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Interview Interview with Adam Brennecke at IncGamers - Eric Fenstermaker confirmed to be Creative Lead on PE

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Tags: Adam Brennecke; Obsidian Entertainment; Pillars of Eternity

Adam Brennecke, lead programmer and executive producer on Obsidian Entertainment's Project Eternity, gave a pretty decent interview to IncGamers today. In addition to providing a concise report on the game's current state, he also confirms that Mask of the Betrayer and Fallout: New Vegas designer Eric Fenstermaker is now its Creative Lead. Here's an excerpt:

IG: It‭’‬s been just over a year since‭ ‬Project Eternity secured its Kickstarter funding,‭ ‬which seems kind of crazy to me because it feels much more recent‭. ‬Are you roughly where you thought you‭’‬d be at in the development process at this point‭?

AB: We are further along in development than I thought we were going to be‭ ‬at this stage.‭ ‬We have a great team,‭ ‬and we’ve been cranking for over a year now.‭ ‬Everyone is being productive‭ ‬and making‭ ‬a lot‭ ‬of content.‭ ‬The passion and dedication to the project is outstanding.

And I’m really happy that the game is fully playable with all‭ ‬11‭ ‬classes.‭ ‬In terms of balance and playability this is huge,‭ ‬because Tim [Cain] and Josh [Sawyer] have more time to iterate and polish all of the spells and abilities in the game.‭ ‬There’s still a lot to do,‭ ‬and we are still pushing ourselves to keep going and to keep momentum heading into next year.

IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,‭ ‬it‭’‬s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.‭ ‬So to try to stay ahead of the curve,‭ ‬I‭’‬m just going to ask what aspects of‭ ‬Eternity you‭’‬ve been working on this very day‭ (‬other than answering these questions‭)?

AB: It’s a bit tricky for us too‭; ‬we are trying very hard to not spoil too much content,‭ ‬but we‭ ‬always want to show everyone all the good things we’ve been working on.‭ ‬Currently‭ ‬we are‭ ‬focused on The Endless Paths of Od Nua,‭ ‬the‭ ‬15‭ ‬level mega-dungeon.‭ ‬Let me tell you that‭ ‬15‭ ‬levels is an enormous amount of content.‭ ‬The dungeon is huge.‭ ‬The team is having fun designing the dungeon‭ ‬layouts and we are putting special care to make each‭ ‬level interesting and have‭ ‬a‭ ‬unique‭ ‬feel.‭

IG: The most recent update seemed to indicate that the game will be called‭ ‬Pillars of Eternity when it launches,‭ ‬although that doesn‭’‬t seem to have been confirmed yet.‭ ‬Are you able to confirm it‭?

AB: I can confirm that we have an official name for Project Eternity.‭

IG: That same update also hinted at a major update to come for Thanksgiving.‭ ‬Can you provide any clues or hints as to what that may entail‭?

AB: The‭ “‬Big Update‭” ‬will contain access to our backer portal along with a new Project Eternity website.‭ ‬For people that pledged money you can log in to our system and manage your pledge,‭ ‬fill out surveys,‭ ‬and set up your forum backer badge.‭ ‬We have other exciting‭ ‬and wacky‭ ‬things planned for the update,‭ ‬so keep an eye out for it in the next few weeks.

IG: Obsidian titles are also pretty well known for offering proper systems of‭ ‬‘choice and consequence.‭’‬ Will there be quests in‭ ‬Eternity with as many options and outcomes as‭ (‬say‭) “‬Beyond the Beef‭”‬ from‭ ‬Fallout:‭ ‬New Vegas‭?

AB: Yup,‭ ‬complex quest design is‭ ‬an Obsidian staple and we are going to continue to make quests‭ ‬like the ones you enjoyed‭ ‬in our previous games.‭ ‬All‭ ‬of our quests contain reactive choices,‭ ‬and we take care to make sure that‭ ‬the‭ ‬quests have‭ ‬many solutions with great role playing opportunities‭ ‬for the player.‭ ‬Many quests‭ ‬lines are deeper than how they initially appear on the surface and some may‭ ‬have a turn or two that‭ ‬could take you on unexpected adventures.‭ ‬And this will make you happy:‭ ‬Eric Fenstermaker,‭ ‬the designer of‭ ‬”Beyond the Beef‭”‬,‭ ‬is the Creative Lead on PE,‭ ‬which should instill‭ ‬confidence in our quest direction.
Read the full interview for more information on the development of the soon-to-be-renamed Project Eternity, or if you want to know more about Adam's soccer jersey.
 

hiver

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What 11 classes?

IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,‭ ‬it‭’‬s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.
ffs... how about fucking READING? Getting some facts about the game youre going to be doing an fing interview about?
 

hiver

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Thats eleven? really? Looks like six or seven to me...

