Dragon Age - Retrospective Interview @ VideoGamer
 

Ray Muzyka has been interviewed at VideoGamer, in the light of the Dragon Age release, although nothing of major interest is revealed:
More information.

I agree that the game is beautiful. I think they'd decided on a more traditional fantasy-art take, and though it is surely fitting its square pegs in its square holes, it does so quite well. Also, it runs liquid-smooth while being maxed out on most machines produced in the last few years, so they've obviously made a little go a long way without appearing to limit the environs, objects, and characters. I don't think the art team has anything to hang their head about.

Seconded. Graphics are fine for this type of tactical rpg. On the other hand, I find design of Denerim buildings to be… uninspiring, almost "drafty" I'd dare say, not on par with other settings in the game, like Ostagar ruined-fortress(es) which is more convincing and poetic.

"And even Mass Effect 2 pushes the envelope even more than Mass Effect 1."

The console envelope, anyway.

Yeah, Dragon Age's graphics could have been a LOT better but they are being held back by the old console systems. Bioware actually did more than most to make the game look better on PC (much more detailed textures and waving flags come to mind) but they still couldn't break the bonds of old console technology.

Its just as well. I prefer nice framerates as a compromise to beauty. Its good enough.

One of my only disappointments with this game is the graphics sometimes. Especially when you get to a point and expect a nice view but all you see is the next hill with a few sparse trees and the edge of the map.

It looks great and runs nicely. Win-win, I'd say.

I think the graphics look great atleast on my pc with max settings so I cant understand what all the complains are about.

The graphics are great on max settings and above everything they don't use lot of resources so even people with mediocre PCs can play , slightly off topic but DAO proves what good coding can do sending all the resource mules back to their misery .

I can run the game on my four year old computer so I'm a happy camper. It's not the best looking game of the year though, but that doesn't really matter to me. I've played about 35 hours and it's the best gaming experience I've had in a long time. DAO is everything I hoped for… and more.

I don't like the human models and especially facial animations in Dragon Age. They look like something from 2003, much worse than Jade Empire, KOTOR, The Witcher, NWN2 or Mass Effect.
OK, I know that it doesn't really matter, it's just maybe I'm spoiled after all those nice-looking games. It's just that the faces look *so* dumb… :)
The rest of it - I haven't played enough yet to have an opinion. The bloom+colorlessness is somewhat discouraging though.

lol @ "retrospective". The game has only been out for five minutes and people are doing "retrospectives".

Man, do you remember back a couple of weeks ago when Dragon Age came out? Those were some crazy times, I can tell you.

You must be kidding?? Or then we are playing different games? Just yesterday I thought how good the game looks i.e better than kotor that is one of my bioware favorites.

Allthough there is a difference between console version ( and pc version with low settings? ) and pc version on max settings :

XBox360
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images…arison/008.jpg

PC
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images…ison/008_2.jpg




Perhaps its the pirate version you play is somhow corrupted? (If I got the hint right from your name) Bioware could have released an inferior torrent version just to poke at freeloaders. I know atleast THQ(?) that did so with their "leaked" diablo-clone.

He has an opinion that differs from yours, and if you ask me that's a very poor reason for accusing him of piracy.

Whatever his name and whether you're right or not, you're being an ass.

That's how I see it, anyway.

Read again what I wrote:

I was referring to his name which is "Torrents". If you know what that is. If my name was IDownLoadFromPiratebay surely people might think that I am a freeloader.

The whole thing was just a speculation about the torrent-version of the game. Its only you who is making it all "assy".

Anyways his point about dragon age graphics been worse than kotor is so absurd that there must be somthing so wrong that even a wild speculation about "tweaked" torrent-version sounds believable.

Now, see, if you'd said Bloodlines, I might have agreed to some extent. But there's just no way the facial animations are worse than NWN. Mass Effect is probably better, but that had a more limited focus (and isn't that much better).

You're making a connection between the technology, and how the technology can be abused. I could also call myself "Usenet" and be accused of downloading software illegally through news servers, right?

Whether you're willing to acknowledge how you were out of order or not, is not my concern.

I'm simply pointing out that you're being an ass, because I think you are.

That makes absolutely no sense to me.

Having a boring day D'argatan so your looking for an argument here? Sorry but I dont feel like wasting time on yet another pointless argument with you.

You won't get an argument if you don't initiate one ;)

If Id name one ass from this forum its you imho. I might be one too but mainly towards freeloaders.

Why are you pushing this, if you don't want an argument?

Now you insist he's a pirate - wihout any kind of evidence whatsoever.

