Since Andrew isn't doing it himself, BG2EE's new content is spectacular, at times both touching and hilarious, and altogether worth your money and time. Andrew (and Phil) have done an amazing job putting things together and it has been a joy to bring their vision to life.
What would happen if this thread collides with the Ask Us Anything thread?
The Ask Us Anything thread is the Titanic. This thread is an iceberg. There would be tears, death, flooding, and at the end some supremely selfish witch would chuck a million dollar gem into the ocean instead of, I don't know, selling it to feed starving children. "But it's romantic!" my fictional wife says (my real wife knows better than to try and sell that crap to me). You know what's not romantic? Starving. Ah! It makes me SO MAD.
It's really an apples to hand grenades comparison, though. On Ask Us Anything, there's distinct limits on what those who answer are allowed to say. Those same limits apply here, but nobody comes here actually expecting answers, at least not answers that are official, accurate, or even coherent. At least, I hope they don't. Lotta disappointed people out there if they do...
Do you have a favourite kind of CHARNAME for playing through BG:EE/BG2:EE?
Not really. I've tried every kind of character I can think of, but no matter what happens, I can never quite manage to save Gorion. And I'm determined not to go further until the sweet old dude who took care of me is safe.
Probably. My pitch to have it be an all-text adventure (the Artists know what they did) got shot down.
OK, this is one of those times where I feel the need to break character momentarily to mention I have no actual knowledge of what, if anything, is happening with a hypothetical BG3. If anyone's actually working on it as anything other than a frankly terrifying thought experiment, 1) I don't know who they are, and 2) I wish them luck.
Then I started working in videogames, which in the context of what I'm doing at Beamdog is an office job--as interesting as office jobs get, I reckon, but even so--so that's been screwed up.
I haven't given up though; I'm still trying to convince Trent to move a bed into the office. My productivity would skyrocket!
There's a (slightly) more serious answer to this question, but it'd likely be a very long one and videogames don't write themselves. Which is just as well, I suppose. If they did, I'd be out of a job.
Since Andrew isn't doing it himself, BG2EE's new content is spectacular, at times both touching and hilarious, and altogether worth your money and time. Andrew (and Phil) have done an amazing job putting things together and it has been a joy to bring their vision to life.
Aw, shucks. Now I'm blushing... (seriously though, thanks, Kaeloree, I really appreciate it.)
I would be remiss (remiss is a funny word, isn't it? It's like, what, I missed twice? But I digress...) if I didn't mention my predecessor Dave Gross' contributions to the storylines of the four NPCs. He had a big hand in plotting the stories before moving on to write a series of well-received Pathfinder Tales fantasy novels, PRINCE OF WOLVES, KING OF CHAOS, and QUEEN OF THORNS. If you're a fan of fantasy--and if you're here, I reckon the odds aren't bad that you are--check 'em out. http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Gross/e/B001JRUMXI
On the bus to work today, I reflected deeply on how tired I was after not sleeping enough last night.
Between bouts of self-pity, I also reflected on two quotes on the nature of comedy. The first I read in an interview with FROM HELL artist Eddie Campbell, though I think he got it from somewhere else. It was as follows:
"Comedy is a question asked in one context that's answered in another."
This may be the most concise and accurate description of what lies at the heart of comedy I've ever come across.
The other quote was from Mel Brooks--it's at the beginning of a Far Side collection I've got somewhere, and runs along these lines:
"Tragedy is when I stub my toe. Comedy is when you fall in a sewer and die."
Editor Lee Nordling distilled this notion down to its essence for me one time, when he phrased the idea thusly:
"Tragedy happens to me. Comedy happens to you."
None of this has anything to do with anything, but it's my thread and these are the sorts of things I think about when I'm not moaning about how much sleep I don't get (LOTS, is the answer). And sometimes I have to share what's going through my brain, if only to prove to myself something is crawling through the sludge...
...It's REALLY Monday morning, folks. Like, Monday morning squared. I need a nap.
I haven't given up though; I'm still trying to convince Trent to move a bed into the office. My productivity would skyrocket!
If Philip has/had one, I don't see why you shouldn't.
If you're going to work from bed, I would recommend getting a memory foam mattress rather than a pack-away cot. I've slept on those sort of beds before; they're okay for a few hours of sleep, but not for working all day. I suppose that would be a plus, though, since it would ensure you don't fall asleep while you are supposed to be working. Not that I would know about working from bed, of course.
1. Are you good at writing? If yes, could you please point out all spelling/stylistic errors I made while writing below questions (I barely can speak English so there should be few)?
