George Ziets opening a new RPG studio - Digimancy Entertainment

[LESS T_T]

They've hired a couple of artists recently.

Ben Bryant, Concept Artist
https://www.artstation.com/benbryant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryantbw/

Daniel Conroy, 3D Artist
https://www.artstation.com/danconroy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dconroy/

Interestingly this Dani guy is specialized in hard surface modelling (hard things like machines, guns, vehicles). Yeah, he probably can do other kind of modelling reasonably well, but it makes you think the kind of setting they're working on.

Also curiously Art Director Nate Abell became "Creative Director" from Art Director this month. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateabell/

It was Ziet's role but he's now CCO. I guess, with the job posting for Lead Designer, this shows that how the team is expanding.

 

[Gargaune]

Horrible enough for me to abandon a MotB-playthrough. Twice.

Cast off your old beliefs and be saved!

 

[Mikeal]

Hire MCA.

Yeah and in few years MCA will throw Ziets under the bus in order to score few twitter points. Thanks I will pass.

 

[Alpan]

That posting is weird and rather off-putting. You're a newfangled game studio made up of veterans, what business do you have hiring a Lead Designer?

I mean, you either have a strong vision for what your game is supposed to be, that you can impose on your team and your players... or... what, exactly? Expect a newly-hired Lead Designer to fix your deficiency?

At the very least, this means it's going to be a long wait before we see anything out of Zeitsimancy. Doesn't seem like they're storming out of the gate with a fleshed out idea and plan.

I would agree with that. The job description reads like they are putting the bureucracy cart before the game horse.

I guess being founded by Obsidian alumni does that to a studio (monkey see, monkey do), and they might be relying on the fully remote structure to make a larger-than-normal team viable.

 

[Nano]

Yeah and in few years MCA will throw Ziets under the bus in order to score few twitter points. Thanks I will pass.

How could you even say that? Sawyer kind of deserves to get thrown under the bus sometimes, Chris would never do that to Ziets.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Hire MCA.

Yeah and in few years MCA will throw Ziets under the bus in order to score few twitter points. Thanks I will pass.

He got cancelled on Twitter a year ago and hasn't posted since, wtf are you talking about.

 

[Ismaul]

Hire MCA.

Yeah and in few years MCA will throw Ziets under the bus in order to score few twitter points. Thanks I will pass.

He got cancelled on Twitter a year ago and hasn't posted since, wtf are you talking about.

head cannon man, head cannon

mind-blowing, I know

 

[LESS T_T]

Heh, here I thought this game seems to sit in rather higher-end of indie spectrum (team size, voice acting, artists doing detailed props, having lower level programmers and tech artists). Apparently this is a AA action RPG.



Strategy-action-RPG hybrid or something? I remember someone mentioned Mount and Blade here.

 

[Roguey]

Given Ziets's thoughts on Dungeon Siege III, weird choice. AA Action RPG with strategy elements in a licensed setting, eh?

Probably not Bloodlines 2.

 

[Murk]

Optimism -1 so far.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Strategy-action-RPG hybrid or something? I remember someone mentioned Mount and Blade here.

Maybe Sacrfice 2 ? Pretty please?

 

[deuxhero]

Is Mage: The Ascension (I think it's the third most popular WoD line after Vampire and Werewolf, both of which Paradox is milkin, but not sure) even remotely doable as an action game? From what I've hard, it sounds like the magic doesn't work in a consistent enough way for that and I've seen people go so far as to say that Mage is a neat setting but so unplayable GURPs is better at handling it.

 

[LESS T_T]

Well this most likely confirms that the publisher is Paradox Interactive.

Lead System Designer Doug Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasahill/

Lead Systems Designer

Company Name Digimancy Entertainment (Contract)
Dates Employed Dec 2019 – Present
Employment Duration 7 mos
Location Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Almost 20 years experience in the industry, to be frankly I don't see any game/company Codex would appreciate: mostly casual, online, and mobile games. But I believe George chose him for a good reason.

This guy left Digimancy to purse other opportunities.

Personal news: Today is my last day at Digimancy Studios.

Over the past months, it had become obvious that my skill set and the game they were making weren't a great fit. While they welcomed my continued involvement, I decided I'd rather pursue other opportunities.

So I am now officially back to full time freelancing... and working on something else... *SEKRITS....*

I am still cheering for Digimancy. There are no hard feelings, and I hope for great success for them.

And Paradox producer Tristan Lefranc left a comment to this LinkedIn post:

Hey Doug,

it was a real pleasure meeting you and working with you. I will remember our great design discussion in our meeting. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors and look forward to what great concept you will come up with next.
Good luck!