:granpa:
in my daysh dem mashematics worked better huehue... mummble... mummble...
 

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Awesome! I would've preferred George Ziets, obviously, but Eric Fenstermaker is good enough too :M
 

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What 11 classes?

IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,‭ ‬it‭’‬s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.
ffs... how about fucking READING? Getting some facts about the game youre going to be doing an fing interview about?

As a journalist, it's impossible to follow every game with the same passion as the fans do, especially if half of the information is buried in threads with hundreds of pages. It, however, would be possible if there were any money in journalism, which there is definitely not.
 

hiver

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Are you defending a retarded IG drone to me? And calling that shit a "journalist"? And using logical falacies to do it, by implying that shit would have to follow ALL the games? And there is no money in it? for IG?

Wait... wait, wait... hoho... are you that stupid shit? or another one like it?

-edited-
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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What 11 classes?

IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,‭ ‬it‭’‬s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.
ffs... how about fucking READING? Getting some facts about the game youre going to be doing an fing interview about?

As a journalist, it's impossible to follow every game with the same passion as the fans do, especially if half of the information is buried in threads with hundreds of pages. It, however, would be possible if there were any money in journalism, which there is definitely not.

If checking the featured game's wiki page equals "information is buried in threads with hundreds of pages" then I guess it's not a surprise you are a videogame 'journalist'.
 

TwinkieGorilla

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Oh, snap!! I've been on team Fenstermaker from the moment I learned which areas of NV he did (muthafuckin' Vault 11, y'all!). This is great news! Fuck yeah. First time I've been actually really excited about this one.
 

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Yup,‭ ‬complex quest design is‭ ‬an Obsidian staple and we are going to continue to make quests‭ ‬like the ones you enjoyed‭ ‬in our previous games.‭ ‬All‭ ‬of our quests contain reactive choices,‭ ‬and we take care to make sure that‭ ‬the‭ ‬quests have‭ ‬many solutions with great role playing opportunities‭ ‬for the player.‭ ‬Many quests‭ ‬lines are deeper than how they initially appear on the surface and some may‭ ‬have a turn or two that‭ ‬could take you on unexpected adventures.‭

The sound of Roguey being right, never get tired of it.

I'm glad Fenstermaker's getting his time to shine, I soured on Ziets after Corporal Betsy.
 

SophosTheWise

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Are you defending a retarded IG drone to me? And calling that shit a "journalist"? And using logical falacies to do it, by implying that shit would have to follow ALL the games? And there is no money in it? for IG?

Wait... wait, wait... hoho... are you that stupid shit? or another one like it?

or are you just stupid?
(thats a rhetorical question)

I don't defend anyone. Also, I don't care about IG. I'm talking about journalism in general. Also, I'm not saying that he had to follow every game. What I'm saying is, that it is nearly impossible for a journalist, whoever that may be, to know a particular subject as well as passionate fans do. While a big fan of [insert band name] probably knows every little detail about the band's history, that's probably not possible for a musical journalist. Because that guy probably goes to about 50+ concerts a year and writes even more news and reviews about more bands than anyone can imagine. I don't even have to use an analogy, honestly, because it's practically the same for any genre in journalism. Money is tight for everyone in media, especially if compared to industry or other profitable branches. I've seen people get paid eight times the salary of a journalist for doing a PR job, while that journalist had to do shifts on a newsdesk for half a year. Also, where I work you have to pitch two whole stories at 9 a.m., completely planned out (probably already researched if in any way possible) and provide the editor with a list of experts to call in the afternoon, all that only to write two complex articles trying to break speed records. It was even more extreme when I worked in a video news agency, where we had to film an entire clip on our own, doing a cameraman's work, a cutter's work, a texter's work and an interviewer's work. Only to cut and record the audio somewhere in a cabin on top of a fucking mountain in under half an hour.

I understand other jobs are tough too, probably, quite surely, even tougher than being a journalist in this economy. I don't whine. But what I say is this: don't underestimate the work journalists do, because it's a whole damn lot. And if people are not willing to pay for their information that's a structural problem because producing news is not free. We have to pay our rents as everyone does. You know what that means? It means video/broadcast-journalists doing the job of four workers and newsdesk editors working shifts until they burn out. You know why? Because there's simply not enough money to keep a decent staff, and that means that quality suffers. Yes, it's a lack of quality if a journalist doesn't have the time to research properly and I wouldn't take it as easy as that IG guy. But if you simply believe he's an idiot for not properly researching, you're probably the idiot.



What 11 classes?

IG: Since you guys are so regular with updates and active in the Obsidian forums,‭ ‬it‭’‬s a little tricky for me to be certain what information has already been shared about the game.
ffs... how about fucking READING? Getting some facts about the game youre going to be doing an fing interview about?

