Interview George Ziets on RPG Design and the State of Digimancy at GameBanshee

[rusty_shackleford]

Now ZAUM claims that Helen Hindpere is the lead writer of Disco Elysium. Typical Stalin fuckery.

Her linkedin page says writer on DE, lead writer on Final Cut. It also gives the impression that she's not working at the studio anymore.

That is, it seems that both of za/um's main writers have left the company. So this is what success looks like! Amazing.

What other writers, comrade?

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

Disco Elysium writers.

Stopped reading there. That's how I know it's going to be trash.

 

[luj1]

As you probably know, the esteemed George Ziets...

I love it how whenever you talk about Soyer or Ziets it sounds like homoerotic fiction

did they rape you at Obsidian offices? Did they insert a butt plug in your ass with radio inside with instructions? What happened?

I guess after 10 years of shilling for Soyer and sucking his dick, next up is George Ziets

 

[luj1]

My guess is that Ziets is gonna have the same destiny as Soyer

i.e. bury his own career with poor design decisions

Except I doubt it that he'll make it to a sequel

 

[Roguey]

That is, it seems that both of za/um's main writers have left the company. So this is what success looks like! Amazing.

Cash and Olga are also Digimancers now. At this point, Argo Tuulik is the only writer left from the original team (still there as of May 2022).

 

[Ismaul]

did they rape you at Obsidian offices? Did they insert a butt plug in your ass with radio inside with instructions? What happened?

I'd play that game.

Waking up in Intensive care (aka the Mortuary) with only a buttplug as clue to who you are and what you're doing here.

 

[Shin]

did they rape you at Obsidian offices? Did they insert a butt plug in your ass with radio inside with instructions? What happened?

I'd play that game.

Waking up in Intensive care (aka the Mortuary) with only a buttplug as clue to who you are and what you're doing here.

What can change the nature of a man?
(spoiler: a buttplug)

 

[Sin2x]

did they rape you at Obsidian offices? Did they insert a butt plug in your ass with radio inside with instructions? What happened?

I'd play that game.

Waking up in Intensive care (aka the Mortuary) with only a buttplug as clue to who you are and what you're doing here.

Planasscape: Colony

 

[jackofshadows]

Now ZAUM claims that Helen Hindpere is the lead writer of Disco Elysium. Typical Stalin fuckery.

Her linkedin page says writer on DE, lead writer on Final Cut. It also gives the impression that she's not working at the studio anymore.

Makes sense. It merely implies that on expansion she was working above some other writers but not Curvitz himself. And if she's left the company after him could imply… they will work/are working together again somewhere else

 

[mondblut]

That is, it seems that both of za/um's main writers have left the company. So this is what success looks like! Amazing.

Isn't that the whole point? Make a breakthrough hit, grab your millions and skip off into the sunset to spend it all on teenage thai ladyboys?

 

[Lhynn]

Storyfaggotry is strong in this one.

How about we stop simping for wr*ters and start focusing on system designers for a change?

I dont think there should be a distinction between the two, a system designer should be working on the writing, and writers should also be working on system design. One has to inform the other.

 

[mondblut]

Storyfaggotry is strong in this one.

How about we stop simping for wr*ters and start focusing on system designers for a change?

I dont think there should be a distinction between the two, a system designer should be working on the writing, and writers should also be working on system design. One has to inform the other.

If you allow a wr*ter anywhere near system design, you can bet your arm and leg he'll make sure you'd never be able to break his preshus story by doing something on your own.

As for the other way around, well, "This is a sword, it hits for 1d8 damage" is good enough writing as far as I am concerned

 

[Lhynn]

Storyfaggotry is strong in this one.

How about we stop simping for wr*ters and start focusing on system designers for a change?

I dont think there should be a distinction between the two, a system designer should be working on the writing, and writers should also be working on system design. One has to inform the other.

If you allow a wr*ter anywhere near system design, you can bet your arm and leg he'll make sure you'd never be able to break his preshus story by doing something on your own.

As for the other way around, well, "This is a sword, it hits for 1d8 damage" is good enough writing as far as I am concerned

Thats retarded, if you dont marry system design with writing you get crap like easily castable resurrection spells and quests about solving a murder in the same fucking game.

Every system in the game needs to be supported by the narrative. If you got magic, what you can do with it should be reflected on the writing. Every if you dont have much of a story.

 

[mondblut]

Thats retarded, if you dont marry system design with writing you get crap like easily castable resurrection spells and quests about solving a murder in the same fucking game.

That's because a wr*ter who wrote that quest would never let a pesky player to use a spell creatively to skip his soaring imaginashun running wild.

Your solution: a writer renames non-cutscene or TPK deaths as "being knocked out" and resurrection as "greater rouse from unconsciousness".

My solution: never, ever let wr*ters think they are somehow in charge of the game. If posturing fools think that writing flavor and feeding adventure hooks is beneath their puissant wordsmithing and enchanting storytelling, they can go write a fucking book.

