This isn't the standard sort of news news. Most people aren't going to be particularly interested in details like this, but I know we have a bunch of Obsidian fans on the forum and I was reading Josh Sawyer's tumblr Q&As yesterday and saw that there is some pretty interesting info about where the studio is at this point, so I thought I'll share.
https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/721515689287155713
https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/722536502752772096
First up, Sawyer has been promoted to Design Director for the overall studio. What does that mean?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/142967942921/congratulations-on-your-promotion-does-it
How big is Obsidian these days anyway? And what are they working on these days?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143111962776/hi-josh-i-have-a-simple-question-how-many
Will we ever get that historical RPG Sawyer keeps talking about wanting to make?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143120816411/is-there-anything-stopping-you-from-doing
And a bonus refresher for what Obsidian's philosophy in game design is.
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143023902936/any-chance-you-could-do-a-write-up-on-the-basic
Hope that was informative for fellow Obsidian fans. I love reading Sawyer's Q&A stuff from time to time because he's always so nice about replying to interesting questions (especially for New Vegas) and his mindset on narrative and game mechanics is fascinating.
Kinda bummed that the majority of Obsidian staff are actually working on something like Armored Warfare though. I guess you gotta pay the bills!
https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/721515689287155713
https://twitter.com/jesawyer/status/722536502752772096
First up, Sawyer has been promoted to Design Director for the overall studio. What does that mean?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/142967942921/congratulations-on-your-promotion-does-it
melnorme asked: Congratulations on your promotion. Does it actually mean anything, though?
It means Im responsible for helping with overall design direction at the studio. Ive always talked to designers on other teams about their work, but now its part of my job. I talk to individual designers at all levels about challenges theyre facing and what theyre trying to accomplish. I also talk to producers and game directors about high-level design direction and focus. I try to play our games regularly to give feedback on specific issues I come across as well as areas where a team is doing well. I help review all incoming design applications and sit in on as many design interviews as is reasonable.
Currently Im revising and updating old documentation that covers basic design principles that Obsidian has used and continues to use in our games. Obsidian is a lot larger now than it was ten years ago. Tribal knowledge only goes so far and all standards documentation needs to be regularly reviewed.
How big is Obsidian these days anyway? And what are they working on these days?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143111962776/hi-josh-i-have-a-simple-question-how-many
secretarcadephilosopher asked: Hi Josh. I have a simple question - how many people you have working in Obsidian? Always thought it's small studio, am I wrong?
The company has grown and shrunk over time. Its now a little over 200 people, with most of the developers working on Armored Warfare. The Tyranny team is between 20 and 30 people (I think). The Pathfinder team has less than 10 (again, I think). My team is currently fairly small, about 20 people.
Will we ever get that historical RPG Sawyer keeps talking about wanting to make?
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143120816411/is-there-anything-stopping-you-from-doing
ilitarist asked: Is there anything stopping you from doing historical RPG? Do you consider PoE a historical RPG cause it functions more like a historical fiction than a typical fantasy story?
I need to devote my attention to the project Im currently directing, but it is my intention that the next project I direct (after this one) will be a historical RPG. Its something Ive been talking to Feargus every once in a while for the past couple of years and hes been supportive.
I dont consider PoE to be a historical RPG in any way. When I say historical RPG I mean something set in Earths history inclusive with fantastic variations, like Darklands and Ars Magica.
And a bonus refresher for what Obsidian's philosophy in game design is.
http://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/143023902936/any-chance-you-could-do-a-write-up-on-the-basic
lavendermoon64 asked: Any chance you could do a write-up on the basic design principles Obsidian uses?
The stuff Im currently looking at is very high-level, so I dont think its anything people would find surprising. Back in 2007, Chris Avellone wrote up these basic pillars that are in (more or less) every Obsidian RPG. Ive changed the wording slightly, but theyre essentially the same now as they were then:
* A strong world, narrative, and companions.
* Role-playing with meaningful choices and consequences.
* An emphasis on different ways to customize your character.
* Rich character advancement systems.
* A healthy amount of gameplay hours with a lot of optional content.
Any given Obsidian RPG will emphasize these to different extents, but theyre things that we commonly focus on.
Hope that was informative for fellow Obsidian fans. I love reading Sawyer's Q&A stuff from time to time because he's always so nice about replying to interesting questions (especially for New Vegas) and his mindset on narrative and game mechanics is fascinating.
Kinda bummed that the majority of Obsidian staff are actually working on something like Armored Warfare though. I guess you gotta pay the bills!