381 réponses à ce sujet

[sympathy4saren]

How many hours of gameplay is in Jade Empire? Can the 360 play it, even though it was an original x box game?

[upsettingshorts]

That seems more like a question for another thread. That said, I can't remember the hours, but I have played JE on the 360, it's available for download.

[Jonp382]

It's around 20 hours. Maybe 30 if you take your time.

[Xewaka]

Okay, I have to ask: Whose wife inspired Henpecked Hou's panic?

[Khayness]

sympathy4saren wrote...

How many hours of gameplay is in Jade Empire? Can the 360 play it, even though it was an original x box game?

Microsoft and backwards compatibility in the same sentence, muhahah.

[Seagloom]

I have a two part question. Who came up with the pantaloons easter egg in the Baldur's Gate series, and what inspired them?

[Blastback]

Stanley Woo wrote...

As I can't answer some of the story- or character-based questions on older games, I've been trying to get one of our long-time writers to visit the thread.

You are awesome Stan.  Never let anyone tell you diffrent.

[Stanley Woo]

Xewaka wrote...
Okay, I have to ask: Whose wife inspired Henpecked Hou's panic?

Funny story. Originally, the name for the character was Henpecked Ho, but it was thought that people might take "Ho" the wrong way, particularly when combined with "Henpecked". I argued up and down for its inclusion, because a) it's a valid Chinese name, we had term tester whose last name was Ho at the time, and c) I didn't think anyone would care. Ultimately, they decided to err on the side of caution, which is fine. It just looks odd to me.

As for his, er, vociferous wife, I don't know that she was based on a specific person, but a particular stereotype.

[slimgrin]

Who decided to let Shepard deck a female reporter, and somehow make it funny each and every time? If we don't get to punch her in ME3, I'll be sad.

Modifié par slimgrin, 15 juin 2011 - 12:43 .

[LiquidGrape]

This particular question is of such monumental weight, I'm not sure I can do it justice.

- Who wrote Jacob Taylor's climactic romance scene in Mass Effect 2?

P.S
Gah. Sorry. Failed to notice the 'older' part of the title.
D.S

P.P.S
Actually, considering people have asked other questions related to ME2...I think mine still holds water!
And I'd just like to make it clear, I have no intention to ridicule. I'd be genuinely interested to know who wrote the character and scene, and if the writer is aware of the absolutely enormous exposure it has garnered due to its status as Mass Effect's number one meme.
D.D.S

Modifié par LiquidGrape, 23 avril 2012 - 08:22 .

[Lukas Kristjanson]

Stanley Woo wrote...

As I can't answer some of the story- or character-based questions on older games, I've been trying to get one of our long-time writers to visit the thread.

I have things to do, you know. Important, writery things.

• I believe the Wookie line was Dave, actually. Credit/blame where due. Did my “Nobody expects the bantha’s in position.” make it to release? I distinctly remember giggling about that while working on Tatooine, but I can’t find it. I may have self-censored, an event rare enough that I usually remember.
• Jolee: Split writing duty with I think Drew? Sorry, long time ago. I did the earlier parts because I wrote Kashyyyk, where you find Jolee. Sort of the same deal with HK-47 and Dave on Tatooine.
• It is fully Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard, he would thank you very much. I got to help direct the recording session for that one. Meeting John Cleese was surreal.
• Biff the Understudy was an ugly but necessary band-aid that came out of programming. I can't remember who named him, but we brought him back for BG2 as an in-joke.
• Noober and Neeber were Rob Bartel's. I believe he is still working off the karmic debt.
• Patrick Weekes added the “Go for the optics” and the drone’s name for Tali, for which he received a deserved +1.
• First I’ve heard of the Sunrider issue, actually. Must have been resolved very early in preproduction. As for differences, I imagine we’d have matched her to established canon, which would have been fine but adds a layer of complication that you have to be very careful about. That’s pretty much why the game was in that era in the first place. When we started, there was very little published material about that period to step on, accidentally or otherwise.
• Plenty of characters or plots don't make it in to any given project. Sometimes they get adapted to sequels or a different setting, but usually they were cut for good reason and the moment has simply passed. You use what you learned to make something new.
• Hou’s wife wasn’t anyone in particular. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
• The pantaloons were a nod to how silly the macguffin in a fetch quest can get, and it just kind of became a thing, a tiny pants-based skynet that could not be stopped. Greg called my increasingly convoluted references to them Oscar Wildian. I was fine with that.
• Chris L'Etoile wrote the reporter, I did later polish for her in ME2. I prefer the verbal lashing you can give her, but she's fully aware of the game she's playing either way.

