Obsidian General Discussion Thread

[Infinitron]

Obsidian working on a project to be announced this E3/VGA

screencaps from someone's linkedin
1) lead narrative designer (march 2020 - present) - an upcoming, hush-hush project
2) cinematics director (may 2020 - present) - unannounced project, cinematic design + direction + presentation + performance direction
3) senior software engineer (november 2019 - present) - working on an unannounced project at Obsidian to help develop a prototype game proposal. Molding an existing code base to fit new requirements as well as writing new code to fit the needs of the project. The team is incredibly small and agile with frequent shifting of goals and priorities. I'm the primary engineering resource for the project's needs. These needs include console platform support, build systems, engine feature support, and new feature development.

Sawyer's new project uses existing codebase? He's making a FNV mod.

I'm not sure that's Sawyer's game, but if it is the existing codebase is quite possibly Pillars of Eternity.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

3) senior software engineer (november 2019 - present) - working on an unannounced project at Obsidian to help develop a prototype game proposal. Molding an existing code base to fit new requirements as well as writing new code to fit the needs of the project. The team is incredibly small and agile with frequent shifting of goals and priorities. I'm the primary engineering resource for the project's needs. These needs include console platform support, build systems, engine feature support, and new feature development.

this sounds more like a UE4 developer than a Unity developer fyi
take from that what you will

 

[LESS T_T]

Ahem.

Sawyer project or other prototype team? (Or even PoE 3 ) From Senior Engineer Brett Klooster, who has re-joined Obsidian last month, previously worked on PoE and Tyranny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-klooster-a9021651/

Senior Software Engineer

Company Name Obsidian Entertainment (Full-time)
Dates Employed Nov 2019 – Present
Employment Duration 2 mos
Location Irvine, CA

Working on an unannounced project at Obsidian to help develop a prototype game proposal. Molding an existing code base to fit new requirements as well as writing new code to fit the needs of the project. The team is incredibly small and agile with frequent shifting of goals and priorities. I am the primary engineering resource for the project's needs. These needs include console platform support, build systems, engine feature support, and new feature development.

He seems to be specialized in Unity. Maybe he responded to Unity Programmer job posting posted in August.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

this sounds more like a UE4 developer than a Unity developer fyi
take from that what you will

I am not familiar with technicall difference of UE and Unity. Can you explain why from that description you can come to that conclusion?

 

[Atlet]

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-obsidian-built-its-reputation-for-masterful-yet-buggy-rpgs/

 

[rusty_shackleford]

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-obsidian-built-its-reputation-for-masterful-yet-buggy-rpgs/

A look through the history of one of gaming's largest independent developers.

In what possible definition was Obsidian an "independent developer"?

 

[Nano]

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-obsidian-built-its-reputation-for-masterful-yet-buggy-rpgs/

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

 

[Cael]

https://www.gamebanshee.com/news/124865-the-outer-worlds-carrie-patel-on-writing-challenges.html

WHO
GIVES
A
SHIT

 

[vortex]

I can't see combat and gameplay. Don't do this to me.

 

[Bad Sector]

In what possible definition was Obsidian an "independent developer"?

Sometimes when the full "independent" word is used (instead of "indie") it is meant as not being owned by some publisher or in general being a subsidiary of another company.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

In what possible definition was Obsidian an "independent developer"?

Sometimes when the full "independent" word is used (instead of "indie") it is meant as not being owned by some publisher or in general being a subsidiary of another company.

Epic Games, Valve, and Nintendo -- well known independent video game developers.

 

[Nano]

Epic Games, Valve, and Nintendo -- well known independent video game developers.

One's a publisher, the other two run a storefront. Not comparable. They're basically extinct nowadays, but Obsidian comes from a time when independent developers could actually be mid-tier.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Epic Games, Valve, and Nintendo -- well known independent video game developers.

One's a publisher, the other two run a storefront. Not comparable. They're basically extinct nowadays, but Obsidian comes from a time when independent developers could actually be mid-tier.

All three of those develop games. And unlike Obsidian, they didn't use a publisher for it.

 

[Nano]

All three of those develop games. And unlike Obsidian, they didn't use a publisher for it.

Because getting big enough to publish your own games is just so easy. It totally never backfired on any company that bothered to attempt it.

(RIP Looking Glass.)

 

[rusty_shackleford]

All three of those develop games. And unlike Obsidian, they didn't use a publisher for it.

Because getting big enough to publish your own games is just so easy. It totally never backfired on any company that bothered to attempt it.

(RIP Looking Glass.)

Having a large publisher is the inverse of being an independent developer though.
Obsidian's first game made was published by fucking LucasArts.

 

[Nano]

Having a large publisher is the inverse of being an independent developer though.
Obsidian's first game made was published by fucking LucasArts.

You're joking, right? You realize Valve and Epic relied on publishers for a time too, right?

Not that Obsidian even wanted to publish their own games. Apparently Feargus's plan was always to get bought out.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You're joking, right? You realize Valve and Epic relied on publishers for a time too, right?

yea and I wouldn't call them an independent developer if they still did because they were reliant upon funding from a much larger publisher
which was the entire point of the discussion -- obsidian never made a single game without a large publisher

 

[Nano]

yea and I wouldn't call them an independent developer if they still did because they were reliant upon funding from a much larger publisher
which was the entire point of the discussion -- obsidian never made a single game without a large publisher

I'm starting to think you just enjoy being a contrarian for contrarianism's sake.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

yea and I wouldn't call them an independent developer if they still did because they were reliant upon funding from a much larger publisher
which was the entire point of the discussion -- obsidian never made a single game without a large publisher

I'm starting to think you just enjoy being a contrarian for contrarianism's sake.

Maybe I just think applying the phrase "independent developer" to a developer that's reliant upon an external financial source is incorrect?

 

[Nano]

Maybe I just think applying the phrase "independent developer" to a developer that's reliant upon an external financial source is incorrect?

Most of us have a job, don't we?

Well, I suppose we're not really free either.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Maybe I just think applying the phrase "independent developer" to a developer that's reliant upon an external financial source is incorrect?

Most of us have a job, don't we?

Well, I suppose we're not really free either.

I don't refer to myself as an independent video game development company

 

[Roguey]

There's "garage dev" and then there's "independent." Obsidian was free to work with any publisher willing to pay them, not anymore.

Anyway, whatever project this is, it's not Sawyer's. He's the only writer on that and it has no combat systems.

 

[Butter]

I thought Dollarhyde was also working on Sawyer's project.

 

[Roguey]

I thought Dollarhyde was also working on Sawyer's project.

He was getting feedback from her, but last year he said he was the only one.

tfw you're the only writer on a project so you can use whatever bizarre logic you want to gate the flow of a conversation

what if i just use boolean variables to track game states and no integers ever

 

[ScrotumBroth]

That is just so sad.

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