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

[Sensuki]

TW1 has better quest gameplay than all of their games (that I've played). KotOR 2 had some okay stuff though.

Unfortunately TW2 took a step back in that regard, which is a shame.

 

[Roguey]

TW1 has better quest gameplay than all of their games (that I've played).

I found the quests in New Vegas streets ahead. Beyond the Beef is an impressive piece of work that manages to stay coherent no matter how you do it.

As anotherrrrrrrr example

The entrance to the Strip is guarded by several securitrons, therefore preventing the Courier from walking right into it. There are 7 possible ways to gain entrance:

• The securitrons at the gate will permit entrance with 2000 caps. They will not take the money, but merely check to ensure that the visitor has a large amount of caps.
  • Having a Science skill of at least 80 (which is difficult to get if the player makes a direct run to the strip), the securitron can be hacked to gain entrance.
  • Alternatively, killing all the securitrons at the gate will allow access. Note that this triggers hostility in case of witnesses; the rest of the securitrons inside will also fight and give infamy.
• The securitrons will also allow access with a New Vegas passport. A Speech of 50 or more allows convincing Ralph, from Mick & Ralph's to forge a passport for 500 caps. It can be gotten for 375 with a Barter check of 50, or even get it for free, with enough NCR reputation.
  • A passport can be acquired for free and without needing to pass the Speech check by completing the G.I. Blues quest given by the King and choosing access to the Strip as one's favor.
• An "Accepted" or greater reputation with the NCR, or with an NCR uniform, the monorail at Camp McCarran to Las Vegas Boulevard Station can be taken and the Freeside gate bypassed. After entering the Strip through this way the securitrons at the Freeside gate will allow leaving and entering the Strip freely without having to pass a skill check or showing caps.

How many ways can you enter Vizima in The Witcher? One, go through the plot, always get captured. This was a complained about quite frequently by the members of Classic Codex.

 

[vivec]

New vegas definitely has a more branched storyline compared to TW1. There is no debating that. Unfortunately the writing is so terrible that playing any of those options is equally boring.

 

[Infinitron]

Roguey BtB isn't entirely coherent; the way the quest splits depending on what you say to Mortimer is rather artificial. If you agree to help him, the matchbook on the killed investigator never exists.

 

[One-and-a-half-Ivan]

New vegas definitely has a more branched storyline compared to TW1. There is no debating that. Unfortunately the writing is so terrible that playing any of those options is equally boring.

NV writing > Witcher 1 easily, because Witcher 1's writing feels like shitty fanfiction if you've read the books (which are no War and Peace themselves).

 

[vivec]

If you think either the books of NV or TW are good examples of writing then there is something wrong.

Despite this, W1 is better-organized story overall than New Vegas. It has an impact, while the NV story is, unfortunately, crippled completely by the political correctness. Interesting characters are without depth (Dr. House could be so much more) and there is overall no drive in the story at all. Period. You do the faction questions because, well, that's what is you do in a game. The real story is the revenge which pansies out fast enough to be completely irrelevant. Witcher 1 at least sets up a believable motivation.

TW2 is where things get interesting, however. The storytelling is much more mature and sets dilemmas nicely. In TW3 they use voice acting, cinematic render and story to really a great appeal, though.


One must remember that Witcher is hardly 'save the world' story, although that is what happens in the course of the first and the third game. Mostly it is a personal quest for the central character and they make you *feel* the moral quandaries, which is more than what I can say about any other modern game. Angthoron will bear me out I think.

 

[Sizzle]

If you think either the books of NV or TW are good examples of writing then there is something wrong.

Despite this, W1 is better-organized story overall than New Vegas. It has an impact, while the NV story is, unfortunately, crippled completely by the political correctness.

What political correctness?

 

[vivec]

Caesar's legion.

 

[Sizzle]

Caesar's legion.

What's PC about it? The problem with the Legion was that it was underdeveloped (if Avellone's NPC stayed in the game - Ulysses would have provided a nice pro-Legion counterbalance to the other recruitable characters).

 

[vivec]

Caesar's legion.

What's PC about it? The problem with the Legion was that it was underdeveloped (if Avellone's NPC stayed in the game - Ulysses would have provided a nice pro-Legion counterbalance to the other recruitable characters).

We must have played two different games. as much as I like Chris Avellone as a writer, Ulyssys made little to no sense. And Caesar's legion was literally written to be the villains without any compelling argument whatsoever. It was implied that they would implode the day Caesar died. So there wasn't even the argument of Order out of Chaos.

 

[Angthoron]

One must remember that Witcher is hardly 'save the world' story, although that is what happens in the course of the first and the third game. Mostly it is a personal quest for the central character and they make you *feel* the moral quandaries, which is more than what I can say about any other modern game. Angthoron will bear me out I think.

Well, Witcher series (both novels and games) are at the core about Geralt's world so that's very much spot-on. Wars, politics, Wild Hunt etc are just a backdrop to flesh out the character and set up the moral quandaries. One can focus on the external stuff that's happening, but that's sort of missing the point. Basically Witcher is Fantasy Opera (like Space Opera a-la Babylon 5 etc), a character-centric set of episodes. Obviously character growth will be much more important in a game/novel like that, and so you can see the split between, say, NV writing, where the game is about YOUR adventure, and TW writing, where the game is about GERALT's adventure.

