Interview A Decadent Interview at RPG Dot

[GhanBuriGhan]

Yup, all good works of writing get edited. If not, you get something like Tom Clancy's "The Bear and the Dragon" that I have just finished torturing myself with (shudder). To make that efficient he would however need someone he trusts, and probably an import - export function for dialogue.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Actually, I do believe there are people whose job is editing someone else's writing, and I don't see anything silly about it.
It's kinda like hiring an architect to build your house. You tell him what you want, and he works out the actual design.

Of course, there are such people, but it's not what I meant.

 

[TheGreatGodPan]

I didn't notice anything bad about the writing, although sometimes in the screenshots a letter seemed incompletely printed and the spacing seemed odd (missing between words or in the middle of a word).

 

[Vault Dweller]

That's font rendering issues. We'll fix them when everything else is done.

 

[Roqua]

Did you ever thing of changing your name from Serge to Surge? One letter changed and it becomes good. You could be a goddamn superhero.

I can’t do better.

That’s ridiculous. 'Can’t' is a word for pussies. I hate to be critical, but you don’t, so just tell us the truth and say, “I do not want to spent the time and energy necessary for me to make it better.”

I think the writing, if anything, is too verbose. I liked the writing in fallout since most of the writing is short. Whoever wrote for fallout went with the ‘less is more’ motto. No lengthy descriptions. You fill in the blanks. And the extra shit was kind of interesting, like the shit on holodisks, even when it was about stupid shit like vaults (the one you get at the library in Hub).

But, to be fair, I do not pay much attention to the dialogues in most games, as they are unnecessary to pay attention to. The journal tells you what you have to know in a nice, short summary. So prejournal games I tended to pay attention and knew what was going on just to figure out what I had to do. Like in Buck Rogers, which was also too verbose. I did pay attention to the dialogue in Bloodlines because people had useful shit to say and my responses were somewhat important sometimes.

But I also think it is more than good enough as is. Get this bitch out to us and take notes for part 2. I would rather have this game sooner rather than later. Don’t cave into the pressure to delay over superficial nonsense. This argument is the same as the graphics one, people saying a little more, a little more. The dialogue is done. It could be better, just like the graphics. But it does what its supposed to do. I think the combat could be better, and I think more of the resources should go into that, but you don’t see me crying. Improving anything makes it better, that’s what the word improve means (outside of big AAA development). But, like Dhruin, I have faith that you are a good developer and the whole package will be much better than shitty third-world graphics, crap ass kid dialogue, and stupid gay TB combat. And again, I would rather have the game sooner rather than later.

I’m figuring French is your first language, with a name like Serge and all. I think you’re from Canada, so what the fuck is your second language? Mic Mac? Eskimo?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Did you ever thing if changing your name from Serge to Surge? One letter changed and it becomes good. You could be a goddamn superhero.

Sarge works too.

That’s ridiculous. 'Can’t' is a word for pussies. I hate to be critical, but you don’t, so just tell us the truth and say, “I do not want to spent the time and energy necessary for me to make it better.”

Which means "can't", basically. Sure, if I spend 5 years on dialogues alone, I'll probably create - what was that stupid phrase? - linguistic virtuosity. However, in reasonable time, i.e. rough draft + two coats of polish, I can't. Simple as that.

But, like Dhruin, I have faith that you are a good developer...

Thanks.

 

[Volourn]

On behalf of VD - whether he likes it or not - I have two words for the shitty whiner sin this thread: Fuck off.


R00fles!

 

[Roqua]

I’m figuring French is your first language, with a name like Serge and all. I think you’re from Canada, so what the fuck is your second language? Mic Mac? Eskimo?

I'd really like to know.

 

[7th Circle]

Looks promising.

Generally, imho, you seem to have thought things out quite nicely; at least, fwiw, there aren't design choices that I can make major complaints about... For instance, I find the stats screen ugly but quite functional (and, despite what OB's devs think, functionality has to take the higher precedent when dealing with interfaces...).

With the dialogue, while not perfect, I found that it appeared to communicate what is necessary with clarity (which is what counts). I've certainly seen worse in some undergraduate essays and reports that I've marked...

I also find your pr approach refreshing although, as already commented, "If what you do is meaningless, if people don't react to your actions, if you need to imagine consequences or that someone cares, the game is boring, at least, in my opinion." felt unnecessarily negative.

Finally, I appreciate the shareware decision. No offence but obviously, despite your best intentions, it is still possible that you may find it impossible to put everything together and a shareware demo gives a much better chance to assess such things.

Good luck with finishing it up.

 

[Azarkon]

On behalf of VD - whether he likes it or not - I have two words for the shitty whiner sin this thread: Fuck off.


R00fles!

It's hardly whining to engage in criticism, or else this site would not exist. VD needs to be told if his game's writing isn't up to par, like he does to the games he criticizes. The necessity for criticism and being able to handle criticism, in so far as it goes, is one thing that I agree with the Codex on. So far, VD has done a commendable job in terms of explaining himself - much better, at least, than the PR spin and silence that most companies, when challenged, engage in. That, imo, is a hell of alot better than a thread of sycophants marveling at how far VD got with an indie project. That his game isn't vaporware has always been impressive - which is the reason, consequently, why it's unnecessary to state.

