The “Eric Lindström” posts - Revision history

Wile E. Coyote at 17:22, 3 September 2009

2009-09-03T17:22:50Z

Ostercy: /* Natla, Amanda and Atlantis */

2009-02-09T10:48:29Z

‎Natla, Amanda and Atlantis

Ostercy: /* Natla, Amanda and Atlantis */

2009-02-09T10:13:39Z

‎Natla, Amanda and Atlantis

Ostercy at 09:58, 9 February 2009

2009-02-09T09:58:23Z

Ostercy: /* Influences on the TR stories */

2009-02-07T18:10:43Z

‎Influences on the TR stories

Ostercy: /* Toby Gard, and Lara’s character */

2009-02-07T18:09:13Z

‎Toby Gard, and Lara’s character

Ostercy: /* Crystal Dynamics and Eidos */

2009-02-07T18:01:03Z

‎Crystal Dynamics and Eidos

Ostercy: /* Crystal Dynamics and Eidos */

2009-02-07T18:00:36Z

‎Crystal Dynamics and Eidos

Ostercy: /* The downloadable content (DLC) for Underworld */

2009-02-07T17:56:42Z

‎The downloadable content (DLC) for Underworld

Ostercy: /* Natla, Amanda and Atlantis */

2009-02-07T17:55:38Z

‎Natla, Amanda and Atlantis

@@ Line 127: / Line 127: @@
 * As to the AoD storyline, from what I heard, even [[Core Design]] only had a few notes as to where they were going to go with it, and we of course saw none of that. Obviously I can not say what storylines will pursued in the future, but in all honesty, when i was in charge of the Tomb Raider storyline, I wasn't interested in the AoD thread, personally. I didn't care for it when I played AoD, didn't really get it, and to pursue it I would have had to make up a bunch of stuff about what it all meant and what the Cheribum's were and all that. And it was all too mystical for me. . I don't believe there is true magic in TR, just stuff that Atlantean tech can do that we don't yet understand...and I didn't get enough of what the real truth behind the myths of AoD was to interest me.
-* No, the [[Doppelganger]] wasn't meant to echo AoD jeans-wearing [[Lara]] in any way.
+* No, the [[Doppelgänger]] wasn't meant to echo AoD jeans-wearing [[Lara]] in any way.
 * Needing to open doors to increase [[Lara]]'s strength was not a successful experiment, I don't think. Nor was choosing the wrong thing for [[Lara]] to say in a dialog tree and getting shot dead as a result. And I spent far too long climbing in an empty Paris disco just to get up to a doorway... Risks were taken -- no harm in that -- sometimes they hit and sometimes they don't.

@@ Line 138: / Line 138: @@
 *As for [[Natla]]'s personality, I don't think it has changed...it's hard to judge with the few things she has ever said, but she, like anyone, has moods.
-*Wheels of Kathar, Seventh Age[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_ages_of_the_world], what are they and are they the same thing? Unless [[Natla]] were to clarify what she meant by anything, who knows what she was really ever talking about?
+*[[The Wheels of Kathar|Wheels of Kathar]], Seventh Age[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_ages_of_the_world], what are they and are they the same thing? Unless [[Natla]] were to clarify what she meant by anything, who knows what she was really ever talking about?
 *But now that the family story is over, can I say how [[Natla]] killed [[Richard Croft|Richard]]? Well, I never said the family story was over...who knows what future teams will make the stories about? And I never said [[Natla]] killed Richard. [[Natla]] said it (''in [[Underworld]]''). Maybe it's true, but you really shouldn't take so many things on face value, especially coming from a snake like [[Natla]].

