Apr 10, 2012

BioWare Developers Discuss Ideas and Share Concept Art For the "Hypothetical" Next Dragon Age Game

Kotaku

Some fine folks from BioWare held a Dragon Age panel at PAX East this weekend in which they emphatically did not talk about still-unannounced Dragon Age 3.

Creative Director Mike Laidlaw, Executive Producer Mike Darrah, Lead Writer David Gaider, and Assistant Art Director Shane Hawco presented an array of slides, displaying and responding to fan feedback they'd received from previous Dragon Age games, most particularly Dragon Age II.

"We're going to talk about some stuff today," Laidlaw explained, "And this stuff is not tied to a specific product. Now, I think you can all do some mental math, maybe a bit of gymnastics, and figure out what we're really saying — but let's be clear, we're not making graven promises this year, but we're talking about some ideas and some feedback we got from you guys."

Having established that the presentation was just as much totally not about Dragon Age 3 as Law and Order has totally never been about Michael Jackson (at least three times), what did they then promise to do in their not-upcoming non-game?

A great deal of fan feedback themes flashed on the screen, but ultimately three remained as major points:

Stop reusing levels
Decisions that matter
Equipment for followers
Laidlaw then broke down in some depth how the Dragon Age dev team plans to address each of those concerns going forward in the franchise.

Flashing "WILL DO!" on the screen under "stop reusing levels," Laidlaw acknowledged that gamers were tired of "cheese wheels in caves," and spoke about space and scope while displaying some gorgeous, sweeping concept art. He also promised that should they "need to go somewhere more urban," it would not be DA2's Kirkwall, but rather "somewhere more... French," hinting strongly at at least one city or town in Orlais.

Laidlaw then moved on to "decisions that matter" (on screen: YES!), breaking that down into the areas of both character agency and player agency. Character agency was taken to mean, "My character has an active effect on his or her world, determined by my choices," where player agency encompasses, "I have control over my gameplay experience." Laidlaw promised more of the former but cautioned that the latter is always strongly limited, simply by the nature of game design. He also promised that players could carry forward choices made in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, presumably through save imports, and find that they have repercussions down the line.

Finally, discussing gear customization for companion characters (also "YES!," on screen), Laidlaw paused a moment to point to the large number of DA2 cosplayers in the front of the room, all of whom were dressed in instantly recognizable ways. He explained that creating a signature look was important to the development team, saying, "This is what a signature look can provide. A good chance for people to really identify with them, from a tactical sense you can look at them on the battlefield and they have their own silhouette, their own shape."

He then demonstrated, with concept art for both a Grey Warden companion and for a Seeker companion, how the team hopes to include interchangeable gear and armor customization — up to and including materials and dyes — while still maintaining a unique and distinct look for each character in the party. A chestplate may change shapes, depending on which character the player equips it, but it can still provide the same bonuses and stats.

For all that I completely adored playing Dragon Age II and inadvertently became one of its loudest defenders for a time, I agree with the majority opinion that some of the core mechanics were lacking. I personally didn't care about the map recycling, because I've never particularly loved dungeon-delving, but the varied, hugely expansive locations in Dragon Age: Origins were a hallmark of the game and I don't blame any fan who was disappointed over their absence in the sequel. Bringing back a greater variety of locations can only help the next game.

But what I hope more than anything that they keep for the next Dragon Age game is the depth of character that developed so richly among companions in DA2. Having a dialogue wheel that indicated tone, along with a voiced protagonist, let DA2 avoid the dissonance I constantly felt in Origins, where what I thought was an innocent question would immediately offend the companion of whom I asked it. The interplay of companions outside of Hawke's sphere, and the richness of their banter as the game went on, brought Kirkwall to life for me with a sense of place and life that I've felt in very few other games.

If BioWare can keep the richness of characters and relationships that set Dragon Age II apart, while bringing back the hallmark exploratory attitude and piles of RPG inventory that made Dragon Age: Origins a hit, then Dragon Age 3 — should, of course, anyone ever acknowledge it exists — could be a phenomenal game indeed.

BioWare and Dragon Age at PAX East [BioWare Blog]

Apr 10, 2012

Guitar Apprentice Makers Sue Ubisoft Over Rocksmith Patent-Infringement

Kotaku

Guitar Apprentice Makers Sue Ubisoft Over Rocksmith Patent-Infringement The British rock band Rocksmith aren't the only ones suing Ubisoft over the French publisher's guitar game Rocksmith. Now, the folks who make the instructional guitar game Guitar Apprentice have filed claimed patent infringement against Ubisoft over tech similarities to their own game.

