My Life

Still Here

Before anybody connects my silence here with anything nefarious I’d just like to mention that I am in the process of a move.

So if I’m late replying to email, tweets, or mindlinks, please bear with me. This is going to be a prolonged move so expected prolonged disruption to this blog.

If anything is urgent please just SHOUT really loud and I’ll try to get to it soon’ish.

Thanks!





Former lead designer at BioWare (Dragon Age: Origins, Neverwinter Nights). Creator of Raiders of the Serpent Sea.

6 Comments

  • Mordi Peshkess

    Maybe you can write your thoughts on Bioware “changing” of ME3 ending. It seems to be getting a lot of attention from gamers and journalists and It would be nice to see the viewpoint of someone that had first hand with games. 

  • Brent Knowles

    Unfortunately I don’t have any details about any changes… all I’ve seen is speculation. Endings always change, that is inevitable… timelines will compact a schedule or a necessary cinematic becomes impossible. 

  • Mordi Peshkess

    As much as I enjoyed the ride the ending was a let down. Many journalists are defending this… controversial…ending by saying that it’s the journey that matters but personally I feel that’s a rather narrow minded way of looking at a story. I mean, sure the ride is important but the ending is not some minor issue that can be ignored when it turns out bad. To me a series that big needed to give people the closure they very well deserved and in that the game failed. All you are left at the end are even more questions and plot holes galore. 

    Now I’m not saying you have to have a happy ending where all the questions are answered but at least give people closure. The fans that supported those games throughout the years kinda earned that, don’t you think? 

    A series can end and still have many questions left unanswered, while giving you new ones and also provide closure. Point and case, Battlestar Galactica. 

    What do you think? Do you think gaming companies should get a second chance with an IP or what is done is done and just take that lesson with you to the next one? Given the chance, would have done any changed to the DAO plot line? 

    Thanks. 

    PS: If you ever get the chance then play Witcher 2. I got this game recently and I got sucked right into it. There are things this game does that every gaming company should look at. 

  • Brent Knowles

    Mordi,

    Yes, I agree closure is important. In regards to whether a company should revise the ending after ship… I’m not sure. If the product has a post-release model in place then adding some kind of closure is probably appropriate. But… and this is the tricky bit for ME3 in particular… a lot of people enjoyed the ending. So whatever is added can’t mess with that.

    With DAO, I can’t really remember any major sacrifices made to the main plot line. We cut  smaller content, to accommodate the schedule (some of which I wish could have been released) but I think the main plot line worked out.

    Will definitely check out the Witcher 2… one day!

    Thanks,

     Brent

  • Mordi Peshkess

    Thanks for the clarification. I guess at the end it’s really up to the developer. Fans are always gonna disappointed with something, right?!

    I’m happy to hear that there were not many cuts from DAO. Given the amount of story and dialogue I bet it was…interesting…time keeping up with all the various plot threads and story options. 

    I bet your office, or work area looked like it had a paper A-Bomb went off in it unless you are one of those writer who likes to keep everything digital an neat. 

    Anyways. I am happy that one of those cuts wasn’t Shale. I really enjoyed that character. Given me fresh perspective on how statues see the world. I loved Shale so much that “Pigeon Crap” became my new Favorited cuss word to the point my wife had to ask me why I keep saying that, lol.

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