Dragon Age Central

Quote: Posted 01/18/07 18:17 (GMT) by Aldain
Of course I'm sure Bioware won't do it like that!

We didn't do it for NWN, did we?

My advice is that if you feel that downloadable content is overpriced or too short or otherwise not worth it, don't buy it.

Quote: Posted 01/15/07 02:18 (GMT) by Juhy
But it is a fact that they have the policy of 'its done when its done', which means there is no given date when they will be done.

BioWare's "it's done when it's done" policy means, however, that there is an end date, otherwise the product will never get released. Keep in mind that BioWare works in conjunction with our publishers and other companies to arrive at a release date. Like a Doctoral thesis, sure, it's done when it's done and you want to make it as good as possible, but it does have to get finished, and some delays are more costly than others.

Quote: this allows them to work in peace, without being harassed by fans for evey time they change the date. Its a good policy that gives them extra time to make quality stuff in peace.

No. Quite the opposite, really. By that time, we're working to get as many things done as possible. There is no "in peace" when the game is nearing completion. Like I said in the previous paragraph, the object is to get the game done and there is often no time to keep tweaking things to make it "perfect," a concept that only exists in our imaginations.

Quote: But! They are still running out of time.

I just dont see how you can run out of time, when there is no limit on time. If there is no limit, one can take some more time to go over stuff, improve it, etc.
Again, Im not saying that their stuff will be completely unplayable unless they do this, but this does help.

All it ensures is that our development schedules aren't suddenly cut short and gives us a little wiggle room in case there are delays or other problems that happen to any one of the many different departments over 2+ years of work. There is a limit. Don't be fooled into thinking that BioWare's "it's done when it's done" means that we have unlimited time to perfect systems. In game development especially, time = money.

Quote: Of course, they might have strict dates set by other factors (publishers and whatnot) that we dont know about, so that is a legitimate reason. Hey, I even said at the end that I dont actually know everything about this stuff and have no authority at all to tell them what to do and how.
I just dont understand the reason for running out of time. No need to explain, I dont NEED to know, but I would like to (as, Im sure, would others).

Game development involves the construction and integration of many disparate elements from many different departments into a coherent, stable whole over several years of work. Much like large-scale building projects, game development can be slowed, swerved, and even stopped by the smallest and silliest of things, and none of it can be predicted. We can schedule for only so much, after all.

Quote: To reiterate.. Im not trying to argue anyone, or attack anyone, or tell anyone how to do what they do. All Im saying is, that the stuff I read here is not completely consistent with other stuff I read. Dont make a big issue out of this..

It's perfectly consistent, most people simply take some of the wrong comments literally. In this case, it's the "it's done when it's done" policy we work with.

Quote: Posted 01/11/07 20:20 (GMT) by Seblon de Valmont
I really don't understand how we can talk about censorship and different editions of games for European and American players because of this censorship without talking about real-world sociopolitical elements.

There's a difference between discussing the realities of different countries' video game laws and rating systems and declarations like, "Americans are squeamish and just can't take realistic depictions of zombie kittens like they can in my country of choice." Or, "Americans hate kittens and only glorify crates."

It'll be done when it's done. Don't spam the boards please.



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