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

[Rostere]

You are incorrect. I am speaking to Infinitron as I would a journalist who hadn't checked their sources, gotten facts, and could marshal a response.

Please, don't make it a religious thing vs. a chosen-career thing, that's just off the rails and inappropriate.

EDIT: Never mind, after the last response, I don't care about your responses anymore.

Please Chris, they are probably preparing a cell in Nürnberg for you right now just for posting on RPG Codex at all.

If I was a celebrity and the most famous writer for games in history I would be a lot more careful with my reputation, but that probably only means I am a coward and you are not. This thread is the equivalent of the hottest, most popular cheerleader girl having a long, friendly chat with the neighbourhood hobos. The stench might not wear off for some time and the conversation will be endlessly misconstrued by all the jealous gossip girls.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

EDIT: Ah, fuck it, you're a shill. Done with you - keep supporting Feargus and shitting over the Indiana team, that's exactly the support they need to make a great RPG, you colossal fuck.

Okay, whose alt it is?

 

[Haba]

It's obvious that you are new here. Prolonged exposure to the Codex destroys, transforms and rebuilds you. I'm a genuinly nice guy IRL, but I've been transformed into a complete idiot, thanks to the Codex. Unfortunately Chris got a massive dosage of the Codex in the last few days, and it shows. He is starting to have enough of some of the bullshit in this thread. For this reason, please Chris Avellone leave this place while you can. I don't want to see you turned into a typical Codexian.

Isn't there some jailbait thigh you should be assaulting?

This is MCA:

2/12/10
Hey, Pooperscooper, the interview's not going to happen. It might be because of the profanity in my answers even in the rough draft, I don't know. *I* thought it was funny, so I can't imagine anyone else thinking differently.

It's probably a good thing, I wouldn't have time to do a second pass anyway with all the other junk going on. And I don't feel like editing it to make it more public-friendly, frankly.

Anyway, go ahead and dump hate on me and declare everlasting revenge, that's fine. I'll do better due diligence next time before saying "sure, send an interview."

Chris

Stop white knighting your idea of a person.

 

[XenomorphII]

This thread is great. Thank you for all of the insight Chris.

 

[Wunderbar]

Kit Walker, geez man, can you change your avatar please?

 

[Naveen]

Hack and slash dungeon diving. It's right in the name: DUNGEONS and DRAGONS

not STORIES and BUNNIES

Unless you are playing Bunnies & Barrows!

Chris Avellone, I'm intrigued by your creative process and output. You mentioned you were (and I guess you may still be) writing up to 10 hours a day, which is quite a feat. Do you have any writing routine or rituals to keep up with that intensity? Do you have daily goals or keep track of everything you write (like daily tallies)? Are you more of a "pantser" or you lay out your writing, plot, characters, and so on with excruciating detail beforehand? I'm thinking in terms of traditional writing here, so I guess some things - or the terminology - may be different for a video game writer and may not apply or be relevant here.

 

[Chippy]

Chris Avellone

Speaking of politics, did you ever feel, while at Obsidian, that political views ever got involved in game design? Have you ever felt tempted yourself to do so?

I'm asking this because a lot of developers are openly liberal on their social media, and that can have a translation to what they write or design into their games.

That might be a dodgy question - didn't a POE2 writer recently resign because he talked sense about the Manchester bombings in the UK?. I get the impression that if you even have a hard-on that leans to the right in certain parts of America, your career is at risk. But Chris Avellone is a man, I'm sure he's got the right answer. And I'm sure he was totally serious when he recommended Siege of Dragonspear to us, and I went out and bought the collectors edition.

Edit: In my defense I hadn't been exposed to anything from Beamdog prior to this purchase and it was all CA recommendation.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

And that wouldn't be much of a problem, since in relation to Project Indiana, Chris is not much of an insider. He left the company years before Boyarsky joined and he is basically repeating watercooler gossip. Some of it is bound to be inaccurate, and that's assuming Feargus doesn't go all Tyrion Lannister and start leaking fake shit.

Really? You chose not to answer anything I brought up, even the owners reaping rewards Indiana deserved and you being okay with that? C'mon, tinynickinyourmouth, you're better than that.

EDIT: Ah, fuck it, you're a shill. Done with you - keep supporting Feargus and shitting over the Indiana team, that's exactly the support they need to make a great RPG, you colossal fuck.

