Tag Archives: Ethan Levy

Dragon Age Legends Question and Answer

by Ethan Levy

Hey BioWare community, it’s me, Dragon Age Legends game producer Ethan Levy. First of all, I wanted to say thanks for all the questions. We’re glad so many fans are excited about getting their hands on the game we’ve been working so hard on. We’ve gotten a lot of questions asking how beta keys are being distributed, and I wanted to clear that up quickly before moving on to the Q&A.

We’re operating the Legends closed beta like any other online game. We’ll be sending out batches of beta keys each week until from now until launch to people who have registered for access at http://beta.dragonagelegends.com. We’re going to do our best to give beta keys to everyone who signs up, so just because you didn’t receive a key this week doesn’t mean you won’t be included in the next round of emails.

We’ll let you know when a fresh round of beta keys have been sent off over on our Facebook wall and on the Legends section of the BioWare social forums. If you haven’t already, make sure to Like the app on Facebook to get updates directly in your news feed.

1 ) Dev team, how are you envisioning Legends will contribute to the overall Dragon Age experience for players? Will this medium be used to tell a story of its own or will players be more likely to see it as simply a way to earn bonuses for the “real” game?

In terms of extending the Dragon Age experience, EA2D has two very specific goals in mind. The first goal is to bring new players to the Dragon Age franchise. We wanted to make Legends true to BioWare’s vision and also make it a highly accessible entry point into this beautifully crafted world. So, if you have friends or family who are into games, but believe that RPGs aren’t for them, we hope that Dragon Age Legends is an ideal introduction to the genre.

The second goal we set is that for the BioWare faithful, we want Dragon Age Legends to keeps their Dragon Age itch scratched in between releases of the core game. We know that many fans will play through Dragon Age 2 multiple times, but when they’re done we want them to pick up Legends while waiting for the next piece of DLC. Legends is also good for a quick hit of Dragon Age when you’re away from your console or gaming rig. Whether you’re in the school library, stuck in a boring meeting, or taking a break from your desk job, Legends will be there to deliver a dose of Dragon Age goodness.

2) What do you guys have planned for the “Perks” part of the crown store? I guess this goes without saying, but what are perks?

The Perks section is where we plan on selling accelerants, such as a 2x XP boost for 24 hours, or +10 ATK for 24 hours. We wanted to design a mechanism for new players trying to catch up to friends who’ve been playing for weeks to be able to do so without feeling like they have to wake up in the middle of the night to maximize their energy use and crafting output.

3) How do you plan to make Dungeons work? I’ve seen them in NPC castles, but we can’t build them yet.

One of the wonderful things about the software as a service model is that as a developer, you can add to your game for months or even years after its original launch instead of having to put a disc in a box and immediately move on to a sequel. So, we have plenty of ideas waiting in the wings such as Dungeons.

We’re still hammering out all of the details for Dungeons, which won’t be available at launch, but one idea for Dungeons is that you would be able to visit a friends’ castle and sneak a worker into one of their crafting stations. That way, you can take advantage of a friend with a maxed out Apothecary. But, if the owner signs in and catches your worker using their room, they can throw him into the Dungeon for a period of time and get a boost to their castle’s happiness. Of course, once we nail it down, we’ll let you guys know.

4) Will the connectivity between Dragon Age Legends and Dragon Age II remain an important feature after the launch of Dragon Age II?

We want Dragon Age Legends to be around for a long time, and are excited about finding interesting ways to connect Legends to Dragon Age II like we have with the unlock items. We’re excited about designing meaningful ways for time invested in Dragon Age Legends to enhance your experience with the core Dragon Age game. Time will tell, but we hope so.

5) Ever since the Origins launch, BioWare has been committed to Dragon Age not only as a game, but as a franchise. How will Dragon Age Legends contribute to this franchise?

As I said before, our goals for Dragon Age Legends put strengthening the franchise at their core. We want to introduce new players to Dragon Age while also being the bridge that carries Dragon Age faithful between releases of core games and any future content.

6) With such a deep and rich universe to explore and expand upon, what is the scope of Dragon Age Legends and how do you see it evolve in the future?

For Legends’ launch, we’ve been focusing on three main gameplay components: Castle, Quest and Combat. We already have a backlog of major game features we can’t wait to bring to Legends. So long as the community is there to support us, we will expand Legends by adding more than just new quest updates and bug fixes each month. Our ambition is to bring major, game changing features like a PvP Arena, Castle vs Castle battles, Raids, Crafting, Guilds, etc.

If fans love the game and support what EA2D is trying to do, there’s no limit to what Legends will become.

