Developer Story Time with Old Man Davis

[Infinitron]

My hypothesis re: Obsidian and bugs, is that in Obsidian-style games, bugs are more destructive to the experience being conveyed.

What is a bug in a Bethesda game? It's just some weird thing to laugh at while you ride around on your horse killing things. You can just walk away from it.

My hypothesis is that people are more likely to forgive bugs if they're having fun. The less fun they're having, the more it bothers them.

Who gives a fuck about a consoletard's idea of what's fun?

Spoiler

Also who gives a fuck about YOUR idea of what's fun?

 

[Spectacle]

Anthony Davis, where can we buy your donuts?

 

[Cosmo]

Finally, some personal responsibility.

Most impressive i dare say...
Not only are you totally blind to your own attitude and shortcomings, but you don't even hesitate one second to set yourself up as a high and mighty JUDGE OF MEN.

From the depth of my heart i thank you for this valuable lesson about the power of self-delusion.

 

[Lancehead]

Who gives a fuck about a consoletard's idea of what's fun?

If the said consoletard is Obsidian's audience, then Obsidian.

Regardless, I don't see why that complaint is to be dismissed. I find New Vegas and DSIII to be the games that are fun to play. I'm talking about UX here.

Of course that doesn't answer the question of cognitive dissonance because their predecessor games share such qualities also. And there I think I agree with you about the difference in type of content.

 

[Roguey]

What is a bug in a Bethesda game? It's just some weird thing to laugh at while you ride around on your horse killing things. You can just walk away from it.

Unless you're playing on a PS3, where hours into it, you suddenly find it completely unplayable.

Who gives a fuck about a consoletard's idea of what's fun?

Obsidian should, considering that was and continues to be their primary audience.

Also who gives a fuck about YOUR idea of what's fun?

My idea of fun is similar to [redacted]'s.

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, you can stop with the "redacted" stuff.

 

[Anthony Davis]

By the way, in case it wasn't clear, I don't speak for Obsidian, TimeGate or any game developer/company. My insights and opinions on how things were at these companies are mine. I haven't worked for Obsidian for almost two years now and if the trend is continuing, things have only gotten better there.

I'm sure that there are conclusions that I have reached based on my experience, my eyes, and my ears that are still not the complete story.

And no Roguey , no one at Obsidian told me to post this, I thought it would be prudent to make it explicit that I am my own man sharing some stories about the great places I've worked and the great people I worked with.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony Davis, where can we buy your donuts?

Houston, TX. More specifically, Katy, TX.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Some of these quoted posts are to difficult to reply to on my broPad. They will have to wait till I am at home.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Why the hell is Roguey talking about "fun"? If Roguey ever found himherself having fun heshe'd probably slit hisher wrists in a panic from not knowing what the strange new feeling was.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Anthony, from the information available on the fan side I always assumed Obsidian/founders had a conscious direction to do some slam dunks and build up to what became Alpha Protocol, and its failure to establish itself as a critically acclaimed franchise - as well as other issues - made Obsidian 'take one step back to take two steps forward', resulting in the FNV/DS3/SP cycle. Is that narrative at all congruent with how it was in the studio, if you can say at all?

Anyway, on bugs/reviews: To me this is why Obsidian's next slew of titles are important. Dungeon Siege 3 is definitely proof that Obsidian can create a scope-managed bug-free experience, and I enjoyed it a lot, but it definitely was a simpler title, and I think Obs devs themselves hinted part of the pain was trying to marry Obsidian story-telling with the DS3 world and ARPG gameplay while making it co-op friendly - which is a kind of scope problem, though different.

Of course, the thing is, P:E is a different kind of thing, and South Park is again likely to be more like DS3 than a 'traditional' AAA Obsidian title, right? So we're waiting for the next-gen Obsidian title, ostensibly in the works, I assume using Onyx, to really see if they can now make games like K2 or NWN2 with greater polish.

Thanks so much for all the answers. It's really good to get these kinds of stories and insights down the road.

While I wouldn't characterize it exactly the way you have, I definitely think there was a desire to make money which would afford Obsidian more latitude to make more traditional RPGs, but that's just good business sense, people need to get paid, and generally companies don't start with surplus money, they start with debt.

