the PC, Bring Down the Sky, the PC as a platform and piracy. It looks like things are about to hot up for Dragon Age, with Zeschuk saying they are getting ready to "start showing" it and this:

Greg Zeschuk: Our next big thing is going to be Dragon Age [a fantasy RPG and reportedly a PC exclusive]. We've moved to an approach where we focus on one big project at a time. So the Mass Effect stuff has reached its twilight, and Dragon Age has come to the forefront. And Sonic Chronicles, the Nintendo DS title, will also be up soon. And well be potentially meeting again soon to talk about those.

More information.

So Patrick wasn't lying.

However, I'm now having serious reservations about this "spiritual successor" to anything that Bioware made that was successful with Bio's comments on "mature" content.

At the very least we should start hearing about real content now instead of gaming philosophy.

..finally!

I found this quote interesting:

We didn't put a percentage meter in the game, which was an interesting idea and would have shown how big the game was in terms of content. But we also wanted people to be able to play through it quickly. It's not like we wanted people to have to play through 40 or 50 hours of the game. You can finish it 20 hours or less. We tried to make the game accessible. And the point is, we knew there would be plenty of content that 360 players haven't even seen yet. So it was more about making sure our investment is focused around optimizing it for the PC.

That really speaks volumes to the difference between PC RPG-ers and the console mass-market.

I love how they clearly indicate that the PC version of Mass Effect was "somewhere in the back of their minds", and then later claim the PC is very important to them, and that it's definitely not an after-thought. Could they contradict themselves more?

I think that they have to be *very* careful about what they say - if it was supposed to be a XBOX exclusive, then saying they were developing for the PC all along could get them in *big* trouble.

Originally Posted by txa1265
I think that they have to be *very* careful about what they say - if it was supposed to be a XBOX exclusive, then saying they were developing for the PC all along could get them in *big* trouble.

Notwithstanding the fact that it is clearly what they were doing all along.

BioWare was taken to task for this on their forums by many of their users. It didn't get much press elsewhere though. I conclude that to the market generally, players don't much care.

Or at least, reviewers and bloggers don't.

I agree - most PC gamers didn't really expect less than a 12-month delay. The rest is just CYA for the lawyers

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
So Patrick wasn't lying.

Woohoo!

This time.

The PC port hit us a lot earlier than most Mass Effect developers thought it would. We're by no means unhappy, but there were enough dates floating around there for awhile that "At some point" was both all we could legally say and all most of us knew. No idea if the date changed when we got bought by EA. It may have been a case of suddenly being a larger company that could negotiate from a stronger position, or that may have had nothing to do with it. Honestly no idea on my end.

Not unlikely; the bigger the customer, the more likely it is they'd actually get listened to.

This is a good thing though, a full year of waiting (as with JE) is a tad long.

Originally Posted by Maylander
This is a good thing though, a full year of waiting (as with JE) is a tad long.

18 months, actually. As mandated by their contract with Microsoft. Which is why 6 months is *so* sweet!

Originally Posted by txa1265
18 months, actually. As mandated by their contract with Microsoft…

I love how Microsoft shows their commitment to PC gaming — by signing contracts with developers that pay them to not make games for the PC.

Originally Posted by doctor_kaz
I love how Microsoft shows their commitment to PC gaming — by signing contracts with developers that pay them to not make games for the PC.

Yeah, really - and I think it is also reflected in the 'second class' status of XBOX Live for Windows. Fact is, MS is all about the XBOX since they get revenue from third parties, first parties and the hardware.

… and THEN Microsoft gets into that notorious "alliance for PC gaming" …

Could they contradict themselves more ?

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
… and THEN Microsoft gets into that notorious "alliance for PC gaming" …

They have to be in it to make sure it doesn't turn out too good

Seriously, MS could sort PC gaming out in a generation if they really wanted.