Arcanum What is the status of the writer for Arcanum?

[Tyranicon]

Highly prestigious thread.

Ed Mortimer do you have any published work (any media) that we might not be aware of? I'm sure the people here would love to see more of your writing.

Also, completely hypothetical, but would you be interested in working in gamedev again if the right opportunity came along?

Thanks,

 

[Ed Mortimer]

Arcanum was the only project I did like that. As for writing, you'd have to dig up my Judges Guild or Bard Games (The Lexicon is mine) stuff. Some of the JG material is online as free PDFs somewhere. I remember seeing them a bit ago.

Completely hypothetical, yes.

 

[lukaszek]

Ed Mortimer can you share why are there no toilets in arcanum?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Ed Mortimer can you share why are there no toilets in arcanum?

Gnomes

 

[S.torch]

Who wrote the gnome island quest?

 

[NecroLord]

Who wrote the gnome island quest?

Wasn't Leonard Boyarsky heavy into X-Files at the time?
I remember reading something about that.
I always thought he was behind the quest itself.

 

[Ed Mortimer]

Ed Mortimer can you share why are there no toilets in arcanum?

Believe me, that was not my idea!

 

[Ed Mortimer]

Who wrote the gnome island quest?

Wasn't Leonard Boyarsky heavy into X-Files at the time?
I remember reading something about that.
I always thought he was behind the quest itself.

I think you're right about that.

 

[KainenMorden]

Who wrote the gnome island quest?

Wasn't Leonard Boyarsky heavy into X-Files at the time?
I remember reading something about that.
I always thought he was behind the quest itself.

There's a video on Cain's YT channel where he talks to Boyarsky and mentions it at some point, I'm pretty sure Boyarsky said it was his idea and that there was no antisemitic subtext because he himself is Jewish.

 

[Pegultagol]

Well, I think it's time to replay Arcanum and relive the experience all over again. Thank you for making it all possible, Ed!

 

[flabbyjack]

Arcanum was like 80 years ago doods. They all long since dead.

 

[AshenNedra]

Thank you, I am honored to have been a part of Arcanum. Within the dialogue I had complete freedom -- under Tim Cain's direction. Meaning that I'd go ahead in whatever creative direction I thought best, and then Tim, or whoever questline I was writing for, would let me know if I went too far or was somehow not conveying what was needed. We had a basic structure to follow but creatively Tim encouraged me to do whatever I thought best. However, I was never comfortable feeling that I was up to speed on the project. I desperately waited for production update CDs of the game in the mail so I could immerse myself a little in the atmosphere, such as it was at the various stages. Through it all Tim kept me on an even keel. I know he wanted me to do more quests than I did, and was probably disappointed but never showed it. Being on my own without the ability to ask questions in real time severely limited my creative output in that direction. A big part of any success I had with the game is because Tim always had faith in me -- and in everyone else, as far as I know. He knew we could do it, and so we knew it also -- despite the obstacles. I hope that answers your question.

Hello, Sir,

I wholeheartedly concur with all the praise that you rightfully received in this thread.

I was wondering: was R. Zelazny's Changeling (1980) one of your inspirations for the conflict between magic and technology ?

Generally, I found that all of his work gracefully integrates, one way or the other mythology, mysticism, magic and religion, on the one hand , and, rationality and science, on the other, from The Immortal...and Call me Conrad (1965, 66), to his magnum opus, the Chronicles of Amber (1970-1991).

I thank you in advance for your kind answer.

Best regards

 

[Nano]

Thank you, I am honored to have been a part of Arcanum. Within the dialogue I had complete freedom -- under Tim Cain's direction. Meaning that I'd go ahead in whatever creative direction I thought best, and then Tim, or whoever's questline I was writing for, would let me know if I went too far or was somehow not conveying what was needed. We had a basic structure to follow but creatively Tim encouraged me to do whatever I thought best. However, I was never comfortable feeling that I was up to speed on the project. I desperately waited for production update CDs of the game in the mail so I could immerse myself a little in the atmosphere, such as it was at the various stages. Through it all Tim kept me on an even keel. I know he wanted me to do more quests than I did, and was probably disapointed but never showed it. Being on my own without the ability to ask questions in real time severely limited my creative output in that direction. A big part of any success I had with the game is because Tim always had faith in me -- and in everyone else, as far as I know. He knew we could do it, and so we knew it also -- despite the obstacles. I hope that answers your question.