 

[BoroMonokli]

Reminds me of the first dungeon siege where you can revive a dead npc which does nothing but give you flavor text, and the second where you solve a murder mystery by talking to the restless spirit of the accused, and the second's expansion where you summon a departed spirit of the victim through a ritual for answers.

good stuff, although the first was the most fun and creative.

 

[Zeriel]

Storyfaggotry is strong in this one.

How about we stop simping for wr*ters and start focusing on system designers for a change?

I dont think there should be a distinction between the two, a system designer should be working on the writing, and writers should also be working on system design. One has to inform the other.

If you allow a wr*ter anywhere near system design, you can bet your arm and leg he'll make sure you'd never be able to break his preshus story by doing something on your own.

As for the other way around, well, "This is a sword, it hits for 1d8 damage" is good enough writing as far as I am concerned

Back in the day, writers and system designers were often one and the same. Your gripe is probably with "writers" as an effete job in gaming who do nothing else. Writing should just be a sidegig along with other, more important duties.

 

[Van-d-all]

Honestly after Pillows and Numenera placing any hopes on Ziets is dubious at best. Numenera especially, shows that while writing can be somewhat entertaining (mostly on behalf of the setting being really decent) poor game mechanics will make it into an inconsequential slog, where everything serves just as means to deliver walls of text. While Disco had the single neat trick of skills being major part of dialogues, I somewhat doubt that even having an all star team of former ZA/UM writers can make a difference if the game retains the poor mechanics of prior games Ziets worked on.

 

[luj1]

Honestly after Pillows and Numenera placing any hopes on Ziets is dubious at best. Numenera especially, shows that while writing can be somewhat entertaining (mostly on behalf of the setting being really decent) poor game mechanics will make it into an inconsequential slog, where everything serves just as means to deliver walls of text. While Disco had the single neat trick of skills being major part of dialogues, I somewhat doubt that even having an all star team of former ZA/UM writers can make a difference if the game retains the poor mechanics of prior games Ziets worked on.

Numenera devs + Disco devs is a red flag

Both games had walls of text + bad gameplay

Their only quality is setting and art direction, but thats useless on its own

so I expect this game to be the same,
- bad writting
- poor gameplay
- good setting/art

hipsters are gonna rave cause theyre clueless, and codex is gonna hate Ziets because Infintron is going to shill him like Soyer

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Gamedec suffer the same?
Is this a continuing "trend?"
How many games are now like this?

 

[Infinitron]

I don't think Digimancy's game is a combat-less RPG.

Honestly after Pillows and Numenera placing any hopes on Ziets is dubious at best. Numenera especially, shows that while writing can be somewhat entertaining (mostly on behalf of the setting being really decent) poor game mechanics will make it into an inconsequential slog, where everything serves just as means to deliver walls of text. While Disco had the single neat trick of skills being major part of dialogues, I somewhat doubt that even having an all star team of former ZA/UM writers can make a difference if the game retains the poor mechanics of prior games Ziets worked on.

George Ziets' last game - one he had a larger role on than Numenera and far larger than Pillars - was Wasteland 3.

 

[Van-d-all]

I don't think Digimancy's game is a combat-less RPG.

Unlike most codexians I wouldn't mind it, but that's beside the point.

Honestly after Pillows and Numenera placing any hopes on Ziets is dubious at best. Numenera especially, shows that while writing can be somewhat entertaining (mostly on behalf of the setting being really decent) poor game mechanics will make it into an inconsequential slog, where everything serves just as means to deliver walls of text. While Disco had the single neat trick of skills being major part of dialogues, I somewhat doubt that even having an all star team of former ZA/UM writers can make a difference if the game retains the poor mechanics of prior games Ziets worked on.

George Ziets' last game - one he had a larger role on than Numenera and far larger than Pillars - was Wasteland 3.

Yeah, well, I haven't played it yet so I'll give it some benefit of doubt, but I don't think it really came out as positive as you might've meant it...

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

I don't think Digimancy's game is a combat-less RPG.

Unlike most codexians I wouldn't mind it, but that's beside the point.

Honestly after Pillows and Numenera placing any hopes on Ziets is dubious at best. Numenera especially, shows that while writing can be somewhat entertaining (mostly on behalf of the setting being really decent) poor game mechanics will make it into an inconsequential slog, where everything serves just as means to deliver walls of text. While Disco had the single neat trick of skills being major part of dialogues, I somewhat doubt that even having an all star team of former ZA/UM writers can make a difference if the game retains the poor mechanics of prior games Ziets worked on.

George Ziets' last game - one he had a larger role on than Numenera and far larger than Pillars - was Wasteland 3.

Yeah, well, I haven't played it yet so I'll give it some benefit of doubt, but I don't think it really came out as positive as you might've meant it...

W3 is a pretty cool game m8, you should give it a spin

 

[Zombra]

ITI what is RPG

 

[Zeriel]

With every year, the event horizon of the answer to "what is an RPG" recedes ever further into the distance

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I don't think Digimancy's game is a combat-less RPG.

Of course not, because then it wouldn't be an RPG.