Interviews// BioWare’s Dr. Ray Muzyka

SPOnG: Did you take onboard any fan feedback when developing the sequel?

Ray Muzyka: Yeah, we did. In fact, that’s where the majority of the huge changes we made to the game came from. We listened to press, listened to fans, we had a lot of ideas from the development team. And across the board, everything we had planned to do at the start - we had a shortlist of what we really wanted to put in and a longer list of things that would have been cool to see - we managed to get into the game.

The improvements were things that encompassed all aspects of the game. We did a lot of technical stuff: improved some of the machine mechanics; worked the frame rate at 30 frames per second; texture loading so there’s no pop-in and it’s all silky smooth; fast loading times. So we’ve made it so it’s very smooth to play the game.

We made a lot of changes from a content perspective as well. We looked at some of the worlds, there was a lot of feedback from the first game about how some felt disconnected from the rest of the universe and that the fidelity just wasn’t as high as it was in the main game and the major planets.

So we’ve amped up the fidelity, and brought in a ton of optional content, but although it’s not totally integrated into the main game, it actually improves your end sequence. If you did all the optional stuff you’re going to have a different end game than if you didn’t do it, ultimately.

Because of that, it’s worth playing a couple of times - once to see what the game’s about, and what the general ending’s like, and then go back and check it all out and complete as much as you can - and I think players will be surprised at just how different the endings can be.


SPOnG: You mentioned that Mass Effect 2 is like your ‘Empire Strikes Back’, which is interesting because BioWare is also developing Star Wars: The Old Republic. There seems to be a crossover in themes and, some may say, approach between the two franchises. Is Mass Effect for games what Star Wars is for films?

Ray Muzyka: There are some iconic themes that transcend different games and mediums, sure, but generally we try to position ourselves to be very distinct and different from Star Wars. Of course, we have a history with the Star Wars franchise and we have a lot of respect for the Star Wars universe that George Lucas created.

But while I think experience on one franchise can benefit the other, our aim is to create a unique world and universe within Mass Effect that introduces its own themes and issues that Star Wars isn’t known for.

If you’re speaking in terms of the process of a trilogy, yes this is the dark second chapter in the story arc and bears that kind of similarity with Star Wars. But our visual style, the gameplay and the things you can do leads to a more futuristic feel, which is very different to Star Wars when we talk about a science fiction universe. Which I think is good; the two can co-exist in this way.


SPOnG: With a large expansive universe like Mass Effect, there’s a danger of making each planet and explorable space as visually different and exciting as the last. What’s your process in designing each world so it’s always interesting to experience?


Ray Muzyka: Well, a lot of it has been designed right from the start of the first game, because we did have a vision beforehand for the galaxy, the different alien races and how they all fit together in a political system. What we’re did when we actually developed the game was just build on already-laid foundations.

A lot of that stuff the player never sees. It’s almost like an iceberg, where we spend a lot of time designing the back histories and the stories that drive what the player sees in the game, and most of it is optional content. The result provides a very deep and fulfilling planet and creature lore for the player to discover at their own pace.

Some of the masses of information we create for each species and planet is only accessible via certain things, like communicating and speaking with the aliens on the planet and exploring the environment for yourself. You get little hints of the world’s back story trickled down to you the more you explore, and it’s always consistent with how we’ve designed the galaxy and fit it all together. The result is a more credible feel and brings a ring of authenticity to the game. It fits, and it’s all very intentional.