Chris Avellone's Blog

There's a false dichotomy going on here that's bugging me.It goes like this: "An old, isometric game you could NEVER sell to a publisher because, uh... it's old! So make that, Obsidian!"Except, to the contrary, an isometric, old-school, traditional RPG with low costs and low risks (to the niche being sold to) would have no trouble finding a publisher. I mean, look at the success GoG have had. If a developer approached a group of publishers asking them to sell such a game, they'd probably end up with more than a few offers.I agree with the notion of having something you couldn't sell to a publisher, but a thing that's already been tried and proven isn't the way to go about it. "Wild and risky!" doesn't equal "Make the same game that GoG is selling twenty times over."I mean, the way most people do it is to either keep the traditional mechanics, or the traditional setting, and that's why that sells. Cthulhu Saves the World and Avernum have seen success, so has Kingdom of Amalur. But (barring perhaps the humour of Cthulhu), these games are all quite dull. Quite, quite dull.The way to really create a game that a publisher wouldn't buy would be to go outside of the comfort zone of the lowest common denominator. And that means being experimental and controversial, not only with your setting but with your mechanics. It's intellectually dishonest to claim that a publisher wouldn't buy something that's a sure bet, and really, with the low production costs of an isometric RPG and a studio like Obisdian behind it, that's a sure bet.This is why I challenge them to be abstract with their game, to NOT create the same generic world, to NOT create the same generic RPG, to NOT dwell on the same old mechanics. To make something that's actually new, and to do it their own way.

 

I think the point of Isometric RPG (along with no VO) is it'll be cheaper, Kickstarter isn't going to give them that much money, so obsidian is going to have make some cost cutting choice some where and if that give the game some Nostalgia all the better, but just because a game sounds traditional doesn't mean that it has to be mechanically, there'd still be plenty of wiggle room for innovation and risk taking.

No, wulf it wouldn't. I'm pretty sure you can actually ask the Obsidian crew about that as they tried to pitch things like this multiple times in the past. Including an Arcanum sequel.

 

And how does GOG selling old games equal to the production of a new, similiar one? That doesn't even make sense.

Anachronox! One of the best adventure RPG games ever even though it was released over a decade ago! For those unfamiliar it was a 3rd person perspective gumshoe adventure game with RPG elements and turn based combat. Combat wasn't the main draw, it was the amazing and so far unrivalled story telling, the depth of chracters and character development and a wonderful sci fi universe which is was (and still is) a unique and wonderous universe even compared to the multitude available today. It had a fantastic humourous streak that still makes me laugh today and a very believeable anti-hero protagonist and a lovable rag-tag band intent on uncovering a mystery and saving the galaxy. Above all however is that it created characters that I truly cared about. A feat that only Grim Fandango has been able to repeat. The final twist at the end still resonates with me as the most heart wrenching and unexpected betrayal i've experienced in any movie or game.

 

the ending as well is BEGGING for a sequel! I'd love obsidian to give a sequel a go. so long as they maintain the excellent writing and character development i'm ok if they do away with turn based combat (so long as it doesn't become an FPS) but still preseve the cool boss battles.

 

I'd also love to see a FreeSpace 3, not necessarily a sequel but maybe a different perspective. say from the Shivans or from Earth's perspective as the evens of FS2 play out (culminating perhaps in contact being established between earth and the wider GTVA?). just so long as it doesn't become a dumbed down space sim like Freelancer. I want to use a joystick dammit!

hard sci-fi setting (harder than Mass Effect 2. Deus Ex is a good example)

or

current trend of fantasy (dark, gritty, blablabla. at least grittier than Dragon Age series. The Witcher series should be a good example)

WITH SELF-AWARENESS.

 

companions. one of many merits of obsidian games.

 

as for camera i think the entire surrounding environment (like the sky and distant landscape) is more important than some particles and dynamic shadow and so on. This should solve the conundrum in Dungeon Siege III.

I will give my money only on Planescape: Torment remake. This game is the gratest game on the world.

Another games don't worth my money.

Not too original, but I have to jump on the "PS:T spiritual successor" bandwagon. I have to stress that this is not (just) the nostalgy talking. The Planescape setting is incredibly rich and although PS:T made good use of it, it barely scratched the surface.

Oh please, Planescape: Torment worth remake, many people who want to play in it can't do that because of grafic- too old.

