Interview "How to make a Torment game" - Mega-Interview with Kevin Saunders and Adam Heine at Iron Tower

[Sensuki]

Pretty good interview, but even better answers from the designers.

The Torment guys really put phucking effort into interviews hey

 

[Lancehead]

Interesting that you call not catering to everyone a bullshit platitude

A platitude is a platitude exactly because it's so obvious it doesn't even need to be uttered. What I'm saying is that he contradicts himself.

I do agree that on the surface it sounds obvious (Sawyer says as much also: "cliche"), but I'm not sure it's comparably easy to apply when making a game, which is what Sawyer was trying to point out by emphasizing a cliche motto's importance.

Tell me, what is this:

Combat designed for people who like combat, conversations designed for people who like conversations, explorable areas designed for people who like to explore.

?

I agree with Clockwork Knight's interpretation.

Combat designed for people who like combat... who are these people? How do you decide which ones like combat and which don't? People skipping turn-based combat don't like combat? People skipping real-time combat don't like combat? People who skip it no matter what? For who you design it and how so that it's for EVERYBODY who likes combat?
Same with conversations and explorable areas.

That's why I said that, at least to me, it sounds like trying to cater to everybody... except those that umm.. don't like games so they shouldn't be mentioned in the first place.

It mostly depends on what game you're making (e.g. P:E's combat for those who liked BG/IWD combat, T:ToN story/characters for those liked such in PS:T). That also means, on a higher level, when you make a PS:T successor, don't design it for BG enthusiasts, for example.

 

[hiver]

The questions are pretty standard variety. There is none of the usual... spunkiness of VD questions but the answers are damn good.
I guess he saves... spunkiness for times where more concrete details are known?
Great, great read anyway.


rads... dammit... :shakes head:

Sawyer says what you demanded in your post. He doesnt mean designing combat of all kinds, but specific combat style, specific for a specific kind of game - instead of trying to please everyone and designing some shit system so everyone can get into it, or through it.
Same for dialogue or exploration. The reverse of platitude.

Remember his hard core mod for NV? That was not designed for everyone, right?
That was designed for people that like combat - and designed for combat system of that specific game, of course.
With additions of other features since it isnt combat only mod.


And if you see what they plan for combat in other answers about it - its clear what that all corresponds too.
Kevin talks about freedom they have by not having to deal with publisher and ... blah, blah, blah...why am i talking to you anyway?

:smacks Rads over the head:


/


These words there, whether how they themselves are living trying to find the answer to the main question, or how they understand and observe their own legacy - that can be achieved through very creation of this game, or parts about combat, or other features - kind of really bring up my hopes for something ... better. Not in the sense of screaming how awesome its going to be but, maybe ... it makes me shift more towards the center and balance that started to slide towards some little hell ... after slogging through all those mass market biodrone suggestions and posts on user voice.

 

[Scruffy]

"We’ve talked about the basic structure of our writing organizational approach before, so I’ll just mention that part briefly here"

eight paragraphs of stuff follow

 

[tuluse]

The interview was very good btw. Kevin Saunder's answers were very detailed with a mix of what I expected to hear and insight. I can't think of anything to really respond to because it all sounds good so far.

I only quoted Sawyer because I thought it was a nice sentiment, I swear I didn't mean to start this.

 

[MicoSelva]

Good interview. The answers seem honest. Or this is some kind of a new type of marketing/PR veil that we need time to figure out how to see through. Hopefully, it's the former.

 

[CappenVarra]

Pretty cool interview. Now we just need them to fire Kvothfuss from the game and everything will be right in the world

 

[Vault Dweller]

... Kvothfuss...

 

[CappenVarra]

(brofisting you for the interview, not the smiley)

 

[Vault Dweller]

Look who's on KS:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/the-name-of-the-wind-playing-cards

10,987
Backers

$554,568
pledged of $10,000 goal

6
hours to go

 

[FeelTheRads]

500k for a poker deck. Meanwhile real games don't get funded or get much less "because they don't show enough".

 

[Kirtai]

"We’ve talked about the basic structure of our writing organizational approach before, so I’ll just mention that part briefly here"

eight paragraphs of stuff follow

If he considers that brief, it makes me wonder at the scale of the writing in the game itself.

 

[Scruffy]

"We’ve talked about the basic structure of our writing organizational approach before, so I’ll just mention that part briefly here"

eight paragraphs of stuff follow

If he considers that brief, it makes me wonder at the scale of the writing in the game itself.

as long as it's good writing and not just a dragged out explanation that actually just means: "we tell the guys what we want to achieve, and they have to give us that".

 

[Kirtai]

Yeah, that's why I was happy when they mentioned they had a professional editor in their team. Putting a stake through the heart of purple prose and slaughtering unnecessary polysyllabic verbiage is what they do.

 

[grotsnik]

This approach of identifying and defining multiple story themes is something we did on...Storm of Zehir

This made me double-take a bit. I mean...what did you have in SoZ, really, even if you're taking that to mean 'key tonal points' rather than solid narrative themes? 'Commerce'? 'Adventure'? Thinly veiled pro-Ickeian propaganda about powerful figures in politics and finance being part of the lizard-people conspiracy oh shit that must be it

V cool interview, re-reading now. Whatever doubts you may have, I reckon it always comes across really well just how seriously these guys are taking the brief and how carefully they seem to be thinking through all of the implications of what it might mean to be a worthy PS:T successor.

 

[hiver]

The other two bigger themes are abandonment and mystery.
I didnt play SoZ but maybe mystery is what they were going for there, thematically?

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Look who's on KS:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/the-name-of-the-wind-playing-cards

10,987
Backers

$554,568
pledged of $10,000 goal

6
hours to go

Kickstarter in a nutshell.

 

[jiujitsu]

Great interview. Cool read.

 

[Midair]

when the player comes across this specific settlement, there’s significant NPC reactivity if the player is carrying a bow versus a javelin versus an axe. This wouldn’t mean that the game then has to have another society that worships bows. (And in this simple example, I’d want the reactivity of the settlement to be interesting in all cases, such that there isn’t really a “right” answer.)

Does his notion of reactivity let you play a role in the story? This javelin worshiper example is just three different sub-stories depending on what type of weapon you use. And if reactivity is not about roleplaying options, then what is the point, just flavor?

 

[Zeriel]

Look who's on KS:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/the-name-of-the-wind-playing-cards

10,987
Backers

$554,568
pledged of $10,000 goal

6
hours to go

Kickstarter in a nutshell.

God, the trout face will take over the world at this rate.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Kickstarter in a nutshell.

More like the current gaming "culture" in a nutshell, no wonder it spilled into Kickstarter too.

Enjoy that crooked "oh i'm soooo cute" smile on your fucking poker deck, retards.

 

[Roguey]

PST... forced players to think more than they were used to.
...
And what made PST unique to me was that, instead of handing you this story on rails, it was delivered in a game where your choices actually changed things...And it all *mattered*.

bullshitz

Second, we’ll have parts of the game that aren’t part of the critical path (though players may not immediately know which exactly these are), and optional content is a great place to include very difficult challenges.

Too bad about that content limit, huh?

 

[Infinitron]

The content limit in your imagination, you mean?

 

[Roguey]

The content limit in your imagination, you mean?

Colin said it wouldn't be a time limit, ergo it's a content limit.

 

[Infinitron]

The content limit in your imagination, you mean?

Colin said it wouldn't be a time limit, ergo it's a content limit.

No. He said there would be an urgency mechanic. That doesn't imply that there any limits at all, because like I keep saying, there's nothing to indicate that you won't be able to return to previously visited areas.