Codex Interview RPG Codex Interview: Feargus Urquhart at Digital Dragons 2016

[Ninjerk]

 

[Mychkine]

Part of the issue was that Obsidian has the power to blacklist us if we try to put words in FU's mouth. That won't be a concern with Avellone, so that transcription should be done much faster.

That is the reason why every journalist send the edited version to the person interviewed before publication, to make sure that the edited parts do not create problems. Great interview by the way, you made him say a lot more than one can read in an usual interview.

 

[Infinitron]

I had no idea the Hidden pitch had been revealed, nor that anyone had talked about it, let alone on the PoE forum (sorry for the reaction, Radek). Sometimes revelations like this, even within the same company, can be a bit of a surprise, unfortunately.

To clarify based on the revelation above since I'm called out publicly on my involvement with it, I wouldn't want any credit for it or be associated with it - it wasn't my idea, and it was waaaay too close to a pitch to Obsidian 4-5 years ago, unfortunately (after parting Obsidian, the older pitch and the timing of it came up in conversation with the folks who had originally pitched it, and with the reveal above, I've since apologized to them and am happy Hidden never saw the light of day). Their idea was much better and I would have preferred that to what's described above, which sounds like a cheap Fables knock-off, although admittedly there was no Fables games at the time, IIRC.

Wait... You say this pre-Hidden, Hidden-like pitch was "4-5 years ago". But Feargus told us about Hidden in the PoE Kickstarter comments all the way back in 2012, and he said it was three or four years old then.

 

[Plane Escapee]

I had no idea the Hidden pitch had been revealed, nor that anyone had talked about it, let alone on the PoE forum (sorry for the reaction, Radek). Sometimes revelations like this, even within the same company, can be a bit of a surprise, unfortunately.

To clarify based on the revelation above since I'm called out publicly on my involvement with it, I wouldn't want any credit for it or be associated with it - it wasn't my idea, and it was waaaay too close to a pitch to Obsidian 4-5 years ago, unfortunately (after parting Obsidian, the older pitch and the timing of it came up in conversation with the folks who had originally pitched it, and with the reveal above, I've since apologized to them and am happy Hidden never saw the light of day). Their idea was much better and I would have preferred that to what's described above, which sounds like a cheap Fables knock-off, although admittedly there was no Fables games at the time, IIRC.

This is, seriously, the nicest human being in game development. How could anyone not like MCA?

 

[Grauken]

He makes everyone else look bad in comparison

 

[vivec]

Chris Avellone

What game would you like to have worked on? You know, every master on looking back, envies someone else and says, "I wish I had done that." That kind of admiration is a signature of greatness because it is an indication that you understand this greatness and identify it. Moreover, it means that you are not threatened by anyone else being great and are comfortable in your own skin.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Part of the issue was that Obsidian has the power to blacklist us if we try to put words in FU's mouth. That won't be a concern with Avellone, so that transcription should be done much faster.

That is the reason why every journalist send the edited version to the person interviewed before publication, to make sure that the edited parts do not create problems. Great interview by the way, you made him say a lot more than one can read in an usual interview.

Allowing the interviewee to review/edit an interview isn't usually done - it's well within the rights and expectations of the press that unless the comment is off the record, it's part of the interview. Allowing edits after the fact isn't good form, and no journalist should ever think it's polite, it's rarely done, because it compromises the reporting. Speaking from experience, there are times where I have been misquoted or my response ignored/not transcribed in previous interviews (including the Codex at PAX East), and I mostly have to shrug and let it go.

Anyway, being "blacklisted" isn't something I'd expect the Codex to worry about anyway, and if it was done, I fear the company that chooses to do it.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone

What game would you like to have worked on? You know, every master on looking back, envies someone else and says, "I wish I had done that." That kind of admiration is a signature of greatness because it is an indication that you understand this greatness and identify it. Moreover, it means that you are not threatened by anyone else being great and are comfortable in your own skin.

Fallout 1. Not "done" it, per se, but worked on it.

 

[Chris Avellone]

I had no idea the Hidden pitch had been revealed, nor that anyone had talked about it, let alone on the PoE forum (sorry for the reaction, Radek). Sometimes revelations like this, even within the same company, can be a bit of a surprise, unfortunately.

