Codex Interview: Josh Sawyer

[Hyperion]

Given the Firedorn backlash that arose from a single Twitter user complaining in usual fashion, how feasible would an historically accurate RPG even be, since many events in our world's past aren't exactly favorable towards certain groups of peoples?

And the followup...
What kind of compromises to its integrity would you be willing or unwilling to take in the face of social media's political correctness overload?

For PoE 2, are there any planned measures to allow us the freedom of choosing paths akin to Act 3 / WM1 + 2 / Endless Paths without having to resort to an optional level scaling to keep the difficulty on pace?

Will PoE2 be balanced around Path of the Damned, or one of the other difficulties?

Any chance of increased individual character customization, such as dual-classing, a wider array of talents, or other focused specializations per character?

 

[Fairfax]

Do you regret cutting Ulysses from the base game in FNV?

In retrospect, do you think you went overboard with making the Legion an evil faction?

Why did you cut "3/4" (according to MCA) of Durance and the Grieving Mother's content?

'Pillars of Eternity' is a crowdfunded PC RPG with its roots in 'Baldur's Gate', 'Icewind Dale', and 'Planescape: Torment'.

Ask him if he approved that description, and if he did, ask what are the similarities between PoE and PS:T besides the obvious stuff (RTwP, graphics, etc), as MCA himself said there were none.

Maybe he should just ask him about MCA in general.

Asking about MCA himself would probably be a waste of a question. I think he'd give a nonanswer, if any.

 

[Roguey]

Do you regret cutting Ulysses from the base game in FNV?

He regrets what remained in New Vegas (bugs) far more than what was removed.

In retrospect, do you think you went overboard with making the Legion an evil faction?

Some writers did not follow the guidelines wrt to Legion sexism, other than that, no.

Why did you cut "3/4" (according to MCA) of Durance and the Grieving Mother's content?

Fenstermaker answered this question in his Codex interview.

 

[Ellef]

Codex Interview: Roguey - Now taking YOUR questions!

 

[Gregz]

Question:

To what degree do intellectual property laws bully designers into avoiding mechanics they would otherwise prefer to use? For instance, would WoTC (Hasbro) sue or C&D Obsidian if you used an Illithid monster, Bag of Holding, or 5-foot step in PoE? If so, how much of PoE was motivated by your desire to do a complete system redesign vs. a deliberate measure to carve out a "lawyer proof" IP space for future sequels and/or DLCs?

 

[laclongquan]

Do you ever want to try your hand at an Europe-centric medieval game (aka Darklands2) or return to America-centric post apocalypse?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

What the hell can we ask you that Roguey wouldn't know?

 

[Bumvelcrow]

What were the features of the Infinity Engine games that encouraged you to want to make a spiritual sequel? Do you think it would have been better if you hadn't tried to replicate the mechanics so slavishly but rather focussed on the gameplay and story? Do you think taking a more refined combat system (ToEE) and bolting that to an IE style epic plot would have produced a more satisfying experience? What bikes do you have?

 

[Theldaran]

Turn based for PoE2, hmph...

Also, I'd go with "populistic garbage" for Nirvana.

 

[Infinitron]

Any chance of increased individual character customization, such as dual-classing

We already have an answer to that: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10051

 

[Lady_Error]

Will POE2 be closer to a spiritual successor of the Infinity Engine games? As if...

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Do you ever want to try your hand at an Europe-centric medieval game (aka Darklands2)

We already know that he is actually working on one, or rather, that he has plans to be working on one after PoE2 (hence my own questions).

 

[Jaedar]

As someone who found PoE painfully mediocre(in every respect pretty much, except graphics on some levels), is there any reason at all for me to pay attention to PoE2 and Tyranny, or should I just keep on trucking as if Obsidian stopped exisiting?

kthx

 

[laclongquan]

Do you ever want to try your hand at an Europe-centric medieval game (aka Darklands2)

We already know that he is actually working on one, or rather, that he has plans to be working on one after PoE2 (hence my own questions).

We must show our interests or people would think noone like Darklands2 or anything~

 

[AwesomeButton]

After about 200 hrs with PoE + TWM, boiled down into one sentence, my impression is this - PoE fell short of becoming the kind of classic that BG became, but TWM showed the team is perfectly capable of catching up and surpassing the IE classics if the project scope is managed better and the content/development time equation is more realistic and... balanced.

Given that, what can he tell us of PoE2's project scope, the game's length, breadth and depth, that will encourage optimism in the kind of grognard that was more or less disappointed with PoE?

Please rephrase and expand this question as you find suitable.

Another question - are we continuing with the same protagonist or do we create a new character from scratch and are any NPCs making a return?

 

[Neanderthal]

Resting mechanics, felt half hearted an more like a band aid than a finished feature, was there more to it initially?

Accessibility, is it diametrically opposed to challenge, and are devs underestimating audience (and its ability to learn?)

Lot o folk have half arsed idea that they should never be at anything less than optimum condition when they enter a scrap, especially a boss fight, is this lack of attrition and strategy in modern games ever going to change?

If a player sees an unexplained handwaved feature in game, that makes no sense according to the game world, how much do you expect him to invest himself in that game? If the developer can't be bothered to flesh it out why should the player be bothered at all?

Will RPGs ever regain features o past: NPC schedules, interactive environments, spells that transform gameplay, different methods o transport etc?

 

[Sizzle]

Another question - are we continuing with the same protagonist or do we create a new character from scratch

That was pretty much confirmed in PoE's epilogue, but a formal confirmation would be nice, I agree.

and are any NPCs making a return?

Pellagina's definitely in if it takes place in the Vailian Republics.

 

[Infinitron]

Accessibility, is it diametrically opposed to challenge, and are devs underestimating audience (and its ability to learn?)

He's talked about this before I think...here we go: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9446

 

[imweasel]

Who tagged this thread "Infinity Engine"?

 

[Cosmo]

I'd like his take on what arguably are some of PoE's plot shortcomings as discussed previously with Eric Fenstermaker, and setting aside the financial factors that may have caused them :

- absence of player agency in animancy hearings that severely undermines plot momentum (considering the buildup in the asylum it's pretty evident it was supposed to be a if not THE crucial moment both for the plot and the game's reactivity)
- disjunction between lore presented by the various texts and what is actually shown in game (anymancy being overwhelmingly negative ingame + us never seeing the widespread orlan abuse and their so-called "guerrilla" are two examples that jump in mind)
- a late game revelation (about the god's involvement) being robbed of a good part of its impact by the fact that the game previously does a poor job of making us feel their actual importance in the world and for the player

 

[Sizzle]

us never seeing the orlan persecution

There are a few examples of this (the first Crucible Knight you meet in their keep, the racist banter between Eder and Hiravias, the Dwarven inkeeper in Stalwart who wants his Orlan guest out, probably some more if you're playing an Orlan PC), but nothing resembling full-blown racism like you would expect in a country where, supposedly, most of the non-Orlan population hates (or at least dislikes) them.

 

[Cosmo]

There are a few examples of this (the first Crucible Knight you meet in their keep, the racist banter between Eder and Hiravias, the Dwarven inkeeper in Stalwart who wants his Orlan guest out, probably some more if you're playing an Orlan PC), but nothing resembling full-blown racism like you would expect in a country where, supposedly, most of the non-Orlan population hates (or at least dislikes) them.

Correct i had forgotten those...

 

[Sranchammer]

Hi Josh, first-time caller, here.

Why do you hate fun?

 

[Bubbles]

Why do you hate fun?

Already asked twice in this thread

 

[Sranchammer]

Already asked twice in this thread

It needs to be repeated