Surprisingly, about Daniel Vavre, a game designer from the Czech Republic with a long frightening beard, few people heard, although almost every game lover is familiar with his work. It was Daniel who wrote the script and in many ways invented the concept of Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, and also composed some missions for it, drew some levels and user interface. Years later, he wrote a script for the sequel – Mafia 2. Well, after that, fed up with showdowns of Italo -Americans, Vavra decided to establish his own studio and make a breakthrough role -playing game of a new generation. You can find details about its development on our website, but for now it’s still far from the full announcement, we decided to just chat with Daniel – to find out what he thinks about the current state of the industry, which, in his opinion, is the main difficulties in writing a game scenario And when there are already more players-players.
Rule No. 14. After I founded Warhorse Studios And he set about developing a role -playing game, conversations began: “All his life he did the action, and now for no reason he set about RPG”. I would say that I made an action in the open world, and they, you see, are not far from RPG. I always loved role-playing games and wanted to make my own, but for this I had to open my own company-during a certain period of the publisher, this genre did not really complain.
Rule No. 13. The value of the nonlinear game is in freedom of choice. Your hands are not connected in anything, you know what is able to do almost anything, although, maybe this will not lead to success. In this case, the immersion is close to the ideal.
Rule No. 12. Three years ago, making a name in the gaming industry was much more difficult than now. Indie on the rise, there were new ways to release the game without resorting to the help of publishers; The situation is almost as favorable as in the eighties. Garage development is back and it's great.
Rule No. 11. Dividing games into genres based on the perspective or camera is incredibly stupid. 3D, 2D, FPS, TPS, isometry – what's the difference? L.A. Noire , By and large, a high -budget quest from a third person in the open world, but the same story could be told on the engine Hotline Miami (In fact, there is such a Top Down Quest about the hired killer – Dreamweb for the Amiga console, which even looks like Hotline Miami; I would outplay into it with modern management). Technologies have long allowed to experiment, only people sitting on bags with money do not want to take risks with unusual games. But everything changes.
Rule No. 10. For many years I have heard conversations that the quests are dead. But what is the main thing in quests? A fascinating story. People will ever get tired of listening to exciting stories? Don't think. In addition, many simply do not like games in which you need to beat someone or shoot someone. Therefore, everything that is required from developers is to come up with interesting characters, put them in the center of the conflict and attract attention. Creators Heavy Rain And The Walking Dead It succeeded.
Rule No. 9. Tablet – an ideal device for quests. I hope that indie developers will begin to work more often in traditional genres, instead of making wild arthaus experiments without a drop of gameplay or weak 2D platformers.
Rule No. 8. When the artificial intelligence and the technology of voice recognition are reached such a level that it will be finally solved by the problems, simply chatting with NPC, quests, like other games without action, will again experience the rise. Imagine l.A. Noire without pre -recorded dialogs. Once this will become possible, and, I hope, on our monitors there will be more romantic stories and melodramas, and not the first -person shooters. And there will be more players-players than men.
Rule No. 7. Writing a script for the game is most reminiscent of the spelling of a TV series. At least, it seems to me: I never worked on television, and all my training is hundreds of watches and several interesting books. The scenario of the game is much longer than in the cinema, it is more complex, the narrative is divided into episodes (levels, quests). It is more difficult to write something consistent, since you are limited by the choice of the player, and in many genres you need to constantly invent the occasions for the action. Another problem: usually first they come up with mechanics and design, and the plot is in the last turn, which leads to understandable consequences. But the biggest problem is that most game screenwriters just don't care about quality and they think that players are the same.
