Interview Chris Avellone Interview

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>In this extensive interview with gamesTM MCA recapitulates the story of his game designer life.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Descent To Undermountain &ndash; a first-person dungeon-crawler based on the technology behind Interplay&rsquo;s popular shooter series, Descent &ndash; is often regarded as Avellone&rsquo;s first developer credit in the videogames industry, which is unfortunate, as the game was basically terrible. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what I was getting into!&rdquo; he laughs. &ldquo;I was very happy to work on it at the time, though. They were trying to add gravity and first-person combat into the Descent engine, you know, so they could create something [like] Ultima Underworld. The engine just wasn&rsquo;t set up to do that, and we didn&rsquo;t have the sheer amount of programming power available to make that happen. I want to be clear and say there was nothing wrong with the Descent engine, per se, it was just that we didn&rsquo;t have the know-how or the resources to make it into an Ultima Underworld-esque experience.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.gamestm.co.uk/features/chris-avellone-a-man-of-many-words/" target="_blank">Read the whole thing there</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/98528-chris-avellone-interview.html">GB</a></p>

 

[Azarkon]

MCA interviews seem to be a new fad

 

[Azarkon]

Summary:

Finally, we get some "official" answers from Chris Avellone regarding various questions -

1. Chris is good friends with Feargus, and seems to enjoy working with him.

2. A past incarnation of TNO was responsible for Ignus's nature, perhaps more so than the wizard himself.

3. Kreia was, indeed, based on Ravel, and represented an attempt by Avellone to further expand her archetype.

4. Chris wrote the major NPCs in IWD (I didn't know this~). He also worked on Champions of Norrath in-between BIS and Obsidian (lol).

5. BIS was working on both Fallout 3 and Baldur's Gate 3 before it went down, and we were denied the chance of seeing their interpretations of these titles (until now, I guess, with New Vegas).

6. Ferret came up with the companions for NWN 2, Chris wrote them.

7. George Ziets was responsible for most of MOTB's design. Chris contributed Gann and Kaelyn (most people already knew this, actually, but in case you didn't...)

8. Mitsoda designed the dialogue system for AP, with an emphasis on timed conversations and not being able to "take back" your words (something you could do in alot of the IE games, if you recall). Chris is apparently very proud of what this mechanic accomplishes, which from user studies seems to "instill a sense of adrenaline rush" into players "not usually seen" in old-school dialogue conversations.

9. Chris believes in transforming narrative into gameplay, which is consistent with his design in Torment as well as AP - as I have argued elsewhere.

10. Chris is primarily working on New Vegas now.

 

[Volourn]

FFS That article is bullshit. i feel sorry for Avellone being gooped into being part of such bullshit. FFS

 

[DraQ]

Codex is gay...
















...for Avellone

 

[Melcar]

Bullshit.

 

[Serious_Business]

FFS That article is bullshit. i feel sorry for Avellone being gooped into being part of such bullshit. FFS

MoraN

It was a fairly good article as far as I can tell, not sure what prompted this bout of rage, but raging is always good so carry on.

I'm a bit tired to hear about MCA's life story myself, I wish he'd do interviews with people who know all this stuff already so more original questions could be asked.

 

[Rhalle]

Codex is gay...


...for Avellone

 

[GarfunkeL]

Summary:

I think all of those points were publicly known already.

I'm a bit tired to hear about MCA's life story myself, I wish he'd do interviews with people who know all this stuff already so more original questions could be asked.

Agreed.

 

[bhlaab]

I hate when interviews aren't in Q&A format

 

[yaster]

I'm a bit tired to hear about MCA's life story myself, I wish he'd do interviews with people who know all this stuff already so more original questions could be asked.

Why not try make it yourself? Just claim you're from prestigious magazine and it may just work. Try not to get intercepted by PR tho' so do not overdo the pooperscopper way, like in being inquisitive and criti... ohh, wait, that wasn't a problem, okay, codex is inept to pull out this interview, it's name thing, being too cool or something...

God, I miss the times when we could have some actual interview with more mainstream devs

 

[Drakron]

Well we could, just set up a webpage with video blog format and go around for a while, make sure it whores itself to but have that "Zero Punctuation" zing so it attracts traffic and its just a matter of time.

The problem with the Codex is its now low key, low readership and more important HEAVY CRITICAL of mainstream streamlined design ... I cannot see Bethsoft or EA wanting to have anything to do with the Codex and even something as simple as a interview will find itself on the major sites, even if its tame its not something they want as people could start to read the rest of the site and find themselves in agreement.

 

[sportforredneck]

I thought it was an interesting interview, given that I am someone who doesn't know his whole life story and such.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Well we could, just set up a webpage with video blog format and go around for a while, make sure it whores itself to but have that "Zero Punctuation" zing so it attracts traffic and its just a matter of time.

The problem with the Codex is its now low key, low readership and more important HEAVY CRITICAL of mainstream streamlined design ... I cannot see Bethsoft or EA wanting to have anything to do with the Codex and even something as simple as a interview will find itself on the major sites, even if its tame its not something they want as people could start to read the rest of the site and find themselves in agreement.

Lol, don't you think that they 'might' be more likely horrified by the rape jokes, goatse and tranny porn?

It isn't exactly a great foundation for convincing people. I mean from any outsider's perspective, we're basically going: 'Now I think that turn based RAPE THE CHILDREN!!! gameplay allows a greater level TRANNIE POORRNNNN!!!! of tactical challenge, assited MULTIHEADED DICK!!! by...'

 

[HanoverF]

I never knew he was only three apples tall.

