Something of interest from Ex-Troika

Post by **DarkUnderlord** » Mon May 08, 2006 2:21 am

[ Game -> Update ] - More info on <a href="#Laid Back Gaming">Company: Laid Back Gaming</a> | More info on <a href="#Michael McCarthy">Person: Michael McCarthy</a>

It's dark and it's set in space. Is it post-apocalyptic? Who cares. Michael McCarthy has set up his own company to make a Space-based Turn-based Action-based RPG-based Game-based game and the Codex have <a href="http://rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=130" target="_self">done an interview all about that and his time at Troika Games</a>:<blockquote> For Arcanum, we were a very small crew. Not to sound generic, but we
all did pretty much everything on that project. Largely I did map
design and effects. It was decided by Tim, Leonard, and Jason to hire a
very small team of people who were all "leads"; leads meaning people
who were experienced in many facets of game production. I think the
scope of the design really lent itself to this idea. That game was BIG.
For instance, we needed to place the vendigroth device on the map and
there was nothing complete about it except its intended purpose. So I
designed it, modeled it, textured it, and did the cut scene of it
deploying. That was how that game was made. If you needed something
right away, do it yourself and move on to what's next.
</blockquote>There's some good stuff there, so it's worth a read. Even if I do say so myself. Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com">RPG Codex</a>

vendetta · Post by **vendetta** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:22 am

eh.. Is he going to do the game all by himself? Can't see any mention of a "team". The thing looks interesting, really.

POOPERSCOOPER · Post by **POOPERSCOOPER** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:48 am

I imagine its going to be just himself and some friends, unless he got a lot of money from being a lost game developer on the streets. If hes going to start a business hes going to have to get a loan kinda like his publisher complaints.

baby arm · Post by **baby arm** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:00 am

Word on the street is that the interviewer is a former gigilo turned male model. Ask him to show you his headshots.

The game sounds interesting too.

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:20 am

A game made by a company founded by a guy who used to be in a company founded by guys who used to be in a company who was founded by a guy named Brian Fargo.

Make a game first, plz. We'll see if it's fun.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:26 am

Wow, that really was one of the best interviews I've read in a while. I haven't even heard of this guy before, to be honest. The bit about the developer-publisher dealio is interesting.

Regular game idea:

What the player experiences: You were told that the wealthy owner of the Inn can help you find the buried treasure. You walk into a bar. The bartender greets you with a fine "Hello Stranger! Come and enjoy a pint of ale on the house!" You will notice that you when you click on anyone else in the room you get a generic "good day sir", you certainly can't attack anyone, and if the game let you fire off an explosive spell, it wouldn't do any damage in room and no one would notice that anything had happened. You talk to the inn keeper and he says if you give him 10 gold, he'll give you the map to the secret treasure! So you do.

What the developers were thinking: Well, this has to be this way, right? I mean, the bartender has knowledge that keeps the quest moving along so we can't kill him. And what if we attacked someone else in the corner of the bar? We couldn't have that because it would look strange if the people just sat there! And I mean, c'mon, if you can kill this guy, wouldn't that mean you can kill the others too? Oh plus, our publisher informed us yesterday that we have to take out all the kids in the game because we can't sell the game in Germany if it has kid killing. Yeah..... killing people in a friendly town is out of the question.

Troika game:

What the player experiences: You walk into a bar. The bartender greets you with a fine "Hello Stranger! Come and enjoy a pint of ale on the house!" At this point, you shoot an arrow through his neck.... he drops dead, the bar maid and most of the patrons freak out and run for the door... You laugh maniacally until you notice some guy in the corner (who happens to be the bartenders' brother in law enjoying a pint himself) unsheathing his vorpal sword and coming after you with bloody vengeance in his eyes... You kill him too and take his sword. You search the inn and find a key underneath a bottle of whiskey behind the bar. The key opens a lockbox upstairs in his room where you find a map.

What Troika was thinking: Hey, what if I want to shoot the bartender? Yeah, I hate those stereo-typical jolly fat bartender guys. It'll be more trouble, but we'll make sure you can get the map some how. For the people in the room, we'll have them check against your faction and skills, if you attack anyone, they will determine if they are scared, hostile, or unmoved by your actions. If they are scared they'll run, hostile they'll attack, and unmoved they will just sit there drinking a beer while all hell breaks loose. Yeah, we should put at least on guy in the bar who's tough as nails. The tough quiet dude who calmly drinks his beer... The guy you DO NOT want to mess with. Yeah, and if you kill anyone in this inn, the cops in town will attack you on sight. The more neutral shopkeepers will still sell to you, but they will jack the prices up because even they think you are a cold blooded killer.

That one nails it.

The goal is to be able to sell 50k-100k units to dedicated fans of games like Arcanum, Fallout, and X-Com.

The extreme time it takes to create levels and assets in a 1st person game leads to two game-killers in my book: Linearity and Control/Submersion.

And the upcoming tactical/RPG turn-based combat game sounds promising. I hope he'll get incorporated most of the things he mentioned and most of all, completes the project.

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:31 am

Sounds pretty patriotic and falloutish, I'd probably buy it. Guter Mann.

Bloodlust · Post by **Bloodlust** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:47 am

Sounds to me as much of an RPG as fallout tictacs was,but in space.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:52 am

Bloodlust wrote:Sounds to me as much of an RPG as fallout tictacs was,but in space.

Maybe because they are supposed to be a tactical combat games. A few choices and consequences wouldn't hurt, though.

Bloodlust · Post by **Bloodlust** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:54 am

VasikkA wrote:
Bloodlust wrote:Sounds to me as much of an RPG as fallout tictacs was,but in space.
Maybe because they are supposed to be a tactical combat games. A few choices and consequences wouldn't hurt, though.

No,they are "Space-based Turn-based Action-based RPG-based Game-based games"

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:57 am

That's just some DU's brainfart of a definition.

Bloodlust · Post by **Bloodlust** » Mon May 08, 2006 12:02 pm

No shit?

Yea it was kind of obvious that it's just DU brainfarting as usual,but the news title at codex says that it's a Turn-based Space Action RPG and not a tactical strategy or whatever,hence the reason for my first comment.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Mon May 08, 2006 12:18 pm

Bloodlust wrote:news title at codex

Another brainfart courtesy of our Iron Chancellor.

Anyway, we can only speculate how much of an RPG it is. Mr whatshisnameagain implied there's some roleplaying in the game(contrary to the linear Tictacs) so let's just hope for the best and whack him if he's lying.

Jesus Christ · Post by **Jesus Christ** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:46 pm

I second that motion.

We should send him our blessings until we know one way or the other.

Koki · Post by **Koki** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:07 pm

I would pray for his success, but you know how it is...

Nicolai · Post by **Nicolai** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:03 pm

Sounds promising, I'll definitely give it a twirl if it turns out to be a decent game.

St. Toxic · Post by **St. Toxic** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:53 pm

1st person is great for running around and blowing your friends

AinÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´t that the truth.

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:33 pm

I always run around in 1st person perspective

Zetura Dracos · Post by **Zetura Dracos** » Wed May 10, 2006 8:33 pm

Not bad. Sounds like a decent game so far and even if it isn'tthere's some good insight there into how the industry works.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Wed May 10, 2006 9:21 pm

Another game that'll be full of bugs