Both Guitar Apprentice and Rocksmith use a real guitar, plugged into a computer (or PS3) to help players get better at the instrument.

The Guitar Apprentice patent describes that game as a "Media system and method of progressive musical instruction," before going into an "abstract" detailing how the game will work:

A method is provided for progressive musical instruction using a media system with processor-executable software modules storing musical performances each having a plurality of segments. A first set of audiovisual signals is generated to simulate a predetermined musical instrument from a selected performance during host segments. The audiovisual signals are adjusted to mute the predetermined instrument during user segments (non-host segments) of the performance. During the host segments a second set of audiovisual signals is generated for demonstration of a preferred user operation of the instrument. The number of user segments may be maintained or increased for successive iterations of the performance, as the user becomes more proficient. The determination to maintain or increase user segments, and which segments are added to the user segments, may be user selectable or programmable by the system based on various criteria.

The gist is that Guitar Apprentice is a game where you play an instrument that generates real sound and blends that sound with pre-recorded performances to show players how to play. Which is indeed pretty much the same thing as Rocksmith.

Guitar Apprentice's patent is dated October 12, 2010, almost six months before Rocksmith made its debut in March of 2011. As Patent Arcade points out, both games are predated by games like Guitar Star and Guitar Rising. Seems to me that the pro-guitar interface in Rock Band 3 is also very similar, though just one small part of a larger game.

My knowledge of patent law is too limited to make any guesses about how this will shake out, but I'll be keeping an eye on it.

New Case: Guitar Apprentice v. Ubisoft [Patent Arcade via Eurogamer]

Apr 10, 2012

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week

Kotaku

If you're here in the Panel Discussion programming block, you might be a lapsed comics reader, trying to find a way back to the JLA Satellite. Or you might someone killing time until you pick up your weekly Wednesday pull list. Or maybe you've said goodbye to dozens of longboxes to embrace the promise of digital comics. Whichever it is, you're still interested in the good stuff.

Welcome, then, to the Panel Discussion Dozen, a round-up of comics that will enrich your sequential art enjoyment. It's more like 3/4 of a dozen this week but there's great stuff coming out tomorrow. Chime in with what you think everybody needs to be reading in the comments below.

The Shade #7

What's the most attractive thing about the series featuring DC Comics' rougish, shadow-sustained hero? It's the way that James Robinson's gives you an expansive sense of the immortal lead character's life. Sure, there's an uber-plot about family and nature-vs-nuture hovering each issue, but each new sequence delivers the sense that you're in the company of a man who's lived centuries and enjoyed all of it. Good show.

Batman Incorporated Deluxe Edition HC

Grant Morrison takes a goofy concept from 1950s Batman lore—masked crimefighters from different countries modeling themselves after the Dark Knight—and makes it into a sublime travelogue. This collection puts the first nine episodes of the storyline into one place. Morrison mixes trippy conspiracy threads and gruesome violence with just enough self-aware camp to make Batman Inc. an utterly unique must-read.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week America's Got Powers #1
One of comics' best visual stylists teams up with British talk show host for this creator-owned series about a reality show where super-powered teens compete against each other for glory. With work like The Authority and The Ultimates behind him, Bryan Hitch has shown that he's a master at creating amodern superhero aesthetic. And Ross has been a savvy commentator on the sidelines of comics, so it'll be interesting to see how his media sensibilities shape this new series.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Saga #2
The first issue of Saga entranced me like very little else has these past few years. We're only getting a taste of the tapestry that Brian K. Vaughn's weaving, but it already feels incredibly dense and organic. War-weary robot rulers, magical counter-culture rebels and a whole social structure architected around and in-between the two bear down on a newly-wed couple that's just given birth to a daughter. Despite all the horned heads and android antagonists, Saga feels more human than anything else on the shelves.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Secret #1

Jonathan Hickman's on a ridiculously good tear right now. His mainstream comics work for Marvel has revitalized the publisher's Ultimate Universe and his creator-owned work at Image etches out inventively paranoid speculative fiction with smart, geopolitical twists. Secret is the latest from the latter category and looks to be a twisty, hardcore look at spycraft and how messed it could really get. Pay attention to this one.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky
Just when it seems like Marvel's too busy pushing forward into movies, TV shows and video games to pay attention to its publishing past, out comes a fondly remembered gem of a graphic novel. Hooky falls under the category of work that I thought would never be reprinted. It's Spider-Man's first graphic novel and the fantasy adventure that the web-slinger goes on departs from the street crime norm that's Peter Parker's usual milieu. Legendary artist Bernie Wrightson makes the whole thing look astounding, too.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Avenging Spider-Man #6

