Obsidian General Discussion Thread

[Immortal]

Didn't pete hines post here or mention this forum at some point?

 

[Cadius]

Hey, Cadius, kudos for clarifying!
BTW why don't other folks from Bethesda post here? We would like to see, say, Todd Howard posting on Codex!

You're very welcome, sir.

Most developers don't post on forums. To put it bluntly, people are assholes when they are anonymous. It's not really a fair playing field when everyone is anonymous except the developer.

To be fair, I don't post here, or any other open forums, often. Look at how long I've been a member versus how many times I've posted. I lurk for info/news or feedback, because I feel that even rage induced rants can have some useful information in them.

I do post and reply via twitter, but it also has more means to filter people. I can mute someone and not see their posts anymore.

 

[Infinitron]

Besides Cadius, I'm aware of two Bethesda employees who posted here in the past, back during the Oblivion years.

Programmer Steve Meister (who is still at Bethesda I think) and producer Gavin Carter (who was last involved with the Kickstarted indie stealth game Republique)

 

[Flou]

I wasn't asssassinated so far.

Though I have been lax on my stalking duties since a year ago, so uhm, sorry badler

Mostly because you hide in here and not on Obsidian boards these days! Even I've had to start doing some of that stalking duty and I'm way too lazy for such work on my freetime. I already stalk people for a living :/

 

[Immortal]

Hey, Cadius, kudos for clarifying!
BTW why don't other folks from Bethesda post here? We would like to see, say, Todd Howard posting on Codex!

You're very welcome, sir.

Most developers don't post on forums. To put it bluntly, people are assholes when they are anonymous. It's not really a fair playing field when everyone is anonymous except the developer.

To be fair, I don't post here, or any other open forums, often. Look at how long I've been a member versus how many times I've posted. I lurk for info/news or feedback, because I feel that even rage induced rants can have some useful information in them.

I do post and reply via twitter, but it also has more means to filter people. I can mute someone and not see their posts anymore.

That's a pretty fair statement. Assholes aren't so bad though.

I personally would worry more about someone stumbling upon a post where you said something non-PC.. or even just being on this forum and having it held over your head.
If you were anonymous you could talk more freely about your opinions without someone scrutinizing every word under a microscope.

 

[Flou]

PoE cannot be replicated, mind you. The expectations were so high that they became unreasonable, and the so-called "Renaissance" has already happened. It doesn't help that none of its games (so far) lived up to the hype. D:OS was a positive surprise because people didn't expect much, but that's the one exception. If TTON disappoints, it could make things worse.

The thing about Tyranny is that they don't own it, so it won't be nearly as profitable as PoE. We don't know their deal with Paradox, though. Could be better than the old budget+bonus at least.

As for their own Skyrim, that's another league entirely. They'd need deep pockets for it, and there's not a single publisher investing in that kind of project right now. Obsidian seems to have aspirations to become Marvel or DC, but the market and their business model will never allow them to become more than Dark Horse.

We will see about that once Tyranny and PoE2 are out. Though obviously at least Tyranny misses the Kickstarter frenzy that go PoE shitloads of media coverage.

Yes, they don't own Tyranny fully which will make it financially a bit worse for them if compared to PoE. Then again Paradox seems to be one of those few companies that actually pay royalties, so there should be some money incoming from the sales.

Yes, their own Skyrim will require for them to have deep pockets, which is why I said at some point. It's definately not happening without a publisher in several years, but maybe after "few" of their own games they've got enough capital to start working on one. How long it would take is quite impossible to predict since it's definately depends on sales, and if they can generate income from AW.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Cadius posting here probably means we're no longer on Beth's black list - also confirmed by us getting that F4 appointment at last year's Gamescom.

The moral of the story being, I guess, that Bethesda is so big they don't care about the Codex specifically anymore.

 

[Immortal]

Cadius posting here probably means we're no longer on Beth's black list - also confirmed by us getting that F4 appointment at last year's Gamescom.

The moral of the story being, I guess, that Bethesda is so big they don't care about the Codex specifically anymore.

Or possibly just further evidence that the codex has been invaded by filthy moderates such as myself.

 

[Anthony Davis]

https://twitter.com/Obsidian/status/662486390391746560

Sadly, and this is why I exclaimed that no one should believe me, I cannot reveal my source to anyone since that was what I agreed to in order to obtain this information.

I invited some people from Obsidian, including Mikey Dowling (he runs their twitter account). He's a very good friend of mine, so he was my guest at the LA release party. I also made sure Tim Cain, Robert, and Feargus were invited. Once again, friends of mine that I wanted to see at the party.

I'm not sure why you randomly posted my NCR helmet and flag as proof of OEI working on stuff? I worked on New Vegas at Obsidian. It's at my desk now at Bethesda.

Also, stop trolling for attention. This discussion is pointless, and you have no real source. I will end it right now. Obsidian is not working on a Fallout game. If you don't believe me, here are Obsidian's own words: https://twitter.com/Obsidian/status/722157591770476546

I miss ya bud. Hope things are freezing ass cold. <3 <3 <3

Edit: or hot and swampy - as I guess summer is almost upon us.

