Interview Vince D. Weller Speaks Truth With RPGNuke

[Shadenuat]

Both Morrowind and Bloodlines came out when 3D tech had yet to reach it's peak or was at the turning point, used new engines and developers had to do things from scratch. Josh had F3 engine ready for him to test his guns in F:NV, and his implementation of guns wasn't perfect either, while melee just felt weird and broken. Morrowind and Bloodlines had to use what they had. I don't know of any game which made visual misses feel true and fair, at least when it comes to melee, that would require some very complex fencing system with unusual controls, parries, ripostes and ton of money would probably sink into motion capturing of all that.
MW didn't do that bad for it's time, I don't remember missing in the game too much, unless you were swinging your sword randomly a lot. Most of the time you'd hit somebody and get animation, but your attack just won't do much damage. Some strikes, like thrusting, were a lot more accurate, too. Yeah it seems even more lame today, but animations weren't biggest problem of the game back then. It crashed like shit on many PC's, and characters were falling through floors, now that I remember.

 

[Excidium]

Here's Vince on why he's not exploiting his product to the fullest:

One and half year ago you mentioned, that Age of Decadence is probably going to appear on a Kickstarter, but then you’ve totally refused the idea. Can you explain us why? Do you still planning to use crowdfunding in the development of your future games?

You’re mistaken. We’ve never had any plans to go on Kickstarter. I prefer the old-school way of doing thing — prove yourself first, deliver something playable, then ask for money.

Kickstarter is very much the opposite — dream selling and upselling. It’s not about game design, it’s about well-calculated tiers, «stretch» goals, loot bags, asking for a third of what you need, upselling the low tiers, playing the system, and the lack of anything resembling accountability and transparency.​

​

 

[tuluse]

Josh Sawyer and his former Obsidian pal Patrick K Mills can and have argued that Oblivion fixed the inherent flaws in Morrowind's gameplay concepts. Daggerfall nearly made 'em bankrupt so to hell with that audience.

This is like saying Call of Duty fixed the inherent flaws in Quake. It limited the difference in skill and tuned level design and gun play for thumbsticks. Then managed to sell many more copies than any Quake game ever did.

 

[Cassidy]

Josh Sawyer and his former Obsidian pal Patrick K Mills can and have argued that Oblivion fixed the inherent flaws in Morrowind's gameplay concepts. Daggerfall nearly made 'em bankrupt so to hell with that audience.

This is like saying Call of Duty fixed the inherent flaws in Quake. It limited the difference in skill and tuned level design and gun play for thumbsticks. Then managed to sell many more copies than any Quake game ever did.

Arguing with Roguey is like trying to teach Nuclear Physics to Special Ed.

Also the more I read about Sawyer's "enlightened" game design opinions, the more I suspect P:E will be a glorified Dragon Age clone... at best.

 

[Roguey]

Not really. I want Josh's list, not yours.

I have a pretty good idea of what he does and doesn't like.

Chests and containers have no storage limit.

Less tedious storage management

There are far fewer topics you may discuss with NPCs, but nearly all NPCs have unique dialogue and dialogue is nearly always personal and individualized.

Josh hates dry infodump NPCs.

Your fatigue no longer drains while you are running. Running only slows the rate at which fatigue regenerates. Fatigue also no longer influences the effectiveness of spellcasting.

Removal of tediousness and better balance.

Creation failure is not possible at all.

Randomized crafting = degenerate gameplay.

Your potions are much weaker than previously. This, combined with the fact that Intelligence no longer governs potion strength, means it is no longer possible to create "mega-potions".
...
You can drink only four potions at once.

Balance.

The block button triggers blocking. Blocking may be performed with shield, hands, or a weapon.

Automatic blocking is too passive.

You always hit an enemy (or their shield) when you attack (if the weapon is in range), their armor and skill affect only how much damage you do.

Obviously.

Many enemies can pass through doors, and usually pursue you for a long distance.

No gamey exploiting.

Only items that the merchant will buy will appear in your inventory.

Convenience.

The action icon turns red for any illegal act, alerting you to the crime before you commit it.
...
Stolen items will have a red hand icon over them to indicate they're stolen.

Transparency.

Spells have a 100% success rate.

Removal of degeneracy.

