"Morrigan" by DeviantArt user AlexiusSana. The original piece can be found at: http://alexiussana.deviantart.com/art/Morrigan-263475038

Last month, Dragon Age Executive Producer Mark Darrah announced that the team is shifting from DA2 to the “next phase of Dragon Age’s future.” As Mark stated, “the next thing for the Dragon Age team members and I to do is hear from you… what does Dragon Age mean to you, and where would you like to see it go? We’re excited to hear what you have to say!”

We recently had the opportunity to attend PAX East, meet fans, and host a packed panel about hypotheticals in Ferelden, Kirkwall and beyond. Getting out and talking to fans is one of our main priorities but we aren’t stopping at conventions. We would love to open the dialogue online with more of our loyal consumers to foster the spirit of community.

Beginning today, we’ll do a series of questions and discussions around Dragon Age. Consider this a conversation between fans, the community team, and the developers. Everyone at BioWare is incredibly excited about the future of the franchise but we’re interested in what you have to say. Every month, we will discuss a topic or question about Dragon Age and game development. You will have one week to post your thoughts, desires, and hopes before we close the thread for review. Moderators and developers will pop into the thread to chat every now and again, so keep an eye out.

These questions and discussions are not only for future games, but other potential products like novels, animated features, pen and paper RPGs, and comics – all of which offer us opportunities to expand on parts of the world.

However, it’s worth reminding that we’re not making promises, we’re talking about ideas. We won’t guarantee that things we discuss will materialize and we’re not showing anything until we’re ready. And as a last bit of housekeeping, the purpose of these exercises isn’t crowd sourcing or soliciting your game dev concepts (keep those close in case you want to make a game someday!). This should remain a discussion between BioWare and fans about what you loved about Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2—what this franchise means to you.

BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka has mentioned that we’d like to open up more in future Dragon Age titles, so now we turn to you: What kinds of things would you like to learn more about? Antivan weddings? Orlesian balls? The remnants of the Tevinter empire? Burial customs among the Chaisind?

What kinds of things would you like to discover and learn about the Dragon Age world?

Let us know your answer here!

"Moira The Rebel Queen" by DeviantArt user radiant-suzuka. See the original piece at http://radiant-suzuka.deviantart.com/art/Moira-The-Rebel-Queen-Dragon-Age-301205317

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
KL: My name is Kaelin Lavallee, and I’m a Level Designer. I’ve worked on both of the Dragon Age games, and I’m currently working on… HAH, bet you thought I would tell you.

What is the best part about your job?
KL: How do I pick one awesome thing about being a designer? I guess if I HAD to pick something, it would be the people I work with (which I suppose technically isn’t just one thing). Everyone is here for the same reason, because we love making great games. There is so much unadulterated creativity on my team, from every team really, that it makes my job that much more fun.

What does an average day look like for you?
KL: I spent a lot of time deciding how to answer this question. Then I realized, I don’t think that an average day here is average at all. Sure, I have meetings and paperwork to do. But my meetings usually involve what kind of creatures to make, or which way to make the door open. The thing is, depending on what stage of development we’re on, I do a lot of different things.

A the beginning of a project there is a lot of documentation, meetings and brainstorming. After that, we try to make everything on paper come to life. There’s a lot of back and forth, since what looks good on paper, doesn’t always translate well to gameplay. And at the end of the day, I brush my teeth and go to bed. Although, I’m not sure how that’s related to the rest of the answer.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
KL: Does the day I got hired count? I’m proud to have worked on both DA games. A lot of hard work from a lot of talented people went into those games, and I was glad to be a part of it.

What’s a geeky thing about you?
KL: I used to play a lot of D&D. Not so much anymore though. So I guess the geekiest thing about me now would be…I have a collection of old consoles. Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox. I even have my old Commodore 64 lying around somewhere.

