Incline Chris Avellone Appreciation Station

[pomenitul]

For video games writing, I'll take comic books, films, and plays as inspiration any day over the Western Canon. Can't stand game designers who think they're writing a novel.

So the Western Canon no longer comprises plays?

To clarify, I'm not advocating a straight transfer of, say, modernist poetics into video game writing. But a greater awareness of both the time-honoured and the avant-garde would go a long way towards curbing narrative retreads. The spirit of storytelling goes hand in hand with its letter.

 

[Azarkon]

For video games writing, I'll take comic books, films, and plays as inspiration any day over the Western Canon. Can't stand game designers who think they're writing a novel.

So the Western Canon no longer comprises plays?

To clarify, I'm not advocating a straight transfer of, say, modernist poetics into video game writing. But a greater awareness of both the time-honoured and the avant-garde would go a long way towards curbing narrative retreads. The spirit of storytelling goes hand in hand with its letter.

As an expose of linguistic and literary genius, the Western Canon cannot be matched; as a cultural heritage, it should be required for everyone in the West who claim to be literate.

But as inspirations for video games, there are better places to look. As DarthRoxor recently put it, video games are visual, not textual. Writing for video games is closer to writing for films and comic books, and neither are included in the Western Canon, yet as of any case. With time limits being an obvious problem for game developers, I'd spend more time looking at works from similar mediums, than one from entirely different ones. I used to be more sympathetic to developers reading literature, until I saw what they ended up trying to do with it.

 

[Lacrymas]

Then take inspiration from good movies or paintings (even though writers can learn a lot from classical literature in general, it's not only about inspiration, but also about becoming a more rounded and intelligent human being)? Why are vidya gaem writers always "inspired by" popular trash? That's a problem.

 

[pomenitul]

Andrei Tarkovsky's films are unthinkable without the influence of Russian literature, yet they also happen to be among the most idiomatically cinematic of all. You are right to argue that, in practice, developers tend to fib the passage from one medium to another, but that is merely a measure of their incompetence, mercantilism and/or lack of adventurousness. So much so, in fact, that I don't harbour these kinds of expectations when I open up a CRPG—quite the contrary.

One can dream nonetheless…

 

[Hell March]

Then take inspiration from good movies or paintings (even though writers can learn a lot from classical literature in general, it's not only about inspiration, but also about becoming a more rounded and intelligent human being)? Why are vidya gaem writers always "inspired by" popular trash? That's a problem.

Nearly all videogames are fantasy, science-fiction or war games, which is basically pulp fiction. Not everyone who likes fantasy stories likes crap, but people who like fantasy stories tend to be a lot more receptive to crap than others.

 

[Lacrymas]

Nearly all videogames are fantasy, science-fiction or war games, which is basically pulp fiction. Not everyone who likes fantasy stories likes crap, but people who like fantasy stories tend to be a lot more receptive to crap than others.

Tolkien was heavily influenced by Romanticism and LotR is impossible without the Western Canon, fantasy doesn't always mean shitty low-brow entertainment for the masses.

 

[Flou]

I think it's more about Telltale in general than Walking Dead specifically.
Take the other similar games released after Walking Dead S1 and order by release date:

Best case scenario is they go back to making Sam & Max and that stuff. Worst case scenario is that they go back to making Sam & Max or Monkey Island but turn it into non-venture story mode games like they're making now.

There's no reason really to pay full price for Tellltale's games. They are putting out so much of that same "shit" that you can practically just wait for the prices to drop as every game is pretty much copy of the other. Different setting, different plot, but same old engine and same old gameplay with very little changes from game to game.

Obviously they have their fanbase, but clearly that isn't very big and well, rest of their buyers aren't really buying their newest games.

 

[Fairfax]

He's talking about “Acts of Creation”, a story he wrote for this anthology.

 

[Roguey]

How about delivering the Wasteland short stories and novel first?

Wasteland 3 will probably be out before that is.

 

[Azarkon]

Then take inspiration from good movies or paintings (even though writers can learn a lot from classical literature in general, it's not only about inspiration, but also about becoming a more rounded and intelligent human being)? Why are vidya gaem writers always "inspired by" popular trash? That's a problem.

Nearly all videogames are fantasy, science-fiction or war games, which is basically pulp fiction. Not everyone who likes fantasy stories likes crap, but people who like fantasy stories tend to be a lot more receptive to crap than others.

A fairly important observation, and one which is directly the consequence of gameplay considerations. Take CRPGs as an example - the primary gameplay of CRPGs is tactical combat, followed by equal measures treasure hunting and dialogue interaction. The gameplay requirements determine, to a large degree, what type of setting & narrative is appropriate. This is why there are so few CRPGs in everyday life settings - everyday life isn't violent enough. Fantasy and science-fiction, by contrast, afford endless opportunities for physical conflict.

I suppose the question to ask here is whether you can make a CRPG with no tactical combat, and still have it be a CRPG, instead of an adventure game; but I'm personally not all that invested in genre definitions. It's more useful to ask whether we can create compelling gameplay - regardless of genre - that does not involve combat or puzzle solving. With respect to an Avellone thread, the most important question is, perhaps: can narrative itself become gameplay?

 

[Neanderthal]

Do players want it? I've argued for better simulated worlds, wi more to do an more features to explore that gameplay arises from for ages, but its always same arguments against it:

• Its just busywork, like recyclin crap, grindin an gobshite int more so?
• We should stick to an improve core gameplay, well games have streamlined an feature stripped for twenty plus years now, combats not gettin better, lootins an itemisations worse, an dialogues not improved either. It failed.
• I get confused by too many features an want game to hold me hand an wipe me arse, you shunt be allowed on a computer (or owt wi electricity) you droolin retard.

