March 4, 2016 Josh Sawyer interview ... last part kind of interesting.

Do you imagine the interest in Pillars of Eternity 2 will be higher or lower than it is now years down the road?

 

Mainly I am just curious what this other RPG is?

The way I read that is that we'll see a PoE sequel, but it'll take a while.

 

More importantly, from what I can garner from various sources, is that Obsidian is preparing for a big CRPG project, I'm just wondering: Which kind?

I know some peeps yearn for some kind of space opera. I don't.

Others want some kind of Fallout-CRPG badly. Not me.

I have high hopes for either a more classic Western-Medieval-ish CRPG (like Pathfinder), or some Asian-influenced RPG - an original Obsidian IP, like Bushido, but fantasy etc.   

 

Paradox acquired the rights and ownership of the White [Wolf] World of Darkness titles. My guess is that they pitched it to Obsidian as a project they could work jointly on. That might explain why the POE2 sequel has been pushed off towards the way future, although to a large company like Obsidian, that might just be 6-12 months.

 

Obsidian's reputation as a "pinch hitter" for various other people's copyright titles, is well known by now. Having their own IP and successful kickstarter would have restored whatever confidence publishers had felt was lacking in their direction.

 

CCP was the previous owner of the White Wolf properties, but CCP did a reinstall of their corporate hierarchy and priorities. 

 

As for POE2, I would surmise that pre production has already been in the works since White March 1 at least. Pre production could last 6 months or a year or more depending. That's where a core team of writers and artists sit down, and start hashing out the unique lore and look of the world. Maybe some level designs. The portraits in Pillars should have told them that they didn't have enough time to create a distinctive look.

 

Card games, for example, have very good 2d aesthetics, because that's all they have to work with. And deviant art has done some interesting takes on various topics. I wouldn't mind if they took the time to hire unique artists with their own style, just like they hired a lot of writers. This would give the artists enough time to hand paint or draw or 3d paint, the portraits that they feel is right.

 

Speaking of hand painting card graphics... isn't that what Eastern Reach allowed them to do.

 

A lot of people say Day 1 or Day 5 DLC is because their artists have nothing to do when the game is in alpha or beta or whatever, so they have them make DLCs. And here Obsidian is saying, "no, we just pitch a card game that only uses artists for the fans".

Edited March 5, 2016 by Ymarsakar

I'd kind of hope they wouldn't need a kickstarter for POE2; the original game sold over half a million and while I don't know what kind of cut the developer gets from that after Steam/Paradox get theirs and funding the expansion/patches, I'm sure there's $3 million left over for them to make another game on POE's level.

 

KS isn't only good just for the money but it also works creating hype and making people engage with project so that they can be used as sound board by the developers to check ideas that they plan to put in the game. Like how for example Larian Studios has done with Divinity Original Sin 2. 

I would support a kickstarter that was similar to Shadowrun Hong Kong, where the whole thing was carefully measured stretchgoals in addition to base funding.

I think Obsidian, in case they are preproducing PoE2 at this moment, should launch a kickstarter campaign for PoE2 before the release of Torment.

 

After playing Torment most of us will be satiated and not too eager to back PoE2. Anyway, PoE2 will be a success.

 

I hope a PoE2 with lots of exploration areas in the Vaillian or Readceras region, with a new character, low level battles and not fighting against gods.

I think it's a stretch to say that people who play Torment will no longer feel the need to play any video games ever again.

I mean I haven't played Torment myself but my wife's been going through the beta and it seems pretty good, but not genre-endingly good.

If you are into these type of games why would you stop after Torment?

 

Besides, Pillars of Eternity is really different from Torment: Tides of Numenara. Pillars is way more focussed on combat for one, TToN is turn based for two, one is fantasy and the other is science fantasy/fictiony ...

I mean that, after playing Torment, a kickstarter campaign of PoE2 can attract less people than if Obsidian launch the kickstarter before Torment's release.

 

I mean that, after playing Torment, a kickstarter campaign of PoE2 can attract less people than if Obsidian launch the kickstarter before Torment's release.

Definetely. Obs will first reworked the formula. PoE2 will be quite different but still fun and interesting read, I imagine.

I wish that with PoE2 they draw more backers and players because they deserve it.

Actually no. He said "we'd love to do a sequel." not 'yes there will be a sequel.' But that's not what I found the most interesting. It is the "...but we'd like to move on to a new project" part that I'm curious about. I wonder what it is?

