Incline Chris Avellone Appreciation Station

[Sukhāvatī]

the only drug that actually makes you more productive is legal and it would be God's best gift to mankind if it didn't also give you cancer.

Coffee?

Nicotine, fella. Cigarettes are both a stimulant and a relaxant and they don't mess with your head. That's what makes them the best "work drug" there is. Just stimulating enough to give you an edge, but no so stimulating to cause any kind of erratic behavior. And then going outside for a smoke has a wonderful effect of clearing your head, so 3 minutes later you're ready to work again. And 20 years later you're in the casket, but that's another story.

If you want to be productive for a week, go ahead and take speed. If you want to be productive for a decade, do what your grandpa did.

You almost made me want to pick up smoking again.

IIRC smokers were 5% better than average with cognitive functioning compared to average people when on their drug, but were at 90% when off of it.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322300010945

 

[fantadomat]

IHaveHugeNick i just noticed that you wanted a proof of my porn tape with you and the midget,so here is just a frame.

Spoiler

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Dude, lmao, delete that shit before we are all on a list.

 

[Riddler]

From my experience speed is useless for getting anything done. You've got concentration and you've got the energy but directing all that concentration and energy into some useful activity is problematic.

You trick your brain with chemicals and give it an illusion of productivity, but it's all fake.

You are likely taking too large doses and using the wrong vector. You shouldn't take amphetamine through insufflation, the goal isn't a rush.

 

[fantadomat]

Dude, lmao, delete that shit before we are all on a list.

Don't worry mate,i am already on a few lists....like the top 10 hottest codexers.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The problem with nicotine is rapid desensitization of the primary receptor it works on(a4b2)

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Gents, MDMA stands for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It's a stimulant that can be pretty speedy, but unlike amphetamines it gets your creative juices flowing. In college I would use it to write papers I had no interest in. As long as you will yourself to stay focused, you can get a lot done. No idea whether MCA uses performance enhancers, but writing ten times more dialogue than you need for your companions is not inconsistent with rolling on molly.

Fucking what? were you popping tiny doses or something? Even on clearly heavily cut Es, I can't imagine sitting down to write anything of any worth. I've never seen anyone even slightly spangled who would be in a shape to sit and write dialogue and shit. As far as high quality MDMA? No chance

Someone sold you adderall and told you it was MDMA
You don't take MDMA and write papers, it has a similar effect as mescaline except it's also a stimulant. It primarily inhibits serotonin uptake(and to a lesser degree norepinephrine and dopamine,) amphetamines primarily inhibit(and release) dopamine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC81503/

Jesus, gimme a little credit here. No one would ever consider using MDMA as a study drug without extensive previous experience taking other stimulants, not to mention MDMA itself.

How does someone use MDMA as a study drug? Simple: they take it when they're alone. The kind of high you experience on MDMA varies A LOT depending on your surroundings. If any of the aspiring pharmacologists here had bothered to read the wikipedia page:

For example, MDMA used at parties is associated with high motor activity, reduced sense of self-identity as well as poor awareness of the background surroundings. Use of MDMA individually or in a small groups in a quiet environment and when concentrating, is associated with increased lucidity, capability of concentration, sensitivity of aesthetic aspects of the background and emotions, as well as greater capability of communication with others.[

So, yeah, I did a lot of writing while taking high quality MDMA in college. If I went to a party and took those pills/powders, I got the standard tripping balls experience. If I took the same exact stuff alone in my room, with noise cancelling headphones, I was able to write some surprisingly strong term papers. As I said before, this works "as long as you will yourself to stay focused," meaning keep your eyes on your computer screen and the books you're using as sources so you don't get distracted.

Why take molly and not the many varieties of speed, or even cocaine for that matter? As I said, "I would use it to write papers I had no interest in." If the prospect of writing a particular essay or column (or presumably piece of fiction) makes you very unhappy, if you find the work itself miserable, then MDMA is a better fit than normal stimulants, especially if you're trying to do something even a little bit creative. In my experience, amphetamines are better for more analytical projects, and they do very little for the "I fucking hate this work" phenomenon.

If you're Chris Avellone and you're trying to write dialogue for a game you're unhappy with, at a company you're unhappy with, MDMA could be a more useful performance enhancer than coke or speed.