 

[KalosKagathos]

Finally, we get some "official" answers from Chris Avellone regarding various questions

The overwhelming majority of those has already been known for a long time. Invest more skill points in Knowledge (MCA-sama), heretic.

 

[Shannow]

Lol, don't you think that they 'might' be more likely horrified by the rape jokes, goatse and tranny porn?

It isn't exactly a great foundation for convincing people. I mean from any outsider's perspective, we're basically going: 'Now I think that turn based RAPE THE CHILDREN!!! gameplay allows a greater level TRANNIE POORRNNNN!!!! of tactical challenge, assited MULTIHEADED DICK!!! by...'

*g*
Good point. Indeed I'm so used to it I hardly notice anymore. I really thought it had more to do with interview questions like this:
"Hi. You guys really used to be cool and make good games. Now you're making popamole crap and whoring yourself out to anybody who might give you a dollar. What happened? Do you have a drug problem? Will you ever make good games again?"

But since only a small part of the codex would actually ask those questions I'm sure Azrael's points are the true reasons.

 

[Azarkon]

Finally, we get some "official" answers from Chris Avellone regarding various questions

The overwhelming majority of those has already been known for a long time. Invest more skill points in Knowledge (MCA-sama), heretic.

Nothing like collecting them in a single official interview, though. Makes it easier for those of us who don't stalk MCA.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Lol, don't you think that they 'might' be more likely horrified by the rape jokes, goatse and tranny porn?

It isn't exactly a great foundation for convincing people. I mean from any outsider's perspective, we're basically going: 'Now I think that turn based RAPE THE CHILDREN!!! gameplay allows a greater level TRANNIE POORRNNNN!!!! of tactical challenge, assited MULTIHEADED DICK!!! by...'

*g*
Good point. Indeed I'm so used to it I hardly notice anymore. I really thought it had more to do with interview questions like this:
"Hi. You guys really used to be cool and make good games. Now you're making popamole crap and whoring yourself out to anybody who might give you a dollar. What happened? Do you have a drug problem? Will you ever make good games again?"

But since only a small part of the codex would actually ask those questions I'm sure Azrael's points are the true reasons.

Oh no, I'm sure those questions are a hefty part of it. My comment was more directed at the idea that some freshfaced gamer might come visit the codex and be converted to our way of thinking.

 

[Angthoron]

Lol, don't you think that they 'might' be more likely horrified by the rape jokes, goatse and tranny porn?

It isn't exactly a great foundation for convincing people. I mean from any outsider's perspective, we're basically going: 'Now I think that turn based RAPE THE CHILDREN!!! gameplay allows a greater level TRANNIE POORRNNNN!!!! of tactical challenge, assited MULTIHEADED DICK!!! by...'

*g*
Good point. Indeed I'm so used to it I hardly notice anymore. I really thought it had more to do with interview questions like this:
"Hi. You guys really used to be cool and make good games. Now you're making popamole crap and whoring yourself out to anybody who might give you a dollar. What happened? Do you have a drug problem? Will you ever make good games again?"

But since only a small part of the codex would actually ask those questions I'm sure Azrael's points are the true reasons.

Oh no, I'm sure those questions are a hefty part of it. My comment was more directed at the idea that some freshfaced gamer might come visit the codex and be converted to our way of thinking.

I suppose that for a start, interviews and reviews should be done with a lesser degree of inside jokes. News posts are a different thing, but when I want to read a review, I rather read a bashing text that I can fully understand and possibly comment on rather than encounter our beautiful Codex memes - yeah, they're funny for us, but for most people I've shown Codex for the first time to couldn't get what the hell half of them mean. If the goal would be to attract readership, cleaning the forums isn't necessary, just changing the stance for review materials.

Once that's done, and Codex gets a reputation for being edgy and tough but relatively spot-on, asking "mean" questions in interviews becomes a non-issue.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Lol, don't you think that they 'might' be more likely horrified by the rape jokes, goatse and tranny porn?

It isn't exactly a great foundation for convincing people. I mean from any outsider's perspective, we're basically going: 'Now I think that turn based RAPE THE CHILDREN!!! gameplay allows a greater level TRANNIE POORRNNNN!!!! of tactical challenge, assited MULTIHEADED DICK!!! by...'

*g*
Good point. Indeed I'm so used to it I hardly notice anymore. I really thought it had more to do with interview questions like this:
"Hi. You guys really used to be cool and make good games. Now you're making popamole crap and whoring yourself out to anybody who might give you a dollar. What happened? Do you have a drug problem? Will you ever make good games again?"

But since only a small part of the codex would actually ask those questions I'm sure Azrael's points are the true reasons.

Codex's good, Codex's fine, keep it out of the
I mean, what the hell, do you really want to make the Codex a more docile place in order to be able to interview "more mainstream devs"? As if they could really say anything off the PR/hype radar, esp. about the new titles they're working on.
Trannies & butthurt oldskoolishness & skywayism, etc., are all part of the Codex's charm.

So,

 

[MetalCraze]

Kreia was the last character that Avellone did good, after that he is in permadecline

 

[Darth Roxor]

Kaelyn and Gann are also teh suck, decline, banal/shit/boring?

 

[Shannow]

Kaelyn and Gann are also teh suck, decline, banal/shit/boring?

Kaelyn good. Gann emo. Kreia shit.
Opinions are like asses. Everybody has one.

 

[Volourn]

Kreia was okay. Overrated, and absolutely fails to live up to Ravel who is simply one of the best npc ever created in gaming.


Kaelyn was okay, and Gann was merely average. There ar ebetter npcs in MOTB.