Just to start with this, the reason you don't see more posts is because it takes forever for your moderators to approve new accounts, while I own most of your games I don't actually bother with forums.

 

Now that that is out of the way I would love a PS:T spiritual successor, dragon age: origins was a great call back to baldurs gate but it never quite got there, the production values are too large to properly shape a world.

 

However, a isometric rpg (or anything else really) with sylized graphics would leave much more room for a fully fleshed out story with memorable characters, what I really want is a great story where MY character does things because they make sense to HIM or go towards the overarching goal AND NOT killing 10 boars for money if that can be helped.

in spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito, suscipiamur ad te...

 

(First of all, I should admit to being profoundly broke. My donation is likely to be small if it exists.)

 

My first thought is: don't do Doctor Who. The modern series is an abomination when placed alongside its 1963-1989 form. And the BBC won't let you do something set in that period of the show. Quite apart from anything else, Doctor Who doesn't fit the model for an RPG - it's not like Star Trek, there are no alien races, only monsters and reflexions of humanity. As such, you can't do race/class specification very easily and the whole thing would feel tacked-on.

 

My second thought is that there has been some kind of... mood? spirit? seeping out of Obsidian's games over time. There's a definite continuity of spirit between PST and KotOR 2, with (IMO) PST representing the more creatively explosive game and KotOR 2 the more mature refinement. Personally, I've felt this seeping out of Obsidian's games for a while now. MotB was about the last game with echoes (no pun) of this, I felt. I'm not sure what it is... a kind of thematic density that's matched with the game's 'dark' setting, maybe? I think it's a kind of literariness, perhaps.

 

I don't care about much else (though it'd be nice if the game was fantastic on other fronts too, of course), but this is something I'd really like to see again.

 

My final thought is: Faction Paradox RPG! (Begin here: http://madnorwegian.com/158/books/sf-fiction/faction-paradox-the-book-of-the-war-softcover/ , if uninitiated).

I'd support a kickstarter.

 

The setting doesn't matter much to me, good story/characters can work in any setting. I'd prefer not too much focus on combat.

Anything similar to the Infinity Engine games... Preferably with the Infinity Engine.

Games like those just aren't made anymore.

Isometric, turn-based, party-based RPG.

 

Develop your own IP so you don't have to license anyone else.

 

I would like to see a setting that is not done to death. 80's style cyberpunk, science fiction, old west, but really anything will work done in the old-school real RPG style.

 

Of course if you want an established IP there are some fairly popular ones in the public domain. HP Lovecrafts Cthulhu stuff, Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars stuff(and with the John Carter moving coming out this will be even more well known) and most of Robert E Howard's Conan and Kull stuff come immediately to mind.

 

 

But whatever you do for the love of the gods please, please, please avoid any sort of anime based art direction.

RPG

Non-real setting

Non-linear story tied with variative skill system.

I'd LOVE to see another game in Planescape universe. Certainly not continuation of Planescape: Torment, it's finished story. Just new adventure with Sigil and whole new worlds to explore. My suggestions:

- 3d Isometric view + 1st person while speaking with NPC's

- Or 1st person / behind shoulder view. Imagine walking through the streets of Sigil like that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wceAXM-sKkI

 

http://digital-art-g...digital_art.jpg

 

It would be GREAT (and mind****ing at the same time) to see actual ring-shaped structure of the city! And just think about other amazing possibilities (like astral plane for example).

- - -

Also, I highly reccomend to include best features of Torment + insirations from other good cRPG:

- Rich, non-linear storyline full of plots and twists + original personal quest (NOT SAVING THE WORLD)

- Original main character, and memorable NPC's

- MANY dialogue options with HIGH influence of atributes. Charisma, Perception, Inteligence... another examples: Strenght (to grab and frighten NPC :>) Dexterity (to hide something when guards wants to search you).

- Player actions and choices have major influence on his alignment

- World full of greys (NOT typical good guys vs bad guys). Torment + Game of Thrones are good examples

- Different endings, depends on player choices.

- Diffrent ways to finish same quest (Deus Ex: HR) and world reaction to player decisions.

- Less open world, more plot! (more like The Witcher 2, than Skyrim).

