Game Auteurism

[J.E. Sawyer]

What was you role on the game exactly? I heard you were Lead Designer at some point, that you managed to make some sense of what was basically a huge mess, but it's never clear...

When I started at Obsidian in July of 2005, I was on NWN2. After a few months, I didn't feel I was a good fit for the project and asked if I could work on another. I worked on that (other) project until Ferret left, at which point I rejoined the team (around March 2006). I was the lead from March until the game shipped in October.

 

My initial work on the project was an Act II area designer on Illefarn Ruins, though they weren't complete when I transferred off. After I came back on I did typical lead designer things: coordinated people, revised existing designs that were no longer practical/possible, and cut a bunch of features and content so that it could ship in a reasonable time frame.

[Killian Kalthorne]

I really liked NWN2 and MotB. KotOR2 notso much but I am not a Star Wars fan to begin with. I think that NWN2 could have been cooler if they had a multiple beginning aspects like Bioware did with DA.

[jaguars4ever]

^Definitely.

 

It seemed a little ridiculous that the Harborman Town (or whatever it was called) that consisted of 99% back-water humans (insert: hillbilly racists) would casually accept a drow/svirneblin/genasi-with-freaking-flames-for-hair as member of their setup without batting an eyelash.

 

Origins FTW!1

[Volourn]

"member of their setup without batting an eyelash."

 

A. Who says they did?

 

B. Look at who your foster father is? Like the villagers would get up in his face about it. LMAO

[Starwars]

Origins would've obviously been cool. But I really wish they had used the background feats together with the race choices to differentiate playthroughs a bit more. There is some small stuff regarding the backgrounds in the tutorial/very beginning of act 1, but I really wish they had expanded upon that.

[Sannom]

Yeah, the "history" feats had some effects on the tutorial (and when you come back at the village with Shandra and Elanee and chose the Ladies' Man feat, I heard) but apart from that, it really didn't affect anything. And its true that the villagers' acceptance of every kind of race was weird, although I would dispute the fact that they are "hillbilly racists" After all, they did accept Daegun and his wife (popular theory is that she was a halfling), why wouldn't they accept someone that grew up among them?

 

When I started at Obsidian in July of 2005, I was on NWN2. After a few months, I didn't feel I was a good fit for the project and asked if I could work on another. I worked on that (other) project until Ferret left, at which point I rejoined the team (around March 2006). I was the lead from March until the game shipped in October.

 

A little bit chaotic, heh? It's a good thing that the extensions were planned more carefully after that. But well, I enjoyed NWN2, although the first chapter really should have seen more work I think, it's just grind fest the whole time. But the rest was quite good!

[Wombat]

Of course, NWN2 would be enjoyable for those who enjoy Bioware works. However, our preferences aside, I felt NWN2 was too apologetic to the fans of Bioware. At least, in terms of the thematic development, it didn't do anything remarkable compared with a typical D&D fantasy story. KotOR II was different. Avellone studied the world setting of Star Wars carefully. However, the theme he chose was against one of the hearts of SW setting. Although I cannot but feel the work is incomplete, in terms of Auterism, it has a clear stump that it is one of the works by Avellone. I think Avellone is good at balancing two types of consciences: One is conscience as a professional game designer and he studies what the possible audiences/players want to see in his works. The other is conscience as an artist, which is oddly achieved by following pure instinct, ambition and ego as an artist. This is most notably seen in PS: T, where he seems to have done what he wanted to do rather than what people would expect him to do.

 

The game design business has become much more "serious" business considering the amount of money invested. As such, Avellone seems to have begun to put more time on the research process and organizing his team but I don't feel he has become too apologetic to what the market would expect. He actually lament how younger designers lack creative ambitions, for example. Indeed, works like FO and PS: T may be just the products of the dawn of video game industry but I still don't think Avellone has totally given up the latter type of consciousness.

 

In NWN2's case, Although I don't know the reasons, I've gotten an impression that Sawyer has given up his ego and just doing his job while, seemingly, crashed by his own conscience. In the context of Auteurism, I think, this can be one of the reasons why it is hard for us to see which the part of Sawyer is compared with that of Avellone. This is just my impression but Avellone seems to be better at balancing these two types of consciences.

 

Of course, these are mere impressions, though. In any case, if Sawyer is enjoying working on FO: NV, I think it is a good sign since it seems that we have played only the games on which he was not too willing to work.

[RPGmasterBoo]

It says enough that I didn't know who was behind KOTORII at the time, yet I immediately recognized Avellone's touch all over it.

[Hurlshort]

It says enough that I didn't know who was behind KOTORII at the time, yet I immediately recognized Avellone's touch all over it.

 

That actually sounds a bit dirty.

[Nepenthe]

It says enough that I didn't know who was behind KOTORII at the time, yet I immediately recognized Avellone's touch all over it.

 

That actually sounds a bit dirty.

 

Sounds like he's going to be the KOTORII Oracle in addition to being the BG2 Guru.

[RPGmasterBoo]

It says enough that I didn't know who was behind KOTORII at the time, yet I immediately recognized Avellone's touch all over it.

 

That actually sounds a bit dirty.

 

Sounds like he's going to be the KOTORII Oracle in addition to being the BG2 Guru.

 

Good idea, you can never have enough pompous titles

[Orogun01]

Here is an attempt to save the thread from extinction.

 

Does anyone has any opinion on the subject matter?

[Oner]

I have.

[Orogun01]

I have.

The best laid intentions

[Pop]

Here is an attempt to save the thread from extinction.

 

Does anyone has any opinion on the subject matter?

See secondary thread title.