You're simply displaying an inability to behave cordially and demonstrating why you're not worth my time. You're behaving like a child who got called on bad behaviour and you can't admit it and instead you start making irrelevant comments on your opinion of me, as if it mattered in this context.

You're on ignore, so we can save some time and effort in the future.

Whoah, calm down, people. This is the first time I see someone fight over my nickname :)
Just don't look much into it, it's just something I randomly selected when registering(I may have been downloading openSUSE Linux torrent at that time or something)… If I had named myself "HTTP", would you assume I'm one of those rapidshare pirates, too?

The assumption that a pirated version looks worse is, well, improbable. On the other hand, I haven't seen one so I'm not sure.

The difference between console and PC versions is in textures, not in facial animations, so no point there. Plus, I'm playing a PC version, anyway.

As for NWN (actually, I said NWN2) - well, that's just my opinion. I remember NWN2 with much better faces than this (especially in MotB). Maybe my memory doesn't serve me well, but at least the cutscenes were of much higher quality than here (the city elf origin part).

Actually, bloodlines had some bloody good models. The walking animations sucked somewhat though.

Sorry for just expressing my opinion.

Edit: Oh, and don't confuse "detailed" with "bad-looking". It may be detailed, but it's still awkward-looking and expressionless.

Torrent is much more easily referred to pirating that HTTP but dont take it seriously - it was just dartagan who made it serious. He somtimes likes to start long arguments that lead nowhere.

I just thought it funny if bioware had actually released an inferior version as a torrent. Companies releasing "tweaked" torrent-versions of their games on release is nothing new as we know.

There are som other differences too than textures. Are you playing on max settings on your PC?

I clearly remember how dated kotor looks (I just played it) and saying that dragon age is worse just cant be true. Thats atleast my opinnion.

Yes, I am. I don't think they would make the animations depend on settings though.
Hmm, I remember it looking quite well, actually. Especially the Bastila model. :)
I don't know, there's something definitely missing from DA's human models. The first thought I had when I saw them was "oh, this is as bad as morrowind…". And the talk animations and facial expressions are not up to the other games I mentioned (OK, kotor may not have had lots of expressions, but still…).

I guess it has something to do with the engine. NWN2 used its own engine, as did KOTOR+Jade. ME was built on the superb Unreal engine, and you wouldn't really recognize the NWN engine in the Witcher.
The Dragon Age seems to have inherited some of that old NWN-ness, somehow.

Disclaimer: All of the above is my personal opinion. Please don't fight me or each other over it. Thanks. :)

I would never fight at a place like this, and it would never be because of an opinion :)

In any case, I very much disagree with your opinion. I'm replaying KotOR 2 - or was until Dragon Age came around - and it's FAR below in terms of facial/model details. The animations are simply ugly in comparison, to boot.

I think Dragon Age looks great overall, and the models are very good. Particularly in terms of combat animations and general movement. The "cinematic" close-ups and such are slightly behind Mass Effect, but they're anything but ugly in my opinion.

It's obvious, though, that the game has been in development for a while and it's not quite top-of-the-line as one might expect from Bioware with a brand new game. Still, it's an incredibly solid product overall, and having the visuals slightly the behind the times is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things - I think.

Whew, this is too much simplification. To get it straight

NWN 1 used the Aurora engine
NWN 2 used the Electron engine which was an updated version of the Aurora engine, providing support for more polygons, hires textures and bump maps.
The Witcher used the Aurora script engine ONLY, the grafics are based on a self developed engine by CDProjekt Red.
KotoR 1+2 used the Odyssey engine which was a heavily modified Aurora engine that added 3D backgrounds and character facial motions.
Jade Empire and Dragon Age used the Eclipse engine which is an updated version of the Odyssey engine
Mass Effect used a licenced Unreal3.5 engine.

Look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Engine
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3133867

I think "torrentss" should rename himself or herselff into "treasuress" or even into "treasuresssss". ;)
Being followed by a user title of "Mine ! Mine it is ! My Treasuresssss!"

Actually, I think Obsidian rewrote the Electron engine completely in the end. See the interview here: http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/678/678028p2.html

Jade Empire - well, it's still a continuation of the kotor engine codebase and, frankly, doesn't really look that different visually.

There's a big difference between Jade and DA engines though. Considering that DA has been in development since 2003 or so, I wouldn't be surprised if it had a completely different codebase. The names companies give to various iterations of their products may not always reflect the technical reality.

ME used Unreal 3, not 3.5.

So, to conclude, the only game that's closest to the original NWN is DA - its development started just when NWN's finished. The early screens looked as if they were straight from NWN.

One should perhaps remember that there's a potential GIGANTIC difference between engine and art assets, as I learned recently with The Witcher 2.