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
KL: Make your own games! With all the free tools out there these days (XNA, Unreal, Unity) it’s easy to get started creating them. Hone your skills (I can’t believe I just said that). Just don’t be lazy! You can’t have an awesome job and be lazy.

If you weren’t working in the industry, what would you be doing?
KL: I would be feeling sorry for myself.

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
KL: Would you believe that I STILL haven’t finished ME3? I know, shameful. I have played a lot of the multi-player though. The ME team did a fantastic job!

As for reading, I’m just finishing up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and after that will be A Confederacy of Dunces. Oh, and I still need to get around to A Dance with Dragons. I had to look at my iPhone to see what I was last listening to. Apparently, it was “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson. Don’t judge me.

Attention PlayStation 3 soldiers, we have some great news. After working closely with Sony we are now able to offer you the multiplayer Commendation Packs for Operation Goliath and Operation Raptor, held previously this year. On Wednesday, May 9, please login and check the in-game store for your Goliath and Raptor packs, free of charge.

This weekend is Operation Silencer, and you will need all the firepower you can get your hands on. Rally your squad, prepare your arsenal, and get ready to give the Reapers hell.

*Please note that pack delivery times may vary.

Cerberus defectors have verified key intel on Reaper banshees to help provide us a vulnerability to exploit. Banshees are created from a specific kind of asari that cannot be replaced quickly, so we are diverting forces to focus on an all-out banshee extermination effort.

This task is an onerous one, and many of you are right to dread contact with these particular foes, but rest assured that we are prepared to reinforce your battalion with reserves. The vorcha want in, and as soon as they complete combined-arms training with our technically-skilled personnel, we will let them loose.

It’s time to make our enemies scream.

Allied Goal: Kill 3,000,000 banshees
Squad Goal: Survive until a full extraction on any map against any enemy on gold difficulty.

Successful completion of the allied goal will grant all players a Victory Pack.
Successful completion of the squad goal will grant all squadmates a Commendation Pack.

Welcome to the next N7 Weekend Operation, Operation SILENCER, beginning this Friday, May 11 at 6:00PM PST until Monday, May 14 at 5:00PM PST, on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Please remember to set the “Upload Gameplay Feedback” setting to “On” in the online options to be able to participate in this N7 Operation.

Please note that due to a known issue, PlayStation 3 users will not see the promotion screen but they will be participating in Operation SILENCER and will be rewarded.

Keep up the pressure, troopers. As you can see, N7 efforts to date have been bringing the fight right to the front door of our enemy. Our enemy is fierce, but we’ve got the might of the entire galaxy on our side.

Good luck and see you on the battlefield.

Original art found at http://km245.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=/#/d4r9ynn

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
Well, I’m a husband, father of three, and an artist. So essentially I’m extremely handsome, talented and adored by my wife. My role here at Bioware is Associate Art Director for External Development. I oversee our art effort with our external partners around the globe. I’ve been with EA now almost 11 years and I still really enjoy it.

What is the best part about your job?
Number one would be seeing the culmination of all your hard work represented in the game and having people appreciate and recognize that effort. An added bonus is working with so many great friends and learning from them over the years.

What does an average day look like for you?
7am: A child runs into our bedroom and yells “wake up, I’m hungry”. Get up and get them fed. I jump into the shower, drop my son off at school.
9am: Get into work. Reply to emails from the previous day. Send new emails. Give art feedback.
Noon: Have lunch.
1pm: Attend a meeting. Check the email. Give art feedback. Gather information and talk to coworkers. Provide art feedback.Attend a video conference.
6pm: Drive home. Enter house and jumped on my children. Fight with children to eat their dinner.
7:30pm: Fight with children to get ready for bed (bath, pajamas, brush teeth). Read bedtime stories. Fight with children to go to sleep.
8:30pm: Spend quality time with my wife.
11pm: Go to bed.
Repeat.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
Early on in my career, I joined an extremely talented character art team. I was pretty green and the lead and senior staff were producing some amazing art. I was highly intimated. However, I worked my butt off and by the end of the project I was making game assets on par with the team. It’s great to put the work in and really see yourself improve in a tangible way.

