BioWare - How Do I Become A Writer #2

Maylander said:

Not sure I'm following you. I replay BG2 several times every year, and I certainly do know that it has dialogue branches and what not. That's exactly what I said.

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Sorry, I quoted incorrectly. I was referring back to a previous post and using yours as accompanying, favorable ammunition. My apologies.

I sometimes wonder if people look at the name bioware and automatically make them the bad guys in writing...I had no problems with any bioware games to date for dialogue. I think maybe it's the trendy thing to do to be anti bioware/bethesda.

oh it's not just trendy to be anti-beth concerning their dialogue. They make no apologies about being a sandbox game with an open world to explore and in that regard they do it well. Character dialogue is another matter, one they haven't grasped yet.

But I don't see too many anti-bioware comments concerning their dialogue. Oh sure you'll get some of that with Mass Effect and maybe Jade Empire, I guess. Still don't understand why, but hey to each their own. Those games weren't the same quality as say Planescape Torment. But how many games can even come close to that one or even BG for that matter.

I enjoyed the heck out of every Bioware game ever made mostly due to the how much each world is filled up with lore and dialogue. Gameplay doesn't hurt it in my view either. Even the controversial ones like ME and JE had more of a living breathing world with a rich backstory than many games out there on the market.

rune_74 said:

I sometimes wonder if people look at the name bioware and automatically make them the bad guys in writing...I had no problems with any bioware games to date for dialogue. I think maybe it's the trendy thing to do to be anti bioware/bethesda.

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I cannot speak for other but I don't have this general feeling at all. For me MoTB is very well written (despite some flaws like some failure to make companions really attaching), and Kotor beginning also well writing. For ME beginning well I don't remember any shiny dialogs but only the horrible encyclopedia. About story and SF for me Star Wars is weak SF but the second movie released and perhaps the one that make the cartoon.

Dasale said:

I cannot speak for other but I don't have this general feeling at all. For me MoTB is very well written (despite some flaws like some failure to make companions really attaching),

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MotB wasn't Bioware though.

kalniel said:

MotB wasn't Bioware though.

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There's the logo attached to NWN2 games so well.

Dasale said:

There's the logo attached to NWN2 games so well.

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Obsidian licensed parts of the Aurora engine from Bioware to use in NWN2, hence their logo appears. But they didn't license any writing as far as I know.

Yes, Mask of the Betrayer was developed by Obsidian. I think Ziets, Saunders and Avellone did a lot of the writing, but I'm not entirely sure.

Now the question is:

I used to love to write when I was younger, and I always dreamed of getting published. As I got older and began to love games, I really enjoyed the idea of writing a storyline for a video game. I can't tell you how many games have had a deep emotional effect on me to the point of tears at times.

I'm a programmer now, but there's always a chance I could go back to my old hobby. I've come to terms with the fact that if I ever became a professional writer I would need an editor with a great deal of patience. My English teacher can vouch for that! As a programmer, I can do my job from home, so I wonder if that is available to some writer's in the industry as well.

I only ask if there is a glimmer of hope since I know that I will not be moving out of my rural area....well, ever.

Yes, of course. Many aspects of game development can be done by working at home.

cahelton1 said:

As a programmer, I can do my job from home, so I wonder if that is available to some writer's in the industry as well.

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Yes, and for writers especially I think that situation works out well as a lot of writer gigs are freelance, short-term engagements.

When we were at RPGDot, Rhianna Pratchett did some E3 reports for us, which I edited. She wrote for (among other things) Beyond Divinity and Overlords, which she did from home as far as I know.

Don't know how often it happens and I guess you'd need some sort of profile to get in the door but it does happen.

Cabel Blacke said:

Yes, and for writers especially I think that situation works out well as a lot of writer gigs are freelance, short-term engagements.

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Right. I think for companies that outsource their writing, that's the ONLY way it gets done. For companies that hire full-time writing staff, they're likely to want you to relocate (though I imagine the particulars are different for each company). It might seem like something you can do from far away, but writing and design tend to have to be very integrated into the process in order for them to be effective.