Interview An Interview with Chris Avellone

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>Some person called WillOoi interviewed Magnificient Chris Avellone, in what appears to be a multi-part interview. <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WillOoi/20110623/7848/An_Interview_with_Chris_Avellone__game_designer_writer_and_former_unlucky_schlep.php" target="_blank">Here's part I</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>WO: The RPGs of today have taken on a far more action-oriented </strong><strong>approach, as seen through Fallout 3/New Vegas, Mass Effect 2, and </strong><strong>Dragon Age 2. For you, what are the essential components that make an RPG an RPG?</strong> <br /><br /> <strong> </strong><strong>MCA:</strong> Honoring the player's choices during character creation and advancement by having all choices given be viable tools to succeed in the game world, a world and its people that react and change based on your actions, and that reaction be meaningful for your characters and others. There's a treatise I could write for this - there's exploration, advancement, the ability to play the role you've built, customization, kill-and-loot feedback loop, and more, but the big points are above.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/103630-chris-avellone-interview-part-one.html">Gamebanshee</a></p>

 

[RK47]

Q: Dungeon Siege 3 bombed. What next, Chris?

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

A: We're currently developing Icewind Dale 3, a party based, isometric D&D dungeon crawler. It's about choice.

 

[Exmit]

A: We're currently developing Icewind Dale 3, a party based, isometric D&D dungeon crawler. It's about choice.

GOTY

 

[Shannow]

A: We're currently developing Icewind Dale 3, a party cover based, isometricthird person-view D&D dungeon crawlerdate sim. It's about choice.

 

[l3loodAngel]

I like how it's always about past gloriuos days and not how he's going to restore them if at all. Theres little point discusing planescape, kotor2 and etc. if Obsidian is going to give us dungeon siege or alpha protocol again and again.

 

[Cosmo]

I like how it's always about past gloriuos days and not how he's going to restore them if at all. Theres little point discusing planescape, kotor2 and etc. if Obsidian is going to give us dungeon siege or alpha protocol again and again.

At least Alpha Protocol was a misstep in the right direction...

 

[l3loodAngel]

At least Alpha Protocol was a misstep in the right direction...

I like AP but it just wasnt an RPG in my book... It was good shooter with stats...

 

[Silentrider]

Alpha Protocol was a first person shooter allright.

 

[villain of the story]

WO: What are some of your favourite game genres, and what have been some creative works that have stood out for you?

MCA: I enjoy survival-horror games (played Amnesia: The Dark Descent recently, loved it), but that doesn't depend on it being FPS or more 3rd person action like Dead Space/Resident Evil perspective, I just want to see how they can scare me regardless of the game genre. I also play a lot of iPhone titles, pick-up titles (I jump onto Plants vs. Zombies every once in a while because it's so addicting) and Nintendo DS - in terms of recent ones I've played, Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Puzzle Quest(s), and Dungeon Raid (when my girlfriend isn't playing it on my phone). In terms of long-term favorites, I'll go back to the hallmarks: Fallout 1, Chronotrigger, Ultima Underworld 1, and System Shock 2. These four probably had the biggest influence on my design approach of any titles I've ever played.

Does not explain how Alpha Protocol turned out to be a shitty console shooter.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Alpha Protocol was a first person shooter allright.

I thought it was 3rd person?

Anyways, I'm starting to suspect that Chris is full of shit considering the products he has delivered as of late. People say many things, but look at their actions and their intentions become crystal clear.

 

[villain of the story]

AP but it just wanst an RPG in my book... It was good shooter with stats...

You haven't played many shooters, have you? It is a shit console shooter.

 

[l3loodAngel]

AP but it just wanst an RPG in my book... It was good shooter with stats...

You haven't played many shooters, have you? It is a shit console shooter.

Not many tbh. My shooters ended with quake 2 and CS 1.5. Both were superb in my opinion. Especialy the multiplayer ( in CS case only multiplayer).

I thought it was 3rd person?

