Codex Interview RPG Codex Interview: Josh Sawyer at GDC Europe 2016

[Zanzoken]

When you listen to & read Sawyer enough it becomes pretty clear why Pillars turned out the way it did.

The guy seems like an extremely left-brain thinker -- i.e. highly logical, analytical, and detail-oriented. This is what makes him a really good Project Director, an overly obsessive Systems Designer, and an uninspired Worldbuilder/Writer.

That doesn't mean he isn't creative per se, or at least important to the creative process. I think someone of his type can be good at wrangling the ideas of others and forming them into a cohesive whole -- a curator, if you will.

The problem is I don't think Sawyer is aware of his own limitations. Pillars is too much his baby, thus it inherited too much of his own self. The game needed more of the creative juices of others in order to really come to life.

 

[Fry]

I think someone of his type can be good at wrangling the ideas of others and forming them into a cohesive whole -- a curator, if you will.

This pretty exactly describes the role of "creative director". And the role he took on Pillars?

I suppose he wrote Pallegina and came up with a good bit of the Pillars universe. Little of the actual writing was his.

 

[Fairfax]

I think someone of his type can be good at wrangling the ideas of others and forming them into a cohesive whole -- a curator, if you will.

This pretty exactly describes the role of "creative director". And the role he took on Pillars?

I suppose he wrote Pallegina and came up with a good bit of the Pillars universe. Little of the actual writing was his.

There was no Creative Lead. Sawyer was Project Director, Lead Designer, Lead Systems Designer and one of the Narrative Designers. However, MCA refers to Fenstermaker as "Creative Lead", so I don't know if that changed along the way.

 

[Fry]

I think Sawyer did a good bit of the world building. The background stuff in the guide book, for example.

 

[Fairfax]

I think Sawyer did a good bit of the world building. The background stuff in the guide book, for example.

He did most of it, just saying there was no Creative Lead role, and no World Building Lead like in FNV, which was effectively one of Sawyer's roles in PoE's case.

 

[Infinitron]

Willing to bet that PoE's narrative and creative flaws had more to do with the lack of a full-time Creative Lead (Eric was also committed to South Park until its release in 2014) than Josh Sawyer's personality traits.

 

[tormund]

For the Codex's best pieces of content, I like keeping track of what sites have linked to us:

How pathetic are you?

He is Jewish. By working for Codex's material gain, he is raising holy sparks and is thus redeeming the creation. After all, several branches of Jewish teaching say that holy sparks are to be rescued by engagement in all the worldly pursuits.

 

[Atlantico]

One of my favorite parts of the interview is when Bubbles was totally sure that Josh knows what a blobber is, and Josh seems to have not wanted to admit that he doesn't, and somehow it all worked out.

I don't think anyone outside of this echo-chamber should know what a blobber is. This was a very poor interview. Waste of opportunity, it was mostly Bubbles bitching about shit and throwing in random Codex memes.

Whining about SoD and DA:II being better in any way or form than PoE was eye-roll inducing. Yeah PoE wasn't amazing, it was thorougly average, but damn SoD and DA:II are pure shit.

Were you trolling Sawyer or just

 

[Roguey]

Waste of opportunity, it was mostly Bubbles bitching about shit and throwing in random Codex memes.

Many of the questions came from the community.

 

[Infinitron]

Also, he did have a lot of time. In a more standard-lengthed interview, I'm sure the sillier questions would have been prioritized away.

 

[Tigranes]

It is nice that we can interview these guys long enough to ask the retarded questions, and then it's in text form so we can skip reading the retarded questions

 

[Atlantico]

Many of the questions came from the community.

Indeed and this community, fine as it is, needs translation to human, before being subjected on normies.

Literally no one outside this community uses the term "blobbers" for instance, so asking normal people with jobs on their opinion of blobbers isn't very productive.

But that was just one facet of the interview. Then there are the fascinating questions on color schemes (some apparently wanted brighter colors!) and game length (some apparently wanted a shorter game with more C&C!) ... yes, I'm sure some did. The answers are as predictable as the questions are banal. Sure the game could have been shorter, sure we could have used different color schemes. Good thing we have this interview to establish that.

