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Mass Effect

HerbieZ

By HerbieZ
in The Outlander Club

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Vaelastraz Newbie

Vaelastraz

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The 360 is cool with loads of exciting titles and live capabilities' date=' and it doesn't even cost half of $1500+. Plus it sets a single standard that the industry can conform to until the next generation console comes out, which will be 5-7 years later, thus there is no need to make regular graphics card upgrades- saves you a lot of money. Unless you're only interested in games that allow modding, IMO the 360 is a much more cost-effective choice.[/quote']

 

I realize that, I like to play a lot of online games though. Mouse and keyboard for the win. :)

But let's not turn this into a PC vs Xbox discussion..the winner is obvious :p

 

I'm confident there will be a way to play Mass effect on the PC eventually...

Much like Jade Empire. And Jade empire was worth the wait.

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Char Ell Newbie

Char Ell

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Currently we also do not have an official release date for Mass Effect.

 

Currently we do not yet have a final ESRB rating for Mass Effect.

 

When we do have either an official release date or when we know what the ESRB rating for Mass Effect will be, we will make a formal announcement...

Source: No release date or rating for Mass Effect yet.

 

Hmmm... I think it's still almost a given that Mass Effect will be released some time this summer.

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Commander Obi-Wan Newbie

Commander Obi-Wan

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Unfortunately, today came signs that Mass Effect may be cooling its jets until late in the year. A report on Computer & Video Games claims that during a Microsoft event in the UK today, word emerged that the RPG won't be released until September. This date was further backed up by the Mass Effect product page on EBgames.com, which now has the game shipping on September 3.

 

Source.

 

It's just another rumour, but it's still a possibility. Though, it would relevant to say that if they do release it later this year, the game would be more complete. Hopefully, we will get a definitive release date soon than later.

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Commander Obi-Wan Newbie

Commander Obi-Wan

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I found a Q & A about Mass Effect. IGN interviewed the lead writer of Mass Effect. Here it is:

 

IGN: What writing experience have you had in the past? How did you get your start?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: I've been writing ever since I learned to read, though I got my professional start while working on my Masters degree in English at the University of Alberta. I applied to an "open call" for authors at Wizards of the Coast by submitting an outline and sample chapters of a Forgotten Realms novel. They liked my stuff enough to contract me to write a novel for them. While I was working on the novel (Temple Hill, my first published work) I saw an ad from BioWare looking for writers. Since they were right in my hometown I applied and got offered the job. I figured it was better getting paid to write than paying to go to school, so I dropped out in the last year of my Masters program to write full time for BioWare.

 

In addition to my work at BioWare, I've also had several novels published: Temple Hill and Throne of Bhaal for Wizards of the Coast; Star Wars: Path of Destruction for Lucas and Del Rey (a New York Times bestseller), and the upcoming Mass Effect: Revelation - a prequel novel to the Mass Effect game.

 

 

IGN: How much of the writing comes from one person, and how much is a collaborative effort?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: At BioWare the process is a combination of collaborative feedback and individual effort. The writers (and other key people, such as the Project Director and the Lead Designer) constantly discuss the overall story line. But each individual writer is assigned sections of the game to write. For Mass Effect, each planet has one primary writer who is responsible for the majority of writing on that world. However, all the writers review each other's work to offer suggestions and criticism, and as Lead Writer I also have to make sure there is a consistency of style across all the various levels. So on the one hand it's very individual - you write what you think works for your own areas - but on the other hand it's a very collaborative process, as everything you do has to fit in with the rest of the team and the larger overall story.

 

 

IGN: Can you give us a brief overview of the main storyline for the game?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: The player is Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre - an elite agent of the multi-species galactic government. Shepard's first mission is to hunt down Saren, a top Spectre agent who has gone rogue. As you chase Saren across alien worlds and distant stars, you make a terrifying discovery: the galaxy is trapped in a cycle of extinction. Every 50,000 years a race of machines wipes out all advanced organic civilization… and Saren is determined to unleash this cycle once again.

 

Of course, as a BioWare story there is a huge amount of depth and detail that unfolds as you play the game, and there are several twists and turns as you progress. Obviously I don't want to give too much away… players will have to find this out by playing the game.

 

 

IGN: How early in the game creation process is the script written?

Drew Karpyshyn: At BioWare our games are very story driven, so the early version of the script is usually one of the first things we complete. This is then used as the basis for our level designs, art, etc. Of course, as other elements are added to the game the script is constantly rewritten to incorporate the ideas and contributions of the rest of the team.

 

 

IGN: How do you write a script that is so open and multi-pathed?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: I'll admit, it's not easy. One thing you need is a good writing team. At BioWare we have over a dozen full time writers spread across all our projects, and many of us have been doing this for over 5 years, so we've really become familiar with the craft of open ended story telling. The biggest issue is volume - you have to write multiple paths of dialog and multiple story outcomes, knowing that many players won't see large chunks of what you've done. That's why we need so many writers on each project. Five different writers worked on Mass Effect, and it's taken us three years to get everything into the game. I think it's that level of commitment that really sets BioWare games apart from the competition - most other companies don't have the dedicated writing resources to do the kind of stories we do.

 

IGN: For many genres of games, a good story is essential. Do ever feel that game writers are underappreciated?