So nice here in California. Ahhhhh

 

[Anthony Davis]

EDIT EDIT:
Anthony Davis just broke the build.. I'm getting yelled at in Russian. Thanks bro.

Come on, man. I expect a prediction, not an obvious fact.


... don't hurt me, Anthony.

Death comes for you on silent wings.

 

[Roguey]

BTW why don't other folks from Bethesda post here? We would like to see, say, Todd Howard posting on Codex!

Todd made his Steam profile private a few hours after I made a thread about it on the Codex, pretty sure he loathes each and every one of us.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

pretty sure he loathes each and every one of us.

So, in a sense, he is a true codexer after all.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.digitaldragons.pl/en/new...mes-studio-at-krakow-s-digital-dragons-in-may

Feargus Urquhart and Chris Avellone – leaders of the legendary video games studio at Kraków’s Digital Dragons in May

The Witcher is the largest export product of the Polish games sector. It represents the RPG (role-playing games) genre, in which players become fictitious figures, experience their adventures, and develop their skills according to set rules. The Witcher is Gerald of Rivia, a hero called to life in books by Andrzej Sapkowski, while the heroes of other RPG hits, such as Skyrim and Dragon Age, are characters developed by the players themselves. The computer-based variety of RPGs is currently experiencing a great period, as attested by the market results. In just over four years, Skyrim sold more than 22 million copies. The Witcher 3 sold 6 million copies in only the first six weeks of sales.

Yet it remains unknown whether this genre would have been so successful if not the a turning moment that took place several years ago. To discuss it more broadly, one needs to move back in time to the mid-1990s, when role-playing games, being an heir to the role-plays played in the real world and following the conventions of theatre improvisation found themselves in a slump after a few successful years in the market. It seemed that they were sentenced to oblivion. And this might really have been the case if not for Interplay, and American games publisher, who decided to open Black Isle Studios, a new division, and setting up a team who breathed a new life into the seriously fossilised genre.

Standing at the helm of the group was Feargus Urquhart, who named it after Scotland: the country his ancestors hailed from. Interplay created and released a number of games on Black Isle label that made their permanent place in the history of the role-playing genre.

The series that began the entire revival deserves special attention. A product of BioWare, a Canadian company operating under the patronage of Black Isle Studios publishing, it made an impact on the renaissance of the RPG games that cannot be overestimated. It can be simply said that a whole generation of players grew up on the saga telling the story of the Bhaalspawn. This is true also about Poland, where the localisations of the game have been the product of nobody else but CD Projekt, at the time, not yet offering own works on CD Projekt RED label, but being a recognised distributor. The Polish edition of Baldur’s Gate (Polish: Wrota Baldura), with Jan Kobuszewski, Wiktor Zborowski, Gabriela Kownacka, and many other stars of Polish stage and silver screen is recognised one of the greatest achievements in the history of games publishing in the Polish market.

Baldur’s Gate is the most famous title of the role-playing games revival, yet the renaissance brought also other productions. Even before Baldur’s Gate premiered, the first game developed by Black Isle Studios entered the market. It was Fallout 2, one of the best parts of a series that continues to present a vision of a post-nuclear world to this day. A great role in the success of the title was played by Chris Avellone, the second best-known name in Black Isle Studios. Avellone became famous mostly thanks to another great game from this company, Planescape: Torment. As in the case of Baldur’s Gate, what made the product highly popular in Poland was a highly successful and rich Polish edition with Adrianna Biedrzyńska, Emilian Kamiński, and Władysław Kowalski in the leading roles.

Despite the great artistic success and returning RPG to the ranks of major game genres, the Black Isle Studios fell victim to the crisis in its mother company. Riven with financial problems, in 2003 Interplay was forced to an unprecedented decision: laying of the developers who in five years created a number of games of highest assay. Black Isle was gone. Urquhart started his own studio, Obsidian Entertainment, and persuaded Avellone to enlist under his banners. The duo worked together for another 12 years, continuing the tradition of role-playing revival for over a decade.

In 2015, they ceased producing games together, yet there will be soon an opportunity in Kraków to see them together, as they both announced their arrival at this year’s round of the Digital Dragons – the largest games conference in our part of Europe. After an extremely successful year in the video games sector in Poland, marked by the great success of The Witcher 3 from CD Project RED and produced by Techland Dying Light, the organisers expect an even greater interest in the meeting than in 2014, when more than 1100 representatives of the games, media, business, and VC fund representatives arrived in Kraków. ”The Digital Dragons is not only a bevy of magnificent guests and an opportunity to meet the legends of the gaming world. It is also a place for exchanging experience, presenting achievements, and doping business. This is why events of this type enjoy such a broad interest among the sector. The Kraków Technology Park (KTP) became aware of these expectations five years ago already, and the games world has honoured the Digital Dragons with its trust. Thanks to this, the event enjoys today the status of one of the most important in Central and Eastern Europe”, the President of the KTP, Wojciech Przybylski emphasised.

