Developer Story Time with Old Man Davis

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony, have you ever worked with Unity?

I have not, but Chris Jones was very impressed by it and that carries a lot of weight with me.

I bought a book he recommended and I intend to start working on my Donut RPG with Unity once I get enough mental momentum to get going.

 

[Infinitron]

Donut RPG?

 

[Anthony Davis]

Donut RPG?

Do what you know man. I know RPGs and I know Donuts.

 

[Blaine]

This is why I get upset at DF, and other game companies, is that they know or SHOULD know that this is difficult and they should naturally adapt a more prudent stance rather than acting like crazy ass kids in a candy store. Any developer that doesn't take scheduling seriously is setting themselves up for failure. Yeah sure, they might get lucky once or twice, but luck is fickle and so are your fans.

...

I'll never kick start anything for DF again, not that Tim and Co. would care, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. As much as I like and respect those guys, I can't and won't put my money behind someone this irresponsible. I feel like these guys get by on past accomplishments and how amazingly charming they are. That charm is wearing thin for me.

DF also opted to remain in San Francisco, as far as I'm aware, which I remain convinced was a bad decision given the need to stretch a finite budget as far as possible.

 

[Rake]

Donut RPG?

GOTY 2015

 

[Anthony Davis]

This is why I get upset at DF, and other game companies, is that they know or SHOULD know that this is difficult and they should naturally adapt a more prudent stance rather than acting like crazy ass kids in a candy store. Any developer that doesn't take scheduling seriously is setting themselves up for failure. Yeah sure, they might get lucky once or twice, but luck is fickle and so are your fans.

...

I'll never kick start anything for DF again, not that Tim and Co. would care, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. As much as I like and respect those guys, I can't and won't put my money behind someone this irresponsible. I feel like these guys get by on past accomplishments and how amazingly charming they are. That charm is wearing thin for me.

DF also opted to remain in San Francisco, as far as I'm aware, which I remain convinced was a bad decision given the need to stretch a finite budget as far as possible.

Absolutely true. Under the best conditions, Kalifornia is really expensive, and I would not call this economy and kick starting the best of conditions.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Chris Jones told me once that Fallout content was scrapped and completely re done in the last six weeks of the project. Could be an exaggeration, but Jones isn't the lying exaggerating type, he's the brutally honest straight forward type.

 

[Infinitron]

There is nothing full-scale about combat-heavy, linear as fuck RPGs with simplistic combat-driven quests: go there and kill some things, now go over there and kill more things. Your ability to influence things is non-existent.

Yeah, yeah. In VD-land a tiny RPG like Fallout is "full-scale", while huge-ass 200 hour BG2 isn't.

You're confusing quality with quantity.

"Full scale" is a quantitative term.

Chris Jones told me once that Fallout content was scrapped and completely re done in the last six weeks of the project. Could be an exaggeration, but Jones isn't the lying exaggerating type, he's the brutally honest straight forward type.

 

[Anthony Davis]

"Factions" and "compelling dilemmas" read to me C&C.

PST had factions too, yet it was delightfully linear with minor choices here and there.

I'm confident they won't look at PS:T for inspiration on factions. More likely they will borrow from New Vegas.

Josh designed a pretty awesome faction system quite some time ago. They wanted to use it for FO:NV, and they made some modifications to get some of those features in. I bet if he gets it in to PE, it will be awesome.

 

[tuluse]

Chris Jones told me once that Fallout content was scrapped and completely re done in the last six weeks of the project. Could be an exaggeration, but Jones isn't the lying exaggerating type, he's the brutally honest straight forward type.

Wait what, how is that even possible?

 

[villain of the story]

Do what you know man. I know RPGs and I know Donuts.

Do it man! I can envision an epic Donut RPG here you bargain with your base material providers, strike deals with them, open corner-stands, shops, penetrate big market chains with your in-market stands, prepare commercials and ads, tear rivals' ads from local areas, try to jinx rival donut makers' deals with their providers, sabotage their commercials, pay schools to sell your donuts in school cafeterias, taint rival donut maker's products, bribe customers to spread the word on how good your donut is, hire "consumer hitmen" who will sneak stuff like dead bugs into the donuts they eat at the rivals and cry wolf, plant stuff that violates health standards and inform health inspectors, all the while trying to avoid all these nasties yourself.

In the end game, you become a global donut chain, The McDonuts and open donut shops in conflict zones like Afghanistan or Iraq

 

[Rake]

I'd much rather read more stories from Anthony Davis

 

[tuluse]

Anthony Davis, please tell me that is primary vernacular of donut makers and will feature prominently in your Donut RPG.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony Davis, please tell me that is primary vernacular of donut makers and will feature prominently in your Donut RPG.

No, the primary vernacular at Donut shops is Spanish.

 

[villain of the story]

Anthony Davis, tell us about FULL SCALE donuts.

 

[Anthony Davis]

btw, bad ass:

 

[Gurkog]

btw, bad ass:

Spoiler

I did not know the new films were starting to come out already. Thanks for linking it!

 

[Excidium]

Fuck those losers.

 

[Delterius]

Anthony Davis

Do you know any story about a great idea or outcome by accident? Maybe some quirk in the programming that made into the final build. Or something.

 

[Ranselknulf]

Cronut vs Donut

 

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony Davis

Do you know any story about a great idea or outcome by accident? Maybe some quirk in the programming that made into the final build. Or something.

I'm gonna think on this one...

 

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony Davis

Do you know any story about a great idea or outcome by accident? Maybe some quirk in the programming that made into the final build. Or something.

I'm gonna think on this one...

I've been thinking and thinking, and while I can remember plenty of horrifying bugs, nothing jumps out at me where we saw a potential feature...

Nathaniel Chapman would probably be a definitive source for answering that question as he always had an eye for catching and utilizing quirks and weird issues. Re- reading that, it doesn't sound like the compliment I mean it to be. Nathaniel was very creative is what I'm trying to say.

On the subject of horrifying bugs, Joe Bullock used to have a folder where he kept screen grabs of every horrifying bug he could get screen grabs of. Somehow he lost the folder though and I will never forgive him for that... Because I wanted it.

 

[Delterius]

Thanks, man!

But that's too bad. Bullock's folder must have been pretty epic.

 

[Anthony Davis]

I don't even know what to think of this news...

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/22/more-atari-ip-auction-winners-announced-stardock-plans-star-con/






I didn't know where else to put it.




Man, first Ryan Davis dies...

Now Dennis Farina is dead.

Now Stardock gets Star Control and World of Tanks guys get MoO?



Great....

 

[NotTale]

Maybe you should have saved up your nickels and bought Star Control yourself.