What’s a geeky thing about you?
Hmmm… I’m a Trekkie, went to many conventions when I was a kid. I love Joss Whedon. I’ve watched all Buffy, Angel and Firefly episodes (Didn’t really get into Dollhouse). My Dad bought me my first computer (256k ibm clone with monochrome screen) when I was 8 years old, been hooked with games ever since.

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
Like anything in this world, if you want to achieve anything it takes hard work and commitment. Our field is highly competitive, so you have to know your stuff and be able to show it. If you want to be an artist, draw! If you want to be a programmer, code! Never underestimate the power of ideas. Creativity and good ideas are what drives our business. If someone asks you what makes you better than somebody else, have an answer.

If you weren’t working in the industry, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be a chef or a full time Dad. I love to eat and I love to cook. I day dream about owning a restaurant someday but I think that notion will remain a dream because the reality of restaurants is that it takes an insane amount of work to be succesful. I love my kids and would like to spend more time with them.

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
Playing: Mass Effect 3.Reading: Alla Prima, Everything I know about painting. Listening: Radiohead, Matthew Good, Pearl Jam… and Yo Gabba Gabba with the kids.

What past relationship writing have you done?
Patrick Weekes: On Mass Effect 2, I had the chance to write the Tali and Garrus romances, and to contribute to Miranda’s romance as well. In Lair of the Shadow Broker, I handled the Liara arc, from her initial coldness to her reconciliation and the post-mission talk in the Normandy cabin.

Dusty Everman: Though I am primarily a level designer, I got the opportunity to write for Mass Effect 2 under some excellent old-school-BioWare mentorship. I wrote the Normandy’s “light” characters, including Yeoman Kelly Chambers. While she had a much smaller scope than any full squad member, her character could be a light, flirty romance for Shepard.

PW: Dusty is being a little too modest. He’s the reason we even have Donnelly, Daniels, Gardner, and legendary Serrice Ice connoisseur, Dr. Chakwas, in addition to Kelly.

How did you approach writing a gay character in Mass Effect 3?
PW: Liara’s relationship in Lair of the Shadow Broker can be with players of either gender, so I was familiar with writing dialog that needed to work for a same-sex romance. Nevertheless, I’m a straight white male – pretty much the living embodiment of the Patriarchy – and I really wanted to avoid writing something that people saw and went, “That’s a straight guy writing lesbians for other straight guys to look at.”

I also really wanted the romance with Traynor to be positive. One of my gay friends has this kind of sad hobby in which she watches every lesbian movie she can find, trying to find ones that actually end up with the women not either dying or breaking up. I think the most positive one she’s found is “D.E.B.S.” I wanted to avoid any kind of tragic heartbreak, to make this a fundamentally life-affirming relationship… at least, as much as possible within Mass Effect 3′s grim war story.

DE: I shared the concerns Patrick had about writing something that felt real. I’ve never been romantic with another guy, so I couldn’t write from personal experience. Also, there seemed to be extra pitfalls associated with a male same-sex romance. Some players have concerns over being “ninja romanced” – where a relationship shifts from friendly to romantic to the player’s surprise – and those concerns seem greater for same-sex romances.

PW: I remember hearing someone complain about getting “ambushed” by the same-sex romance with Sky in Jade Empire. Really, though, if you gay-romanced Sky, I’m pretty sure you did it on purpose. You had to dig for that one.

DE: I wanted to make sure that my writing fit into the Mass Effect universe and supported the themes of Mass Effect 3. Keeping Cortez grounded and focusing on the journey shared with Shepard is a foundation that I hope leads to a real attraction.

