Game News Chris Avellone hates his day job

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Chris Avellone

"At the recent Framework conference in Melbourne, veteran RPG designer Chris Avellone - of Planescape: Torment, Fallout 2 and KOTOR 2 fame - <a href="http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/05/rpg-designer-hates-rpgs/">told us all how much he hated RPGs</a>":
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<blockquote>In Knights of the Old Republic 2, Avellone hated Star Wars and the Force. In particular, he hated the concept of predestination implicit within the Force. So he built the game’s story and characters around this idea. He focused on what a Jedi might gain from turning away from the Force or what they may lose when they embrace it.
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In Planescape: Torment, Avellone felt it was the perfect setting for a guy burnt out on RPGs because it allowed him to turn everything on its head. He hated death, so he made the main character an immortal so that death became something useful rather than an impediment. He felt inspired to build a game where the death screen is just the beginning - and so Torment opens with you lying on a slab in a mortuary.
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[...]
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Avellone realised that in all RPGs, the most powerful bad-ass in the world wasn’t the “big bad”, but the player-character’s adventuring party. So Fallout 3 was designed around there being another party of adventurers out there in the world at the same time as you. Over the course of the game you will encounter this other party and experience how their actions have influenced the world. Along the way you’d have to decide whether to cooperate or work against them.</blockquote>
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It goes on to talk about Chris' hatred of character interaction and how that's resulted in Alpha Protocols simple response mechanism.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">GameBanshee</a>

 

[Turok]

I knew it, good stuff always come from hate.

The idea of found another party doing exactly what you are doing on a game is really nice, too bad i have never see it . The only encounter near to that idea was found drizzt duorden on baldurs gate, but again, i never knew what the hell was that guy until i read about him on internet.

 

[poocolator]

I hadn't encountered this "AI Party" in FO3 either, but that's no big loss: knowing how shoddily Bethduh does things, the encounter probably wouldn't even be memorably impressive.

 

[Spectacle]

OMFG! We could have had this:

Avellone realised that in all RPGs, the most powerful bad-ass in the world wasn’t the “big bad”, but the player-character’s adventuring party. So Fallout 3 was designed around there being another party of adventurers out there in the world at the same time as you. Over the course of the game you will encounter this other party and experience how their actions have influenced the world. Along the way you’d have to decide whether to cooperate or work against them.

Instead we got Bethout 3: Search for your father and set off nukes for lulz across a tiny slice of the wasteland.

I want to see Herve and Todd locked in the Tunderdome in a fight to the death. And by death I mean until both of them are dead.

I hope MCA gets to use that game concept someday. It sounds like it could work well in a D&D game, turning the convention on it's head.

 

[Turok]

I hadn't encountered this "AI Party" in FO3 either, but that's no big loss: knowing how shoddily Bethduh does things, the encounter probably wouldn't even be memorably impressive.

He refer to the original Fallout 3 aka Van buren... not the shitty besheta product.

 

[drunkpriest]

darkunderlord, change your avatar back, its mad niggerish not to.

 

[poocolator]

I hadn't encountered this "AI Party" in FO3 either, but that's no big loss: knowing how shoddily Bethduh does things, the encounter probably wouldn't even be memorably impressive.

He refer to the original Fallout 3 aka Van buren... not the shitty besheta product.

Wow, I'm mixing up my Chris Avellones.

 

[Turok]

I hadn't encountered this "AI Party" in FO3 either, but that's no big loss: knowing how shoddily Bethduh does things, the encounter probably wouldn't even be memorably impressive.

He refer to the original Fallout 3 aka Van buren... not the shitty besheta product.

Wow, I'm mixing up my Chris Avellones.

Some guy get mixed exactly like you on the article web page :D

When i hear anything about Van buren i just get angry and sad, hope no read anything about how good was suppose to be again or skyway will pay for it.

 

[poocolator]

He shouldn't refer to it as Fallout 3, then. Fallout was buried ten years ago, what they're doing now is akin to performing unnatural experiments with cadavers.

