So how big is the obsidian team working on Project eternity

[BeauRoger]

I want to donate, im just interested in a few more details about the project, mainly how big the team is working on this, and if we should expect more of a indie scale project or something more along nwn2 in scope/ambition.

[sorophx]

I think they said the team's size would depend on how much many they'd manage to get.

[vogon]

I would also like to know more about the planned scale. It is difficult to see how the current budget would allow even for the amount of content in the first Baldurs Gate. I understand that the level of Kickstarter funding will affect things, but I'm assuming Obsidian has a rough idea of the intended scope. Are we looking at something on the scale of the BG games? I certainly hope so - for me, the vastness and variety of the world is one of the most compelling elements of a great old-school RPG.

[Longknife]

If we reach $1,400,000, I hear J.E. Sawyer's cats will join in on the development team.

[Chaos Theory]

I picture, like, two sweaty dudes in a closet sharing a Mac. With maybe an intern, on occasion, entering to check for a pulse. I'm probably way off, though.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Chaos Theory

[Tigranes]

BG2 was an extraordinary project - it would be difficult for a fully funded AAA game to recreate its scope (though that's mainly because that would use all the latest technologies). Bioware has pretty much said in the past how it was a bit insane and they're not sure how it worked either.

 

I think the size of BG1 - which isn't too far from all the other IE games (IWD1/2, PST) - could be hoped for, since we're likely to go past 2 million at least.

[Delterius]

BG2 was an extraordinary project - it would be difficult for a fully funded AAA game to recreate its scope (though that's mainly because that would use all the latest technologies). Bioware has pretty much said in the past how it was a bit insane and they're not sure how it worked either.

 

But I do wonder if the game's content won't actually be more than the more realistic (or pessimistic) or us are willing to expect. I'm no game developer, but I've read more than a few opinion pieces about how technology, middleware and stuff, also brings the costs down.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Delterius

[Tigranes]

It's not linear. In some cases tech and tools bring the costs down - e.g. creating an exact copy of BG2 would cost a lot less today. However, in other cases, newer technology exponentially increases the labour required - one of the main reasons game development is like a hundred times more expensive than ~15 years ago is because of voice acting, motion capture and 3D art assets.

 

The thing with Eternity is that it's not going to use all the newest bells and whistles, but it's not going to be exactly the same as using the Infinity Engine again, either. I do expect that they can get much more bang for buck than an AAA game, of course, but that's why they can do it with 1 million plus alpha.

[Delterius]

It's not linear. In some cases tech and tools bring the costs down - e.g. creating an exact copy of BG2 would cost a lot less today. However, in other cases, newer technology exponentially increases the labour required - one of the main reasons game development is like a hundred times more expensive than ~15 years ago is because of voice acting, motion capture and 3D art assets.

 

The thing with Eternity is that it's not going to use all the newest bells and whistles, but it's not going to be exactly the same as using the Infinity Engine again, either. I do expect that they can get much more bang for buck than an AAA game, of course, but that's why they can do it with 1 million plus alpha.

 

Yes, of course. I should have emphasized that Eternity won't use the latest tech.