@@ Line 138: / Line 138: @@
 *As for [[Natla]]'s personality, I don't think it has changed...it's hard to judge with the few things she has ever said, but she, like anyone, has moods.
-*Wheels of Kathar, Seventh Age, what are they and are they the same thing? Unless [[Natla]] were to clarify what she meant by anything, who knows what she was really ever talking about?
+*Wheels of Kathar, Seventh Age[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_ages_of_the_world], what are they and are they the same thing? Unless [[Natla]] were to clarify what she meant by anything, who knows what she was really ever talking about?
-*But now that the family story is over, can I say how [[Natla]] killed Richard? Well, I never said the family story was over...who knows what future teams will make the stories about? And I never said [[Natla]] killed Richard. [[Natla]] said it. Maybe it's true, but you really shouldn't take so many things on face value, especially coming from a snake like [[Natla]].
+*But now that the family story is over, can I say how [[Natla]] killed [[Richard Croft|Richard]]? Well, I never said the family story was over...who knows what future teams will make the stories about? And I never said [[Natla]] killed Richard. [[Natla]] said it (''in [[Underworld]]''). Maybe it's true, but you really shouldn't take so many things on face value, especially coming from a snake like [[Natla]].
 *Suffice it to say that it's foundational to Tomb Raider, in my view, that power comes from artifacts. [[Natla]] isn't immortal or have wings or can fling fireballs for any reason other than that she possesses artifacts of one kind or another that permit it. We don't understand these artifacts, or why carving a certain kind of stone a certain way and inscribing a symbol on it makes it work as it does, and we likely never will, but there is more to it than mixing a few common insects and reptile parts in a caldron to make things happen beyond the realm of current science.
@@ Line 146: / Line 146: @@
 *I don't believe there is true magic in TR, just stuff that Atlantean tech can do that we don't yet understand...
-*This idea (in [[Underworld]]) that there was a "middle layer", people who possessed Atlantean objects, and knew something about how to use them, inspiring the myths of Thor and Odin, was the foundation. It is fundamental to the way we thought of Tomb Raider that ancient truths spawned myth, and that [[Lara]] discovers bits of the underlying truth that myth was based upon, inspired by, or affected by. These people were world travelers, and left many things behind that got paved over by later cultures.
+*This idea (''in [[Underworld]])'' that there was a "middle layer", people who possessed Atlantean objects, and knew something about how to use them, inspiring the myths of [[Thor]] and Odin, was the foundation. It is fundamental to the way we thought of Tomb Raider that ancient truths spawned myth, and that [[Lara]] discovers bits of the underlying truth that myth was based upon, inspired by, or affected by. These people were world travelers, and left many things behind that got paved over by later cultures.
 *Why did runes turn from green to red (on the [[Stone Daises|Diases]])? Many things about the way Atlantean artifacts behave will never be understood. But no, it was not a mistake or continuity error.
@@ Line 152: / Line 152: @@
 *[[Lara]] was told where to find [[Vilcabamba]] by [[Natla]]. And other locations are told to her by the [[Scion]] (no figuring out required) and by [[Lara]] following [[Natla]]'s boat or breaking into her office -- which happened in cut scenes.
-*… we have never really said where [[Lost Island]] is.
+*… we have never really said where [[Lost Island]] (''in [[Anniversary]]''') is.
 * … we didn't see how [[Amanda]] found [[Natla]], but there are lots of things we didn't see. In stories there are always things you don't see depicted, but must infer or hear abuot second hand.
@@ Line 158: / Line 158: @@
 *… maybe if [[Natla]] had got her hands on an [[Excalibur|Excaliber]] things might have turned out differently. Perhaps the reason [[Amanda]] was looking for it in [[Legend]] was because [[Natla]] was goading her into it. Who knows?
-*How can [[Amanda]] catch a god? [[Lara]] herself got the better of [[Natla]] more than once...
+*How can [[Amanda]] catch a [[Talk:Gods|god]]? [[Lara]] herself got the better of [[Natla]] more than once...
-*We didn't have the space (in [[Underworld]]) to make playable [[Natla]] and [[Amanda]] and whatnot...we would have if we could have.
+*We didn't have the space (''in [[Underworld]]'') to make playable [[Natla]] and [[Amanda]] and whatnot...we would have if we could have.
 *Is [[Natla]] dead? That's a future story question.
@@ Line 168: / Line 168: @@
 *Oh yeah, we had plenty of fun with talk like [[Natla]] is [[Lara]]'s mother. It's a useful catharsis. By making jokes like that, it reduces the likelihood of actually doing anything silly like that.
-*"The Ancients" was a phrase I started using during [[Legend]] for two reasons: one, because there is some 70s-era stigma attached to [[Atlantis]], and two, because what we call [[Atlantis]] and Atlanteans isn't the whole story concerning what preceeded the history we know. Are Atlateans all Ancients? Yes. Are all Ancients Atlanteans? No. In a venn diagram, there would be a bigger circle called Ancients and a smaller circle entirely within it called Atlanteans. Which did what in any particular instance, and who are these Ancients that weren't Atlanteans?
+*"The Ancients" was a phrase I started using during [[Legend]] for two reasons: one, because there is some 70s-era stigma attached to [[Atlantis]], and two, because what we call [[Atlantis]] and [[Atlantean]]s isn't the whole story concerning what preceeded the history we know. Are Atlateans all Ancients? Yes. Are all Ancients Atlanteans? No. In a venn diagram[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_Diagram], there would be a bigger circle called Ancients and a smaller circle entirely within it called Atlanteans. Which did what in any particular instance, and who are these Ancients that weren't Atlanteans?
 * I thought I answered about [[Amanda]]'s tattoos but maybe that was a magazine interview I finished recently...well, the short answer is that they were just henna, attempts to harness abilities with her knoweldge of how the ancients did it. They weren't permanent..
 *… the name of [[Amanda]]'s first ship is the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaera Megaera]".

