Chris Avellone Interview Roundup
Chris Avellone Interview Roundup
Interview - posted by Infinitron on Thu 5 September 2013, 01:31:14
Tags: Alpha Protocol; Black Isle Studios; Chris Avellone; Fallout 3 (Van Buren); Fallout: New Vegas; Interplay; Kickstarter; Obsidian Entertainment; Pillars of Eternity; Planescape: Torment; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords; Torment: Tides of NumeneraCodex mascot Chris Avellone was a guest at DragonCon this year, where he generously agreed, as he often does, to participate in various interviews and panels. One of them was an interview with a website called MOG Nation.
It's a short overview of his career, from his beginnings in pen and paper RPGs right up to the Kickstarter projects of the present day. Two notable takeaways from the interview are the news that Chris was involved with a cancelled Forgotten Realms RPG before he did Descent to Undermountain, and a hint that Obsidian may soon be able to reveal the identity of their secret project. Also, did you know that Chris had to pass on working on Fallout 1 because he was busy with Descent to Undermountain? What a waste.
If you're interested in a higher dosage of MCA, you might want to check out this hour-long interview podcast at retrogaming site Racketboy. Much like the previous interview, it's kind of an overview of his career, but much more detailed. There's a particular focus on his work on Planescape: Torment and on the Fallout franchise, including Van Buren. Chris also spares no criticism of Alpha Protocol, to the point where (unlike his boss) he denies that the game could even be considered a "cult classic". Ouch!
In the second part of the interview, Chris answers various questions from listeners, covering such topics as game design advice (Chris believes it's always worth sacrificing "realism" for better gameplay), Kickstarter, the decline of JRPGs, the problems with AAA RPGs, and what franchises he'd like to work on if he could (answer: Doctor Who and The Wire). It's a good interview - I recommend listening to it if you have the time.
It's a short overview of his career, from his beginnings in pen and paper RPGs right up to the Kickstarter projects of the present day. Two notable takeaways from the interview are the news that Chris was involved with a cancelled Forgotten Realms RPG before he did Descent to Undermountain, and a hint that Obsidian may soon be able to reveal the identity of their secret project. Also, did you know that Chris had to pass on working on Fallout 1 because he was busy with Descent to Undermountain? What a waste.
If you're interested in a higher dosage of MCA, you might want to check out this hour-long interview podcast at retrogaming site Racketboy. Much like the previous interview, it's kind of an overview of his career, but much more detailed. There's a particular focus on his work on Planescape: Torment and on the Fallout franchise, including Van Buren. Chris also spares no criticism of Alpha Protocol, to the point where (unlike his boss) he denies that the game could even be considered a "cult classic". Ouch!
In the second part of the interview, Chris answers various questions from listeners, covering such topics as game design advice (Chris believes it's always worth sacrificing "realism" for better gameplay), Kickstarter, the decline of JRPGs, the problems with AAA RPGs, and what franchises he'd like to work on if he could (answer: Doctor Who and The Wire). It's a good interview - I recommend listening to it if you have the time.
