"So You Wanna Be A: Game Designer" feature at GS

[funcroc]

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6129276/index.html

 

Question: How does the designer's contribution to a project evolve as the game comes together? Do you write the design document and then let the rest of the team figure it out? How do you involve yourself in the process?

 

Avellone: We're working on Neverwinter Nights 2 right now (most everyone at Obsidian is, although we have 10-15 people working on our next project, which is not a sequel). The way design usually works is that we blue-sky a vision document for the game's key features and fun factor. Then we make it more realistic, turning it into a "creative design doc" that the programmers break down into a schedule.

 

This creative design doc is revised, cut up into smaller pieces, each piece is detailed, and then it is passed off to another designer to fully flesh out. And this process is repeated until every aspect of design is covered and handled. The story and area design works much the same way as it did on KOTOR2. We take the overall story, chop up the planets and systems design, pass it off to individual designers, then they flesh out their planets and quests and make them game-ready. 

 

For Neverwinter Nights 2, I'm responsible for all the companion dialogues for the game, writing major non-player characters (and lesser ones), doing the vision quests, balancing and implementing influence mechanics, critiquing area designs, helping out with writing other parts of the game, and trying to juggle other manager and cofounder stuff, like prepping vision docs, providing input on game pitches, and helping out with designer hiring, looking over design tests, and [handling] interviews.

 

I'm also looking over stuff for our third coming project, which is being headed up by Kevin Saunders (KOTOR2). But he's handling it just fine without me, so he mostly just humors me and gives me reassuring pats on the head.

[Llyranor]

Overall a nice read.

 

It was already known that MCA would be doing all the companions for NWN2. Definitely the part which has me the most looking forward to its OC.

[Volourn]

As long as there is no Kreia type character that is ruined by its obviousness, I'm game for it....

[Azarkon]

It will definitely be interesting to see what MCA comes up with in terms of high fantasy NPCs, as I don't think he's ever done that before in a game - BG/BG2 was mostly Bioware, Fallouts and KOTOR2 were sci-fi, IWDs really weren't NPC-centric, and PS:T was an assortment of oddities. But now elves, dwarves, and halflings? Will be interesting to see what he has to say, considering that for the past decade or so the name of high fantasy CRPG personalities was David Gaider (though Rob also played a role in NWN, and I think certain other designers, but nothing as memorable as what Gaider did with BG/NWN), and it'd be real fun to see a different take on things.

[Volourn]

"BG/BG2 was mostly Bioware,"

 

Eh BG/BG2 was ALL Bioware in terms of the characters (well... other than the previously established FR characters, that is).

[metadigital]

As long as there is no Kreia type character that is ruined by its obviousness, I'm game for it....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OCCULTAE INIMICITIAE MAGIS TIMENDAE SUNT QUAM APERT

[Azarkon]

Eh BG/BG2 was ALL Bioware in terms of the characters (well... other than the previously established FR characters, that is).

 

Probably true, but you never know... Ideas have a way of leaking from designer to designer. I do know, though, that Gaider didn't join the team until later, so the first game's chars weren't his, though he's come to define the idea of the Bioware NPC.