Incline Chris Avellone Appreciation Station

[Stainless Veteran]

But "The Book of the New Sun" and "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" are just awesome.

What's so awesome about "The book of the new sun"? I've read it recently, it's not a bad book, but I didn't find anything outstanding.
If you want something comparable, Zelazny's books suit my taste much better.
P.S. All the books by Strugatskiy brothers are awesome. Clever, unique, magnificently written (in the original language, don't know bout the translation).

Хотя А.Б. Стругацкие вне конкуренции, но Джин Вулф реально хорош. Have you read TBotNS in English, or its translated version? Translated version is p. shitty, original is way better.

 

[One-and-a-half-Ivan]

But "The Book of the New Sun" and "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" are just awesome.

What's so awesome about "The book of the new sun"? I've read it recently, it's not a bad book, but I didn't find anything outstanding.
If you want something comparable, Zelazny's books suit my taste much better.
P.S. All the books by Strugatskiy brothers are awesome. Clever, unique, magnificently written (in the original language, don't know bout the translation).

Хотя А.Б. Стругацкие вне конкуренции, но Джин Вулф реально хорош. Have you read TBotNS in English, or its translated version? Translated version is p. shitty, original is way better.

Yeah, translation was very shitty so I switched to the original.
Maybe I should give it one more try after some time.

 

[Hugh Vagoth]

Found this interview, has it been posted?

 

[Infinitron]

Protip: You can search for a Youtube video's identifier and if somebody has posted it, it'll show up. In this case, exBShknhlTE

 

[Excidium II]

Found this interview, has it been posted?

Is his head going to explode? Or is he morphing into one of his trolls?

 

[Diablo169]

Lengthy interview
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...obsidian-and-christmas-sweater-etiquette.aspx
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...obsidian-and-christmas-sweater-etiquette.aspx

 

[Abu Antar]

Here is the most interesting part, imo.

Your shift away from Obsidian came as a surprise to many. You were a founder, after all. Can you speak on how that came about and why?

I was indeed one of the founders. I'm still surprised I got the opportunity, and I'm grateful to Obsidian for it.

There's a few things to say here, none of it negative or scandalous or sensationlist, just food for thought. I want to make cool games of any size, any genre with cool people. Anything else (example: money, the best company car) is not important to me. I still think back fondly working with Subset Games, for example. Low ego, high humility, and I loved working on FTL. And I did it for free because I loved it so much. Guess what? I look back on it, and my soul is happy. Perfect.

Obsidian had cool people, but there were a lot of projects that Obsidian wouldn't consider or couldn't consider – both internally and externally. There were even ones that Obsidian didn't know it couldn't do, some of which I discovered to my surprise after my departure (hypothetically, something with "Old" and "Republic" in the title). Hey – now I know, but I never would have known otherwise.

My role was often a question mark, one that I attempted to get answered a few times. I've said this before in other interviews, but while creative director can give a lot of advice and thoughts, they may not have any decision making power at a company - they can't enforce a design philosophy or even tell any other employee what to do, even project directors and lead designers. I don't think this is unusual, but I don't know how the role is at other companies yet. It's certainly different at Larian, where the position has an incredible amount of authority, and it definitely shows on Divinity: Original Sin II.

So while in the role, I found it was easier to take on a specific role on a studio project instead to achieve definition (creative lead, project director, lead designer) or fill in when another employee departs (which was more common). As an example: I was asked to fill in as lead designer on Alpha Protocol when the previous lead departed - the reason for this was because there was no one else to fill the role, and as Alpha Protocol proved, the role and its place in the hierarchy (answering to the Alpha Protocol project director, Chris Parker) couldn't be left vacant.

Most creative director vision came from codifying the philosophy of all the owners, including management practices for achieving that vision and trying to ensure it was being followed and championed. You can't enforce it, though – you usually need to ask someone else to, but that's the job. It is a collaborative effort, and it often requires asking a lot of questions so that the design philosophy can be agreed upon, since anything else is confusing for the employees, and there's nothing worse than two owners telling an employee different things. It can snap a brain in half. And that is a very expensive medical bill.

