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People News Colin McComb and Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie have left inXile

FeelTheRads

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
13,716
The Codex's 180 on Colin is unfortunate, and I think mutual at this point

Think it was him (or inXile) who turned their back first, though.

Also, if he's really the SJW he poses himself to be on Twitter he would've never liked this place. If he knew the place and still posted then it was only out of self-interest. Which did stop quite abruptly when inXile thought they don't need the Codex money anymore, probably thinking they'd strike it straight to AAA level with Numanuma or something.
 

Murk

Arcane
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Messages
13,459
The Codex's 180 on Colin is unfortunate, and I think mutual at this point, but so it goes.

This is something I was thinking as I read the news post as well. I don't remember the exact moment he fell from grace, but I do remember that at one point or another he was here and what he was posting seemed like he understood what kind of game people like me would want. Perhaps it was because the game was so far from production that the talk of possibilities was promising (and enchanting). Then, as the reality settled in, and decisions were made... and art was... decided on (or not-decided on, as Monty reports) and content was cut... and between all the compromises, decisions, and opportunity costs that the reality of a kickstarted game brings in, the magic was lost. At least to me. I remember once tangible previews of what and how the game would look and feel like began to pop up, I started to lose interest. Same thing with PoE happened to me. Seemed good at first... but as previews started to show, I realized what I thought I was hearing was not what was being made.

I was excited and horrified of nuTorment. PS:T was (and is) a magical experience to me, and the idea that its legacy would be continued scared me because I had no faith the special experience I had could be replicated. I thought that, at best, perhaps elements of it could be revisited in vague but enjoyable ways, but the final product didn't even seem to carry that (at least, for me).

Anyway, I think deep down in his bald heart, there may exist the plans for a game I can enjoy; but the conclusion I'm left with is that Colin was able to talk promisingly but ultimately not deliver.
 

HeatEXTEND

Prophet
Patron
Joined
Feb 12, 2017
Messages
3,928
Location
Nedderlent
Hey, that's a good idea. McComb seems to have his head so far up his own ass, we can probably trick him that we believe he's this creative genius wronged by bad people and get him to spill some beans about the development.

Get on it, Inflamatron.

There is potential here.
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,124
I'm sure we'll keep seeing many games from Colin and Gavin for years to come.

Gavin, perhaps.

Colin is bald fraud who only managed to land one job in games industry in the last 20 years. And it was an unmitigated disaster. But I wish him well and hope he has fruitful career appropriate to his level of competence. Something like writing menus in a local kebab.
 

Max Edge

Guest
View attachment 8868

A Colin McComb masterpiece, before the Jack Off Jill days.

If you ever needed evidence of succubi, the story of Colin is exactly that. Looks like that Pants sellout from Matrix too.

McComb and succubi? McComb and elves? Jack of Jil? I don't understand the references. Any help?
 

Quantomas

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2017
Messages
260
TTON is far from a bad game. It's probably the best SF game ever made, with the exception of the more action-centric KotOR. But for people who like to read sci-fi and imagine fantastic worlds, it's an incredible game. Review here.

The meres MRY did write, plus the exceptional encounter and characterization of Inifere, are outstanding, not alone because of its prose poetry which you find too rarely in mature games. A lot of the places and stories, like the glimpses of the past or the Mere in the underwater city are excellent.

BUT the one thing the game is not, is a Torment game. InXile should have had the balls to say crowdfunding is one thing, but marketing and presentation of the game must have an entirely different focus. If that would have been clearly communicated, a lot of expectations and disappointments could have been avoided.

InXile is definitely guilty of mismarketing, with claims like a new take on combat, spiritual successor to PST and other nonsense. It's sad to the point it's almost absurd. Their Ninth World trailer is one of the best video game trailers ever made, and yet they had Techland produce a lot more that simply mischaracterized the focus of the game. Here lies the root of the commercial flop. The marketing didn't convince the mainstream, and alienated its true audience. The cover for the game, which is fantastic art in its own right, is simply not suited for marketing a sci-fi game to an audience that is not interested in horror. I'd even go as far as saying Brian Fargo missed the biggest opportunity of his career by his ineptitude for proper marketing. This is a theme that goes back to games like PST and Soulbringer, games that were great but underperformed.
 
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MRY

Wormwood Studios
Developer
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
5,703
Location
California
IHaveHugeNick The internet thrives on, and spurs on, hyperbole and mean-spiritedness, but I think your comments about Colin are unfair and untrue, regardless of how one feels about TTON. Even assuming TTON is a failure,* one can try and fail without being a fraud; in fact, to try and fail is the oldest story in the world.

As far as I know, the work with inXile was the first job Colin wanted in the industry after his Interplay days, as non-game jobs tend to pay better and he was forming and supporting a family. I’m sure he will have more cRPG work if he wants it, and I’m sure at any such job he’ll show the same collegiality that he showed at inXile.

(* I’ve only ever played one game Colin worked on (PS:T), and I loved it, including his parts of it.)