As a journalist, it's impossible to follow every game with the same passion as the fans do, especially if half of the information is buried in threads with hundreds of pages. It, however, would be possible if there were any money in journalism, which there is definitely not.

If checking the featured game's wiki page equals "information is buried in threads with hundreds of pages" then I guess it's not a surprise you are a videogame 'journalist'.


Nah, that does not equal buried in threads with hundreds of pages. But really, the PE wiki is really not as informative as it should be. Also, again, I wasn't talking about videogame journalism in particular. I was talking journalism in general because I can see that lots of people have preconceptions of what a journalist does even if they don't seem to know jack shit. By the way, yes, I do videogame journalism. In my free time. But usually I work for "normal" newspapers.
 

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I wonder why he was given the job. Is Avellone actually working on another game at the moment?
I don't think Avellone is going to be a creative lead any time soon. He's more involved in running Obsidian as a whole, and just doesn't have the time I think.
 

Roguey

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I'm glad Fenstermaker's getting his time to shine, I soured on Ziets after Corporal Betsy.
What was it specifically about that character that soured you on Ziets?
TpyeQwc.jpg

eEVnE7p.jpg

How very "straight man trying and failing at writing a gay woman." Lesi wouldn't approve.

The conversation with her also contains a part where you're given multiple options that all lead to the same result and Sawyer explicitly told the writers not to ever do that since it's a waste of designer time and insulting to the player's intelligence. :rpgcodex:
 

hiver

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I don't defend anyone. Also, I don't care about IG. I'm talking about journalism in general. Also, I'm not saying that he had to follow every game. What I'm saying is, that it is nearly impossible for a journalist, whoever that may be, to know a particular subject as well as passionate fans do. While a big fan of [insert band name] probably knows every little detail about the band's history, that's probably not possible for a musical journalist. Because that guy probably goes to about 50+ concerts a year and writes even more news and reviews about more bands than anyone can imagine. I don't even have to use an analogy, honestly, because it's practically the same for any genre in journalism. Money is tight for everyone in media, especially if compared to industry or other profitable branches. I've seen people get paid eight times the salary of a journalist for doing a PR job, while that journalist had to do shifts on a newsdesk for half a year. Also, where I work you have to pitch two whole stories at 9 a.m., completely planned out (probably already researched if in any way possible) and provide the editor with a list of experts to call in the afternoon, all that only to write two complex articles trying to break speed records. It was even more extreme when I worked in a video news agency, where we had to film an entire clip on our own, doing a cameraman's work, a cutter's work, a texter's work and an interviewer's work. Only to cut and record the audio somewhere in a cabin on top of a fucking mountain in under half an hour.

I understand other jobs are tough too, probably, quite surely, even tougher than being a journalist in this economy. I don't whine. But what I say is this: don't underestimate the work journalists do, because it's a whole damn lot. And if people are not willing to pay for their information that's a structural problem because producing news is not free. We have to pay our rents as everyone does. You know what that means? It means video/broadcast-journalists doing the job of four workers and newsdesk editors working shifts until they burn out. You know why? Because there's simply not enough money to keep a decent staff, and that means that quality suffers. Yes, it's a lack of quality if a journalist doesn't have the time to research properly and I wouldn't take it as easy as that IG guy. But if you simply believe he's an idiot for not properly researching, you're probably the idiot.
Ah zo.

Well, apart from obviously falling off a tree yesterday or five minutes ago, you seem to posses extraordinary misconceptions of "gaming media". That shit is not a "journalist" at all. From what you describe of your work i would say that you are. An actual journalist.
But - that turd is just a payed shill that serves as hype dispenser.

Thats all. And all of the IG is raking money in through advertizing and other means because they are hype dispensers.

To call that a "journalist" is an insult to all who actually are, Sophos.

And yes you obviously do defend your profession by mistakenly defending that turd. You cant just say "nuh -uh!" to that.
I dont care about how many concerts some "journalist" has to visit and how fucking hard that is.

That has nothing to do with this shit. This shit can easily take half an hour and read through latest updates - but he doesnt, because thats not what he does and what is needed in his PR shill work.

I understand other jobs are tough too, probably, quite surely,
Indeed Sophos, indeed they are. Quite probably.
 