So I don't know if enforcing that common design vision equates to freedom, but it's worth saying that most collaborative efforts require that degree of compromise, especially in games, and it's a group effort from top to bottom. The most freedom I've ever gotten in all the companies over the years is when no one above really cared much about the game I was working on until it was far along. Fallout 1, for example, I think had a huge advantage in being seen as a B-product before it came out, or when you strike out on your own and start kicking around ideas that only need approval from yourself. I've had conversations with a number of devs who I worked with on Torment, and they agree – with the caveat that you should listen to the players when exposed to the system you're presenting, which is why I love Early Access and beta testing so much.

In the end, life's short, and there's a lot of cool ideas out there that are begging to be explored... or equally satisfying, you can help other people explore those ideas because you've been on the other side of production so long you know the rungs of the ladder they need to climb, they just need to be pointed to where the ladder is and given a leg up, or even help them with introductions and support when you think their idea deserves to be heard. And that's fulfilling. I guess that's mostly what it comes down to – you can move forward, create, and help others create. I never got into this industry to get rich, I got into it so I could live my hobby, and I'm content with that.

There's a codex shout out in the interview.

 

[Excidium II]

Obsidian had cool people, but there were a lot of projects that Obsidian wouldn't consider or couldn't consider – both internally and externally. There were even ones that Obsidian didn't know it couldn't do, some of which I discovered to my surprise after my departure (hypothetically, something with "Old" and "Republic" in the title). Hey – now I know, but I never would have known otherwise.

w0t

 

[Fairfax]

I think this is a longer version of the same interview that was published or the same?

In many ways, you’ve been involved in “core” PC RPGs since their inception. What are some of the differences crafting one of these experiences today as opposed to the Icewind Dales of yesteryear?

I wouldn't use Icewind Dale as a baseline. It's a good series. I've mentioned this in other interviews, but I thought IWD was largely a step backward for the Infinity Engine games except in terms of art locales, and the idea of forming a party of your own, which I loved. Beyond that, it felt like a stripped down car with some new cosmetic engine parts. It was a fun ride, but it's hard to set it on equal footing with the other Infinity Engine titles. Granted, it was a purposeful attempt to make more of a Diablo-like dungeon crawl experience, but I don't know if that's what all the fans were hoping for, especially after the love for Baldur's Gate.

Ouch! All true, by the way. Guess this is as far as we'll see him criticize Sawyer's work/approach. (I don't remember this one being in the original interview, for example.)

 

[Athelas]

What’s your favorite Dungeons & Dragons monster?

I'm not sure Jubilex counts, so I'll say "Gibbering Mouther."

bears an uncanny resemblance to

Here is the most interesting part, imo.

That part was already printed a few weeks ago, I believe. This is what I found most interesting, actually:

Your work has largely defined an entire genre of games. What have been some of your major and minor influences over the years?

Me define a genre? God, I hope I haven't. It's only recently that I feel that I've been propagating a number of bad habits (unfun companions, reinforcing archaic dialogue systems, and being on titles where reactivity was simply a lot of special cased scenarios to test rather than true systematic reactivity). Part of this is due to the titles and engines themselves, but I needed to step back before I fell even further into a rut.

 

[Excidium II]

Your work has largely defined an entire genre of games. What have been some of your major and minor influences over the years?

Me define a genre? God, I hope I haven't. It's only recently that I feel that I've been propagating a number of bad habits (unfun companions, reinforcing archaic dialogue systems, and being on titles where reactivity was simply a lot of special cased scenarios to test rather than true systematic reactivity). Part of this is due to the titles and engines themselves, but I needed to step back before I fell even further into a rut.

 

[Fairfax]

(unfun companions, reinforcing archaic dialogue systems, and being on titles where reactivity was simply a lot of special cased scenarios to test rather than true systematic reactivity).

Last part sounds very much like PoE, but it's plural.
Unfun companions? I can think of the ones he inherited in NWN2, but that was almost 10 years ago. I liked Cass (he did as well IIRC), Durance and the GM.

He says he only recently started to feel that way, but the titles aren't necessarily recent, so who knows what else he's talking about..

 

[Excidium II]

Last part sounds very much like PoE, but it's plural.

It sounds like how C&C is achieved in every CRPG ever.

 

[Rivmusique]

reinforcing archaic dialogue systems

What does that mean?

 

[Excidium II]

reinforcing archaic dialogue systems

What does that mean?