7) Dragon Age Legends producer Ethan Levy has already voiced his commitment to complete the (also awesome!) Dragon Age Journeys saga. Any news to share on that front?

Thanks for the compliment! And thanks for reading my blog posts. Unfortunately, I have no news to share on that front. Our team (myself included) is 100% focused on the successful launch of Dragon Age Legends at the moment. In the meantime, I will treat you to a look at some never-released-before- art from Journeys:

Lord Graedit, the Dragon Cultist

Guarding the Lost, Ivo Family Vault

Also, as an added bonus, here’s a scan from the notebook of when I went to Melbourne to work with Dan Stradwick, the mastermind behind Dragon Age Journeys. We had been working together for some time, and this is my first attempt at fleshing out Dan’s story into the 12 main quests that make up the full Dragon Age Journeys arch. If you can’t read my handwriting, just feel comforted knowing that I can’t either.

Part 1 – Mystery, Part 2 – Royal Notice, Part 3 – Ass Kicking

8 ) Do the skills names/actions in Dragon Age: Legends correspond to skill names/action in Dragon Age 2?

As we were developing in parallel to DA2, we took great inspiration from Dragon Age: Origins as well as the design documentation BioWare provided on Dragon Age II. We also had license to do what was right for the unique gameplay we were crafting with Legends. I’m sure there is overlap, but if so, it is serendipitous. The skill trees in Legends should not be viewed as a sneak peak at the skill trees in Dragon Age II.

9) While it is free to play Dragon Age Legends on Facebook, it looks like you are going to charge for optional premium content. Will Legends still be fun if we don’t buy the premium items? What is the difference between the free and paid items?

Yes, Legends will still be fun if you do not buy premium items. Premium items are designed to accelerate and amplify the fun you have playing Dragon Age Legends. We’ve crafted Legends to be fun for a variety of play styles. You will be able to experience the full game whether you want to invest a lot of time into the game, be social and share your adventure with a lot of friends, or pay for premium items that accelerate and amplify the fun.

About that phat Dragon Age Legends loot….

by Ethan Levy

For Dragon Age fans, one of the most exciting parts of Dragon Age Legends is the ability to earn unique unlock items for your hero in Dragon Age 2. We have collaborated with BioWare to develop a set of five items you can unlock in Dragon Age 2 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. We’ll let you know how you can earn each of these items in the future, but for now we wanted to explain a little bit about how these items were designed.

For the back story of Dragon Age Legends, we needed to create a hero who was a renowned demon hunter. We wanted this mythical hero, Evra, to be truly badass. So we made the request “Could you give us a ring that one would use to punch demons in the face?” BioWare did not disappoint.

Evra’s Might

When Evra gained notoriety by defeating the Blood Sisters of Vehnstel, he was wearing his signature ring. Although the massive size of the solid gold ring attracts attention, it served a more practical purpose for Evra: he used it to punch demons in the face, sometimes felling them in a single blow.

Evra’s Trophy Belt

This grisly belt is filled with monstrous teeth, chipped blades, scraps of fur, and armor fragments. Each piece is said to be a trophy collected by Evra during his many adventures.

Air of Confidence

After averting a disaster at the Circle of Markham, Evra was given this ring by the First Enchanter. Though the Air of Confidence is not as eye-catching as his other famous ring, it is said that Evra always wore it, even when sleeping. The exact magical properties of the Air of Confidence are a subject of much speculation amongst minstrels.
We wanted our other two items to tie into the fiction of our previous collaboration with BioWare, Dragon Age Journeys. These two items – the Ivo Family Crest and Dura’s Blue Flame – play a part in the narrative of our back burner project, finishing the story of Dragon Age Journeys. For fans who completed the first chapter of Journeys, you should note that we slightly changed the name of the item from “Durus’ Blue Flame” to “Dura’s Blue Flame”. It is just plain easier to pronounce.

Ivo Family Crest

Evolving over the years, the crest of House Ivo has become much more ornate than Paragon Ivo’s original design. This ancient golden amulet bears the original crest. Though the engravings are simple, the stark lines are somehow deeply stirring.

Dura’s Blue Flame

This weathered silver amulet has passed through many hands over the years. A deep blue sapphire almost glows in a certain light. Although time has faded its intricate engravings, the amulet has a certain majesty about it.

If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for the beta today. And be sure to Like Dragon Age Legends on Facebook. It will be the best way to hear about the start of the closed beta …

Dragon Age Journeys Part 2: Naming

Part 2 of 4 by Ethan Levy

Dragon Age Journeys

One of the two leaders of our group here at EA 2D is veteran super producer turned VP of Development Pete Hawley. Pete’s career highlights include being executive producer of Burnout Paradise, serving as development director at Sony, heading production at Lionhead and producing Driver. Simply put, Pete is one of the most accomplished producers in the game industry.

