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

[Quillon]

But the timing of the interview's publication is not an Avellone action.

It's Fairfax action; deciding to part the interview in two and publish it around its publishing time

 

[Blaine]

I'm a lawyer, Blaine. Granted, I'm a Russian, and my specialty isn't labor/employment law, so in your mind it probably disqualifies me, but still.

Nah, it doesn't disqualify you. If anything, jurists tend to share more similarities across political lines than most other non-technical professions, aside from politicians and prostitutes of course, who are the same everywhere.

If a jibe of mine really doesn't apply to you, then it's safe to assume you're not included. I like to shotgun my insults to catch as many birds as a I can.

Also 'kwa legal system is a fucking disaster and a nightmare. Yes, even in comparison to Russian one.

Shit, you don't have to convince me. I'm not kidding about my entire family being lawyers, and this is 100% accurate.

 

[TT1]

Hey Chris Avellone, I hope that post dont cause you any trouble. I asked 2 or 3 times that you tell the entire story, and now you told us, and I'm just shocked. Sorry, man, really really sorry for this.

You have my respect, sir. That tattoo of the symbol of torment in my shoulder gained another level of proudness now.

I hope that your family is ok now, and all financial and health debts are paided. Hard story, man.

 

[Fenstermaker's Folly]

If that was incorrect, that’s fine, but that’s what he told me at the time.

Like I said, I'd have liked to just solve it between us but it was well too late for that. I didn't like that it escalated, but looking back, if I thought it was avoidable I was kidding myself. Just being willing to make cuts didn't solve the problem. It was too late. The physical work of cutting the dialogue down in the tool, refactoring all the scripting, and everything else meant that even with the companions brought down to proper length, their implementation time was still far beyond that of any other companions. There was time allocated to implement two companions who were written to spec in the first place, no more. Had to make a lot of sacrifices to the narrative schedule and pull a lot of overtime to get it done, and I was fixing Durance bugs long after all the other companions were set. It cost us up and down the game in terms of polish time at a vital stage.

I would thank you to kindly never speak on my behalf. You do not speak for me. We are miles apart on our perspectives. Some of the events you've discussed here, my recollection differs greatly, and I don't support your accounts.

 

[Bohr]

Will PoE ever stop generating drama?

 

[Stainless Veteran]

I'm a lawyer, Blaine. Granted, I'm a Russian, and my specialty isn't labor law, so in your mind it probably disqualifies me, but still. Also 'kwa legal system is a fucking disaster and a nightmare.

The irony is that he wants to automatically disqualify the opinions about legal matters using the expertise of members of his family. Did they give you some legal advice in the past hour, Blaine? Because you are just as layman as every other poster here. Expertise is not something you acquire by osmosis, you know.

Eh, then I'm triply qualified, or, if we count a couple of my cousins - five times more qualified to give legal advice!

 

[TT1]

Things are getting out of control here. Dont do that, guys.

 

[Tovias]

Will PoE ever stop generating drama?

Hopefully not, if I couldn't enjoy the combat the last they can do is give some drama to entertain me with.

 

[Sentinel]

He's had good couple of years to set the record straight, but just by complete accident he decides to do it a week before the most important release for the studio hits the shelves.

The interview started in 2016, you can blame Infinitron for not releasing it earlier in chunks. As for the bombshell, Sensuki asked, MCA answered, simple as that. Blame Sensuki and Eric for poking Chris Avellone.

Naw. Unless Sensuki was holding a gun to his head, I'll be blaming Avellone for actions taken by Avellone.

But the timing of the interview's publication is not an Avellone action.

The timing of posts on the forum is an Avellone action. Interview itself isn't dropping any bombshells.

Come on m8. Even if there is any sort of malicious intent behind Avellone's timing, it won't affect Obsidian in the least. No one outside the Codex cares about this. On the Obsidian forums for example, Obsidiots are, surprise surprise, defending Obsidian. No major publication will pick up this story. Avellone has a lot of weight among the dedicated fanbases of RPGs but in the wider field no one knows who he is. He's no Todd Howard. Even if anyone picks up the story Obsidian won't start losing big sales because of it.

