This interview is stuffed full! Executive Producer Mark Darrah talks about development choices made in Dragon Age 2, as well as broader topics, like what sets BioWare apart as a developer. Read on!

A few weeks back, I flew out to Edmonton to join close two dozen other journalists to get a really good understanding of BioWare's latest epic RPG: Dragon Age 2. Well, no story simply ends at one author's opinions, and this is definitely the case today. I managed to snag the attention of Executive Producer Mark Darrah to pick his thoughts clean on a huge variety of things, ranging from just how happy he is with Dragon Age 2, all the way to the reason why BioWare is so good at making unique and lasting games. So without further ado, let's get on with this hefty interview!

ZAM: I'm here with Mark Darrah, executive producer at BioWare for Dragon Age 2! Thanks for answering some of my questions, Mark.

Mark Darrah: Not a problem at all!

ZAM: With Dragon Age: Origins, I noticed that a lot of stress was placed on creating a proper foundation for the much larger Dragon Age series. These days, however, Dragon Age 2 appears to have a different 'motivation' behind it than DA:O. To kick things off, what was the initial idea behind this particular Dragon Age? What are you trying to do with Dragon Age 2?

Mark: I guess the reality is that we have a place that we want to take the Dragon Age universe. So there are certain stories that we want to tell, and situations that we want to explore. So each game has a goal in mind, in terms of things that it needs to do to bring us toward that final objective. So in the case of Origins, it was about establishing some of the major political factions, introducing the way magic works, introducing the idea of the Blight, Archdemons and Grey wardens, as well as other major plot points. In Dragon Age 2, we explore some of those previously mentioned points, but we also dig more deeply into other things, like the Qunari, the Templars, and things like that. So, ultimately, there is a place we are going, and I guess each game is a step toward getting us there.

ZAM: And that final location you want to move toward is…? Have you ever considered an MMO?

Mark: So in terms of where we want to get, from a game play perspective, I can certainly see an MMO being a possibility in our future; this is a universe that is certainly large enough to contain that. MMO development, however, is quite different from other forms of development, so I'd like to get more traditional games under our belt before we try to tackle something like that, but I can certainly see it as a possibility.

ZAM: And outside of that, what sort of 'final destinations' did you have in mind in other aspects, not relating to game play changes?

Mark: Each of these games is, from a story perspective, a step toward something… Well, I can't really talk about that. But I will say that each game is going to expand upon the Dragon Age universe. We're not going to rehash the same themes or the same areas. Each game is going to move us closer to having a more fully realized world. So if you think of it from an MMO perspective, actually, each game is getting us closer to having a world well enough defined to do something like that.

ZAM: Outside of that, there are a significant number of changes in DA2 in comparison to DA:O, especially in the artwork and the significant combat changes. While we've heard numerous reasons as to why these changes took place, just to hear it from your own perspective, what do you think precipitated these changes?

Mark: The changes we're making in Dragon Age 2 are in reaction, in a large part, to fan feedback and reviews from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O is a really strong game, but it has its weaknesses. Combat being pretty slow and unresponsive to player input, as well as DA:O having a not very recognizable art direction were two common themes. What we're really trying to do is address those problems. Keep the Dragon Age 'feel,' but enhance the places that needed the work. So keeping the tactical elements of combat, but making sure that it was more responsive; that when you pushed a button, something happened immediately. We also obviously wanted to keep that fantasy setting, but we also wanted to make sure that if you were shown a screenshot of Dragon Age 2, you would be able to recognize that it was a Dragon Age screenshot.