People News The New Obsidian: Josh Sawyer promoted to studio Design Director role

[ERYFKRAD]

I wonder how much money you have to spend to get paid access to read Infinitron's links.

567890 KKK

 

[throwaway]

Is our resident newsbot meant to be the Israelite?

 

[Xzylvador]

I'm not fluent in english, but you americans really understand this kind of english?

'English'

Heh.

 

[ArchAngel]

I wish more forums for dipshits would be paywalled. Better for everyone.

What you mean you wish more forums require you to pay to post outside of them :D

 

[l3loodAngel]

I don't know, there's been talk of them trying to do a turn-based PoE spinoff (eg, http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...viewed-at-ragequit-gr-and-darkstation.104797/). Seems like it'd make sense to combine that with the Darklands idea, but maybe that could be a third game.

Bobby Null and I have also talked to Feargus about the possibility of making a separate game in the Pillars of Eternity setting focused on turn-based combat. Pillars of Eternity's area sizes and input systems don't translate well to non-PC formats, but I think a turn-based game could be very cool.

That sounds like they'd be using turn-based combat as an entryway to the console market. I'm not sure if "spiritual successor to Darklands" and "Xbone" are really all that compatible.

FFS, how low can they really go? They are on fast forward to cach up with Bioware/EA/Bethesda and I am not sure that its their bottom... Fuck I don't even want to know.

 

[Fenix]

History is not fun

History is the key to understanding of present processes, history can not be measured in terms of "fun" or "not cool" - this is a thing that you absolutely need.

tl;dr version - "There are two kind of people - those who know history and those who dig".

 

[Shadenuat]

Anyone remembers actual idea Josh mentioned about his hipster dream historical game? A quote about something like storytelling puzzle game about st. George?

 

[Roguey]

Anyone remembers actual idea Josh mentioned about his hipster dream historical game? A quote about something like storytelling puzzle game about st. George?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11iox8/we_are_chris_avellone_tim_cain_and_josh_sawyer/c6mty3k

JESawyer: Personally, there are two settings/ideas I'd like to explore. One is a setting called Antebellum that is an alternate Earth stuck in the late 19th century at the outbreak of the Civil War after spirit armies swarm over the American South, Ireland, India, and a variety of other places. I'd mostly like to explore the idea of different power groups (e.g. slave owners and slaves) being paralyzed by inaction due to the thread of reactive spirit groups coming to the defense of any party being victimized.
The other game I've wanted to make for a long time is one in which you play a player-defined St. George in the 3rd century Near East who enters a land terrorized by the Dragon. All conversation is abstracted into incomprehensible foreign language and the entire game looks like it is a moving Greek Orthodox icon painted on wood and plaster. As George suffers in the world, the icon fades, cracks, and chips away over time. I'd want it to be more about mood, atmosphere, and subtle body language/character interaction than a scripted narrative and fierce gameplay.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

All conversation is abstracted into incomprehensible foreign language and the entire game looks like it is a moving Greek Orthodox icon painted on wood and plaster. As George suffers in the world, the icon fades, cracks, and chips away over time. I'd want it to be more about mood, atmosphere, and subtle body language/character interaction than a scripted narrative and fierce gameplay.

Top trolling in the hipster persona

 

[Kz3r0]

All conversation is abstracted into incomprehensible foreign language and the entire game looks like it is a moving Greek Orthodox icon painted on wood and plaster. As George suffers in the world, the icon fades, cracks, and chips away over time. I'd want it to be more about mood, atmosphere, and subtle body language/character interaction than a scripted narrative and fierce gameplay.

Baka gaijins are not suited for such games:

 

[Mozg]

Anyone remembers actual idea Josh mentioned about his hipster dream historical game? A quote about something like storytelling puzzle game about st. George?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11iox8/we_are_chris_avellone_tim_cain_and_josh_sawyer/c6mty3k

JESawyer: Personally, there are two settings/ideas I'd like to explore. One is a setting called Antebellum that is an alternate Earth stuck in the late 19th century at the outbreak of the Civil War after spirit armies swarm over the American South, Ireland, India, and a variety of other places. I'd mostly like to explore the idea of different power groups (e.g. slave owners and slaves) being paralyzed by inaction due to the thread of reactive spirit groups coming to the defense of any party being victimized.
The other game I've wanted to make for a long time is one in which you play a player-defined St. George in the 3rd century Near East who enters a land terrorized by the Dragon. All conversation is abstracted into incomprehensible foreign language and the entire game looks like it is a moving Greek Orthodox icon painted on wood and plaster. As George suffers in the world, the icon fades, cracks, and chips away over time. I'd want it to be more about mood, atmosphere, and subtle body language/character interaction than a scripted narrative and fierce gameplay.

