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

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[toro]

most surprising thing in this thread for me is that Chris Avellone is someone who would read 98+ pages of single thread on codex

Spoiler

granted, by design its thread about him

 

[2house2fly]

It doesn't seem like he reads the whole thread, or surely he'd respond to more questions

 

[Roguey]

Tired: Josh Sawyer is secretly Roguey
Wired: Chris Avellone is secretly Roguey.

You have to admit stalking Deadfire development as extensively as he does and his idiosyncratic, polarizing code of honor is awfully Roguey-esque.

 

[agentorange]

BRFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP

 

[Viata]

But, before you think I’m being overly kind, the poorly-performing nepotism hires would, yes, all be let go. They are evident even to the folks still at Obsidian, and it causes problems to this day to see some underperformers getting special treatment for no other reason than, well, "the owner knows them and drinks beer with them."

Those glassdoor reviews were telling the true.

 

[2house2fly]

Tired: Josh Sawyer is secretly Roguey
Wired: Chris Avellone is secretly Roguey.

You have to admit stalking Deadfire development as extensively as he does and his idiosyncratic, polarizing code of honor is awfully Roguey-esque.

Yes, but his active refusal to acknowledge that anyone by the name of Josh Sawyer has ever existed is extremely off-brand

 

[Fenix]

Yes, but his active refusal to acknowledge that anyone by the name of Josh Sawyer has ever existed is extremely off-brand

Why I got "autism" sign when there are posts like this?....................

 

[Bohr]

Tired: Josh Sawyer is secretly Roguey
Wired: Chris Avellone is secretly Roguey.

You have to admit stalking Deadfire development as extensively as he does and his idiosyncratic, polarizing code of honor is awfully Roguey-esque.

And there we had Fenstermaker tricked into saluting Roguey posts about how MCA writes too much...

Spoiler

 

[Roguey]

Yes, but his active refusal to acknowledge that anyone by the name of Josh Sawyer has ever existed is extremely off-brand

Parallel: I have never directly communicated with Josh identifying as Roguey.

 

[Fenix]

Tired: Josh Sawyer is secretly Roguey
Wired: Chris Avellone is secretly Roguey.

You have to admit stalking Deadfire development as extensively as he does and his idiosyncratic, polarizing code of honor is awfully Roguey-esque.

And there we had Fenstermaker tricked into saluting Roguey posts about how MCA writes too much...

Spoiler

It's not the one post he saluting, I have seen definitely at least one other.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

Chris Avellone is/was Sawyer one of the bad guys @ Obsidian? Just ignore this question, if the answer is yes.

Spoiler

 

[Kingston]

Chris Avellone is/was Sawyer one of the bad guys @ Obsidian? Just ignore this question, if the answer is yes.

Spoiler

 

[fantadomat]

While drunk i decided to mess around with paint a little bit.

 

[Dyspaire]

Wish: Address the asked and unanswered Elephant. Speak of the one who is never named.

 

[Drax]

He's the new Literally Who.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

I am glad Avellone fucked off. It clear to all Obsidian today is a fucking pit of shitlords that probably like Critical Role.

 

[Tom Selleck]

Did we figure out who the person that had left Obsidian was and who the next few who would be that Chris alluded to?

Also, Chris, what's the story with that weird PDF novelized version of PST that comes with the original GOG (not the EE) edition? Did you write that? Did someone take the game script and try and make it into a book? Should I read it? Is there a bound copy? Can I get it? Can I get you to sign it? If I send you a SASE would you sign it? I have Al Roker's autograph and I feel yours would surpass even his in my esteem.

 

[Sentinel]

Wouldn't be immensely surprised if Sawyer was the one leaving to develop his own historical turn-based RPG after he got inspired by the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Wouldn't be immensely surprised if Sawyer was the one leaving to develop his own historical turn-based RPG after he got inspired by the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

KCD is too white. He will never do it.

 

[Prime Junta]

Chris Avellone Did you in fact exceed your word count for Durance and GM? Were you ever given one? If you did, why and how?

 

[Roguey]

It seemed to me that he didn't dispute that, and blamed the problems they had later on their foolish, optimistic attempt to yet again try to implement all that content instead of immediately telling him to prune it back to what they told him to write.

 

[Plane Escapee]

Chris Avellone okay, since I didn't get lucky with my previous question I'll try with something easier but no less significant...

I don't think we'll ever going to see a substantial criticism of Sawyer from Chris. Let me explain.

Sawyer is like a cat. He's a slightly moody and memetic creature, sort of amicable, if not always readily approachable which guarantees that he stays out of politics that could otherwise endanger prospects of him satisfying his feline urges. It follows that as a cat, he can do what he wants most of the time and people grew to accept his fluffy eccentricities. It can be also implied that his circumstance warrants he has a different set of definitions for phenomena such as fun and rewards. Just think about it; for a cat, walking from one side of the room to the other while musing on a fly it slaughtered the other day would be a perfectly fun and rewarding experience, however dull it would be to an average specimen of genus homo. Cat really is a romantic creature, and so is Sawyer. I think Chris realizes that better than almost anyone here because he has actually seen Sawyer's true form–his nature. He knows that criticizing Joshua Sawyer would be practically pointless, as criticism is beyond a cat's interest, or even understanding. Besides, who really wants to punish a cat that just goes about doing cat things? That would be heartless.

Can you confirm or deny whether the one who must not be named is indeed like a cat?

Lots of love,
Your friend,
Plane Escapee

 

[sser]

Stingy finances and annoying nepotism are things you’ll find anywhere the employee roster goes past about 5+ names. Not much else to say about that. I took up solo PI hackjobs, tech installations, house inspections, writing BB etc. just to stay away from it. Drama never interested me much, and I feel like I'm hanging outside a water cooler listening to Cubicle Talleyrand and HR Kissinger talk maneuvers when all I want is to sip a lukewarm beverage. That said, if politics interfered with the writing then that seriously sucks. GM/Durance had incredible introductions, but they both felt flat thereafter. Conceptually, I thought the potential of those characters was incredibly deep and that a boat had been missed when they weren't expounded upon.

I don't follow names that much so I honestly don't even recognize half the people being brought up here. Chris Avellone you are one of the few names I know offhand, though. A shame about all this and that. Former friends tend to make the worst of enemies - and former business partners? Oh lord. Seems like a real goatrope and the sort that can summed with a short, "what the fuck?" and a shake of the head. I only wish the best for everyone involved and that maybe someday this shit gets buried. Easier said than done, I'm sure. Anyway, hope all is well for you and yours.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I mean, the fact that Chris wrote too much game is basically common knowledge at this point, no?

The dispute seems to be rather on whether rest of Obsidian should bend over backwards to support their superstar writer, and whether Chris could expect to have special treatment and still get to complain about management playing favorites at the same time. You can't have it both ways.

Then there's the fact that - I would argue - all PoE1 companions felt rather undercooked. And the root cause of most problems with the entire game were ridiculously optimistic and over-scoped stretch goals that they had no choice but to implement whether they fit the game or not. So a case certainly can be made that Sawyer and Brenecke fucked up the campaign and left not enough room to companions.

I mean, on launch you could certainly drop some classes entirely and nothing of value would be lost, and then the entire act 3 is just half-assed beyond belief. So maybe what the game needed were full fledged Avellonian companions and cuts made elsewhere instead.