George Ziets opening a new RPG studio - Digimancy Entertainment

[Butter]

Think what you could write while being on drugs though!

Drugs are an overrated meme.

In the words of my psychiatrist: you haven’t lived until you’ve tried mushrooms. You, in particular, might benefit enormously the next time you get depressed given your diagnosis. It’s like hitting the reset button on your brain. Same for ketamine (but don’t buy the new on patent stuff from Johnson & Johnson—it’s highway robbery. get it from a vet, or a criminal, or a legitimate compounding pharmacy if your doctor will give you a prescription).

Jamie, pull up the video of the chihuahua on mushrooms.

 

[Prime Junta]

Jamie, pull up the video of the chihuahua on mushrooms.

This one?

 

[Riddler]

As shown by our patron saint among others, stims is the only class of drugs that should be codex approved. What other drugs causes manic shit-slinging interspersed with great productivity?

Go on, I'm waiting.

 

[santino27]

A lot of games from smaller studios employ a more stylized presentation that is cheaper to produce but can still look cool (and ironically can make their games more distinctive and memorable than big-budget titles). Also, if your core gameplay is focused and tight, you can sometimes pull off higher production values because your scope is limited. Darkest Dungeon is a good example – it has a distinctive, atmospheric style, but the characters aren’t running around in an expensive, 3D world. Battle Brothers is actually another example - you may or may not like the presentation of their characters, but it's distinctive - as soon as I see a screenshot, I know it's Battle Brothers.

I'd say another benefit is that stylized art styles tend to age better... bleeding edge graphical fidelity is a moving target, whereas a game that focuses more on its own distinctive style and approach will keep that style forever.

 

[Roguey]

As shown by our patron saint among others, stims is the only class of drugs that should be codex approved. What other drugs causes manic shit-slinging interspersed with great productivity?

Go on, I'm waiting.

Well that and alcohol. The alcoholic writer became a meme for good reason (and Chris certainly contributes to the meme).

 

[Prime Junta]

Well that and alcohol. The alcoholic writer became a meme for good reason (and Chris certainly contributes to the meme).

Drugs can give you something to write about. I doubt they help much with the actual writing, except maybe amphetamines and derivatives.

 

[Ismaul]

There's nothing wrong to like RTwP.

Quite the subtle move here, very nice.

You're not saying "There's nothing wrong with RTwP" like we'd expect, you're saying it's ok if you like it. Like, you're not a bad person or anything, but something's still very wrong with RTwP.

 

[Lyric Suite]

RTwP did nothing wrong.

 

[fantadomat]

There's nothing wrong to like RTwP.

Quite the subtle move here, very nice.

You're not saying "There's nothing wrong with RTwP" like we'd expect, you're saying it's ok if you like it. Like, you're not a bad person or anything, but something's still very wrong with RTwP.

Can you go in a single thread without bringing your retarded TB garbage?

 

[Ismaul]

Can you go in a single thread without bringing your retarded TB garbage?

No need to be upset about a joke. And might I add, not a word about TB was uttered. You're projecting your butthurt over everything.

 

[fantadomat]

alcoholic writer

IS a good writer.

 

[J_C]

The voiceacting is just terrific, but there is also one thing. The dialogue, the writing is so good, you rarely hear this level of quality in modern games.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

alcoholic writer

IS a good writer.

By that logic you oughta be great

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

I hope his game is fully voice acted. I first thought it was decline compared to text but over time I grew warm to voice acting. Imagine if PS:T was fully voice acted? I don't mind text and sometimes you want to read and absorb the writing at your own pace and bolster your imagination, but it's indeed really nice to hear full voice acted dialogue.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Morrowind lore was written with the power of peyote.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Phillip K Dick said he never wrote a novel without the aid of amphetamines until the late 70s, and he was quite prolific.

Of course he also died in 1982 only in his mid-50s.

 

[Prime Junta]

I hope his game is fully voice acted. I first thought it was decline compared to text but over time I grew warm to voice acting. Imagine if PS:T was fully voice acted?

If PS:T was fully voiced it couldn't be PS:T. VO is a terrific drain on resources and it locks down the text far too early. Without full VO they can keep tweaking the text all the way to release.

 

[Life of the Party]

By that logic you oughta be great

William Shakesbeer.

 

[ksaun]

I have to second this. The problem with Planescape and Dark Sun is that we already have great games in those settings, so anything George could do would feel like a bit of a retread. And Ravenloft just has too much B-movie schlock in it. And none of those settings have any real surprises for old PnP gamers. But Symbaroum is a very well designed and written modern dark/weird fantasy setting that lets you dungeoneer with artistic flair. Probably the best PnP setting from the last decade, and gives a lot of the same vibes as MotB so right up GZ alley.

I think your concerns are valid, but I'm sure you'd agree at least a little bit that Ziets could make a Planescape/Dark Sun game that isn't a retread, and a serious Ravenloft game. Also, I think even if the games did turn out to be somewhat retreads, as long as they were quality, I still don't think I'd mind.

I think what Jack wrote on twitter about Dark Sun having never had a real chance to shine is a good point. Planescape: Torment has gone down in crpg history as something unique and special. The Dark Sun games haven't. The Dark Sun setting has some really interesting areas, and ideas. Imagine if we could play as a Preserver/Defiler and could affect the game world on micro and macro levels. Or imagine playing a game set in the Last Sea area where the Mind Lords rule and we get a well developed psionics system, or along the Jagged Cliffs the halflings inhabit, or out on the Crimson Savannah where the thri-kreen thrive. Maybe become a dragon or avangion. There are quite a few possibilities: http://digitalwanderer.net/darksun/

Having said that, that Symbaroum setting looks awesome! I get a bit of a, I dunno, gothic? Mirkwood vibe from it. The map (layout of the world) makes the forest feel incredibly vast. It's pretty creepy and cool. I'm going to check it out based on your recommendation.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14qeRZB2qxXpP29tVc5GTKugUo4XLpVjI/view

Thanks!

