Game News Torment Kickstarter Update #9: Chris Avellone!

[mediocrepoet]

I wonder if MMX will also have MCA writing for it. Maybe Chaos Chronicles could get him in there too. I think there might be one or two other things he's not writing for yet.

 

[Serious_Business]

This is pretty sweet

 

[Brayko]

Yeah I honestly expected an even bigger jump after the MCA announcement. Brian is like a magician, he can just snap his fingers and make shit happen. I like that.

 

[evdk]

Yeah I honestly expected an even bigger jump after the MCA announcement. Brian is like a magician, he can just snap his fingers and make shit happen. I like that.

For his next trick he's going to make felipepepe disappear. *snap*

 

[felipepepe]

Yeah I honestly expected an even bigger jump after the MCA announcement. Brian is like a magician, he can just snap his fingers and make shit happen. I like that.

For his next trick he's going to make felipepepe disappear. *snap*

Nah, we're back at brofisting and stuffies... I'm not a hateful person, I share the same personality type that Awor, after all...

 

[Mrowak]

Even I got excited, even though I am not in favour of the campaign... My resist the urge to pledge... must not be a hypocrite...

 

[Roguey]

But the few examples we have of Mitsoda's writing are really nothing special - frankly, I can see why they were re-written. That's not an insult to Mitsoda - the script would probably have gone through about 10 revisions before the final product, and he left before that process really got under way, so at best they had an early draft. At that point, a rewrite is basically all you can do, and you're better off doing it allowing the new writer to do his own thing rather than trying to imitate a rather early draft of someone else's idea.

In this blog Avellone states that Alpha Protocol went through three drafts, that Mitsoda was responsible for the first two, and the final draft didn't start until they had a year and a half of development left (around May 2008; AP started development in mid 2006). Brian quit and moved to Seattle because Chris told him his draft sucked and needed a total rewriting.

 

[Kos_Koa]

Anyway, I'm not accusing anyone of lying or spreading disinformation or anything.

You seem to be saying I'm lying, since I'm flat-out saying we did not think the collaboration with MCA could happen when the Kickstarter launched. It was beginning to look more likely a week or so ago, but before that? No way.

Surprised to hear this. I assumed MCA had his hands in this in some form, especially with how he's always suggested wanting to take part in a spiritual sequel to Planescape: Torment. Well, regardless...

 

[winterraptor]

Thanks. Sincerely. (just between us and the rest of the internet, I'm trying to avoid thinking about how monumental a task this is and am instead trusting to a) ksaun and his ability to organize, and b) everyone being a total professional in this gig.)

And if you guys have to spend some of the money on booze, drugs, and prostitutes to keep the morale and inspiration up, I'm sure we can all agree that's acceptable. Just don't skimp on quality, there, that'll totally backfire.

 

[hiver]

felipepepe

You could have observed and recognized that in your line of work, those people were all piling up different ideas for one single short ad. One single story, as it were.
While in this situation every writer works on his own "minute" of the whole. Each writer will do his area. His section of the overall story. His Meres, his NPCs, his little plots, quests and sub quests - but not just any he or she chooses but within constraints and general plan of the story Colin and Kevin will present to them. The difference to your kind of project is that their ideas do not clash against each other, nor do they fight for the same single position.

It will also include many iterations and discussions while they will be helping each other and use each other to bounce ideas around, check whats working, whats not.

And you can forget that about "hotshots" either, unless you want them to have a few sarcastic laughs and snorts aimed your way.
These are all working men and women. The only one famous is Pat and he is more then humble about it and especially about this chance to contribute to a small part of the game and generally help others.
Many of these guys wouldnt even had a job secured if this didnt come they way.

So,... stand and deliver.

 

[Jashiin]

I wonder if MMX will also have MCA writing for it. Maybe Chaos Chronicles could get him in there too. I think there might be one or two other things he's not writing for yet.

 

[JarlFrank]

I wonder if MMX will also have MCA writing for it. Maybe Chaos Chronicles could get him in there too. I think there might be one or two other things he's not writing for yet.

Nah, CC doesn't need him, they already have a good writer.

 

[WalmartJesus]

Looking through this thread, gotta love that even though we're actually getting a PS:T spiritual successor (with MCA) in an age full of dogshit like DA2 and FO3...

There's still gotta be one or two jizzbags trying to find things to bitch about.