This Spidey title pairs up the wall-crawler with a new partner every issue and this issue kicks off the three-part Omega Effect crossover with the Punisher and Daredevil. These Manhattan-based crimefighters all have violent history together, having traded blows and gunshots over their long careers. All their titles are enjoying really strong writing now so I'm intrigued to see where this winds up.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Secret Service #1
http://marvel.com/comic_books/issue/42701/secret_service_2012_1
Years after I enjoyed Wanted and his run on the Authority, I've grown extremely weary of Millar's bluster-heavy, all-high-concept, no-conceptual-buildout movie pitches on paper. But, despite myself, I still show up for the first issues of his new projects. I'm hoping that this one exceeds the shallow depth of Nemesis and Superior, though. Chances are that it might given that Dave Gibbons—one-half of the legendary team behind the classic Watchmen—is an excellent scripter and plotter in his own right, along with being a great artist.

Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week Courtney Crumrin And The Night Things HC Special Edition
The gorgeous creepy-cute cult comics series by Ted Naifeh's been out of print way too long, making this hardcover a welcome arrival. It's like Edward Gorey and Joss Whedon collaborated on a new not-for-kids horror tale.

Apr 10, 2012

Drawing Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Means David Marquez's Girlfriend Has A Bigger Gamerscore Than He Does

Kotaku

Part of Panel Discussion's mission is to look at the ways and places where comics and video games intersect and here in Crossover, we'll be talking to game creators about the comics stories and creators who've shaped their sensibilities.

So far in Crossover, we've spoken to game creators about comics. This time, we're talking to a comics artist about his craft and how video games intersect with it.

Drawing Spider-Man's a high-pressure gig. He's the best known character from Marvel Comics and the Ultimate update of the character had one artist for a good long stretch of time. Adding to the pressure is the fact that all-new character Miles Morales is now the Ultimate Universe's web-slinger, with a new costume and new powers to boot.

As the new artist on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, it's David Marquez's responsibility to make Miles Morales and his new costume as appealing to readers as Peter Parker and his outfit were. I e-mailed with Marquez—whose debut issue on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man came out last week—about how he's making Miles feel different than Peter, why drawing comics means that his girlfriend Tara gets more video game bragging rights than he does and the video game he wishes he could make into a comic.

Kotaku: When did you know you wanted to be a comic-book artist?
I've been reading comics since I was a kid, probably first grade or so. I remember doing this drawing of Robin in class one day and my friend leaned over and just said "wow!" It was a great feeling and I think that was the start of it all – simple operant conditioning. B.F. Skinner eat your heart out. But it wasn't until college that I started really considering it seriously and started going to conventions for portfolio reviews and the like. I eventually graduated (B.A. History and Government – not at all art related) and, on a bit of a whim, applied for an animation position on A SCANNER DARKLY and was hired on. That job convinced me that art was a viable career choice and the rest, as they say, is history. With lots of ramen.

Kotaku: Who were your artistic influences when you were growing up?

Name your Image artist and they're probably on the list, ha, ha. The first big influence was Jim Lee, back during his Uncanny X-Men run. And WildC.A.T.s was totally my jam. After him, I fell into a decade-long obsession with Travis Charest – eventually broadening out to include a bunch of the late 90s/early 2000s superstars: Bryan Hitch, John Cassaday, J.G. Jones, Frank Quitely to name a few.

Kotaku: Have you ever drawn Peter Parker as Spider-Man? How do you try to make Miles feel and look different when he's in costume?

I have drawn the traditional Peter Parker Spider-Man, but only for personal sketches and commissions. With Miles I guess there are a few basic tricks to keep him from looking too much like his mainstream counterpart. The first focuses on his proportions: Miles, being a kid, has a larger head in relation to the rest of his body, and I like to keep him very skinny. And while he's in good shape, I don't ever want him to appear too muscular, keeping him stringy and sinewy instead.

Drawing Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Means David Marquez's Girlfriend Has A Bigger Gamerscore Than He Does Beyond his build, I try to have him act in a fairly distinctive manner as well. He's completely untrained and inexperienced, so when he's bouncing around and leaping off buildings and walls, I try to make is actions feel just one notch above uncontrolled flailing – like when he lands safely, it's really almost by accident.

Kotaku: What's the hardest thing to draw on the Miles Morales version of the Spider-Man costume?

