inXile General Discussion Thread

[rusty_shackleford]

It's pretty strange how Bethesda has managed to be one of the few major devs that has been rather politically neutral.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

The original 1981 release of The Demon's Forge used, for its cover, an unauthorized reproduction of fantasy art by Spanish illustrator Vicente Segrelles:

 

[rusty_shackleford]

asking for permission is for low T losers

 

[Roguey]

Chad Fargo calling up PC game retailers asking them if they had that cool Demon's Forge game he saw in a magazine and then waiting a few minutes for them to call him back asking for a few copies.

 

[AArmanFV]

The original 1981 release of The Demon's Forge used, for its cover, an unauthorized reproduction of fantasy art by Spanish illustrator Vicente Segrelles:

Could be the same who made the art used on the Dragon Wars cover? I remember he had a web gallery but I forgot the name.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Could be the same who made the art used on the Dragon Wars cover? I remember he had a web gallery but I forgot the name.

The cover of Dragon Wars features original artwork by renowned fantasy illustrator Boris Vallejo.

 

[AArmanFV]

Could be the same who made the art used on the Dragon Wars cover? I remember he had a web gallery but I forgot the name.

The cover of Dragon Wars features original artwork by renowned fantasy illustrator Boris Vallejo.

He was then, the spanish surname confused me.

 

[Infinitron]

https://inxile.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=47

Associate Gameplay Engineer
Engineering Dept. · NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana

inXile Entertainment is a Microsoft game studio led by Brian Fargo. We specialize in making PC role-playing games, but also love exploring various other genres and platforms. Our studio is filled with passionate game developers who love making games and playing them!

InXile Entertainment has unique openings and is looking for a talented and passionate Associate Gameplay Engineer for a next-generation role-playing game. The ideal candidate will have a passion for RPGs and action-oriented games and a strong desire for creating compelling gameplay. Working collaboratively and iteratively with multi-disciplinary teams, this position will be a fantastic opportunity to get on the ground floor to creating fun and engaging experiences for inXile’s next great role-playing adventure. Does this sound like you? Come and join us!

Responsibilities:

• Working with existing gameplay systems to realize the design's vision
• Quickly iterate over gameplay systems based on feedback
• Thinking creatively and critically to expand user experiences
• Use Existing tools to script game systems
• Debug and optimize gameplay systems
• Participate in play tests, log and help triage bugs

Requirements:

• Ability or experience with C++.
• A good understanding of Object-Oriented programming model system design
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple competing tasks at once.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills
• Be flexible and adaptable in all circumstances
• Self-motivation and willingness to participate in many areas of game development

Pluses:

• Familiarity and development experience with Unreal 4.0
• Passion for games, especially RPGs
• Experience in other programming languages in addition to C++

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related discipline
• Must be authorized to work in the US

 

[Infinitron]

Some quotes from Brian Fargo in article about Microsoft's studio acquisitions: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...aft-and-mojang-taught-xbox-how-to-buy-studios

InXile boss Brian Fargo gives an example of Microsoft's approach to the new teams.

"I knew what I wanted to do next. It was a category we loved, it was a unique opportunity in the marketplace, and I had all the ancillary information as to why I felt it was a great idea. I prepared the whole thing, I sat with Matt and said here is what we want to do, and he said 'if that's what you want to do, then great'. It was over in like 60 seconds. That was wild for me, because we're used to this six month process of back-and-forth with a million questions -- with things like 'how many pieces of art will there be?'

"I had to go back to Matt a second time and go: 'I just want to be sure that you understood that this is what we're doing.' And he said: 'I love the idea so much that I don't want to see anything, so that you guys over-index on what I say and think you have to change it in some capacity.' That's a true story."

InXile was eager to grow its team, and has already added more than 20 people since the acquisition, with plans to add 20 more.

"As a smaller developer, we always knew the positions that we were missing, and the things that we wanted to do to up our game," Fargo explains. "We want to show what we're capable of and step it up a notch in terms of the experiences we can deliver.

