Interview Gamestar.ru Chris Avellone Interview

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Kickstarter; Obsidian Entertainment; Wasteland 2

A new interview with Chris Avellone has appeared, courtesy of Gamestar.ru, in which the God Emperor discusses the Kickstarter phenomenon, RPG design, the minutiae of the development process, and other things. Let me quote some bits for you:

If it’s not a secret, what is the main expenditure item while developing of the role-playing game?

If by expenditure item you mean resources, I'd say marketing, and from at least one of our most recent RPGs, the marketing outstripped the cost of developing the project several times over.

What biggest failure in RPG genre could you recollect?

Lack of balance is the great destroyer, and while it's been in a number of recent titles, it's not a recent development. Lack of combat balance and any need for tactics - so much so that the combats are so easy that you don't have to do much to win or vary your combat style - is pretty crippling. One RPG in the past I've never played because I'm aware there's one low-level spell that makes the critical choice with your character progression in the game meaningless because that spell is overpowered.

Also, I feel combat mechanics are neglected in a lot of current titles except Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning. KoA's combat felt very fluid and it felt like they'd put a lot of care and attention into its mechanics.

How much time does take from the moment of the first idea till the story outline writing? When do the game-designers start their work, how is further cooperation of the group built with the material written? On which stage is the ready scenario with dialogues and scenes enriched?

The publisher pitches we do require that we have a story outline (at least a page or two) when we submit the pitch. That can take 1-2 weeks, and then we build from there. Over the next 3-4 months the Creative Lead helps flesh out the areas, major NPCs, companions, etc., vets it with the other Leads, and then when the game enters full production (usually after vertical slice), the narrative tasks are divided up or, for a smaller title, the Creative Lead does all the major scripting for the title.

Have you got congenial developers who have the same idea and point of view on game industry? If you had a possibility of joint game project who of your colleagues could become a perfect co-author?

I've worked with a number of great developers. Some I currently work with and others I'd work with again: Dan Spitzley and Brian Menze (we've been together since Torment), Tim Donley (lead artist on Torment), George Ziets, Anthony Davis, Tony Evans, Travis Stout, Colin McComb, and Tim Cain. I'd work with Ken Levine in a heartbeat, but he's already got all his story stuff handled, so he wouldn't need me. I like David Gaider a lot and I think he's pretty sharp, I'd work with him. And Mary DeMarle. And Richard Dansky. As for Brian Fargo, I'm already working with him again on Wasteland 2. : )​

Be sure to read the interview in full here.

Spotted at Gamebanshee

 

[Zak]

Tags: One RPG in the past I've never played because I'm aware there's one low-level spell that makes the critical choice with your character progression in the game meaningless because that spell is overpowered.

So that's why he's never played Arcanum

 

[Crooked Bee]

He's just rationalizing.

 

[Ulminati]

I like David Gaider a lot and I think he's pretty sharp, I'd work with him.

 

[felipepepe]

One RPG in the past I've never played because I'm aware there's one low-level spell that makes the critical choice with your character progression in the game meaningless because that spell is overpowered.
Also, I feel combat mechanics are neglected in a lot of current titles except Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning. KoA's combat felt very fluid and it felt like they'd put a lot of care and attention into its mechanics.

MCA bashes Arcanum and praises KOA? What is this, I don't even....

 

[Stinger]

Disintegrate isn't low level

EDIT: inb4 chainshot.

 

[Sacculina]

Disintegrate isn't low level

But harm is.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Lack of balance is the great destroyer, and while it's been in a number of recent titles, it's not a recent development. Lack of combat balance and any need for tactics - so much so that the combats are so easy that you don't have to do much to win or vary your combat style - is pretty crippling.

Good description of how it usually is in Obsidian games.

 

[Davaris]

Tags: One RPG in the past I've never played because I'm aware there's one low-level spell that makes the critical choice with your character progression in the game meaningless because that spell is overpowered.

There's no mods to fix that?

 

[4too]

Spoiler Alert

...

Be sure to read the interview in full here. …

Read it there or read it ...

Spoiler

...

When doing titles at Obsidian, we purposely try and create emotional moments - not just misfortune, but emotional ups and downs. We call them "emotional vistas"... emotional narrative moments that leave a lasting impact on you as a player. They end up being events you remember, not because of the violence or volume, but because of the insight and something occurring within the game itself that changes your perception of events. Our goal is simple scenes and realizations for the player’s experience that have the same punch as Rutger Hauer’s/Roy Batty's lines at the end of Blade Runner, where he sums up the misery of the human condition in a few simple sentences. That’s what we strive for from our characters and the player.
…

"emotional vista"

"emotional vista"

Arcanum? 'Happy Accident" my lust for RPG life was for a steam punk gunslinger with a big posse ….





