Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 15 of 15

Thread: Interview with Joshua Alan Doetsch (AOC writer)

  1. #11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Prima View Post
    The Khitai/expansion writing is powerfully dark. I'll assume JAD wrote at least some of the stories/characters/lines that I'm thinking of and give him a /bow. It's easy to get self-indulgent or lazy as a horror writer but both TSW and the expansions' content are sophisticated stuff. Horror as a vehicle, not a destination.

    Well, of course you do. (Did you write the Corrupted loading screen blurb, about mouthfuls of your neighbors? I knew that was written by a HoX.) Please write Xotli into the storyline, we need all these Crom-humpers to see what a pissed-off deity really looks like.

    Reading about JAD's use of source material, I'm curious again if the devs/writers thought about doing the game in non-linear storybook format, like a cross between TSW and the Conan stories themselves. I feel like it'd work especially well with level-less gameplay like TSW or Conan's end-game.
    1. Replace the zone teleporters (wagoneers, etc.) with a book UI. You travel to a zone simply by flipping to that chapter. Travel consists of a cutscene illustrating the journey -- possibly events along the way -- setting the tone for the zone and foreshadowing the zone's backstory.
    2. Each zone -- smaller than the full "adventure areas" that we have now, but more of them -- is a self-contained story like one of the Conan tales, with side quests. (Kind of like Dead Man's Hand.)
    3. You can return to a past zone any time and repeat the quests (and the writers wouldn't have to contrive reasons why the quests need repeating because the inference would be that you're going back to that time/story by going to the zone.)

    This would take "theme park" to a new level, but there are a lot of plusses:
    • travel would be more convenient yet at the same time the game itself more immersive (for example, you could have a story set hundreds of miles from civilization without having to have a city and vendors);
    • "repeatable quests" would be less at risk of feeling contrived;
    • and best at all, it would solve the problem of not being able to use content where everyone is dead, because the stories could be set in any time/place you wanted.
    And stick some narration over the top.

    If something like what you say got implemented, I'd narrate any audio for free!

    If you've ever played Bastion, you would know exactly what I mean and how powerful story driven content (in Bastion's case, flexible and intelligent AI narrative) can be applied to a simple hack'n'slash and make it interesting as the player progresses, and changes their mind. AoC already sell's itself in the story department, so it's a win all round as I see it! Besides, in one of the interviews they mentioned voice actors only ever utilisied one or two hours of their paid-for four (or something along those lines). This would be a great use besides filling in old content.

    Some one get James Earl Jones on the phone!

    Ahh, we can dream.

  2. #12

    Default

    Stickied with the other interviews
    Hamsters and rangers and everyone, REJOICE!


    Note: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Funcom or its management.

  3. #13

    Default

    Thank you for thoses interview, always nice to hear some insiders and trivias, i like thoses much !

  4. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bibik View Post
    Thank you for thoses interview, always nice to hear some insiders and trivias, i like thoses much !
    Yes, I am also fascinated how the game is made and what is going trough dev's minds.

    I will try to get a hold of crafting people when the update is ready
    Retired

  5. #15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrivnomancer View Post
    I wouldn't mind getting more Xotli into the plot. I remember writing some HoX specific text for the Entity to say to HoX players (hinting a little more at Xotli), and I know it was recorded, but I'm not sure if that made it into the final encounter.
    It DID make it into the final version and it's great!

    "The Self smells a Herald. A dutiful Herald, and you dare to offer the obscenity of violence to a spawn of Yag? What will your master say? Yes, quivering meat-child, Xotli comes- xotli blasphemes and bubbles at the edge of eternity - the sibling Xotli of the Elder Night comes!"

    Ps. I guess you also wrote that thing about "the one sleeping in R'lyeh" ? The entity says something like that when he dies. Maybe it doesn't everytime, but I deffo saw it in one of the many times I killed it
    Barb: Thomaran
    Hox1: Mweru
    Dt: Haikuju
    Hox2: Shugorann
    Tos: Nephertites
    Sin: Leogetz
    Necro: Viggomortis
    and others...

    "The sky is green. It is because I say it is. And because I said it on the internet."

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •