Interview Chris Avellone talks to Guardian

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Neverwinter Nights 2; Obsidian Entertainment

<a href=http://www.guardian.co.uk>Guardian</a> has posted a rather boring <a href=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,2070645,00.html>interview</a> with Chris Avellone.
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<blockquote><b>Any specific feature [of the toolset] of which you're particularly proud?</b>
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I think the water. It's great, because while our coder was working on the water, he made sure that all the variables about the water can be tweaked by the designer. For example, if you remove the choppiness, slow its rate down to a crawl, make it very viscous, and put on a molten-red texture, then you've got lava.</blockquote>Really? Awesome.
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[Volourn]

L0L He used the work 'fucking' in an interview. HAHAHA!

That's fucking awesome!

 

[Vault Dweller]

What are you, 12?

 

[Volourn]

No. 1. You?

Anyways, yoru whining aside, decent interview.

 

[Hellraiser]

What are you, 12?

Hey don't insult 12 year olds.

 

[Kingston]

L0L He used the work 'fucking' in an interview. HAHAHA!

That's fucking awesome!

AAAWWWW YEAAH!

HOW FUCKING COOL WAS THAT, HUH? THAT WAS SO FUCKING EPIC, MAN, FUCKING EPIC. WHAT A COOL GUY CUZ HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT CENZORSHIP AND STUFF!1 STICK IT TO THE GOVERMENT! THAT GUY IS MY FUCKING IDOL, HE WOULD TOTALLY PWN PETE HINES LOL

 

[taxacaria]

Taking the roleplaying game to a whole new level
...
the water. It's great,...

erm. Flood-level, I assume.

 

[MountainWest]

Once again, I would much rather set the parameters myself and create my own world. I think that would be much easier to do. This is mainly because I find trying to mimic the tone of someone else's franchise difficult; you can never get it quite right. I'm never going to get George Lucas's tone just right, and I'm never going to get Ed Greenwood's view of the Forgotten Realms just right, either. To me, there's always something slightly off about it, and that's always bothered me.

Then why don't they? Is it really so fucking hard to get funding for a trio of guys like Avallone, Fergus and Sawyer?

Lol at my hope that another Troika will emerge. Ever. Well, unless Vince brings us a game that's as good as he (= we) has made us believe, and in some mysterious non-graphic-whore-non-next-gen-epic-immersive way scores big.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

the player will feel he's involved in some very epic stuff

EXTREME!

 

[Jim Kata]

I can't believe he is responsible for both torment and NWN 2.

 

[Elwro]

But if games can challenge you to think in new ways, introduce interesting themes or just give you something to think about when you've stopped playing, it's absolutely time well spent. I know that for some of the games we developed back at Black Isle, and now at Obsidian, we really did look for ways to create experiences beyond just the game. And if the game makes you think, that's fantastic.

:luxveritatis:

 

[galsiah]

I think the water.

To be fair, there's clearly something in the water.

 

[Drakron]

And if the game makes you think, that's fantastic.

Yes, I am still thinking how the fuck could people with such extensive background in development of RPGs can create something as amateurish as KotOR2.

 

[spacemoose]

I can't believe he is responsible for both torment and NWN 2.

well he came in at the end of development on NWN2, its not like he could influence what was released all that much

 

[Vault Dweller]

I can't believe he is responsible for both torment and NWN 2.

well he came in at the end of development on NWN2, its not like he could influence what was released all that much

MCA? You are confusing him with Josh Sawyer.

 

[spacemoose]

my god I will never live down the shame

 

[Texas Red]

People, please. KotOR 2 is just fantastic in terms of dialog and characters. It is a very good game, and soon to be even better when the content will be restored.

I dont understand you fuckwits. The game is amazing! Who cares about an ending when it provides *during* the game? I enjoyed immensely going to the different planets and searching for the jedi. Compared to the 1st KotOR it just beats the living crap out of it. I dont have enough words to describe how brilliant KotOR 2 is.

Admit it, you will bash everything and anything. You even managed to flame a picture and a track for pages and pages.

But yes, I would like the NWN 2 characters to be more serious. The banter does give a chuckle every now and then but the constant humour present through out the game I dont agree with. And of course the characters could have been less cliche. All in all I enjoy NWN 2 aside from the orc caves and the warehouses. What annoys me is that even with above minimum requirements I still cant play without lagg on the lowest settings. Why does this PR marketing shit go unchecked by the law?

my god I will never live down the shame

I banish you to the Void.

 

[Vault Dweller]

People, please. KotOR 2 is just fantastic in terms of dialog and characters. It is a very good game, and soon to be even better when the content will be restored.