I honestly can't fathom how anyone would think that KotOR had better models than DA:O - but there are many things I don't understand in terms of human opinion - so… ;)

Yeah, it is a bit ridiculous. I will say, however, that there seems to be some objects that are genuinely bugged and have extremely low resolution textures (PC/Steam version on max settings). I find the NPC faces and models to be well done. There are a few that could use higher res textures.

I don't think that your interpreation is the only possible one. Ferret (before he got sacked) said: "we created Electron from scratch", but all the mentioned features are add ons to the old engine. If you have played NWN2, you will have a very NWN like look and feel

I disagree. Just because the POV and especially the GUI is similar it is not the same. DA and JE look so different because of the focus platform. JE was targeted on the XBox, hence the KotORish look and feel. Technically DA and JE are closer.

Well, I think you may be wrong. The doctors said: Don't confuse the early build of the game with the final product. The 2004 version was made with the original NWN toolset, as it is visible in this picture (especially the character models)
http://uk.media.pc.gamespy.com/media…g_2128817.html, but this version was discontinued.

The difference between the NWN version and the final product is very much visible ESPECIALLY in the characters faces.

Okay this was an oversight.

Mass Effect used Unreal 3.
Mass Effect 2 WILL use Unreal 3.5 (aka Gears of War iteration)

No, your conclusion has been proven wrong. Regarding your last sentence, see above and compare it with a modeled face from DAO http://uk.pc.ign.com/dor/objects/682…page=mediaFull

The graphics are quite good in DA because they DIDN'T try for super realistic. The character animations are really well done and the way people move looks quite natural. Everything is pretty consistent.

Look at Risen for instance. Some things in it look almost stunningly good *but* that just makes everything else stand out as god awful bad. Looking at the trees and bushes is just WOW (unless you get too close) but then you get to a building interior and UGH. Plus the characters move (and look) weird.

I stumbled on this earlier.

Hi-Res textures for DA

http://social.bioware.com/project/539/

or

http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15

Nice! Looks pretty good:

http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downlo…1258362508.jpg
http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downlo…1258362623.jpg

Does anyone know alternative place to get it? You need to create an account in nexus to get this.

EDIT: Nevermind it seems I allready had account for nexus. Didnt even know it.

As far as the statement that the facial animations won't be different between the XBox and the PC, it's likely that they're not, but it's possible that they are different.
When developing for different platforms, they could have memory issues that limit the number of skeletal animations or even the number of actual bones or functions of bones in any given character. I haven't seen the XBox360 version (though I own a 360), but I have to say that on the PC the facial animations really look pretty nice. Good expression controlling not just phoenems, but also emotion brought in with extra bones placed in the cheeks and brows.
Opinion, of course; but I do have to say I'm very impressed with the art and technical team on creating fluid, believable characters. Not to say I don't see any potential areas of improvement, but overall it's quality work.

I have facial animations, too ! :)

(And there does in fact exist an illness which kind of makes human faces "unanimated" … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_nerve_paralysis )

Quote:

"I felt pleasing my party members almost more important than the overarching goal of saving the world. I was more bothered about pleasing Morrigan with my choices than getting on with the main quest. "

THAT is what I HATE about the game. The party members are way to independent, like a walking critic holding scores over every goddamn decision of mine. I don't carry around people to score my every step and end up pleasing them! I am to save the world, dammit not please some touchy egos. Bioware went WAY overhead with this. Companions are free to have opinions, but when I have my own private jury following me, it gets annoying. I ended up hating all, outside of Zevran, who ended up the most loyal, since he usually had no judgement on my decisions.

I disagree. I think it says more about the person who's playing the game than the game itself. If you're more focused on whether Morrigan approves of your behavior than on saving the world, maybe that's not Bioware's problem.

I find it a minor variable: tiny scores flash briefly in the bottom corner of the screen, and they are easily ignored if that is not your priority. If you're like me and enjoy intentionally doing things that people disapprove of, a negative score can actually be laugh-worthy.

And if it bugs you when you get disapproval, just buy them a cheap trinket and all is forgiven.

The game is exactly what I thought it would be.

Companion babysitting, having to go talk to them between every mission so they can whine and cry about their poor poor lives so that I can unlock all their side quests and special skills.

"I'll tell you why I'm running around helping people Morrigan, it's called a side quests in a Bioware game. If I don't do them I'm going to be under level for the story fights and probably miss out on some good loot. Shut up about it already and quit freezing all the melee characters with every cone of cold you cast."

:lol: That's pretty funny, and unfortunately very true.

I was a little disappointed that they followed the exact same formula that they've been using since KotOR.