“I wish to make extra video games. I do not know what number of extra I obtained in me.” – Josh Sawyer on Pentiment’s second anniversary, and what’s subsequent

My identify is Josh Sawyer. I am studio design director at Obsidian. I am additionally a recreation director. I have been within the trade for 25 years. I began at Black Isle Studios in 1999. I labored briefly at Halfway San Diego, however for the final 19 years I have been at Obsidian. Notably, I’ve directed Fallout New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity I and II, and Pentiment.

Josh Sawyer: That is a very good query. It varies. At Obsidian, it is an advisory place, so I do not actually inform individuals what to do, though I do inform them what I believe they need to do.

So I’ll take a look at the initiatives and discuss to both particular person designers or the director about particular design options or instructions.

Something from system design to narrative to UI/interface, issues like that, and I give suggestions. I additionally requested them questions like what are you attempting to perform with this? What’s your meant viewers? How do you suppose they are going to react to this? However it’s their selection what to do with my recommendation. So it is largely an advisory place which is why I will additionally direct video games. As a result of it is not a full time job actually.

Josh Sawyer: So within the publish Deadfire section, I used to be not doing quite a lot of direct work. I wasn’t doing any direct work actually, so I used to be focusing extra on taking part in. You recognize there have been DLCs for Deadfire that have been being developed with Brandon Adler because the director of these. The Outer Worlds was in improvement at the moment, so I used to be taking part in these video games and getting quite a lot of suggestions on them. However I actually wasn’t in a psychological place to provide you with new concepts for video games or a lot much less do work on them or direct something. That’s not the case now. So I’m, , like I am serving to on Avowed. I’m in an advisory function nonetheless, however I did somewhat little bit of writing on Avowed. I’ve helped out with some system design and issues like that.

Principally, wherever they wanted assist. I’m doing extra hands-on work there after which simply considering and speaking about concepts for future initiatives.

Josh Sawyer: In my expertise thus far, I imply working with Xbox, we have not actually had that downside so far as I can inform, which is nice. Thanks, Xbox. I believe it simply comes right down to individuals not being clear about expectations. If a writer needs pitches and we ask them “What do you wish to see?” They should not be obscure about that. They need to say “we do wish to see RPGs. We do not wish to see SRPGs. We do wish to see pitches with romance. We do not wish to see pitches with an isometric perspective.” As a result of should you outline that field then you definitely save everybody quite a lot of time.

I actually up to now have been in conditions the place they don’t seem to be clear and we pitch and so they’re like “Yeah, yeah, yeah, that is nice, however now let’s speak about what we like. We now have a license and we would like you to make use of it for one thing.” It is like, why did we put collectively this pitch within the first place?

So fortunately I have not actually skilled a lot of that currently. Hopefully I can’t sooner or later however that is often what it comes right down to. Is simply individuals not being clear about packing containers that you just’re working in and expectations on either side.

Josh Sawyer: No, I imply I did imagine earlier than it launched that if it might discover its viewers, that that viewers would love it. I believed that that viewers was smaller than it turned out to be. I by no means had an expectation that this was going to be like a mainstream recreation that everyone beloved. So no, I did not count on for it to get as a lot discover and I did not count on that individuals would nonetheless be, and I really Seek for I used to be on the lookout for a particular factor on YouTube and I filtered by Pentiment for the final month, and there is quite a lot of let’s performs the place individuals are doing playthroughs for the primary time, and posting it on YouTube, which is actually cool. So seeing individuals come again to play it or play, , like a second or third time, and see completely different outcomes may be very superior. I’m glad that it discovered its viewers and that the viewers turned out to be greater than I anticipated.

Josh Sawyer: I believe so. I do not suppose there’s something that basically pops into thoughts. Like, oh, wait, nobody observed this but. I believe there’s quite a lot of stuff that is very refined that almost all gamers do not see, or solely a really, very small handful of gamers see, and quite a lot of it’s issues that additionally we added later. There are background issues like Sepp Hubner. He is all the time consuming, like, actually in all places he’s. He is all the time consuming so should you go to the outskirts, I am unable to keep in mind the outer farms I believe they’re known as, and there is a time of day you may go there the place he is up on the roof working and you’ll see him engaged on the roof and he’ll cease and he has beer like on the roof that he is consuming.

When the city mob types, he is sort of on the again, however he is nonetheless consuming whereas the mob is within the clearing. So there are little issues like that that I doubt most individuals discover, however we had quite a lot of enjoyable placing them in.