End o day I think players now want three screens, combat win, loot recycle an squeein dialogue generator.

 

[Roguey]

I'd say this applies to inXile as well as Obsidian.

By the way, no one ever successfully recreated 1999.

 

[Infinitron]

I'd say this applies to inXile as well as Obsidian.

They're trying, aren't they? The second generation of crowdfunded RPGs is all about chasing Divinity's tail, in all sorts of ways.

 

[Fairfax]

Isn't that the guy who wrote the shitty PC Gamer RPG handbook?

 

[Infinitron]

Isn't that the guy who wrote the shitty PC Gamer RPG handbook?

He wrote for it. Hopefully his articles were better than the others. felipepepe?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Isn't that the guy who wrote the shitty PC Gamer RPG handbook?

He wrote for it. Hopefully his articles were better than the others. felipepepe?

Well...

Suddenly, the staff's weird appreciation of/fascination with Cobbett takes on a whole different perspective.

 

[Fenix]

I don't even know who or what Cobbet is, and I d0n't want to know.

 

[MRY]

The whole "recreate '99" thing makes me remember a lecture I heard in college in which the professor pointed out that Picasso was actually a prodigious traditional painter before he started doing the weirder stuff we typically associate with him.

Spoiler

He was like 14 when he painted this.

I'm also sort of reminded of a trope (I think Glenn Reynolds might be the first person I saw deploy it) to the effect that while we claim we could still put a man on the Moon, if we wanted to, but instead we spend the money and resources on More Important Things, in fact we lack the expertise and elan and steadfastness to do it. (I doubt this trope is right, given what JPL has pulled off vis-a-vis Mars, but it's useful.)

It's one thing to say, "I am able to do recreate '99, but I am electing not to." I suppose it's another thing to say, "To undertake a recreation of '99 would be beyond the resources I can muster, but I'm also not sure it's worth it." But the tenor of, "Been there, done that, won't waste my time on it," as if another Fallout or PS:T would be too trivial an undertaking seems a little goofy.

If anyone has the right to make such a claim, I suppose it's Avellone, this refrain seems more to come from the camp of those who, say, make puzzleless adventures because "puzzles are dumb" (rather than because good puzzles are beyond our declined skill) or gameplay-lite narrative expressions because "that's where the future is" and so forth. Bah. Humbug.

tl;dr: "And off he walked very, very scornfully."

 

[Infinitron]

Padua, February 8th 2017 – Gamera Interactive is proud to announce that industry veteran Chris Avellone has joined the team as Creative Consultant to assist with a brand new unannounced game based on an original fantasy IP, set to come out on PC and consoles in 2018.

Avellone has worked on several prominent RPGs, including Planescape: Torment, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Divinity: Original Sin II, and many more.
Avellone will provide creative support for the game, providing advice and feedback on design content and assisting in the creation of world lore and character backstories.

“Alberto reached out to me last year, he was incredibly friendly and pleasant, and he asked if I’d look at their world and lore and share my thoughts – and if possible, help shape them. He showed me the build of his game, described his concept, and it involves mechanics I’ve rarely had a chance to work on before. As a result, I was more than happy to help review the world and lore and see what I can do to make it a richer, deeper – and even more lethal - place” said Chris Avellone.

“As owner of the studio I’m pleased to welcome Chris on board for this ambitious project that will keep the team busy for months to come. As a passionate player I’m excited to collaborate with the man who created some of the games that I loved the most. Chris has played a key role in shaping western RPGs and he is now working with us. Can’t wait to say more about this project!” said Gamera CEO Alberto Belli.

Gamera Interactive is ready to reveal the first details of the game later this month during the Game Developer Conference 2017, taking place in San Francisco.

To know more about Gamera Interactive and get latest updates on its projects, check out the studio website at www.gameragames.net

wtf is this

 

[Popiel]

Mr. Stretchgoal strikes again.

 

[an Administrator]

I just Googled Alberto Belli and got this

Spoiler

 

[Fairfax]

Very odd. The studio has only one announced game, which hasn't been released yet:


And this is the only pic related to the TBA game:

 

[Drax]

Blur: The Game

 

[Grimlorn]

I think Chris' grudge against Obsidian is strong enough that he likely did resent Josh' status as the consummate loyal company man, but he may have gotten over that by now.

I don't think the two are friends - they don't follow each other on Twitter - but Sawyer had some very nice words to say about Chris recently. I really hope they can bury the hatchet. I don't doubt Chris is better off now - maybe he will finally get to be a creative lead on his own game again - but it's a shame he left a great company like Obsidian on acrimonious terms, and it has only got worse since. Seriously, he's sniping at them all the time now.

What is with you and public image? It doesn't matter if people criticize each other. It only matters to people who are obsessed with their image. It doesn't matter if Feargus says some nice things after MCA left. It doesn't make up for what went on there for years. What matters is what actually happened. The problems with management aren't going to be fixed if no one ever says anything. You're more worried about image and how it looks when a former employee criticizes their former employer than the truth of what actually happened and how they were treated. Substance is far more important than image and politics. Walking around on eggshells because you're afraid of how it looks to judgmental assholes is a stupid way to live.

 

[LESS T_T]

And this is the only pic related to the TBA game:

If job postings are any indication, sounds like they're making an 'oldschool 3D isometric RPG' for PC and consoles.

http://www.gameragames.net/p/coding_4.html
http://www.gameragames.net/p/art.html
http://www.gameragames.net/p/design.html

A love for RPG games & old school isometric stuff