We recently had to decide on a name for the game, as the placeholder Dragon Age 2d wouldn’t hold. As we were clearly banging our heads against the wall, Pete told us a story about the naming session for Lionhead’s flagship franchise. At the beginning of the night that with a gang including Hawley and Peter Molyneux, Pete and a few others made the suggestion that they go with the short, simple descriptor that fit their storybook heroics, Fable. As with any meeting that involves a handful of creative friends working on a problem with no clear solution, the night went long, and soon the clock read 3am and then someone says, “Enough. I’ve got it. Jesus 2000. He’s back, and this time, He’s pissed!” But the answer had been staring them in the face all along.
Our naming session began with Dragon Age: Journeys as one of the top contenders. But the naming session stretched on, we got increasingly exasperated and our suggestions became a string of gaming nerd in jokes, such as:
• Ages of Dragon Age
• Dragon Age: Origins’ Origins
• Dragon Age: Origins: Origins
• Dragon Age: TitNS (This is the New Sh*t)
• Heroes of Dragons and Magic
• Paper Dragon Age
• Dragon Age: Tactics Advance Online
• Dragon Age: Sexy Browser Adventures
• Dragon Age: Age of the Dragon
And of course:
• Imagine: Dragonz Age Fun Time Babyz Party

But, the more we went back to it, the more true Pete’s advice rang and the better Dragon Age: Journeys started to sound. The problem was that we already planned on releasing three separate chapters of single player gameplay to start, and more in the future. How would we differentiate each forthcoming chapter?

The solution was simple. We had to move the colon. Dragon Age Journeys was our brand name. It’s the umbrella under which we’ll release all of our browser based offerings. This freed us up to give each chapter a name indicative of its story, and gives us the freedom we’ll need for our future plans.

Dragon Age Journeys

Part 1 of 4 by Ethan Levy

Orzammar, under the mountains to the west of Ferelden, stands as one of the last great Dwarven cities. 1,000 years have passed since The Blight last drove the proud dwarves to seal their roads and abandon their fallen colonies. Though forsaken and all-but forgotten by the men and elves who walk the surface, the Deep Roads still teem with darkspawn. Amidst the rise of dark omens you head into peril, into the depths, into the Deep Roads.

Dragon Age Journeys

And so begins Dragon Age Journeys: The Deep Roads. Hey there BioWare fans. My name is Ethan Levy, I’m a producer with EA 2D, and I’m very proud to announce our newest game Dragon Age Journeys. At EA 2D it is our mission to create blockbusters for the browser; some will be original games created by our teams and some will be games within other EA franchises, such as Dragon Age Journeys. We broke ground on Journeys back in November 2008, and after so many months of blood, sweat and tears, we can’t tell you how excited we are to finally start talking about the game.

Dragon Age Journeys has been a collaboration between EA 2D, BioWare, and some of the hottest indie talent from the flash developer community. Over the coming days, we’ll be introducing you to the game, the talented team of developers behind its creation and some of the day-to-day craziness that goes into making a game. More than anything, we want you to get a feel for how much fun and passion goes into creating a game for the browser that can live up to the high standards set by BioWare’s illustrious history.

We have some big plans for Journeys. The first piece that we are currently building is a 3 chapter, single player, tactical rpg delivered in Flash. Right now we’re hard at work finishing the first chapter, Dragon Age Journeys: The Deep Roads. The game will introduce you to the dwarven city of Orzammar and the Deep Roads surrounding it where the dwarves face a persistent threat from the darkspawn hordes.

BioWare has been incredibly supportive in providing us with materials to work with in the creation of The Deep Roads. They have given us pages upon pages of reference materials, story documents, concept art and screenshots. We get invaluable feedback and insight on the game from members of the Dragon Age team, including Drs. Ray and Greg. The Deep Roads features character classes, talent trees, sound effects, music and user interface taken directly from Dragon Age: Origins. Thanks to all these resources and input from the BioWare team, it will serve as a solid introduction to the world of Dragon Age.

The leading force behind The Deep Roads is Daniel Stradwick, creator of the excellent flash rpg series Monster’s Den. Art and animation has been created by the illustrious Adam Phillips of Bitey Castle fame. Additional programming is being done by Andrew Sega, who created the Magic the Gathering inspired flash card games Mytheria and the multiplayer Armor Wars. The story is being penned by first time game writer Marcelo Poppi. You’ll learn more about them and the talented team at EA 2D in future posts.