4too

 

[Stinger]

But harm is.

I dunno harm's not that OP. It's useful and the cost isn't too high, but the damage output per turn isn't that high so if you're playing it in turnbased then it's not a great spell. It only starts to feel imba in the late game when you start getting overwhelmed with shitloads of trash mobs and then you just switch to real time and spam it nonstop but in turn based mode it really isn't powerful enough to be imba, just practical and reliable.

 

[Azalin]

I like David Gaider a lot and I think he's pretty sharp, I'd work with him.

 

[Ulminati]

But harm is.

I dunno harm's not that OP. It's useful and the cost isn't too high, but the damage output per turn isn't that high so if you're playing it in turnbased then it's not a great spell. It only starts to feel imba in the late game when you start getting overwhelmed with shitloads of trash mobs and then you just switch to real time and spam it nonstop but in turn based mode it really isn't powerful enough to be imba, just practical and reliable.

Nerf Rock. Paper's fine.

-Scissors.

 

[Surf Solar]

Lack of combat balance and any need for tactics - so much so that the combats are so easy that you don't have to do much to win or vary your combat style - is pretty crippling.

So you mean just like in Fallout?

 

[FeelTheRads]

Lack of balance is the great destroyer, and while it's been in a number of recent titles, it's not a recent development. Lack of combat balance and any need for tactics - so much so that the combats are so easy that you don't have to do much to win or vary your combat style - is pretty crippling. One RPG in the past I've never played because I'm aware there's one low-level spell that makes the critical choice with your character progression in the game meaningless because that spell is overpowered.

Maybe he should LARP a character who doesn't use useful skills, just like he LARPs in Wasteland characters who use useless skills.
Also, LAWL, Obsidian developer talking about lack of tactics and easy combat.

 

[J_C]

Also, LAWL, Obsidian developer talking about lack of tactics and easy combat.

That argument is just as invalid as the "don't criticise a movie because you couldn't make a better movie yourself".

 

[FeelTheRads]

Also, LAWL, Obsidian developer talking about lack of tactics and easy combat.

That argument is just as invalid as the "don't criticise a movie because you couldn't make a better movie yourself".

It's not an argument it's sarcasm and even if it was, it's not the same. I didn't say he can't criticize, I think it's funny that he's also a game developer who does the same shit he criticizes.To be the same as your "invalid" argument, it would have to be about someone who doesn't even work in the same field as what he's criticizing. For example: me criticizing a movie. There can't be anything sarcastic said about that because I don't make movies, and only "LOL CAN U DO BETTER???" fags would claim I don't have the right to criticize.

Get it, 'tard?

Now go back to your "valid" arguments about consoles being more powerful than PCs.

 

[J_C]

Get it, 'tard?

Now go back to your "valid" arguments about consoles being more powerful than PCs.

Butthurt much? Did I hurt your feelings back at the console topic?

 

[FeelTheRads]

Indeed, your stupidity makes me very butthurt about humanity in general.

 

[J_C]

Look who's talking.

 

[Jasede]

I like David Gaider a lot and I think he's pretty sharp, I'd work with him.

 

[Haraldur]

I like David Gaider a lot and I think he's pretty sharp, I'd work with him.

Only on the Codex.

 

[RK47]

But harm is.

I dunno harm's not that OP. It's useful and the cost isn't too high, but the damage output per turn isn't that high so if you're playing it in turnbased then it's not a great spell. It only starts to feel imba in the late game when you start getting overwhelmed with shitloads of trash mobs and then you just switch to real time and spam it nonstop but in turn based mode it really isn't powerful enough to be imba, just practical and reliable.

There is no other spell like it. I mean I basically relied on that, and stun to keep my mage guy fully pumped on other stats. Which is pretty sad when u consider the air / earth sch doesn't have anything that great despite costing more mana. It's broken. No doubt about it.

 

[Johannes]

Harm isn't really imbalanced, if compared to good melee or throwing or to other good spells... It's really easy to make an all-powerful PC. Just that the actual interesting options are much worse.

What is a breeze though, to use the helmet that increases magic affinity and evilness, repeatedly and then have harm do full dmg straight at the Shrouded Hills gypsy seller.