His games are always somewhat dull to play.. it's like he was born to do advanced Excel work but instead ended up doing something completely opposite in his life.
Either that or he has a really weird sense of fun.. like 2 variables being close in their values, eg. balanced.
What you're saying is funny, because that's
EXACTLY what the "mainstream" thinks of CRPGs, and everything associated with them - including this very site, and everyone on it. So the words you are using to insult him should really be considered a compliment, because he's just like everyone else here - just to a greater extreme than most. What he does may be "boring", but it is necessary, so that his game doesn't end up with pointless junk mechanics. You can tell he really cares about the quality of his work, because he goes out of his way and does things like his FNV mod without even being paid to do it. How many other developers can you think of that would do something like that? It obviously isn't just about the money to him, and I don't think he gets paid a lot anyway, tbh.
I have to disagree.. here's what I think about Sawyer's approach as an indie game developer and psychology / sociology aficionado.
1) If he's like everyone else then that means he's to scared to be a trendsetter and is just a follower.
He's not fit to lead anything, especially the development of a creative & entertaining product such as a video game.
2) Genuinely creative people are trendsetters.
They make their own rules, experiment and push the boundaries of what is humanly possible.
Creativity means something new, something new means new information, and this ultimately means "adult neurogenesis" which has incredible benefits (health, longevity, happiness, etc) for you, the player.
They should be complimented - not anyone stuck in the comfort zone of mediocrity and boredom.
3) Another Sawyer's big problem is that he constantly tries to balance Singleplayer games.
They don't have to be balanced at all. Players should have fun in them above all else.
So what if they are uber godlings at the end of the game! They deserved it, it feels great and rewarding!
Multiplayer games, on the other hand, HAVE to be balanced.
4) Without criticism there is no progress. I criticize even myself and that's exactly why I'm trying to build more skills every day.
We're not just venting here regarding TTON, but are in some way trying to get InXile's attention and make them realize they can do better.
A lot better! I think with their recent announcements, we're seeing the magic finally unfolding.