PW: I worked hard to create a character who addressed her lesbian identity in a positive and intelligent way. My first draft of Traynor’s pitch was all about how her character arc would be about identifying and overcoming the challenges of being gay… and my friends and managers called me on it. I’d been so focused on writing something positive that I hadn’t made a real-enough character. So in the next draft (closer to how she shipped), the focus was on her as a mostly lighthearted fish out of water, a very smart lab tech trying to adjust to life on the front lines, with her identity as a lesbian present but not shouted from the rooftops.

DE: I believe that by the 22nd century, declaring your gender preference will be about as profound as saying, “I like blondes.” It will just be an accepted part of who we are. So I tried to write a meaningful human relationship that just happens to be between two men.

PW: Yeah. If I’ve done my job right, I’ve made Traynor a character that people in the LGBT community will like not because we happened to put a gay character in the game, but because she’s a great character even if you never romance her.

DE: My approach was to have the majority of the relationship be about building a friendship. Everyone, straight and gay alike, can get to know the character, and romantic feelings only surface towards the end of the arc. Like I said before, I wanted to support the ME3 theme of a massive war, where everyone is dealing with loss. Normally, I don’t like stories about prior lost loves, but here it makes sense. When Cortez says “I lost my husband”, every player knows his sexuality, so precious word budgets aren’t spent to establish that fact. Instead, the time is spent bonding over past losses and future hopes.

How do you feel your relationship turned out?
PW: I’m fortunate to have gay and lesbian friends at BioWare who were willing to take a look at Traynor for me and help me edit a few bad lines that played into negative stereotypes. As for the fans, the reaction has been very positive so far – I think the nicest thing I’ve heard was, “I think I’ve actually had that conversation in real life.” The largest concern I’ve heard in feedback about Traynor is that people want more conversations with her – which I think holds true for just about every romance in the game.

Traynor’s shower scene has also raised some eyebrows. I liked it, but for a while we were on the fence about whether to have that scene or just do a fade to black as Shepard stood up. We put it in because this scene was Traynor’s biggest romance moment from a cinematic perspective (her endgame love scene is very short and simple), and I didn’t want to say, “Romancing Ash? You get a big cutscene. Romancing Traynor? Fade to black.” And also because I think it’s a lovely, funny scene from Guillherme Ramos (who also brought you the Liara cabin scene in Lair of the Shadow Broker).

DE: Though I was a bit out of my element here, I’m very happy with how Cortez turned out. Given the nature of the relationship, I expected that my work here would be scrutinized more than anything I’ve ever done, so not one word was written lightly. The early feedback I’ve seen has been encouraging, and I’m eager to hear everything players have to say about him, both positive and negative.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
PW: I’m really proud of Traynor’s relationship. I think that it came together really well — the artists did a wonderful job, Alix Wilton Regan did an amazing job voicing her, and the cinematic designers really made her come to life.

It’s also entirely possible that, writing a same-sex conversation for the first time, I still created something that plays into stereotypes. Everyone I showed the scenes to knows me, and knowing me might have caused them to give some scenes the benefit of the doubt. That feedback – places where I can improve in writing a character, places where I broke immersion — is what helps me do a better job next time I’m writing a romance character who isn’t a white male game designer.

DE: I’ll echo Patrick: the artists, cinematic designers, and voice actors all did amazing jobs. I love Matthew Del Negro’s voice for Cortez, and thought Leo Lucien-Bay, the cinematic designer for the Purgatory dance scene, did a fantastic job with such a challenging scene under immense time constraints. It’s great to see how players are receiving Cortez. I’m taking notes on every bit of a feedback I see.

We recently visited the CMPUT 250 class, a multidisciplinary course that brings student teams together to create a video game using BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights engine. Each semester, groups of six students from different backgrounds (art, writing, programming, audio) produce an original game design.