What on earth, man. I step away from my PC for 15 minutes and I come back to see this. We're not married last time I checked, so don't be so needy and expect a response within 3 minutes, some of us have shit to do. I didn't ignore your previous post, I just didn't catch up to it yet, this thread is growing by a faster rate that you can read it.

Also, I admit I was wrong - I now clearly see why Project Indiana needs you to save them from those evil owners who are very rude and resort to screaming their balls off when they lose an argument. Clearly having you back there with your personal qualities would be a massive improvement.

 

[Turtle-Zone 3000]

After reading that Chris' BI management problems were actually caused by Feargus in addition to the other stuff, I am now convinced he is really a Sith lord.

 

[Infinitron]

Obsidian boardroom meeting, June 2015:

"I have just received word that Feargus has silenced Chris Avellone permanently. The last remnant of the Old Obsidian has been swept away."

"That's impossible! How will Feargus maintain quality standards without a creative director?"

"The project directors now have direct control over their games. Fear will keep the local gamers in line. Fear of not getting their next Obsidian RPG."

...

"Don't be too proud of this tank MMO that you've constructed. The ability to sell microtransactions is insignificant next to the power of the Balance."

 

[Abu Antar]

Chris Avellone
I can understand your resentment for the other owners from all your posts... But, didn’t you also get paid for projects (before shit went down)? Isn’t that usual business?

Getting the reward as the owner doesn’t seem to be different from any other company. One could argue about the employees getting a bonus or not, but that’s not the same.

 

[Maculo]

It's hard to concentrate on a Monday when you know Avellone could drop another bombshell at any moment.

 

[Ezeekiel]

EDIT: Ah, fuck it, you're a shill. Done with you - keep supporting Feargus and shitting over the Indiana team, that's exactly the support they need to make a great RPG, you colossal fuck.

Okay, whose alt it is?

I've given up on keeping up with this thread, so... Has anybody bothered checking yet whether this is actually Chris posting, or...?

 

[Infinitron]

It's hard to concentrate on a Monday when you know Avellone could drop another bombshell at any moment.

I think he's gone to bed for real now.

 

[Haba]

Chris Avellone
I can understand your resentment for the other owners from all your posts... But, didn’t you also get paid for projects (before shit went down)? Isn’t that usual business?

Getting the reward as the owner doesn’t seem to be different from any other company. One could argue about the employees getting a bonus or not, but that’s not the same.

In a normal company the employees get bonus for a project (as is in their contract), the owners get whatever is left over.

 

[Prime Junta]

In a normal company the employees get bonus for a project (as is in their contract), the owners get whatever is left over.

More specifically, in a normal company the employees get a bonus, and at the end of the fiscal year the owners get a dividend, if there's enough cash left in the box after expenses and investments have been covered.

 

[Rivmusique]

Chris Avellone What did you think of this? Banger, aye? Magic.

 

[MajorMace]

Hiro Murai is a goddamn talented director.

 

[Sextant]

Spoiler

How much do you bench, Chris? Id bet Id take youo easily

 

[Kruno]

How much do you bench, Chris? Id bet Id take youo easily

You want to get in between, don't you?

 

[Blaine]

Blaine getting added to the ignore list wasn't something I saw coming.

Joking about antisemitism is probably thin-ice territory. He is, after all, a very left-wing kind of guy.

I'm not here to suck up to anyone, not even even if Donald Trump showed up to do a Q&A. No one is immune and I haven't wavered from that in six years, unlike some of these glitterboys who instantly turned into knob-polishing sycophants when MCA showed up.

I don't need him to like me in order to support his cause, you simpleminded fucks, but I received your messages of disapproval via your shit ratings and other such nonsense.

We're online. He wasn't able to punch so he did what he could. Understandable, if futile.

Oh boy, are we envisioning what we'd do to people we disagree with online if they were within striking distance?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

It's hard to concentrate on a Monday when you know Avellone could drop another bombshell at any moment.

I think he's gone to bed for real now.

Viagra overdose doesn't wear off that quickly.

 

[Prime Junta]

Oh boy, are we envisioning what we'd do to people we disagree with online if they were within striking distance?

Nah, just Nazis.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

Oh boy, are we envisioning what we'd do to people we disagree with online if they were within striking distance?

Nah, just <Insert people you ideologically oppose>.

There, fixed. Nazi is what Nazi does.

 

[Kz3r0]

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

Chris Avellone how much of your experience at Obsidian informed the character of the exile in KOTOR2?