- Weird / strange / mad / dark NPC's (Ravel Puzzlewell, Marrow-Friend, Many As One, Coaxmetal, Pile of Skulls)

- Including few "old friends" from Torment would be nice thing

- Rusty interface and world design (don't add too many colours!!)

 

 

- Appropriate music to build atmosphere. Mark Morgan did GREAT job. Perhaps you should consider to work with him again? :D

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=910_gB_6Wno

Hi,

 

I made an account just to say this to you since you asked for my idea:

 

I'm not going to give you an absurd list of demands, or ask you to make a game you can't afford to like many people here are asking. Most people don't seem to get that with a 1 million dollar fund from a kickstart project that things like... 3D beyond a few choice models would be out of budget, and trying to get a hold of an old IP like planescape would cost a fortune in of itself.

 

So, I'll leave the game up to you.

 

However, if you are reading this, I would like you dare you to push gaming into a direction that isn't seen too often. You could be given a rare opportunity to make a game without a publisher looking over your shoulder, so...

 

I would dare you, as a lesbian myself, to make a game with a gay/lesbian protagonist. Don't particularly care what the game is about or how its made, but my invitation to you is to push a concept that a publisher would fire down in the first meeting. If Obsidian really is the RPG company that has the mature writing, treats its players like adults, and all these repeated lines I'm reading in this comment's section, then I put forth that you actually use this opportunity to push the boundaries of what a game's story is.

 

Would a lot of people be against a gay protagonist? Yes. Yes they would. But, I think if you wrote it in a mature, adult way with respect towards the character and even the culture as an added bonus, you could have something special. Developers like Bioware and so on have played with this concept, but its always been optional and usually intended solely for the drool factor.

 

I would even dare you to go so far as to make, say, a Muslim protagonist. How many can you name off on your hand right now? Didn't think so.

 

My point basically in this; don't just make a sequel, or revive an old property, or, heck, even give fans what they may want; use this opportunity to push the gaming medium and gaming writing further than a publisher would allow.

 

That is my suggestion, and my challenge to you Avellone.

A turn-based, party-based RPG in a unique setting with goals more ambitious than "adolescent power fantasy" and an emphasis on quality over quantity (no "RPGs must be x hours long" business filled with trivial killing and fetching tasks please).

I would even dare you to go so far as to make, say, a Muslim protagonist. How many can you name off on your hand right now? Didn't think so.

 

Difficult to tell people in a Western roleplaying game the way their character must believe; makes more sense for a genre that doesn't make such a big deal about players having 'choices' about how their character acts as RPGs do. (Even if choices do tend to take the form of kick puppy or save orphanage.) Would work for an adventure game perhaps.

 

Same with the gay protagonist really. Wouldn't be a big deal if just the only available romance options happened to be homosexual because the NPCs that happen to be keen on you are only the homosexual ones, but if you go from that to "By the way, your character is definitely attracted to these characters" you'll have responses along the lines of "Um excuse me I think you'll find I'm roleplaying this character, and the way I roleplay she's definitely a heterosexual girl who just doesn't have time for a relationship, OMG stop taking away my choices. MY CHOICES!"

 

Oh and also the Muslim protagonist would probably limit the setting somewhat.

I guess what I would like the most is an Alpha Protocol sequel. Failing that, I suppose I could go with the Planescape bandwagon...

I contest the notion that choices in RPGs tend to be 'kick puppy' or 'save orphanage.'

 

I contest that vehemently.

 

In Obsidian games at least, they tend to be so much more.

 

In Fallout: New Vegas there were loads of choices like that, especially surrounding the characters. Another situation that was hard to know what was best with, but wasn't an artificial 'choose the dickish choice or choose the dickish choice' was Lily's medicine.

 

There are lots of choices made there, and there have actually been some huge arguments (and some very philosophical ones) over what the 'right choice' for Lily was. Some peope place importance on her memories and identity over her well being, some do vice versa. It's a tough choice however you cut it.

 

And there are tough choices all throughout New Vegas that don't feel artificially tough. That's how you handle an RPG with choices properly. Obsidian have never failed to do that, and to do so subtly and with aplomb. They're the masters of choice, so any game without the degrees of choice that only Obsidian knows how to offer would, quite frankly, be a criminal offence.

 

No one does what they do as well as them, and that's why Obsidian games are such rare joys. I think that in this case, Obsidian should stick with what they're best at, becasue with what they're best at literally no other studio in existence does it as well as tehm.