"Specific to that, you have these small, entrepreneurial, artistic companies who want to craft something, but oftentimes they don't have the financial backing that they need. So it's hard to get the great talent, because that talent wants stability. We've been able to bring on the lead producer from World of Warcraft, an artist from Rockstar, one of the lead designers who worked on God of War. It's been really compelling to say that you can touch the product, you can get your hands dirty and really push the envelope on what we're creating, and we get to do that with the financial stability. I have already seen the quality of what we're producing, and it's come up in leaps and bounds over the last year."

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

It's pretty strange how Bethesda has managed to be one of the few major devs that has been rather politically neutral.

It's not strange at all, hard to become political if you didn't launch any games in last 5 years.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

It's pretty strange how Bethesda has managed to be one of the few major devs that has been rather politically neutral.

It's not strange at all, hard to become political if you didn't launch any games in last 5 years.

The only thing close to referencing contemporary politics I found in FO76 was a terminal entry mocking feminists.
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Riverside_Manor_terminal_entries#The_.27Mistress.27_Must_Go

 

[Darkzone]

Spoiler

The cover of Dragon Wars features original artwork by renowned fantasy illustrator Boris Vallejo.

Vallejo and Bell lack the genius of Frazetta, but for such things the art is more than sufficient. I wonder what are their commission prices.

 

[Tom Selleck]

Did Bethesda get weird at all when Jeremy Soule was outed as a horny man?

 

[Socur Toxanarosa]

Did Bethesda get weird at all when Jeremy Soule was outed as a horny man?

Guess we'll know when they announce the composer for Elder Scrolls 6

 

[Roguey]

It's not strange at all, hard to become political if you didn't launch any games in last 5 years.

Bethesda didn't include prostitutes of any kind in Fallout 4 to avoid criticism from Sarky and her ilk. BGS has a studio culture of not wanting to rock the boat. Meanwhile, Beth the publisher tried to play both sides (pandering to sjws with Wolfenstein and anti-sjws with Doom) with mixed results.

 

[StrongBelwas]

Another article: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...-could-never-pitch-these-ideas-to-a-publisher

Brian Fargo, who leads another of Microsoft's new studios InXile, ponders whether Game Pass will change how he releases and supports his games.

"We can do maybe more DLC because there are more live customers all the time. And DLC could be something very short, very long, we can start thinking about mod communities..."

He continues: "Maybe we are still going to make a 60-hour game, but not at launch. Maybe it's a third of that, and then we bring the content out over a period of time. There are opportunities where you don't feel the need to maybe step-up and put out that size of game with Game Pass. But we still have to feel it is a compelling, fulfilling experience no matter what that hour length is. We could have a fun, philosophical debate about a 20-hour game vs a 50-hour game. I play a lot of these products, and oftentimes I find myself saying 'I'm ready to win now', but I have 20 more hours to go."

Fargo taking up Feargus' episodic Skyrim idea

 

[Smerlus]

"Maybe we will have 20 hours of content and stretch it out to 50 or 60 hours like we did BT4!"

 

[Infinitron]

Yet another article: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...ries-x-developers-being-held-back-by-xbox-one

For InXile's Brian Fargo, the possibilities brought about by the SSD and ray-tracing are exciting. But he reminds us that, as more people upgrade to Series X and more powerful PCs, there will come a time when attention will switch from the older machines to the new ones.

"It depends where you are in the process," he tell us. "With Wasteland 3 for example, it already works on the older machines, so that's no big deal, and we are just going to take advantage of the Series X features. But as you go further out, it depends when your title is coming. 2022? 2024? The answers might change depending on that formulae. For us, it is just keeping that in mind. We have always had to think about other formats, so this is not a new calculus for us."