 

[Blaine]

The irony is that he wants to automatically disqualify the opinions about legal matters using the expertise of members of his family.

No, you dumbfuck, uneducated opinions pertaining to legal matters are automatically disqualified because they're uneducated. I don't need to invoke my family to prove my point. That's just DLC.

Anyway, here's my pepop graduating from UVA School of Law:

 

[Crispy]

We side with MCA here at Codex. Always.

Cross us and pay the price.

 

[Jenkem]

I imagine Obsidian will certainly respond to Chris's claims, either with a law suit, or with a public statement, probably both.

so obsidian's next kickstarter will be for legal fees?

 

[Sentinel]

 

[Blaine]

*POP*

Hey guys, who wants to have a discussion about particle physics?

 

[Infinitron]

There is no popcorn.gif big enough.

 

[Iskramor]

When you start to see dangerhairs and nerdy grrrls popping up in a developer's publicity material on the regular, the well has already been poisoned.

I call confirmation bias.

When one of your most visible star devs gives a public talk on the evils of crunch and the pressing need for unionisation, though, it suggests that you might have a problem.

Its not really cb when all left-wing extremist employes revele themself shamelessly on social networks. The most recent example being battletech kiva space girl on twitter.

 

[MRY]

This is like a depressing real-life performance of Njal's Saga, complete with everyone claiming to know the law.

 

[Sentinel]

but I like Eric and Chris both
what do I do now



this wasn't supposed to happen

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I didn’t get anything when I left Obsidian. There were no share payouts, no equity, and this was in addition to the other logistical problems around the departure – the sudden cancellation of my health insurance, problems with my 401K, errors in Obsidian’s accounting, and several existing independent contracts they refused to uphold.

As if I needed another reason not to like Obsidian's buggy fiascoes.

With so little emphasis being put on writers in modern RPGs, it's especially disappointing to see one of the better ones treated like this.

That said, you never finished your wolf rape Arcanum Lets Play, so that might have been breach of contract or something. Oh well.

 

[FreeKaner]

If that was incorrect, that’s fine, but that’s what he told me at the time.

Like I said, I'd have liked to just solve it between us but it was well too late for that. I didn't like that it escalated, but looking back, if I thought it was avoidable I was kidding myself. Just being willing to make cuts didn't solve the problem. It was too late. The physical work of cutting the dialogue down in the tool, refactoring all the scripting, and everything else meant that even with the companions brought down to proper length, their implementation time was still far beyond that of any other companions. There was time allocated to implement two companions who were written to spec in the first place, no more. Had to make a lot of sacrifices to the narrative schedule and pull a lot of overtime to get it done, and I was fixing Durance bugs long after all the other companions were set. It cost us up and down the game in terms of polish time at a vital stage.

I would thank you to kindly never speak on my behalf. You do not speak for me. We are miles apart on our perspectives. Some of the events you've discussed here, my recollection differs greatly, and I don't support your accounts.

What sort of NDA did Feargus conjure up? There is a need for resolution but the flesh seems weak.

 

[Fry]

but I like Eric and Chris both
what do I do now
this wasn't supposed to happen

It's always the children who suffer.

 

[Alpan]

We side with MCA here at Codex. Always.

Cross us and pay the price.

To believe in an ideal is to be willing to betray it. It is something no Codexer has ever truly learned.

 

[Delterius]

This is like parents fighting over divorce while the 5 year old kid's in the room.

I'm not the kid though. I'm the guy watching it all unfold from the window. Please continue.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

No, you dumbfuck, uneducated opinions pertaining to legal matters are automatically disqualified because they're uneducated. I don't need to invoke my family to prove my point.

You said that because three out of the four members of your immediate family are lawyers that makes armchair laywers especially entertaining to you. But that suggests that somehow you know better than the rest of us because of your family? Why would you bring your family into this subject?

 

[Jezal_k23]

I think that despite our personal knee jerk reactions of support of either side, it's good to be hearing from both of them so that we can reach better informed opinions that take both versions of events into account.