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

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

So hypothetical question: If POE2 comes out and it's "good" (whatever you consider to be good/incline yeah?) and the Codex could hack into Metacritc to influence it's rating. Would you give it a favourable review to protect all the working man/women/they jobs at Obsidian, or would you tank it because of what MCA has revealed?.

That's an interesting question. In fact, that's more interesting than PoE2's plot.

 

[Blaine]

So, the game has released. Who cares, Darth Roxor review when?

RPS says that the game is about "colonialism mixed with exploitation of natural resources" but says the story is very bad because it "suggests the complicity of the natives." Could Sawyer have balanced too far ...?

The ride truly never ends.

(Turn volume down slightly)

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Chippy]

So hypothetical question: If POE2 comes out and it's "good" (whatever you consider to be good/incline yeah?) and the Codex could hack into Metacritc to influence it's rating. Would you give it a favourable review to protect all the working man/women/they jobs at Obsidian, or would you tank it because of what MCA has revealed?.

Even if each and every person in Obsidian were a jerk, the game itself has nothing to do with it. Fortunately, the jerks are minority.

But management seem to be jerks, and there's rarely change at that level unless the company product isn't profitable. What I'm getting at is that IHaveHugeNick person is saying that Chris Avellone is a jerk for posting this as it may effect jobs at Obsidian. In the sense that if you behave in a shitty manner (like deliberatly tanking/effecting a reputation) you should first think of the consequences. On the other hand you could buy the game, back all further Kickstarters, and be supporting employee hell at Obsidian because management are jerks - but who gives a fuck because the game was on the incline.

What I'm getting at is MCA has done a great thing here, publishers may look at Obsidian management differantly, which might have a knock-on positive effect at Obsidian. But it will likely effect MCA negatively because all people remember in any industry is "Arn't you the fucker/non team player that started all that controversey?".

 

[Jason Liang]

What I'm getting at is MCA has done a great thing here, publishers may look at Obsidian management differantly, which might have a knock-on positive effect at Obsidian. But it will likely effect MCA negatively because all people remember in any industry is "Arn't you the fucker/non team player that started all that controversey?".

No, because people in the industry remember him as "Aren't you the guy that wroteTorment?"

 

[Chippy]

What I'm getting at is MCA has done a great thing here, publishers may look at Obsidian management differantly, which might have a knock-on positive effect at Obsidian. But it will likely effect MCA negatively because all people remember in any industry is "Arn't you the fucker/non team player that started all that controversey?".

No, because people in the industry remember him as "Aren't you the guy that wroteTorment?"

Dunno about that - ask most competant managers what the worst trait in an employee is (apart from the Codex that would say SJW's and Jews) and it's probably 'troublemaker'. People forget about competence quick if you're the reputed/percieved jerk that's gonna cause waves.

 

[Blaine]

Dunno about that - ask most competant managers

It seems our data-gathering has run into a snag already.

 

[Chippy]

So hypothetical question: If POE2 comes out and it's "good" (whatever you consider to be good/incline yeah?) and the Codex could hack into Metacritc to influence it's rating. Would you give it a favourable review to protect all the working man/women/they jobs at Obsidian, or would you tank it because of what MCA has revealed?.

I'd just get Roxor to review it and let the chips fall where they may

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRIw7VUCmpk

 

[Your Kindness]

But management seem to be jerks, and there's rarely change at that level unless the company product isn't profitable.

Management is often full of jerkdom. So what?
Game ratings is serious stuff, you can't just fool around with them!

 

[Ulrox]

The thing I don't get, is how someone can be so naive, and completely misjudge someones character for over 8 years or so. I mean, I guess it makes some sense, but Chris has always seemed to me to be a very bright person.

Though I suppose my own schizotypal personality disorder would make me somewhat paranoid in my dealings with just about anyone.

To me, the only logical explanation is denial, because it was something too horrible to be believed.

I still remember reading Chris's interviews, and reading just how much he looked up to Feargus. I wondered if perhaps there was some intimate gay feelings that they shared after reading it, legitimately, I thought they might be gay for each other.

