Jump to content

Worth pointing out: Josh Sawyer is not PoE2's Lead Designer


Recommended Posts

That role now belongs to Bobby Null, who is often described as Obsidian's biggest grognard.

 

So all you folks who want instant death spells, hard counters, mage duels and IMBALANCE - maybe it's worth asking again!

 

(Of course, Josh is still the project director and has final say on everything.)

Edited by Infinitron
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sawyer is a passionate dev and he put a lot of effort in games he make. I really appreciate that. 

 

The world building in PoE was huge.

The only think i don't like very much about him is the fact he has an historycal attitude, with PoE i had the feeling he wanted to do something with a real setting rather than a fantasy one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pillar of Eternity:

 

- too verbose

- no real challenge

- ****ty item stats

- boring encounters

- autistic emphasis on the main story subject that permeated all aspects of the in-game society to the point where every new quest became almost comical

 

Hope the new lead designer does a better job

  • Like 1

  After my realization that White March has the same XP reward problem, I don't even have the drive to launch game anymore because I hated so much reaching Twin Elms with a level cap in vanilla PoE that I don't wish to relive that experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sawyer did immense work in building a coherent world with proper history and everything.  I loved that, I loved how much detail was put in the little things, I loved that he made it feel historical, he can DM for me anytime! :thumbsup:

  • Like 11

"That rabbit's dynamite!" - King Arthur, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail

"Space is big, really big." - Douglas Adams

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Pillar of Eternity:

 

- too verbose

 

I cannot even concieve of how an RPG like PoE (or Torment or BG2) could be "too verbose."

 

 

I wonderingly pondered the prodigious length of paradigmatic RPG classics like PoE, Torment, and BG2, but within this honored scope found nary a jot, word, or phrase the paring of which could yield (however faintly!) an overall improvement -- and it is truly beyond my ken to imagine such a thing.

 

The problem with verbose writing isn't necessarily length as such, but a lack of economy.  I'm not mocking you, because even though I disagree with your statement you expressed it concisely and sufficiently.  The travesty I wrote, on the other hand, desperately needs an editor.  Pillars wasn't nearly as bad as that, but in my opinion an editing pass with an eye for unnecessary things would have definitely improved it.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156448088931/so-weve-got-obsidians-biggest-grognard-as-lead

 

 

So, we've got Obsidian's biggest grognard as Lead Designer now. Hard countery mage duels, are they happening?

Sort of, but not really. Something to keep in mind is that, while Bobby definitely is OEI’s biggest grognard, that means that, like me, he started playing A/D&D in the early 80s. In TTRPGs and CRPGs prior to BG2, spell counters were not as common. BG2 stands alone among A/D&D games in its heavy emphasis on them (arguably a few of the later Gold Box games, but even they weren’t as reliant on them).

 

What Dave Williams (our lead system designer) and I have done is expand the keyword system and introduced counters between keyword types. E.g., Water can counter Fire. Note that Boiling Spray, which does Burn damage, has the Water keyword, but it will still extinguish a persistent Fire effect. In our Fig trailer, you may notice a shot around the 2:40 mark where barrels of gunpowder next to Pallegina explode. Only a Fire effect will ignite them, causing them to explode within a few seconds, but a Water effect can counter that.

 

We have a reorganized Affliction system with a better set of counters to them and a redesigned Concentration/Interrupt mechanic that makes their use more deliberate and specific to combat circumstances.

 

All of this is to say that hard defenses and counters are, broadly speaking, more of a part of Deadfire, but those elements are spread across the classes, not concentrated among wizard spells.

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156448088931/so-weve-got-obsidians-biggest-grognard-as-lead

 

 

So, we've got Obsidian's biggest grognard as Lead Designer now. Hard countery mage duels, are they happening?

Sort of, but not really. Something to keep in mind is that, while Bobby definitely is OEI’s biggest grognard, that means that, like me, he started playing A/D&D in the early 80s. In TTRPGs and CRPGs prior to BG2, spell counters were not as common. BG2 stands alone among A/D&D games in its heavy emphasis on them (arguably a few of the later Gold Box games, but even they weren’t as reliant on them).

 

What Dave Williams (our lead system designer) and I have done is expand the keyword system and introduced counters between keyword types. E.g., Water can counter Fire. Note that Boiling Spray, which does Burn damage, has the Water keyword, but it will still extinguish a persistent Fire effect. In our Fig trailer, you may notice a shot around the 2:40 mark where barrels of gunpowder next to Pallegina explode. Only a Fire effect will ignite them, causing them to explode within a few seconds, but a Water effect can counter that.

 

We have a reorganized Affliction system with a better set of counters to them and a redesigned Concentration/Interrupt mechanic that makes their use more deliberate and specific to combat circumstances.

 

All of this is to say that hard defenses and counters are, broadly speaking, more of a part of Deadfire, but those elements are spread across the classes, not concentrated among wizard spells.

 

 

Interesting. I like the idea of more reactivity in the environment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the potential of that keyword system for scripted interactions.  The spell-use options in White March interactions were neat, but somewhat arbitrary (e.g., Winter Winds can quench a fire, but not Blizzard?).  A more fleshed out system of spell-effect types could handle that more rigorously.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Pillar of Eternity:

 

- too verbose

 

I cannot even concieve of how an RPG like PoE (or Torment or BG2) could be "too verbose."

 

 

I wonderingly pondered the prodigious length of paradigmatic RPG classics like PoE, Torment, and BG2, but within this honored scope found nary a jot, word, or phrase the paring of which could yield (however faintly!) an overall improvement -- and it is truly beyond my ken to imagine such a thing.

 

The problem with verbose writing isn't necessarily length as such, but a lack of economy.  I'm not mocking you, because even though I disagree with your statement you expressed it concisely and sufficiently.  The travesty I wrote, on the other hand, desperately needs an editor.  Pillars wasn't nearly as bad as that, but in my opinion an editing pass with an eye for unnecessary things would have definitely improved it.

 

 

 I wrote a suggestion about an editor in the stretch goal thread (inspired, in part, by a recent article on RPG Codex).

 

 An editor can fix up prose, tie up loose ends, make sure that choices have reactions (in game), make sure that story elements don't get cut off (such as the factions in chapter 2 of PoE) etc.

 

 If it isn't somebody's job, it won't happen. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I played Pillars of Eternity.  Fun game.  I can't imagine that a different lead designer would be able to go too far astray from the first game.  If people started a game and it turned out to be shoots and ladders, there'd probably be hell to pay.  I'm sure there will be abundant freedom within the confines of the original vision.  I just hope that Mr. Sawyer gives Mr. Null plenty of leash.

So shines the name so shines the name of Roger Young!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEJM0cboDg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...