 

The only other game I can think of that's not Obsidian-developed that's come close to the incredible level of choice and consequence that Obsidian muster is Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines.

 

No matter how you slice it, there isn't a single instace of a 'kick puppy/save orphange' or 'kick puppy/kick puppy' choice (I'm looking at you, Skyrim) in New Vegas.

 

---

 

That said, being gay myself I'd completely be in support of having the option to play a well written gay character, and to have a couple of well written gay characters as relationship options. But Obsidian don't force things on people - that's Bethesda, Bioware, and all the two-bit hacks that couldn't put together a real choice-and-consequence RPG to save their lives.

 

(And we all know they couldn't, so let's not beat around the bush. Bethesda and Bioware do what they do and they do it well, but what they do NOT do is choice-and-consequence sceanrios.)

 

Here's another thought: I'd love to see a co-op RPG where the choices of other players who're with you can screw things over for the entire party. So if someone does something stupid, then your entire team gets a bounty on your head, and then you have to hope that the silver-tongued member of your party can talk their way out of whatever it was that the stupid guy did.

Deleting my post wasn't nice of you. But very well, let me rephrase it:

 

I'd support any Fallout game you may develop.

Hi, me again...

 

After seeing some very heated arguments pop up on various sites about what a game should be to be a true old-school RPG, I'm convinced that unlike Double Fine have been you should be *very clear* about the scope and goals of the game that is going to be made, so you don't get the sort of long term resentment and grief that Notch gets from some Minecraft "fans". I.e have this on the Kickstarter page:

 

Read carefully before donating any amount. No matter how much you or others plegde or nag us, this first Kickstarter will fund the making of this exact game:

• It definitely will/won't be Planescape 2/Alpha Protocol 2/Daikatana 2.
  
• It will be a 2D/3D real time/turn based isometric/1st person RPG/FPS/Hentai dating sim.
  
• It will/won't have full voice acting/no voice acting/Infinity Engine style "first word or line voiced"/voice acting performed by horses.
  
• Etc, etc...
  

 

Related to that, with my earlier suggestion that you do like Order of the Stick and add milestone rewards to increase pledges, be careful that you don't alienate early donators. For instance, if you add iPad/console as a new reward if we would double the initial amount, I'm sure non-PC owners would (rightly) be overjoyed, and while I wouldn't begrudge them having the game there too, I'm sure you know you would face a level 10 inferno worth of people going "OH GOD NOOO! They are going to dumb down the interface!!". Because on the internet, believing something makes it true, no matter how much evidence to the contrary is produced.

 

Also, for goodness sake don't overcommit and burn out on this Kickstarter. Create something small(ish), original and most of all polished! Then do another one if it is successful. Best suggestion so far in this thread in my opinion has been from ex-Obsidian "tevans":

 

I recommend picking the best of those, filming a pitch video to post on Kickstarter, and then see how the public reacts. A small team composed of a programmer, designer, 2 artists, part-time sound designers and QA, could complete a pretty decent small games project in less than 6 months for under $250,000. If you get extra money, resist the temptation to pour it into the one project (scope control), and instead start up a second team working on another project.

 

With all that said, I think something with the graphics level and gameplay complexity of Age of Decadence would make me very satisfied.

 

Final comment: If isometric turn based would become a "thing" with you but Kickstarter is too limited, consider talking to Fredrik Wester of Paradox. They are growing as publishing company and have shown they are willing to fund some out there stuff. I'm sure they would be delighted to have a famous team like you as a feather in their hat.

Planescape: Torment 2

 

Arcanum 2

Since you have experience working with Bethesda's open-world properties, I would LOVE to see a game similar to the Elder Scrolls or Fallout with COOP! Create your own IP, and figure out a way to make it work since Bethesda likely never will.

Anything related to Planescape or Arcanum is ridiculous. For one thing, do you realise how much of their fund it would cost to acquire those IPs? And for another - it would reign in their creativity.

 

The whole idea of this is to not do something as dullcentric (DULLCENTRIC IS NOW A WORD) as past, long belaboured trad RPGs. They want to do something new, so let them do something new. They want to be unrestricted, so let them be unrestricted.

 

Desiring that they be stranded in sequel land is the worst thing you could do to them.