First off, starting this thread was a damn nice thing to do. I would almost mistake you for Virginians with your demeanor, it is damn gentlemanly. :: Tips hat :: If I ever get to pitch in on a space game, I'll see what I can do about creating a Codex Appreciation (Space) Station. Perhaps ruled by a forum. And covered in space threads.
Second, in the interests of giving credit where credit is due - I should probably set up a webpage with links as to what I actually did on projects, as I feel like I get positive cred that's underserved as well as negative cred that should be sent my way, having some place to check the facts would probably be a good idea - I did write all the companions on NWN2 OC, and Gann and Kaelyn on Mask of the Betrayer. I also did some of the major NPCs and major events as well, including the trial sequence, for example, but I'd have to go back through a fine-tooth-comb to see which ones were actually mine. I admit there may have been instances in a specific area (for some reason, Casavir nags at me) that were done by someone else, so my memory may have missed some elements, and I apologize in advance if that's the case.
In all the instances above, none of the original concepts were mine. It doesn't matter, since execution is the thing, and that's what a writer's supposed to excel at. Your job is to take someone who dresses up as a bat and fights crime and make that shitty (imo) concept work. A more challenging one might be if one of his foes identifies with penguins, but hey, Arkham City made it work, imo (the Penguin's intro and museum collection I thought was great).
Yes, NWN2 OC had a lot of companions, and I do feel I could have done a better job with all of them from minor details to major elements (for example, Grobnar suffered the same problem as Oswald Fiddlebender in Icewind Dale - he was written to be hyperactive, but then that got lost on the way to the VO booth, and had I time to go to the studio in both instances, I could have remedied that at once, and I should have found the time to do so). Their lines are excruciatingly long to be spoken at normal speed, although I still liked Oswald's VO delivery, I believe the actor was Jack Roth.
I also didn't feel that the companions were as tied to events in the game as they should be, and I thought with George Ziets' help (as well as most of the designers on Mask), this was a big difference in Mask. I especially liked how the area designers specifically wove the companions into each area, since I felt like their arcs advanced as you advanced through the game and enjoyed Mask's simple non-linearity as well, which I don't think was a resource drain, but Kevin Saunders and George could probably give a better answer.
After NWN2 OC, I did harsher reviews of CNPC concepts before agreeing to them. In some instances, I felt good about the creative direction (Gann, Kaelyn, Cass - and this includes the Gann romance arc, too), other times I suggested new CNPC concepts or tweaks if I felt I could do a better job in tone or more importantly, might fit better with the world's themes (Hollowborn, Godhammer background) or the basic mechanics of the world. For example, Ulysses in the FNV core game was intended to give someone with Legion rep a CNPC who would stand by them, and also give insight into the Legion as well. I would have preferred that Vulpes be that guy, actually. And that you could have recruited Sunny, Yes Man, and Benny as possibilities instead of the core CNPCs as well - there's ways that seemingly crit path characters like this can still become part of your journey in interesting ways that doesn't damage their roles as CNPCs.
Writing a companion basically means you're married to that character for 4 to 8 weeks of 6-7 days of work, so you'd better damn well like it from the outset. I freely admit I don't do well when it comes to traditional fantasy characters, especially if there's a ton of them. The last character concept I agreed to inherit was Cass, because I knew she'd be fun to write and I felt I could do a good job with her tone and outlook.
Lastly, Tony Evans is a great guy and a great designer. I like the way he writes, and I meant it when I said I'd grab him for a new Torment game (Numenera). He also has one of the best work ethics and dedication I've seen in a designer - among many positive qualities, he's clear and responsible about fixing bugs (he rose up from QA and I think that's important b/c you understand how things are in the trenches), and I'll never forget the tremendous amount of work hours he put into KOTORII (unasked) even though his wife was pregnant at the time. I have nothing but respect for Tony, and I like working with him, he's good people and a great designer.
Forgive the rambling and any typos in this post, the coffee's hitting.