 

No one claimed that he said, "yes there will be a sequel." The comment was, "he all but said it," which is exactly the case. There have been other statements made by Sawyer that "hints" at a sequel in the future. But they are exactly that, hints; which is what "all but saying it" means.

 

Regardless, Sawyer's other projects have been openly discussed, like the Tank Wars MMORPG.

Political speak isn't something I enjoy. I just quoted exactly what the guy said and stated I was curious about stuff. There are other people in here putting words into the mouth of the original interview stating it means something it didn't actually come right out and say.

I mean that, after playing Torment, a kickstarter campaign of PoE2 can attract less people than if Obsidian launch the kickstarter before Torment's release.

 

By what reasoning? I've backed Torment, but it honestly doesn't look that great to me. I'm waiting to make final judgement when the full release occurs though. Regardless of how good it is, I would back PoE2 as much as I could afford if it gets kick started (which is not guaranteed, as they could decide to go with a publisher).

I mean that, after playing Torment, a kickstarter campaign of PoE2 can attract less people than if Obsidian launch the kickstarter before Torment's release.

 

I doubt it.  At best it will probably start a friendly rivalry.  

 

The people who don't like the game (a lot of the Codex) weren't going to put money down on a kickstarter no matter what happened.  I think the game will inspire a small but relatively dedicated fan-base.  The build variety alone of the system is relatively unparalleled in a class-based system.

Edited March 7, 2016 by anameforobsidian

Political speak isn't something I enjoy. I just quoted exactly what the guy said and stated I was curious about stuff. There are other people in here putting words into the mouth of the original interview stating it means something it didn't actually come right out and say.

No one is putting words in the interviewees mouth, you just seem to think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel." It's not political speak, it's a common figure of speech that you are interpreting wrong. Josh has eluded to a sequel on more than one occasion.

 

Political speak isn't something I enjoy. I just quoted exactly what the guy said and stated I was curious about stuff. There are other people in here putting words into the mouth of the original interview stating it means something it didn't actually come right out and say.

No one is putting words in the interviewees mouth, you just seem to think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel." It's not political speak, it's a common figure of speech that you are interpreting wrong. Josh has eluded to a sequel on more than one occasion.

 

 

Of course he has alluded to a sequel - why wouldn't he - even if a sequel was fairly unlikely (for whatever reason) a company is not going to slam that possible door and risk turning off players and potential players with that sort of negativity when the game is still in an active sales period. People like to make their own hype based as much on their own ideas and desires as it is on what's actually been printed or said from whatever "official source" and they do indeed like to put words in others mouths when doing so... 

 

Political speak isn't something I enjoy. I just quoted exactly what the guy said and stated I was curious about stuff. There are other people in here putting words into the mouth of the original interview stating it means something it didn't actually come right out and say.

No one is putting words in the interviewees mouth, you just seem to think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel." It's not political speak, it's a common figure of speech that you are interpreting wrong. Josh has eluded to a sequel on more than one occasion.

 

 

I don't think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel". That's my point. I didn't say either of those things. I just quoted the interview and then said I was mostly curious about the other rpg they were working on.

I dont understand why there shoudnt be a sequel. I mean, there would be a lot of people who would buy it, right?

Or they can do kickstarter campaign and raise a lot and then do it.

Did someone say they are making a tank MMO? Is that a thing? Also, why?

 

EDIT: If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

Edited March 7, 2016 by MonkeyLungs

I dont understand why there shoudnt be a sequel. I mean, there would be a lot of people who would buy it, right?

Or they can do kickstarter campaign and raise a lot and then do it.

 

Here is an example scenario why PoE's sequel could be postponed 

 

1. PoE has not sold enough copies that Obsidian could put whole studio to make the sequel without outside funding and getting such funding isn't that easy.

2. Because they of first point they need to seek some other project(s) that will bring cash to the studio so that they can pay for their employees.

3. Those projects that they need to take to get money to run the studio may require all their talent to work on them.

4. Which leads to situation where they need to postpone PoE's sequel to somewhere in future where they have time and resources to do it.

 

Did someone say they are making a tank MMO? Is that a thing? Also, why?

 

EDIT: If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

 

Obsidian is currently developing Armored Warfare, which is a Tank MMO. For why?, my guess is that it pays bills and it isn't something that Obsidian as company finds objects from doing.

 

As backer I would say that Obsidian is free to do what they want after they have delivered their promises to me. Of course it would be sad it they will not make more games like PoE.

Did someone say they are making a tank MMO? Is that a thing? Also, why?