Also:

Spoiler

1. Amphetamines DO NOT work the same for everyone. Someone with ADD/ADHD will have a different experience than someone without it (the only useful definition of ADD is someone who benefits enormously from amphetamines/ritalin).
2. MDMA is a reuptake inhibitor (a SNDRI, something it has in common with coke and ketamine), but it's also a releasing agent for serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine (an SNDRA, like meth). To the extent that it can feel similar to psychedelics, it's a lot more like mushrooms than mescaline.

 

[Nutria]

The problem with amphetamine is that while you do legit get smarter and work a lot faster, it also screws with your personality. You start getting more and more grandiose ideas and pretty soon you find that you're working on Mount & Blade II and it's only 50% done and it's 4am and you didn't even notice that you shit yourself hours ago.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

The problem with amphetamine is that while you do legit get smarter and work a lot faster,

The "problem" is that it's a scientific term and can relate in different ways to many different things. Drugs are the wild west of consumption

 

[Infinitron]

So I'm back from my vacation, just read this thread and yikes.

I'll say this. I have not heard of Chris Avellone specifically having a substance abuse problem, but it has been implied to me that he was forced out of Obsidian because of some sort of vague work ethic problem.

 

[Rivmusique]

If you can't show up high and drunk to your video game job without an issue, then where can you? It's a game people, let's have a laugh get the pills yaaaaaasssss.

 

[Yosharian]

WTF guys

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

The creative junkie type is cool IF they can function.

It has been over a decade since Chris Avellone wrote significant stuff.

Nevertheless, drugs do have their side-effects.

Looks like all his creative juices ( and his brain cells) were squeezed out of their potential with all that hard drug use.

 

[Neanderthal]

I have something to say: It is better to burn out than to fade away.

 

[DavidBVal]

Without evidence, we shouldn't be magnifying rumors of this kind. It's unethical.

 

[Prime Junta]

Without evidence, we shouldn't be magnifying rumors of this kind. It's unethical.

In all fairness, we hardly ever discuss juicy insider gossip on the Codex. This is a sober, restrained, respectful, and highly ethical space.

 

[Nutria]

The Codex is basically '90s gossip tabloids trying to print gossip about prominent RPG developers except that there isn't (yet) a big investment in paparazzi.

 

[Grauken]

So I'm back from my vacation, just read this thread and yikes.

I'll say this. I have not heard of Chris Avellone specifically having a substance abuse problem, but it has been implied to me that he was forced out of Obsidian because of some sort of vague work ethic problem.

This post will be especially hilarious in a few years when you're deownered on the Codex and somebody will throw some shade at for you hinting at vague work ethic problems. As if nobody knew you weren't high on coke all the time

 

[HeatEXTEND]

GODDAMNIT I LOVE SPEED!
IN FACT I LOVE IT SO MUCH THAT I PILED UP ABOUT 500 GRAMS OF IT and only use it like 5 times a year, use responsibly kids.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

So I'm back from my vacation, just read this thread and yikes.

I'll say this. I have not heard of Chris Avellone specifically having a substance abuse problem, but it has been implied to me that he was forced out of Obsidian because of some sort of vague work ethic problem.

Are you sure they didn't say "work ethnic problem"? Avellone may be a closet neonazi.

 

[lophiaspis]

The Codex is basically '90s gossip tabloids trying to print gossip about prominent RPG developers except that there isn't (yet) a big investment in paparazzi.

Crowdfunding when? DarkUnderlord

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

A friend of a friend, once mentioned to me that molly is **redacted**

Of course that same friend of a friend has a very shitty life now. Primarily because of his shitty self control (arrested, had a prison term, lost his job etc.)

Recrational Abuse of hard drug has devasting consequences.

Only use alcohol and weed in moderation, if you want to use drugs recrationally.

 

[Neanderthal]

Alcohol and moderation are not words that should ever be used together, a man shouldn't be a quitter.

 

[Roguey]

Without evidence, we shouldn't be magnifying rumors of this kind. It's unethical.

Avellone hasn't denied his ex-friend's allegations, so there must be a nugget of truth to them, if likely exaggerated in the worst possible sense if the DragonCon story is anything to go by. Most likely truth: Avellone would regularly have a few beers for lunch and come back to the office noticeably buzzed. This likely annoyed his bosses and the other employees. Cheers,

 

[Lacrymas]

If I was working at Obsidian, I'd be drunk on the job as well.