Chris Avellone's Blog

Thanks for all the responses, folks - it may take me a while to sort the ones here, Twitter, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun among others, but I want to be thorough.

 

Any more feedback or ideas, keep 'em coming! It's encouraging to see such a strong response.

Even though another Alpha Protocol in the style of the first isn't really possible, I'd be enthused about a semi-sequel. Remember SEGA's promo material for the game, that basically replicated a short sequence of game choices, sans combat? Something like that (like the "choose your own adventure" visual novel that AP was always curiously described as) stretched out to full-length, with various minigames and the like, would be ideal, at least for me.

 

If something in the AP IP is out of the question, I'd still like to see something along the lines of what AP was (allegedly, based on apocryphal sources) going to be in early revisions - a choice / consequence heavy game that relied heavily on drama without being particularly combat-heavy. Like Heavy Rain but less... top-heavy, less melodramatic. Maybe a horror RPG of some sort?

 

I'd prefer another real-world setting, but failing that, a sci-fi or near future setting would be good as well. I watched Children of Men recently and I think its not-quite-current, not-quite-cyberpunk near future would be the sort of thing that would be interesting to explore in a game.

For the love of god, I will give you every cent I have if you make Planescape Torment 2!!!!!!!!!

I would be happy with anything. I'm a console guy, but even I would play anything you put out on Steam. Though a modern update of Planescape: Torment would be fantastic along with something new.

A brilliant isometric RPG is what I'd like. Please don't waste funds on voice acting, that would take up a lot of money. Focus on a strong story and gameplay. Don't do it anytime soon, since we don't want any donator fatigue.

 

And obviously ignore everyone saying 'Planescape'. That defeats the entire point of the Kickstarter.

Things I would prefer:

 

Real time with pause or turn based combat.

Joinable party members.

A colour palette with more than shades of grey; I enjoyed FO3 but got bored of looking at wasteland.

Am also a little burned out on evil empires against which I have to rage. Please do something else.

Several choices of different types of protagonist. (Gender and different kinds of races or whatever.)

Happy with almost any setting but my preference is for NOT High Fantasy and NOT Grimdark anything.

I also vote for a new IP.

 

Personally, I think the Old West genre is highly under represented in RPG's. I think there's *alot* of room to work there, especially with a Fallout type exploration feel to it.Lawmen, Bounty-hunters, Indians, Villians, snake-oil salesmen, etc. So many myths at the time, Indian Legends, tall tales. I think the Western has potential.

 

The Starflight games could also serve as inspiration for an RPG. Those games never fully explored their potential.

 

Another currently popular genre with almost 0 exploration would be the Pirate era, you could mix in a little recruiting and leveling mechanics there. I'm sure there's some great story that could be told based on that, though this could tread dangerously close to Sid's Pirates.

 

But if a sequel to something is what the majority would prefer, then I would vote Planescape as well.

 

Regardless, I'll kickstart anything Obsidian would be doing. I've seen your talent, and followed you for 13? 14? years. I know that you could turn out something incredible.

Please please please please make a janitor RPG. It would be a dream come true. Think about it. You could start off with just a standard mop, and as you defeat rats/villains, you'd level up and get access to newer fancier mops. This is just brainstorming, but here are a few quick examples: a two-headed mop, which grants the player the ability to mop twice as much in the same timespan; or an automatic mop, which would drain less stamina per mopping area; a laser-guided mop, which would increase your to-hit ratio; or water and soap, which would allow the mop to remove dirt from the floors, etc. There are so many possibilities, this thing could basically write itself.

 

The setting would allow for a vast number of possible locales; schools, fast food chains, Iraq, etc. You could also have underwater sequences where the player needs to mop areas under the sea. You'd be trying to mop the sea floor, while fighting off sharks and crabs and stuff and also having to swim back up for air (maybe a diving suit as DLC) - it'd create a great sense of urgency. Maybe in the final level, you could be on a spaceship and some of the other astronauts find some dirt on some of the controls and can't navigate properly, so you have to quickly dust it off before the shuttles crashes into the sun. Meanwhile, you'd have alien space pirates boarding and trying to keep you from doing your job.

