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[Draugoth]

• Avowed had a co-op focus early in development, now changed to a traditional Obsidian singleplayer RPG
• Avowed is Obsidian's version of what a fantasy first-person RPG is
• Finding the right balance between taking things from Pillars of Eternity and yet creating a new game that is more approachable for a larger audience
• "With Avowed, wee focus on unique bespoke content, deep systems and incredible storytelling that's focused on characters, societies and factions. Avowed is the natural extension of all the things we care about as a studio, of all the things we are great at."
• Obsidian showed Avowed to Microsoft as early as part of the acquisition process

 

[Hudo]

Doesn't wow me, unfortunately.

 

[Kilau]

More co-op causality due to Series S.

 

[Big Baller]

More co-op causality due to Series S.

Its all about giving the players a choice.

 

[Punished Miku]

Sounds like the acquisition allowed them to try and salvage the game and focus on it being single player. They explicitly say they added co-op to try and pitch it to publishers to get funding.

 

[Bernkastel]

More co-op causality due to Series S.

They were working on it since 2018. If Series S can't have co op, then no way was it possible for Xbox One to have it in some early stages of development. It was most likely for pitching for a Microsoft acquisition.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

You had me at, "Cut all that painted whore shit out, we're making an Obsidian RPG."

 

[Robb]

Avowed is the natural extension of all the things we care about as a studio, of all the things we are great at.

creating a new game that is more approachable for a larger audience

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Good. Online focused co-op is trash.

 

[SomeGit]

Strong Redfall vibes from this.

 

[saintjules]

I was confused as to why people were going crazy for this game at the initial reveal. Doesn't look any more special than other games before it.

 

[Ozriel]

Strong Redfall vibes from this.

Redfall: Immersive sim Studio making a multiplayer game they don’t believe in, but too scared of sunk cost to cancel

Avowed: RPG studio making a single player RPG

How is any of that the same?

 

[Punished Miku]

Strong Redfall vibes from this.

I think that's fair honestly.

Redfall as far as we know was Arkane trying to make a co-op GAAS to try and be profitable for Zenimax, when they didn't really have the experience or desire to make it. Post-acquisition, they were allowed to cancel most of that and try and tailor it more to what they like doing.

Avowed, trying to make a co-op game for publisher approval to be profitable. Post-acquisition, allowed to go back to what they prefer doing.

Guess we'll see if they succeeded in salvaging it. It does show MS is allowing these teams to do what they like. It's just taking years.

 

[adamsapple]

• "With Avowed, wee focus on unique bespoke content, deep systems and incredible storytelling that's focused on characters, societies and factions"

Fantasy Fallout New Vegas, give me nao !

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I think that's fair honestly.

Redfall as far as we know was Arkane trying to make a co-op GAAS to try and be profitable for Zenimax, when they didn't really have the experience or desire to make it. Post-acquisition, they were allowed to cancel most of that and try and tailor it more to what they like doing.

Avowed, trying to make a co-op game for publisher approval to be profitable. Post-acquisition, allowed to go back to what they prefer doing.

Guess we'll see if they succeeded in salvaging it. It does show MS is allowing these teams to do what they like. It's just taking years.

Redfall was Zenimax trying to pull off something.

Hopefully this is not a similar situation. Obsidian wasn't a big company and relied on their games actually succeeding.

 

[EviLore]

Made approachable for a broader audience, clicked off there.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Made approachable for a broader audience, clicked off there.

More approachable is a secret code for dumbing down RPG mechanics. Major red flag there.

 

[Riky]

Definitely a benefit for them going first party from that, much rather have a proper single player Obsidian RPG.

 

[supernova8]

Still doesn't look anything like the very first (bullshot) CGI reveal, which itself did get me excited. This is a sort of "not that bothered but I guess I'll try it on Game Pass" title.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Made approachable for a broader audience, clicked off there.

"• Finding the right balance between taking things from Pillars of Eternity and yet creating a new game that is more approachable for a larger audience"

I think it's related to having a prior knowledge of POE games. It's not mandatory.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

It Wow'ed me with how terrible the new art style is.
It honestly looks like a VR game. Like A Mage's Tale or something similar.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Wonder if it’ll be worse than Outer Worlds

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Still doesn't look anything like the very first (bullshot) CGI reveal, which itself did get me excited. This is a sort of "not that bothered but I guess I'll try it on Game Pass" title.

It's because that goofy ass colorful art style is more approachable by a broader audience. Games like this are designed by marketing control groups, not by individuals with vision and passion.

 

[adamsapple]

Still doesn't look anything like the very first (bullshot) CGI reveal, which itself did get me excited. This is a sort of "not that bothered but I guess I'll try it on Game Pass" title.

They changed the games art style through development, it's not gonna look like the original dark, gritty fantasy anymore.

 

[Mr Wonderstuff]

Doesn't wow me, unfortunately.

You mean it hasn't 'Awowed' you?

 

[Thief1987]

incredible storytelling

Very humble lol

 

[Bernkastel]

It's because that goofy ass colorful art style is more approachable by a broader audience. Games like this are designed by marketing control groups, not by individuals with vision and passion.