SophosTheWise

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I don't defend anyone. Also, I don't care about IG. I'm talking about journalism in general. Also, I'm not saying that he had to follow every game. What I'm saying is, that it is nearly impossible for a journalist, whoever that may be, to know a particular subject as well as passionate fans do. While a big fan of [insert band name] probably knows every little detail about the band's history, that's probably not possible for a musical journalist. Because that guy probably goes to about 50+ concerts a year and writes even more news and reviews about more bands than anyone can imagine. I don't even have to use an analogy, honestly, because it's practically the same for any genre in journalism. Money is tight for everyone in media, especially if compared to industry or other profitable branches. I've seen people get paid eight times the salary of a journalist for doing a PR job, while that journalist had to do shifts on a newsdesk for half a year. Also, where I work you have to pitch two whole stories at 9 a.m., completely planned out (probably already researched if in any way possible) and provide the editor with a list of experts to call in the afternoon, all that only to write two complex articles trying to break speed records. It was even more extreme when I worked in a video news agency, where we had to film an entire clip on our own, doing a cameraman's work, a cutter's work, a texter's work and an interviewer's work. Only to cut and record the audio somewhere in a cabin on top of a fucking mountain in under half an hour.

I understand other jobs are tough too, probably, quite surely, even tougher than being a journalist in this economy. I don't whine. But what I say is this: don't underestimate the work journalists do, because it's a whole damn lot. And if people are not willing to pay for their information that's a structural problem because producing news is not free. We have to pay our rents as everyone does. You know what that means? It means video/broadcast-journalists doing the job of four workers and newsdesk editors working shifts until they burn out. You know why? Because there's simply not enough money to keep a decent staff, and that means that quality suffers. Yes, it's a lack of quality if a journalist doesn't have the time to research properly and I wouldn't take it as easy as that IG guy. But if you simply believe he's an idiot for not properly researching, you're probably the idiot.
Ah zo.

Well, apart from obviously falling off a tree yesterday or five minutes ago, you seem to posses extraordinary misconceptions of "gaming media". That shit is not a "journalist" at all. From what you describe of your work i would say that you are. An actual journalist.
But - that turd is just a payed shill that serves as hype dispenser.

Thats all. And all of the IG is raking money in through advertizing and other means because they are hype dispensers.

To call that a "journalist" is an insult to all who actually are, Sophos.

And yes you obviously do defend your profession by mistakenly defending that turd. You cant just say "nuh -uh!" to that.
I dont care about how many concerts some "journalist" has to visit and how fucking hard that is.

That has nothing to do with this shit. This shit can easily take half an hour and read through latest updates - but he doesnt, because thats not what he does and what is needed in his PR shill work.

I understand other jobs are tough too, probably, quite surely,
Indeed Sophos, indeed they are. Quite probably.

Possibly I have misconceptions about gaming media, at least about American gaming media.
I really don't know how much they work and I don't know how much money IG makes. So, maybe you're right and I'm mistakenly defend an idiot.
However, I still think it's relevant how much work a small staff has to do. If you're reviewing two games a week and write, say, ten "news articles" per day and maybe a feature, that's simply too much work and not enough time to really dig into it. Don't get me wrong, I think every journalist can take his time and read half an hour through a wiki. But, and that's maybe where we misunderstand each other, I took what he said as "I know there's so much going on in many different forums and there are like 20 different threads in which every once in a while a dev gives out information that doesn't get put into a wiki" and not as "I'm too lazy to read a wiki". In case my understanding is the right one, I have to defend that guy because it's especially hard to track back all those crossreferenced quotes to an actual, real source. But that depends entirely on what kind of QA you use as a journalist. Maybe IG doesn't do that (I don't really know them anyway). In case your understanding was right, I totally agree with you.

To sum up: every journalist can skim through a wiki for half an hour to an hour, yes, but he cannot (and it doesn't matter if they're hype dispensers [as much as I hate them myself] or serious journalists or whatever the hell their purpose is) search through 20 threads with 40+ sites to look for additonal dev info.
 
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How very "straight man trying and failing at writing a gay woman." Lesi wouldn't approve.

The conversation with her also contains a part where you're given multiple options that all lead to the same result and Sawyer explicitly told the writers not to ever do that since it's a waste of designer time and insulting to the player's intelligence. :rpgcodex:

That dialog does look retarded and unrealistic.
 

hiver

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To sum up: every journalist can skim through a wiki for half an hour to an hour, yes, but he cannot (and it doesn't matter if they're hype dispensers [as much as I hate them myself] or serious journalists or whatever the hell their purpose is) search through 20 threads with 40+ sites to look for additonal dev info.
Who ever mentioned any 20 threads on 40+ sites?
Every update about PE has its thread on Obs forums and all additional posts by devs can be searched easily in several ways.
Not to mention kickstarter updates are easily readable.

He doesnt even need to read additional dev posts. Just ordinary updates. He only mentioned reading "ohhh threads on foruuummss aaahhh" as a cheap excuse why he didnt read even a single update. Thats all.
Zero research. And then just the usual PR shit questions that fit that whole shitty site.

- apology for the insults. I didnt realize someone might be so clueless about gaming media and sites like IG and all that stuff that has been practically coming out of our ears last two years or so.
 

Infinitron

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Ziets has said that he doesn't like writing dialog. :M He's more about stories and lore.
 

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