 

It'd be party-based, of course. You'd recruit characters throughout your journey. A student in detention, a disgrunted fast-food employee, a talking dolphin, etc. You'd have different classes; mark 1 janitor, mark 2 janitor, mark 3 janitor, dolphin, astrophysicist. So, they'd all have different abilities like mop, critical hit: mop, make cute dolphin noises to distract enemies. So in the space shuttle defense, you could have the janitor mopping off the dirt off the controls, while the dolphin was distracting the pirates and the astrophysicist was backstabbing them with large physics books, and the marine would be blasting them with shotguns. The game would have destructible environments, so s/he'd be shooting off parts of the shuttle too. The janitor would then have to mop all the broken pieces back together so that the spaceship doesn't fall apart.

 

This is the perfect setting. RPG players love to grind. This is the perfect opportunity for them to grind. What's more tedious than mopping floors? NOTHING. This is the perfect grind.

 

Oh, also add in motion controls for the mopping.

I'd very much so prefer for you guys to develop whatever RPG idea you've no doubt had kicking around, as I'm sure that approach would yield the best results; far better to be engaged in a project which you wanted to create than have something thrust upon you by the community.

 

That said, if it happens to be something you're interested in, a modern urban fantasy RPG would be pretty rad. Think Angel, Dresden Files (the books), or Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. I'm a huge fan of the genre, and I think it offers a ton of potential for dark, mature stories featuring deep characters in a setting that's far fresher than that of your typical fantasy RPG.

 

Isometric style would be awesome. As for combat, either TBS or pausable real-time suits me fine.

Hmm what id like:

 

2D Isometric RPG

RTCwP

Party based

Steampunkish Setting

Do whatever you like -- the riskier the better. This is a rare opportunity to let your creativity run free; I'd hate to see it wasted on demands of Planescape/Alpha Protocol/New Vegas/Mask of the Betrayer 2, or anything else that you've already touched upon. The breadth of premises we've seen from you so far that have achieved cult status should be an indicator that everything you touch automatically turns to gold -- but, honestly, you should know this by now. Why else would you make a Kickstarter based on the Obsidian/Chris Avellone brand?

 

This also means you can:

 

- Establish a whole new IP without worrying about whether or not it will sell, since a project like this is guaranteed to make its money back before release

- Spread your budget evenly from beginning to end, instead of frontloading your game with the most amazing two setpieces and loading the rest with filler/backtracking

- Put the focus on character interaction and storytelling, and not the same "tough white guy has weapon + regenerating health" power-fantasy garbage we're assaulted with day-by-day in the games industry

 

For my money, I'd love to see what you guys would do with something outside your wheelhouse. A Banjo-Kazooie-style platformer with Obsidian writing would be the rare game I revisit every year -- but those are just my tastes, of course.

 

The major themes I'd want, regardless of genre: Interesting characters, dense settings, bright/saturated colors, and good voiceacting. Literally everything else is up to you -- and you probably don't even have to do that much, since I'll probably still buy whatever you put out.

I'm going to against the general trend here, and suggest something original, rather than just list some silly wish-fulfillment fantasy spruiked by the fan fiction writers with no concept of licencing or copyright themes.

 

One of the greatest injustices in gaming is that Obsidian has barely been able to make their own IP.

 

I'm not really a fan of old-school RPG turn-based combat systems (it's kinda insulting to turn hundreds of dollars worth of silicon into a pencil, paper and a 20-sided dice), but I'll live with it as long as we get the sweet non-linear, multithreaded narratives and unique characters Obsidian's famous for.

 

Also, the entire Holy Trinity (Avellone, Sawyer, and Urquhart) must be fully involved!

 

Personally, I wouldn't mind a cyberpunk game, but that's my personal preference and I really don't like giving orders on creativity.

 

At any rate, I'm sure you'll do well, and no matter what you decide, you'll have my money - if only to support artists who are breaking away from the publishers and doing what they love.

I'd love to see an old school isometric RPG with zero voiced dialogue. An emphasis on creativity is a must in terms of art direction, story if there needs to be one, and all around just creatively challenging.

a spiritual successor to Planescape. would put down $100 off the bat. don't care about actual setting, definately don't care about any form of continuity. simply a similar level of gameplay element balance for an rpg. and the feeling of thick, greasy, satisfying offbeatness instead of hollow and baseless 'weirdness'

*hope my english is ok*

Turn-based is a must

Isometric is a must

High resolution 2D would be a big plus but I'd still buy it even if were 3D.

