Dragon Age 2 - Building a better RPG @ Destructoid

Building a better RPG at Destructoid discusses how BioWare designed the opening sequences of Dragon Age 2 in response to player metrics. We've heard these metrics before but apparently the whole framed narrative "no, that's not how it went" is part of their response:

"We saw a lot of people disengaging at hour one, hour two. Not pursuing it, right?" explains Laidlaw. The Dragon Age team might have chalked some of those lost players up to rentals, but the statistics didn't back it up: a significant number of people simply stopped playing Dragon Age: Origins after a few hours.

"I think what it really spoke to is something RPGs have been wrestling with for a long time: that first impression," says Laidlaw.

So they fixed it.

"You get to an RPG and fire it up, and ... it hits you in the face with a thousand stats. Those stats are very cool, but you may not be mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with them as your first thing to do in the game," he says.

To keep people from checking out early, Laidlaw's team totally reinvigorated Dragon Age II's intro. The result is so seamless and subtle that players might not even realize they're being taught to play the game. Sure, there are some button prompts here or there, but the way Dragon Age II introduces its combat and narrative are remarkably elegant.

For an alternative view, Rampant Coyote points out these comments at I Whine About Games:

I've talked to a lot of people who quit playing Dragon Age within a few hours.

Every single one of them quit because OSTAGAR WAS BORING.

In other Dragon Age 2 news, BioWare is promoting the soundtrack source:

BioWare has teamed up with the Grammy Awards’ Best New Artist nominee Florence + The Machine for an exclusive re-imagining of “I’m not calling you a liar” that you can only hear in-game in Dragon Age II.The song appears in-game as “I’m Not Calling You A Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)”. Keep your ears open as you play Dragon Age 2.