Interview Brian Heins interviewed by Rocket Beans TV and GameStar at Gamescom 2016

[Infinitron]

Tags: Brian Heins; Obsidian Entertainment; Paradox Interactive; Tyranny

The two German gaming sites that interviewed Brian Fargo the other day, Rocket Beans TV and GameStar, have published Gamescom interviews with Tyranny game director Brian Heins as well. As with Torment, the interview videos contain snippets of new gameplay footage, offering us a glimpse at some of the game's early locations, as well as the best look at its UI that we've gotten so far. Once again, the Rocket Beans interview is the more substantial of the two (despite the rather ditzy interviewers), so that's what I'll embed here:

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Brian reveals that the next Tyranny dev diary is going to be about the game's spellcrafting system (which he offers to show to the interviewers, so it'll probably be a major topic of the post-Gamescom previews as well). He won't say exactly when the game is coming out, but at one point admits that he's going to be working on bugfixing and balancing "for the next month or so", which may be a clue. He also says that Obsidian are talking to Paradox about the possibility of expansions or DLC.

Other highlights of the Rocket Beans interview include the interviewers interrogating Brian about his opinion of Fallout 4 (which he handles as diplomatically as he can), and a question about what sort of games he'd like to work on in the future (a "magic in real life" low fantasy RPG or a Cold War spy RPG). In the course of answering the latter question, Brian confirms that Obsidian are not working on a Vampire: The Masquerade game. Sorry folks! Although it is nice to get a straight answer about something for once.

P.S. Brian also had a seven minute appearance on yesterday's Gamescom Twitch broadcast, but the less said about that, the better.

 

[Tito Anic]

15.25 question from Codex

 

[Jaesun]

 

[AwesomeButton]

40s-50s Noir RPG is something I'd be very interested in

 

[Lady_Error]

800.000 words, 4 major C&C paths... this does sound pretty good.

 

[J_C]

The guy on the right asks so much stupid questions.

 

[Schizophrenic monolog]

Few times during the interview, the English of the interviewers was so poor, that Brian had to guess what is the question... That was funny, and little awkward.

Anyhow, I'm super hyped about Tyranny.

And it will be really cool if Obsidian takes their CRpg games to the next level, And try new era's and settings with their future games.

They have the people, the talent and the will.

They are the company who need to do it!

 

[Schizophrenic monolog]

15.25 question from Codex

Brian really tried to be as diplomatic as he can, but you could see from his body language and what he said, that he thinks that Bethesda tried to get as much money from their franchise and be true to the core-play was just in second place.

And It was really nice to understand what kind of person he is according to his answer.

He's in the business because he love making Role-Playing games - the money is just a bonus to keep him on his feet.

And I played and finished Fallout 4 - Truth to be told, he wasn't THAT bad.

But, to wait for years for a beloved franchise just to have an OK time with it... For me, Bethesda ruined the game...

 

[Ismaul]

I concur, no sexy vampires for us.


But maybe it's for the best that Obsidian isn't on the case. Sure, Boyarsky's there, but I don't trust them to do anything that isn't safe, bland, and self-censored. They'll never be able to do sexy, edgy, creature of the night flair right.
They wouldn't even try to.

 

[Darkzone]

40s-50s Noir RPG is something I'd be very interested in .

I love Film Noir and Neo Noir, but i don't see classical Noir (40s - 50s) playout as an cRPG. As an adventure certainly Noir can and is also very strong ( Neo Noir: A wolf among Us from Taletales).
Think what skills, attributes, perks do you need in Noir: Smoke a ton of cigarettes (iron lung), female fatal (sedactive), stand out side the law (Übermesch), make sarcastic remarks and talk to yourself?
Since Chainmail RPGs are very focused on fighting, while 40s - 50s Noir is focused on speech, personas and their enviroment, but not fighting and combat (Ok i admitt: Peter Gunn and Mike Hammer). And in such a game (40s - 50s Noir) you as a player would have very little freedoms for designing your own character.
Neo Noir and especially sci-fi like Blade Runner has a lot more freedoms, but sadly this hasn't been utilized to its full potential and currently our only hope for a 'good' Noir games is Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Think what skills, attributes, perks do you need in Noir: Smoke a ton of cigarettes (iron lung), female fatal (sedactive), stand out side the law (Übermesch), make sarcastic remarks and talk to yourself?

I always figured a Silent-Storm char system would do well in a noir thing, covers most skills needed to be a shamus.

 

[Jaesun]

Brian confirms that Obsidian are not working on a Vampire: The Masquerade game. Sorry folks!

In thinking about this a bit more, could they possibly be working on The (new) World Of Darkness game?

 

[AwesomeButton]

I love Film Noir and Neo Noir, but i don't see classical Noir (40s - 50s) playout as an cRPG. As an adventure certainly Noir can and is also very strong ( Neo Noir: A wolf among Us from Taletales).
Think what skills, attributes, perks do you need in Noir: Smoke a ton of cigarettes (iron lung), female fatal (sedactive), stand out side the law (Übermesch), make sarcastic remarks and talk to yourself?
Since Chainmail RPGs are very focused on fighting, while 40s - 50s Noir is focused on speech, personas and their enviroment, but not fighting and combat (Ok i admitt: Peter Gunn and Mike Hammer). And in such a game (40s - 50s Noir) you as a player would have very little freedoms for designing your own character.
Neo Noir and especially sci-fi like Blade Runner has a lot more freedoms, but sadly this hasn't been utilized to its full potential and currently our only hope for a 'good' Noir games is Cyberpunk 2077.

