RPG Codex Interview: Chris Avellone on Pillars Cut Content, Game Development Hierarchies and More

[ERYFKRAD]

Chris Avellone, have you played any of Piranha Bytes games (Gothic series, Risen series, recent Elex)?
If yes, what do you think about them?

I played a little of Gothic 3 and liked it. I want to play Elex based on discussions I've seen on this site.

Okay man but what about the Outcast game and/or its remake?

 

[Darth Roxor]

I don't know, but my pragmatic guess is that maybe Take2 wouldn't mind Feargus and his cost padding out of the picture (Feargus, at the height of stupidity, forgot to remove it in his budget he sent to them - when asked, I told them I wasn't surprised, and they should expect him to inflate costs like that, but that's why you have to watch him very, very carefully when he submits a budget - he tried to fuck over Paradox, too, because he felt entitled to).

 

[Big Wrangle]

Isn't The Outer Worlds the name of a book too?

 

[Chris Avellone]

Know what? Are you saying that The Outer Worlds is the title of Tim and Leonard's game, then?

Jesus Christ, Infinitron, can you give it a break for like, 5 seconds? NO. I am not saying that, I am recognizing what you posted so I could give a proper response that was in the proper context - and you're right, I don't know if it's the actual name of the game at all. Jesus Fucking H Christ, you drive me insane. Have they registered any other trademarks?

 

[Big Wrangle]

Get a room, you two.

 

[Latro]

MCA putting news-boy on notice, VIVA LA REVOLUCTION

 

[Kem0sabe]

Know what? Are you saying that The Outer Worlds is the title of Tim and Leonard's game, then?

Jesus Christ, Infinitron, can you give it a break for like, 5 seconds? NO. I am not saying that, I am recognizing what you posted so I could give a proper response that was in the proper context - and you're right, I don't know if it's the actual name of the game at all. Jesus Fucking H Christ, you drive me insane. Have they registered any other trademarks?

 

[Bohr]

Guess that's a yes

 

[HoboForEternity]

Chris Avellone

Is josh's "FORM A UNION!!" stance recently have something to do to the general unpleasant work environment in obsidian.

Will unionization really help the generally industry-wide problems?

 

[Big Wrangle]

Chris Avellone, do you miss your younger, somewhat optimistic about the industry self?

 

[Quillon]

Before this storm of shit, Feargus striked me as a guy with good intentions who just liked being a boss/owning a game studio/control over people/making the rounds in the studio all day when he's not on the phone pitching games to publishers...since he became a producer very early in his career and done little else other than managing stuff/"producing" and he was a likable person through the interwebz with the help of "publishers screwing over Obs" talks all around the boards. That picture is broken to pieces now.

Chances are nothing will change at Obs upper management; as in no one will quit nor change positions nor Obs will get bought out so here's hoping they'll just stay out of real developers way and count their money silently in the corner.

Fabulously optimistic scenario is upper management's disappearing somehow with the rest of the studio intact

- Captain obvious reported.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone

Is josh's "FORM A UNION!!" stance recently have something to do to the general unpleasant work environment in obsidian.

Will unionization really help the generally industry-wide problems?

I'm not sure, and I don't know the reason for Josh's advocacy of a union on a personal level. What did surprise me, is aside from the other issues I raised, overworking and crunch time at Obsidian didn't seem to be a problem when I departed - if it is now, something must have changed for the worse, because overtime was never mandated (although people did work long hours).

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone stop shitposting you fat fuck it's my job

Don't take my Infinitron from me, skinny-boy

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone, do you miss your younger, somewhat optimistic about the industry self?

I used to ask my Dad if he missed being younger, and he said, "nope. I prefer the life lessons I have now, and I feel good being able to use them to make a better path."

I take that is remaining to be optimistic even with greater knowledge and experience. I worry that your question boils down to, "do you miss being naive?" If that's the question, then no. Especially for a writer, where you want to feel as much pain as you can for your craft.

 

[Brother Rat]

Chris Avellone, how many individual projects are you working on right now? Do you find it easier to juggle multiple projects as opposed to focusing on just one?

 

[Edmund Spenser]

Chris, what's the character you've written that you feel captures you most personally and why is it Durance?

 

[Big Wrangle]

I take that is remaining to be optimistic even with greater knowledge and experience. I worry that your question boils down to, "do you miss being naive?" If that's the question, then no. Especially for a writer, where you want to feel as much pain as you can for your craft.

I mean the former, to make things more clear. Sorry about that.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Let's just keep Project Indiana out of this, shall we? If we're all itching so much for a new Tim&Leo game, what's the purpose of trying to damage their standing with Take2? You're also opening yourself up for a libel suit a size of Titanic. And you didn't actually work on Indiana, correct Chris? You have someone leaking you information, and if it's a small team that person will be identified swiftly.

This is bad sport and it's not good for anybody.

 

[Infinitron]

Chris Avellone

Is josh's "FORM A UNION!!" stance recently have something to do to the general unpleasant work environment in obsidian.

Will unionization really help the generally industry-wide problems?

I'm not sure, and I don't know the reason for Josh's advocacy of a union on a personal level. What did surprise me, is aside from the other issues I raised, overworking and crunch time at Obsidian didn't seem to be a problem when I departed - if it is now, something must have changed for the worse, because overtime was never mandated (although people did work long hours).

My hunch is that Josh Sawyer's interest in unionization and related topics is a consequence of his increasing political engagement following the 2016 US elections, and not related to Obsidian specifically.

 

[Quillon]

Especially for a writer, where you want to feel as much pain as you can for your craft.

What do you do for extra pain when needed?

 

[Blaine]

This thread in a nutshell:

 

[Chris Avellone]

My hunch is that Josh Sawyer's interest in unionization and related topics is a consequence of his increasing political engagement following the 2016 US elections, and not related to Obsidian specifically.

...but will directly affect Obsidian's business practices? I only bring it up b/c my natural reaction is that he must have advocated it based on being exposed to a bad practice, which I agree, isn't 100% always the case, he could be arguing for other developers - but if so, who? (I assumed Obsidian by default.)

 

[a bear named spigot]

Chris Avellone which is your favourite jerkcity character

 

[Abu Antar]

Chris Avellone, do you miss your younger, somewhat optimistic about the industry self?

I used to ask my Dad if he missed being younger, and he said, "nope. I prefer the life lessons I have now, and I feel good being able to use them to make a better path."

I take that is remaining to be optimistic even with greater knowledge and experience. I worry that your question boils down to, "do you miss being naive?" If that's the question, then no. Especially for a writer, where you want to feel as much pain as you can for your craft.

Endure. In enduring, grow strong.

 

[Elex]

Chris Avellone

Is josh's "FORM A UNION!!" stance recently have something to do to the general unpleasant work environment in obsidian.

Will unionization really help the generally industry-wide problems?

will probally kill all the medium/large usa company force them to move to east europe, canada and asia.