Codex Interview Jarl interviews Swen Vincke; Questions about Original Sin 2 and other things are answered.

[JarlFrank]

Tags: Divinity: Original Sin 2; Larian Studios; Swen Vincke

A few weeks ago I went to Ghent Dublin in Belgium Ireland to play some Divinity OS 2 with Swen and two other Larian bros. We played the game's gamemaster mode for about an hour and it was a lot of fun. Of course, I also used the opportunity to pepper Swen with some questions provided by our wonderful community.

Here's a snippet:

From Projas and Jinn I should ask if the itemization has been changed, or if you’re still using the Diabloesque item drops. Personally, I’d also like to know your reasons behind this system – in Original Sin 1 most things were hand-placed. The locations were hand-made, the encounters were hand-placed, only the items are randomized. Why do you do that and why would you say this is a good design decision?

(laughs uncomfortably) I read the Codex, so I know very well what you guys think about it, but there’s a practical point to it. We change our balancing a lot, and all of our balancing is relative, so all those stats change automatically when we change something in the base systems. That’s the first part of it. The second part is that people do replay our games, and when you replay them, you will find different things. Third point is, we do place quite a few items that are hand-placed actually, and they’re set in stone, but often we give our items only one or two fixed abilities and have the rest of the stats be flexible. So you could have a dark sword that is always there and always gives you a certain ability, but its other stats will be randomized. It’s a mix of things. When I play it, I kind of like it that way. I don’t think I’d want to have it so that I get the same item every time, because that way I could always min-max one hundred percent, knowing which items are where, and I don’t think that’s a lot of fun actually.

But, theoretically, if you use the editor and make a fan campaign, you could make everything hand-placed if you wanted?

You can fix all our mistakes, yes.​

This is the first of a three-part series of articles on my visit to Larian's Dublin studio, so if you're interested in Original Sin 2 you can keep looking forward to the other two parts. With any luck, they'll actually be released before Original Sin 2 itself!

Enjoy the interview. And make sure to give me more awkward questions next time, didn't have enough of those to ask.

Read the full article: Jarl interviews Swen Vincke; Questions about Original Sin 2 and other things are answered.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

About sodding time.

 

[Zombra]

Skipped my question

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Machocruz]

It is very fun to start a new game of Morrowind and go get a nice weapon or piece of armor you know exactly where to find, dealing with whatever may stand in between you and said item, especially if you are low level.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Big

for JarlFrank

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Cool interview, thanks for asking my and all the others questions!

Interesting answer about itemization, Sven has a fair point. There are unique items in the game or you can find cool high level stuff (such as skill books) in certain places so I do get excited on occassion (unlike PoE for example).

The only thing I have trouble with is the sheer quantity of shit that is thrown at me, often with very minor differences between them. I love the shit out of Div:OS but the other day I quit after a boss battle simply because there was a metric fuckton of loot all over the place and I really didn't feel like picking all that crap up, identifying it, comparing it, ordering it, blergh. It just takes up sooo much time. So I noped out.

Sven is all about fun. Fun is good. Ordering my inventory for an hour is not fun though.

About the story, I always like the whimsical and the fairy tale-like of Rivellon and I hope they won't tip the scales too much in the other direction after all the - not entirely unjustified but blown out of proportion - criticism they got.

 

[Harry Easter]

Good interview, thanks!

Say what you want about the games, but interviews with Swen are always fun to read. Luckily the man wanted to be a designer instead of earning money:D.

 

[Aenra]

Thanks to Herr Jarl for asking most of my questions

I have to say that the coolest thing from this interview was the AI 2.0+poisons bit. Disguise them as beneficial pots, use them in NPCs, have AI respond accordingly?
Been a lot time since poisoned apples and they were simplistic. Considering what they're touting as their 'AI 2.0', this really has me thinking of all the potential.

Worst part i'd say was Swen's reply about difficulty. I fully respect his stance on it, but goddamm, all them decades later, he gotta know serious RPG players really are min-maxers and are not the 'normal' kind of players.. goes with the territory. We'll try and get the most out of everything (not just gear, but abilities and tricks/soft exploits as well), so there's gotta be some way of balancing that. Am not feeling very assured in this. Mods could fix it this time around, sure, but that's theory. Practice says you need some serious number of units sold before your modding community is large enough to provide for everyone.

edit: the reason this game has me excited is because, well.. I cannot expect much in the 'novelty' department, not anymore (just how i think of things, you don't have to agree). It will either be a 'tried and true' recipe of something i've enjoyed in the past but lacking in novelty (say a new Arx Fatalis), or like here, a game with systems that encourage me to get creative, see how much i can push it. Can be a lot of fun when you realise the game has actually managed to surprise you, makes you respect it like nothing else. Had some glorious fuck ups in D:OS 1, am hoping they will be even more spectacular here, lol

 

[SausageInYourFace]

I am also happy that he spoke so positively about Divinity 2 (Ego Draconis) and that he would consider making another game in that vein. Perhaps we will get a Divinity (Ego Draconis) 3 one day.

 

[Harry Easter]

I am also happy that he spoke so positively about Divinity 2 (Ego Draconis) and that he would consider making another game in that vein. Perhaps we will get a Divinity (Ego Draconis) 3 one day.

Would still preferr another turnbased game, but Divinity 2 is one of my all-time favorites, so win-win for me:D. As long as we finally get a good final part 3, I will be happy.

