Incline Josh Sawyer appreciation station

[IHaveHugeNick]

How about just a good base game? Why is that so hard?

Avellone puts the blame on Feargus and Parker.

That doesn't make sense though, first game had a lot of problems that can explained by having a lot of conflicting stretch goals that don't really glue the game together. Deadfire though, seems to be entirely on Soyer.

 

[Roguey]

That doesn't make sense though, first game had a lot of problems that can explained by having a lot of conflicting stretch goals that don't really glue the game together.

The Owners were responsible for those stretch goals.

Stretch goals: I don't know, I wasn't involved with the KS stretch goal decisions (I did weigh in on companion design, but those were guidelines, not mandates, and they weren't followed consistently). I did help out with press contacts (I got Josh the interview on NPR, for example).

I do recall Josh complaining about the "two big cities" stretch goal and he said that came from the owners, but I had no part in, or was aware of, that decision. Often, the "owners" were "an" owner or Parker and Feargus in tandem coming to their latest brilliant decision, but the problem becomes everyone else at the company believes such decisions were a group "owners" decision, which is really confusing when someone is in your office (like Josh was) blaming it on the collective and you go silent b/c you have no idea what the fuck he's talking about.

And they were also responsible for decisions like "You should have chosen Eric." Stapling three different pitches together instead of choosing the strongest one? Feargus/Parker.

Deadfire though, seems to be entirely on Soyer.

Ahem.

(but Owner-level fumbles on Deadfire include full voice-over decided in mid-production and insisting on ship to ship combat)

 

[mediocrepoet]

This watch still gives me an image of Soyer giving himself Stuart Smalley self affirmation talks in the mirror every day.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I mean, first Kickstarter's sudden popularity must've caught everybody off guard, people were just making shit up on the spot.

I'd side with Feargus with the other stuff. No ship combat in a pirate game would have been criminal, it's Sawyer's job to make that part of gameplay fun and interesting. Same with VO, we may not like it but that's the market now. But no amount of VO can save atrocious writing and boring plot.

 

[AwesomeButton]

But no amount of VO can save atrocious writing and boring plot.

Alas.

 

[Roguey]

No ship combat in a pirate game would have been criminal, it's Sawyer's job to make that part of gameplay fun and interesting.

It wasn't a pirate game.

Knights of the Old Republic had that annoying shooting minigame and a lot of people were grateful when Chris Avellone got rid of it in the sequel.

Same with VO, we may not like it but that's the market now.

It is not.
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8920621
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8920880
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8922044

 

[Butter]

It's a game set in a tropical archipelago. You get a ship and are attacked by pirates. You get quests to go out and kill pirates. One of the joinable factions is a pirate gang.

"Not a pirate game."

 

[Roguey]

I never engaged in any acts of piracy, ergo not a pirate game.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

What can change the nature of a pirate game?

 

[SpaceWizardz]

Same with VO, we may not like it but that's the market now.

It is not.
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8920621
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8920880
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...cting-to-compete-with-bg3.149866/post-8922044

None of these are CRPGs.
Rogue Trader got dogged on by streamers and general audience for not being fully voiced, as far as text-heavy AA RPGs go full VO is the expectation now.

 

[Roguey]

None of these are CRPGs.
Rogue Trader got dogged on by streamers and general audience for not being fully voiced, as far as text-heavy AA RPGs go full VO is the expectation now.

Who gives a damn if they're annoyed by it? Games can sell millions, tens of millions without it.

 

[Beastro]

I hate VO in RPGs outside of small bits like talking heads in Fallout simply because it takes too much away from the imagination.

I liked my Jrpgs in the 90s and never regretted going to a PC over a PS2 if only due to how Jrpgs started setting this stupid trend.

 

[SpaceWizardz]

Who gives a damn if they're annoyed by it?

definitely a good idea to ignore the more prevalent criticisms towards your game

 

[Roguey]

Who gives a damn if they're annoyed by it?

definitely a good idea to ignore the more prevalent criticisms towards your game

They ignore criticisms from loud minorities all the time, this is just another one. The partially-voiced Kingmaker outsold Deadfire on release. It doesn't matter.

 

[AwesomeButton]

It was a pirates-themed RPG and that was even a selling point for the normie market.

 

[Roguey]

It was a pirates-theme RPG and that was even a selling point for the normie market.

https://www.tumblr.com/jesawyer/690693343726960640/hi-josh-a-friend-of-mine-is-a-huge-fan-of-the?

I don't really think of/didn't intend Deadfire to be considered a pirate game

I imagine this annoys Josh almost as much as people who refer to the early Industrial Age as "steampunk."

 

[Atlantico]

I imagine this annoys Josh almost as much as people who refer to the early Industrial Age as "steampunk."