Obsidian's strength has always been in crafting narrative. Not every game reaches the narrative heights of MotB, but narrative was ALWAYS one of the pillars when defining the pillars of gameplay for a game.

Feargus and many of the seniors made a real concerted effort to turn around the Bugsidian image with DSIII. for a title thAt was multiple SKUs and with a very small budget, I think we succeeded even if our narrative pillar shrunk a bit...heh, phallus.

As far as. I know, the practices and scope techniques Feargus and other seniors/leads pushed in DSIII are still being used and refined.

 

[Tigranes]

While I wouldn't characterize it exactly the way you have, I definitely think there was a desire to make money which would afford Obsidian more latitude to make more traditional RPGs, but that's just good business sense, people need to get paid, and generally companies don't start with surplus money, they start with debt.

Obsidian's strength has always been in crafting narrative. Not every game reaches the narrative heights of MotB, but narrative was ALWAYS one of the pillars when defining the pillars of gameplay for a game.

Feargus and many of the seniors made a real concerted effort to turn around the Bugsidian image with DSIII. for a title thAt was multiple SKUs and with a very small budget, I think we succeeded even if our narrative pillar shrunk a bit...heh, phallus.

As far as. I know, the practices and scope techniques Feargus and other seniors/leads pushed in DSIII are still being used and refined.

Thanks. I'm pretty confident the next generation of Obsidian games will shed the Bugsidian image entirely, and P:E is possibly a way to also partly shed the "We Make Sequels" image.

It does seem like Obsidian will find it difficult to get a next-gen AAA original IP going anytime soon, but with P:E that's not as big an issue for me as it used to be.

 

[Blaine]

Why the hell is Roguey talking about "fun"? If Roguey ever found himherself having fun heshe'd probably slit hisher wrists in a panic from not knowing what the strange new feeling was.

Roguey only has fun while imagining zherself playing idealized versions of games that have yet to be released.

Edit: Aw shit, I just realized that describes me, too. ATTEMPTING TO ABANDON THREAD

 

[Cosmic Misogynerd]

I know that I'm wrong, but I can't stop laughing watching that video.

Edit: Oh God. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying!

 

[dunno lah]

The next GTA could use physics like that.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I know that I'm wrong, but I can't stop laughing watching that video.

Edit: Oh God. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying!

It's a fucking win.

 

[Arkadin]

Roguey hates all games so much evidently, she/it should go into game design. Sometimes if no one else does it right you've got to do it yourself

 

[Duraframe300]

@Anthony

What do you think about the recent news of Obsidian co-developing the MMORPG Skyforge? Was it already running while you were still working there?
Do you have an idea how far Obsidian's involvment is probably going to be, considering the Allods team still seem to be the main developers?

 

[Murk]

[redacted] eh? hahaohwow.jpeg indeed sirs

This thread is great, and I totally appreciate the time and info you're putting into it, A. D.

 

[Outlander]

Why isn't this awesome thread pinned yet?

 

[Excidium]

Because it's at the top all the time so what's the point

 

[Horus]

^^^^
Probably because there's only one developer telling stories yet.

I decided to make my own video game with my friend Mike Judge. We spent a year and half making a game called Aldon's Crossing for the Palm Pilot, which for you youngins was what people used before iPhones and Blackberrys were invented. The game won a lot of awards and reviewed very well. Mike and I made some money on it, not retire and follow your dreams money, but it was money and that was kind of neat.

Sorry if this is too personal but how old are you?

 

[Lockkaliber]

I remember you saying you would spill the beans on some of the more nasty stuff in the industry at some point. Is this the precursor to that (future) thread?

 

[Horus]

I remember you saying you would spill the beans on some of the more nasty stuff in the industry at some point. Is this the precursor to that (future) thread?

No one with possibly of working in the industry would speak badly about it.Nor should they,people shouldn't talk about their problems with company,person... while giving their name away on the internet.

 

[Zed]

I know they play tabletop at Obsidian... but what else do they play?
Do they have a console couch?
Are 3D artists tabbing back and forth between their favorite MMOG and 3dmax every time Feargus walks by?

Or are Obsidianites all killing time reading the Codex?