But VD, you should not call a phrase stupid simply because you don't agree with its application :wink:

 

[HotSnack]

I’m figuring French is your first language, with a name like Serge and all. I think you’re from Canada, so what the fuck is your second language? Mic Mac? Eskimo?

I'd really like to know.

Is Serge French? I would have figured it was East European, since Kraven the Hunter has the same first name as well.

 

[Claw]

Of course, there are such people, but it's not what I meant.

Well, my bad; then I just don't know why you feel it sounds "silly" to hire someone to edit your writing.

 

[Elwro]

Is Serge French? I would have figured it was East European, since Kraven the Hunter has the same first name as well.

In my parts it would be sth like Sergiusz (pronounced sergyush).

 

[Mefi]

Is Serge French? I would have figured it was East European, since Kraven the Hunter has the same first name as well.

In my parts it would be sth like Sergiusz (pronounced sergyush).

For some reason I have VD down as maghrebin. But what does it matter? What's in a name?

 

[Vault Dweller]

VD needs to be told if his game's writing isn't up to par, like he does to the games he criticizes.

Up to par with what? Your own standards? Tolkien? War and Fucking Peace? While I agree with the criticism, I daresay that the game has better writing, despite the awkwardness, than many top commercial games do. Oblivion and Rise of Legends come to mind.

But VD, you should not call a phrase stupid simply because you don't agree with its application :wink:

Fair enough.

 

[Roqua]

I got it. He's Haitian and Creole is 1st, French second, English upon moving to Canada.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Why Haitian? Anyway...

...although, as already commented, "If what you do is meaningless, if people don't react to your actions, if you need to imagine consequences or that someone cares, the game is boring, at least, in my opinion." felt unnecessarily negative.

It's often easier to explain the benefits of a concept by pointing out the drawbacks of the opposite. For example, it's hard to agree on what exactly makes being alive so awesome, but it's very easy to agree that being dead kinda sucks.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Yeah, but somehow righting the wrongs of other games doesn't come acroass as a positive sales argument. From my gut feeling (and I don't have the slightest clue in Marketing, of course), I think the only way to make a point by comparing to other products is to use irony and humour while doing so.

But no matter, the interview was a good move and got the name of the game out there, I hope a few more sites will follow suit.

 

[almondblight]

You seem to have in mind a fairly long Beta period, so as long as you get some dedicated testers and put some focus on ironing out any clumsily worded sentences , I don't see the writing as being a problem in the final game. I actually prefer the to-the-point attitude to the poor attempts at humor that games like Baldur's Gate II and Fallout 2 made. I think people are blowing a few awkward phrases out of proportion.

 

[FrancoTAU]

Yeah seriously, just pick a couple English as a first language folks as beta testers to point out any glaring mistakes to ya.

I went back and read most of your dialogue screens and don't really see the problem besides that one awkward use of punctuatios, dashes, and whatever.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Yeah, but somehow righting the wrongs of other games doesn't come acroass as a positive sales argument.

I'm not trying to make any sales arguments yet, and frankly, I don't think I should. My PR job is to inform people what kind of game AoD is. The game itself, when you download it and try it, will be my one and only sales argument.

But no matter, the interview was a good move and got the name of the game out there, I hope a few more sites will follow suit.

They will. The game got a lot of interest, even from the mainstream sites.

 

[LlamaGod]

when is it coming out

 

[Vault Dweller]

This fall, most likely.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Yeah, but somehow righting the wrongs of other games doesn't come acroass as a positive sales argument.

I'm not trying to make any sales arguments yet, and frankly, I don't think I should. My PR job is to inform people what kind of game AoD is. The game itself, when you download it and try it, will be my one and only sales argument.
.

Sounds very nice and anti-capitalist, but it's still bullshit. If you go out to the public with an interview like this, you are talking to your potential customers, and everything you say is a sales argument, wether you like it or not. And becasue that is so, i think it would be better for you and your game if you deal with it accodingly. That's just my feedback though, suit yourself.

 

[fraunclein]

Vault Dweller, if you can go back to the script now and say "well, I understand the criticism but I still think that the text is just fine enough", don't bother dabbling around with it anymore. The main point is not how bloody artistic and grammatically correct the text is, but how well it expresses the plot, the setting, the characters - the game as a whole. You alone know how those all come together and how they should be conveyed to the player, and if you really are as "well-read" as you appear to be, then I bet you have more than enough taste and self-judgement to know where it succeeds and where it slips in it's own pile of shit. If you are comfortable with it, then, in my opinion, it is as it should be.

Personally, while I still think your writing is a bit dry, and certainly a new PS:T it is not(...knot?), it also reads very naturally (in the not-forcing-this-personality-up-your-ass kind of way) while still retaining quite a bit of originality. The grammatical "oddities" don't bother me the slightest, maybe because I'm also one of those non-native barbarians. So, I certainly enjoy reading it as it is.