Science Fiction genre would be nice (There aren't a whole lot of Sci-fi RPGs)

Some QA for once

 

Unfortunately a lot of the things I'd like to see are almost certainly off the table given the constraints of a kickstarter project (Planescape: Torment sequel, resurrection of Van Buren)

 

Basically as long as it's a turn-based isometric RPG there's a 99% chance I'll kick in money.

Do it. Let's start this gaming revolution. And when you do it, please god make it good since you'll be one of the first and will be setting an example for the industry.

 

Also to answer the question: Old-school RPG based on a D&D-ish system of course. Nobody will ever make a game like that again unless you do it. Nobody.

I know buying the rights to make a sequel would be a bit much for a kickstarter, but I'd love to see a "spiritual successor" to games like the infinity engine games, arcanum or even lionheart. I think a new IP would offer some great possibilities for gameplay and mechanics. What was great about all those games for me was the setting, story and overall immersion. PS:T for example was fairly light on combat/action but there was a lot to explore that actually rewarded the player. Another key element is having the game respond to your character(s). Its awesome having attributes or skills unlock dialogue options, or having your character with a low intelligence be too stupid to realize an NPC is tricking them. In the same vein, having consequences for choices and multiple ways to complete quests with the same of varying outcomes really makes the world feel alive. I don't really care if the graphics are infinity engine quality, but obviously it would be nice to have widescreen and higher resolutions supported. I absolutely loved how temple of elemental evil was able to capture the feeling of the infinity engine while technically being a mix of 2d and 3d, mainly all the flavor clothing items and how the "sprites" would show the hats/cloaks/armor/boots instead of just weapons/shields.

 

as for settings I'd personally like to see:

-alternate histroy with magic, like lionheart

-steampunk with magic, like arcanum

-magitech where magic is abundant and comercialized

-an untamed frontier in a world of kingdoms at war in an age of exploration

-a "generic fantasy" world post apocalypse

 

I don't particularly favor one type of combat. Turnbased can be awesome like fallout 1+2, but realtime worked well in the infinity engine games. I think lionheart was a little too fast paced (and thus less tatical) at times, but the speed slider helped. Arcanum had the options for both which is idea, but probably demands a lot more work and attention to balance.

I

Isometric sure seems to be the new black. Why?

Anything that's NOT a nostalgia train.

Making a 'spiritual' successor to Planescape or Icewind Dale may seem to be the easiest way to go about it but please consider that over a decade has passed and things have changed.

Having a largely adult audience (presumably) presents an unique opportunity for atypical story/game design and it would be a terrible shame to waste it by doing isometric/hand-drawn/d20 for the sake of nostalgia.

I think what most people would like to see is a pure turn-based rpg but I'd personally like to see Obsidian take it a bit further and use an underrepresented setting in the rpg genre. Works like Moon, Alien, Battle Angel Alita, Planetes, Shadowrun, Blade Runner are among my favorite so I'm suggesting you make:

 

A turn-based RPG set in a Hard-scifi or cyberpunk future with lots and lots of dialogue. (A definite way to get through the game without any combat is a must)

- Isometric (anyone else sick of 3D?)

- Scifi type setting

- PST type story/dialogue

- Turn based

- BG2 type party based combat.

Hi! First off I would totally help fund an Obsidian kickstarter game. As for what I would like to see, I would really want to see you make the game that YOU want to make. It seems like a pretty common request on this thread and that makes me really happy. The passion that would come from creating the game that you truly want to make it a billion times better. I would truly fund any game / genre you want to make just for the pure principle of it. I am excited to see if these types of projects take flight. To me the level of excitement from developer through to the gaming community feels like the "good ol days" of PC gaming.

 

Of course you also want feedback from us fans in terms of what we do want so I would love to see an old school 90's isometric RPG. Doesn't nessessarily have to be a sequel or in any particular genre. I'd like to see the effort placed on things like story and open ended choices rather than graphics and audio. I would also be willing to wait quite a while for this project. I would hope that having a community project like this would allow you to take the time to craft your art the way you want without being rushed by deadlines mandated by a publisher.

 

Lastly, glad to see that you are so excited by the idea of all of this. The very obvious joy that is being expressed over at Double Fine and your excitement makes this seem all the more amazing. Good luck!

-Isometric RPG

-Turn Based

-Limited VO

-Rich C&C

 

Don't really care if it's an established IP or not.