 

EDIT: If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

 

What the hell? Out of Obsidian's 200 employees, they literally only have 20 of them working on Pillars. Throughout Obsidian's history, they have always been working on at least three games at the same time. As an independent studio, they pretty much *have* to. This isn't like Bioware where they constantly and only release Dragon Age and Mass Effect sequels because they have EA backing them.

I don't think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel". That's my point.

That is incorrect. Here is the exchange that illustrates your confusion:

 

Karkarov said:

He all but said, "yes there will be a sequel".

 

Your direct response:

Actually no. He said "we'd love to do a sequel." not 'yes there will be a sequel.'

 

If you understood the difference between "all but said" and "yes he said" then you would not have responded in such a way.

 

If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

If you had been a backer then maybe you would have read the terms of the contract, which would result in you understanding why there is no reason to be upset about OBS moving on to a new product after completing the current product. Your own statement has the answer: "new world." Backers only had a hand in funding the PoE world, which is complete. That does not extend to a new world. A new world would require a new contract with new funding and new backers. Which is what they have with their other projects. Goodness.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Zenbane

Did someone say they are making a tank MMO? Is that a thing? Also, why?

 

EDIT: If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

 

Depends on if they understand how the industry works, or not. (And that's not an accusation or insult, why should every gamer know that?)

 

First, not confirming POE2 to the media doesn't mean they're not working on it. 

 

Second, they may need alternative sources of funding. $4m is peanuts in game development, and the Fenstermaker interview is a good overview in how it is really difficult to create substantially sized RPGs on that budget (something Wasteland 2 also had to deal with, while D:OS had a lot of other sources of funding). The profits from POE will have been split with Paradox, Steam, etc., and from what is left, maybe they feel it's not enough to create POE2 that many fans would then expect to be bigger. 

 

Third, the other games they're making is irrelevant, Obsidian has always had 2-4 concurrent projects and a 4m game like POE is never able to pay for everybody in the company. 

 

I'd be disappointed if they never made POE2, or if POE2 had a radical change in direction towards, I don't know, first-person action RPG.

 

I don't think that "all but confirms a sequel" is the same thing as "he just confirmed a sequel". That's my point.

That is incorrect. Here is the exchange that illustrates your confusion:

 

Karkarov said:

He all but said, "yes there will be a sequel".

 

Your direct response:

Actually no. He said "we'd love to do a sequel." not 'yes there will be a sequel.'

 

If you understood the difference between "all but said" and "yes he said" then you would not have responded in such a way.

 

If I had been a backer I would be kind of sad that they were making a different game after PoE, instead of continuing to craft this new world I had a hand in funding. I wonder if any of the backers feel that way?

If you had been a backer then maybe you would have read the terms of the contract, which would result in you understanding why there is no reason to be upset about OBS moving on to a new product after completing the current product. Your own statement has the answer: "new world." Backers only had a hand in funding the PoE world, which is complete. That does not extend to a new world. A new world would require a new contract with new funding and new backers. Which is what they have with their other projects. Goodness.

 

 

You haven't proved a point in your semantic argument at all.

 

Karkarov insinuated that JS 'all but said there will be a sequel'. I disagree with that assertion. That's my point. All I did was quote the actual article.

 

You are being argumentative and contrarian for the sake of it and making veiled statements about what I do or do not understand. You assume an awful lot.

 

As for your last incoherent point about the backer contract. I never said people are owed a sequel. I never said they are entitled to one. I just said I would be 'kind of sad' if another Pillars wasn't being made. And frankly not even being a backer I will still be 'kind of sad' if one isn't being made but I think it would sting a little bit more if I had been. I didn't mention anything about contracts and I don't have any intention of doing so. The statement is purely about feeling, fan attachment rate to a work of fiction, and the possibility of certain future outcomes.

 

Obsidian are obviously free to do whatever they like, but that won't change how people react to their choice. If they decided to make super mario maker mods fans would have zero recourse to alter that decision. Fans also would have zero contractual basis to assert any form of opposition. People would still be free to think wtf? if they wanted to though.

The argument you pose in your disagreement addresses an invalid assertion. Your disagreement treats 'all but said there will be a sequel' as though it equates to 'said there will be a sequel.' Deny it all you like, but your error is quite blatant. I am not presenting a semantic argument at all, I am demonstrating your flawed interpretation of a common phrase.

 

 

"I didn't mention anything about contracts and I don't have any intention of doing so."

 

And this further illustrates yet another flawed understanding on your part. You specifically tied "being sad" to "being a backer." You clearly don't understand what the term "backer" entails if you think that contract terms do not apply. I suggest doing some research on what is involved to become an official Backer.