Dragon Age 2 - Interview @ Strategy Informer

Strategy Informer had a quick Q&A session with Robyn Theberge, Development Manager, about Dragon Age II. They discussed the art style, setting, the console version and more:

Strategy Informer: Why did you choose to have such a focused experience this time around? Not only have you broken away from the main DA story line, but you've also restricted things so that you can only be either a human male or female.

 

Robyn Theberge: Well we wanted to tell a specific story, we wanted to broaden the Dragon Age world, and we wanted to introduce you to another part of that. So the Champion of Kirkwall, we wanted to frame that story and help you define that - so you get to define who that champion is - are they a good guy, are hey diplomatic - given the confines of that experience yeah we did narrow the scope of what you could play as. You can't be an elf or a dwarf, but you do have that iconic story and that 'rise to power', and that's why that decision was made.

 

Strategy Informer: Obviously not everyone was as impressed with the console version of DAO as the PC version - have you done anything to improve things there this time?

 

Robyn Theberge: The combat system is much faster, the PC is still quick, but on the console the changes to the combat are much more evident. The art style too is pretty consistent between the two, I don't know if you were at GamesCom but it's pretty close. And honestly I've heard some of our artists say that they prefer it on the PC, some prefer it on the console. Everybody has their own opinion.

 

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Strategy Informer: I assume Bioware will want to return to the story started in Dragon Age: Origins, and obviously you have this separate thread here now. Are you setting these up to be two different franchise? How is it going to work from here?

 

Robyn Theberge: It's all within the same franchise, it's all within the same world - we're just telling a different element of the story. These are Feraldens that you didn't encounter, but they're escaping the blight much like everyone you encounter in DAO is. It's been said that you can import over some of the decisions you made in DAO so it will have an effect for those that have played it but it's also a new entry point for those who haven't played DAO.