14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at BioWare wants gamers who pick up the new Dragon Age: Inquisition to experience a new and complex game world and one of the core aims when the various areas are being created is to deliver a solid link between the lore and the look of the environments.
Andrew Farrell, a senior environmental artist at the studio, explains in an official blog post that the Emerald Graves are a mix of ancient tombs created by the Elves after The Second Exalted March and estates that were at one point inhabited by Orlesian nobles.
The forest has a lot of wildlife that gamers need to look out for, including wolves, great bears, snoufleurs, halla and the adorable nugs.
The developer states, “You may not be a high enough level to take down everything you'll encounter at first, but you can sneak around and continue your exploration. When you are strong enough, however, this is exactly the kind of place you'll want to come back and do battle in search of better loot. You never know, there could even be a dragon nearby.”
BioWare says that it has spent a lot of time trying to make sure that the forest area remains somewhat mysterious at all times, even as gamers discover more places that have interesting secrets to explore.
Farrell has also worked on the Emprise du Lion area, which is very different but also mixes lore and a new environment type.
The artist adds, “Emprise du Lion was an interesting change of pace from the Emerald Graves. The forest is very open, and the player can cover every inch at their leisure. There is still a lot of exploration to be had in Emprise du Lion, but there is a core story element that drives you there.”
The new Dragon Age experience uses the Frostbite 3 engine from DICE, which means that BioWare can create bigger areas for players to explore while also giving each its individual identity.
The story of the game will see the player try to close down a tear in the Fade, which is allowing demons through, while also dealing with the conflict between Templars, Mages and Chantry.
Dragon Age: Inquisition will be out on October 7 all over the world and players will be able to experience it on the PlayStation 4 from Sony, the Xbox One from Microsoft, current-gen consoles and on the PC.