Interview Interview with Josh Sawyer at Hardbloxx

[Delterius]

and all I got were a bunch of people shitting on the game

and suddenly it becomes cool and old school to say BG 2 is a gold standard that games should aspire to

Maybe its not the same people?

Mindblowing, I know.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

It's most definitely not, but you would never see this kind of BG praise here if there wasn't a new, cooler thing to hate on the horizon.

 

[felipepepe]

Gay-Lussac , you do realize that recently the Codex voted Baldur's Gate II as the 4th best RPG of all time, just bellow PS:T and the two Fallouts? Even back in 2010, when there was no PoE in sight, we declared it the 2nd best RPG of the 00's, just behind Arcanum.

So yeah, this place never changes.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

Well, fuck, then maybe I'm wrong. Back in my day praising Baldurs Gate would have you automatically tagged as a Gaider fanboy and biodrone. You guys are pussying up this place.

 

[Delterius]

Don't worry. Ten years from now Pillars of Eternity 2 will be the 4th best RPG of all time. If anything, it is only natural that the sequel will stand taller than even Baldur's Gate 2.

 

[Hegel]

Brofists Received:
160
Kodex Kool Kredits:
137

Your opinion doesn't matter.

 

[Jaesun]

Gay-Lussac > U

 

[Hegel]

The guy might have described the way your farts expand, but I'm the philosophical engine that powered the past 2 centuries, in good and bad.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

For the sake of intellectual honesty, I have to say I've found the thread in question, and it appears most of the Codex has enjoyed BG 2 (for what it is, obviously), since time immemorial as the thread responses would show, so we can chalk this down to just me being an ass this time. Apparently my frail juvenile memories were tainted by a few persistently annoying pseudo-trolls:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/bg-2-tob-appreciation-thread.34776/

Also, a similar thread by our (deceased?) resident scaly:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/bg2-appreciation-thread.23811/

Brofists Received:
160
Kodex Kool Kredits:
137

Your opinion doesn't matter.

Bitch, I got 2 years of seniority on you. Plane tickets or bust.

 

[Delterius]

There was a time when a large portion of the Codex disliked BG2. But that was before 2009.

 

[DeepOcean]

Wot? The only story problem was the first act? Keep on going Obsidian.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

PoE has a better story than Dragonfall.

Nope - I'd rather straightforward, lefty pulp that's comfortable being just that than the overworked, laboured wheezing of Eternity.

But it was pulpy the most bland and boring way imaginable. You cant say PoE was worse. Of all the kickstarter rpgs, its way better than Returns, as bearable as Dragonfall, much better than Wasteland 2 ramblings, which is a shame. Again the only thing I would improve in it is the overall setting feels weird. Also no remarkable characters besides Durance.

 

[Dreaad]

Can't believe he tries to claim the stronghold was a quest hub . Crooked lying bastard. Just admit it you spineless cretin, you fucked up and lied, quit the PR 'technically' bs speech and admit you made promises you couldn't keep, people will respect you more for it.... I hate cowards.

 

[Eyestabber]

I think he is reffering to the warden's lodge, Dreaad

 

[Stainless Veteran]

Can't believe he tries to claim the stronghold was a quest hub . Crooked lying bastard. Just admit it you spineless cretin, you fucked up and lied, quit the PR 'technically' bs speech and admit you made promises you couldn't keep, people will respect you more for it.... I hate cowards.

I think it's more of a pride issue than cowardice, but yeah. Not only about stronghold, but, erm, the whole stubborn denial deal.
Also relevant:

So, you have just caught your child lying to you! Now comes a consequence, right? But wait a minute! Was he really lying, or was it an Aspergers trait?
Children with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism (or any other condition that impairs executive function and the ability to interpret the world in an age-appropriate way) may puzzle their moms and dads by (a) the quantity – and poor quality – of their lying and (b) the fact that traditional disciplinary strategies don't seem to change the behaviour. For these special needs kids, it may be helpful to think less in terms of “lying” and more in terms of "wishful thinking" (i.e., they often say what they would like to be true, rather than what is clearly and objectively true). This may happen for several reasons:

1. Some Aspergers children can't predict cause and effect. Your youngster throws a ball and breaks a window. His culpability in the act seems clear-cut to you. But a youngster who has trouble with cause-and-effect thinking may not be able to make the connection between throwing a ball and breaking a window. In his mind, if he didn't intend to do it, he didn't do it.

