People News Chris Avellone tells the Codex about his current work on Pillars of Eternity

[Roguey]

Josh's developer friend said it was sound advice.

Additionally you guise complaining about that overlook

if the a-priority content doesn't stand on its own, it needs to be redesigned

Additionally

And speaking of Honest Hearts, I also learned that between the free-wheeling nature of F:NV's content implementation and the strict, low-risk implementation of Honest Hearts content, OEI content usually needs to fall somewhere in-between. A quest that is completely cut-and-dry bog-standard will usually come across that way even if it takes place in a new setting. A quest that is a tangled skein of nightmare scripting will probably ship as a broken mess of half-fulfilled dreams. So when it comes to working with designers, it's good to start with a really solid, stable core of gameplay but leave time for (and encourage) more risky secondary elements after the core has been developed.

Having content that's just "in" and works isn't enough -- both for designers and for people who are playing an Obsidian RPG. People enjoy weird and wacky stuff in quests; it just has to work properly. Our concepting, design, and review processes need to account for the basics but also ensure there's time for the cool and unusual stuff.

There will be B-priority stuff. Just not that particular idea.

 

[Nihiliste]

To echo others, I hope Feargus has MCA working on developing another 2D isometric kickstarter, not some AAA swill.

 

[set]

I think I agree that, at least for RPGs, "nice to haves" are not important. But then, I begin to question this idea almost immediately as I nod my head.... How many classic games are instantly memorable for their lesser content?

Deus Ex - Paul can be saved. This honestly has next to no impact on the game, is a minor choice most players won't realize to make (these days), and adds a lot of cost (more VO work, plus conditional switches for certain scenes to have Paul show up).
FO/FO2 - Multiple paths to end the game or speed up the endgame (don't see any of these in FO:NV mind you! Maybe we're onto something?)
BG - Flail of Ages can be upgraded over and over? Flail of Ages itself probably had some amount of design time spent on it alone, probably a lot was devoted to its creation? It stands out to me as being a totally missable but notable weapon in BG2 that I just can't make comparisons for in other major RPGs. I can also think of a few secrets in vairous levels, like the sewers passage in Firekaag's lair, which is something that's totally absent from a lot of modern RPGs. Actually, Kangaxx himself would be B-tier content in this day and age. I can't think of a single modern parallel (besides the obligatory Kangaxx-clone in DAO).
DAO - Hardening Alistar/Leiliana? Most people won't find or trigger this and it serves not even a minor purpose, but it's definitely for me something which makes me appreciate DAO a lot; World events caused by choosing werewolves or elves (note how DA2 had no such reactivity, which probably did not implement a single B-priority element)

I'm sure I could go on.

But then again, it's probably tough to decide what is being said when they're saying they're cutting B-priority stuff. At what point does something become B-priority? It's probably completely arbitrary. Every RPG needs side quests, so it being "side content" does not automatically make it less important. You need to have a budget for certain things that exist outside the main story.

 

[tuluse]

What the hell are you on about?

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

 

[set]

What the hell are you on about?

 

[Sceptic]

What the hell are you on about?

Content that's considered lower-priority and not part of the "critical path" being cut out. I guess MCA's comment on the stuff he wrote being cut out prompted his musings on games where such non-critical content was actually a big part of what makes these games so memorable.

He's right, too.

 

[tuluse]

Content that's considered lower-priority and not part of the "critical path" being cut out. I guess MCA's comment on the stuff he wrote being cut out prompted his musings on games where such non-critical content was actually a big part of what makes these games so memorable.

He's right, too.

All his examples are shit.

 

[Infinitron]

You fools, non-core gameplay means horrible things like escort missions and mandatory stealth sections in first person shooters

 

[Darth Roxor]

You fools, non-core gameplay means horrible things like escort missions and mandatory stealth sections in first person shooters

thx for clearing that up mr sawyer

 

[Roguey]

Non-core elements also include romances.

 

[Sceptic]

All his examples are shit.

Some of them are good I think, particularly FO multiple paths. And BG2's as well - Firkaag's lair itself was side content, but side content within the side content? This'd definitely be axed, yet it's this kind of stuff that makes exploration worthwhile in CRPGs.

 

[tuluse]

Some of them are good I think, particularly FO multiple paths. And BG2's as well - Firkaag's lair itself was side content, but side content within the side content? This'd definitely be axed, yet it's this kind of stuff that makes exploration worthwhile in CRPGs.

He shrunk down the fact that all Fallout games are filled with side content to "you can shorten the time to endgame".

That is so absurdly reductionist, the only response I can think of is "what are you on about?".

 

[Monad]

SO when the hell was Avellone cut as creative director?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/317536

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

 

[Athelas]

SO when the hell was Avellone cut as creative director?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/317536

http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-168-project-eternity-and-characterization/

H was never announced as one. You might be confusing 'Chris Avellone, creative director at Obsidian' with 'Chris Avellone, creative director of Project Eternity'.

 

[Monad]

Oh maybe, however I think it's total BS that his characters were basically cut when that was one of the things I remember being a big deal about this game.

 

[Roguey]

Oh maybe, however I think it's total BS that his characters were basically cut when that was one of the things I remember being a big deal about this game.

They weren't cut, just given to other writers.

 

[Haba]

Non-core elements also include romances.

Someone should make an RPG with romances as the core element. Tie it with character development, abusive relationship developing certain kind of skill set while soapy highschool romance goes in a different way. The more extreme you go, the more extreme benefits you get.

I should KS this, is 1M$ enough?

 

[naossano]

Isn't what japanese do already ?

 

[tuluse]

Yeah google persona Haba (among others).

 

[Crooked Bee]

Oh maybe, however I think it's total BS that his characters were basically cut when that was one of the things I remember being a big deal about this game.

They weren't cut, just given to other writers.

He probably meant this bit:

scaled down to about ¼ of what they were originally

 

[Turok]

He have to be happy that even 1/4 of his work was included in the game.

 

[Rake]

Oh maybe, however I think it's total BS that his characters were basically cut when that was one of the things I remember being a big deal about this game.

They weren't cut, just given to other writers.

He probably meant this bit:

scaled down to about ¼ of what they were originally

Did he say why this happened? Not about the mental dungeon bit, but the rest?
When he said in the interview that he went too far even for his peers, does it mean the content was too dark for them?

 

[Athelas]

The more likely explanation for scrapping the mental dungeon(s) is probably that the art and design budget didn't allow for making a bunch of areas with unique art and mechanics.

 

[Rake]

The more likely explanation for scrapping the mental dungeon(s) is probably that the art and design budget didn't allow for making a bunch of areas with unique art and mechanics.

As i said, i understand that for the mental dungeons. Was the dungeon 3/4 of the characters' content though? Or Obsidian toned them down for another reason?