How close were you to Tim Cain, exactly?

 

[Mauman]

Ed Mortimer I know a bunch of others had said this, but I just want to thank you for helping make one of the best rpgs (if not the best) I've ever played.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I was wondering: was R. Zelazny's Changeling (1980) one of your inspirations for the conflict between magic and technology ?

Roger Zelazny's novel Jack of Shadows could also have been an inspiration for a magic versus technology theme, and it's a far better novel than Changeling.

 

[Ed Mortimer]

I was wondering: was R. Zelazny's Changeling (1980) one of your inspirations for the conflict between magic and technology ?

Roger Zelazny's novel Jack of Shadows could also have been an inspiration for a magic versus technology theme, and it's a far better novel than Changeling.

We gathered our inspiration from many sources, from history to fiction, from Douglas Adams to Roger Zelazny and everyone in-between.

 

[Ed Mortimer]

Thank you, I am honored to have been a part of Arcanum. Within the dialogue I had complete freedom -- under Tim Cain's direction.

How close were you to Tim Cain, exactly?

He never brought me home to meet his parents, if that's what you mean. He was my boss, and I worked remotely. We had a mutual respect for the work we each had done previously. That work had been at the center of many enjoyable hours for both of us before we knew each other. We never argued, so that alone means we couldn't have been too close I liked and respected him as a person and a boss.

 

[Ed Mortimer]

. . . What about the lore - did you come up with dwarven philosophy of shape and stone? . . .

Now that I have had time to dust off those memories, I will say Leonard is the author of the Dwarven Philosophy.

 

[NecroLord]

. . . What about the lore - did you come up with dwarven philosophy of shape and stone? . . .

Now that I have had time to dust off those memories, I will say Leonard is the author of the Dwarven Philosophy.

The Stone and Shape?
I really liked the way you could converse with Randver Thunderstone to learn more about the Dwarven Philosophy and then eventually convince King Loghaire Thunderstone to return to the throne by using the dwarven philosophy.

 

[Bulo]

Jumped back into this game recently. You can tell that it was made with love

 

[Nano]

He never brought me home to meet his parents, if that's what you mean. He was my boss, and I worked remotely. We had a mutual respect for the work we each had done previously. That work had been at the center of many enjoyable hours for both of us before we knew each other. We never argued, so that alone means we couldn't have been too close I liked and respected him as a person and a boss.

Gentlemen don't kiss and tell.

 

[Andnjord]

My salutations to Ed Mortimer, you sir contributed to making one of my favourite cRPG and for that alone deserve praise, regardless of how much you might have contributed.

But out of curiosity, just how did you stumble on this year old thread in this niche prestigious corner of the internet?

 

[Ed Mortimer]

My salutations to Ed Mortimer, you sir contributed to making one of my favourite cRPG and for that alone deserve praise, regardless of how much you might have contributed.

But out of curiosity, just how did you stumble on this year old thread in this niche prestigious corner of the internet?

Funny, you should ask! It is actually the same way I stumbled upon the Tim Cain interview where he mentions he wants to find me -- I was bored, and started randomly checking out the game forums through a search engine. In this instance I started looking for anything new (to me) with ToEE, then Arcanum . . . and I saw this subject topic in a search and said to myself, Oh, I wonder what has happened? LOL

 

[Litmanen]

My salutations to Ed Mortimer, you sir contributed to making one of my favourite cRPG and for that alone deserve praise, regardless of how much you might have contributed.

But out of curiosity, just how did you stumble on this year old thread in this niche prestigious corner of the internet?

This forum isn't so 'niche'. It's just hugely hated because it's full of riffraff

 

[Konjad]

This forum is the last bastion of hope, and hatred makes us prevail

BTW thanks for answers.Ed Mortimer, just don't forget to give a copy of these CDs to your family/friends to upload and post on 'dex in case of your death