Guess I shipped the wrong couple.

 

[deepfire]

What I'm getting at is MCA has done a great thing here, publishers may look at Obsidian management differantly, which might have a knock-on positive effect at Obsidian. But it will likely effect MCA negatively because all people remember in any industry is "Arn't you the fucker/non team player that started all that controversey?".

No, because people in the industry remember him as "Aren't you the guy that wroteTorment?"

Dunno about that - ask most competant managers what the worst trait in an employee is (apart from the Codex that would say SJW's and Jews) and it's probably 'troublemaker'. People forget about competence quick if you're the reputed/percieved jerk that's gonna cause waves.

Who's a jerk, anyway?

Feargus has successfully avoided this qualification for more than a decade -- despite being one (more precisely: probability is increasingly approaching a 1, unless satisfactory counter-evidence emerges).

And now you have mr. Snowden Avellone telling us about the atrocities committed across the oil-field-laden lands of creative talent.

I'm sure many of you would consider mr. Snowden a jerk.

So much for the delusion of free speech and the pursuit of happiness, etc.

 

[Shagnak]

Where's the Shit Games Liberation Front when you need it?

Rpgwatch

I get around.

[shitpost++]

 

[Blaine]

And now you have mr. Snowden Avellone telling us about the atrocities committed across the oil-field-laden lands of creative talent.

There can be a dialogue about amnesty for his whistle-blowing, but Chris must first return to Obsidian HQ Feargus' basement as a show of good faith.

 

[Shadenuat]

RPS says that the game is about "colonialism mixed with exploitation of natural resources" but says the story is very bad because it "suggests the complicity of the natives." Could Sawyer have balanced too far ...?

Meh, resources. I hoped for something like buying native slaves from natives. Help a tribe of natives to capture another tribe and sell them all to colonialists, split profits. That would make sjw channels explode.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone, what books in your opinion have the best villain characters? Asking for a friend.

Iain M. Banks's Surface Detail, The Algebraist, and Player of Games (where the entire civilization, not just their mouthpiece, was vile) all had great villains - not because you admire them but because you genuinely hate them for what they do and how they act (Banks is so good at this, I miss him).

 

[Blaine]

I hoped for something like buying native slaves from natives.

You're a bit out-of-date on Western history.

We've updated the formerly incorrect history books with correct information, which is that natives never sold their own kind into slavery. Colonialists kidnapped them all.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Chippy I think I've made my position crystal clear by now. I think that MCA's story seems plausible, and I think it's good that he came out with it.

I just have hard time believing that he suddenly felt this strong urge to be very ethical, two days before Deadfire launches, and then when it launched, he suddenly has "something else coming up". I don't doubt his story, I doubt his motivations.

And the comedy highlight of this thread is when DarkUnderlord made a joke that I'm Obsidian employee, and Avellone sheepishly believed it and immediately tried to get me to spy on Feargus and report back to him. All this while still having me on ignore. It's like, take a step back here for a minute and contemplate about this chain of events. The whole thing is just fucking weird, dude.

 

[Chippy]

The thing I don't get, is how someone can be so naive, and completely misjudge someones character for over 8 years or so. I mean, I guess it makes some sense, but Chris has always seemed to me to be a very bright person.

Though I suppose my own schizotypal personality disorder would make me somewhat paranoid in my dealings with just about anyone.

To me, the only logical explanation is denial, because it was something too horrible to be believed.

I still remember reading Chris's interviews, and reading just how much he looked up to Feargus. I wondered if perhaps there was some intimate gay feelings that they shared after reading it, legitimately, I thought they might be gay for each other.

Guess I shipped the wrong couple.

Being part Sicilian myself, I'm making the assumption it was an Omerta thing - like as an employee Feargus had protected him from the authorities/establishment...and then years later he finds out that Feargus had actually used his code of homour against him. So now instead of Feargus finding the family dog's head on his bed in the morning, he finds 200 pages of dirty laundry on the Codex.

 

[Chris Avellone]

RPS says that the game is about "colonialism mixed with exploitation of natural resources" but says the story is very bad because it "suggests the complicity of the natives." Could Sawyer have balanced too far ...?