Probably

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1. Other node
2. Biowarean Flavor of 1
2. [Stat-based insta-win] Other node
3. Other node
4. Bye

 

[Irenaeus II]

I don't see anything wrong with that. Except the bad writing implied in the "Biowarean Flavor" part.

 

[Crooked Bee]

(unfun companions, reinforcing archaic dialogue systems, and being on titles where reactivity was simply a lot of special cased scenarios to test rather than true systematic reactivity).

Last part sounds very much like PoE, but it's plural..

That sounds like a general contrast between PS:T/KOTOR2/etc.-type RPGs (to which PoE of course belongs as well) vs those with systemic, not scripted world interaction and reactivity, e.g. Larian's approach to systemic design in D:OS. It's no coincidence he's working on D:OS 2 at the moment.

 

[Fairfax]

He has complained about the traditional menu-driven dialogue many times before. Here's one instance I found:

You've made a name with RPGs and dialogue trees. Do you ever want to try alternative narrative mechanics, or is this a path you're set on? If the latter, are further experiments like Alpha Protocol's dialogue system where you'd like to be, or are you content to further push the boundaries with the systems you have?

I think cinematic dialogue and menu-driven systems has put us in a dialogue cul-de-sac of diminishing returns on gameplay, and there’s more that can be done with dialogue systems, depending on the genre (Brian Mitsoda’s tension-driving, branching-but-linear-with-no-takebacks in Alpha Protocol I think very much complimented the espionage mechanics of the title).

Also, with our Aliens: Crucible dialogue system, we made a conscious effort to make sure the player could never take “refuge” in a talking head conversation – they should never feel safe, they should never feel like they couldn’t be attacked at any time in the environment... because, hey, that’s what Aliens is all about.

Usually the franchise ambiance or engine specs have been our guiding principles for dialogue system design, but there’s more room to grow. I’m really interested in helping develop the dialogue mechanics for Tides of Numenera, as the Numenera ruleset allows for some interesting speech–related applications that would work well in a new dialogue system.

 

[Fairfax]

(unfun companions, reinforcing archaic dialogue systems, and being on titles where reactivity was simply a lot of special cased scenarios to test rather than true systematic reactivity).

Last part sounds very much like PoE, but it's plural..

That sounds like a general contrast between PS:T/KOTOR2/etc.-type RPGs (to which PoE of course belongs as well) vs those with systemic, not scripted world interaction and reactivity, e.g. Larian's approach to systemic design in D:OS. It's no coincidence he's working on D:OS 2 at the moment.

He has called AP one of the games that relied on special cases as well, I wasn't talking about any contrast to Sawyer or anything. FNV, another project led by Sawyer, is one of the game's which he praised for having great reactivity. PoE has zero "systemic reactivity", however, hence my comment.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Brian Mitsoda’s tension-driving, branching-but-linear-with-no-takebacks in Alpha Protocol I think very much complimented the espionage mechanics of the title

Avellone should just play MGS5 and take it back. As it turns out, there is no middle ground for dialogues. Either make Fallout1 dialogues with reactivity that require intelligent reading or make no dialogues at all and let your character speak for himself. Mass Effect/Alpha Protocole no-real-choice dialogues provide semblance of control, while in reality you have none. And you read the stupid AP/ME dialogues like it's supposed to mean something, but it doesn't, and then you just feel disappointed and empty for the experience. Like you activated your intelligence, but then no challenge was presented and you watched an episode of Teletubbies. For once, I strongly disagree with Avellone.

 

[Irenaeus II]

PoE has great scripted reactivity, because it's well written. This systemic shit is overrated.

 

[Roguey]

Guess this is as far as we'll see him criticize Sawyer's work/approach.

Neither Icewind Dale was Sawyer's idea.

PoE has zero "systemic reactivity", however, hence my comment.

http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Reputation

 

[Lhynn]

PoE has zero "systemic reactivity", however, hence my comment.

http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Reputation

Ah yes, the "i heard you are an honest liar" system.

 

[Roguey]

Ah yes, the "i heard you are an honest liar" system.

That's disposition.

 

[Lhynn]

Ah yes, the "i heard you are an honest liar" system.

That's disposition.

Wow, i never even noticed this system. Im surprised at how little impact it ended up having. But yeah i remember it being mentioned.