Josh Sawyer Q&A Thread

[Infinitron]

what Obsidian game made 300 million in revenue in the first 3 weeks?

He's referring to Fallout: New Vegas, obviously.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

I'm not saying this is right or good or just, but this is an accursed world, and that's what's going on in it.

A job that requires a lot more knowledge and skill than say drawing or writing pays a lot more you say?

Does it really? For me drawing something of high quality is one of the hardest thing there can be. And if all deparments were to be paid for PoE based on quality of their work the payroll should go like this: art>programming>writing>design.

 

[santino27]

Not sure Obsidian is getting their value there. Then again, I'm sure their remaining founders are even worse in terms of salary to value ratio.

I don't think $200k is incredibly high for a senior management / director role in SoCal.

For the role, no. (Source: was one). For what he's brought to the table of a middling dev company... yeah, I think it's high. Giving him a 35k bump AFTER deadfire is egregious, even if it's just MS money being thrown around.

 

[Bad Sector]

A job that requires a lot more knowledge and skill than say drawing or writing pays a lot more you say?

I don't know about writing, but drawing also requires a lot of knowledge, experience and skill. Pretty much like there are several books and resources about algorithms, patterns, etc for programming, there are also equivalent books about drawing and art in general (e.g. anatomy for artists, character design, architectural styles, color theory, lighting, composition, etc).

It is also why i never bought the whole artist vs programmer dichotomy - both are about learning some skills (which often have similar "requirements" from you), if you can spend the time to learn one, you can also spend the time to learn the other. People who say "i'm an artist, i cannot program" and "i'm a programmer, i cannot do art" really say "i am not interested in learning the skills for programming/art" - even if often themselves believe they are *incapable* of doing so.

 

[Roguey]

Does it really? For me drawing something of high quality is one of the hardest thing there can be. And if all deparments were to be paid for PoE based on quality of their work the payroll should go like this: art>programming>writing>design.

I don't know about writing, but drawing also requires a lot of knowledge, experience and skill. Pretty much like there are several books and resources about algorithms, patterns, etc for programming, there are also equivalent books about drawing and art in general (e.g. anatomy for artists, character design, architectural styles, color theory, lighting, composition, etc).

It is also why i never bought the whole artist vs programmer dichotomy - both are about learning some skills (which often have similar "requirements" from you), if you can spend the time to learn one, you can also spend the time to learn the other. People who say "i'm an artist, i cannot program" and "i'm a programmer, i cannot do art" really say "i am not interested in learning the skills for programming/art" - even if often themselves believe they are *incapable* of doing so.

They're all skilled labor but when it comes to skill floors (that is, the amount of skill required to be competent) the hierarchy is writing>art>programming. Additionally, a programmer can make a computer game without having any dedicated writer/designers/artists, but designers and artists can't make a computer game without a programmer (or tools that were created by a programmer).

 

[Butter]

Bottom line is anyone involved in writing Deadfire should have been doing it pro bono.

 

[Bad Sector]

They're all skilled labor but when it comes to skill floors (that is, the amount of skill required to be competent) the hierarchy is writing>art>programming. Additionally, a programmer can make a computer game without having any dedicated writer/designers/artists, but designers and artists can't make a computer game without a programmer (or tools that were created by a programmer).

The tools already exist though and pretty much all programmers rely on other programmers' tools anyway (compilers, editors, debuggers, IDEs, libraries and even the OS itself) without themselves necessarily knowing how to make those tools.

You do not really need that much programming knowledge to make a simple game. Some years ago i was recommending this book (actually the 2nd edition, things have changed a bit since then) to anyone who wanted to learn enough programming to make 2D games and/or script existing games/game engines.

Of course if you are at that skill level chances are you wont be hired to work on a AAA studio's engine or tools (though you might be able to work on level/quest scripts) but then again if you are at the equivalent artist level you wont be hired to work on the games assets either :-P.

 

[guestposting]

The invisible hand wants what the invisible hand wants.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Sawyer wants to work in a VEB (Volkseigner Betrieb - Publicly Owned Enterprise) Californian Electronic Entertainment Software Production.

 

[Quillon]

 

[vortex]

I don't think hardcore rpg players hate Sawyer actualy. Any hard word put out there is just a dynamic discourse how game should have been improved and irks for which it makes less enjoyable experience.

 

[Ontopoly]

I don't think hardcore rpg players hate Sawyer actualy. Any hard word put out there is just a dynamic discourse how game should have been improved and irks for which it makes less enjoyable experience.

Josh Sawyer fucked up a lot on poe2 but he's still a big hero in the rpg genre and deserves our respect. He's not done yet

 

[santino27]

There's a lot of woe is me hyperbole there. Nobody's waiting to spit on his grave. And I doubt a vast number of people will remember him for very long after he leaves the industry either. That's not a criticism of him per se as much as it is an acknowledgment of the way time and the general public's mind works.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

They're all skilled labor but when it comes to skill floors (that is, the amount of skill required to be competent) the hierarchy is writing>art>programming. Additionally, a programmer can make a computer game without having any dedicated writer/designers/artists, but designers and artists can't make a computer game without a programmer (or tools that were created by a programmer

I wouldn't agree there's an inherent difference in skill floor, there's a difference dictated by the market. Creative careers are meh unless you're one of the top top guys, while technical careers are usually good already first year out of college and only get better. Video game industry only has one superstar writer beacuse there just isn't room for 5000 Avellones, while there's room for 10 times as much superstar programmers.

 

[Bad Sector]

while there's room for 10 times as much superstar programmers.

Just don't put all of them in the same room :-P.

 

[Ontopoly]

Video game industry only has one superstar writer beacuse there just isn't room for 5000

Also for the most part the people in charge just don't appreciate writers. Most of the time they just get some random guy in charge of something else to do it. Writing is hard and important and requires someone with the skills. You can't just give it to anyone. Hire people specifically to write and nothing else and video game stories would be so much better. Someone with actual qualifications

 

[Sweeper]

You just know Josh is stewing deep down cause code monkeys (used to) make more than he does.
I'm pretty sure that's why he's a communist. Well that and living in California.

 

[vortex]

I can only hope Sawyer plays TloU2, sees the good side of violence and rethinks to bring it in his game. Although not the story beats. Only violence.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

 

[Butter]

Who laughs at the idea of defending the Russian monarchy?

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

Who laughs at the idea of defending the Russian monarchy?

Josh Sawyer, sir!

 

[Butter]

He should be ashamed of himself as a German. Nicholas II was cousin to Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Russian monarchy was also the German monarchy.