Neil Thompson

On April 25, 2012, the class celebrated their achievements at the 4th Annual Computing Science 250 Game Development Awards. The teams showcased their products to a panel of judges who chose winners for various categories: Excellence in Art and Design, Excellence in Writing and Story, Audio Achievement, Technical Achievement, and finally, Game of the Year. Neil Thompson, BioWare Edmonton’s Director of Art and Animation, gave an inspirational speech about the creative environment and passionate people who work in the gaming industry. He also made mention of the many interns BioWare brings in from the university.

Milestone Productions

Milestone Productions, pictured above, won the prestigious Game of the Year award with their game “Dawn.” The team took home collector’s editions of Mass Effect 3 signed by the game’s developers. Milestones Productions also earned the awards for Excellence in Art and Design as well as Audio Achievement.

Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition

BioWare would like to thank the students of Computing Science 250 for all their hard work and enthusiasm for the discipline of game design, and congratulate them on everything they have achieved this year.

From: Admiral Steven Hackett
Re: Operation EXORCIST
Confidentiality Classification: XB-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only

Soldiers of the Milky Way –

It is with great pride that I announce that we stopped a galaxy-wide Cerberus offensive. They expected surprise and speed to be on their side. They had neither, and they quickly discovered who had the superior force. You thinned their ranks and made our command and control structures safer. Since no small number of my colleagues were their targets, I offer my personal thanks.

When an assassin dies, his target lives. When thousands of assassins die, their leadership loses a major strategic option. That is the blow you have dealt. It will take Cerberus time to recover from losing their elite Phantom soldiers, time we do not intend to give them. Captured Phantoms are being interrogated to help us crack down on more Cerberus cells and sleeper agents. The intelligence we won today will be critical in the battles we face tomorrow.

Regrettably, we cannot stomp Cerberus out all at once, not yet. Our primary focus must be on the Reapers. But had we not won today, we would be hard-pressed to defend our colonies and homeworlds. That means everything to the friends, families, and fellow citizens for whom we are fighting.

Good work.

–Admiral Hackett

Congratulations on another successful N7 Operation!

Victory Packs and Commendation Packs will arrive no later than Thursday, May 3rd. Make sure to redeem them and prepare for battle. We’re currently planning our course of action for the next N7 operation – stay tuned to the comms for more information on the next N7 operation.

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
Hey everyone! Robin Mayne here. First off, thanks to Jessica and the community team for the chance to do this Q&A (and for just rocking in general, srsly). Hopefully I can share some interesting stuff with you all about making games, which can be an exciting and challenging proposition for sure.

My latest role at BioWare has been on the Mass Effect team, working with the many talented folks who bring the ME universe and storyline to life: the content creators on the Story and Level teams. There is a small (and gifted) army that includes level designers like Raylene Deck, writers such as Sylvia Feketekuty, cinematic animators, level artists, and cinematic designers. These are the folks I work with most directly, though of course there are many, many more disciplines that collaborate on a game like Mass Effect.

I am a Development Director on the franchise… this means my role is to help organize and facilitate these teams so that they can make the best game possible for you, the fans. The teams on games such as Mass Effect 3 are large (often hundreds of people), with many moving and interconnected parts. Bringing ideas to life in such an environment involves coordination with many people. I help to make sense of it all, so that the game comes into existence as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and providing insight that allows us as a team to make intelligent decisions about the best way to build the game. Quality is a huge focus at BioWare, so the processes we use to build our games have to be centered around adding value to the team in ways that increase the quality of the player experience. Iteration is one tool we use a lot in our development cycles. I have had the fortune of seeing every corner of the Mass Effect universe evolve and improve on a daily basis for the last several years. Quite a ride.

I initially started at BioWare about 11 years ago as a web developer, then managing our web and community teams. I worked with a very talented team here who brought forth all the web and community sites for BioWare, including Neverwinter Nights, Kotor, Jade Empire, and the initial sites for Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Releasing and scheduling new community content on Neverwinter Wednesdays (which later became BioWare Wednesdays) was a core part of my job for about 5 years or so. It is neat to think so far back in time regarding our community, to the days before facebook and twitter. Good memories, for sure. That said, I am a *big* fan of where our web and community teams have taken things since.