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:58, 9 February 2009
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	*Will [[Eidos]] ever sell The Tomb Raider license? Only the future knows.		*Will [[Eidos]] ever sell The Tomb Raider license? Only the future knows.
		+
		+	==On Tomb Raider gameplay==
		+
		+	*The segment of the gaming audience that is interested in and patient with the kind of difficult and fatal gameplay you miss is too small for current AAA games to support. There is no model for making a game that cost as much as [[Underworld]] cost that could recoup that investment without appealing to a broader audience. This flies directly in conflict with much of what made [[Tomb Raider]] great at the start, and trying to find the right balance was a big part of my job. I know that the answer we presented disappoints the hardcore fans, and it was unavoidable. We can strive to make games as exciting as the past, but you likely won't ever see games as demanding as they were in the old days.

	==The downloadable content (DLC) for [[Underworld]]==		==The downloadable content (DLC) for [[Underworld]]==

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 *Toby and I read lots of books and did lots of research for the myth part of the story.
-*We did read a lot of stuff about ancient civilations, though I didn't watch much TV. But when we sat down to work out the story for [[Legend]], Toby told me about this as being what TR1 was about in the first place, only told in an obscure way...he tends to like to make his stories and cut scenes subtle.
+*We did read a lot of stuff about ancient civilations, though I didn't watch much TV. But when we sat down to work out the story for [[Legend]], Toby told me about this as being what [[Tomb Raider|TR1]] was about in the first place, only told in an obscure way...he tends to like to make his stories and cut scenes subtle.
 *I couldn't even say what books we used because I went to libraries and literally dragged dozens of books off the shelves, read or skimmed them, and put them back. I wouldn't even deny that the inspiration for one or two things came from information we found on [http://www.wikipedia.com Wikipedia].
@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 *… [[Underworld]] would not look like it does today had I never read any forums.
-*Fan posts did influence things, in how people were commenting on different aspects of the experience, but I never got any specific ideas from … (tomb raider forums) …  or I would tell you. For the most part, when people are excited about the game coming up and start throwing out ideas, the game is already in the oven baking … but also realize that there are lots of creative people at Crystal, and it's often more about how to execute ideas rather that creative ideas themselves.
+*Fan posts did influence things, in how people were commenting on different aspects of the experience, but I never got any specific ideas from … (''Tomb Raider forums'') …  or I would tell you. For the most part, when people are excited about the game coming up and start throwing out ideas, the game is already in the oven baking … but also realize that there are lots of creative people at Crystal, and it's often more about how to execute ideas rather that creative ideas themselves.
-*Fan fiction has had no impact on the Tomb Raider stories at Crystal because, in all honesty, I have never read a single piece of fan fiction. I love that people are inspired to write them, but I have never read any.
+*[[Fan fiction]] has had no impact on the Tomb Raider stories at Crystal because, in all honesty, I have never read a single piece of fan fiction. I love that people are inspired to write them, but I have never read any.
 *Well, I didn't have any direct influences I knew about.  Or everything I see and hear was an influence, take you pick. The only advice I have about writing is to make stuff out of your own head, and don't look to influences. That will happen automatically. And the main difference between writers and non-writers is that writers write. If you talk about writing but don't write (not to be confused with selling your writing) then you want to be a writer but aren't one yet. So get writing and good luck!
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 *I can't really be specific about what canon we have, but there is plenty of material about who [[Lara]] is, what she does and does not do, what she wears, etc. A lot of it was put together by me and Toby. [[Eidos]] gave us a free hand to do what we thought best, and I'm sure they would have intervened whenever we went astray, but I think we did a good job of being true to her so they didn't have to. And I really don't want to speculate about where narrative in games is going, because it's actually going in multiple directions and it's hard to say which will dominate.
-−
 ==[[Crystal Dynamics]] and [[Eidos]]==