edit for formatting

Modifié par Lukas Kristjanson, 15 juin 2011 - 01:01 .

[Mr.House]

Lukas, do you know who wrote Ordo in KOTOR? It's always bugged me.
Also thanks for the response though, good info

Modifié par Mr.House, 15 juin 2011 - 01:17 .

[slimgrin]

Thanks for the response you guys. Pretty damn quick response, I must say. 

Modifié par slimgrin, 15 juin 2011 - 01:14 .

[upsettingshorts]

Excellent and comprehensive responses, thanks Lukas!

...now back to replaying old BioWare games to think of more questions...

Modifié par Upsettingshorts, 15 juin 2011 - 01:32 .

[Seagloom]

Lukas Kristjanson wrote...

The pantaloons were a nod to how silly the macguffin in a fetch quest can get, and it just kind of became a thing, a tiny pants-based skynet that could not be stopped. Greg called my increasingly convoluted references to them Oscar Wildian. I was fine with that.

Then I tip my hat to you sir. I had a good laugh the first time I read its identified description. To this day I look out for pantaloons in every BioWare game. The Dragon Age version was not as funny, but I still chuckled the reference. Thanks for the answer!

---

There is a Shadows of Amn mystery that has been bugging me for years. After seeing Jon Irenicus get overrun by demons, the player is shown a group of hooded men sitting at a roundtable. They are debating how to handle the PC now that she has grown so powerful. At the center of their table is the holy symbol of Bhaal. Who the heck were they exactly? They never appeared in the expansion.

Modifié par Seagloom, 15 juin 2011 - 01:40 .

[ipgd]

Lukas Kristjanson wrote...

• It is fully Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard, he would thank you very much. I got to help direct the recording session for that one. Meeting John Cleese was surreal.

I shame myself.

I trust you will be passing my valuable trans-dimensional time traveler suggestion to the appropriate channels so that we may know his glory in all Bioware games to come. Because, really, you peaked with that one, there's no point in ever writing another new character again.

[upsettingshorts]

I just want to know what brilliant person decided that he would have a wedge of cheese with a fork stuck in it engraved on his armor.

[Ryllen Laerth Kriel]

I think Lukas actually responded to my question on the old forums, but wasn't he also the writer who added Lord Foreshadow in Baldur's Gate 1 and Arl Foreshadow in Dragon Age:Origins?

[Lukas Kristjanson]

LiquidGrape wrote...

This particular question is of such monumental weight, I'm not sure I can do it justice.

- Who wrote Jacob Taylor's climactic romance scene in Mass Effect 2?

• Oi. Yes, I wrote Jacob, among others. You keep this up and you'll never get loud and spill some drinks on the Citadel. (but yes, I think the meme is funny too)
• Correction: Talked to Dave this morning. He wrote the bulk of Jolee. Drew wrote Mission and most of Taris and the Leviathan. You'd think I'd remember since I did Zaalbar as part of Kashyyyk. Canderous Ordo was written by Peter Thomas.
• The plotting roundtable in BGII: The implication was that they were either a group of Bhaalspawn or the group that was hunting Bhaalspawn. Intentionally vague at the time.
• Sir Roderick's cheese: I love that detail. I don't know who is specifically responsible for it. Matt Goldman was art director on that title, though.
• Jade sequel: That would be really unlikely, I think. But there was a lot of work done on several iterations of the property and it lives on in systems and style that you are seeing in both ME and DA. I did a mock Jade 2 poster as an in-joke for a select few people, like it was one of Sagacious Zu's action movies from the credits. Tag line:

                        It's a second date with destiny
                                     Time to take it
                                          to the Zu

• Other Pythons: It was a minor coup at the time to get Cleese. Who knows though, we occasionally spring for a name actor for impactful characters.
• Yeah, Foreshadow is my running joke. I leave it to you to decide if his hints are actual looks forward or excercises in how far people will stretch to make things "make sense". Or both. Muahaha.

