It’s approaching that time in the year where things become rather exciting to be a BioWare fan, N7 Day is literally here, Dragon Age Day on the horizon, and of course, The Game Awards are almost upon us, the perfect place where we may, or may not see something regarding the next Dragon Age game.
Even so, we have a lot of things to look forward to, despite the fact that Dragon Age 4 is still a while away. Speaking of which, today, we have a fair few news updates to delve into. So, jumping into this like Andraste to a fire, something we may see very soon, is a new Dragon Age website.
New Website:
Very recently, Mark Darrah tweeted: “We've been working on a new Dragon Age site. Not ready to go live. But if you want a quick peak”: (With a link going to Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up).
And, what a bop of a song. While Mark followed this up with a joke, I believe he’s being genuine about working on a new Dragon Age website. Which is quite exciting indeed.
So far, the Dragon Age website has updated twice, following the release of both previous Dragon Age 4 related-trailers, bringing relevant information from the developers working on the next project, sharing a few words for its vision.
For instance, when The Dread Wolf Rises teaser dropped, Mark Darrah and Matthew Goldman stated their creative vision for the project on a new Dragon Age website.
And recently, when the Gamescom Behind the Scenes trailer dropped, again the Dragon Age website was updated with a red lyrium background, small plot synopsis, and a newsletter sign-up form.
So, if Mark is hinting at a new website coming soon - and twice now - we’ve seen a new website pop up when a trailer has released, does that mean we’re getting another Dragon Age 4 trailer soon? Perhaps this time a small title reveal trailer?
Or, is this new website just going to pop out of the blue, with no trailer, revealing new Dragon Age 4 information?
I think we’ll see the Dragon Age website updated alongside a new trailer. But the question is when? Mark’s tweet alludes to a timely release, as it’s not ready to go live yet, but perhaps soon.
So, if we don’t see anything at The Game Awards 2020 in December, I think we’ll most certainly see something at EA Play 2021 in June, because Dragon Age 4 has an initial release window of 2022 – 2023, and BioWare generally market their games at least two years before release.
So, we’re most likely going to see something bigger next year, than what we’ve had this year. I genuinely believe we’re beginning to enter the slow stages of Dragon Age 4’s marketing, and I think the next trailer we’ll see, will be a title reveal. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing something soon.
Anyhow, moving on to the next update. We already know that Dragon Age 4 is going to be next gen, considering its 2022 – 2023 release date, and the fact that John Epler outrightly tweeted: “Next Gen” when referring to the Dragon Age 4 in-engine shots that were showcased at EA Play this year.
As an update to Dragon Age 4’s next generation capabilities, we have somewhat of an understanding of the Frostbite engine’s technological advancements that may shape Dragon Age 4’s world.
Next Gen A.I:
Discovered in a video by Skullzi TV, EA have an in-force patent regarding “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BASED VIRTUAL OBJECT AGING”, that is going to be incorporated in future EA Games, considering every studio other than Respawn and EA Original titles are using the Frostbite engine.
The abstract of this A.I is as followed:
“The virtual object aging system can utilize artificial intelligence to modify virtual objects within a video game to age and/or deteriorate for a certain time period. The virtual object aging system can be used to determine erosion, melting ice, and/or other environmental effects on virtual objects within the game. The virtual object aging system can apply aging, rust, weathering, and/or other effects that cause persistent change to object meshes and textures.”
While this technology sounds very exciting for many things like potential locations that age in time with different environmental effects that may change based on the player’s choices, and hazards within the world, like growth of Red Lyrium.
At the current moment, this A.I’s true purpose for the next Dragon Age is frankly unknown, and very broad. Even so, it’s excited to see that the next Dragon Age is aiming for that next gen-feel, and that the team actually have the technology to build worlds that feel immersive and reactive to the player.
We’re going to be experiencing a truly next-generation experience in the next Dragon Age. This patent was filled on the 27th of March, 2019, and was granted on the 27th of October, 2020. So, the teams within EA can certainly begin to use this technology from here on out.
If you’re interested in more development secrets relating to many of BioWare’s games and projects, you’re in luck because BioWare are releasing a book dedicated to 25 years of development within the studio. In which we can expect “never-before-seen art and photos anchored by candid stories from developers past and present.”
BioWare 25 Years of Development Book:
If you’re still not roped in just yet, we have a sneak peek at the insides of this book, which showcases many stories throughout BioWare’s 25-year journey, from Baldur’s Gate to Neverwinter Nights, to Mass Effect, and finally Dragon Age. The final preview page revealed Dragon Age: Inquisition artwork, so we can certainly expect more Dragon Age contents when this book drops later this month.
Depending on how many secrets are spilled on Dragon Age and Mass Effect related projects, I will most likely create a video of my own on this book’s discoveries, considering I’ve already bought it anyways.
Now, there is a catch with the release dates, if you’ve pre-ordered the hardcover, then the book should release on the 17th of November, however, if you want to get the digital, kindle edition, that version is releasing on the 15th of December, an entire month later.
So, the ball is in your court if you’d like to purchase this book, again, I will most likely create content on this book’s secrets, if we have any relating to Dragon Age. If you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, wanting to buy this for Dragon Age secrets, but not sure if It’s going to be worth it just yet, you’ll always have me to cover it for you, just in case.
The Last Court:
And finally, we have some sad news. Dragon Age: The Last Court, a text-based, interactive game available on the Dragon Age Keep, is going to deactivate on November 17th. Ironically, the same day the hardcover development book releases. If you’ve not had a chance to play this adventure, log in on the Keep as soon as possible and play it soon. This game takes around a week to complete it fully, so again, play The Last Court while you have a chance before it’s gone for good. You’ll unlock a unique window that can be used to customise Skyhold, when completing the adventure. So, if you’re a completionist like me, or just want more Dragon Age content, go and play this before it’s too late.
There has been select groups within the fandom who’re trying to screencap all of The Last Court, so it can be immortalised for future reference.
Caitie of Ghil Dirthalen, asked Jonathan Warner, Project Director at BioWare if anything could be done to save The Last Court.
He replied saying he’ll look into it, but he’s not sure.
Unfortunately, that’s where we’re at currently with The Last Court, it certainty seems like the game will be closing in just two weeks, so go and play it on the Dragon Age Keep right now, if you haven’t already.
With that said, that’ll do it for my smaller news updates today, I didn’t think I would be putting together a news update prior to The Game Awards, but here we are!
I’m currently working on my yearly news recap of everything we learned about the next Dragon Age in 2020, as hugely requested because everyone loved my yearly recap last year, so if you have missed any updates, you’ll have them in one video, coming in December!
Not to mention, we still have plenty of celebrations and opportunities coming up to enjoy Dragon Age and the fandom! I will be streaming The Game Awards 2020 live, just in case we do see something this year, and if we don’t, well at least we can all clown in solidarity. So, tune in for that!
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