And Doug's reply:

Thanks Tristan! I enjoyed our conversations as well, and truly appreciate the relationship you have forged with Digimancy. I can't wait to see the fruits of those labors, and also wish you the best of luck!

 

[Roguey]

Almost 20 years experience in the industry, to be frankly I don't see any game/company Codex would appreciate: mostly casual, online, and mobile games. But I believe George chose him for a good reason.

If his skills aren't a good fit, good riddance.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

If his statement is true, it reads to me more like he wasn’t enjoying the job. If Digimancy was interested in continuing his employment he was presumably at least satisfactorily fulfilling his responsibilities.

Edit: With Paradox all but confirmed that also seems to point very strongly to a WoD game. Do they own any other IPs of note (other than their in-house creations like CK obviously)? A strategy/RPG hybrid where you play as a Camarilla Prince or something like that could be pretty cool I guess.

 

[LESS T_T]

Well if what Goerge said in Matt Chat about the settings he would like to work on still stands ("stuff that hasn't been done in a long time or maybe that's never been seen in RPGs before") and given that they pitched the game to the publisher (Paradox), probably not VTM. Then again, Paradox once tried to produce a Stellaris CRPG, so...

 

[Deadass]

Tranny 2 confirmed

 

[Sharpedge]

Tranny 2 confirmed

You joke, but the ending for Tyranny does potentially set it up for an RPG/RTS Hybrid.

 

[Roguey]

You joke, but the ending for Tyranny does potentially set it up for an RPG/RTS Hybrid.

Right, but given Ziets's thoughts on Dungeon Siege 3, he wouldn't turn Tyranny into an action game.

 

[Spectacle]

Is Mage: The Ascension (I think it's the third most popular WoD line after Vampire and Werewolf, both of which Paradox is milkin, but not sure) even remotely doable as an action game? From what I've hard, it sounds like the magic doesn't work in a consistent enough way for that and I've seen people go so far as to say that Mage is a neat setting but so unplayable GURPs is better at handling it.

In Mage: The Ascension mages can more or less attempt to do anything they want, so you need a human gamemaster to adjucate the results. No computer game engine is going to be flexible enough to do the game justice.

 

[cherry blossom]

NWN was perfectly playable, only newfags who didn't play it on release expect post 2010 UI/camera etc.

Are you aware that there are games released before 2006 with good camera controls?

Good camera controls: ← ↑ → ↓ and maybe zoom either in 2D or in 3D fixed orthoraphic projection without rotation or perspective nonsense. There has historically been no game with good camera controls that weren't limited to just these options and all the games that did more, suffered for it. Disagreeing won't change the facts.

 

[Galdred]

Heh, here I thought this game seems to sit in rather higher-end of indie spectrum (team size, voice acting, artists doing detailed props, having lower level programmers and tech artists). Apparently this is a AA action RPG.



Strategy-action-RPG hybrid or something? I remember someone mentioned Mount and Blade here.

That is weird. I thought ziet + paradox would rather go party based or tactical RPG+ strategic elements.
I hope they pull a mount and blade (didn't paradox publish mount and blade early on?), but it is always a long shot.

 

[Nano]

Good camera controls: ← ↑ → ↓ and maybe zoom either in 2D or in 3D fixed orthoraphic projection without rotation or perspective nonsense. There has historically been no game with good camera controls that weren't limited to just these options and all the games that did more, suffered for it. Disagreeing won't change the facts.

Are you for real? Even if we're limiting this to RPGs, have you ever heard of, say, a game called Deus Ex?

 

[Twiglard]

NWN was perfectly playable, only newfags who didn't play it on release expect post 2010 UI/camera etc.

Are you aware that there are games released before 2006 with good camera controls?

Good camera controls: ← ↑ → ↓ and maybe zoom either in 2D or in 3D fixed orthoraphic projection without rotation or perspective nonsense. There has historically been no game with good camera controls that weren't limited to just these options and all the games that did more, suffered for it. Disagreeing won't change the facts.

AoD had no problems with controllable camera. So, no. Your generalization is too sweeping.

 

[Infinitron]

Good camera controls: ← ↑ → ↓ and maybe zoom either in 2D or in 3D fixed orthoraphic projection without rotation or perspective nonsense. There has historically been no game with good camera controls that weren't limited to just these options and all the games that did more, suffered for it. Disagreeing won't change the facts.

Hey hey, VOTS lives! My offer to unban your legendary original account still stands btw.