[upsettingshorts]

Lukas Kristjanson wrote...

(but yes, I think the meme is funny too)

This leads into another question well I think:

What internet memes/parodies of BioWare games are popular internally?  For example, this is my current favorite.  Or this.  John Epler mentioned that Shepanda (the ME2 cover with ShepLoo's face pasted onto everyone) was an office favorite.

Lukas Kristjanson wrote...

Sir Roderick's cheese: I love that detail. I don't know who is specifically responsible for it. Matt Goldman was art director on that title, though.

It's amazing. The fact it goes unmentioned by all the characters - as if it's just a normal thing - puts it over the top for me. It's almost like its breaking the 4th wall to share a laugh with the player.

Lukas Kristjanson wrote...

Other Pythons: It was a minor coup at the time to get Cleese. Who knows though, we occasionally spring for a name actor for impactful characters.

Like Eric Idle won't do anything for a buck these days, heh. Though Michael Palin is the nicest guy on the planet and also happens to be my favorite Python, so that's where my vote goes.

Modifié par Upsettingshorts, 16 juin 2011 - 02:41 .

[Blood-Lord Thanatos]

I've always wanted to know wrote HK-47.

I also would love to know if First Enchanter Irving is based off of Gandalf,Dumbledore, or Elrond?

would also like to know which person had the inspired idea to cast Yvonne Strahvoski and Jennifer Hale for voice acting in ME2?

finally, who the heck is Mordin Solus based on?

Modifié par Blood-Lord Thanatos, 16 juin 2011 - 03:03 .

[Elhanan]

Great thread!

Besides the dreaded pool noodles and trout, what in house game was most played for fun (ie; not work related) by the staff?

[Stanley Woo]

Elhanan wrote...
Besides the dreaded pool noodles and trout, what in house game was most played for fun (ie; not work related) by the staff?

Well, a lot of our people are gamers as well (as we keep telling you), and we have little communities within our office, such as Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40k players, RPG-ers who take over meeting rooms after hours with their groups, and lots of board game enthusiasts.

But I think that, if you're referring to the dreaded trout and the pool noodles, you want to to hear about Nerf War, which had its heyday a couple of years ago. Few were the days when you didn't see (mostly) QA walking down the hall fully armed, preparing to raid an office on the other side of the building. Many temporary testers were "welcomed" to the company with a barrage of foamy darts fired from a vast arsenal of weaponry. Epic raids were captured on video, showing pitched gun battles, ambushes, and even nerf-to-nerf melees.

Such creativity we showed back then. Shields made from the back of a broken, unused chair. Paired 6-shooter Mavericks tied together with string so you could reload on the fly. Pool noodles used as blowguns around corners. Offices fortified with a row of chairs, each with a term tester inside, firing single-shot Nerf pepperboxes like their lives depended on it. The cry of alarm as the Nerf RPG thwocked a tester upside the head. Fully automatic Vulcans spitting darts everywhere. Ceiling mounted Vulcans with laser sights warning the wary traveler not to approach too closely. Modding guns to shoot farther. Getting tagged with the ouchy darts with the Velcro on the outside.

It was glorious, and we considered it the cheapest morale boost and staff bonding activity for the office EVER! Sadly, things started to calm down once work got too busy, and one of our number got laser eye surgery and could no longer participate. Nerf war just wasn't as much fun anymore without the large group playing, so we stopped. I'm sure a lot of our non-Nerfwar co-workers are glad of the quiet. We still have our arsenals, and sometimes we shoot at people randomly within our own offices, but the days of coordinated defenses and welcoming new hires with foamy firepower are long gone.