 

[Sizzle]

Caesar's legion.

What's PC about it? The problem with the Legion was that it was underdeveloped (if Avellone's NPC stayed in the game - Ulysses would have provided a nice pro-Legion counterbalance to the other recruitable characters).

We must have played two different games. as much as I like Chris Avellone as a writer, Ulyssys made little to no sense. And Caesar's legion was literally written to be the villains without any compelling argument whatsoever. It was implied that they would implode the day Caesar died. So there wasn't even the argument of Order out of Chaos.

I guess we did, because many characters argue that the Legion is a better alternative than the NCR. Like I said, the problems with the Legion stem from them not having enough content in the game, not being PC (and you still haven't explained what you mean by this). It really isn't that one-sided.

 

[One-and-a-half-Ivan]

Despite this, W1 is better-organized story overall than New Vegas.

"Story" and "writing" are two different things.
I can't really talk about W1's story, tbqh. I played for 20 hours, and it didn't grab me. The reason for that was because it felt like a cheap knock-off of the books. It reused situations and characters from the books (Professor, I look at you), and it didn't make any sense. I don't know, maybe it resolved these issues by the end of the game, but for the first half it kept me mad.

 

[Sensuki]

As anotherrrrrrrr example

That's 7 ways to do one step. Haven't played NV, can't comment on it but nu-Obsidian seems very focused on following templates for quest structure.

 

[vivec]

One-and-a-half-Ivan

The first half is notoriously slow. And I disagree; story and writing are not two different things. The Story is a part of the latter.

Sizzle

Corrupt Democracy vs Authoraterianism. Guess which has the more positive focus.

 

[Sizzle]

Corrupt Democracy vs Authoraterianism. Guess which has the more positive focus.

Lived in both - both suck in their own special ways.

Now, are you finally going to answer what makes the Legion politically correct, or do you just like to throw that word around because this is the Codex and yelling "PC libruuuuulz!" is a sure way to earn edgy points?

 

[Angthoron]

Corrupt Democracy vs Authoraterianism. Guess which has the more positive focus.

Lived in both - both suck in their own special ways.

Now, are you finally going to answer what makes the Legion politically correct, or do you just like to throw that word around because this is the Codex and yelling "PC libruuuuulz!" is a sure way to earn edgy points?

My problem with Legion is that the game shows few true atrocities by it (I mean, everyone's a dick, okay, some crucified people, but you were fucking shot in the head and buried alive by a non-Legion gangster just a little earlier so, tough luck guys) nor any actual benefits of this supposed faction. They're just there, and are a very easy choice to fight against. In fact why even bother giving an option to side with them? Just because they said they'll be cool? Hmh.

One-and-a-half-Ivan

The first half is notoriously slow.

Endgame is fantastic though.

 

[Perkel]

vivec point of PC and Ceasar's legion is on point. Yes they are undeveloped yes their lore and their organization have imo better chance to rule wastes but actuall stuff you do with is actually not connected to their credo and you can't hunt slaves, sell people and so on. Yes that would probably boring overall but option is important not that someone will use that option.
On other hand exploring such themes could lead to interesting concepts like being reconized by former slave and fucking up your questline on some point in some quest or getting to see direct results of your actions.

 

[vivec]

They do enslave people and are clearly demarkated as rapists. In that sense democracy is the only good in the game, which is fine by me. Except it is supposed to be the alternative to the NCR.

 

[an Administrator]

There are many characters in NV who hate NCR. Like Khans tell you that NCR are not really so nice because of what they did at Bitter Springs.
Game is not so biased toward ncr.

 

[Angthoron]

Well if you read between the lines you get to see that NCR are actually quite the assholes, bigots and bureaucrats themselves and are basically set to eventually repeat the mistakes of pre-war USA, thus war, war never changes.

 

[Sizzle]

They do enslave people and are clearly demarkated as rapists. In that sense democracy is the only good in the game, which is fine by me. Except it is supposed to be the alternative to the NCR.

Except it is. Many characters comment on the areas controlled by the Legion being safer than those of the NCR, as well as questioning what will happen to the NCR if it continues emulating the ways of the past (both good and bad).

Now, the only reason why the NCR so clearly comes on top in the philosophical debate between it and the Legion is because there is a lot more NCR quest material and characters present in the game. Even so, you can easily role-play a character who believes in the things the Legion stands for.

Though personally, I've always chosen either the House or the Screw Everyone ending (although I've played through all of them).

 

[vivec]

Almost all the companions also abandon you as soon s you go the Legion route, indicating that the moral compass is tilted towards the NCR.

 

[Sensuki]

I can't really talk about W1's story, tbqh. I played for 20 hours, and it didn't grab me.

My original post in the thread was about how many people stop playing during Chapter 1 and miss the good questing in the later ones.

 

[an Administrator]

Companions who hate legion:
Two women
An ex-NCR sniper who lost his wife because of the legion
A humanist doctor
All of them have personal reasons to hate legion its not about "moral compass being tilted toward NCR"