RPG Codex Interview: Chris Avellone on Pillars Cut Content, Game Development Hierarchies and More

[Infinitron]

While establishing a company-structured "patron" sounds like a pipe dream, structuring a company around specific creatives are something I've seen happen (and been offered)

Chris Avellone's About To Make You His Bitch: Suck It Down

 

[Wunderbar]

While establishing a company-structured "patron" sounds like a pipe dream, structuring a company around specific creatives are something I've seen happen (and been offered)

Chris Avellone's About To Make You His Bitch: Suck It Down

A Hideo Kojima Game

 

[Chris Avellone]

Basically, you mean a having a competent administrator?

A competent administrator that doesn't drag you into owner meetings or give owner feedback? 'Twould be a blessing, even speaking as an ex-owner.

The owner meeting/review process sucks creativity out of room (and can be even worse if only some teams subject themselves to it, while others slip past it and avoid the process - and are allowed to, which sets a shitty example and also implies favoritism).

"Well, I spent 4 hours arguing why our roofs in the game shouldn't have to be switched to goat-puke green today, it was an absolutely productive exercise - ha ha ha, no, I'm fucking with you, it was a new layer of hell."

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone's About To Make You His Bitch: Suck It Down

This does not reflect the content or intent of the original post.

I request you be Inflamatroned.

 

[Wunderbar]

Chris Avellone's About To Make You His Bitch: Suck It Down

This does not reflect the content or intent of the original post.

I request you be Inflamatroned.

I believe it was an example of a company, structured around one specific creative (John Romero).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Chris Avellone how in touch with gaming do you think the Obsidian management is? Do they even discuss other games at work or is all just focusing on their own games?

 

[ArchAngel]

Basically, you mean a having a competent administrator?

A competent administrator that doesn't drag you into owner meetings or give owner feedback? 'Twould be a blessing, even speaking as an ex-owner.

The owner meeting/review process sucks creativity out of room (and can be even worse if only some teams subject themselves to it, while others slip past it and avoid the process - and are allowed to, which sets a shitty example and also implies favoritism).

"Well, I spent 4 hours arguing why our roofs in the game shouldn't have to be switched to goat-puke green today, it was an absolutely productive exercise - ha ha ha, no, I'm fucking with you, it was a new layer of hell."

This all sounds like you would love to work on games similar to how Whalenought Studios does with their Copper Dreams game.
Since you helped another cool indie devs with FTL you could help whalenought_hannah a bit with your insight or more
Codex would love you even more if you did

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

In short, building a company-structured "patron" of sorts around a team would be my ideal situation, and where they can focus on creating the content they want without a lot of logistic hurdles.

It’s too bad the last super rich guy who decided to plow tens of millions into an RPG vanity project, Mike Schmidt, blew all his money on Amalur. Maybe the next one will behave more like an old school patron of the arts. There has to be one unspeakably rich hedge fund guy who came of age with this stuff and loves RPGs enough put together a dream team then give them a blank check.

EDIT: It was Curt Schilling, not Mike Schmidt. Who can keep your '90s era Phillies straight?

 

[Fowyr]

Obsidian's thread reached the end of Rhine. I especially liked that it almost never cited MCA or talked about things that he said in detail.

It [Codex] also has a nice boobies thread. Uh...so I hear.

And with that, I think we've strayed pretty much off-topic and this thread is over the post limit anyway. If anyone wishes to make a new thread on the subject of Chris Avellone's interview and posts on the Codex they are free to do so. This closure is not a ban on the topic.

Resetera gives us their special brand of pearls of wisdom. It's very special.

It surprises me that people forget that this is the fellah who told us all he doesn't like playing good guys in games, that he'd prefer to be evil and cause suffering because that makes for a much more compelling storyline.

That he also wrote a psychopathic stalker in Fallout: New Vegas who served to soapbox his own nihilistic views on humanity and how the impure deserve to suffer.

Points for acknowledging that he posts on an Alt-Right board almost exclusively, though. I rarely see that mentioned.

Generally, I get the feeling that Chris Avellone might not be a nice person.

Then again, I might be feeling bitter because he used the egoboo exercise that was the Fallout Bible to kill off the talking deathclaws.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Obsidian's thread reached the end of Rhine. I especially liked that it almost never cited MCA or talked about things that he said in detail.

It [Codex] also has a nice boobies thread. Uh...so I hear.

And with that, I think we've strayed pretty much off-topic and this thread is over the post limit anyway. If anyone wishes to make a new thread on the subject of Chris Avellone's interview and posts on the Codex they are free to do so. This closure is not a ban on the topic.

Resetera gives us their special brand of pearls of wisdom. It's very special.

It surprises me that people forget that this is the fellah who told us all he doesn't like playing good guys in games, that he'd prefer to be evil and cause suffering because that makes for a much more compelling storyline.

That he also wrote a psychopathic stalker in Fallout: New Vegas who served to soapbox his own nihilistic views on humanity and how the impure deserve to suffer.

Points for acknowledging that he posts on an Alt-Right board almost exclusively, though. I rarely see that mentioned.

