Codex Interview: Josh Sawyer

[Sizzle]

1) In PoE 2, if we import the PC, will we be allowed to keep all his gear, or can we expect something more akin to BG2's start where the character, and all his NPCs, are stripped of their items?

2) You complete PoE 1 by taking out one of the strongest in-universe characters (Thaos), as well as

Spoiler

fragments of a god

in The White March. So, how do you plan on upping those stakes without going ridiculously epic overboard (think Epic Level Gnolls in Mask of The Betrayer)?

 

[vonAchdorf]

Would he have Grogs in his historical Darklands / Ars Magica inspired game?

Which House in AM?

 

[GuiltyofBeingTrite]

Tell us about a notable Obsidian office fart

 

[Somberlain]

How do you feel about achieving the 3rd place in Codex Low-T Olympics?

Did you ask your wife's boyfriend to vote for Bernie Sanders?

 

[Telengard]

The Tabletop RPG [TRPG] market has reportedly been contracting for many years now, as told by many commentators, store owners, and developers. While the online part of the TRPG market has rapidly increased, this is widely described as a 'reader' market rather than a 'player' market.

• Do you agree with these statements?
• If so, do you think this will have an affect on the next generation of rpgs?

To be sure, Dungeons & Dragons had a large influence on the first generation of CRPGs.

• How much of an influence do you think D&D had on the current generation of CRPGs, and in what ways has this influence expressed itself - in the main?
• Do you think D&D is going to still have that same level of influence on the next generation of CRPGs?
• What games do you think are going to be the main influencers of that next generation of CRPGs?

The original fans of Baldur's Gate are just now getting to that age where they become super-nostalgic about their youth.

• Do you believe this has had any influence on the Kickstarter video game revivals, including Kickstarter CRPGs?
• If so, how do see that influence changing in the future as Kickstarter continues to be used to produce games?

You have stated that you have a liking for having history influence your CRPG design.

• Since most of the public are wholly ignorant of history, and most of the CRPG audience are uber high fantasy nerds, speak to them about what the advantages are of having history influence the design of a CRPG.
• When a historical rpg is set in a particular culture, how much of a culture's myths and legends do you think should be in play?
• When making a historical rpg, how important do you believe it is to have the characters fight as the people of the time fought, versus having them fight the way just about all rpgs are fought? Or in other words, how important is it to give the public what they are familiar with?

 

[Theldaran]

If you have to go around clicking random people for important feedback, there's a problem with exposition in your game.

 

[Ash]

No question, just a thanks for heading the only great FP/RPG in existence since Bloodlines, and making Fallout great again in the process.

 

[Drudkh]

Will PoE 2 utilize the same engagement system as the first game?

 

[Jedi Exile]

So Josh... why PoE is so boring?

 

[Saxon1974]

Any interest in making an RPG set in the ARS Magica setting?

 

[Rivmusique]

Is it a guarantee that PoE2 will be using the same engine/ruleset as PoE 1? Or is there a chance we will see a DA:O > DA2 like change with the sequel?

 

[Roguey]

Or is there a chance we will see a DA:O > DA2 like change with the sequel?

Zero chance of this. He believes sequels should deliver more of the same, only improved, as opposed to using an entirely different system.

 

[Space Insect]

Why do you seem to hate hard counters and will PoE 2 have them?

 

[TOUGH GUY]

Mr Sawyer, what would be your idea of making more advanced or complex non-combat game mechanics in RPGs? And if you could imagine a game employing them, what would it be?

Generally speaking, combat has you swing swords, cast spells, defeat armor class, roll against THAC0, move your party and so on. There is a lot a player does.

But non-combat activities seem to be reduced to a single ablility check, simple puzzles unrelated to other mechanics, or even no gameplay at all, e.g. exhausting a dialogue.

 

[vonAchdorf]

How powerful and common would magic, especially for player characters, be in his historical RPG? Like in Darklands or like Ars Magica?

 

[kris]

If not asked:

"What non-traditional rpg elements would you like to bring into the RPG games you design?"

 

[AW8]

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

 

[tindrli]

ask him what kind of pussy he prefer, black yellow white, large small etc etc.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

He's not into that kind of thing.

 

[Excidium II]

ask him what kind of pussy he prefer, black yellow white, large small etc etc.

His gf is white though.

 

[Ninjerk]

ask him what kind of pussy he prefer, black yellow white, large small etc etc.

His gf is white though.

handler*

 

[Grolav]

(To codex-staff/Bubbles/interviewer - please feel free to rephrase or reformulate my questions if there is a better way of asking them).

1. Feargus Urquhart has expressed his desire to make a "Skyrim-like" rpg in the Eternity-setting (or perhaps another original setting?).
With your experience on Fallout: New Vegas, any thougst on making a big, open world, AAA, 1st/3rd-person rpg? Do you think Obsidian can do it and/or afford to do it? Would you like to do it? Or would you rather make smaler-scaled, AA, isometric rpgs that cost less but is also for a smaler audience/market?

2. Are there any other genres than role playing games you would like to work on? Adventure games? Or something like "Life is Strange", choice-and-consequences focused games, "Alpha Protocol without combat", etc? Or do you live and breath for rpgs (and combat!) ?

3. Are there any other way of ending a boss-encounter than killing/talking it to death? How about poisoning it's food/drink? Or make the roof collapse - everybody dies! Or just sneak past? Or something more clever than I can think of. Will such awesome options be implemented in PoE2?

4. Thougths on modding? (may have been mentiond earlier). How hard is it to implement? Or are resources spent on making a game easy to mod better used on other parts of the game? Mechanics, content, etc.?

 

[DavidBVal]

Regarding toolsets regression:

NWN2 was the last "all-out" attempt to provide players with a toolset that gave them complete freedom to create, share and deploy, even hosting their private worlds, modding the core classes/races, writing C code scripts, and more. 10 years later, no game has tried such a thing in a comparable scope; SCL is a good example of regression in this regard. Yet the ability to create and share your own content and play with friends touches the true "core" of tabletop roleplaying games. Do you think it's possible that we see in the future a cRPG that includes a true creation tool, as ambitious as the NWN series was? or has it definitely been chalked out as "bad move" by the industry?

 

[Jedi Exile]

If you ever going to make a sci-fi RPG, what themes would you like to explore?

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Also, ask him if he thinks the current 'RPG Renaissance' is sustainable as a business or if he thinks - in light of apparent KS fatigue and drop of sales numbers - it was just a short lived fad. (Obviously, since he plans on making more of those RPGs, we can guess his answer but I still would like hear what he has to say about the perspectives for future traditional RPGs)