Thank you for your work on Deus Ex. The influence of your work will be everlasting on gaming.
What are your feelings towards engines such as current Unity3D and UDK that enables anyone to make games?
Thanks for the kind words about Deus Ex. It freaks me out that people still talk about it and even play it fifteen years after it came out.
My feelings about the availability of engines democratizes game development in a way I find super exciting. The fact that they're free is just the cherry on the icing on the cake (or whatever that expression is).
In fact, the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy participants are happily working in Unity on the game they're making -
The Calm Before
The Calm Before looks really neat and unique, will we be seeing a commercial release?
The Calm Before doesn't just look neat; it IS neat. Since you asked about commercial release, we'll release it. How's that for service? (It's going to be free to download from the DSGA website and The Calm Before website. Keep your eye there.)
What did you think of the Mankind Divided Teaser?
I thought the Mankind Divided trailer was pretty violence-o-rific, which bugged me a little. I mean, the DX game was never about killing stuff. It was about picking your own playstyle, which MIGHT involve killing stuff. Given how well DX:HR did at the whole choice and consequence idea I'm hoping - and have confidence - the actual game will be a little more in the playstyle matters mold. In trailers, you just have to give people the most action-packed stuff you can, I assume. I'll definitely be playing Mankind Divided. Ask me then.
I really liked the attention to detail to choices you could make in the original Deus Ex, like skipping an entire boss fight by having found their built in killswitch password. What do you think about modern day approaches to choice and freedom in game design? Additionally, with as little bias as possible, do you feel that your students will be not only well-equipped for the workforce out of college, but do you think that they're very hire-able right out of college with nothing but a game design degree? I know I went right for computer science, because it seemed to be a much better way to get into the industry.
I wish I could say there'd been huge advances in choice and consequence gameplay but I'm not sure huge advances are really necessary. What I'm excited about is how often we see that in games these days. Back in the day (man, I sound old...) we used to sit around and go "Why isn't everyone making games like this." Now, lots of people are doing it.
Do I feel my students will be well-equipped? I sure hope so. I've been really impressed with them, that's for sure. And I know we're teaching them things it takes 10 freakin' years to learn out in the field. I sure wish I had a crystal ball to see where they're all going to be in five years!
As a note, we're accepting applications for the 2015-2016 class RIGHT NOW!
What are some great easter eggs in your games that have or have never been found?
Well, my favorite is that every game I've worked on has a basketball court in it, where you can actually shoot a basket. They're all hidden and I make sure my teams don't tell me where they are so I have the fun of finding them. The DSGA participants put one in
The Calm Before and I haven't found it yet, damn it.
There's also a dance party somewhere in Deus Ex...
So, you often said that game makers should focus on making believable characters instead of believable guns, which is I wholeheartedly agree with.
But for that, one crucial (and tricky) thing to do is implementing believable conversation between player and characters.
Many modern games are using dialog trees or likes for it, and I think it's an inferior solution even than keyword systems in games like Ultima 5~6 (which you are worked on) and Wizardry 8.
How do you think games can be improved on this aspect? Should we wait the advent of super intelligent AI? Or do you think this could be achieved with some elegant design in near future?
This is another one of those things - better ways to do conversations - that I'd do if I knew how. I think it's pathetic that we've made so little progress in the last thirty years. I mean, we're still doing branching trees but NOW WE'VE ADDED TIMERS! Woohoo!
I'm counting on some indie developer somewhere coming up with a way to do conversations that blows my mind and makes me feel inadequate.
I was wondering what are your next projects in the video game industry, and do you plan on going back to directing 3D platforming/adventure games like Epic Mickey?
My plans for the foreseeable future are pretty much limited to the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy. I thought I'd work on some small side projects but this teaching thing is more time-consuming than I expected.
In one piece of yours I read years ago you referred to your works not as video games but as "interactive simulations". What difference do you believe exists between the two?
I just prefer games that are less puzzle oriented or "single-solution" oriented and games that offer deeper simulations. Simulations allow players to explore not just a space but a "possibility space." They can make their own fun... tell their own stories... solve problems the way they want and see the consequences of their choices. That's the thing that games can do that no other medium in human history has been able to do. It's kind of a moral obligation to do what makes you unique, isn't it?
In an interview a while ago you said something to the effect of 'a lot of games are a mile wide but only an inch deep.' I can't actually remember the question exactly but I suppose you would've been talking about player autonomy, about how their quests will take them on grand adventures but give them few if any real choices that lead down fleshed-out paths.
What would be a game you've played that comes to mind as an example of real player agency, and how important is this aspect of game design to you?
There's probably an entire design course in the answer to this question, but at the high level, I just look at games (which I will NOT name) that talk about open world stuff and just think they're open to the extent you can walk around and do different stuff, but if you REALLY stop to think about it, the range of options is fairly small BECAUSE they're trying to simulate entire worlds. You just can't do it - at least not well enough to suit me.