2. Are you getting paid for replying to questions like these?
3. How did you get that job? Did you send your CV to Beamdog?
4. Do you have your own office or are you in the open space like all the rest?
5. Do you have your own business phone? If yes, could you post it here so BG fans, like myself, would be able to give you a call?
What is the most comfortable bed type in existence? Which kind of bed do you sleep in? And more importantly: why are there no waterbeds in BG:EE or BG2?
1. Are you good at writing? If yes, could you please point out all spelling/stylistic errors I made while writing below questions (I barely can speak English so there should be few)?
2. Are you getting paid for replying to questions like these?
3. How did you get that job? Did you send your CV to Beamdog?
4. Do you have your own office or are you in the open space like all the rest?
5. Do you have your own business phone? If yes, could you post it here so BG fans, like myself, would be able to give you a call?
6. Are you getting paid in American Dollars?
1. I hope so...? There are enough people who support my writing that aren't my Mum or wife to make me think I'm at least OK. Not good enough, though. Never good enough.
As far as correcting spelling errors, you seem to have done pretty good on this post. The only thing that's really giving away any awkwardness with english is the placement of "barely" before "can" in your parenthetical, and even that's pretty minor. I know plenty of people who speak english who're regularly guilty of far worse crimes against the language.
2. Depends on when I answer them. I try to keep it to coffee breaks and evenings, but occasionally it carries over into regular work time. It's not something I've been assigned to do, that's for sure. I do this because I enjoy it, and if I stop enjoying it, I'll stop doing it.
3. The previous writer on BGEE, Dave Gross, aware of my previous work in comics and film and a friend, recommended me for the position. Trent and Phil took a chance on me, primarily on Dave's recommendation. I'm into my eighth month and haven't been fired yet, so I assume I'm doing OK.
4. I have an office in my house, but I don't use it that often, almost never for videogame stuff. In the Beamdog space, I, like nearly everyone else, am in an open space. There are two major spaces at the moment: the Artist Side and Everyone Else. The only person who has their own office at the Beamdog offices is Trent, and even that's only as long as Cam isn't in town.
5. No, I don't. To be honest, I don't even own a cellphone. When a phone rings I have a compulsion to answer it, and there are times I don't want to talk to people. If I had a cellphone, the same compulsion that makes me answer would prevent me from turning the thing off, so I'd never be able to have a time when I'm secure in the knowledge that I'm, for a few moments at least, beyond everyone's reach. That would almost certainly cause a heart attack inside six months, so I generally get by communicating with most people via social media and e-mail.
1. Isn't that elitist? And, if so, which ones are elite?
2. If you digress, what did you do twice?
1. Less elitist than architectural. Everyone in the office is elite to me, because they all do stuff that is way above my pointy little wordmonkey head.
2. You caught me. I didn't digress. I just gressed, but it didn't sound as impressive and I so wanted to look like Mr. Bigshot Writer Guy for everyone that I, well, you saw it. So embarrassed. SO embarrassed.
If I knew you were that famous, I wouldn’t have asked you such stupid questions…
If I knew I was famous, I wouldn't have answered them (I'd have had my assistant do it.) Fortunately, I am 100% absolutely certain I'm not famous, so we're good.
May I get back to you on this later? The ramifications of these questions and the implications of my answers require thought and, to the maximum extent that is reasonably possible, recollection in tranquillity.
Comments
It's really an apples to hand grenades comparison, though. On Ask Us Anything, there's distinct limits on what those who answer are allowed to say. Those same limits apply here, but nobody comes here actually expecting answers, at least not answers that are official, accurate, or even coherent. At least, I hope they don't. Lotta disappointed people out there if they do...
OK, this is one of those times where I feel the need to break character momentarily to mention I have no actual knowledge of what, if anything, is happening with a hypothetical BG3. If anyone's actually working on it as anything other than a frankly terrifying thought experiment, 1) I don't know who they are, and 2) I wish them luck.
Then I started working in videogames, which in the context of what I'm doing at Beamdog is an office job--as interesting as office jobs get, I reckon, but even so--so that's been screwed up.
I haven't given up though; I'm still trying to convince Trent to move a bed into the office. My productivity would skyrocket!
There's a (slightly) more serious answer to this question, but it'd likely be a very long one and videogames don't write themselves. Which is just as well, I suppose. If they did, I'd be out of a job.