 

[felipepepe]

felipepepe

You could have observed and recognized that in your line of work, those people were all piling up different ideas for one single short ad. One single story, as it were.
While in this situation every writer works on his own "minute" of the whole. Each writer will do his area. His section of the overall story. His Meres, his NPCs, his little plots, quests and sub quests - but not just any he or she chooses but within constraints and general plan of the story Colin and Kevin will present to them. The difference to your kind of project is that their ideas do not clash against each other, nor do they fight for the same single position.

Most of the time, the conflict in writting for ads is not the "big idea", but how to deliver it. Stuff like the punchline, how much time to give to each product, choice of actors, music, the film director, tone of the video, editing style, etc... is composing/selecting all the elements in the best way possible for the desired outcome. And that's the kind of challenge Torment can face as well. What if all NPCs are serious and formal, but MCA wants to make a Morte-like NPC? Or Mitsoda want every sign to speak? Setting the tone, keeping the consistency of the original vision is the big challenge, and at the same time being wise to know when to bend the original vision for something worthwhile.

It doesn't matter where you work, the issue is something bound to happen. Just think of fair Codexia, are we not a RPG Forum that sometimes review things like Mark of the Ninja? Where some consider Thief "honorary RPG"? That hosts GD & Politics? It has nothing to do with writing for a game or a tv ad, but the question of what fits and what don't, managing the views and desires of multiple kind of people while trying to not lose focus of the main objective, it's all there.

It will also include many iterations and discussions while they will be helping each other and use each other to bounce ideas around, check whats working, whats not.

Yes, as Colin said, creative tension.

And you can forget that about "hotshots" either, unless you want them to have a few sarcastic laughs and snorts aimed your way.
These are all working men and women. The only one famous is Pat and he is more then humble about it and especially about this chance to contribute to a small part of the game and generally help others.
Many of these guys wouldnt even had a job secured if this didnt come they way.

I never met any of the designers, so I have no way of knowing how they behave at work. That means that I neither can say they are all fantastic bros that write games laughing and drinking beer, nor that they are douches that get butthurt everytime someone disagrees with them or want's to "ruin their artistic vision". But that at least MCA, Pat and Cook are "hotshots" on their areas, you can't deny. And how a guy like Pat, used to writing books alone, will behave when asked to create a game world with lots of other people is something that even he doesn't know... is hard to predict, everyone comes in with the best of intentions, but people are human after all... I just hope in the end all works well... and that Torment PC is not as OP as Kvothe.

 

[hiver]

The difference to your kind of project is that their ideas do not clash against each other, nor do they fight for the same single position.

Yes, as Colin said, creative tension.

- they will be helping each other?

I never met any of the designers, so I have no way of knowing how they behave at work.

And you can forget that about "hotshots" either, unless you want them to have a few sarcastic laughs and snorts aimed your way.

 

[Jaesun]

big fonts.

 

[felipepepe]

Hiver, saying it twice doesn't make it any more relevant... I answered all the points the first time.

 

[hiver]

damn it felipepepe! You know i like you but this kind of thinking really pisses me off.
if this was based on anything real i wouldnt say a damn word.

But it isnt! its all "ahh its going to go wrong!" and not seeing the actual difference between this process and that one you do. which are similar but there are really, really big differences. Huge!

 

[Michael Ellis]

What does one man matter?

:D

 

[Lancehead]

What does one more writer matter?

 

[Smejki]

Eric's p awesome yeah. Underappreciated. Is he working on PE? Hope so.

I asked him few months ago but so far he was on another project.

 

[Goral]

What is wrong with them keeping adding people, when they even hired an editor specifically to manage the consistency for this project?

Precisely that. I'd rather have a single writer going batshit insane than a bunch of them trying to reach consistency among them.

There is only so much one person can imagine. At some point he will start repeating himself (look at G.R.R. Martin for example, his every next book is worse and he spends more time on descriptions than interesting development). With many people onboard there are bound to be interesting ideas. Even if not all of them would fit editor can make them fit or not use all but it's still better than 1 guy doing everything, especially in a game like that. /IMO

 

[catfood]

@catfood
@felipepepe

Even if it was a deliberate move by Brian Fargo I see nothing wrong with it.

I never said there was something wrong with it. In fact I applauded Fargo for his business acumen.

 

[Black]

First he should finish his Arcanum LP.

 

[Jasede]

Kind of an obvious cash-grab move, MCA was always gonna be involved, no matter what they claimed ahead of time.