This year’s edition of the Digital Dragons will be held on 16th and 17th May in Kraków. Besides Avellone and Urquhart, it will also be graced by John Romero, the developer of absolutely cult productions: Doom and Quake.

Tickets to the conference are already available here.

 

[Got bored and left]

Shit, right at my doorstep, the venue is not that far from where I live. Damn shame it's pretty much an industry-only meeting (or so it seems), would've been a great opportunity to up my stalking skillz.

 

[Abu Antar]

Shit, right at my doorstep, the venue is not that far from where I live. Damn shame it's pretty much an industry-only meeting (or so it seems), would've been a great opportunity to up my stalking skillz.

This IS a great way to hone your stalking skills. Getting in there in a legit manner is not the challenge.

 

[throwaway]

Does that mean there's no bad blood between the 2?

 

[Prime Junta]

Does that mean there's no bad blood between the 2?

Why would you think that? Just as likely that both of them were invited separately and accepted, and neither has found an excuse to cancel.

 

[Fairfax]

Does that mean there's no bad blood between the 2?

As I said in the MCA thread, the title is misleading. They're not there "together". Feargus' presentation is on day 1, MCA is on day 2.
As for bad blood, there could be, although that's some strong wording. MCA didn't exactly leave Obsidian on the most amicable terms, but that's on all the partners, not just Feargus, so who knows.

 

[DosBuster]

This is how I think it'll go down:

The city of Krakow is usually not quiet, not today, game developers from across the world have descended upon the city in search of hearing from the one true god himself. Mister Chris Avellone.
Fate's cruel humor also decided that Chris's Arch-nemesis/former lover Feargus Urquhart would be giving a talk at the same conference. Rumors were abound:
"Would stories of forbidden love come to pass?"
"Was Arcanum responsible for the divide in their unholy relationship?"

The Conference started off normally, most wouldn't even think there was a hint of sexual tension in the air, most wouldn't even know what sexual tension felt like. Chris's talk went in its usual direction, giving advice to the developers while ending with asking the fateful question:
"What do you think it takes to make a game like Planescape: Torment?"
Everyone knew the answer but still played along with Chris, after enough answers had been provided Chris would simply smile, chuckle to himself, and proceed to nonchalantly whip his belt off and let his tight, tight jeans fall to the knees, such a move could only come from such a master. It was here he would simply point to his well endowed holy-ship and then utter the words:
"It came from right here."
The audience was then immediately driven to tears and applause at such a sight.

The cool feeling in the room was not to linger much longer for during Chris's 6-hour long Q&A session a familiar face appeared to the stand. Feargus Urqhart. Chris did not notice since naturally he was being pampered and cared for by many of his personal groupies.
The following words came out with a cold snap:
"Do you think Alpha Protocol would have been a better game if it had been more balanced?"

Chris's godly eyes shot open, he recognized the voice, he remembered the betrayal when he walked in on Sawyer with-
"How dare you come into my domain and challenge me here, Urquhart! Have you no decency?"

Urquhart smiled, "If it weren't for my project management skills there would be no Planescape Torment, how dare you lie to the people here, how dare you steal credit for all those hours of hard work!"

Chris interjected, "Enough! Enough! Enough! Cronies, kill the bastard!"

Every developer in the room suddenly turned on Feargus, charging towards him with a bloodthirsty curdle as Chris stood cackling in the background.

"You underestimate your old boss, Chris."

Just as the mob was about to touch Feargus, a loud explosion met with a holy ray of white light ran through the roof and into the depths of the core. It was the visage of Joshua E. Sawyer himself, Prince of Balance.

"I detect an unbalanced fight! THERE WILL BE BALANCE!"
With that, all the developers charging towards Feargus simply evaporated into dust. And there Chris stood, heaving with anger, in a fit of rage he tore off his tight shirt and dove off the stage landing in a badass pose with the ground grumbling at his wake.

"Fine then, let's get dirty."
TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Athelas]

That certainly sounds more believable than your previous prediction.

 

[Immortal]

Tim Cain comes crashing into the auditorium astride a pure bred Arcanum Wolf.

"Chris... You have some unfinished business!"

I'm still salty.

 

[Duraframe300]

I know a lot of people from Obsidian. They actually just had a round of layoffs at the end of March, several people from Armored Warfare were let go, it was a bit shady how and why it was done though according to multiple sources.

@AnthonyDavis

 

[santino27]

I know a lot of people from Obsidian. They actually just had a round of layoffs at the end of March, several people from Armored Warfare were let go, it was a bit shady how and why it was done though according to multiple sources.

@AnthonyDavis

I think you mean Anthony Davis

 

[Haba]

I don't think he is at liberty to discuss such things at public forums.

 

[prodigydancer]

We will see about that once Tyranny and PoE2 are out. Though obviously at least Tyranny misses the Kickstarter frenzy that go PoE shitloads of media coverage.

I still wonder why Paradox didn't put Tyranny on KS. There's no such thing as too much funding and the project would be an obvious slamdunk: heavily C&C-focused, made by Obsidian, the engine is ready and tested. $1m in pledges minimum and tons of extra publicity for free - so why not?