EU Cantina interviews Chris Avellone

[fastpunk]

So here's a nice interview with mister Chris Avellone himself. There's some interesting info on KotOR2, some of his side work as comic book writer and Obsidian's following projects. It seems these guys are developing a 100% new engine for that Alien RPG, which could be good in so many ways... but then again it might turn out bad too. We'll see. Here's the link btw:

http://www.eucantina.net/interview-with-writer-chris-avellone

Enjoy!

 

[MetalCraze]

...Obsidian ...a new engine? what?

 

[fastpunk]

...Obsidian ...a new engine? what?

Yeah, weird isn't it? Their track record in the programming department isn't too shiny... but who knows. Something might give. After all, when you make your own engine you're gonna know it very well and use it at full potential... at least in theory.

 

[racofer]

This doesn't sound good. They should just pick an existing one and implement their game onto it without modifying anything, it's already proven that they don't really shine on this department.

 

[Annonchinil]

I heard that they hired new people who are supposedly good at this, some guy from Insomniac.

 

[MetalCraze]

guess they just desperately need to write the thing that will show the same graphics and have the same abilities as any other engine out there now. kinda I'll write the same shit for 1000th time but then I can brag that it is mine.

 

[Keldorn]

I've had enuf.

As protest for there bein no PS:T 2 or 3, i'm gonna be using gutter grammer n spellin (yeah, i know, i've already been doing that... all along) until I see PS:T2, BG3 or Arcanum 2.

 

[MetalCraze]

BG2

bahahahaha

 

[Naked Ninja]

About the new engine, I think generally you license an existing engine per game produced. And they so far have used Biowares for both their games. While you guys might look at this as a stupid move, and it might very well be given how buggy NWN was, financially it makes some sense. You take the strain now to develop an engine but in the future you can just reuse it. Instead of paying a 3rd party large sums of money for every game. Long term it is a good idea, look at how long Bio milks its engines. The profit from their game may have finally given them the resources necessary to take the time to build their own engine.

Of course, I could be wrong and Bioware gave them indefinite right to use their older engines. *shrug*

 

[Keldorn]

BG2

bahahahaha

Look up, waaaaay up.

 

[MetalCraze]

engines blah blah

Ass Effect uses Unreal Engine 3
Ass Effect 2 uses Unreal Engine 3
Ass Effect 3 will use Unreal Engine 3
Dragon Age is a vapourware myth and doesn't exist (except for 2 pre-rendered photoshopped images of 2004)

Alpha Protocol uses Unreal Engine 3 as well

apparently UE3 is not that expensive and is suitable for arpg - which Aliens will be. now I don't really care about another shitty game from Obsidian using a franchise where all roleplaying consists of twitching the trigger as fast as you can - but still - spending like another year to develop a new engine instead of making a game on a one that actually works and knowing Obsidian it will be buggy just like the trophy-holder daggerfall (especially looking at how Obsidian used Bioware engines turning them into a bugfest). I wonder if their new engine will work after the 10th or 20th or whatever patch that will finally fix the engine (they still try to fix it in MotB - which uses an engine that actually works for everyone else). not speaking about actual game.

 

[Starwars]

I may have dreamed that up, but I seem to recall some dev post on the Obsidian forums saying that good FPS was one of the priorities for their new engine, after the wonky performance of NWN2. Don't quote me on that though.

Thanks for the interview, though it seems to be a bit of a rehash of the Starwarsknights interview some months back.

 

[Gladi]

Ass Effect
Ass Effect
Ass Effect

apparently UE3 is not that expensive and is suitable for a rpg

Bright day
There is CRPG made using Unreal Engine 3?

 

[Anthony Davis]

I'll tell you what I can.

KOTOT2 = Aurora engine
NWN2 = Modified Aurora Engine, which we call Electron
NX1 = Electron with even more fixes

Alpha Protocol = Unreal

Aliens = All new engine which we call Onyx


Also, that's a real nice interview.

 

[MetalCraze]

what about the game itself?
how does actually roleplaying work in... Aliens universe?

though I actually have suspicions that it will be a game with doing quests for corporations and aliens as an exp-meat.

 

[Saxon1974]

Hopefully the Onyx engine will be good and be used for a few other games in the future.

I liked it better when companies would re-use engines for a while and thus release games more frequently instead of re-creating a whole engine for each new game and take 5 years to release each title (Bethesda).

Not sure Im into the Aliens RPG setting, but if its a true RPG and not an action FPS RPG, I might give it a go.

 

[fastpunk]

I'll tell you what I can.

KOTOT2 = Aurora engine
NWN2 = Modified Aurora Engine, which we call Electron
NX1 = Electron with even more fixes

Alpha Protocol = Unreal

Aliens = All new engine which we call Onyx


Also, that's a real nice interview.

