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

[Infinitron]

Anthony's post just makes Obsidian look worse, how do you go from being a class-act to locking a man out of his work forum account?

Yes, after reading this thread, I absolutely can't imagine why Obsidian might be leery of Chris posting on their forums. >_>

(but deleting it would be nice I guess)

 

[Latro]

Anthony's post just makes Obsidian look worse, how do you go from being a class-act to locking a man out of his work forum account?

Yes, after reading this thread, I absolutely can't imagine why Obsidian might be leery of Chris posting on their forums. >_>

If they didn't fuck him over they wouldn't have to cover their ass.

 

[Blaine]

If they didn't fuck him over they wouldn't have to cover their ass.

This is fallacious logic along the lines of: "If he isn't guilty, then why did he run?".

Mind you, that same fallacy has employed against MCA as well: "If they threw the book at him, then he must have done something to deserve it."

 

[fantadomat]

If he wanted,he would have posted in obsidian forums and not here. Maybe MCA does like it here?! Also i don't see why Infinitron would go around posting it in other forums. Actually i wouldn't very pleased if it was done to me.

I can't post to the Obsidian forums, they locked me out of my account after my departure.

When I realized this, I asked them to at least delete my account since I can't access it, and they said that was impossible to do (or Darren Monahan did, anyway).

I do realize they were trying to keep up appearances that everyone was getting along (which is something they've kept doing), but it misrepresents my actual role and ability to participate in the community and really, I just want my account deleted. It seems like a simple thing to do, so I don't know the logistics of why it's impossible.

I am just reading up the drama,i am at page 10. Just read your first post and must say. I am all for business is business but that shit they did is a bad business. Scamming one of your best writers,maybe even the best, is beyond stupid. It looks like you really have butthurt someone there. All the things are just petty and malevolent. Not much logic behind them. Skimming some newfag out of a pay is one thing,fucking over one of your core members is idiotic. Loyalty should be replayed with loyalty. The forum thing is total bullshit,maybe try to keep you for marketing.

Anyway i do hope that you and your family is healthy and well,may you find even bigger success in the future . Oh and can you say how much nca is? I would love to see your writing in rpgs.

 

[mondblut]

Waitaminute, now Fairfax is Chris Avellone, AwesomeButton appears to have become Infinitron, cats and dogs are living together, just what in the HELL is going on?!

It's a subtle clue that MCA's account has been taken over by DU and he is now toying with us all.

Brb, doorbell is ringing...

 

[FreeKaner]

Top down forced corporate positivity is an alienating experience.

Meanwhile in Obsidian Entertainment:

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

I can't imagine why any of you would expect a profit seeking enterprise to behave in a fair or benign way.

Probably because they'd known each other since like 1995. You'd expect some courtesy.

Really? I think you're getting at the crux of why this seems so repellant, but there's no better way to ruin a friendship than by going into business together. You have families in business together that treat each other worse than Feargus treated Chris. e.g. for the last twenty years of his life, my grandfather only communicated with his brother via lawsuit.

Computer games are luxury entertainment, not shelter, necessities, or staples. Refusing to buy luxury items from bad companies is a perfectly viable and smart move.

Sure, and then you'll have a real dearth of entertainment options. Systemic problems require systemic solutions.

 

[BlackGoat]

You know that there is decline when new players think there is nothing special about one of the giants of the industry being treated like a dog by their own studio, and will continue to support them because they have better graphics.

See Alan Moore in comics, see Orson Welles in cinema

 

[Latro]

If they didn't fuck him over they wouldn't have to cover their ass.

This is fallacious logic along the lines of: "If he isn't guilty, then why did he run?".

Mind you, that same fallacy has employed against MCA as well: "If they threw the book at him, then he must have done something to deserve it."

Inconceivable!

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Man leaves a company, cannot post from his work account anymore.

What a shocking development.

 

[Imoens pet]

How shallow must a person be to say," Oh gee who cares, as long as the game is good, I don't care." Or the classic," Most people don't even know who Chris Avellone is, why should they care." I mean come on now, this doesn't invalidate what the situation. Nor, does it invalidate the implications of the situation.