If true, that is a good reason to continue to define Deadfire as a pirate game. Very good reason.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I imagine this annoys Josh almost as much as people who refer to the early Industrial Age as "steampunk."

Yeah, I remember that rant.

His feelings don't change the facts though.

From the steam page:

“It’s the swashbuckling flavor of the Deadfire Archipelago that helps this new project shine, mixing magic, dragons, and mythical gods with pirates, sailing, and a lengthy quest to discover what dangers lurk beyond the horizon.”
Game Informer

Obsidian's own marketing points:

ABOUT THIS GAME

Pursue a rogue god over land and sea in the sequel to the multi-award-winning RPG Pillars of Eternity. Captain your ship on a dangerous voyage of discovery across the vast unexplored archipelago region of the Deadfire. Bend the world to your will, as you explore the depths of infinite possibilities, including detailed character customization, total freedom of exploration, and more meaningful choices at every turn.

• Immerse yourself in a deeper single player RPG game experience - enriched with cutting edge technology and features, Deadfire builds on the foundation of classic D&D gameplay with vastly improved graphics, deeper game mechanics and a whole new hand-crafted adventure where choices truly matter.

• Discover the new region of the Deadfire – plot your own course by ship and explore the rich and exotic islands of the archipelago region, discovering new places interacting with their inhabitants and engaging in a variety of quests at every port.

• Build your party and customize your companions – choose from 7 different companions to join you on your quest and assign multiple classes and deeper abilities for each. Witness their personal relationships and interactions unfold with the addition of the new companion system.


• Captain your ship across the seas – as your stronghold on the seas, your ship is much more than simply a vessel for exploring. Upgrade your ship and crew and choose what skills you improve in order to survive dangerous encounters along the way.

Two animated gifs, fighting in a jungle environment, and fighting on a ship's deck.


Haha, and the current top review:

I'll make this short and sweet--I came to Pillars of Eternity 2 well after its release. Frankly, I had fallen away from the series, and the genre in general. Where its predecessor's setting was rather generic, Pillars of Eternity 2 adopts a unique Caribbean-inspired setting, where tensions loom between locals and acquisitive trading companies. On top of this, there is an intriguing story dealing with themes about free will and divine intervention. While I never felt like the characters in your party were especially memorable, the writing is engaging and snappy.

Tying this all together is a battle system that combines in-depth strategy with flashy and impactful combat--and all without being too cumbersome or tedious to get into.

Did Josh ever correctly know what was good about any one of his games?

 

[Roguey]

Obsidian's own marketing points:

Games that involve ships aren't necessarily pirate games.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is a pirate game. Risen 2 is a pirate game. Vendetta - Curse of Raven's Cry is a pirate game. Pirates of the Sword Coast, Sid Meier's Pirates!, goes without saying. You are not necessarily a pirate in Deadfire, though you can engage in acts of piracy.

 

[Diggfinger]

Conversation: Josh Sawyer (Director of Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment) On Creativity, and Writing​

​

Josh Sawyer is the legendary writer and director of games such as Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment, and Pillars of Eternity at Obsidian Entertainment.In this episode, we talk about creativity, writing, inspirations, Josh's workflow, and favorite films.​

 

[Butter]

Haha, and the current top review:

I'll make this short and sweet--I came to Pillars of Eternity 2 well after its release. Frankly, I had fallen away from the series, and the genre in general. Where its predecessor's setting was rather generic, Pillars of Eternity 2 adopts a unique Caribbean-inspired setting, where tensions loom between locals and acquisitive trading companies. On top of this, there is an intriguing story dealing with themes about free will and divine intervention. While I never felt like the characters in your party were especially memorable, the writing is engaging and snappy.

Tying this all together is a battle system that combines in-depth strategy with flashy and impactful combat--and all without being too cumbersome or tedious to get into.

Sawyer seething that it's described as Caribbean instead of Polynesian.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Games that involve ships aren't necessarily pirate games.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is a pirate game. Risen 2 is a pirate game. Vendetta - Curse of Raven's Cry is a pirate game. Pirates of the Sword Coast, Sid Meier's Pirates!, goes without saying. You are not necessarily a pirate in Deadfire, though you can engage in acts of piracy.

Don't get retarded on me now.

I wonder if you and Josh have noticed Deadfire's loading screen.

 

[NecroLord]

Josh Sawyer is the legendary writer

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Bottom line, ship content should've been an easy slamdunk. No one liked fortress content in the first game for a good reason. But having a ship around that you can improve and have adventures on is a nonbrainer addition to the type of game Deadfire was. Unfortunately none of it is any good.

 

[Baron Dupek]