They changed the games art style through development, it's not gonna look like the original dark, gritty fantasy anymore.

straight from an Obsidian dev on rpg codex

Eternity - Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting - coming February 18th

"When we're starting up a product we basically say, all right, go play all these games, and even play our own games," said Urquhart. "It sounds silly, like why should we have our people play our own games? But it's important, and so we do. When they asked about her history with roleplaying...

rpgcodex.net

The trailer fails to show much in its 2 minute run time, which also means it fails as a trailer, many at the studio certainly agree. To clear up misconceptions though I'll say this, the game is big and open, it is unfair to compare it to OW (I think Ferg is trying to keep expectations down just in case), which I think it is nothing alike, this coming from someone who did not like much of OW, especially the art style.

The studio that did the trailer did some compression of colors and image editing, the screenshots that have been released are much more representative of what it looks like just running through it (they also are appear to be totally random shots from the game, I'm not sure why these were chosen out all the things, probably to keep spoilers at minimum). A lot of the game is being kept hidden right now, I think you will have to wait until the next trailer or some sort of presentation to really see it, but it is safe to assume it is very Obsidian, for better or for worse :lol:. No, the entire game isn't all bright and happy town, no it is not all so indistinct visually, just the spots shown in the trailer. There are lots of characters, quests, conversations, various game mechanics, big story, etc. Hopefully we can just release more shots from the game without having to worry about another trailer. I miss working on POEs where we could just leak our own shit and no one could tell us no.

I guess take that as you will. Dumpsterfire comments are bit overhype, development is going well right now, MS is allowing Obsidian free license to do as they will, and if it is success or fails it'll be on Obsidian's own terms.

there are both dark and bright regions in the game.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

straight from an Obsidian dev on rpg codex

Eternity - Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting - coming February 18th

"When we're starting up a product we basically say, all right, go play all these games, and even play our own games," said Urquhart. "It sounds silly, like why should we have our people play our own games? But it's important, and so we do. When they asked about her history with roleplaying...

rpgcodex.net

there are both dark and bright regions in the game.

There's not a single DARK region showed in the trailer. I can only comment on what was showed.

 

[drganon]

The old art style was a lot better.

 

[Fuz]

More approachable is a secret code for dumbing down RPG mechanics. Major red flag there.

More approachable is a secret code for dumbing down everything.

 

[Ammogeddon]

Jesus, I didn’t know there was such a thing as an anti-hype promotional video.

Even the developers sound about as excited for the game as I am. I’m surprised they didn’t just say “don’t buy it, you won’t like it”.

 

[Del_X]

Something is off with the art style. Weirdly high contrast which seems to crush whatever detail is left. Hopefully they touch that up because it looks like puke.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Thought the art direction/visuals were a disappointment in the recent showing.

 

[Fuz]

Man, I really wish it will be good to have some competition for The Elder Scrolls.

 

[nightmare-slain]

i was excited for it but then they showed it.... looks like cheap crap.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Man, I really wish it will be good to have some competition for The Elder Scrolls.

They have already said it's a smaller scale game than that.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

I wish they hadn’t shown the teaser at “e3” 2020. The gameplay reveal this past June didn’t seem to be similar at all, so I wish the game play reveal had just been the reveal.

Having said that. Excited to see how it turns out, and I think Obsidian having 5+ years to make their take on a single player fantasy RPG is exciting. Look forward to seeing how it turns out. Obsidian games tend to be on the shorter side, and that’s fine. As long as what is in the game is really solid. No doubt it will be.

 

[Gorgon]

Now that they (and MS) consider themselves an "AAA" studio with AAA budgets, let's see what the excuse is this time if this fails to deliver that mythical "Obsidian experience".

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Now that they (and MS) consider themselves an "AAA" studio with AAA budgets, let's see what the excuse is this time if this fails to deliver that mythical "Obsidian experience".

Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that

 

[Punished Miku]

Now that they (and MS) consider themselves an "AAA" studio with AAA budgets

Where did they say that?

 

[Interfectum]

Made approachable for a broader audience, clicked off there.

Yup this and it doesn't look like you can fuck a bear. So, pass.

 

[DeepEnigma]

The old art style was a lot better.

Diablo 3 was raked through the coals initially for the WoW copy/paste art style.

Now we have Diablo 4 as a result of that.

 

[Gorgon]

Looks like one of the devs put a photo of one of their kids' plasticine school project into the trailer by mistake.

 

[drganon]

Diablo 3 was raked through the coals initially for the WoW copy/paste art style.

Now we have Diablo 4 as a result of that.

Looks like the opposite happened with avowed.

"People liked the trailer, lets change the art style to shit".

 

[Roberts]

PoE games are not the most accessibly games ever made - there is Tolstoy’s amount of text to be read in them so it is obvious they will cut down on that stuff to make a faster paced action RPG. Doesn’t mean it will be dumbed down.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I actually thought the trailer looked good and was exciting. And the way the devs speaks about the game, makes it even more so.

 

[Gorgon]

Where did they say that?

Obsidian

www.obsidian.net

"If you think you have the chops (that is, experience, qualifications and passionate desire) to create AAA role-playing games, take a look and see if there is a position that suits you."

There's also some interviews that you can goole about. There's also one with MS in which they say that Obsidian is now an "AAA" studio.

 

[CanYouFlyBobby?]

Yea not interested. Looks generic as hell and it would probably be as shallow as The Outer Worlds. HARD PASS.

 

[Jack Videogames]

I prefer Unavowed

 

[SJRB]

This is going to be a disaster. The way these devs are talking about it, the obvious development hell it was/is in, those visuals.

"It's not going to fit the exact mold of what I've seen the trend being of what was expected for Avowed," lmao.