2. Some Aspergers children don't distinguish between fantasy and reality. What is objective to you may be subjective to your youngster. If one truth is as good as another, your youngster may select the one that seems, in his mind, to best suit the occasion.

3. Some Aspergers children don't know what's true. Kids who behave impulsively may not have a clear awareness of what they have done. Kids who have trouble with language processing may not have understood what was asked or expected. Kids with sensory differences may know only what they feel.

4. Some Aspergers children know that the truth may make you (the parent) angry, and they want to please you. If a youngster has done something wrong -- whether due to impulsivity, compulsive behavior, self-protective behavior, language processing problems, motor planning problems, or other causes related to disability -- he may try to make it right by telling you what he thinks will make you happy.

5. Some Aspergers children are just trying to get in the conversation. Children with limited life experience or limited vocabulary may want to have something to say - but no true contribution to make. Coming up with a story, however fanciful or false, may seem like the only way to participate.

6. Some Aspergers children are stressed. If you know that your youngster can't think calmly and clearly when stress levels are high, don't be surprised if you see lots of crazy, stubborn lying in that situation.

7. Some Aspergers children are telling “their” truth. Aspergers kids often experience the world very, very differently than their mother or father, but that does not make their experience false. If your youngster stubbornly, desperately clings to a declaration that you feel is untrue -- water's too hot, work is too hard, an object can't be found -- ask yourself if it might be only untrue to you.

 

[Morality Games]

Cowardice is closer although not quite applicable. Developers who want to work on AAA projects don't publicly acknowledge weakness because there's a good chance executives as a group won't notice flaws that aren't pointed out. It's not like they probe much deeper into the game beyond sales figures and metacritic scores.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

Cowardice is closer although not quite applicable. Developers who want to work on AAA projects don't publicly acknowledge weakness because there's a good chance executives as a group won't notice flaws that aren't pointed out. It's not like they probe much deeper into the game beyond sales figures and metacritic scores.

But I'm not talking about acknowledging weakness, I'm talking about going to Kickstarter as BG spiritual successor, getting funded thanks to mostly grognards, then proudly ignoring all their input and making the game as JS sees fit (and maybe don't even liking it himself). I'm not expecting self-flagellation, or even a taciturn mention of failures. But smug pride and outright denial I certainly have a right to dislike.

 

[Sensuki]

Wot? The only story problem was the first act? Keep on going Obsidian.

I laughed at that bit too.

I think I know what he's referring to as well - Something Awful complained about some of the 'steps' required for progressing the story, for instance you *have* to rest at the Inn, and then you *have to* talk to that Dwarf chick ghost and only then can you talk to Eder. Stuff like that.

But yeah I haven't seen Something Awful or badgame complain about any other parts of the story really, and they don't pay attention to anyone else really (other than their QA reading the Tech support forums).

 

[Morality Games]

Cowardice is closer although not quite applicable. Developers who want to work on AAA projects don't publicly acknowledge weakness because there's a good chance executives as a group won't notice flaws that aren't pointed out. It's not like they probe much deeper into the game beyond sales figures and metacritic scores.

But I'm not talking about acknowledging weakness, I'm talking about going to Kickstarter as BG spiritual successor, getting funded thanks to mostly grognards, then proudly ignoring all their input and making the game as JS sees fit (and maybe don't even liking it himself). I'm not expecting self-flagellation, or even a taciturn mention of failures. But smug pride and outright denial I certainly have a right to dislike.

You have a right to dislike anything.

 

[Latro]

Wot? The only story problem was the first act? Keep on going Obsidian.

I laughed at that bit too.

I think I know what he's referring to as well - Something Awful complained about some of the 'steps' required for progressing the story, for instance you *have* to rest at the Inn, and then you *have to* talk to that Dwarf chick ghost and only then can you talk to Eder. Stuff like that.