Rule No. 6. I like to leave cultural references in my games. Ideas are not born from a vacuum, sometimes I want to directly say that something inspired you to write this or that material, or just give things more significance. And sometimes it is a corny fun to see if the players recognize the reference, whether the book or comics you mentioned will read. However, my love can be caused by a lack of imagination! (laughs)
Rule No. 5. The game industry is hostile to personal responsibility and people with a unique author's style. Until today, it is on collectivism. In the studios, it is customary to encourage only faithful, adhering to the rules of employees, but not the best. Even if the composition of the "team" does not change before the development of each subsequent game, it does not help much. In the cinema, it all starts with the script. The producer finds the director, and the director gathers the team. Looking for the most suitable people for this particular project. But after filming, they all diverge and go to work on new films. Everything is different with games: if you are in a team that makes the first -person shooters, you will make the first -person shooters to the end of your life. The environment of the gaming industry kills creativity and originality, it has no place for strong creative personalities. This is bad for developers, bad for games and bad for players. That is why the market is a crazy number of idiotic games.
Rule No. 4. I have, why not love the game industry, but it changes for the better, and it pleases. I met a friend on the last Gamescom, the owner of one very successful indie studio. He said that large publishers practically beg him to work with them, and he just laughs in his face when he is offered incomprehensible positions on the development of stupid games. During all the negotiations, it was a tattered Heavy Metal T -shirt, but it was he who was the main one in the room, and not the rich in expensive costumes. It was impossible to believe in this a few years ago.
Rule No. 3. It's great when people from outside affect our industry. Most films are terrible games, but the creative union of Peter Jackson and Michel Ansel gave us King Kong (2005), exciting and fresh game. Everything that Stephen Spielberg touched was beautiful and very innovative: Tresspasser , first Medal of Honor ..
Rule number 2. I am attentive to criticism of the players-I read the comments and letters of our fans, communicate on the forums-I like to discuss my ideas with someone except colleagues. On the other hand, if I do not see strong, thought out arguments, I do not care about the opinion of a person and how many people agree with him.
Rule No. 1. The perfect game design is when I can experience something new when they do not take Ninewin Casino me for an idiot, when there is a competent set of rules and everything is in order with logic. Its inseparable part is also good management, interface and correct rhythm.
Blitz-back
Five role -playing games of the last five years that I liked.
1. Fallout: New Vegas – a balanced plot and an almost absolute nonlinearity, an excellent, well -thought -out world and logical quests make New Vegas one of the best RPG all time. Balm on the soul after disappointment in the form Fallout 3.
2. The Witcher – excellent atmosphere, wonderful visual performance, masterfully told story, nonlinearity. And the world of Sapkovsky.
3. Legend of Grimrock – A brave, well -realized idea. The game evokes memories of good old times, although I am not even a big fan of dungeons!
4. Risen -Little RPG from a small studio, which I simply liked.
5. Red Dead Redemption “Yes, this is not quite RPG, but RDR does everything that every genre should do,” puts you in a new role, in the new world and makes it part.
Three most important components of a good game in the open world.
1. A bunch of opportunities.
2. An interesting world.
3. Complex game mechanics.
TOP-5 films.
"Conan", "Heat", b?L? Pan? (Absurreing Czech Comedy), Patton, Brian's Life on Monty Pyuton.
TOP-5 games.
Fallout, Shenmue, Laser Squad (ZX Spectrum), Metal Gear Solid, Another World (I hate to make tops, I have a very bad memory).
TOP-5 books.
“The brave soldier Schweik”, the trilogy of Andrzej Sapkovsky about Reinevan, The Adventurr and The Wanderer Miki Valtari, Hellboy and the whole of Umberto Eco. Not quite top 5, but, as I said, I do not know how to make lists.
TOP-5 music:
Bathory, Devin Townsend, Shape of Despair, Enslaved, Zero7.
I really like " IL-2: Sturmovik " And " Blitzkrieg ". I would like to play in " Forerunner "(A friend said that she was cool), but could not find the English version, and my Russian, unfortunately, is not as good as once. I also played in Tetris (Ha ha), I was recommended King’s Bounty , And I personally know several guys from “1C” (they have an office in Prague) and UNIGINE (we looked at their pretty engine). These are my relations with the Russian gaming industry!
“Luck smiles at those who are not afraid to violate the rules” – my favorite quote. I myself try not to violate the rules. Unless I want luck to smile a little.