Interview Interview with JE Sawyer

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: J.E. Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment

JE Sawyer has graced us with his presence and answered <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=127>a question or two</a>:
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<blockquote>In Fallout 3, I wanted to make a serious attempt at balancing firearms through the availability of ammunition. I believed that ammunition as a valuable commodity made sense in a wasteland environment. Low-power ammo would be relatively common, but the stuff found in high powered rifles, machineguns, plasma weapons, etc. would be much rarer. The firearm specializations would have come through perks. I didn't really want to take depth away from firearms; I wanted to make firearm depth comparable to the depth of the unarmed and melee skills. As long as the nature of firearms and ammunition was made clear to the player, I think it would have worked. </blockquote>

 

[NeVeRLiFt]

Thanks!

 

[roguefrog]

A MCA Interview followed quickly by a JE Sawyer interview. Good stuff!

 

[Pr()ZaC]

I didn't like the answer to the last question one bit.

 

[Roqua]

I liked his last answer.

 

[Avé]

"My favorite turn-based combat is in the Front Mission games"

Respect +100000000000000000000000000000000

 

[Jason]

Ave, you seem like you'd be too bitter to like any of them Square games. Personally, Front Mission 1 and 3 give me a big chubby nerd boner. Giant robots + TB combat = good shit.

 

[Avé]

Ave, you seem like you'd be too bitter to like any of them Square games. Personally, Front Mission 1 and 3 give me a big chubby nerd boner. Giant robots + TB combat = good shit.

FM3 is the best PS1 game.

FM4's pretty good, but not great(still worthwhile).

I enjoyed FM1, but playing on an emulator takes away from the experience.

 

[Roqua]

His answer to question 1 is gay and stupid. Mario had a big impact on the world around him when he decided to destroy the ceiling or pillars in various areas, and or saved the princess. More of an impact than in any of the Paper Mario’s.

His definition of what an rpg is makes every game an rpg. In doom you have a huge impact on areas. At first they are filled with monsters, then they aren’t. It just pandering gibberish that equals bull-sucking queerness. A rpg is a rpg, and no matter how many gay hippies wish and pray otherwise a rpg will always be a rpg, and must be a rpg to be considered a rpg.

I do think that round-based combat is pretty clunky and antiquated for CRPGs whether you're acting in real-time or turns.

The last RPG I played with good combat was Temple of Elemental Evil.

Wasn’t that round based? How can it be the best combat but also be clunky and antiquated. Oh, you mean antiquated for all the stupid 8 year old retarded bitches that control the gaming market and who you want to make games for. Including all the fucking chump ass fucking pansy gays here at the codex who suck dick and wish all “rpgs” had twitch combat.

The disadvantage is that players can spend their skill points in a way that results in their characters being terrible at pretty much everything.

That’s why they are good. Stupid people become gimped. Shouldn’t there be some type of aversive for being a fucking retard? And some type of reward for not being a retard? Why pander to the monkeys? Why not make adult games or at least games geared to people in their young teens? I’ve been playing crpgs since I was a little kid, and I could always eventually figure shit out. And I’m told I’m a fucking idiot all the time.

And I wasn’t mad at the setting decisions he was making. I was mad at the shoddy ass combat choices and the whole “stupid friendly” and streamlining (code for dumbing down) of the FO3 he was making. But mostly the gay combat choices that would equal stupid combat that isn’t challenging or fun.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Wasn’t that round based?

Yup. I'd also like to see an example of a turn based game that isn't round based.

 

[aweigh]

Arcanum?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

In turn based, it was definitely round based.

 

[Rhombus]

His answer to question 1 is gay and stupid. Mario had a big impact... In doom you have a huge impact on areas...

I do think that's exactly the kind of impact he's talking about. The one caused by the BFG on demons. Big explosion and stuff.. yeah.

*goes back to lurking*

Oh wait. Great stuff VD.. the latest interviews have been very good reading... The Obsidian boys sound alright IMO, lets hope they can deliver aswell..

 

[Lady Armageddona]

Great interview.
I like his answer to the last question.
And this would probably be one of the few reasons that speak in favor of me trying out NWN2