Josh Sawyer: Sure and no. So once more, my function on the mission is simply supplemental. It is sort of like a kind of issues the place it is like, hey, we do not have the bandwidth for this dialogue or we’d like a rewrite or extra character or no matter, and I will dive in. However I might say that any adjustments on OEI instruments for Avowed have been just about pushed by that group.
It is their mission and so they’re doing it day-to-day. I’ll say there was one change I believe that came to visit from from Pentiment which was with the ability to group nodes which visually for navigating was actually useful, and likewise put in notes like you may put in little nearly like publish it notes that are actually helpful to assist different designers perceive what you are attempting to do with issues. These options came to visit, however these are extra basic. I do not communicate to something Avowed-specific as a result of I did not  try this a lot work on it.

Josh Sawyer: I believe it is a recreation that I by no means anticipated to have widespread attraction, however I did really feel that for the individuals that loved it, there’s a excessive probability they want, actually, actually like it. It is type of a mixture. I am type of shocked, however not that shocked. I am shocked by the quantity, however I am not shocked that there are people who obtained tremendous obsessed with it as a result of, , I, I and the group put quite a lot of ardour into it and so I believe that reveals, particularly with a small group, you get one thing that feels very distinctive in its viewpoint.

Plenty of small video games are like this with small groups. They’re sort of like possibly you like it, possibly you hate it. However should you like it, there’s an opportunity that you just actually like it as a result of that group was capable of actually crystallize one thing very private and particular to them that you could’t discover elsewhere and so I believe that that occurred with Pentiment, and I am actually grateful for it.

Josh Sawyer: I do not know if I can communicate to that. I’ll say that from my perspective, I do not know of any plans for that. There could also be discussions occurring exterior of my realm of expertise. I believe a full artbook could be nice. I do not know.

Josh Sawyer: We did them. I imply the group did the ports. I’ll say that I used to be concerned at a excessive stage, however I did not should do quite a lot of or actually any particular work. It was totally on Brett Klooster, who’s our lead programmer, and Alec Frey, who principally managed ensuring the property have been in the proper format. Nintendo and Sony have very particular necessities for these issues as in fact does Xbox. Each platform has particular necessities for the way issues are offered.

Nevertheless it was principally Brett and Alec that put in quite a lot of effort and time. After which in fact, Xbox did testing and nicely, Xbox did testing after which additionally Nintendo had testing and Sony had testing. For essentially the most half, fortunately, as a result of the sport just isn’t that complicated, it principally went over tremendous. There have been just a few efficiency associated issues on the Swap. Principally within the 3D scenes, that are very minimal. Simply to guarantee that it ran nicely, however I do not suppose gamers have ever observed. It is one thing like how we crossfade scenes or one thing like that. It is actually refined. I’ve by no means seen a participant touch upon it, so it is a kind of issues that, , Brett simply noticed it, he mentioned: “How about if we modify this?” I mentioned that sounds tremendous and he did it.

Josh Sawyer: It was Steam Deck verified and we had already put in textual content scaling, excessive distinction, and a bunch of different issues. We tried to safeguard, , it is quite common now for video games to return out the place there are complaints about textual content dimension on completely different platforms, particularly for a recreation that’s nearly all textual content, so we attempt to be very cognizant of that.

Josh Sawyer: I am unable to keep in mind the specifics, but it surely was similar to a mistake. It wasn’t that we meant to cap it on Xbox or one thing. There’s like a unique workflow and it is humorous as a result of individuals made an enormous deal out of it. It is a 2D recreation the place the characters are animated at 15 frames a second. So I am like, I do not actually suppose that is, , making that vital of a deal, but it surely turned this bizarre console struggle factor. Then we patched it after which each platforms have been working at 120. It is tremendous. There is a completely different pipeline for enabling sure issues to make it run at completely different body charges, and it was only a mistake. It was a easy mistake and it obtained fastened actually shortly.

Josh Sawyer: I do suppose an artbook for Pentiment could be nice, as a result of I believe that Hannah and the opposite artists on the group that contributed did an incredible job.
The sport excels at it is artwork and I believe that might be nice. So far as extra video games prefer it, I am not against it, but it surely’s not like I actually wish to do it and I gotta do it.

With the vinyl, it’s totally humorous as a result of quite a lot of recreation soundtracks come out on vinyl. We actually put quite a lot of effort into clearly the music from Alkemie, additionally from Kristin Hayter, however then the look and the texture on the liner notes, and like I personally spent quite a lot of time on that. Our inside group spent quite a lot of time on that.