 

[Aenra]

I am also happy that he spoke so positively about Divinity 2 (Ego Draconis) and that he would consider making another game in that vein. Perhaps we will get a Divinity (Ego Draconis) 3 one day.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes!
Sucks that he wasn't more specific on that, lol.. but him saying how he really loved it and so on, i guess we can keep hoping at least

 

[JarlFrank]

Coolest shit is Gamemaster mode. Really, the game I played with Swen, Edward and one other dude whose name I forgot was so much fun. Essentially a pen and paper session using the game as its vehicle. There was dice rolling, GM making arbitrary decisions, GM letting us do whatever we want and having our actions have consequences...

Just wait until I got the article about the session written up. Hilarious shit happens.

 

[Harry Easter]

[...] Just wait until I got the article about the session written up. Hilarious shit happens.

That's how I describe every OS-MP-session I ever played :D.

 

[Watser]

Just wait until I got the article about the session written up. Hilarious shit happens.

See you at Christmas then

 

[YES!]

Why does no one ever ask him about his console love and his statement that he loves playing games with controllers (console shit for retards) over playing like a civilized human being? Or why they wasted all the profits from D:OS on D:OS's console edition, a game we paid for to be developed, instead of trying to fix the game's real issues and make it a better game instead of console trash? WL2 DC fixed or really attempted to fix every major system that sucked in it. D:OS fixed no sucky systems and just added superficial bullshit. They probably wouldn't have needed a KS for DOS2 if they gave a shit about the people who funded the fucking game and saved Larian as a studio instead of pandering to the fucking retarded audience that almost bankrupted them (console audience) with DD2.

 

[Aenra]

You should continue in Roqua's footsteps Roqua YES! and introduce us to some wonderful incline games like the ones you used to. Such was their quality and potential thereof, that only you could perceive them.
Literally only you that is :D

 

[oldmanpaco]

oldmanpaco wants to know if you’re going to take your writing more seriously or if you’re staying with the silly style that’s been established throughout the series.

He’ll have to discover for himself what we did with the writing. We put a lot of effort into the writing, that’s for sure. You’re actually sitting in the writers’ headquarters of Larian here.

That's not a real answer.

 

[Sentinel]

oldmanpaco wants to know if you’re going to take your writing more seriously or if you’re staying with the silly style that’s been established throughout the series.

He’ll have to discover for himself what we did with the writing. We put a lot of effort into the writing, that’s for sure. You’re actually sitting in the writers’ headquarters of Larian here.

That's not a real answer.

That's marketing speech for "no".

 

[YES!]

You should continue in Roqua's footsteps Roqua YES! and introduce us to some wonderful incline games like the ones you used to. Such was their quality and potential thereof, that only you could perceive them.
Literally only you that is :D

Well, it sounds like I and this Roqua guy should have our own forum for people who actually like rpgs that we can moderate and remove console monkeys from. Then our two tribes of console rans and people who actually like rpgs wouldn't have to comingle.

 

[YES!]

From Projas and Jinn I should ask if the itemization has been changed, or if you’re still using the Diabloesque item drops. Personally, I’d also like to know your reasons behind this system – in Original Sin 1 most things were hand-placed. The locations were hand-made, the encounters were hand-placed, only the items are randomized. Why do you do that and why would you say this is a good design decision?

(laughs uncomfortably) I read the Codex, so I know very well what you guys think about it, but there’s a practical point to it. We change our balancing a lot, and all of our balancing is relative, so all those stats change automatically when we change something in the base systems. That’s the first part of it. The second part is that people do replay our games, and when you replay them, you will find different things. Third point is, we do place quite a few items that are hand-placed actually, and they’re set in stone, but often we give our items only one or two fixed abilities and have the rest of the stats be flexible. So you could have a dark sword that is always there and always gives you a certain ability, but its other stats will be randomized. It’s a mix of things. When I play it, I kind of like it that way. I don’t think I’d want to have it so that I get the same item every time, because that way I could always min-max one hundred percent, knowing which items are where, and I don’t think that’s a lot of fun actually.

You could min-max zero percent in your first playthrough, which is the important one. And in your first D:OS there was pretty much no item anywhere in the world comparable to easily crafting way, way superior items.

And don't get me wrong - I liked D:OS a lot. I'm just really butthurt by their console loving retardedness and the complete lack of any fixes to the shitty parts of the game by their super console "extended" version.

 

[Aenra]

Nigger, your idea of an RPG revolves around the number of party members and the camera mode.

I honestly doubt you even grasp what true roleplaying is all about. If you did, you wouldn't have made half the dumbass comments you've made thus far.
(and i'm not talking about D:OS/D:OS II here, end of the day, you're welcome to dislike it as much as you want; am talking about your comments in general)

 

[Sentinel]

What is role-playing all about?

 

[Aenra]

What is role-playing all about?

You wanna troll me, you gotta try harder than that boy

But seriously, the above stands. We've had some pretty "mainstream"/"decline" games that still managed to have a lot more roleplaying potential than some of the 'monocled' titles here ever did.
Anyway, this will derail the threead, should be more careful about what i say, lol

So back on topic, YES! a console port for either of the D:OSes is all good by me as long as the 'main' game PC version did/does not suffer from them. And it did not.
So that being the case, if they can sell some incline to the peasants, kudos to them for doing so, they sure need the money. At least they spend it in making their games. Fargo on the other hand, since you mentioned him, spends it on his mansions and trophy wives. Or should we say spent, poor thing retired again.

 

[Cholo]

How is the leggy blond woman doing are there any new pictures?