Biowares mmo speculation

aionix

As much as a KOTOR MMO is being wished for, especially for Star Wars fans, this last article that many of you have probably already read seems that Bioware's unkown MMO could be leaning towards its Forgotten Realms setting.

Hey Guys,



So here's the situation we're in. BioWare games require a great deal of

writing. Storylines, world building, characters, journals - and about a

bazillion lines of dialogue. What makes my job harder is not only does

all of this writing have to be high quality - something not always

demanded in our industry - it can only be done by writers who understand

the complexities of interactive fiction. Take the average screenwriter

who doesn't play RPGs, place him in front of the writing tool from

Neverwinter Nights and you'll get a linear story with a complete lack of

Player agency and no interesting decisions. Just trying to explain the

concept behind writing without a protagonist to someone who has never

even been a dungeon master can be like showing card tricks to a dog.



Which brings me to the current problem. The BioWare MMO is the largest

thing we've ever done by leaps and bounds. We're talking a double digit

writing staff working for years (yes we've already been working for well

over a year). Now I've realized I need even more writers and I've got no

reliable way of predicting where they're going to come from. In the

history of the company, we've had published fantasy authors,

screenwriters and editors all wash out of BioWare's training program. On

the flip side, we've had fantastic kids right of college, an ex CNN

producer and a former gift wrapping clerk from Singapore all succeed in

the BioWare writer family. Previous job of lead writer for Baldur's Gate

2, the highest rated PC RPG in history? Travelodge manager.



So yes, we're shaking the usual trees and our HR folks are turning over

all the rocks they can think of but I had to go through over three

hundred qualified candidates to find the team I have now so a lot of

those trees have done already been shook. With that level of challenge

around finding writers, I want to throw out an open invitation for

anyone out there that thinks might be the strange combination of RPG

fiend and talented writer to grab a copy of Neverwinter Nights and start

putting together a writing sample. I don't care if you can script, just

put three guys in a field and attach conversations to them. Make the

plot compelling, write the NPCs as real people who could exist in a

believable world even if the PC wasn't there, give me an interesting

choice or two and you're done -- easily something can be done over a

weekend and there's a ton of great community support online if you're

really tech deficient.



Anyone out there want to write for the game company with three of the

top five rated RPGs of all time on their biggest project ever?



Head here: BioWare Jobs



Cheers,



Daniel Erickson

Principal Lead Writer

BioWare Austin

 

Now I understand it could just be an easy means for Bioware looking for talented writers...but I'm getting this hunch that Forgotten Realms could be the IP used...and what a powerful one at that!

Please discuss I would to hear other opinions/information on this that others have.

elvenangel

I dont think this proves Forgotten realms.   For just about any designer job there they want proof you can build a scenario of some sort using their Aurora Toolset that is available with Neverwinter Nights.

Infact its pretty much required if you want to get a job as a designer there that you be able to write a scenario and put it together using their Toolset.  It proves you have talent and it proves your techincal ability to actually put said talent to work in a video game environment. 

*still believes Bioware is not doing KotoR or D&D *

aionix

Yea I can understand that.  No company would want inexperienced writers manning the text side of their games(nor the players lol!)  But I'm still keeping my hopes up! (guess that dubs me a FR fanboi...ahh o well more power to Bioware and the knowledge that whatever their MMO in development(for over a year already) is I will most likely end up playing it because of their great intuition and deep engrossing RP features.

Vincenz

For god's sakes man, the one thing that IS FOR SURE, as in DIRECTLY FROM WIZARDS...it's...not...a...D&D...MMO.

 

p.s. that post was more interesting the first time I read it, btw...over a month ago.