You sound like a typical fanboy responding to criticism.

Game X is fantastic and soon, when the community improves it with mods, it will be even better!

It's the Codex. You think that it's a great game? Prove it.

The game is amazing! I enjoyed immensely going to the different planets and searching for the jedi. Compared to the 1st KotOR it just beats the living crap out of it.

Sounds like an awesome game indeed and it does sound very different from KOTOR 1 where you go to different planets searching for maps.

I dont have enough words to describe how brilliant KotOR 2 is.

Do us a favor and try to find them.

Admit it, you will bash everything and anything. You even managed to flame a picture and a track for pages and pages.

Both sucked. Were we supposed to be enthusiastic and optimistic?

 

[Wulfgar]

@TWD

You're nuts. Now I understand how come you have such a high opinion about NWN2.

I dont understand you fuckwits. The game is amazing! Who cares about an ending when it provides *during* the game?

Well, I cared... IMHO, the entire game is a set up for the ending. It somewhat resembles PS:T, not suprising considering the lead guy. Only KotoR fails and all you get at the end is a bunch of meaningless babble from Kreia that Avellone probably wrote half-assedly and in a big hurry so that the game could be out ASAP. It just flops at the end, and the build-up is completely wasted and shat upon.

Kreia: blbablablba You don't understand! blablabla You failed me! blablba
Developers: The combat is easy enough, but here, dear player, have a wicked power. You like that, right? Yeeeesss... ubar Jedi power... now go solo an entire Sith Academy! C'mon boy!
:Sounds of numerous Sith masters and knights dying:
Kreia: :more bullshit:
Fight!
Kreia: :even more bullshit:
OMG Mordekainen's light sabers! Fight!
Kreia: :final bullshit:

End.

People, please. KotOR 2 is just fantastic in terms of dialog and characters. It is a very good game, and soon to be even better when the content will be restored.

Nothing short of Avellone (+ whatever resources necessary) geting another 3-6 months to finish it could make KotoR2 even worthy of playing, let alone briliant as you would have it. As for dialogs... well I'd rather say monologues. The first Atris monologue is awesome (the second one, near the end - uninspiring, to say the least) and Kreia has a couple of good bits strewn around the game. That chick with the veil is sooooo unfinished in terms of interaction with the PC, you can "unlock" all of her dialog pretty fast, and then by the end of the game she has nothing new to say no matter what sort of crazy shit that is happening! Rest of the companions aren't any better, either.

Combat sucks. And it's too easy. And boring. Good thing there's lots of it then.

Music is forgetable. Sounds are recycled KotoR1 stuff.

Thus we come to the general design:

Sounds like an awesome game indeed and it does sound very different from KOTOR 1 where you go to different planets searching for maps.

Yes! And KotoR1 is nothing like NWN where you search for 4 Words of Powar! And NWN is nothing like ToB where you search for 4 Bhaalspawn! Bioware = inovashun!


Wow, awesome game! I'll go play it again right now! And once again when the restoration project is out!


In the meantime, I too would be interested to hear what sort of delights are "provided *during* the game", as you would have it? I musta missed a whole lot, cause I can't seem to remember them ('cept the aforementioned monologues)...

 

[DarkUnderlord]

For example, if you remove the choppiness, slow its rate down to a crawl, make it very viscous, and put on a molten-red texture, then you've got lava.

Isn't that what they could do in Quake or Doom even? You know, change the texture to red, make it hurt you and weyhey, lava!

 

[Kingston]

For example, if you remove the choppiness, slow its rate down to a crawl, make it very viscous, and put on a molten-red texture, then you've got lava.

Isn't that what they could do in Quake or Doom even? You know, change the texture to red, make it hurt you and weyhey, lava!

l0l noob quake is NOT an rpg !1111

 

[psycojester]

okay... so we're now up the stage in 2007 or being able to match quake 1. hmmm following this logic all we have to do is wait around till 2020 and somebody will have made planescape torment 2

 

[Surgey]

Great. Lava = red-colored water. It's just that simple, guys!

Both sucked. Were we supposed to be enthusiastic and optimistic?

I thought the picture was fine. The music? Eh.

 

[Greenskin13]

I also stopped wetting the bed at that age.

What are you, 12?

Hey don't insult 12 year olds.

I joined the Fallout community when I was twelve.

I had to hide my age out of shame.

 

[spacemoose]

Re: I also stopped wetting the bed at that age.

I joined the Fallout community when I was twelve.

did you fill out an application? was there a ceremony? shit I still gotta do that