It was a 3rd person now crusify me I did a mistake...

 

[DragoFireheart]

AP but it just wanst an RPG in my book... It was good shooter with stats...

You haven't played many shooters, have you? It is a shit console shooter.

For an example, Perfect Dark (N64) is a good shooter.

 

[Elzair]

AP but it just wanst an RPG in my book... It was good shooter with stats...

You haven't played many shooters, have you? It is a shit console shooter.

For an example, Perfect Dark (N64) is a good shooter.

Console Shooter != Good Shooter

 

[DragoFireheart]

Console Shooter != Good Shooter

This was back before health-regen, cover-systems, and other retarded shit. Even on a console, Perfect Dark is a good shooter.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

Anyways, I'm starting to suspect that Chris is full of shit considering the products he has delivered

You'd think the whole "slam dunk shop" thing would've given it away sooner.

 

[MuscleSpark]

Anyways, I'm starting to suspect that Chris is full of shit considering the products he has delivered as of late. People say many things, but look at their actions and their intentions become crystal clear.

I'm sure that if he had an infinite amount of time and money that we would get some amazing games. As it stands though, he's got a business to run, which really is a shame.
At any rate, he wasn't really involved with Dungeon Siege 3, and the response to AP and FNV was (all things considered) pretty good.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

A: We're currently developing Icewind Dale 3, a party based, isometric D&D dungeon crawler. It's about choice.

My Magic is Choice

 

[ironyuri]

Lots of faggotry ITT, not enough MCA .

 

[RK47]

Icewind Dale III with Dung Siege III camera and gamepad?

....Yes...I believe this is what the Codex needs. A fucking reality check.

 

[Davaris]

Anyways, I'm starting to suspect that Chris is full of shit considering the products he has delivered as of late. People say many things, but look at their actions and their intentions become crystal clear.

I'm sure that if he had an infinite amount of time and money that we would get some amazing games. As it stands though, he's got a business to run, which really is a shame.
At any rate, he wasn't really involved with Dungeon Siege 3, and the response to AP and FNV was (all things considered) pretty good.

We will never see consistently good games until the Communist Nirvana is achieved. If a game is good it is entirely by accident, or it slipped past the attention of the soulless capitalist oppressors.

 

[J_C]

Q: Dungeon Siege 3 bombed. What next, Chris?

Care to share us how many copies were sold in 1 week? You must know if you say that it bombed.

 

[RK47]

Q: Dungeon Siege 3 bombed. What next, Chris?

Care to share us how many copies were sold in 1 week? You must know if you say that it bombed.

I don't have those. I based it on reviewer's response, the demo, and community response based on the demo itself and widespread criticism. There's not even a single 9.0+ rating on the mainstream review and most of the critical fans or alternative gamers like codex didn't exactly like it.

J_C, I know you are defending it as a good game with gamepad, but I simply don't feel it was worth it. It has a broken co-op mechanic and doesn't even manage to improve the bland original series after many years of hiatus.

 

[J_C]

Q: Dungeon Siege 3 bombed. What next, Chris?

Care to share us how many copies were sold in 1 week? You must know if you say that it bombed.

I don't have those. I based it on reviewer's response, the demo, and community response based on the demo itself and widespread criticism. There's not even a single 9.0+ rating on the mainstream review and most of the critical fans or alternative gamers like codex didn't exactly like it.

J_C, I know you are defending it as a good game with gamepad, but I simply don't feel it was worth it. It has a broken co-op mechanic and doesn't even manage to improve the bland original series after many years of hiatus.

It is clearly not a 90+ game, but it received kinda OK scores, 70-80, I think it will do OK on consoles, but the PC crowd will probably hate it, because of the a) bad k+m controls b) it changed too much from the original. But I hope the console gamers will give it a try.

And yeah, the co-op is bad in the game, I only played it a minute or two. But I just finished the singleplayer yesterday, and it was fun for me.

More important is that this new engine is very good IMO, and they could use it to make a really good RPG.