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ==[[Toby Gard]], and [[Lara]]’s character ==
-*... I wanted to say one more thing first. And it's about all this [[Toby Gard]] nonsense. Talk about a scapegoat! Over the years, nothing tempted me to post more than to set the record straight about Toby. I don't remember reading a single accusation about Toby that I didn't know to be falsely attributed to him alone. Some of what I hear was someone else's work, and much of what I have heard is as much my fault as his. So really, stop hating him, or start hating me, I don't see any other logical choice.  Toby is very smart, well versed in many disciplines, has great instincts, and always a valuable asset to the Tomb Raider effort.
+*... I wanted to say one more thing first. And it's about all this [[Toby Gard]] nonsense. Talk about a scapegoat! Over the years, nothing tempted me to post more than to set the record straight about Toby. I don't remember reading a single accusation about Toby that I didn't know to be falsely attributed to him alone. Some of what I hear was someone else's work, and much of what I have heard is as much my fault as his. So really, stop hating him, or start hating me, I don't see any other logical choice.  Toby is very smart, well versed in many disciplines, has great instincts, and always a valuable asset to the [[Tomb Raider]] effort.
 *Toby was a vitally important part of this process. I didn't have any obligation to consult him in any way...I did so because he was a great resource and collaborator, and I'll do it again next chance I get.
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 *The question I hear a lot is what the story was before Toby came and changed it, so here's the answer: Toby didn't change the ([[Legend]]) story.  … the story was pretty much up to me as Story Designer, Toby as story consultant, and needed approval by Riley Cooper, the Lead Designer.
-*As far as I know, the only contact between Crystal and [[Core Design|Core]] is that we hired Toby, which, for the record, I believe was a very good thing and I can talk later about how much of what …(the TR fanship) … maligns him for is completely false.
+*As far as I know, the only contact between [[Crystal Dynamics|Crystal]] and [[Core Design|Core]] is that we hired Toby, which, for the record, I believe was a very good thing and I can talk later about how much of what …(''the TR fanship'') … maligns him for is completely false.
-*I believe the idea for the artifact holding the answer to the fate of [[Lara]]'s mother ([[Legend]]) was Toby's idea, but I didn't have to take it.
+*I believe the idea for the artifact holding the answer to the fate of [[Amelia Croft|Lara's mother]] ([[Legend]]) was Toby's idea, but I didn't have to take it.
-*And about that bio change. Toby and I did it for the sake of the [[Legend]] story. In the grand scheme of things the changes were minor. And those who say it changed her personality, I disagree. Just because she had an archeologist father and inherited his fortune doesn't change that [[Lara]] is a very headstrong, independent operator. If you never read her bio, you wouldn't think [[Lara]] was a rule-follower, authority-respector, etc...
+*And about that bio change. Toby and I did it for the sake of the [[Legend]] story. In the grand scheme of things the changes were minor. And those who say it changed her personality, I disagree. Just because she had an [[Richard Croft|archeologist father]] and inherited his fortune doesn't change that [[Lara]] is a very headstrong, independent operator. If you never read her bio, you wouldn't think [[Lara]] was a rule-follower, authority-respector, etc...
 *Toby was a consultant for all three of the Tomb Raider games Crystal has done, but I don't think he has made any unilateral decisions, and of course not everyone agreed about everything. I don't know if he was okay with all of [[Lara]]'s clothing or not, and neither does anyone else outside the company. So whether you approve of her attire or not, Toby isn't to blame for what you don't like.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 *… changing the braide to a ponytail was a style decision in [[Legend]] that I wasn't a part of and also didn't understand, but I didn't feel the same attachment many of you did. It was also believed that the braid would not behave properly with the new level of realism and outr physics and collision, I recall.
-*Asking why Toby and I wanted to exclude certain aspects of [[Lara]]'s character implies that we did, and I don't think we did, really. Just because [[Lara]] said to [[Natla]] "I only play for sport" doesn't mean it's true.