Bah, whatever. I'm not a fan of this hackjob.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/the-bards-tale-iv/posts/1562643

We started from a foundation of classic blobber combat

 

[Atlantico]

Cute. What's Brian's username on the codex?

 

[Infinitron]

Cute. What's Brian's username on the codex?

BrianF. But he probably heard of the term from Brother None.

 

[an Administrator]

The term "blobber" is stupid.

 

[Brayko]

His negatives outweigh his positives. Unfortunately.

 

[Roguey]

Literally no one outside this community uses the term "blobbers" for instance, so asking normal people with jobs on their opinion of blobbers isn't very productive.

He's not a normal person, he's an RPG developer.

If you talk to a developer of games where you control a tiny ship who shoots things, that person would probably not be confused when you refer to such a thing as a shmup.

 

[Atlantico]

If you talk to a developer of games where you control a tiny ship who shoots things, that person would probably not be confused when you refer to such a thing as a shmup.

Are you talking about STGs? ;-P

Outside the codex the term blobber doesn't really exist. Google it, it references only this website.

Sure it's a stupid term, but that's neither here nor there, it just isn't used outside the codex. So you're inferring that all RPG developers should read the codex.

I know the Codex is the light and the truth, but people who make games can have better things to do than read the neckbeardiest of Codex threads about blobbers.

:mrfussy:

 

[a bear named spigot]

Outside the codex the term blobber doesn't really exist. Google it, it references only this website.

here's a reference from another highly regarded prestigious magazine

also mentioned here in describing bt4 by the illustrious richard cobbett

 

[ROARRR]

blobbers

Try to spell it slowly and with an erotic tone.

 

[Roguey]

Are you talking about STGs? ;-P

Outside the codex the term blobber doesn't really exist. Google it, it references only this website.

Sure it's a stupid term, but that's neither here nor there, it just isn't used outside the codex. So you're inferring that all RPG developers should read the codex.

I know the Codex is the light and the truth, but people who make games can have better things to do than read the neckbeardiest of Codex threads about blobbers.

:mrfussy:

All terms have to start somewhere. Someone in fandom coined Metroidvania to describe platformers with exploration and leveling, a game reviewer coined 4x to describe strategy games where you explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Frankly, 4x is far, far less clear than blobber, yet any strategy game fan or designer will know exactly what you're talking about when you mention it.

 

[Infinitron]

Blobber might have grown to be a more widespread term if the genre it describes wasn't far more obscure than 4x.

BTW, notice how the currently stickied review is of a game whose specific sub-genre has no catchy title at all.

 

[Fairfax]

Are you talking about STGs? ;-P

Outside the codex the term blobber doesn't really exist. Google it, it references only this website.

Sure it's a stupid term, but that's neither here nor there, it just isn't used outside the codex. So you're inferring that all RPG developers should read the codex.

I know the Codex is the light and the truth, but people who make games can have better things to do than read the neckbeardiest of Codex threads about blobbers.

:mrfussy:

All terms have to start somewhere. Someone in fandom coined Metroidvania to describe platformers with exploration and leveling, a game reviewer coined 4x to describe strategy games where you explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Frankly, 4x is far, far less clear than blobber, yet any strategy game fan or designer will know exactly what you're talking about when you mention it.

I don't have a problem with blobber, but to say 4X is far less clear than blobber makes no sense. Blobber on its own is rather vague, while "explore, expand, exploit, exterminate" is pretty straightforward. If you want popular genre terms that are actually retarded and tell you nothing, just look at "MOBA" and "Immersive Sim".

 

[Roguey]

I don't have a problem with blobber, but to say 4X is far less clear than blobber makes no sense. Blobber on its own is rather vague, while "explore, expand, exploit, exterminate" is pretty straightforward.

It isn't if you actually just say "4x"

If you want popular genre terms that are actually retarded and tell you nothing, just look at "MOBA" and "Immersive Sim".

Immersive sim isn't so bad, it means you're playing a first person perspective game that puts in the effort to simulate an actual place. If you don't nitpick, it feels like you're actually there.