The dialogue interview at RPGCodex

[funcroc]

http://www.rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=148

 

1. Since we have several developers here, please introduce yourself and give us an overview of your dialogue-related work: games, memorable characters you were responsible for, and anything else you feel is relevant.

 

I

Edited May 18, 2007 by funcroc

[Pop]

Capital.

[metadigital]

[Meshugger]

Mitsoda works for Obsidian? Great news for me!

[Xard]

Now that was good interview

[Sand]

Very nice article.

 

Did I just compliment the Codex?!?!?!

 

*calls Satan* Is it snowing down there?

[Pop]

Hmmm, I wonder what game that whole abortion thing was from. I don't remember the "salted field" story from any game I've played.

Edited May 18, 2007 by Pop

[Xard]

TBH mayhap?

[ryan@seganerds]

Hmm would anyone want a new game like Vampire the Masquerade from Obsidian/Sega? I think it would be pretty awesome.

[Xard]

From Obsidian, yes. Publisher doesn't matter

[Tigranes]

Actually, if anyone I'd rather a company with bucketloads of money. If Sega has that, whatever.

 

Love how in half the questions Gaider didn't answer or the third guy said "Dunno."

[Cantousent]

I'll have to read it tonight. However, I'm with the folks who'd like to see another Bloodlines game. That was a great experience. I've often thought that Bloodlines was the game that deserved all the slavish praise that the fanboys gave Troika. Too bad it came after soooo many years of slavish praise. Does make you wonder, however, if we slavishly fawn over Obsidian, will they eventually create a game as great as Bloodlines? ...And, while I like Obsidian and see great things from them, we ain't seen it yet.

[Wistrik]

Well that confirms it for me. Gaider writes troubled romance characters, apparently. I never adventured with Valen in HoTU, but I thoroughly enjoyed Nathyrra. The romanceable characters in BG2 all needed a professional counselor. I wonder what Dave's childhood was like.

[Sand]

To bad Deekin wasn't a romance option. He is such a cute little lizard.

[Spider]

Hmm would anyone want a new game like Vampire the Masquerade from Obsidian/Sega? I think it would be pretty awesome.

 

I'm pretty sure it'd have to be Obsidian/Activision. And it'd be Vampire the Requiem, not Masquerade, these days.

 

But yes, give Brian Mitsoda free reigns on a WoD game and it could turn out amazing. Given how good his Bloodlines stuff was, I am now very excited to learn more about Project Georgia (where he is creative lead).

[Sand]

Personally I like to see an original low magic gothic cyberfantasy CRPG from Obsidian.

[Spider]

I'd take that as well. I'm not picky as long as the game is good, although non-tolkienesque fantasy is currently more interesting to me. So sure, bring on the original concepts.

[ryan@seganerds]

From Obsidian, yes. Publisher doesn't matter

 

Nonsense, Publishers play a massive role in how the game turns out.. Should I really have to tell an Obsidian fan this?

 

 

Actually, if anyone I'd rather a company with bucketloads of money. If Sega has that, whatever.

Sega have a lot of money, but that isn't really what matters in the long run. Its how much money publishers are willing to sink into the game. The richest games companies may not be the most likely to chuck it at developers.

 

 

I'm pretty sure it'd have to be Obsidian/Activision. And it'd be Vampire the Requiem, not Masquerade, these days.

Well I ment just a Vampire based game but a new IP.

[Atreides]

I think Bloodlines is the best contemporary-setting game that I've played. I'd play it more often if it wasn't for the lags.

[Llyranor]

Sega have a lot of money, but that isn't really what matters in the long run. Its how much money publishers are willing to sink into the game. The richest games companies may not be the most likely to chuck it at developers.

Is that why they went third-party?

[Xard]

In case someone didn't check comments, MCA will answer these questions later on

 

From Obsidian, yes. Publisher doesn't matter

 

Nonsense, Publishers play a massive role in how the game turns out.. Should I really have to tell an Obsidian fan this?

 

Let's leave LA out of this...

 

I should've said "publisher doesn't matter that much".

 

Besides, I think Activision has whatever licenses needed. Or something.

 

One think irks me with Gaider's comment:

 

10. Many role-playing enthusiasts would like to see several moral dialogue paths. How do you see the evil path? What's evil and how do you show these traits in your characters? How would you create this "I may be bad, but I feel good" experience without relying exclusively on "I'm teh evil! MWAHAHAHA!"?

 

David Gaider: Part of the problem, I think, is with conveying motivation. I often hear fans say that they want to be

[Tigranes]

Maybe because [Truth]/[Lie] is really superficial and changes very little within the game, so many players are not very satisfied with that. It's not like most of the time the NPCs can tell if you're lying or not - which wouldn't make sense anyway if even if you told the truth, whether they would believe you or not was never open to any variables. They'd also want to check if you actually followed up on the lie and went back on that oath later, or if you 'changed your mind' and kept to it - otherwise it would be equally unbalanced.

[Xard]

Maybe certain lie options should be directly related to INT checks (just example)?

 

I know there are problems with [lie], but there isn't really any other good, easy alternative.

[Tigranes]

Maybe that's why Gaider is saying it's difficult to implement this stuff?

 

You just agreed with him, really.

[Xard]

 

NOT RLY