What is the best part about your job?
Working with passionate, creative people, and seeing amazing game worlds come together. I am a big fan of the games we create.

What does an average day look like for you?
Lots of talking with people, getting things organized, and reacting to new information.

Often each day starts with a bunch of group chats, as each team gets together to discuss what was done the previous day, what the plan of attack is for today, and what’s getting in the way of making the game. There is usually a follow-up meeting where reps from each team coordinate on all the items and issues each team brought up. The bulk of the day will then proceed, carrying out all the activities needed to support what was planned first thing in the morning, and following up on the issues reported.

To give you some examples, maybe there are a couple of levels that are ready for some team feedback today. This could be because the latest art pass has been completed, making the level look that much better, or the VO for a character has now been recorded and added to the game, allowing the team to better evaluate the acting animations and camera angles for a dialogue scene. Maybe we need to setup a playtest with a group of team members because a new layout for a multiplayer map is ready, and we want to see how the new cover placement impacts the flow of the map (this is always an enjoyable part of the day).

As we go through the process of taking each section of the game from an idea to a completed area, there is a continued cycle of reviewing the content as a team, and discussing how it could be made better for the player. Those ideas will then get prioritized, implemented, and then it is back for another cycle of review. Part of my job is sorting out and tracking where each bit of the game is at in terms of the overall process, so that we can ensure all of it is moving forward as needed, and when it isn’t, calling attention to it so that we can find the best way to deal with the situation and make sure we are creating the best game we can for players.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
By far it is witnessing the fan reaction when your game launches. Games are hard to make, and can take a long time. Knowing that what you and your fellow team members have created is now ‘out in the wild’ for all to see (and hopefully enjoy) is an amazing feeling. Seeing fans with tattoos of your game is also pretty damn cool (I have even seen kids named after our characters).

What’s a geeky thing about you?
See the last question in this interview, heh. I also love astronomy. Jupiter is amazing, even in regular binoculars, and is often the first and brightest thing you see in the sky each night (second brightest if Venus is around, as it is now).

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
There are three avenues I can think of that are worth looking into: 1) get involved with a modding community. 2) familiarize yourself with the games industry at places like gamasutra.com (or better yet, go to a GDC if you can). 3) Check out the job listings at as many companies as you can (such as http://www.bioware.com/careers ) and look for patterns in what skills are sought after. Find creative ways to obtain those skills.

If you weren’t working in the industry, what would you be doing?
Brum brum brum. Riding my motorbike full time, of course! We actually have a bit of a biker gang at BioWare (with flaming ‘BioWarrior’ biker patches and everything).

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
I am reading the fifth book in the Game of Thrones series, A Dance with Dragons, which is doubly awesome since the TV series is also on atm (Joffrey is such a little *@!) . Game of Thrones is up there on my all time list, probably falling just short of Dune. George R.R. Martin and Frank Herbert have a special place on my bookshelf.

As for gaming… I have a bit of ‘shiny object syndrome’, so I tend to have a lot on the go. For video games, I really enjoy playing both ME3 multiplayer and SWTOR with my brother, and am also playing Grimrock and League of Legends as well (Ryze ftw!). We have a very active Warhammer/Warmachine miniature wargaming group at work, and I field a couple of different armies when we get to throw down. I have also been on a bit of a boardgame kick lately, playing a lot of Defenders of the Realm, Dominion, Thunderstone Advance, and Puerto Rico. Arkham Horror and the Mage Knight boardgame are also in the mix, and are probably my two favorites overall.

In the following video, you’ll be treated to a character discussion of Mordin Solus, as explained by Patrick Weekes and senior writer John Dombrow at the “BioWare and Mass Effect” panel at PAX East 2012. Take a look at how Mordin was created, how he evolved over the series, and of course, how the writers decided to send off the scientist Salarian.