I'd love to see you ladies and gents come up with your own fantasy setting, something that would leave the 'incredibly original' Amalur six feet under. I'm getting depressed of just how generic and cut & paste fantasy settings are. So I'd task you with taking a risk and doing something wildly bizarre. Just plumb the depths of your imagination and be abstract, be bold, be unafraid, and most importantly - be unusual.

 

Also, on a more selfish note - I'd love to see a beast race portrayed in something as more than just stupid/angry brutes. That would be something. That'd be a bloody paradigm shift, that would. Geez, it's like xenophobia is so woven into the fabric of our being that we can't even conceive of an inhuman race that might actually be intelligent and mostly peaceful.

 

It's sad when webcomics like Freefall are more compelling, imaginative, intriguing, and unusual than pretty much anything in the mainstream entertainment industry. That is a bit sad, really.

 

Failing that? Possibly try and get the rights to do a Discworld RPG, possibly based around the City Watch - and work with Pratchett to make it something really special. At Obsidian you actually have decent writers, really talented writers, and you should use that. You could certainly outdo those terrible Discworld point & click adventure games of yore.

 

Just generally though... be unexpected. Try to appeal to the highest common denominator (fun and passion) rather than the lowest.

 

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Oh, and keep the voice acting. "Elitism HO!" attitudes aside, voice-acting helps regarding accessibility. People with poor sight don't exactly want to be left with screens of tiny text to read. This will be a barrier of entry to some people, especially to aging folk, and it will determine whether one CAN play the game, regardless of whether they actually want to or not.

 

So try to keep tiny tooltips filled with microscopic text that you have to be some sort of bionic eagle to read to a minimum. Try to actually stray away from what other people think makes an RPG and concentrate on your strengths - your strengths being amazing writing skills, thus story and narrative, and choices which are neither illusory or forced.

 

Go with what you're good at. Don't try to be Bioware just because elitism.

 

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To add a bit more to this - I'd really like to see you tackle more alien cultures. This can mean fantasy, sci-fi, science-fantasy, alternate realities or what have you. Anywhere where we could introduce a really strange race, to be honest.

 

I was always disappointed at how you disassociated the talking deathclaws with Fallout, Chris, but this is a chance to make good. See, I don't just see the chance to actually work on an alien culture somewhat xenophobic (even though it is), but it's cowardly. Again - if you guys are as talented as I think you are, then tackling a peculiar culture that is alien to us and not familiar, something that may take us out of our comfort zones, should be something that you could do.

 

I spent months musing over the many things that I could do with a race liek the deathclaws - an artificially advanced race of reptiles, and how much of standard reptilian behaviours I could evolve into a culture through my understanding of anthropology. As the creation of a person is half genetics, and half societal, and thus what would the society of a particularly alien race be like? It's ways like this in which you could challenge yourself.

 

That's what I want to see you do - challenge yourself.

 

If you're just going to go with a generic fantasy setting, if you're just going to go with a nostalgia trip, or something you've done, or a sequel, or something entirely typical then I'm going to be disappointed. You guys are writers, you're perhaps one of the few development houses in the industry that has writing talent that I can actually feel excited about.

 

Thus it's somewhat infuriating to see that you never push yourselves. The last thing I want to see you do is something pedestrian. So make the game you want to make - but more, perhaps, try to do the things that you never thought you could. It's a massive risk to do something really abstract, but isn't that what these Kickstarter projects are about? Everything about this is a massive risk.

 

I just want to see what you guys could do if you really tasked yourself with coming up with your own IP. It could even be a fairly short game, something that could be completed in a few hours and I'd be satisfied, so long as it was something you really worked on - something that was outside the mainstream.

 

Just look at what everyone else is doing and ask what you could do different.

 

*falls over.*

 

Ventventventvent.

 

Done now.

 

I hope.

 

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Hokay... ONE MORE THING damn it. I'm having an Uncle moment.

 

I don't think I could really express in words the ridiculous amounts of faith and fanboyish praise I've always had for you guys. No matter what you do I doubt I'm going to be that disappointed even if it is just some generic thing.

 

So, just do your best with it. But yeah, I have a lot of faith in you, and I think that you have more of a chance to do something really special than most mainstream developers.

 

This is a chance.

 

Don't miss it.

 

Love you guys. (In perhaps not an entirely platonic way.)