The portray on the entrance, that oil portray by Benjamin Vierling  was an enormous effort and getting just like the gold as a result of, it is a gold pour and the disc simply appears to be like unimaginable, and it feels so becoming for one thing about illuminated manuscript. I sort of knew from the start.I keep in mind when. The primary two runs occurred. I am like, that is not sufficient. You guys should should make extra, and there are just a few people who have been sort of naysayers and mentioned recreation soundtracks do not promote that nicely on vinyl. I am like this one I believe is gonna promote nicely. And so they’re like, yeah, however your recreation is actually small. And I am like. I do not suppose it issues that the soundtrack is actually good. And this format is so putting, particularly with the gold discs. I believe it is simply gonna. Persons are gonna go sort of loopy for it. And they also have. However each time it is underestimated what the demand is gonna be, Did it really promote out once more? Like a 3rd time? Is it bought out proper now?

Josh Sawyer:I do know that on the third time they have been like, okay Now we’re gonna order like I do not keep in mind a number of hundred. I am like, OK, after which it did not promote out instantly. So whether it is bought out now, I will snort.

Josh Sawyer: So should you’re studying this, you will get a pentiment soundtrack but it surely did take 3 pressings.

Josh Sawyer: You recognize, I am fairly proud of it. I do actually really feel like there are all the time sensible compromises for time. I do suppose that the thought of artwork with out compromise just isn’t actually a real factor. You are all the time compromising. There are limitations to medium. There are limitations to all types of issues and that is not unhealthy. I do not really feel like something was compromised. There have been sure issues the place I mentioned we’ll should not do as a lot of this and do extra of that, however I do not suppose there’s any type of like options or scope issues. If something, the one factor I might say is it would be good to have extra reactivity, proper?

You recognize, like extra vital issues that occur and alter, which is actually only a matter of scope, I believe relatively than and that is one thing that we all the time attempt to do on Obsidian video games.

I really feel like whether or not we’re doing one thing like an enormous excessive profile recreation that has like a whole lot of individuals on it or a 13 individual mission, selection and reactivity are all the time going to be a factor that have been we attempt to discover new methods to essentially have interaction the participant and make them enthusiastic about making selections and seeing the choices and making that scope really feel actually spectacular.

Josh Sawyer: It is not my objective right here. I like making video games. I like spending my time specializing in making video games and serving to different individuals make the video games they wish to make. If individuals are taken with issues like diversifications, novelizations, graphic novels like no matter, cool, that sounds superior. After all, I want to advise on that, however that is not the place I see myself spending my time. I wish to make extra video games. I do not know what number of extra I obtained in me, however I wish to spend my time actually specializing in these.

I’ve been knowledgeable by individuals right here that there have been inquiries about doing stuff with Pentiment, which is nice. In order that’d be cool, however I wish to maintain making video games myself.

Josh Sawyer: The guide is a really difficult guide. It is sort of stunning as a result of I believe it is one of many prime 20 best-selling books, like novels of all time, which is sort of unimaginable. It has been translated into quite a lot of languages, but it surely’s a really dense guide. It is not quick and it is actually thick with historic references and likewise quite a lot of quite a lot of issues that aren’t within the translated language. So issues which are in Latin, issues which are in Hebrew, like all these things. So should you’re not comfy with, like actually taking that because it comes, it may be very daunting. Actually, there is a guide known as The Key to the Title of the Rose that is sort of like a primer for people who find themselves simply not, as , knowledgeable about historical past as a result of it is such a problem.

The movie does simplify quite a lot of issues and it does not go into as a lot depth however I do suppose it offers you the flavour. There’s additionally a miniseries adaptation that does go extra in depth. Personally, I do not suppose it is pretty much as good. It sort of does some bizarre stuff. It is fascinating should you’re a Title of the Rose head, test it out. There may be some cool stuff in it, however I might say should you simply sort of desire a primer and then you definitely wish to play Pentiment, simply watch the movie with Sean Connery and Christian Slater and F. Murray Abraham. It is nice.

Josh Sawyer: In relation to Pentiment, I do suppose The Return of Martin Guerre is a really fascinating guide. It is not tremendous lengthy. It is by Natalie Zemon Davis, who sadly handed away possibly two years in the past. I believe it was proper earlier than Pentiment got here out, however there is a very robust parallel in Return of Martin Guerre with Martin Bauer in Pentiment which I believe may be very fascinating.