More importantly though, if you mind humoring me Chris, Have any lawyers called you as of late?

Also why come here to spill the beans? Why not a more credible area.

 

[Sentinel]

but there's no better way to ruin a friendship than by going into business together.

This is true. But still doesn't justify anything imo.

 

[Night Goat]

Chris Avellone,

Now that you'll never work in this industry again, would you consider writing novels? I'd like to experience your writing without having to put up with awful gameplay to get it.

 

[Latro]

Man leaves a company, cannot post from his work account anymore.

What a shocking development.

who are you and why do you have 2 million posts

 

[Blaine]

Sure, and then you'll have a real dearth of entertainment options.

Thankfully, there's more to do in this life than play beepy-blinky things on the cam-pu-tor.

Systemic problems require systemic solutions.

Yeah? Well, those solutions aren't forthcoming. In the meantime, we do what we can.

Man leaves a company, cannot post from his work account anymore.

I'm sure they'll let him create a new account with normal permissions to interact with the user base like just another regular Joe.

Oh wait, they won't, you straw-grasping goofy fuck.

 

[Big Wrangle]

Yeah I'm no Obsidian forum expert but I'd assume they could have just demoted his account, give him a 'former staff' status or some shit. Unless every single former employee at Obsidian got the same treatment or something.

 

[Projas]

Also why come here to spill the beans? Why not a more credible area.

how dare you, this is a tier 1 site

 

[Fry]

Chris Avellone,

Now that you'll never work in this industry again, would you consider writing novels? I'd like to experience your writing without having to put up with awful gameplay to get it.

Hurr...

Even if this thread has a measurable impact on his work, finding people to give him games writing contracts will still be infinitely easier than getting a novel published.

 

[Imoens pet]

Also why come here to spill the beans? Why not a more credible area.

how dare you, this is a tier 1 site

Even so, how much traction would this have gained had this controversial drama made it to the mainstream. Though, it seems that wasn't Chris's intention; dude was probably venting on a former employee.

Was a fun night that's for sure, but I can't help but get worried that this will get him in trouble.

 

[agris]

Anthony's post just makes Obsidian look worse, how do you go from being a class-act to locking a man out of his work forum account?

Employees can only log into their OBSIDIAN tagged forum accounts on-site. Seems silly and excessive to me, but it's how they set it up.

You're generous in assuming that the VPN program they use to access the office network from their work laptops off-site doesn't also trigger the intranet IP requirements to log into the Obsidian-tagged accounts.

 

[Roguey]

You're generous in assuming that the VPN program they use to access the office network from their work laptops off-site doesn't also trigger the intranet IP requirements to log into the Obsidian-tagged accounts.

Back during the Project Eternity days, when Obsidian forum-goers got very angry at Josh for always posting on Something Awful and almost never at the official boards, this was the reason given. He said he can't post there at home.

This partially explains why all the Obsidian devs congregate on the fan discord instead of the forums as well.

 

[Lycra Suit]

The devs post in a discord? Why was it not mentioned earlier? There's bound to be some amount of reaction to MCA's latest posts especially with the spontaneity and false sense of fleetingness offered by a chatroom.

 

[Roguey]

The devs post in a discord? Why was it not mentioned earlier? There's bound to be some amount of reaction to MCA's latest posts especially with the spontaneity and false sense of fleetingness offered by a chatroom.

Nah, it's a tumblr discord, no grogs allowed. Avellone's a bitter old man yelling at a cloud to the likes of them.

 

[Imoens pet]

Link to the discord?

I would love to hear the devs acknowledge the situation. After all, what way to release one of the most important IP's, than with a lil corporate drama :^)

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

It just strikes me as kind of silly to use "treated Chris Avellone well/poorly" as the main criteria for judging the moral character of a given company. I can understand boycotting companies that kill people or fund your political opponents or violate some religious commandment like dealing in pork products. But as much as I love his work, the ethical treatment of Chris Avellones is pretty far down on my list of things to get up in arms about.

I mean, is Chris himself even calling for a boycott?