EDIT:
Fuck trhere's a beeping coming from one of the stupid RPGCodex ads and it's driving me absolutely bonkers AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGH
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

POSTAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

Interesting article. It comes at a time when I am finally getting into NWN2 and the expansions, and I just can't help but hate playing as a human, elf, dwarf, etc., all over again.They have thrown in a few more interesting races such as duergar, drow, yuan-ti, the genasi's, but it's just not what I'm after.

I want a D&D game where I play as a goblin or kobold, orc or gnoll or ogre, or some giant variant. And I want to be part of a horde, and the goal of the game is to raze some human settlements... A story with multiple paths dependent on how your party, and the other war parties that you don't control, perform during the campaign.

Guess I'll just have to keep dreaming.

 

[coldcrow]

Wizardry 7 has several competing NPC-parties. They often snatch the maps before you can get them. Also angering certain factions and then meeting aligned NPC-parties can result in a quick end.

 

[A user named cat]

Depths of Peril?

 

[Suchy]

Avellone realised that in all RPGs, the most powerful bad-ass in the world wasn’t the “big bad”, but the player-character’s adventuring party. So Fallout 3 was designed around there being another party of adventurers out there in the world at the same time as you. Over the course of the game you will encounter this other party and experience how their actions have influenced the world. Along the way you’d have to decide whether to cooperate or work against them.

There's a chance we may still get it in New Vegas.

 

[ghostdog]

Avellone should change a bit the setting and names and make that goddamn van buren game he had in mind.

 

[MetalCraze]

I've noticed that the article forgets to mention great Avellone's games Descent to Undermountain and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.

 

[someone else]

If hatred is the key to making good RPGs shouldn't the Codex make one?

Oh yeah forgot, we are just a bunch of lazy bums.

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

He also hates JE Sawyer.

 

[Mister Arkham]

Huh. Maybe MY irrational hatred for everything will pay off some day.

 

[poocolator]

Huh. Maybe MY irrational hatred for everything will pay off some day.

Well as it's been mentioned, as a codexer, you're too lazy to make anything out of it. Do not fret however, for there is strength in laziness: for one, we don't have to prove anything to anyone :D

 

[denizsi]

He first proves his worth and establishes a name for himself in CRPG scene. Later on, Bethesda comes along and adopts the right of many others as its own. Then, he and his Obsidian collaborates with Bethesda. And now, he comes to admit all the hate that's been breeding inside.

Too many coincidences, too many parallels, and it all makes sense now. Despite all the hate and the flank he gets, Lucas was right; he has seen it all. There are very dark times ahead of us, but we have to keep hope. In the end, he might bring balance to the CRPG scene once again.

Which bears the question, who is going to be the one to turn him back, the spiritual son? I thought of VD, but timeline isn't just right yet.

 

[Black]

Huh. Maybe MY irrational hatred for everything will pay off some day.

The difference between us and Chris is that we're hateful while he is hateful AND creative.

Hateful Chris one might say...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOBgvWMO8oU

 

[Mister Arkham]

Huh. Maybe MY irrational hatred for everything will pay off some day.

The difference between us and Chris is that we're hateful while he is hateful AND creative.

I don't know... I'm talking to a couple of people about a book deal...

 

[sheek]

That's some epic rationalization for incompetence.

 

[sheek]

Another RPG design genius (one of Avelllone's acolytes?)

Ben Abraham
May 1, 2009 at 2:40 PM

Great write-up David. [Psst - in paragraph 6 I think you meant fallout 2, not 3 ;-)]

One genre convention I’d like to see overturned is that of player “death” - I want a game where I can’t ever die. Seriously, why waste my time by making me replay a section of game? Surely there have to be better ways of ‘punishing’ or teaching the player than making them perform actions over and over like a trained monkey.

LMAO

 

[SerratedBiz]

Another RPG design genius (one of Avelllone's acolytes?)

Ben Abraham
May 1, 2009 at 2:40 PM

Great write-up David. [Psst - in paragraph 6 I think you meant fallout 2, not 3 ;-)]

One genre convention I’d like to see overturned is that of player “death” - I want a game where I can’t ever die. Seriously, why waste my time by making me replay a section of game? Surely there have to be better ways of ‘punishing’ or teaching the player than making them perform actions over and over like a trained monkey.

LMAO