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Chris Avellone Interview at The Star Online

Discussion in 'Game/SP News & Comments' started by chevalier, Oct 28, 2005.

  1. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    Christy Lee from The Star Online has interviewed Chris Avellone, one of the guys who founded Obsidian and a legendary designer in his own right. They talk about his inspiration and his views on such subjects as the growing focus on the technical side and falling interest in long dialogues, or what is important in hiring a new designer at Obsidian. Here's a snip:

    Q: How do you get your inspiration to create RPGs that leave such lasting impressions?

    CA: Aside from caffeine, I get inspiration from playing games of multiple genres. Equally important, I also dive into other forms of media entertainment for ideas – novels, board games, movies, comics, and writing. If you can get the cross-pollination going, you can use the techniques from other forms of entertainment to help improve the games you’re working on.

    I also like to start the design process from the story and character first, and then weave the mechanics of the game around that, which I have found to be the reverse of how most games are designed.

    A number of games design a system first, and then design a story and characters around it – and you can feel the “disconnect” between the two. I think it’s possible to come up with a theme for a world or game experience, and then design a fun system that helps reinforce that theme. But at the end of the day, I think the two needs to complement each other more than they normally do.

    Read the whole thing at The Star Online.
     
    chevalier, Oct 28, 2005
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