Editorial MCA Blog Entries

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>Magnificent Chris Avellone keeps on <a href="http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?automodule=blog&amp;blogid=1&amp;showentry=138" target="_blank">sharing his wisdom</a> and <a href="http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?automodule=blog&amp;blogid=1&amp;showentry=140" target="_blank">gives insight</a> into the inner workings of a game developer company.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Project Directors are selected based on their ability to hold or create the vision for a project, motivate and inspire the team, and their ability to focus the game to the vision and the game pillars. Any individual on a team who has demonstrated these qualities at a senior level as they've risen through the ranks in their discipline (usually to lead status) is considered a candidate for Project Director. Rich Taylor, for example, consistently demonstrated strengths as a lead programmer, and also demonstrated good judgment and decisions on how to go about making the game he was leading (Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and now Dungeon Siege).<br /><br />Lead Designers are selected for much the same reason - they're usually senior designers who've shown the same strengths in upholding the game vision, ability to motivate and lead a team, and can manage effectively. Like other lead roles, Lead Designers are not necessarily chosen for their design ability, and they may not be the best designer in their discipline, they simply need to understand the design pipelines, understand the toolset and its breakdowns, and how to manage a team - this is because leads spend more time managing the designers in their discipline than doing actual core design work. If they excel in design, as Josh does, then that's a bonus.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/#15664">RPGWatch</a></p>

 

[MetalCraze]

Rich Taylor, for example, consistently demonstrated strengths as a lead programmer, and also demonstrated good judgment and decisions on how to go about making the game he was leading (Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and now Dungeon Siege).

So by turning Aurora Engine into a buggy, sometimes unplayable, leaking mess he became a leading person for DS3?

That explains why Obsidian games are what they are.

If they excel in design, as Josh does, then that's a bonus.

Like... NWN2 OC design?

I wonder if at least someone of Obsidian bosses including Avellone ever had at least a small thought that you need to promote good devs, not shitty devs and then, maybe, the game will turn out good

 

[Achilles]

Why do people always bash the NWN2 OC so much? It's been a long time since I last played it but I remember it as being pretty much standard fantasy fare. What was so bad about it?

 

[Clockwork Knight]

The fact that it was pretty much standard fantasy fare.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

The OC was bad enough, but pair that with the horrible engine... yeah.

Oh, and for Racofer... The camera sucks.

 

[MetalCraze]

The guy who makes Obsidian's cameras is, very likely, the most biggest boss there by now

 

[Lockkaliber]

If they excel in design, as Josh does, then that's a bonus.

Like... NWN2 OC design?

Post proof that Sawyer designed the entire NWN2 OC please. AFAIK he was transfered to the OC late in the development cycle after the first lead jumped ship to Bioware.

 

[KalosKagathos]

If they excel in design, as Josh does, then that's a bonus.

Like... NWN2 OC design?

While I'm cool with people hating NWN2 OC (despite liking it myself) I'd like to point out that Sawyer became the lead almost at the very end of the development cycle. If you have to hate, hate the person actually responsible.

EDIT: Ninja'd.

 

[denizsi]

They are true visionaries, them Obsidian. They don't judge whether you are a concept artist, a level designer or a core designer; they only care if you have what it takes to be the lead. That's how the janitor became the lead designer to Alpha Boretocol.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

If they excel in design, as Josh does, then that's a bonus.

Like... NWN2 OC design?

While I'm cool with people hating NWN2 OC (despite liking it myself) I'd like to point out that Sawyer became the lead almost at the very end of the development cycle. If you have to hate, hate the person actually responsible.

Didn't Annie state on a thread here that he basically hopped in during the last few weeks and made it playable?

 

[Volourn]

Annie doesn't know what she's talking about as she ran away from Obsidian 'cause she couldn't handle the pressure. She'd rather hide out on the net and make games for small audience because we all know small audiences like the Codex suck dick a lot.

NWN2 was playable ebcause the engine it used was based on awesomeness from the start. NWN2 OC was solid unlike certain other games. *cough* AP *cough* TW *COUGH*

 

[Archibald]

NWN2 OC was solid

Then i guess NWN OC was masterpiece.

 

[thesheeep]

NWN2 was playable ebcause the engine it used was based on awesomeness from the start.

NWN2 engine being awesome?

So, an engine that...

• - allows only small quadratic levels (because everything bigger would screw up)
  - when loading a level, always loads uneccessary sublevels, too
  - and doing so each time you load, even if you loaded from the same level
  - has a ridiculous huge hardware hunger compared to what it is able to bring on the screen
  - because of this ridiculous hardware hunger allowed for only very small persistent worlds
  - lags the shit out of every moderate PC that is normally able to run games looking much better with more calculations done, even WITH settings reduced to the minimum
  - managed to screw up savegames

... is awesome?

Given, the editor is pretty fine, but that's about it.

And let's not even talk about UI and camera, because those are not purely the responsibility of the engine.

 

[Ruprekt]

I can understand criticsm of the NWN2 camera (as shipped, before the extra modes added in later patches).