Anyway, I’ve said my piece, and I’ll leave you guys to take victory laps.
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,124
Everything about Torment is a rollercoaster. Art varies from amazing to amateur. Writing can be phenomenal, including some parts written by Colin. But a lot of it isn't just bad, it's diarrhea inducing. Some quests are fascinating, others make you want to pour bleach into your eyes to prevent the game from causing any further trauma. You put up with it for a while but eventually you just give up.
 

ga♥

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
7,593
I will always respect Colin (CMcC) for his work on the Planescape setting and on PST, salute to him and I sincerly hope he doesn't stop making RPGs :salute:
I geniuly think he tried rly hard to recreate the same team, situation, w/e to redo a good job in TTON as he did in PST (he even tried to ask Hasbro for the licence of the setting), reached out to Adam, Chris, I bet he even tried to ask Maldonado.

Even if the game didn't turn as good, I celebrate the intention.
 
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Junmarko

† Cristo è Re †
Patron
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
3,480
Location
Schläfertempel
I'd even go as far as saying Brian Fargo missed the biggest opportunity of his career by his ineptitude for proper marketing.

$4,188,927
pledged of $900,000 goal
74,405
backers

:nocountryforshitposters:

How do you market "spiritual successor to obscure cult-classic" besides appealing to the fans of said classic? Brian did his job.

He fucked up in outsourcing another P&P label though. They are cultish with their material.
 
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MicoSelva

backlog digger
Patron
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
7,480
Location
Vigil's Keep
Codex 2012 Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Divinity: Original Sin 2 Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
It will be interesting to see where they will land and who will replace them at inXile (or maybe inXile will remain with fewer writers now).
 

Darkzone

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
2,323
TTON is far from a bad game. It's probably the best SF game ever made, with the exception of the more action-centric KotOR. But for people who like to read sci-fi and imagine fantastic worlds, it's an incredible game. Review here.
The meres MRY did write, plus the exceptional encounter and characterization of Inifere, are outstanding, not alone because of its prose poetry which you find too rarely in mature games. A lot of the places and stories, like the glimpses of the past or the Mere in the underwater city are excellent.

BUT the one thing the game is not, is a Torment game. InXile should have had the balls to say crowdfunding is one thing, but marketing and presentation of the game must have an entirely different focus. If that would have been clearly communicated, a lot of expectations and disappointments could have been avoided.

InXile is definitely guilty of mismarketing, with claims like a new take on combat, spiritual successor to PST and other nonsense. It's sad to the point it's almost absurd. Their Ninth World trailer is one of the best video game trailers ever made, and yet they had Techland produce a lot more that simply mischaracterized the focus of the game. Here lies the root of the commercial flop. The marketing didn't convince the mainstream, and alienated its true audience. The cover for the game, which is fantastic art in its own right, is simply not suited for marketing a sci-fi game to an audience that is not interested in horror. I'd even go as far as saying Brian Fargo missed the biggest opportunity of his career by his ineptitude for proper marketing. This is a theme that goes back to games like PST and Soulbringer, games that were great but underperformed.
Let me recapitulate this: They aimed at Planescape Torment and hit a fan boy that thinks that the game would be a success and better if they would have just named it Perry Rhodan.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Messages
1,301
Grab the Codex by the pussy
The Codex's 180 on Colin is unfortunate, and I think mutual at this point, but so it goes.
You are probably right. Half of the time we are discussing more versions of memes and myths than real people. These memes are fulled by design decisions we hate, tweets about politics, etc. This Avellone scandal teached me that most our hate was misguided. That being said, you are not much better off because you didn't work with him on a daily basis to notice his flaws. You only have an idealized version of him that he showed a couple times, nothing more.
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,124
MRY

I get that he was kind and welcoming to you. But his attitude towards the fanbase was anything but. Even in the Codex interview when InXile came here with an olive branch, the others at least seemed genuinely interested in our input. Meanwhile, Colin was acting like a self-important manchild who is perplexed that Nobel committee isn't calling to award him for his opus magnum masterpiece.

A man who talks big with a limp dick practically begs for ridicule and mockery and he can only blame himself.

There was only one guy who could get away with acting prickly towards his customers and his name was Steve Jobs.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Messages
1,301
Grab the Codex by the pussy
I get that he was kind and welcoming to you. But his attitude towards the fanbase was anything but. Even in the Codex interview when InXile came here with an olive branch, the others at least seemed genuinely interested in our input. Meanwhile, Colin was acting like a self-important manchild who is perplexed that Nobel committee isn't calling to award him for his opus magnum masterpiece.

A man who talks big with a limp dick practically begs for ridicule and mockery and he can only blame himself.

There was only one guy who could get away with acting prickly towards his customers and his name was Steve Jobs.
Well, who am I kidding with my diplomatic talk. You are right. His role in PS:T was terrible too.

e63gp1.jpg
 

aratuk

Cipher
Joined
Dec 13, 2013
Messages
466
McComb lives in Detroit, so his stint at inXile may have earned him enough to retire on. Wasting away in a $3000 five-bedroom house cutting out endless paper dolls and writing dialogue for them.

:kfc:
 

Bohr

Arcane
Joined
Nov 20, 2012
Messages
1,878
How do you market "spiritual successor to obscure cult-classic" besides appealing to the fans of said classic? Brian did his job.

He fucked up in outsourcing another sketchy P&P label. They are cultish with their material.

Wasn't it also Colin who pushed for Numenera as he had been involved with it as a tester or something? (I forget, had to purge the brain of those years of hype and excitement which turned into the most disappointing KS I backed)
 

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