I might in fact suggest Title of the Rose, but additionally Conferences with Outstanding Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel, who’s certainly one of our first consultants on the sport. You recognize, a world famend scholar specializing in manuscripts. So I might suggest that as nicely, after which the final one I might say which I discover very fascinating is The Devoted Executioner by Joel F. Harrington, and that’s concerning the imperial executioner in Nuremberg. Though execution is barely a part of Pentiment, there’s quite a lot of fascinating issues in there about social attitudes in direction of justice and punishment that I simply discovered actually fascinating. So these are three books.

Then movies, it seems like dishonest to say, Title of the Rose, so I will not say Title of the Rose, however I will say Andrei Rublev which is far tougher to get by means of than Title of the Rose. Title of the Rose is comparatively fast transferring. It is obtained motion and it is obtained intercourse. It is obtained all types of stuff. Then I suppose Andrea Rublev has somewhat little bit of intercourse too, but it surely’s very gradual paced. It is like three plus hours lengthy. It is black and white.

The construction of Andre Rublev was really an enormous inspiration for the construction of our story though Title of the Rose is the inspiration for the theme and stuff like that.

Then let’s have a look at what different motion pictures that I believe could be good. There’s really a documentary collection. Search for Ruth Goodman and I believe their BBC specials. There’s one on life on a Tudor Monastery and there is one other one which’s like life in a medieval fort or one thing like that. These are each actually nice.

It is a little little bit of a cheat, however I’ll simply throw it in there. So Natalie Zimon Davis, when she wrote The Return of Martin Guerre, she wrote that after she was a historic marketing consultant for a movie, Le Retour de Martin Guerre, like a French movie with Gérard Depardieu. The movie can also be very entertaining so I might suggest watching that.

After which what different, like good historical past jam? One other gradual paced one could be The Mill and the Cross directed by a Polish director whose identify I am unable to keep in mind, but it surely has Rutger Hauer. It has Michael York. It has Charlotte Rampling, and it’s totally gradual paced, but it surely’s concerning the creation of The Procession to Calvary by Bruegel the Elder. It was used as visible inspiration for the windmill that Lenhardt Müller has that appears over the valley. And that is very fascinating as a result of it is concerning the creation of the portray, but additionally about Sixteenth century Dutch society and the way the Spanish Catholics interacted with the Protestants there, and it’s totally fascinating, but it surely’s additionally very, very gradual paced.

Josh Sawyer: I believe there was one thing with Lorenz Rothvogel about his expression, which is a particular sort of asshole smirk, and I do not know if it got here earlier than or after, but it surely was sort of Jason Alexander as George from Seinfeld, and it was like a really particular sort of very irritating and condescending smirk. And that is sort of what knowledgeable  Lorenz Rothvogel’s look.

Let’s examine what’s one other one. We did understand, unintentionally, that Brother Mathieu is sort of like an alternate universe of Kim, from Disco Elysium as a result of they’re each sort of like small homosexual glasses sporting males. And so he turned sort of this alternate universe, Kim, which everybody actually favored.

Oh, after which really one other one which I can say is Caspar’s type of general age and dimension and peak relationship was impressed by Younger Masbath in Sleepy Hole. So within the movie with Johnny Depp, like possibly 1/3 of the way in which by means of the movie, there is a boy whose father has been killed by the horseman and so he turns into not like an apprentice, however like somewhat helper. I gave that as a reference of how tall Caspar must be and about this age as a result of they’re shut in age shut in peak. And so I wished that type of bodily relationship between them.

Josh Sawyer: I do not know. I really feel like now Avowed is the place the Pillars universe has sort of gone. And it will be fascinating to see the place the viewers picks up on that, and possibly that is the place the Pillars universe sort of goes sooner or later. So I believe there’s quite a lot of completely different prospects of what to do sooner or later. I do suppose that I’m extra taken with doing authentic IP essentially, than present IP. However we’ll see the place the longer term takes me.

Josh Sawyer: No, I didn’t end Pikmin 4. I simply began taking part in it and I want to select it up once more.

Josh Sawyer: My favourite cheese continues to be crimson dragon. That is the highest. I might suggest, it is exhausting to get exterior of the US, however Hook’s creamery has a extremely good 10 12 months, 12 12 months, 15 12 months, and 20 12 months cheddar. In the event you like actually aged cheddars, you may’t get a lot better than that.

One other cheddar that I’ll suggest is Outdated Quebec. Outdated Quebec cheddar is sort of good, and that is simpler to get.