But yeah I haven't seen Something Awful or badgame complain about any other parts of the story really, and they don't pay attention to anyone else really (other than their QA reading the Tech support forums).

I can understand someone taking SA seriously maybe 5 years ago, when they still managed to hold a scant trace of their likeability/respectability, but who the hell listens to them for anything now?

 

[lurker3000]

You see, that's the soulless viewpoint that comes with Sawyerism, the utter lack of understanding of what is fun.

The thing that PoE lacks the most is that feeling of accomplishment, of progression, of conquest. The sense of adventure. Yes, some of BGII's strongholds were short, but it had SIX of those.

I'm not sure what you thought I meant when I was talking about the BG2 strongholds. I was just saying that we tend to think of them as one stronghold instead of multiple ones because people typically do all the ones they enjoy each play-through. The sum is greater than the parts and all that. I wasn't really making a comparison to PoE but to be clear all of them except for maybe the thieves guild are better than the PoE stronghold.

Also they had 8 strongholds not 6. Maybe they all blurred together for you.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Wot? The only story problem was the first act? Keep on going Obsidian.

I laughed at that bit too.

I think I know what he's referring to as well - Something Awful complained about some of the 'steps' required for progressing the story, for instance you *have* to rest at the Inn, and then you *have to* talk to that Dwarf chick ghost and only then can you talk to Eder. Stuff like that.

But yeah I haven't seen Something Awful or badgame complain about any other parts of the story really, and they don't pay attention to anyone else really (other than their QA reading the Tech support forums).

What is so bad about the story in PoE anyway? Its pretty much what I expected.

 

[Dreaad]

Well on a technical level the entire thing is just one big exposition dump. Characters seem to be disconnected from the world they are in and there is no drive whatsoever pushing anything to a conclusion. It's a really dull story, about a really dull place full of really dull people. It would kind of work if they used that to make it a low-magic/non epic story. Instead they take this boring setting, throw random dragons with super dungeons into it and then at the end it goes full retard with 'you are the chosen and must decide the fate of the universe'.

 

[DeepOcean]

What is so bad about the story in PoE anyway? Its pretty much what I expected.

It would require a wall of text but let's just say PoE isn't the game with the worst story I played, I played games with really shitty storylines and managed to like some despite their sillyness. When you have fun on the combat you pretty much don't give a fuck to story but when the combat is way too repetitive, you kinda want to see if the story/writing can keep you going and every NPC on PoE is:

A super fantasy history nerd professor that thinks you are way more interested on his stuff than you really are or that annoying friend of yours that read a book on philosophy and decides to teach you when he is drunk. I mean, it's far from being the first RPG that does this but on Torment for example, nice characters with crazy concepts, like Ravel, are what is important and the pseudo philosophical non sense was just some extra fluff, on PoE, most characters are just mouth pieces for the pseudo philosophical non sense or dry exposition and that is boring.

You know, people think its cliche but there is a severe lacking of ole DnD "Let's adventure, kill the dragon, save the princess and get wasted." PoE wants to a BG 1 adventure romp and Torment at the same time and really doesn't work (maybe could work but they didn't manage to pull it off... dunno.). The first half is a traditional RPG romp "Let's kill evil lord and get a fortress.", the second half it remembers it really wants to be Torment and you go talking with gods and question the nature of the universe with no "real" gods and meaningless of existance or whatever and that part was handled with the subtetly of a drill on your skull.

PoE is the Obsidian game with least choices on the main storyline and companions, on MotB you can kill one companion and use his skin to make an abomination that can change class depending of your choices and the souls it eat, you can make that choice right after the tutorial. Where is the option for me to tell Eder for him to stop being a mangina and grow some balls?

 

[Jasede]

Well, fuck, then maybe I'm wrong. Back in my day praising Baldurs Gate would have you automatically tagged as a Gaider fanboy and biodrone. You guys are pussying up this place.

I was there during that time; people thought BG 2 was shallow, but not poorly made. The issue isn't that BG 2 was great, it's more that even a so-so game, with great encounter design, handily beats everything released in the last few years. They still preferred Fallout. And the polls reflect that. Of course back in the day we'd never tolerate anyone liking Oblivion...