Instead, I try to make relatively small, concentrated environments that allow players to really explore - go into every building, talk to every person, pick every lock, kill (or don't kill) everything that moves... In a smaller environment you can do much more. Sometimes less is more.
I still want to make the One Block Roleplaying Game someday.
I remember when epic Mickey was first announce, there was concept art that showed a really dark looking Disney game. I was pumped about this but was sad that this dark game never saw a release. What happened during production that changed this idea to a more lighthearted one? And will it be possible that a game like that could still come to fruition?
Images of concept art mentioned:http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/3569/1094170-03_noscale.jpg
http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/beetleworx-5.jpg
http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/blot-3_5.jpg
That concept art was leaked and never intended for public consumption. I had the team do that because I needed to know where the line of acceptability was for Disney. What would they be comfortable with and what would they not be comfortable with. The way to find where a line is is to cross it. By a lot. Do something really out there and have them go, "No. Too far." Then do something a little less radical... and less radical until, frankly, you get where you want and they don't even realize you've gotten there. I think we pushed things further, darkness-wise, than anyone thought possible.
Will a game in that crazy, over-the-top, dark as the pit style ever see the light of day? Probably not from Disney!
You're simply a legend dude, but I have to ask, What game do you think comes closest in similarity to your work that wasn't worked on by you?
I'm really not a legend - I'm a real boy!
What game comes closest? Probably Dishonored (no surprise - look at the team and you see a lot of DX-ers in the credits).
You've also already mentioned that Eidos Montreal guys made some decisions you wouldn't make. What are those particular choices? What in Human Revolution made you go "yeah, that's Deus Ex!" and what felt wrong in your opinion?
Well, let me be clear - I never said (and never would say) the DX:HR team made "wrong" decisions. Just different ones.
I mean, I'm not a fan of modular cover systems. Don't see the point. Clearly the DX:HR team disagreed.
I'm a big believer in giving players at least one "free" weapon, one that doesn't require energy to use. There's a reason why every game seems to have a crowbar. In DX:HR every weapon required energy. What happens when you run out?
And I thought the AI was too unforgiving. Once you failed a stealth attempt, the AI got really aggressive and took a long time to time out and forget about you. I felt like a failed stealth attempt turned the game into a shooter, which kind of undercut my playstyle.
But again, THESE WEREN'T WRONG DECISIONS. Just different.
If a publisher gave you unlimited budget and full freedom, what game would you make with that?
A deeply simulated, musical comedy.
I'm serious as a heart attack about this...
I was wondering what your opinion is on the shift in games towards micro transactions, dlc, etc. In your opinion, do gamers still get their money's worth?
I think micro transactions are the spawn of the devil.
What is your personal favorite game of all time?
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (which is weird since it's a kind of game I'd probably never make but as a gamer I totally love it)
How was working at electronic arts like? I heard it was enjoyable to work there
My work with EA was in Austin, Texas, after they bought Origin. The development culture remained pretty much what it was before the buyout. I loved working at Origin and that didn't change much after EA bought us. Except we had bigger budgets! ;-)
Hi Warren! As you can probably gather, I'm a huge fan of Epic Mickey. I'm just curious, were there ever any plans to include forgotten characters from slightly more recent movies (for example, Simba's forgotten son, Kopa, from The Lion King)? And in your own vision of Epic Mickey 3, was Gremlin Prescott to be reformed?
There were never plans to incorporate more recent characters (at least not until we left the Wasteland, which I really wanted to do in Mickey 3). I set a rule that nothing would appear in the game that happened after 1967 because I didn't want to include anything Walt himself didn't touch. (We violated that rule more often than I'd like - and I'm surprised no one's ever called us on that - but it was still a rule.)
I was wondering, now that you have worked on so many iconic games over the course of your career, what game(s) did you play and what actually sparked your ambition to start making games? Did you want to change certain things or did you want to make your original ideas a reality?
The games that inspired me were the old Atari game Star Raiders - the first first-person 3D game. I really felt like I was there, in the cockpit of a space fighter. And Ultima IV showed me that games could be about more than killing monsters and grabbing treasure. And, of course, D&D. We'd be nowhere without D&D. I think every game developer should face Lake Geneva, WI every day and acknowledge the god-like influence of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Any chance the first Epic Mickey will be ported to anything besides Wii?
Nope.
As someone who wants to become a writer in the industry, what is the biggest factor you look for when hiring new talent? Thanks for doing this AMA!
I'm learning that my experience differs from other people's so don't take this as gospel, but I've had the most success finding programmers who are also writers. I've found that most writer-writers aren't well-versed in INTERACTIVE storytelling, which has technical requirements unlike other media.
On top of your work, i vastly enjoyed the video-series of developer interviews you did during a game design course, which was released a few years ago. Are there any plans to possibly continue something along those lines in some way ?
