New MCA blog post: On Project Directors and Lead Designers

[funcroc]

http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?autom...p;showentry=138

At the moment, we have four project directors - one from design (Josh Sawyer), another from design (me), one from programming (Rich Taylor), and one from art (Zane Lyon)

So, Zane Lyon is the project director on the unannounced project Feargus mentioned at GameBanshee E3 interview?

Edited August 17, 2010 by funcroc

[WorstUsernameEver]

Wait, Chris Avellone is a project director? On what?

[kirottu]

Wait, Chris Avellone is a project director? On what?

 

It

[WorstUsernameEver]

Wait, Chris Avellone is a project director? On what?

 

It

[Flouride]

Seriously, aside from that memetic dating sim, do we know what he's actually working on? Most probably something on pre-production phase, and the game that will use Fallout : New Vegas team, but that's just me guessing..

 

I would presume some of the FNV team will move on to the 3rd project Feargus mentioned earlier since it only has a half team working on it? and some will move on to pre-production on some future game or possibly FNV dlcs. Or maybe they use 2 project directors on one of their titles

[WorstUsernameEver]

Seriously, aside from that memetic dating sim, do we know what he's actually working on? Most probably something on pre-production phase, and the game that will use Fallout : New Vegas team, but that's just me guessing..

 

I would presume some of the FNV team will move on to the 3rd project Feargus mentioned earlier since it only has a half team working on it? and some will move on to pre-production on some future game or possibly FNV dlcs. Or maybe they use 2 project directors on one of their titles

 

I don't know, it is my understanding that they've been working on that third project for some time and that it's a smaller and humbler project than the other twos. I may be completely wrong, mind you, we're really stumbling in the dark while speculating.

[Flouride]

I don't know, it is my understanding that they've been working on that third project for some time and that it's a smaller and humbler project than the other twos. I may be completely wrong, mind you, we're really stumbling in the dark while speculating.

 

Speculating is fun though

Where did you get the idea/hint that 3rd project is smallish one?

[WorstUsernameEver]

I don't know, it is my understanding that they've been working on that third project for some time and that it's a smaller and humbler project than the other twos. I may be completely wrong, mind you, we're really stumbling in the dark while speculating.

 

Speculating is fun though

Where did you get the idea/hint that 3rd project is smallish one?

 

They were actually talking about that since Alpha Protocol was still being worked on, and Feargus described it as a 'private internal project' that he can't wait to show, so that to me suggested the fact that it was actually quite well ahead as far as development goes, not something that's started recently and that needs a manpower injection. I may be completely wrong though, I certainly never imagined Obsidian, of all developers, would end up doing the sequel to Dungeon Siege II.

[Sannom]

I think the "mystery fantasy project" was Dungeon Siege 3 all along (as "demonstrated" by the fact that Feargus was the project director on it for a time. Wonder if the change was made when the game entered another phase in production...), this new one is fairly recent I think.

 

As for who's on each project, I think it's like that :

 

- Sawyer and Taylor are on New Vegas and Dungeon Siege 3, that much is known.

- Avellone, with all the work from New Vegas, is probably on a project that isn't too far along, I would say Wheel of Time.

- Lyon is probably on that "private" project.

[Pop]

Nuh uh, Ferg was interviewed post-DS3 announcement and he's said there's another game they haven't announced.

 

- Avellone, with all the work from New Vegas, is probably on a project that isn't too far along, I would say Wheel of Time.

It doesn't seem like WoT is going much of anywhere at present, though that may have changed. And Project Director is more or less a different name for "Executive Producer", if I understand it right. So given that MCA is a machine from the future, his design duties should be compatible with the processes of approval and revision that are endemic to the Exec Producer role.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Pop

[funcroc]

About Zane Lyon [Thanks, Google]

#1. He did the interface art for Alpha Protocol

#2. His online portfolio

#3. His web cartoons (on hiatus)

 

something like Costume Quest?

 

Off-topic: http://twitter.com/Develop4Atom/statuses/21428986708

ATTN devs! Chris Avellone @chrisavellone, Obsidian Ent, will host some chats at AppUp Elements in sept. Join us! http://bit.ly/bLMe89

[WorstUsernameEver]

His portfolio seems to suggest that this will indeed be a humble, almost-indie project. Maybe we'll see something that will go directly on PSN/XLIVE/Steam without a publisher?

[vault_overseer]

Don't forget they'll need a team for DLC for FNV

[Alvin Nelson]

I had never seen his webcomic. Thanks for the find Funcroc!

[WorstUsernameEver]

Not letting slip anything about the two new project eh?

[GhostofAnakin]

Zane Lyon sounds like it should be the name of Obsidian's next IP's protagonist.

[Alvin Nelson]

Not letting slip anything about the two new project eh?

 

I've been working here for almost 5 years now. I've gotten good at this.

[Gorth]

No denial of two new projects

[mkreku]

I've been working here for almost 5 years now. I've gotten good at this.

I would take that as a challenge if I were you, funcroc.

[funcroc]

http://www.gamers.fr/actus/2010/09/08/obsi...rojets-en-cours

The second is a franchise originally developed internally. Some rumors from alleged former member of Obsidian reported a spiritual sequel based on some of the ideas behind Alpha Protocol. Asked about this during the Gamescom, Nathaniel Chapman of Obsidian had confirmed the rumors hint by saying that "One could describe it like that".

[Sannom]

He even mentioned his source of intel I'm not sure I would have made a news post with only intel gathered from snippets of interviews and a blog post Although that news bit you quoted (and the translation by google trad is really "good" here, I'm shocked) is new.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Mmmh.. interesting.. I wonder what those ideas are though. It could be the dialogue system and the perk system, it could be the mixture of stealth and action or the modern setting..

 

Hopefully they'll throw out the bad ideas.

[Sannom]

The question is : spiritual sequel, alright, but to what ? Alpha Protocol? Another of the games that Obsidian did?

 

I could see Obsidian re-use Alpha Protocol's perk system quickly, not so sure about the dialog system (especially in a small project). Mixture of stealth and combat (not action, action isn't a way of playing, it's a "context") would be great, as well as the modern setting.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Yup, I meant 'combat' by 'action'. As for the dialogue system, I'd prefer Obsidian to drop that totally since while it gives a good feeling of snappy dialogue overall it's not simply worth the bother as a mechanic and it's too tied to the Hollywood spy movie feel.

 

EDIT : Honestly, I have the feeling that one of those four project is really just the New Vegas DLC team.

Edited September 9, 2010 by WorstUsernameEver

[C2B]

Yup, I meant 'combat' by 'action'. As for the dialogue system, I'd prefer Obsidian to drop that totally since while it gives a good feeling of snappy dialogue overall it's not simply worth the bother as a mechanic and it's too tied to the Hollywood spy movie feel.

 

I honestly completly disagree there. Alpha Protocol's timed dialouge system was the best (except for the descriptions on the wheel) I ever experienced. The Talk felt dynamic, interesting, real and in contrast to other dialog systems lines weren't repeated 250 times in a row.