New MCA interview

[Llyranor]

http://www.gamer-girl.org/features/avalloneint1.html

 

Interesting tidbit about good old MCA writing ALL the companion dialogue for NWN2. Very nice indeed.

[Volourn]

That's bad news... After the npcs in KOTOR2 consisting of a barely teenage girl having sex with both her father and a walking carpet, and an obviously evil villainess forced on the PC; I'll uhuh.

 

He should stick with PST. :cool:

 

 

Seriously, I'm sure he'll do good; but I don't expect miracles.

[Archmonarch]

...a barely teenage girl having sex with both her father and a walking carpet...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If you mean Mission, she was in K1 and her father died long before. Otherwise, not sure who you mean here.

 

However, I agree with you about the writing.

[Baley]

He means Mira..long story

[Plano Skywalker]

I thought the NPCs in KOTOR II were quite good. The main problem is that they did not have *enough* backstory/sidequests and were too tied in with the main plot.

 

The only NPC from KOTOR I that has yet to be equaled or surpassed is Jolee.

[Plano Skywalker]

and an obviously evil villainess forced on the PC; I'll uhuh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

that was the SHORTCUT DEVICE FROM HELL, I'll make no quarrel with you there!

[Drakron]

I certainly did not, KotOR II OE NPCs looked like to be in a competition to see who was the more screwed up.

 

Make then too much artificial to my taste and given me PS:T flashbacks.

[Volourn]

Don't get me wrong, unlikes Drakron, there were some good npcs in KOTOR2. And, other than the forced nature of Kreia and her obvious evilness, she was written pretty well, too...

[Archmonarch]

He means Mira..long story

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh, with Hanharr! I dont remember exactly the part about her father though. But I have time; spill.

[Drakron]

Its my opinion Volourn, Kreia being forced as somewhat anoying and "well written" she is not exactly, she becames too looney at the end with wanting to end the force and then she wants the exile to go search for Revan for some god knows reason.

[Plano Skywalker]

I certainly did not, KotOR II OE NPCs looked like to be in a competition to see who was the more screwed up.

 

Make then too much artificial to my taste and given me PS:T flashbacks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

well, let's see:

 

Mandalore = OK, he's a retread, doesn't count.

 

Atton = a really gritty, seedy character. A cross between Carth and Han Solo.

I thought it worked. Plus, I suppose better eye candy for the ladies than Carth was.

 

HK and T3 = nothing much different than before.

 

GOT0 = definitely a flat character until you get his backstory....sidequests would have worked wonders here.

 

Mira = I must have missed the sexual abuse part but I like this character alot. Again, sidequests (not just cutscreens) would have done alot.

Gameplay-wise, this is one of the more useful characters.

 

Visas = Visas is really the Bastila of KOTOR II. She is woven so heavily into the main plot that you loose sight of anything else. Because of this, she comes across as "artificial" in some ways. Still, one of my favorites to take out on adventures.

 

Kreia = granted, a well-written disaster.

 

Handmaiden = I thought her backstory was pretty good and the whole training bit was really good.

 

Bao-Dur = my favorite NPC of the series so far. I like the cool, no-nonsense attitude. Again, sidequests and more backstory would have worked wonders.

[Archmonarch]

What I remember of the relationship between Mira and Hanharr was implied, rather than stated bluntly.

[SteveThaiBinh]

If having one guy do all the dialogue makes their stories more coherent and interesting, I'm all for it.

 

They might have been a little more probing with their interview. "What do you think of the mixed reaction to Kotor 2's ending? How many women designers do you employ?"

[kirottu]

"What do you think of the mixed reaction to Kotor 2's ending?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

He has already said that due the feedback this was the last time he

[Drakron]

If having one guy do all the dialogue makes their stories more coherent and interesting, I'm all for it.

....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

More coherent, perhaps.

More interesting, likely not.

More diverse, no.

 

A issue I have with KotOR is there was no conflics in terms of dialogue, Kreia and the Jedi council used the exact same words and belived in the exact same thing and that was wrong since Kreia was viewed as a renegade and so what she belived and people natural use diferent words to descrive something that cannot be easy descrived.

 

"Echo in the force" was a much overused word and the Jedi council sould avoided to use such world, KotOR 2 was simply spawning a theory about the Force as if it was the correct acepted theory as in Star Wars the Force sould never be put into any kind of acepted theory.

 

Diferent writters will have diferent views of the story, they will see diferent things and that will reflect on NPCs being diferent, one writer might get the story right but there will be no conflics, no diversity of stated opinion ... it will be the same and it will feel on a subconsient level a bland, static world.

 

I usually rape BioWare but one thing I have to say I like is they have several people in dialogue and that translates into the world as a good thing.

[Volourn]

"I usually rape BioWare"

 

Rape is immoral, wrong, and illegal. You belong in pirosn for admitting such a heinous crime.

 

 

"Echo in the force" was a much overused word"

 

It's not a word. It's a phrase. Or a collection of wordS.

 

 

"Diferent writters will have diferent views of the story, they will see diferent things and that will reflect on NPCs being diferent, one writer might get the story right but there will be no conflics, no diversity of stated opinion ... it will be the same and it will feel on a subconsient level a bland, static world."

 

All those books. All written by single writers. All bland, and static. Uhuh, yeah.

[Azarkon]

MCA seems to have a penchant for writing about either odd and/or dark characters, usually in dark, weird and/or futuristic environments. PS:T and KOTOR 2, the two works I most associate with Master Avellone, are both representative of that, as might Fallout II.

 

Not sure if I'm familiar with any works of his in the realm of high-fantasy. Perhaps IWD? But that was hardly a game of interactive NPCs. Unless I'm seriously missing something, I'd think that MCA has a rather blank slate with respect to matters of medieval fantasy, and as such it would be interesting to see exactly how NWN2's dialogues will unfold...

[Plano Skywalker]

I do, in a sense agree with Drakon about Kreia. She is too opinionated AND too necessary for there not to be an "equal time" device.

 

For instance, in the Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader was influencing the heck out of Luke. But, then again, there was Ben and Yoda's perpective...a kind of equal time, as it were.

 

We really did not have that this time. We needed an Obi-Wan even if it was just a Force Ghost.

[metadigital]

... "Echo in the force" was a much overused word and the Jedi council sould avoided to use such world, KotOR 2 was simply spawning a theory about the Force as if it was the correct acepted theory as in Star Wars the Force sould never be put into any kind of acepted theory. ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kreia was the first, the One True Prophet of Truth. She has lit the torch of veracity for us to follow: we must release the universe from the grip of the totalitarian Force: restore fredom of choice to the galaxy! Join us in the Anti-Force force as be do battle in the ultimate conflict: against the Force itself!

 

[Craigboy2]

I thought the NPCs in KOTOR II were quite good.  The main problem is that they did not have *enough* backstory/sidequests and were too tied in with the main plot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That why I wish Obisidian was given more than 13 months to finish KOTOR2.