Wasn't KotOR2 made on the Odyssey engine? At least that's what they called it in KotOR... but it's probably just an improved version of Aurora.

Anyway, I wish you guys good luck with Onyx! It's probably an important milestone for Obsidian.

what about the game itself?
how does actually roleplaying work in... Aliens universe?

though I actually have suspicions that it will be a game with doing quests for corporations and aliens as an exp-meat.

How about a survival horror FPS/RPG ala System Shock 2? The setting would certainly be fitting for such a game.

 

[MetalCraze]

Odyssey was just an improved version of Aurora for XBawks

How about a survival horror FPS/RPG ala System Shock 2? The setting would certainly be fitting for such a game.

do you really believe that Obsidian will ever come up with something like that? oh no. besides Aliens RPG is a game for consoles - so I don't believe that Sega will let them go on with making a serious game that is not your usual console cliche-emo fest *winks at Alpha "I envy Mass Effect" Protocol*. plus why are they calling it Aliens RPG? even if we will speak about SS2-in-alien-setting - its very far from the point where you can use RPG directly in its title. even working title.

 

[fastpunk]

do you really believe that Obsidian will ever come up with something like that? oh no. besides Aliens RPG is a game for consoles - so I don't believe that Sega will let them go on with making a serious game that is not your usual console cliche-emo fest *winks at Alpha "I envy Mass Effect" Protocol*. plus why are they calling it Aliens RPG? even if we will speak about SS2-in-alien-setting - its very far from the point where you can use RPG directly in its title. even working title.

Do I really believe that Obsidian can come up with something similar to SS2? Yes, I do. You don't? Zomg u r right! Teh concept is mind-blowing, rocket science to say the least...

Anyway, it was just pure speculation. No need to pop an artery and start the bashing party this early.

 

[Anthony Davis]

I'm not sure what Bioware called the version of Aurora that ran KOTOR1, but when the rubber meets the road, it is the Aurora engine.

After working on KOTOR2, NWN2, and NX1, I would recognize that engine anywhere :wink:.


As far as Aliens RPG, there is precious little I can tell you right now. Aliens RPG is NOT the game title, it is just how we differentiate the title from Gearbox's title.

I think if you go back and watch Alien and Aliens more closely you will see that the movie and the universe quite clearly lends itself to an RPG system.

There is actually very little combat in Aliens. There is the scene where the Marines get ambushed, of which you see very little of the combat, the scene where Medical gets invaded by the Aliens in which you see a lot of combat, and then there is the finale with Ripley and the Queen. The rest of the movie is characters interacting with each other on many different levels. There is research being done on the aliens from Bishop, inventory management being done by the marines, and much more.

I think when J.E.Sawyer is finally allowed to talk about the RPG systems, specfically the character creation, you will all be pleased...well mostly pleased, this is still the Codex :wink:.

Yeah, yeah, I know, you've heard it all before. I don't blame you for doubting.

 

[Gragt]

Obsidian is one of the last few devs I do not want to doubt so I just take your word for it. So if what you say is true I thank for the little bit, if it isn't I'll ask you for the plane tickets.

And yeah Alien and Aliens is all about character interaction. It wouldn't be the same without Ripley, the Nostromo crew or the marine outfit which is exactly why I found the idea of an Aliens RPG interesting.

Speaking of which I imagine the general setting will be more about Aliens than Alien? Or you'll still manage to place the dark sexual presence of the beast somewhere?

 

[Anthony Davis]

Obsidian is one of the last few devs I do not want to doubt so I just take your word for it. So if what you say is true I thank for the little bit, if it isn't I'll ask you for the plane tickets.

And yeah Alien and Aliens is all about character interaction. It wouldn't be the same without Ripley, the Nostromo crew or the marine outfit which is exactly why I found the idea of an Aliens RPG interesting.

Speaking of which I imagine the general setting will be more about Aliens than Alien? Or you'll still manage to place the dark sexual presence of the beast somewhere?

Aliens RPG takes place after Aliens and before Aliens 3.

 

[MetalCraze]

so I take it the game will be much more about character interaction than taking them bad alienz down for exp?

 

[Jaesun]

Just FYI, on MCA's question:

CA: If they get HK-47’s infiltration of the droid factory on Telos in, I would be forever grateful.

And from the Gizka forums: "Yes, they did. In fact, it was one of the things they worked the most on."

*cue skyway*

 

[Anthony Davis]

so I take it the game will be much more about character interaction than taking them bad alienz down for exp?

There will be plenty of aliens and other things to shoot, of that have no doubt, but I cannot talk about experience is awarded in Aliens.




Off topic, have you ever played Vampire: Bloodlines? That was a cool game. I like how it awarded exp for completing objectives.