I've been talking to folks here at The University of Texas about doing another series of Lectures/Interviews open to the public and available for streaming. We'll see if it actually happens. I hope so.
Hey Warren! Deus Ex is my favorite game. After I played through it a second time I developed a knack for finding glitches. What is the biggest/most unexpected glitch you have seen in any of your games after they were released?
Check out the ragdolling on dead characters in Thief: Deadly Shadows.
Or check out Savage Empire where a bug allowed you to take one step in the game world and go directly to the endgame.
Or the bug in Ultima VI where, if you crossed a region boundary on a boat, the boat split in half and Lord British turned up somewhere in the gameworld as a decorative sword.
1) Your thoughts on the "paid mod fiasco"
2) What games do you look at and think "Wow, I wish I worked on that"?
3) What past games of yours do you wish you could go back and do better for whatever reasons?
Don't have an opinion on the paid mod business.
I wish I'd worked on The Walking Dead, not the game style especially (though I think it'd be fun) but the episodic stuff. When I started Junction Point in 2004 I really wanted to do short, episodic, digitally distributed content. I guess I was too early 'cause no one wanted to fund it back then!
What games do I wish I could go back to? None. I like talking about the past but I have no interest in reliving it. More important to think about future projects than past ones.
In 2012 you said that "ultraviolence has to stop" in the games industry. Games in general have long used violence as context for mechanics, even going back thousands of years for Go and Chess in terms piece removal from the gamestate.
Why do you think game designers have largely failed to popularize alternative systems? What can the game industry do to systematize/gameify non-violent actions?
It's just so easy to simulate the pulling of a virtual trigger. And positioning one pixel over another pixel kind of simulates the act of aiming. Violence is easy (and, as you say, it's been a part of games for thousands of years - in fact, it's been a part of all entertainment and art forever).
I just think some games - lots of games - take it to far, where it's in bad taste. And too many games just pat you on the back for engaging in violent behavior. And there are just so many potentially interesting things we're NOT doing that we COULD be doing.
At some level I don't really care about violent games. Go make 'em. Go play 'em. Whatever. I just wish we'd focus a little more on other aspects of the human condition.
This fact from the "Did You Know? Gaming" YouTube channel had a fact that had my immediate attention. In Deus Ex, the graphics and disc space limitations of the time resulted in the removal of the World Trade Center from the city skyline in the game. At that time, the missing buildings were attributed to a terrorist attack in the game universe. The 9/11 attacks would take place a little more than a year later.
Did you know about this graphics issue when the game was under development and permit this explanation to be made official? Secondly, how did you react when the attacks actually happened on 9/11?
Actually, the missing World Trade Center was a result of an artist leaving them out. It was a mistake. Plan and simple. Of course, after 9/11, people read more into it than they should have.
What are your views on crowdsourcing? I for one think that there is a market for more games like Deus Ex. But publishers like Square Enix will steer to more popular/profitable markets and the next "spiritual successor" isn't going to be that close to the mark.
I think crowdsourcing is great for some people but not for me. I mean, never say never, but I can't imagine having to satisfy 10,000 masters. I'd rather serve one (a publisher or other funding source).
Warren! Am I feeling that games are less immersive, less profound, less relatable and less personal or am I changing as a gamer? I can never tell.
I wrestle all the time with the question of whether game content is changing or my interest in certain kinds of game content is what's changing. Tough question. It's probably a little of both. Nowadays if you want profundity, you need to look at indie games. The big publishers seem more interested in tentpole blockbusters.
I just wanted to say that I'm quite the fan of your work. And I can't think of a more coherent question. What's the best thing that you acquired while working for a studio? Did someone make you something and give it to you? Something you got from another vendor that was cool? Just something that lived on your desk for a while?
I've been given so many wonderful things over the years it's hard to single anything out. But some of my favorite things are a series of caricatures of me in
costumes inspired by games I've worked on - one of my artists surprised me with those.
My Serpent Isle team gave me a poster they all signed and given how hard I worked those guys, I expected them to gift me with a little bottle of arsenic.
And an Epic Mickey fan made some from-scratch plush toys of Epic Mickey characters - that was mind-blowingly nice.
Hey Warren, thanks for DX, it's still among my top 5 games along with Planescape Torment, Morrowind, Max Payne and Shenmue. (all released close to year 2000, what a time to be a gamer!) Now the questions! What's your favourite videogame of the last 5 years? And What's your favourite story in a videogame?
My favorite game of the last five years? Probably Dishonored.
My favorite video game story? Probably The Walking Dead. Maybe Heavy Rain. But those work because they're so minimally interactive - terrific, but limited. It's relatively easy to tell a story when your script completely delimits what players can/can't do and where they can/can't go.
. Stealth with no soft failures can blow me, especially since the game is way easier as a shooter.
