Chris Avellone: The Final Frontier

[Skazz]

Since we've already veered a little into Star Trek over the course of this thread... I just want to use this opportunity as a platform to voice my hope that when - if - a continuation of the topic is created, it will be named Chris Avellone: The Undiscovered Country.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Skazz

[Mebrilia]

People that cooperated with Avellone in past always had praise on his work and on his Ethic this has be taken in account.

[Fenixp]

People that cooperated with Avellone in past always had praise on his work and on his Ethic this has be taken in account.

That's what you'll always publicly claim unless you're a massive arse. It's like interviews with actors who'll always say "I just loved filming the movie. The script was so great I just had to take this role!" regardless of actual quality of the end product.

[Mebrilia]

Well is still busy working... So eventually developers love his work.

[Malcador]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of this development either. Really wish they would all just shut up and do this mudfight in private.

Eh it's fun to watch, what harm can come from it

[injurai]

P.S. Having read Chris' comments once again, I can't help but feeling he's been writing those under the influence. He comes across as positively sloshed.

 

Most of the great writing sots relied on editors and sobered revisions, the drink is basically a deal with the devil to exchange coherence for a prowess for prose.

 

Not to speculate over the potential this was a drunken tirade, it's just as likely he was sleep deprived. Which causes equal doses of surrealism to seep into one's writing.

[TheisEjsing]

MCA might be a good coworker, and a great writer. But he's coming out as a hypocrite now. If I recall correctly he did a seminar on the gaming industry for young designers last year. He made a very big deal out of never being negative about a former employer. And now he is being a giant ass. Not just against the upper management of Obsidian, but atleast indirectly against employees of Obsidian. Having a former coworker and for some people a friend, acting out like this is terrible. 

Like the rest of you, I can't go into details about what happened, and what didn't, cuz I obviously don't know. But this behaviour is egotistic, unconstructive, and frankly pretty abysmal. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by TheisEjsing

[kirottu]

 

No, but good question.

 

Aside from making up what Obsidian chose to never pay me, I set aside a legal fund to deal with any repercussions, and I will fight anything they bring to the table, tooth and nail. I welcome it.

 

If confronted with evil (as categorized by existing employees who will soon resign - check back in a week or two for the latest round, even though one of them dropped yesterday), I will be prepared to fight it. I guarantee I have more in my bank account than Obsidian does, since they rarely think more than 2 months in advance - and unfortunately, their very, very expensive lawyer charges by the hour, which is unfortunate, but he knows, remora-like, what to attach himself to to get the most financial gain.

 

But it's all okay - Paradox has already been in touch, and they aren't too happy with how Obsidian handled the work they asked for. Future revelations will likely be much more fun than mine.

 

On the codex thread Avellone has repeatedly said he likes everyone else at Obsidian except the owners, but here he's gleeful over the prospect Paradox might sue Obsidian. There's no way Paradox could somehow hurt just the owners. It is the whole company that will suffer. If that's what you're after then be honest about it.

[Mebrilia]

Well people are bound to change their mind over time.. Like you said Chris is not usually the kind of person thar drop bombs like that if he did something really rotten must have been happened.

 

Now on Obsidian side we have to take in account that maybe this situation could have go out of hand.. But according to the declaration even Paradox is not really pleased so i expect something more juicy to come out soon.

 

And if happens something bad indeed happened. As i told just wait for it 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Mebrilia

[Skazz]

I know I'm risking moderator wrath for borderline spamming, but please, bear with me this one last time.

 

I mean, I can't honestly be the only who feels that it's never been more appropriate to link this:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l6vqPUM_FE

 

(I know, I know. Technically, it's the wrong song, as they couldn't get the license for FO1. But you know...)

Edited May 3, 2018 by Skazz

[Infinitron]

None of that juicy stuff, if it actually happens, will become known to the public unless Chris talks about it. The...extreme transparency we're seeing here isn't actually normal.

[The Sharmat]

Obsidian's silence is not reassuring.

There is no way to respond to hearsay that is a win for them. Silence is to be expected whether Avellone's accusations are true or not.

[Mebrilia]

None of that juicy stuff, if it actually happens, will become known to the public unless Chris talks about it. The...extreme transparency we're seeing here isn't actually normal.

 Yes i agree this situation was not normal to start with makes me wonder what is actually going on.

