Interview Chris Avellone BGamer Interview at A Post Nuclear Blog

[El Dee]

Tags: Chris Avellone

<a href="http://fallout3.wordpress.com/">A Post Nuclear Blog</a> has an <a href="http://fallout3.wordpress.com/articles/bgamer-interview-with-chris-avellone/">interview</a> posted that Chris Avellone did for Portuguese gaming magazine <b>BGamer</b>. Some highlights:
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<blockquote><b>Any game you worked on that you are particularly fond of?</b>
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I enjoyed working on almost all of them, but I loved working on Planescape: Torment the most, mostly because I can point to it and say, “that game is what I wanted to say about RPGs.” That said, I did enjoy working on Fallout 2 and I love working on Alpha Protocol at Obsidian - I think it’s going to add a lot of depth and intrigue to espionage games from a role-playing perspective. Also, the chance to script characters who can talk about problems in the modern world and use modern-day slang and phrases is a huge plus.
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<b>What, for you, makes a good story?</b>
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Providing the player with interesting companions and characters who react to the player’s actions I think is more important than a linear storyline. In most cases, I feel the best way is to allow the player the pieces to build a story in their own mind as opposed to forcing a storyline on the player. If you give the player a great villain and some companions that serve as good sounding boards for the player’s actions, that can present a far more effective gaming story in the long run - players would prefer to explain to others how their character dealt with a certain situation or dealt with a certain NPC rather than have the exact same experience that was imposed on them as someone else who played the same title.</blockquote>
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Thanks, Briosafreak!
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[Fat Dragon]

It was a pretty good read, but...well...People really need to start asking this guy some new questions when they interview him. It seems every interview he's a part of they always ask him the same questions.

 

[-Pavlos-]

It was a pretty good read, but...well...People really need to start asking this guy some new questions when they interview him. It seems every interview he's a part of they always ask him the same questions.

Give it a bit... hopefully : /.

Edit:

Also, one aspect to a good story (in games), is that the game needs to end and achieve some sort of resolution. Obviously, single-player RPGs hold the monopoly in this, but this is something I think MMOs have the potential to solve depending on how they structure their quest and story mechanics.

Yes... very important. The emphasis he places on resolution really shines through in KotOR II, doesn't it?

 

[Fat Dragon]

Not sure about KOTOR2, I haven't experienced the final act the way it was meant to have been (haven't got around to installing the mod yet). It really shined through in Planescape, though; the game's final hour was my favorite part in Planescape, hell probably my favorite part of any video game period.

How does KOTR2's final part (with content restored obviously) compare to Planescape's?

 

[burrie]

I think that the final planet would've been one of the most memorable acts, if it had been compeltely restored. It would reflect a lot of consequences to choices that you made throughout the game. I sincerely hope that Team Gizka's work on this part will properly restore it.

 

[MetalCraze]

Yes... very important. The emphasis he places on resolution really shines through in KotOR II, doesn't it?

Yes. I like how you can make your party members totally hate you and instead of them not speaking with you on various topics like it was in KotOR1 - dropping your influence too low leads to actually unlocking additional content with them not seen in all other cases. Not mentioning minor things like

Spoiler

Bao-Dur's telepathic message among the worried thoughts of all other party members when Exile lies in the medical room unconscious after the final battle with the Genoharadan boss. That was so Avelloneishly planescapish

Most likely Alpha Protocol will have a very good story. But too bad Avellone spends his time on the game that will be shitty in all other aspects.