Editorial RPG Codex Report: Divinity: Original Sin 2, or, A Visit to Larian Studios

[DramaticPopcorn]

I'm drunk atm so I am suddenly incredibly butthurt that modding tools was a misc question whereas it was one of the main features pitched during kickstarter for the 1st game. Larian pls T_T

 

[Zeriel]

I'm drunk atm so I am suddenly incredibly butthurt that modding tools was a misc question whereas it was one of the main features pitched during kickstarter for the 1st game. Larian pls T_T

DIVERSITY and ROMANCES are much more important than your petty modding tools. Get your priorities straight,

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

“Every time the Codex pulls out a notebook, I feel like something terrible is about to happen.”

Entertaining and informative at the same time. Nice job Bubbles.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Interesting read, Bubbles.. I'm half through and will finish it tomorrow. I'm glad I backed D:OS2 before I read it, though, as I got a distinct impression that Larian are trying to bite off more than they can chew, and that they're going to get distracted by ancillary add-ons like conflicts, multiplayer, romances. Fingers and toes crossed.

 

[Jaesun]

Immortal Holy shit dude, you elevate "seeing what I want to see" into an art form.



http://larian.uservoice.com/forums/...sin-2-game-ideas/suggestions/9290154-romances
http://larian.uservoice.com/forums/...suggestions/9290496-romances-with-npcs-or-pcs

Currently more votes than Chris Avellone.

I doubt many of those people are current backers though. These polls should be wiped and then only backers could vote.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Good job, thanks!

You imagine it one way and... gameplay is king; so it's always gonna be gameplay first, story second.

Great to hear this from a writer.

 

[Outlander]

Heh, it turns out RPG Watch didn't exaggerate when they said their users are grown ups with real jobs.

 

[Bubbles]

How the fuck does Codex have better coverage on this than any of the rich commercial game site with "professional journalists"?

I don't know about "better", but I don't think most mainstream sites would ever publish an article of this length on their front page. It's not meant for quick digestion, and even most Codexers are never going to read all of it. Transcribing the entire writers' interview with every precise formulation was particularly important to me, since I found it very revealing; seeing other sites summarize the entire thing in one or two paragraphs is baffling.

Since I spent three days in Ghent just for the coverage, it seemed completely logical to produce an article that was worthy of the effort.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Heh, it turns out RPG Watch didn't exaggerate when they said their users are grown ups with real jobs.

How so?

 

[CrimsonAngel]

How so?

Them fuckers be old.

 

[Bubbles]

They're not that old, surely:

​

That's Myrthos on the left and Omega in the middle.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

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EDIT:
Damn, Myrthos looks like he's in his 40s.

 

[Zeronet]

urgh, romances.

 

[deuxhero]

The colors lost all their vibrancy, which was the redeeming feature of the first game's visuals. Now this is an awful lot like a generic RPG from 2010.

Looking like a generic 2010 RPG is better than a generic 2005 MMO like the original did.

I need to see closer shots of the player models to be sure though.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

The whole writing team seems to be pretty young from what I have seen (in the KS pitch) I wonder what these peoples credentials are, particularly what they studied (creative writing?). I wonder how you end up as a writer for the video game industry. Makes me a wee little bit jealous actually, but I will manage.

Are you a hack with no qualifications? You pass.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

They're not that old, surely:

​

That's Myrthos on the left and Omega in the middle.

This does explain why the watch is so apathetic and has a 10 years outdated layout.

 

[Infinitron]

RPGWatch has some cool features. I like how every newspost has a little infobox for the game it's about.

 

[vonAchdorf]

RPGWatch has some cool features. I like how every newspost has a little infobox for the game it's about.

They also have a scientific approach to analyzing RPGs.

 

[Delbaeth]

Great interview.

So you have tested the DOSBox ?

*badum tsss*

 

[Bubbles]

Well, I had a delicious steak tartare for dinner, which did look a bit like a small box. The Gamestar journo ordered the same dish and just mushed it around on his plate with a forlorn look in his eyes. Always sad when a man can't appreciate a bit of raw meat.

 

[Fairfax]

Nice article. I had no idea why there seems to be a rivalry with the RPGWatch, but now I think I can imagine lol. Shame about the mod tool.

 

[SniperHF]

Shame about the mod tool.

The editor can continue to be a pain to use. As long as they can implement some way for people to make graphics mods the community will grow on its own. It's and all but just the way it is. People don't wanna invest in learning the editor when they think their mod will look like everyone else's.

The other thing they really need is an easier way to combine mods.

Those two things would do more than any ease of use feature.

 

[Metro]

Fire Bubbles.

 

[Bubbles]

The editor can continue to be a pain to use. As long as they can implement some way for people to make graphics mods the community will grow on its own. It's and all but just the way it is. People don't wanna invest in learning the editor when they think their mod will look like everyone else's.

The other thing they really need is an easier way to combine mods.

Those two things would do more than any ease of use feature.

I found it strange that Swen was so evasive about the "improvements" to the mod tools; usually he's all about the crowd pleasing announcements, but he didn't even mention the editor until I pressed him on it. I wouldn't expect anything substantial to change, really.

Fire Bubbles.

They'd have to hire me first.

 

[JasonNH]

The editor can continue to be a pain to use. As long as they can implement some way for people to make graphics mods the community will grow on its own. It's and all but just the way it is. People don't wanna invest in learning the editor when they think their mod will look like everyone else's.

The other thing they really need is an easier way to combine mods.

Those two things would do more than any ease of use feature.

I agree about the mod combination requirement.

Beyond that, I honestly think the primary thing missing is their presence in the mod forum. They don't so much have to be there and tell us everything about how to use the toolset (you and a few others have done great leg work in that department), but they need to be there to understand and communicate with modders about changes and how things may affect them, and to get feedback about what modders need most. There has to be some level of confidence that Larian is aware of what modders are doing and how to minimize any negative impact to their time investments. If modders feel orphaned from the start, who wants to invest a crap ton of time in something that won't work the next time a major patch comes out?