Drew Karpyshyn: I think most BioWare fans appreciate and understand our contribution; we firmly believe a good game becomes a great game by fusing story with game play for an emotionally engaging experience. However, across the industry most companies don't put enough emphasis on telling a good story. BioWare is one of the few companies that has full time employees dedicated entirely to writing. There are some other good game stories out there, but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. I think that, overall, games haven't embraced the idea that a good story is necessary to fully engage players in the gaming experience, so there are many examples of sub-standard writing and story that have colored the general perception of game writers as "hacks". The truth, however, is that writing for games is a very complicated and difficult skill… one that BioWare takes the time to develop in talented individuals.

 

IGN: For Mass Effect, how much creative control did you have over characters and events?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: As the Lead Writer, I'm in the position of having an enormous amount of creative control over all the elements of the story. Other writers do have to work within the confines of the overall story I help to lay out, but we try to incorporate feedback from the entire team to give everyone buy-in into the project. Also, within their own worlds or areas of responsibility writers are given a tremendous amount of freedom to create their own characters, sub-plots, etc. I can't speak for other companies, but BioWare doesn't believe in using "hired guns" to come in at the last minute and slap together a dialog or story for a game they had no real part in creating.

 

IGN: In terms of novel-lengths, how many pages or books worth of writing would you estimate you've done for Mass Effect?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: Mass Effect has a word count of around 400,000 words - somewhere in the area of 4-5 full novels. But, unlike a novel, we also have visual images and other ways to tell a story. Our word count would be even higher if we had to describe settings or characters, but we actually have art and graphics to do that for us. I think a better comparison to give the full scope of our game is to use movie scripts. In Mass Effect, every line of dialog has full voice over, and we have 20,000+ lines of dialog - roughly the equivalent of 20 movies. That seems like a lot - and it is - but it's necessary to keep a player engaged in our game and story for the 20+ hour critical path.

 

IGN: Have you needed to cut back a lot of this during the course of development?

Drew Karpyshyn: Every artist project needs to make cuts - whether it's a game, a book or a movie. It's part of the natural creative process: you see what works, what doesn't, you make changes, you add things and you cut things. Anyone who has written professionally knows that, in the end, the more unnecessary stuff you cut the better the overall result. So the trick is to remove what doesn't work, leaving only the best stuff. Sometimes it's painful to see some of your personal work hit the chopping block, but in the end you have to understand that it's for the greater good.

 

IGN: How long have you been at BioWare and how long have you been involved with Mass Effect?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: I've been on Mass Effect from day one, and that's standard procedure for every BioWare project - we always have the Lead Writer involved from the very beginning, right through to the very end. Other members of the writing team might come on a little later or leave a little earlier, depending on the needs of the project, but overall the writers are VERY involved throughout the entire process.

 

As for BioWare itself, I've been working at the company since spring of 2000 - back when they were finishing up Baldur's Gate. I've had the pleasure to contribute to a number of projects since then, including Throne of Bhaal, Neverwinter Nights, Hordes of the Underdark and Jade Empire. I was also the lead writer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and now Mass Effect.

 

 

IGN: What stories or authors inspired your work on Mass Effect?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: Mass Effect is inspired by the feel of the classic science fiction movies of the 1980s, which owe a lot to the classic science fiction authors from the 50s and 60s. As for my own personal writing style, it's difficult to point to one author or work and say "that inspired me". I'm a fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and on some level everything I've read has influenced me in some way.

 

 

IGN: Is the games-writing community pretty close? Do you ever hang out with other writers?

 

Drew Karpyshyn: BioWare is pretty unique in the game-writing community. We don't hire freelance authors; if we feel you've got the talent and skills we need, we want you full time. I've heard rumours and stories of how hard it is for freelancers out there, and how difficult it is to deal with most game companies. Fortunately, I've never been in that position.

 

The writing department at BioWare itself is pretty close, and we do spend a lot of time together. As for freelance writers or writers at other companies, I can't really say I know any of them that well. Being a full time employee at BioWare kind of focuses my attention on our own people.

 

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swphreak Newbie

swphreak

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Seeing as how Halo 3 is being released September 25th, I have to wonder if Mass Effect is going to be released in September. No way Microsoft would allow two major releases compete with each other.

 

Hopefully it'll be released before Halo 3. Perhaps they'll release it first week of September.

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Char Ell Newbie

Char Ell

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Nope. IMO the only reliable release would come from BioWare and/or Microsoft and they're both still saying they don't have a release date.

 

IGN lists the release date as September 3 but that's obviously not official and not confirmed.

 

At this point I figure BioWare and Microsoft will announce the release date for Mass Effect at least two months before it actually happens so I think late July is the absolute earliest we could see Mass Effect.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Char Ell Newbie

Char Ell

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Heh-heh. You've got a bad feeling, eh? Hmmm... wonder where we've heard that one before. ;)

 

I don't know what your bad feeling is but I think we can rest assured we will see Mass Effect released this year. It's just a question of when. It doesn't seem that Mass Effect will go so long as to be released during the 2007 holiday season but I think that is the absolute latest Mass Effect would be released.

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Commander Obi-Wan Newbie

Commander Obi-Wan

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Yeah, I haven't heard any info. about the release date for Mass Effect. Maybe sometime during the summer before Halo 3 is released. Though, for me, it's kinda good that Mass Effect isn't released yet, since I don't exactly have funds to get it yet. :p I want to have enough cash to get it when it is released.

 

Here is an article for IGN about the race of Krogan, which obviously, is one of the races that you will see in Mass Effect.

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