Calax Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I'm asking this because I recently replayed FEAR2 on a whim and then went running around on wikipedia and the webz trying to figure out exactly why it didn't measure up (at all) to the original. Mainly it has to do with a distinct lack of well designed horror in the game. And one thing I've learned is that the Lead Designer on a game can make a MASSIVE difference. Another example of decay that appears to be due (in part) to the lead designer would be God of War. David Jaffe was the lead on GoW1 which was fantastic. But then things went kinda... nuts in the sequels as Kratos went from being a somewhat tragic figure into somebody who you couldn't even relate too, and the stories he went through were more and more... hackneyed in favor of "Does this seem awesome?" So right now my list of Designers I follow ends up as Patrice Desilets Hideo Kojima David Jaffe Gabe Newell J.E. Sawyer Chris Avellone Victor of the 5 year fan fic competition! Kevin Butler will awesome your face off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volourn Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I like Sawyer, but he's been LD on so many games that couldn't even make it to release. What games has Avellone been LD on. I know he's done awesome work as a writer. Certainly some of BIO's LD deserve credit - even poor Laidlaw who is being tortured over DA2 which is an underrated game unlike the overrated KOTOR. EA has some good LD for their sports games as well. DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorophx Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 EA has some good LD for their sports games as well. ahahahaha priceless Walsingham said: I was struggling to understand ths until I noticed you are from Finland. And having been educated solely by mkreku in this respect I am convinced that Finland essentially IS the wh40k universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) I don't have any fav, because it makes me feel as if they are popstars... Feels to me a little bit like false-praise, because the lead designers don't do everything on their own. Edited April 20, 2011 by Lexx "only when you no-life you can exist forever, because what does not live cannot die." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepenthe Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I don't have any fav, because it makes me feel as if they are popstars... Feels to me a little bit like false-praise, because the lead designers don't do everything on their own. ^^ You're a cheery wee bugger, Nep. Have I ever said that? Reapercussions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoonDing Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 What games has Avellone been LD on PS:T, KOTOR 2, AP, BG:DA The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obyknven Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 My Top 10: 1. Roberta Williams 2. Al Lowe 3. Brian Moriarty 4. Lori Ann Cole 5. Christy Marx 6. Ron Gilbert 7. Tim Schafer 8. Dave Grossman 9. Ken Rolston 10. Mark Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgoth Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Ken Levine Warren Spector Gabe Newell (although not a designer, still interesting what he has to say) Rain makes everything better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C2B Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) What games has Avellone been LD on PS:T, KOTOR 2, AP, BG:DA He wasn't Lead on BG:DA. Level Designer on that one. Edit: Also he was Lead on Descent to Undermountain. (Though to be fair he came in late on that one and still regrets to be involved in it.) Edited April 20, 2011 by C2B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoonDing Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 What games has Avellone been LD on PS:T, KOTOR 2, AP, BG:DA He wasn't Lead on BG:DA. Level Designer on that one. Edit: Also he was Lead on Descent to Undermountain. (Though to be fair he came in late on that one and still regrets to be involved in it.) Mobygames also lists him under Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. This can't be true, can it? The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightshape Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 EA has some good LD for their sports games as well. ahahahaha priceless It's actually a fact. The idea that all that happends between iterations is a few tweaks is an absolute fallacy. I came up with Crate 3.0 technology. Crate 4.0 - we shall just have to wait and see.Down and out on the Solomani RimNow the Spinward Marches don't look so GRIM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaftan Barlast Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Game development is a team effort, more so than filmmaking or similar. Thus, I dont believe it's right to blame or salute one guy for the whole thing DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightshape Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Game development is a team effort, more so than filmmaking or similar. Thus, I dont believe it's right to blame or salute one guy for the whole thing While I agree with this, getting the wrong people in the wrong positions can actually cause development hell. Individuals can take out a team, but overall its a matter of management, and decision making on the leads part that allows the team effort to occur. Crediting one person is nuts, but at that level the kind of power producers and designers can weild can scuttle a project, or send it into a dark hole, or worse. I came up with Crate 3.0 technology. Crate 4.0 - we shall just have to wait and see.Down and out on the Solomani RimNow the Spinward Marches don't look so GRIM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amentep Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I can't say I've ever followed Lead Game Designers. I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minchi Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Team Effort...That I would go by o.o;;; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Ehh, never really followed a game designer, but there are some whose work I always enjoyed. Schafer, Meier, Holland. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurlshort Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 EA has some good LD for their sports games as well. ahahahaha priceless Do you play sports games? Because your comment shows a serious lack of insight on their development. Most of the EA big sport's games go through a crazy development cycle and manage to release a high quality game year in and year out. Each IP is different, but the Madden series and the NHL series implement remarkable changes over the course of 1-2 releases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orogun01 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I'm going to go and be the first to say Molyneux. Just because I really liked Black&White and he is really good at AI. I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"* *If you can't tell, it's you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreasyDogMeat Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Besides Obsidian devs like Fergus, Sawyer & Avellone I follow John Carmack of id Software. The guy makes rocket ships in his spare time for crying out loud so when he talks about gaming trends I try to listen, even though he can be very dry. Cliffy B is also hard to ignore, mainly because he is loud and obnoxious. Also Molyneux because he makes outrageous claims about games for fun to see if the press is listening. They do unfortunately listen and then his games come out and don't do half of what he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorophx Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Do you play sports games? I'm not saying they're easy to make. I'm saying the "designer" in sports games is probably nothing like a designer in any other game. because, you know, save for racing games, there are no levels to design, no writing etc. you just work on the interface and game modes. I'm sorry if I don't think of them as "true designers". but I guess I'm missing something really big here Walsingham said: I was struggling to understand ths until I noticed you are from Finland. And having been educated solely by mkreku in this respect I am convinced that Finland essentially IS the wh40k universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightshape Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I'm going to go and be the first to say Molyneux. Just because I really liked Black&White and he is really good at AI. I came up with Crate 3.0 technology. Crate 4.0 - we shall just have to wait and see.Down and out on the Solomani RimNow the Spinward Marches don't look so GRIM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaftan Barlast Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) Peter Molyneux is only good at comming up with ideas about peripheral and irrelevant game features like "trees growing in real-time!" and "if you push Y you get to watch a cutscene!" Edited April 20, 2011 by Kaftan Barlast DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightshape Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Do you play sports games? I'm not saying they're easy to make. I'm saying the "designer" in sports games is probably nothing like a designer in any other game. because, you know, save for racing games, there are no levels to design, no writing etc. you just work on the interface and game modes. I'm sorry if I don't think of them as "true designers". but I guess I'm missing something really big here All this does is show that you really don't understand what designers actually do... I came up with Crate 3.0 technology. Crate 4.0 - we shall just have to wait and see.Down and out on the Solomani RimNow the Spinward Marches don't look so GRIM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Remarkable changes indeed, well at least on FIFA, heh. But at least it's not just roster and jersey changes as much as before. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurlshort Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 The interesting thing about sports game design is that they have long term and short term planning all on the same title. So you might have a team working on the next release doing minor tweaks, but you also have people working on a new iteration of a game engine that might take three years to finally implement. But each year you tend to have one big focus point for improvement. It might be a franchise mode, multiplayer, or the core gameplay controls. With such a short development, you can only do so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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