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Editorial Project Eternity and Characterization: Chris Avellone's Blog

Crooked Bee

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Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian Entertainment; Project Eternity

Obsidian's Chris Avellone has penned a blog post entitled "Project Eternity and Characterization," in which he outlines his approach to character building for RPGs and the guidelines he follows when designing companions. Have a snippet:

There are a few guidelines I try to follow when designing companions (some of these are dependent on the engine and franchise).

- Combat/Challenge-viable. Any companion that can’t hold their weight and help support the home team in some fashion isn’t going to last long in the hearts of players (well, maybe a very forgiving few). This is something I learned way back in Fallout 2 when it became clear that Cassidy was far preferred over Myron, for example (and not just because Myron was an ****, which factors into another point below). It’s also a lesson I picked up while playing Final Fantasy III – every character needs to contribute to the mechanics and challenge mechanics in some fashion (whether combat or stealth or whatever the game’s challenge is).

- Companions should be optional. Whenever possible, the player should never be forced to take them or in the case of true psychopaths, even let them live. The golden rule is the companion should be a support character or a walking/breathing slab of target practice if the players don’t like or want anything to do with the companion.

- Next, assuming the players like the companion, the companion should serve as a sounding board for the theme of the game. It’s not mandatory, but there’s no better way to reinforce the narrative than someone who is walking beside the player for 70-80% of the game. This worked well with Kreia in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, it was the spine of most of the companions in Planescape: Torment, and it worked well with Kaelyn the Dove in NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer. [...]

So in terms of companions for Project: Eternity, the process works like so:

- Establish the game mechanics for the title, and when possible, link that into the lore and narrative while you’re doing it. What’s the central system mechanic of the game? (For example, in Mask of the Betrayer, the soul-eating mechanic and basic combat were the two principle systems the player was interacting with.)

- Design characters that support that game mechanic, and if it’s been properly integrated with the lore and narrative, make sure they discuss that angle as well, either though exchanges or reactions to it taking place in the environment.

- Next up, figure out exactly where that character shines in terms of the game mechanics – why would a player bring this companion along? Are they a tank, a healer, or perfect for sniping enemies from a mile away? This shouldn’t overlap with another companion’s specialty if you can help it.

- Build a barebones background. Were they once a scout, an assassin, a merchant, a Sith Lord, a smuggler, a bartender, etc.? What led them to that… and what led them to where they are today in the world? I say barebones, because I prefer to leave wiggle room for exploration and fleshing out the background while writing the character – the most likely avenue a player has to discover a CNPC’s history is through talking to them, so I let the CNPC do most of the work and try to focus on giving the details there and then. [...]​

Read the full blog post to also find out about reactivity, visual hooks, and building a tone.
 

Rivmusique

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The player should feel that they are gaining something of value from the interaction, even if the interaction isn’t mandatory – exploring a character’s personality should be as much fun as exploring a dungeon.
:thumbsup:
 

LittleJoe

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I used to say that good gameplay was by far the most important element in a game.
But now I realise that good characterization is equally important.
After all, it's what makes games memorable.
Characterization is tricky though.
For every person that loves a Kreia, Minsc or Cassidy, there's another person who hates them.
 

Dorateen

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Characterization is important, but should never overshadow gameplay/mechanics. In other words, the introduction of auto-revival at the end of combat just to keep a plot-required companion alive is a bad, bad thing.

For me, what makes a cRPG memorable is the totality of the adventure. The unearthing of dungeons, cities, new locations and the unfolding storyline, and yes, well-designed battles. (But exploring a character's personality should be as fun as exploring a dungeon... eh, what?)

In a game as massive as BG, the time spent actually interacting with NPC joinables would be a fraction of the experience. It's good that it appears PE will not have any forced companions.

Harumph!
 

LittleJoe

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In a game as massive as BG, the time spent actually interacting with NPC joinables would be a fraction of the experience. It's good that it appears PE will not have any forced companions.

Harumph!

Well, interacting with NPC joinables is not just about talking with them, it's also about fighting and travelling with them.
 

Dorateen

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Well, interacting with NPC joinables is not just about talking with them, it's also about fighting and travelling with them.

Ah, but the moment you bring in utilitarian purposes, such as fighting and traveling, then it does not matter if these are player created party members. And that takes any developer characterization out of the equation.
 

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