Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition to Share "Core Systems"

[StewShearerOld]

Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition to Share "Core Systems"

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/YanickRRoy/statuses/347154938738135040]

Bioware Montreal's Yanick Roy has said the new Mass Effect will draw on Dragon Age: Inquisition resources.

Mass Effect and Dragon Age arguably exist on different sides of the role-playing pond. Sure, they both might have Bioware writing, epic storylines, and moral choice systems, but beyond that they're very much different beasts. There is, of course, the obvious "fantasy vs. sci-fi" difference between the two. More than that however, there is fairly wide gulf when it comes to the way they play. Dragon Age, even in the faster-paced combat of Dragon Age 2, is generally a more tactical affair while the Mass Effect games, especially after the original, pretty much embraced third person shooter mechanics.

That said, recent talk from Bioware would indicate that the next entries in the respective series might have more in common than they did in the past. Yanick Roy, studio director for BioWare Montreal, recently Tweeted a picture of <a href=https://twitter.com/YanickRRoy/status/347046536934486016/photo/1>a blue binder containing the design document for the next Mass Effect. After being questioned by a fan on how long it take for the new game to be made, Roy said, "We started a while ago, and we are 'borrowing' a lot of game systems from [Dragon Age: Inquisition]." This comment, in turn, led to another fan asking if the two games would have similar role-playing elements. Roy's response confirmed that two games will share engines and "some of [Dragon Age: Inquisition's] core systems."

Now, this could translate into a lot of different things. RPGs tend to be complex experience with multiple facets and for all we know, Roy could mean the games will have similar inventory systems, or dialogue menus. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see where Bioware takes the new games and to find out what elements the two wind up sharing.

Source: <a href=www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/19/mass-effect-4-shares-dragon-age-3-core-mechanics>IGN




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[Zhukov]

Yay?

Nay?

That's all pretty damn unspecific.

 

[The White Hunter]

So there'll be one system for microtransactions across each game? Some kind of bioware market where you can pay money for better stuff to win the game?

Seems legit.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

It will be interesting to see what they can do with Mass Effect on new systems. I really hope they don't even try to make it for current gen consoles. Even though I loved ME series before that abysmal ending, I've always thought that the game was severely limited by the technology of current gen consoles. It was ambitious, but it never reached it's potential as far as exploration goes.

 

[wooty]

Mass Effect 4? I'm listening Bioware, I'm listening.

 

[alphamalet]

If they are sharing that terrible dialogue wheel from Mass Effect, then they just lost a purchase. I hated it in Dragon Age II, and I never liked Mass Effect to begin with.

I just don't get it. Mass Effect and Dragon Age or two TOTALLY different games. I absolutely hate Mass Effect, but I think Dragon Age Origins is one of the best games this gen. Why borrow anything from either game when their play styles are so diametrically opposed?

 

[1337mokro]

CUTTING CORNERS! EA STYLE!!!

Fuck you Bioware!

The corner cutting has become fucking shameless in ME3 and let's not even talk about the lackluster copy pasting in Dragon Age 2. Entire fucking locations were copied and you didn't even BOTHER to attempt to hide it.

That doesn't just say Lazy, that says We don't give a shit.

 

[InterrogationBear]

That's all pretty damn unspecific.

He's talking about the dialog system, character creator and other RPG-systems the "Dragon Age"-team developed for "Frostbite 3".

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Why borrow anything from either game when their play styles are so diametrically opposed?

They took Mass Effect dialogue wheel and implemented it into Dragon Age 2. It can be done. Like the first post suggests, it could be just inventory management and dialogue. Or it could be the way you interact with your squad, reputation system, leveling and things like that.

 

[Phlakes]

God forbid they use the same engine for two games of similar genre and style.

You know, like every developer ever.

(Seriously, what do you people think, every game has its own engine made from scratch? Are Portal and L4D lazy because Valve built them using Source systems from Half Life?)

 

[hentropy]

They might not have shared the same engines with the last games, but they were still fairly similar in a lot of ways, so I'm not sure how this is news exactly.

 

[NLS]

God forbid they use the same engine for two games of similar genre and style.

You know, like every developer ever.

(Seriously, what do you people think, every game has its own engine made from scratch? Are Portal and L4D lazy because Valve built them using Source systems from Half Life?)

Good example of two different games by the same developer using the same engine.
This doesn't mean Dragon Age will feature assault rifles, so everybody take a chill pill.

 

[Miyenne]

I'm still hopeful for these games. Not holding my breath or anything, but hopeful nonetheless.

Most likely they mean something like the conversation wheel or inventory systems or maybe a moral compass for DA? It doesn't mean the games will be the same game, one in space and one in a fantasy setting.

 

[Dragonbums]

I really want to see what they are going to do with Mass Effect 4

Like, what are you gonna do? You either have to continue based the story to varying degrees based on your stupid endings, retcon the whole thing to make it work with minimal effort, or do a prequel of a series of events everyone knows about already.
It was meant to be a trilogy. Let if fucking end as a trilogy.

Like, I don't know how they are going to continue this, and quite frankly I'm not going to sink my money into it like I did for ME3. I'll watch from the sidelines

 

[Phlakes]

God forbid they use the same engine for two games of similar genre and style.



You know, like every developer ever.

(Seriously, what do you people think, every game has its own engine made from scratch? Are Portal and L4D lazy because Valve built them using Source systems from Half Life?)

No because Portal and L4D have different gameplay mechanics, whereas BW is going to recycle DA3's for ME4.

Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking not making assumptions. I'll try to leave the discussion to precognitive psychics like yourself.

 

[Smiley Face]

Hm. I guess it all comes down to whether they're pulling useful bits or bits that need improvement, but I really would prefer it if ME4 didn't feel like DA3 - pull ideas, sure, but once you start copying systems, it feels old, not good.

 

[Quijiboh]

Bioware used pretty much the same engine for Neverwinter Nights and KOTOR (plus KOTOR's mechanics were pretty much a bastardised version of the bastardised version of 3rd Ed D&D NWN used). Bethesda used the same engine and base mechanics for Oblivion and Fallout. Myriad different games have been made with the Unreal Engine.

But no, the demon spectre of EA rises again! Damn you EA for being the reason why anyone does anything ever.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

More then that however,

You mean "more than that", I believe.

Anyway, I don't see what the big hubbub is about. The way people are shitting their pants over this news, you'd think that Valve didn't make 4 completely different games using just the Source Engine (saying nothing of other developers who have used it); or that the Unreal Tournement Engine hasn't been used to make games in just about every genre known. Hell, just look at the Starcraft 2 mods available. If you can play Bejeweled using Starcraft 2's engine, then the next Mass Effect and Dragon Age sharing an engine doesn't mean jack squat outside of not having to waste time and money designing two game engines. And... last I checked, but haven't people been complaining that game developers have been wasting too much money in their development processes lately? And now we're throwing a *****-fit over them finding an effective way to save money on their development process?

 

[Quellist]

Ok i will view this is the most negative way possble, why? because EA!

Dragon age Inquisition is going to be a 3rd person over the shoulder shooter using arrows and magic instead of guns and Psi powers!

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I just wish that I could play a Bioware game where my primary role isn't group therapist.