I would be remiss (remiss is a funny word, isn't it? It's like, what, I missed twice? But I digress...) if I didn't mention my predecessor Dave Gross' contributions to the storylines of the four NPCs. He had a big hand in plotting the stories before moving on to write a series of well-received Pathfinder Tales fantasy novels, PRINCE OF WOLVES, KING OF CHAOS, and QUEEN OF THORNS. If you're a fan of fantasy--and if you're here, I reckon the odds aren't bad that you are--check 'em out. http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Gross/e/B001JRUMXI
Between bouts of self-pity, I also reflected on two quotes on the nature of comedy. The first I read in an interview with FROM HELL artist Eddie Campbell, though I think he got it from somewhere else. It was as follows:
"Comedy is a question asked in one context that's answered in another."
This may be the most concise and accurate description of what lies at the heart of comedy I've ever come across.
The other quote was from Mel Brooks--it's at the beginning of a Far Side collection I've got somewhere, and runs along these lines:
"Tragedy is when I stub my toe. Comedy is when you fall in a sewer and die."
Editor Lee Nordling distilled this notion down to its essence for me one time, when he phrased the idea thusly:
"Tragedy happens to me. Comedy happens to you."
None of this has anything to do with anything, but it's my thread and these are the sorts of things I think about when I'm not moaning about how much sleep I don't get (LOTS, is the answer). And sometimes I have to share what's going through my brain, if only to prove to myself something is crawling through the sludge...
...It's REALLY Monday morning, folks. Like, Monday morning squared. I need a nap.
If you're going to work from bed, I would recommend getting a memory foam mattress rather than a pack-away cot. I've slept on those sort of beds before; they're okay for a few hours of sleep, but not for working all day. I suppose that would be a plus, though, since it would ensure you don't fall asleep while you are supposed to be working. Not that I would know about working from bed, of course.
Questions that won’t let me sleep:
1. Are you good at writing? If yes, could you please point out all spelling/stylistic errors I made while writing below questions (I barely can speak English so there should be few)?
2. Are you getting paid for replying to questions like these?
3. How did you get that job? Did you send your CV to Beamdog?
4. Do you have your own office or are you in the open space like all the rest?
5. Do you have your own business phone? If yes, could you post it here so BG fans, like myself, would be able to give you a call?
6. Are you getting paid in American Dollars?
If so. You owe me a fiver.
As far as correcting spelling errors, you seem to have done pretty good on this post. The only thing that's really giving away any awkwardness with english is the placement of "barely" before "can" in your parenthetical, and even that's pretty minor. I know plenty of people who speak english who're regularly guilty of far worse crimes against the language.
2. Depends on when I answer them. I try to keep it to coffee breaks and evenings, but occasionally it carries over into regular work time. It's not something I've been assigned to do, that's for sure. I do this because I enjoy it, and if I stop enjoying it, I'll stop doing it.
3. The previous writer on BGEE, Dave Gross, aware of my previous work in comics and film and a friend, recommended me for the position. Trent and Phil took a chance on me, primarily on Dave's recommendation. I'm into my eighth month and haven't been fired yet, so I assume I'm doing OK.
4. I have an office in my house, but I don't use it that often, almost never for videogame stuff. In the Beamdog space, I, like nearly everyone else, am in an open space. There are two major spaces at the moment: the Artist Side and Everyone Else. The only person who has their own office at the Beamdog offices is Trent, and even that's only as long as Cam isn't in town.
5. No, I don't. To be honest, I don't even own a cellphone. When a phone rings I have a compulsion to answer it, and there are times I don't want to talk to people. If I had a cellphone, the same compulsion that makes me answer would prevent me from turning the thing off, so I'd never be able to have a time when I'm secure in the knowledge that I'm, for a few moments at least, beyond everyone's reach. That would almost certainly cause a heart attack inside six months, so I generally get by communicating with most people via social media and e-mail.
6. Canadian. Which is fine, I live in Canada.
NO FIVER FOR YOU!
.98 I have no quarrel with, but apparently Phil and it have history.
And would you also say that the humble potato peeler is the most horrid implement of torture ever invented?
You cannot imagine the HORROR such a weapon wielded in the correct hands can do...
*Anduin, walks away and strokes family bereft Anthony on the cheek... with a spatula, having lost his potato peeler...*
If I knew you were that famous, I wouldn’t have asked you such stupid questions…
2. If you digress, what did you do twice?
2. You caught me. I didn't digress. I just gressed, but it didn't sound as impressive and I so wanted to look like Mr. Bigshot Writer Guy for everyone that I, well, you saw it. So embarrassed. SO embarrassed.
If not, don't you think you should really start?