To clarify based on the revelation above since I'm called out publicly on my involvement with it, I wouldn't want any credit for it or be associated with it - it wasn't my idea, and it was waaaay too close to a pitch to Obsidian 4-5 years ago, unfortunately (after parting Obsidian, the older pitch and the timing of it came up in conversation with the folks who had originally pitched it, and with the reveal above, I've since apologized to them and am happy Hidden never saw the light of day). Their idea was much better and I would have preferred that to what's described above, which sounds like a cheap Fables knock-off, although admittedly there was no Fables games at the time, IIRC.

Wait... You say this pre-Hidden, Hidden-like pitch was "4-5 years ago". But Feargus told us about Hidden in the PoE Kickstarter comments all the way back in 2012, and he said it was three or four years old then.

My fault - the pre-Hidden pitch was approximately a year before the Hidden pitch (I don't have the exact date, but it was definitely before Hidden ever existed as an idea). I should have answered in the timeframe context of the Hidden pitch.

 

[Infinitron]

My fault - the pre-Hidden pitch was approximately a year before the Hidden pitch (I don't have the exact date, but it was definitely before Hidden ever existed as an idea). I should have answered in the timeframe context of the Hidden pitch.

So what, this was a malicious plagiarization?

my response ignored/not transcribed in previous interviews (including the Codex at PAX East)

Uh, do tell. (mindx2 What have you done)

 

[Hoodoo]

Didn't know Feargus was ur dad.

 

[Excidium II]

 

[Space Insect]

Edit: It should read: "Don't talk to me or my wife's son ever again"

 

[Roguey]

Edit: It should read: "Don't talk to me or my wife's son ever again"

That's a mutation of the original image macro.

 

[mindx2]

Speaking from experience, there are times where I have been misquoted or my response ignored/not transcribed in previous interviews (including the Codex at PAX East), and I mostly have to shrug and let it go.

Uh, do tell. (mindx2 What have you done)

Well that's a question I'd like answered from Chris himself....

I still have the entire recording and transcribed everything that was said (except for the ums, huhs, repeated words, ect.). Perhaps I misheard something or didn't catch it with multiple people talking at once...?

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

That's what happens when you not take your time

 

[vivec]

Chris Avellone

What game would you like to have worked on? You know, every master on looking back, envies someone else and says, "I wish I had done that." That kind of admiration is a signature of greatness because it is an indication that you understand this greatness and identify it. Moreover, it means that you are not threatened by anyone else being great and are comfortable in your own skin.

Fallout 1. Not "done" it, per se, but worked on it.

You should play Witcher 3 if you haven't already. The English translation is a bit rusty, but I can guarantee you; you are going to like its storytelling. Unfortunately, it is buried under a lot of gameplay that is cumbersome in certain ways. I am equally certain that you will enjoy the expansions too, although the ending of the Heart of Stone would have benefited from a more.. light touch. Playing that, I had a feeling that you should have written the ending. I suspect you would have done it justice.

By the way, how much part did you have in writing Gann of Dreams? His ending is surprisingly positive, quite unlike other tragic characters you tend to write. I wonder if that has a story behind it.

 

[Roguey]

"You should play Witcher 3"
\

 

[Sensuki]

I wish some more designers would play The original Witcher through to at least the end of Chapter 2, and experience the nice branching quest design. Unfortunately a lot can't seem to stomach Act 1 xD

 

[Roguey]

I wish some more designers would play The original Witcher through to at least the end of Chapter 2, and experience the nice branching quest design. Unfortunately a lot can't seem to stomach Act 1 xD

Incoherent branching quest design you mean.

 

[Sensuki]

Not at all.

 

[Roguey]

Not at all.

Chapter 2 was extremely incoherent if you took on quests in a way that wasn't the exact way CD Projekt intended, because they were a bunch of amateurs who couldn't/wouldn't/didn't modify dialogue to make sense given what you had actually seen so far.

 

[Sensuki]

I don't quite think we're talking about the same thing.

 

[throwaway]

I'm sure the number of games who have both done branching quests to (at least) the depth of W1 and featured dialogue modified in accordance to exposed information can be counted on one hand. Heck, I got to a scroll with most of the Betrayer's story in MotB within the first few hours and spent the rest of the game being gradually exposed to the same information without the chance of ever saying this was old news.

 

[Roguey]

Heck, I got to a scroll with most of the Betrayer's story in MotB within the first few hours and spent the rest of the game being gradually exposed to the same information without the chance of ever saying this was old news.

But did your character act surprised upon hearing the information additional times? I don't believe so. Because Obsidian is experienced.