Generally, I get the feeling that Chris Avellone might not be a nice person.

Then again, I might be feeling bitter because he used the egoboo exercise that was the Fallout Bible to kill off the talking deathclaws.

Is this that retard who keeps on and on about talking deathclaws?

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Fowyr Holy fuck lol. Totally off-topic but I somehow completely missed that Cassandra Khaw thing from your sig.

Crazy shit

 

[Fairfax]

Obsidian's thread reached the end of Rhine. I especially liked that it almost never cited MCA or talked about things that he said in detail.

It [Codex] also has a nice boobies thread. Uh...so I hear.

And with that, I think we've strayed pretty much off-topic and this thread is over the post limit anyway. If anyone wishes to make a new thread on the subject of Chris Avellone's interview and posts on the Codex they are free to do so. This closure is not a ban on the topic.

Resetera gives us their special brand of pearls of wisdom. It's very special.

It surprises me that people forget that this is the fellah who told us all he doesn't like playing good guys in games, that he'd prefer to be evil and cause suffering because that makes for a much more compelling storyline.

That he also wrote a psychopathic stalker in Fallout: New Vegas who served to soapbox his own nihilistic views on humanity and how the impure deserve to suffer.

Points for acknowledging that he posts on an Alt-Right board almost exclusively, though. I rarely see that mentioned.

Generally, I get the feeling that Chris Avellone might not be a nice person.

Then again, I might be feeling bitter because he used the egoboo exercise that was the Fallout Bible to kill off the talking deathclaws.

Is this that retard who keeps on and on about talking deathclaws?

Has to be him. The furry who's obsessed with talking deathclaws and will never forgive MCA for ruining his fetish.

 

[aratuk]

While establishing a company-structured "patron" sounds like a pipe dream, structuring a company around specific creatives are something I've seen happen (and been offered)

Chris Avellone's About To Make You His Bitch: Suck It Down

It truly pains me to see you promulgating rape culture on the Codex, Infinitron.

 

[Chris Avellone]

Chris Avellone how in touch with gaming do you think the Obsidian management is? Do they even discuss other games at work or is all just focusing on their own games?

Darren Monahan is, I often found his comments (even if ignored), insightful for what we should be thinking about.

Also, Darren deftly de-constructed why everything he was seeing from Stormlands didn't seem fun or "cool" for the player at all, which was great, because when I said it, it didn't go over well.

That said, I thought Darren's points were spot-on. They weren't listened to, of course, even as much as I hoped they would be. so... yeah.

So, we got Stormlands as-is. It wasn't received well.

So then - Stormlands canceled, but I don't blame Microsoft at all.

They weren't getting what they repeatedly asked for - why give money to any company that continually tells you "no," with no middle ground or options?

And if it was millions of dollars going to waste... I'd stop that, as well.

 

[thesheeep]

Wtf?
I am just at page 50 so far. I don't have time for this.

STOP POSTING. Give me a break to catch up

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Wtf?
I am just at page 50 so far. I don't have time for this.

STOP POSTING. Give me a break to catch up

No.

 

[thesheeep]

Wtf?
I am just at page 50 so far. I don't have time for this.

STOP POSTING. Give me a break to catch up

No.

No?

 

[Gakkone]

Wtf?
I am just at page 50 so far. I don't have time for this.

STOP POSTING. Give me a break to catch up

No.

No?

Yes, no.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Chris Avellone

From what you're describing, I would say that new Torment had close to ideal organizational structure. I hear Fargo is a very hands-off as a CEO, and it was all layered around the great creative mind of Colin McComb.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Wtf?
I am just at page 50 so far. I don't have time for this.

STOP POSTING. Give me a break to catch up

No.

No?

Yes, no.

I thought we've established already that the answer was "maybe, no".

 

[Grunker]

Chris Avellone

From what you're describing, I would say that new Torment had close to ideal organizational structure. I hear Fargo is a very hands-off as a CEO, and it was all layered around the great creative mind of Colin McComb.

lol

 

[Roguey]

From what you're describing, I would say that new Torment had close to ideal organizational structure. I hear Fargo is a very hands-off as a CEO, and it was all layered around the great creative mind of Colin McComb.

One of these days someone will figure out how to give direction and restrictions throughout the process without excessively micromanaging aspects better left to the people paid to make those decisions.

 

[JarlFrank]

So is it pretty much decided now that this is the new Best Thread Ever, having surpassed the Sir-Tech thread?

 

[Zero Credibility]

Player of Games

One of my all-time favourite books!

The punishment for one criminal in the Empire of Azad always chilled me to the core. So psychotically ingenius.

Spoiler

He's locked in a room with an insane serial rapist, who has been fed huge amounts of hallucinogens and aphrodisiacs. This is broadcast across the planet as entertainment

Also one of my favorite. Though I think you are a bit off on the punishment.

Spoiler

It was a pregnant woman, "enemy of the state", locked in a room with a man pumped up high with sex drugs and hallucinogenics. And also a knife.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Jesus. Even worse than I remembered