Quest-related items cannot be dropped or sold until they are no longer needed.

Josh would consider the previous needlessly punishing.

The amount of light shining on you affects how well you sneak, so try to stay in the shadows.

Of course.

You can either let the game randomly determine lockpicking success based on your agility, security level, luck, and the difficulty of the lock, or you can play a lockpicking mini-game to manually pick the lock.

Randomized success-only leads to degenerate gaming.

 

[hiver]

I count only four actual improvements, the rest create thier own negative gameplay relative consequences or are simply bad. - although certainly a necesity in the game for casual market.

 

[Infinitron]

Also the more I read about Sawyer's "enlightened" game design opinions, the more I suspect P:E will be a glorified Dragon Age clone... at best.

Sounds like some wishful thinking for some people here:

Dragon Age: Origins has earned the nickname "Dragon Mage: Origins" due to the insanely overpowered mage class. It's not one that takes a lot of finesse to do right—just about any mage with any sort of offensive power will be miles ahead of the rest of their non-mage party. The developers even acknowledged this, and said that even so, mages would not be nerfed to balance the classes: they wanted them to stay badass.

Roguey I'm curious - how do you think they got all that stuff right but still fucked up the levelling so badly?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Not true. In Bloodlines, each gun has an inherent spread value. Putting points into the ranged feat (through perception and firearms) increases damage and the time it takes for the reticule to shrink after you've fired a bullet or stop moving but it does not decrease the inherent spread value of any given gun. Visual proof:

I didn't test the weapons the way you did, but I played Bloodlines several times and used guns all the time (didn't like the way melee worked). I've missed reasonably at low levels, did ok at 5-6, and was a killing machine at level 8 and up, even against fast moving targets like the jumpers (I think I had Colt Anaconda by then).

 

[Vault Dweller]

" A Bioware fan, for example, might write a negative review and have a point there because the game doesn't deliver for him. "

O RLY?

I meant that I wouldn't be surprised if someone who played only the Mass Effect games wouldn't be overly impressed with AoD.

"If someone just wants to run around killing monsters scaled to his level, Oblivion is a fantastic game. "

Sounds like Daggerfall to me. Endless dungeons to kill monsters and jump repeatedly to spam learn skills. R00fles!

Daggerfall did a lot more than that though. All TES games revolve around killing monsters and dungeon looting and all games had a different design. Daggerfall had a lot of depth and features on top of 'killing & looting'. Oblivion had the least depth and features. Even the trademark levitation was gone.

"How about 60,000 people who voted for AoD on Steam?"

Yet, only 1k pre orders. Money talks, votes are useless shit.

Well, these votes are what got us on Steam, which I hear is all the rage right now. Besides, I'm not sure if pre-orders for an indie game are an accurate indicator of anything. Such pre-orders are an act of faith and support, so the low numbers are hardly surprising.

 

[Gozma]

release the game

 

[Lancehead]

Roguey whiteknighting Oblivion, how unsurprising. It's a shame Sawyer worked on New Vegas as it took away ample opportunities to whiteknight Fallout 3.

I was a casual gamer.

I didn't become hardcore until 2006 when my life was in order and I could afford to waste more time (and money) on luxuries.

It would be poetic if you had played Oblivion to become a hardcore gamer in 2006.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

release the game Kraken !

Also,

Daggerfall did a lot more than that though.

Apparently, to some people, it didn't. Btw, do you plan on including jumping in AoD ? I hope so because jumping is serious business.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

release the game Kraken !

Also,

Daggerfall did a lot more than that though.

Apparently, to some people, it didn't. Btw, do you plan on including jumping in AoD ? I hope so because jumping is serious business.

Would jumping be strength-based or dexterity based?

 

[Roguey]

Roguey I'm curious - how do you think they got all that stuff right but still fucked up the levelling so badly?

Beats me. Like Bioware, they tend to halfway stumble into things.

It would be poetic if you had played Oblivion to become a hardcore gamer in 2006.

I never played Oblivion because the character models were too ugly, and the setting looked too uninteresting. I took a look at Morrowind and liked the giant mushrooms but still couldn't get past the ugly people. Turned out to be a good thing the art style scared me away both times.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Not really. I want Josh's list, not yours.

I have a pretty good idea of what he does and doesn't like.

