GDC 06: BioWare talks Mass Effect, next-gen, and mergers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Amid the sights, sounds, and occasional smells of the San Jose Convention Center's bustling exhibit halls, Game Developers Conference 2006 was in full swing Thursday. That was plainly evident to Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk of BioWare, who sat down with GameSpot to discuss the studio's upcoming role-playing game Mass Effect for the Xbox 360, as well as its current situation with partner Pandemic Studios, progress on the studio's upcoming RPG Dragon Age, and next-generation gaming on consoles and PCs.

As mentioned in our previous coverage, Mass Effect will be a squad-based, sci-fi game in which gamers play as a human soldier in an unfriendly galaxy full of alien life forms.

According to Muzyka, players will take on the role of the "tip of humanity on a sci-fi stage," playing as a soldier in a small human contingent in a very large galaxy full of alien life that has been there long before homo sapiens ever made the trip: "kind of an outsider in the galactic hierarchy." Zeschuk said that the game is in keeping with BioWare's overriding goal to make "the best story-driven games out there."

To that end, Zeschuk explained that the game will feature just as much character development as previous BioWare games, as well as a strategic layer not unlike the party selection in Knights of the Old Republic. As in that game, in Mass Effect, gamers will choose only two teammates at any time, so you'll need to make the hard decision of which teammates to accompany your character, and then in practice, what tactics your three-person squad will use on the fly when trouble arises.

Muzyka then added that Mass Effect, in addition to emphasizing story and character development, will also attempt to revive the kind of open-ended exploration that longtime BioWare fans have greatly enjoyed in the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games--your character will roam freely, after gaining possession of a rugged rover vehicle that will help you chart out new territory.

The studio heads went on to give a vague but optimistic update on Dragon Age, the unlicensed successor to BioWare's classic Dungeons & Dragons games (minus the Dungeons & Dragons).

When asked if Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and BioWare's 2005 action RPG Jade Empire were indicative of a change in focus for BioWare, one that will see the studio work exclusively on original intellectual properties, Muzyka replied that the studio remains "open to new IPs and licenses," but that licensed games can continue to be successful if their intellectual properties are treated "with great reverence and respect."

Muzyka then added that "[BioWare] wants to work with the best partners in the world." The studio's closest (and most permanent) partner is, obviously, Pandemic Studios, with which it merged last year.

Zeschuk insisted that the collaboration has been a change for the better--that BioWare/Pandemic has not become increasingly corporate, but rather, increasingly communicative, often using video conferencing to keep teams in touch from the various branches in Australia, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and its newly-opened Austin studio, where BioWare is working on a new massively multiplayer game with the help of former Sony Online Entertainment development veterans.

Zeschuk then reiterated that the studio isn't restraining itself to any particular hardware platform either, expressing interest not only in the newly revealed PlayStation 3 hardware, but in handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP as well.

When asked about their thoughts on the recently delayed Windows Vista operating system and DirectX 10, Zeschuk replied that the new software could mean great things for PC gamers, suggesting that "Vista's features are really powerful, and could cause a resurgence of PC game development," assuming, as Muzyka pointed out, that Vista can resolve the seemingly age-old issue of driver-based software and hardware compatibility issues that sometimes plague PC game performance.

Still, the two pointed out that PC game sales of premium products actually appear to be increasing, which is perhaps simply indicative of a much smarter, more discerning audience--one that, like BioWare's cofounders, often refuses to purchase new game products without consulting review publications first.

Though BioWare/Pandemic clearly has its sights set on exploring numerous possibilities on all major game platforms, Zeschuk reiterated that at BioWare, "we'll be making PC games for a long, long time."