[Blodhemn]

To be honest, I always thought he writes too many words. You can see it in most of his work. Take Cass / FNV as example. Compared to any other NPC in the game she has an abnormal amount of dialog. Or just the intro of Old World Blues... the dialog itself is great, but after 15 minutes of listening, I started to think boy, this could end now.

 

I don't think the overall writing quality would suffer with a lower word count. That apparently PoE2 has double the word count of PoE1 is troubling me too, as even here I slowly started skimming and skipping stuff mid-game... Folks should stop trying to write books, because that never works out good anyway.

 

Fallout 1 never needed 20 minute long dialog sequences. Heck, compared to recent "classic RPGs", this game has only very little text and yet it is loved by plenty people.

Agreed. I haven't cared for anything he's been a part of since Alpha Protocol. His work with FNV is the worst the game has to offer. Seems to me his greatest success of the last several years is fanning the flames of his long held grudge. Must be a great time.

[Hurlshort]

Probably good to remember that MCA was with Obsidian for a decade. Burnout happens. Comparing his time at Obsidian to contract work is not all that useful.

[The Sharmat]

 

 

What Chris did is just telling he had problems with the upper management problems that apparentely brought many problems to MCA and his life that again was not a mistery in past but just now it started to be more specific about it explaining also why.

 

Seems to me that people are failing to see the point here at the point that are ready to blame it because he talked about this situation in public.

 

So it works right that? A company has the right to be unhetical and do terrible things about you and you must stay silent otherwise you are the bad guy?

 

Again slave mentality.

 

Only the time will tell how this will end but i am sure something more will pop up soon enough and there will be more info to chew on.

 

Most people here are being as objective as they can be with this situation. Meanwhile you are treating Chris' words like they are facts throughout this thread. This is not a healthy way to have a discussion.

 

 

 No as i said twice.. Chris in past never gave me reasons to doubt about him.. Unlike obsidian.

 

So yes i am inclined more to believe in Chris and beside there is more about this to be discussed that have yet to pop up just give it time.

 

Chris was Obsidian until a couple years ago.

[injurai]

Chris was Obsidian until a couple years ago.

 

Perception is different than reality, I don't know why this keeps being stated without qualifiers.

[The Sharmat]

I'm saying that Avellone was high in the company and any cause "Obsidian" as an organization gave someone to doubt is also something he had a hand in. Unless we take it as granted that he was the one good and competent guy there. Personally given KOTOR 2 and even Planescape: Torment were pretty messy releases, I doubt it.

[Blarghagh]

Eh everyone is entitled to his opinion... And my opinion is.. I trust Chris since he never gave reason to doubt about him in past... Unlike Obsidian. And the moderators answers pretty much confirm my standing on it.

You mean us? Mods here are just volunteer fans. We've got no more special say or insight into Obsidian than anyone else. Not sure how we'd confirm anything. That I'm personally not a fan of Chris' body of work other than his writing does not really mean anything for Obsidian.

[Infinitron]

Planescape: Torment was not a messy release.

 

Fallout 2, on the other hand...

Edited May 3, 2018 by Infinitron

[The Sharmat]

Planescape: Torment was not a messy release.

 

Fallout 2, on the other hand...

I found it plenty glitchy and with obvious cut content. Not anywhere close to KOTOR 2 levels mind you, but there's a reason it had so many gaps.

I want to know what's in Grace's diary damn it.

Edited May 3, 2018 by The Sharmat

[Drowsy Emperor]

I don't know what PST was like immediately on release, but the game worked excellently just a few months later. I only remember crashing on disc change. 

 

The whole point of Grace's diary is not to know what is in it.

[The Sharmat]

I don't know what PST was like immediately on release, but the game worked excellently just a few months later. I only remember crashing on disc change. 

 

The whole point of Grace's diary is not to know what is in it.

There's a lot of cut content about Fall-From-Grace. I can't remember the details but she's pretty conspicuous as it is for not having any kind of character arc. Even Nordom and Vhailor got one, she doesn't.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

What is this RPG Codex anyway? The gossip magazine of rpgs?

 

 

It's basically 4chan but somehow even more racist and utterly convinced that the ability to play video games that are really old makes them an instant expert on any subject from literary theory to geopolitics.

[Zack Fair]

 

What is this RPG Codex anyway? The gossip magazine of rpgs?

 

 

It's basically 4chan but somehow even more racist and utterly convinced that the ability to play video games that are really old makes them an instant expert on any subject from literary theory to geopolitics.

 

You sure are an expert on the Codex. Although I doubt you ever checked that place.