Why does he say shit like this and then not leave Obsidian. These games can be made now. It's not 2007.

 

[Roguey]

Why does he say shit like this and then not leave Obsidian. These games can be made now. It's not 2007.

He doesn't want anything to do with running a business.

 

[Infinitron]

Sawyer is at heart a temperamentally conservative working stiff. I don't think he views these fancies of his all that seriously.

 

[Mozg]

I get that (and even more so I get him assuming the mantle of Obsidianman, protector of junior's jobs) but can bringing up your esoteric game ideas on internet fora. Save that shit for the mid-2000s when it was fantasy and not something lots of people really are doing.

 

[Fenix]

the entire game looks like it is a moving Greek Orthodox icon painted on wood and plaster.

I such moment I feel really sad that Pravoslavie isn't young and agressive religion as Islam, because in that case aforesaid Sawyer would have literally lost his head.

 

[Manmower]

Sawyer's gonna balance Obsidian alright... right into the fucking ground.

Just give him a team and let him work on his own projects ffs, anyone with half a brain sees he hates his current job.

 

[The Bishop]

Honestly, I think it's a good move for both Obsidian and Sawyer. One major Sawyer's shortcoming IMO is that although he can enforce discipline and make projects proceed at orderly pace, he is not the one to fire up people around him and make them truly passionate about what they do. You can feel that throughout PoE or F:NV - things are made well enough and then left at that (except for graphics engine in PoE - Brennecke was pretty pumped about what they managed to achieve and it shows). But if Sawyer could spread the "manufacturing culture" of making projects hit their deadlines and cut what is necessary while leaving motivation to specific project leads - that wouldn't be too bad.

 

[FeelTheRads]

One major Sawyer's shortcoming IMO is that although he can enforce discipline and make projects proceed at orderly pace, he is not the one to fire up people around him and make them truly passionate about what they do.

So the problem with Obsidian was that there was passion but no discipline? And it's better the other way around?

 

[The Bishop]

Both ways are worse. You're not making a good game if you lack in passion. And if you lack in discipline the likelihood is you're not making games at all, because you're too busy filling bankruptcy papers. You kinda need both.

 

[Manmower]

You're not making a good game if you lack in passion.

This. Managers should not be in charge of creative design. And Sawyer is a manager. I respect him for his ability to get shit done on time, but the man doesn't have a creative bone in his entire body. I already mentioned this, but there's that interview of him where he flat-out states that games are worthless pastimes that one should engage in only in between actually useful activities like going outside. It fuckin' blew my mind when I read it. Here's a man who's in charge of a company's product line -- a company that specializes in selling ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE -- and he's saying he doesn't want gamers hooked on his products. It fucking boggles the mind.

 

[Duraframe300]

You're not making a good game if you lack in passion.

This. Managers should not be in charge of creative design. And Sawyer is a manager. I respect him for his ability to get shit done on time, but the man doesn't have a creative bone in his entire body. I already mentioned this, but there's that interview of him where he flat-out states that games are worthless pastimes that one should engage in only in between actually useful activities like going outside. It fuckin' blew my mind when I read it. Here's a man who's in charge of a company's product line -- a company that specializes in selling ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE -- and he's saying he doesn't want gamers hooked on his products. It fucking boggles the mind.

I wouldn't either. (MMO and mobile design would kill me) I would very much like them to enjoy it though.

Different reason than Sawyer with his questionable electrical bullshit, but honestly I'd have no interest in making gambling machines either.
I don't think that makes you a bad developer.

 

[Manmower]

I'd have no interest in making gambling machines either

There's an entire specter of immersion standing between boredom and addiction.

 

[Duraframe300]

I'd have no interest in making gambling machines either

There's an entire specter of immersion standing between boredom and addiction.

Well yes, not saying anything else.

 

[Manmower]

Well yes, not saying anything else.

Then can we agree that Sawyer should never be given anything but managerial duties that he seems to excel at?