I think it's probably the webbing – for such a seemingly simple design element, there's actually a great deal of detail in the pattern. For example: where do the individual strands bend upwards vs hang downward? How many strands are there? I'm not 100% consistent from panel to panel, but I do my best to keep it convincing throughout.

Kotaku: When approaching established characters like the Fantastic Four, how do you balance the line between honoring what's come before and making sure the look of a new take like Season One appeals to modern-day audiences?

That was undoubtedly the hardest part of drawing Fantastic Four: Season One. From a design standpoint, we were aiming for "timeless, but contemporary," and I really tried to draw on clothing and fashion styles that kind of straddled the tight-laced 1960s of, say, Mad Men, and more contemporary looks. Luckily, there's a pretty strong preppy vibe in a lot of today's fashion and that blends well with the timeless, "Classic American" feel of FF.

So, as a case in point, I patterned Reed Richards directly off Don Draper – a clean cut 1960s-era professional man, and Sue Storm was very heavily influenced by January Jones' Betty. Johnny Storm drew pretty heavily on James Dean (with a faux hawk, anyway). My Ben Grimm looked a heck of a lot like the dad from Wonder Years, mixed with a kind of grown-up Little Rascals fashion sense. So hopefully, all of these tickled people's memories, making the characters feel a little more familiar.

From there, I tried to give the settings and costumes and powers a near-future aesthetic – lots of clean lines and bright lights – to bring the slightly retro feel of the characters into the exciting world of sci-fi adventure that so defines the FF.

Kotaku: Do you draw your work entirely digitally? When did you start? How does that affect your speed?

I do work entirely digitally, and this is something I picked up while working as an animator on A SCANNER DARKLY. It was actually at the suggestion of my girlfriend that I try applying the skills I learned from the movie to comics, and once I tried it out, I never looked back. Without a doubt, the greatest benefit of working digitally is the speed – I can pencil and ink a page in Photoshop in sometimes 1/3 the time (or less) it'd take me to do so traditionally. One of the main reasons is that, since I can always erase or undo a line that I don't like, I feel much more comfortable and confident as I draw. There's no need to belabor every line, in fear of messing it up. And since I have a very clean, precise inking style, digital is a HUGE help.

Kotaku: Video games are a powerful temptation for procrastination when you manage your own workflow. Are you an avid gamer? When do you fit it in?

I'm definitely a gamer, but like you've pointed out, work has to come first. I'm mostly a big adventure/RPG guy. I'm currently playing Mass Effect 3 (on the last mission, actually), which has been such a great game. My girlfriend and I had just started dating when the first Mass Effect came out, and we ended up playing through that game together (she's a badass in the Mako – I miss that tank), so this game has been a big part of my life the last few years. And naturally, we've played through as FemShep.

I've done my best to avoid multiplayer, as based on my friends' experiences, it seems like the ultimate time-suck. But, thanks to ME3, I've played a bit of multiplayer (gotta get the Military Readiness up!), and I gotta say it's a whole lotta fun, even if I'm TERRIBLE at it.

Drawing Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Means David Marquez's Girlfriend Has A Bigger Gamerscore Than He Does Kotaku: What games are your all-time favorites? What are you looking forward to?

A few games I've gotten into: the Assassin's Creed franchise, Metal Gear (I broke down and bought a PS3 just to play MGS4), The Elder Scrolls games (going back to Morrowind, and Skyrim is fantastic), Fallout, Batman Arkham Asylum & Arkham City and one of my all time favs: the Katamari series.

Right now, I'm really looking forward to having some time to go back and finish some of the games I've picked up over the last year. I haven't finished half those games I listed earlier, while in the meantime my girlfriend has beaten several of them a couple times over. I hang my head in shame every time I see her gamer score creep higher and higher above mine. Sigh.

Kotaku: What games do you admire for their art direction/ Have you ever been artistically inspired by something you saw in a video game?

Oh absolutely. I really love the art department at BioWare – the designs for Mass Effect and Dragon Age blew my mind. I actually just got the Mass Effect digital art book from Dark Horse, just so I could stare at all the concept art.

One of the dangers, though, with drawing too heavily from video games for comic art is the difference in detail. There's a very good reason most costumes in comics are fairly simple: you are going to draw it over and over and over and over again. I love all the crazy detail you see in these video game designs, but most of them would be a NIGHTMARE to draw on a monthly basis.

Kotaku: If you could adapt any video game story into comics form, which would it be? Why?

Going back to one of my earlier favs, I think a Katamari comic would be INSANE, and insanely fun to both write and draw. It would be trippy and epic and all the crazy emotional abuse the King of All the Cosmos lays down on the Prince is storytelling gold.