That's a great subject to think about, but I don't think classical noir themes can't be adapted to an RPG. It will just be a very unusual rpg, likely focused on exploration and interacting with elements of the environment and with other characters.

For example, there is a typical noir scene I've read about as a kid and since then I've wanted to see it implemented in some sort of game - the main character arrives at a crime scene and he has tomrearrange elements in such way as to mislead the investigators. Stuff like wiping out fingerprints, firing shots at the wall, planting a weapon on the scene, etc. That's the kind of stuff I see in a noir RPG. And of course lots of C&C-centered dialogue.

The systems would revolve around the kind of gameplay you have. You give cigarette smoking perk/skill as an example, but what if cigarettes have some in-game effect on the character (talking about regular tobacco here :D)

Anyway, I mean classical noir is not a lost cause for an rpg setting, it's just a game that relies on exploration and dialogue, the setting is secondary. I think a noir setting is just waiting to be discovered by someone.

 

[Delterius]

In the course of answering the latter question, Brian confirms that Obsidian are not working on a Vampire: The Masquerade game. Sorry folks!

To be fair, I think it was Bester who said Paradox received 3 pitches for a WoD game, from different companies that they didn't really like.

 

[Fenix]

Brian also had a seven minute appearance on yesterday's Gamescom Twitch broadcast, but the less said about that, the better.

I feel sad for him. I can imagibe that while he suffered through this "intersomething", he dreamed that he can get shotgun out of his pocket and blow away their heads.

 

[himmy]

He also says that Obsidian are talking to Paradox about the possibility of expansions or DLC.

In other news, I am also talking to ducks about the possibility of bread and heroin addicts about the possibility of dope.

 

[Neanderthal]

I love Film Noir and Neo Noir, but i don't see classical Noir (40s - 50s) playout as an cRPG. As an adventure certainly Noir can and is also very strong ( Neo Noir: A wolf among Us from Taletales).
Think what skills, attributes, perks do you need in Noir: Smoke a ton of cigarettes (iron lung), female fatal (sedactive), stand out side the law (Übermesch), make sarcastic remarks and talk to yourself?
Since Chainmail RPGs are very focused on fighting, while 40s - 50s Noir is focused on speech, personas and their enviroment, but not fighting and combat (Ok i admitt: Peter Gunn and Mike Hammer). And in such a game (40s - 50s Noir) you as a player would have very little freedoms for designing your own character.
Neo Noir and especially sci-fi like Blade Runner has a lot more freedoms, but sadly this hasn't been utilized to its full potential and currently our only hope for a 'good' Noir games is Cyberpunk 2077.

That's a great subject to think about, but I don't think classical noir themes can't be adapted to an RPG. It will just be a very unusual rpg, likely focused on exploration and interacting with elements of the environment and with other characters.

For example, there is a typical noir scene I've read about as a kid and since then I've wanted to see it implemented in some sort of game - the main character arrives at a crime scene and he has tomrearrange elements in such way as to mislead the investigators. Stuff like wiping out fingerprints, firing shots at the wall, planting a weapon on the scene, etc. That's the kind of stuff I see in a noir RPG. And of course lots of C&C-centered dialogue.

The systems would revolve around the kind of gameplay you have. You give cigarette smoking perk/skill as an example, but what if cigarettes have some in-game effect on the character (talking about regular tobacco here :D)

Anyway, I mean classical noir is not a lost cause for an rpg setting, it's just a game that relies on exploration and dialogue, the setting is secondary. I think a noir setting is just waiting to be discovered by someone.

I'd say Dead Money from New Vegas had some fucking strong Noir leanings wi backstory, a duplicitous dame playing with the good guys heart, a nefarious smooth lounge lizard manipulating her, yadda, yadda.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Haven't gotten to Dead money yet. Playing decline Witcher 3 right now, to provide entertainment for GF

 

[Fenix]

Playing decline Witcher 3 right now, to provide entertainment for GF

How about bed-wrestling?

 

[AwesomeButton]

Playing decline Witcher 3 right now, to provide entertainment for GF

How about bed-wrestling?

->

 

[Neanderthal]

Ironic that Geralt in books were pretty much a Chandleresque reluctant hero. Less so in games, but still there, got none o stylised Noir elements though.

 

[Fenix]

a Chandleresque reluctant hero

Clarification?

 

[Neanderthal]

“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

“He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.

“The story is this man’s adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in.”

― Raymond Chandler

 

[ERYFKRAD]

“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

“He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.

“The story is this man’s adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in.”

― Raymond Chandler

Chandler's art of murder. Always a good read.

 

[AwesomeButton]

True. Also a perfect example of a description of a character for roleplaying. I'm a big fan of Chandler.