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Interview Interview with Chris Avellone at MemoryLeak

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
So far it's a good interview. Excellent questions, very engaging.

The stuff about Fargo is true. Fargo has a lot of great ideas about Wasteland 2, as you would expect, and works well with his team(s).

The stuff about what a publisher can bring is also true. No matter what you think about Bethesda, if you are honest, you can't deny that they are great at marketing. Now I know for some here that being great at marketing means being great at 'lying', shrug, whatever. Also true, publishers can frequently bring resources that you wouldn't have access to if you were indie. That can be a big bonus.
I think we all agree Bethesda is good at marketing. We just don't see that as something that brings value to us as customers.
 

Anthony Davis

Blizzard Entertainment
Developer
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Sep 7, 2007
Messages
2,100
Location
California
The part about the owners going without pay for several months to try and prevent layoffs is 100% true.

Sometimes employees too have volunteered to take paycuts to prevent layoffs as well.

When we bounced back, the first people the owners paid back were the employees that took paycuts.


That is one of my favorite things about Obsidian, more so than any other company I have worked for, is that we actually do feel like a family - at least as much as a business can be.
 

Anthony Davis

Blizzard Entertainment
Developer
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Messages
2,100
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California
So far it's a good interview. Excellent questions, very engaging.

The stuff about Fargo is true. Fargo has a lot of great ideas about Wasteland 2, as you would expect, and works well with his team(s).

The stuff about what a publisher can bring is also true. No matter what you think about Bethesda, if you are honest, you can't deny that they are great at marketing. Now I know for some here that being great at marketing means being great at 'lying', shrug, whatever. Also true, publishers can frequently bring resources that you wouldn't have access to if you were indie. That can be a big bonus.
I think we all agree Bethesda is good at marketing. We just don't see that as something that brings value to us as customers.

That may be, but it brings value to the developer, which I think was Chris' point.
 

Anthony Davis

Blizzard Entertainment
Developer
Joined
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Messages
2,100
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California
I did not know Chris had a chance to work on WL1 and had to turn it down!

Edit: Just finished. That's a great interview. Chris sounded like he does when he hangs out - just having fun and being relaxed.
 

felipepepe

Codex's Heretic
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Terra da Garoa
Yup, he was just a teenager, and on his W1 review he even says how he only bought it because it was the only RPG at the store he hadn't tried out yet. :lol:
 

Anthony Davis

Blizzard Entertainment
Developer
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California
I did not know Chris had a chance to work on WL1 and had to turn it down!

Surely you mean Fallout 1.

Either he misspoke or I misheard, I thought he said Wastland 1. I knew he had to turn down Fallout 1.

Pretty sure he was in high school during Wasteland's development. :)

I forgot to explain why I brofisted this. It was because I originally read it as:

Pretty sure he was high during Wasteland's development. :)
 

J_C

One Bit Studio
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Project: Eternity Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
Also true, publishers can frequently bring resources that you wouldn't have access to if you were indie. That can be a big bonus.
Question is, do devs really need that extra resource? Because as far as the recent kickstarters show, you don't need those resources if you don't aim to make a AAA game. Sure, more money is always nice, but if it comes with extra liabilities, one must think about if it really worth it.

Heh, he mixed up Chris Roberts with Chris Taylor regarding Star Citizen. :)
 
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Anthony Davis

Blizzard Entertainment
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Also true, publishers can frequently bring resources that you wouldn't have access to if you were indie. That can be a big bonus.
Question is, do devs really need that extra resource? Because as far as the recent kickstarters show, you don't need those resources if you don't aim to make a AAA game. Sure, more money is always nice, but if it comes with extra liabilities, one must think about if it really worth it.

Absolutely.


Sometimes it isn't just money, maybe they will take care of marketing, localization, and or QA. That's very helpful too.
 

Perkel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
15,804
Chris is not getting any until he delivers what he promised.

Yeah he needs to go back to Arcanum. It is travesty that he as designer did not yet finish it.

Arcanum should be on second page of "How to design awesome RPG" school book


edit:

also on last page of it in chapter about "finishing your game"
 

groke

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SAVE THIS CHARACTER? NO.
Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera BattleTech I'm very into cock and ball torture
291 views and zero replies in the Chris Avellone interview thread.*
4687 views and 76 replies in the Swen Vincke interview thread.

Interesting times have come when it comes to CRPGs.

*If it was Josh Sawyer, we would have at least one guaranteed reply.

glitterfy4120714662B81.gif


Swen should do an Ultima 7 LP to cement his title as new messiah of RPGs.
 
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deuxhero

Arcane
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
11,325
Location
Flowery Land
Also true, publishers can frequently bring resources that you wouldn't have access to if you were indie. That can be a big bonus.
Question is, do devs really need that extra resource? Because as far as the recent kickstarters show, you don't need those resources if you don't aim to make a AAA game. Sure, more money is always nice, but if it comes with extra liabilities, one must think about if it really worth it.

Absolutely.


Sometimes it isn't just money, maybe they will take care of marketing, localization, and or QA. That's very helpful too.

Anything like (e.g., animation) libraries?

I know at least some publishers have their own naughty word list that seems to be used for everything they publish, even externally developed stuff.
 

Sensuki

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Codex 2014 Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong A Beautifully Desolate Campaign
291 views and zero replies in the Chris Avellone interview thread.*
4687 views and 76 replies in the Swen Vincke interview thread.

Interesting times have come when it comes to CRPGs.

Well Chris always says exactly the same things every interview/panel. So it's like listening to the same interview each time.
 

granit

Scholar
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
128
Well put on the point that text is superior to voice acting (~25 minute mark). Completely agree.
 

SuicideBunny

(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
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Messages
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Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Torment: Tides of Numenera
Swen should do an Ultima 7 LP to cement his title as new messiah of RPGs.
dos is nice but mostly because of the sandboxy mechanics which they then prevent you from using to break the game by retarded shit like those shitty invincible doors or npcs rushing out and being unblockable when you discover their "omg imagonnakillyou" secrets, which sucks. i'd take most obsidian games over it. they have more attention to story details and respect for players trying the impossible.
 

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