chevalier
Thu, 9th Sep '04, 11:09am
Here are today's Neverwinter Nights 2 forum highlights, collected by NWVault (http://nwvault.ign.com) from Obsidian Forums (http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showforum=21). Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Ferret, Developer</font>
New Developers ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=13024&hl=')
<hr />Is it even possible for new game developers to come onto the market anymore, I mean you barely hear about a good game coming from a new developer with a team of no experience...i'm not saying obsidian wont be good because its new, because they have the powerhouses from black isle and more...but say i were to start a company (i have mediocre game making experience) is there even the possibility of us getting such an amazing aggreement as obsidian did when they started? <hr />For a well-connected person I think it is barely possible to land a high profile title with a team of new folks. And if the want-to-be CEO doesn't know anyone in the industry, I think it is so incredibly unlikely that you might as well call it impossible. Since it takes so much money to make a quality game these days, the people with the money (generally publishers) want to invest their money as safely as they can. If it were my money, I'd do the same thing, too.
Suggestions ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=14971&hl=')
I've read most of the threads on the suggestion forums, and I'm certainly not the only dev to do so. We read the boards, and I'm sure many of us take notes (I do). But it's not practical to comment on every thread. And if a thread has turned volatile I tend to avoid saying anything because that can turn into something counter-productive.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Erik Novales, Programmer</font>
Suggestions ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=14971&hl=')
Ditto on what Ferret said. Other reasons I avoid commenting on some suggestions:<ul> it's not my area of responsibility (i.e. it's about design stuff)
it's about something that hasn't been decided yet
I don't really have anything interesting to add to the discussion
it's something that we can't talk about yet for miscellaneous reasons
it's a surprise [/list]Somewhat on the same topic, tips for communicating suggestions more effectively:<ul> Make sure and post them in the most applicable forum. Not every developer reads every forum.
Check to see if your suggestion has been made already, by using the search functionality on the board.
Use a descriptive subject line. A subject line of "please add the Bigby's Backscratcher spell", for example, is better than "we need a backscratcher!", "more spells please", or "my suggestions".
Keep your message body succinct, but be sure to provide enough detail so that we know what it is you're talking about. If it's something complicated or difficult to explain, examples are useful. A post is the perfect length when nothing else can be taken away from it without changing what you are trying to say. wink.gif
Please avoid bumping posts. It makes the board hard to read. We are reading the board, but at this stage it's sometimes hard to respond meaningfully to some suggestions. (which I realize gives the impression that we're not listening, which is untrue)[/list]
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Ferret, Developer</font>
New Developers ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=13024&hl=')
<hr />Is it even possible for new game developers to come onto the market anymore, I mean you barely hear about a good game coming from a new developer with a team of no experience...i'm not saying obsidian wont be good because its new, because they have the powerhouses from black isle and more...but say i were to start a company (i have mediocre game making experience) is there even the possibility of us getting such an amazing aggreement as obsidian did when they started? <hr />For a well-connected person I think it is barely possible to land a high profile title with a team of new folks. And if the want-to-be CEO doesn't know anyone in the industry, I think it is so incredibly unlikely that you might as well call it impossible. Since it takes so much money to make a quality game these days, the people with the money (generally publishers) want to invest their money as safely as they can. If it were my money, I'd do the same thing, too.
Suggestions ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=14971&hl=')
I've read most of the threads on the suggestion forums, and I'm certainly not the only dev to do so. We read the boards, and I'm sure many of us take notes (I do). But it's not practical to comment on every thread. And if a thread has turned volatile I tend to avoid saying anything because that can turn into something counter-productive.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Erik Novales, Programmer</font>
Suggestions ('http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=14971&hl=')
Ditto on what Ferret said. Other reasons I avoid commenting on some suggestions:<ul> it's not my area of responsibility (i.e. it's about design stuff)
it's about something that hasn't been decided yet
I don't really have anything interesting to add to the discussion
it's something that we can't talk about yet for miscellaneous reasons
it's a surprise [/list]Somewhat on the same topic, tips for communicating suggestions more effectively:<ul> Make sure and post them in the most applicable forum. Not every developer reads every forum.
Check to see if your suggestion has been made already, by using the search functionality on the board.
Use a descriptive subject line. A subject line of "please add the Bigby's Backscratcher spell", for example, is better than "we need a backscratcher!", "more spells please", or "my suggestions".
Keep your message body succinct, but be sure to provide enough detail so that we know what it is you're talking about. If it's something complicated or difficult to explain, examples are useful. A post is the perfect length when nothing else can be taken away from it without changing what you are trying to say. wink.gif
Please avoid bumping posts. It makes the board hard to read. We are reading the board, but at this stage it's sometimes hard to respond meaningfully to some suggestions. (which I realize gives the impression that we're not listening, which is untrue)[/list]