And you see nothing stalkerish about this?

 

[hiver]

Well, these votes are what got us on Steam, which I hear is all the rage right now. Besides, I'm not sure if pre-orders for an indie game are an accurate indicator of anything. Such pre-orders are an act of faith and support, so the low numbers are hardly surprising.

When i multiply 50,000 with 25... i get this interesting number on my calculator. From the business side, would this be a very acceptable number - if it is reached within a year from the release?

 

[Elhoim]

release the game Kraken !

Also,

Daggerfall did a lot more than that though.

Apparently, to some people, it didn't. Btw, do you plan on including jumping in AoD ? I hope so because jumping is serious business.

Would jumping be strength-based or dexterity based?

Strength determines the "safe" height you can jump, while dexterity adds on top of it, with an increasing chance of failing and falling the higher you try to jump.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Strength determines the "safe" height you can jump, while dexterity adds on top of it, with an increasing chance of failing and falling the higher you try to jump breaking your neck.

Fixed.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Well, these votes are what got us on Steam, which I hear is all the rage right now. Besides, I'm not sure if pre-orders for an indie game are an accurate indicator of anything. Such pre-orders are an act of faith and support, so the low numbers are hardly surprising.

When i multiply 50,000 with 25... i get this interesting number on my calculator. From the business side, would this be a very acceptable number - if it is reached within a year from the release?

To be honest, I doubt that 50,000 people will buy the game even if they did vote for it on Steam (for which we're grateful), but should it happen, we'll consider it a smashing success and divine intervention.

 

[Infinitron]

Vault Dweller That reminds me. Hilarious death achievements - do it.

You have gained the achievement "Killed by a fucking oaf for hire"!

Styg Can you reveal how many Early Access copies of Underrail you've sold? (if not publicly, perhaps tell Vault Dweller in a PM)

 

[Delterius]

Infinitron

If I am to believe VD's potential playerbase, your idea just postponed the game's release by about 6 months. Thanks a lot.

 

[J_C]

Well, these votes are what got us on Steam, which I hear is all the rage right now. Besides, I'm not sure if pre-orders for an indie game are an accurate indicator of anything. Such pre-orders are an act of faith and support, so the low numbers are hardly surprising.

When i multiply 50,000 with 25... i get this interesting number on my calculator. From the business side, would this be a very acceptable number - if it is reached within a year from the release?

To be honest, I doubt that 50,000 people will buy the game even if they did vote for it on Steam (for which we're grateful), but should it happen, we'll consider it a smashing success and divine intervention.

What is the number you personally would be satisfied with? I personally hope 10.000.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Might be a bit on the low side. 10,000 x $25 x 0.7 (the portals take 30%) = $175,000 / 4 = $43,750 per person that I'll have to pay taxes on. In Toronto that's a step above min wage.

 

[hiver]

Considering that 60K people voted for the game, which is a substantial awareness of the game existence, plus additional marketing that will be gained from this new demo and ultimate release of the game on steam... with appropriate PR campaign, patches, support, maybe a >DLC or small addon in a few months, lets plays on tube that will go out, a bit of usual trolling and flaming going around, plus, most importantly - word of mouth from the players - i dont think its a number impossible to reach in one year time frame.

Provided that you guys set your mind straight about it before the release, in advance.
Because really, this game is one of those slow burners and none of you expect strong opening sales anyway - nor do you really need that kind of business model or philosophy.

Sure, you are sticking to down to earth view of this being a game for a small audience, not for the casuals. And sure, i agree. But the difference is not so clear cut.
There is a whole section of the casual players who would like to try a -good game- to experience something new (to them), or to test their mettle by trying "that hard game jesus f i got killed so many times!!, or to get a taste of that "old school" they have been hearing about.

- this does not require any pandering. Just keeping the door open for those wayward souls.

Many if not multitudes will have negative reactions, of course. But those dont interest us for the purpose of this deliberation. Non - customers dont count here.
Although they can be useful for felipepepe trailer skillz and general merriment.

 

[J_C]

$43,750 per person In Toronto that's a step above min wage.

I wish I could live there. In our thirld world counry, that is 8-9 times the minimum wage. :D

My hope for 10.000 is definitely the lowest I expect. I hope it will sell much more. But 10K is the lowest I would go with my expectations.