Skyrim’s Lead Artist, Matt Carofano sat down with gaming blogger I.Eat.Games yesterday to discuss what’s new in Dawnguard, what Bethesda Game Studios is looking forward to in next-gen consoles, and much more.
According to Carofano, production began on Dawnguard shortly after Skyrim was released, when a small group of developers got together and created a working prototype for the Vampire Lord, who can be seen in the DLC. After realizing the potential for expansion, the vampire storyline became the focus for the project.
The path from concept to completion is also something Carofano remembers fondly, as the team took the design process very seriously, and understood that the expansion would have to fit well within the context of the storyline Skyrim had worked hard to create. As far as content goes, there are plenty of new missions, items – even a whole skill tree to explore. High-level dragon encounters will also keep players on their toes, rewarding the player with additional high-level items such as forgeable Dragon Bone weapons.
So with Dawnguard finally released, does Bethesda have its sights set on additional content, or entirely new games? Carofano explained that to begin production on another DLC pack for Skyrim, the team would need to feel the same way about it that they have with Dawnguard. While nothing seems to be in the works quite yet, that could very well change.
As for next-generation consoles and the possibility of creating id Tech-powered titles, Carofano insists that Bethesda is very happy with the Creation engine, which has been completely re-done since Fallout 3 released several years ago. Instead, the art and design teams look forward to the graphical possibilities of future consoles – specifically the looser memory restrictions and ability to create more detailed models and textures.
While Dawnguard itself doesn’t bring any technical improvements to Skyrim, it is packed full of awesome new content that any Elder Scrolls fan would be remiss not to try.
Ranters, what are your thoughts on The Elder Scrolls: Dawnguard – is there anything you would like to see in upcoming DLC releases, or are you looking forward to something else entirely?
The Dawngard DLC for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is now available for the Xbox 360, and has yet to be given a release date for the PS3 and PC.
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Source: I.Eat.Games