But the NWN1 camera is even worse, it's fucking terrible. It's unplayable in the chase and follow modes (no proper mouse look),
and overhead view while it approximates the infinity engine (if that means anything with 3 characters two of which are limited control) it does so while looking a million times worse than inifinity engine games. It's 3d with none of the benefits of 3d and all of the downsides of early gen 3d hideousness.

 

[Volourn]

"Then i guess NWN OC was masterpiece."

Obviously, youa re an ignoramous like most net geeks./ NWN OC is average just like NWN2 OC. theya re equals, and both are worthy of 75%ish ratings. Don't let the morans who claim that I am some BIo fanboy sell you their bullshit.


"NWN2 engine being awesome?"

yes, awesome. I said awesome. i didn't say perfect.


"But the NWN1 camera is even worse, it's fucking terrible. It's unplayable in the chase and follow modes (no proper mouse look),
and overhead view while it approximates the infinity engine (if that means anything with 3 characters two of which are limited control) it does so while looking a million times worse than inifinity engine games. It's 3d with none of the benefits of 3d and all of the downsides of early gen 3d hideousness."

Bullshitz. NWN1 camera is the best camera in any game ever, and anyone who claims that IE games look better in any way are, quite frnakly, fuckin' liars.

 

[Ruprekt]

Dragon Age: Origins has the best camera.

 

[Jaesun]

The Witcher was better, IMHO.

 

[Serious_Business]

Annie doesn't know what she's talking about as she ran away from Obsidian 'cause she couldn't handle the pressure. She'd rather hide out on the net and make games for small audience because we all know small audiences like the Codex suck dick a lot.

NWN2 was playable ebcause the engine it used was based on awesomeness from the start. NWN2 OC was solid unlike certain other games. *cough* AP *cough* TW *COUGH*

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Bullshitz. NWN1 camera is the best camera in any game ever, and anyone who claims that IE games look better in any way are, quite frnakly, fuckin' liars.

Here's an epistemological tip for you Volo, my favorite pleb jester : you can't actually lie about basic hierarchical concepts (using the word "better"), what is happening here is a conflict of (implicit) criteria. Maybe some basic conceptualisation would free you from all that raw neurotic frustration, but... nah, this is much better of course keep on the good fight

 

[FeelTheRads]

and anyone who claims that IE games look better in any way are, quite frnakly, fuckin' liars.

NWN has the worst graphics ever. Absolutely horrendous. And a shit engine barely capable of displaying a couple of polygons without chocking to a slow death.

Also, Volourn, Spiderweb games >>>>>>>>>>>>> Bioware games, forever and ever.

 

[Roguey]

For Fallout New Vegas, Josh broke down the companion personalities and assigned them to designer he felt showed strengths in those character backgrounds - for example, understanding of certain psychological conditions, or (in my case) because I'd written the father of one of the companions,

I hope it's Myron. They should definitely go there.

 

[StrangeCase]

Obviously, youa re an ignoramous like most net geeks./ NWN OC is average just like NWN2 OC. theya re equals, and both are worthy of 75%ish ratings. Don't let the morans who claim that I am some BIo fanboy sell you their bullshit.

NWN2 is average, I agree. Obsidian did the right thing by trying to make it more story-/character-driven, but neither of those things were particularly compelling. Standard fantasy fare, in other words. Average.

But while NWN2 might be propelled by mediocrity, NWN is almost totally inert. Its writing doesn't even approach compelling unless you've never played an RPG. If you didn't like NWN2's combat, you could say "It has a decent-ish story at least, if you're into that kind of thing." NWN doesn't even have that.

I'd rank NWN's OC noticeably lower than average, and I certainly wouldn't give either game 75%. NWN2 would score in the 60's, maybe 70 if I weren't so sexually frustrated was feeling generous; NWN would be low 50's. Actually, make that mid- to high-50's, solely because the Charwood sequence was actually kind of interesting and by far the best part of the game.

 

[Grunker]

Why do people always bash the NWN2 OC so much? It's been a long time since I last played it but I remember it as being pretty much standard fantasy fare. What was so bad about it?

Fuck. FUCK. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-

 

[Twinkle]

NWN engine deserves the award for the most authentic network lag simulation in single-player mode. Pure awesomeness, indeed

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Graphics in NWN 1 were comically blocky, but I didnt mind since it was stable, fast and had great camera control for me.

 

[Sceptic]

Actually, make that mid- to high-50's, solely because the Charwood sequence was actually kind of interesting and by far the best part of the game.

That better not be the castle with the 2 ghost dudes in it, because it was a great premise that turned into the worst sequence of a bad game. Having to fight and refight through respawning enemies that grant no XP? not my idea of interesting.

NWN engine deserves the award for the most authentic network lag simulation in single-player mode. Pure awesomeness, indeed

Graphics in NWN 1 were comically blocky, but I didnt mind since it was stable, fast and had great camera control for me.

Camera sucked ass (not as bad as DAO's though), walking speed was so slow even with the fast running cheat, and the game crashed once every maybe 30 minutes on loading an area, loading a save, or writing a save. The latter of course resulted in a corrupt save. I ran the game twice on 2 different systems on 2 continents, 2 different versions of the game, and the crashing was still there.