While there are many compelling and underrepresented settings, I think we (by "we" I mean RPG players) would be best served by George crafting his own original world. It's more work, and doesn't come with a fan-base and built-in recognition, so it's a financially riskier path. But I want to see what George can create with minimal external influences or constraints. That's the world I want to explore and experience.

Obviously, my opinion is biased. But my respect and admiration of Mr. Ziets comes through directly working with him in domains such as these. I suppose what I'm saying is that I can speak first-hand to George's abilities to create exceptional characters, places, events, civilizations. Ideally, we'll someday get to enjoy a Ziets-original setting.

 

[G Ziets]

G Ziets what is your stance on barbarians? And what is your stance on elves?

I like barbarians if they fit the setting. Elves are kinda played out, at least for me. I wouldn't want to include them (or the usual halflings, dwarves, etc.) in a setting that Digimancy creates from scratch. They’re not present in the world we’re developing now.

 

[G Ziets]

G Ziets, it is very reassuring to know that you actually like and spend a significant time playing the same games as we do. I think one of the most deciding factors for how underwhelming most of the large crowdfunded RPGs ended up being, as well as recent AA+ throwback titles, is that so many of you don't actually play or enjoy that kind of games today that you set out to make, if ever in some cases.

I really hope you'll make that a bare minimum requirement when hiring people on for your projects. It doesn't matter how good your vision is if the other people you depend upon to realise it don't actually share that.

Playing The Outer Worlds this week really made me despair... There is some genuinely well thought ideas poured into setting and specific elements of that game's aesthetics that is definitely reminiscent of Tim and Leonards earlier work but the execution in the writing department, the character models... in so many areas of the game... it's clearly done by people who are completely disconnected from that. The world is clearly intended to be a satire but aside from bits and pieces of lore and the aesthetic design of vending machines, corporation logos and canned fish products, the satire is dead on delivery. The other writers' and artists' frame of reference with regards to film, books, games etc. is obviously so far removed from that of the people whose vision they're supposed to realise.

If you at any point don't have anything better to do, I'd like hear your take on miscommunicated ideas on the projects you've worked on and lessons you've learned during those projects. There ought to be some examples that don't break any NDAs or risk any relationships.

Love for these games is one of the top two qualifications I consider when hiring someone. The other is experience, which for some roles is critical, but love for RPGs can be more important in many cases. I’d rather work with someone less experienced who is passionate about what they’re doing than someone with a lot of experience who would rather be making a different kind of game or (worse) doesn’t care.

Nearly all game devs start out excited and passionate about what they do. Some people lose their excitement as they age – maybe they get burned out, maybe their tastes change, it varies. Some leave the industry at that point, but others stay – they’ve built up a career, and they don’t want to throw it away. Unfortunately, that can lead to (often senior) people who aren’t genuinely excited about the products they’re making.

I’ve also seen cases where a company hires people to make one kind of game (say, an action shooter), but after that game ships, those people are moved onto a very different kind of project (e.g., a turn-based RPG). Those who were hired to make a shooter may not be excited about making a turn-based RPG, but they also may not be able or willing to move to another job, so they’re stuck on a project that doesn’t excite them.

Re: miscommunicated ideas – The larger the team, the harder it is to keep everyone focused on the same vision. I can sympathize with Tim and Leonard on TOW. From my limited knowledge of that project, it was a pretty big team, probably with designers, artists, etc. getting shifted in and out from other games. I wouldn’t be surprised if a flood of people was added to the team late to get TOW out the door, which is common on bigger-budget games. Under those conditions, it’s very difficult to ensure that everyone understands the core vision and is working toward the same goals. It’s probably even harder with something like satire, which means different things to different people, requires some subtlety, and isn’t familiar to a lot of people.

For mass market games that are easy to understand – e.g., a sequel to the Halo franchise or a generic elves-dwarves-orcs fantasy, a large team isn’t a problem. But if you’re trying to do something more original or subtle with a team of that size, it’s a struggle. That’s probably why more original fare often comes from smaller indie teams where everyone has been steeping in the same creative brew for months or years at a time.

 

[Lyric Suite]

If i was in charge i'd just refrain from hiring people who are shit.

 

[Nano]

Re: miscommunicated ideas – The larger the team, the harder it is to keep everyone focused on the same vision. I can sympathize with Tim and Leonard on TOW. From my limited knowledge of that project, it was a pretty big team, probably with designers, artists, etc. getting shifted in and out from other games. I wouldn’t be surprised if a flood of people was added to the team late to get TOW out the door, which is common on bigger-budget games. Under those conditions, it’s very difficult to ensure that everyone understands the core vision and is working toward the same goals. It’s probably even harder with something like satire, which means different things to different people, requires some subtlety, and isn’t familiar to a lot of people.

For mass market games that are easy to understand – e.g., a sequel to the Halo franchise or a generic elves-dwarves-orcs fantasy, a large team isn’t a problem. But if you’re trying to do something more original or subtle with a team of that size, it’s a struggle. That’s probably why more original fare often comes from smaller indie teams where everyone has been steeping in the same creative brew for months or years at a time.

Developing games with good production values and a small(er) team was easier the further back you go back in time. Deus Ex 1 only had 20 employees working on it.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Deus Ex could have used some actual voice actors instead of letting the devs mic the lines in lmao:



Personally, in so far as production values go, i'd rather have fewer things done well than trying to do lot's of crap but half of it ends up being jank. Quality over quantity, and all that.

 

[Prime Junta]

Now I want to replay DX.

(Also that voice acting is spot on, absolutely perfect for the game.)