 

[Infinitron]

Lots of jobs: https://inxile.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=33

Senior Animation Engineer
Engineering Dept. · New Orleans, Louisiana

inXile entertainment is an Xbox Game Studio led by Brian Fargo. We specialize in deep, reactive, and narrative-focused RPGs, but also love exploring other genres. Our studio is filled with passionate developers who love making games, and playing them.

inXile Entertainment, a Microsoft game studio, is seeking a Senior Animation Engineer to work with our outstanding development team. This position will help create and build upon our next generation of Animation systems, tools, and pipeline. You will work with a talented core team of passionate and committed individuals on creative and large scale projects. In this position, you will have the opportunity to build and develop new tools as well as pipelines used across all our studios in a friendly and inclusive environment that fosters collaboration, fun and learning, with some of the most accomplished and driven people in the industry.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain advanced character animation systems in Unreal Engine 4 (UE4)
• Prototype, research into and develop new animation techniques, such as: procedural or physics-based animation, motion matching, etc.
• Work closely across with riggers, animators, designers and other teams to improve the animation pipeline and workflow
• Develop, support and streamline the connections between technical animation, AI, physics and network systems
• Develop character animation systems using UE4 components such as Animation Sequences, Montages, Notifies, and custom systems. In both C++ and Blueprint.
• Extend and adapt the UE4 animations systems
• Develop and take ownership on developing a reactive ambient character system
• Optimize the animations systems to support large numbers of simultaneous characters in the world
• Work with animators to implement and support systems based on their needs
• Understand game design and create technical designs based on them
• Iterate with designers and artists to make the best game possible
• Performance optimization, bug fixing, and preparing the title for release quality

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in game programming, with experience working on at least one AAA shipped title.
• Advanced experience with UE4
• Strong C++ programming skills
• Strong understanding of the animation pipeline and team workflow (Mocap to Unreal)
• Proficiency in developing conversation flow and gesture systems
• Firsthand experience with standard animation techniques such as rigging, skeletons, state machines, ragdolls, IK, compression, morph, facial animation, etc.
• Experience in developing character animation systems using UE4 components such as Animation Sequences, Montages, Notifies, and custom systems. In both C++ and Blueprint
• Experience with using animation software such as Havok Behavior, Morpheme, Natural Motion
• Exposure and experience with cutting-edge animation techniques, such as motion matching, procedural or physics-based animation
• Strong familiarity with animation software, such as: Maya, 3DS Max, Motion Builder etc.
• Experience integrating facial animation integration, bone / blend shape systems

Pluses:

• Experience with Faceware
• Extensive experience with one or more real-time animation middleware (e.g.: Havok Animation, Granny, Morpheme) or equivalent custom/in-house solutions
• Previous experience working on an RPG
• Adept at taking the initiative on researching and experimenting with new ideas, solutions, and technologies.
• Python programming skills
• Familiarity with optimization and multi-threaded techniques

 

[Horvatii]

experience working on at least one AAA shipped title.

inXile entertainment

Notice me senpai sama!!!111 lol

Whats up with trash studios like Beamdogshit and this one looking for people who wouldnt want to work for them? Microsoft footing the bill...

 

[undecaf]

UE4

It's pointless to wonder, but I can't help it... As an alleged RPG developer, might they actually be able to try out some....let's say less conventional design avenues than making a graphics heavy shooter-with-stats type game or another XCOM knockoff?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I think Fargo will be left in the dust. I don't think he'll be able to innovate fast enough. I haven't followed Cyberpunk2077 too much but from what I've heard and seen its something.

I looked at some anime jrpgs like Trails of Cold Steel III [demo]; and tbh, it looks aged as hell in combat and play. Without its anime cut-outs it makes me think of a slighly better pixelated house of the dead 2 for pc (or typing of the dead). I'm not saying its terrible (as I don't know) but Fargo will have to be spot on because his big praise for BT4 didn't move me all that much as I looked into it more and more. I'd rather play the Wasteland remaster or TBTT.

 

[Saerain]

experience working on at least one AAA shipped title.

inXile entertainment

Notice me senpai sama!!!111 lol

Whats up with trash studios like Beamdogshit and this one looking for people who wouldnt want to work for them? Microsoft footing the bill...

Eh, happens all the time, it's targeting small guys from AAA who want to move up (in their career if not in company prestige). Juniors to seniors.

 

[Horvatii]

Hence Microsoft footing the bill... Its about pay, not title. You'll get senior on years alone.
I dont see myself moving from being a 'animation engineer' dev in an AAA company moving by free will to "Bards Tale" inXile without a significatn pay increase.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Maybe you get a snazzy new computer and billing in a commercial.



I haven't seen a microsoft commercial in a while.

That screen...