I read that review - it wasn't flattering of the game on a number of fronts for sure.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chippy I think I've made my position crystal clear by now. I think that MCA's story seems plausible, and I think it's good that he came out with it.

I just have hard time believing that he suddenly felt this strong urge to be very ethical, two days before Deadfire launches, and then when it launched, he suddenly has "something else coming up". I don't doubt his story, I doubt his motivations.

And the comedy highlight of this thread is when DarkUnderlord made a joke that I'm Obsidian employee, and Avellone sheepishly believed it and immediately tried to get me to spy on Feargus and report back to him. All this while still having me on ignore. It's like, take a step back here for a minute and contemplate about this chain of events. The whole thing is just fucking weird, dude.

I genuinely thought you might be an employee because of what was said here on the forum (which ostensibly was a joke by DU), and that did change my stance absolutely because if so, there were multiple things you could check (and keep silent about, but do go check them, because you’re better equipped than most to see the truth).

If you’re not an employee, that’s fine, and I admit I shouldn’t have even assumed that might even be remotely true vs. being a joke from DarkUnderlord. Well-played, DU.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

"suggests the complicity of the natives"

Honestly Sawyer looks like a guy who really likes History, and with that kind of autism when you start to learn about real history the pseudo self loathing noble savage modern revisionism comes crashing down hard. I saw echoes of the 30 years war right in the first POE scenes, where History is actually a complex mish mash and nuanced beast.
So in a way Josh is not as sjw as some people here think I would guess.

Now hoping to be able to be some sort of Paladin conquistador mixed with Durance burning the decadent forests of these island savages.

 

[Chris Avellone]

So hypothetical question: If POE2 comes out and it's "good" (whatever you consider to be good/incline yeah?) and the Codex could hack into Metacritc to influence it's rating. Would you give it a favourable review to protect all the working man/women/they jobs at Obsidian, or would you tank it because of what MCA has revealed?.

A good game's a good game, and good developers are good developers.

A game and the development team speak for themselves, regardless of influences outside the team (upper management, a publisher, or me).

My comments aren't about the game or the team that made it, it's about upper management.

 

[FreeKaner]

So, the game has released. Who cares, Darth Roxor review when?

RPS says that the game is about "colonialism mixed with exploitation of natural resources" but says the story is very bad because it "suggests the complicity of the natives." Could Sawyer have balanced too far ...?

That's not a review, that's an opinion and it's a bad opinion. Natives did comply with the colonists everywhere. Moreover suggesting something is "bad" because it doesn't fit with (false) historical narrative is also clueless, as it doesn't even come close to understanding what's storytelling.

 

[Ezeekiel]

"suggests the complicity of the natives"

Honestly Sawyer looks like a guy who really likes History, and with that kind of autism when you start to learn about real history the pseudo self loathing noble savage modern revisionism comes crashing down hard. I saw echoes of the 30 years war right in the first POE scenes, where History is actually a complex mish mash and nuanced beast.
So in a way Josh is not as sjw as some people here think I would guess.

Now hoping to be able to be some sort of Paladin conquistador mixed with Durance burning the decadent forests of these island savages.

Didn't Josh also hang out with Vavra a bit? I wonder if that had or has any repercussions...

 

[MRY]

Having been on the receiving end of an unflattering RPS review, I have developed the psychological coping mechanism of treating their analysis more as a literary exercise and less as purchasing guidance. But since I don't have time to play games, anyway, I fortunately don't need much guidance on that score anyway.

They did seem to enjoy the CYOA segments ("splendid Twine-like sections"), and indicate that "for those who enjoy the minutiae of such [RTWP] combat, it’s here that the min-maxing complexity that’s available will shine." They like the deep setting lore and lengthy, fully voiced dialogue: "The depth and wealth of effort that’s gone into its world building does have an impact on me. The sense of a place is unquestionably wonderful, and goodness me, there’s so much writing and voice acting in here (gone are PoE1’s awkward half-voiced conversations, with every NPC line spoken aloud)." Sounds like a game that should check every box for Darth Roxor!