MCA on Obsidian staff and New Vegas plot and systems

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:07 am

[ Person -> Interview ] - More info on Person: Avellone, Chris | More info on Company: Obsidian Entertainment | More info on Game: Fallout: New Vegas

Chris Avellone posted a blurb on the Bethesda boards telling us some names of people we might know at Obsidian, as well as a few hints as to the plot and systems direction that Fallout: New Vegas is taking:

Question: You helped make Fallout 2, right? I think everybody agrees that Fallout 3 was different, but have you done anything to make NV be more like the first two? Or are you following in Bethesda's footsteps? To me it wouldn't matter either way. I'm just wondering.

Chris Avellone: Yep, I did area design and encounter design for F2 (worked on Vault City's third and final iteration, companions: Cassidy and Myron, special encounters, New Reno, Raider Camp, and the EPA, which got canned - and good thing, too, we already had too many locations) and some perk designs. Brian Menze, Feargus, Chris Jones, Scotty Everts, and Dan Spitzley are all here, all worked on Fallout 2, not all of them are on New Vegas, though.

The trailer is the only thing I can point to to answer your question, can't say much more than that. Josh and John Gonzalez (our creative lead and master of all things plot-related) put together a great story with some fun new mechanics, and they know their Fallout. I think we're using all the stuff we've been kicking around for the past ten+ years with RPGs and seeing how they can be applied to New Vegas on both the plot and system side.

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:28 am

Sounds fucking shitty, to be honest.

I perked up at CA, I perked way down at "- and good thing, too, we already had too many locations)". If he means "For us to finish by deadline", fine. If he means "the game was good enough as is" that's exactly the kind of defeatist lowest common denominator fucking garbage that makes Mass Effects and NWN2s and other such fucking trash.

You are the last and best hope of humanity, obsidian, and you've clearly already decided to shit it up. See you in hell, bastards.

For everyone still excited about "they worked on Fallout 2!" let me remind you that "people, people always changes." You hound after the almighty dollar long enough and you simply care more about getting it done and done in a way that will sell well for the least investment than you do about getting it done right, or even as well as it was done for it's time previously. These guys have literally been carrot-on-a-stick'd for 10 years jobwise and are quite satisfied to muck about in the status quo cesspool for all eternity at this point as long as it will keep food on their table.

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:09 pm

I've only just started Dragon Age and fortunately, I think I can see that retaining my attention for quite a while.

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:20 am

To be honest, I never really liked Fallout 2 that much, apart from Vault City, and NCR, I thought they were done well. Rest of the game didn't really hold up for me.

The main thing bugging me about the "back in the right hands" stuff, is that nothing is really going to change. We've seen from the screenshots that the same bad ideas have been recycled; same character models, inexplicable super-mutants etc. In the end it doesn't matter what the team say, they can only work with what Bethesda has given them, and that is the same old crap.

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:34 am

It'll be New Reno all over again aiee

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:56 pm

It'll be New Reno all over again aiee

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:20 pm

Yup.

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:06 am

I'd consider Fallout 2 to have the best story of the series, particularly when the Enclave were involved. I hope New Vegas can bring that sort of thing back, minus the Enclave, as I just wouldn't want it overused, as well as not being able to think of a justification for them being there, considering their slim numbers at this point.