+*Asking why Toby and I wanted to exclude certain aspects of [[Lara]]'s character implies that we did, and I don't think we did, really. Just because [[Lara]] said to [[Natla]] "I only play for sport"[http://wikiraider.com/index.php/Tomb_Raider] doesn't mean it's true.
 *… the [[Legend]] story did change throughout pre-production, including when Toby came on board, and me, too, since I was the Story Designer.
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 *I sat down with Toby to decide first and foremost whether we would pick up the ([[Legend]]) story directly or not. A lot of spending days in cafes in San Francisco followed before framing out the story for [[Underworld]].
-*What I think Toby was not happy with -- but don't take this too literally because he and I haven't talked much about this and I don't want to speak for him -- is how she was put in pinups, set naked on fur rugs lounging in front of the camera. One could argue that this contributed a lot to her success and it could be true, but Toby not liking that doesn't make him a bad person or prove that he misunderstands the character of [[Lara]] Croft fictionally.
+*What I think Toby was not happy with -- but don't take this too literally because he and I haven't talked much about this and I don't want to speak for him -- is how she was put in pinups, set naked on fur rugs lounging in front of the camera. One could argue that this contributed a lot to her success and it could be true, but Toby not liking that doesn't make him a bad person or prove that he misunderstands the character of [[Lara|Lara Croft]] fictionally.
 * I can't really say more about Toby's vision of [[Lara]] except to say that with all the hundreds of ideas we tossed around, on the spectrum of "That's too hardcore for [[Lara]] to do..." Toby was on the far end of the spectrum. He does think of her as a well-behaved psychopath, and well, so do I.
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 *It was an explict understanding that Toby and I had that [[Lara]] does have this dual nature, where her good breeding and education keep her pretty level most of the time, but when something pries the lid off, she goes mental. It's human nature, at least for some. As for being an anti-hero, it is a matter of definition and they vary. I think of an anti-hero in the terms you described, but also as someone who acts out of self-interest rather than altruistic ones. And we can all agree that [[Lara]] looks out for herself first, and the rest of us benefit from it ocassionally.
-*I would pitch Tomb Raider just the same as I always talk about it. A strong, determined english woman who is fearless, stubborn, and ocassionally ruthless who searches the globe to find ancient artifacts and the truth and real powers that underlie mythology as we know it, in remote, exotic, exciting, and undiscovered ruins. Something like that.
+*I would pitch [[Tomb Raider]] just the same as I always talk about it. A strong, determined English woman who is fearless, stubborn, and ocassionally ruthless who searches the globe to find ancient artifacts and the truth and real powers that underlie mythology as we know it, in remote, exotic, exciting, and undiscovered ruins. Something like that.
-*I spoke to Toby on the phone and am happy to say that he is still at Crystal.
+*I spoke to [[Toby Gard|Toby]] on the phone and am happy to say that he is still at [[Crystal Dynamics|Crystal]].
 ==Influences on the TR stories==

@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 * I haven't said much on my own, just answering legit questions with above board answers, so I should stop here and say that there is a lot of [[Eidos]]-bashing going on, and it's too broad of a brush to wield. While no one is perfect, Publisher, Studio, and Me, it is hard to say what caused what in the past. If things had been done differently, different outcomes might have happened, and might not. But let me state for the record that no one I ever spoke to at [[Eidos]] ever said anything disrespectful about [[Lara]] Croft or Tomb Raider. While opinions about execution always differs, everyone I have ever worked with cares a great deal about the franchise and not just because of the revenue it generates. Just like me, loads of [[Eidos]] people want the best and do their best. I really have nothing bad to say about anyone personally because I have never left a room thinking that the people I was with had anything but the best hopes and intentions. Remember, I don't tell lies...if I don't have anything nice to say, I say nothing. But really, much of this vitrol directed at [[Eidos]] is misdirected. I'm not happy I was let go on Friday, because I really enjoyed the years I spent at Crystal and I like being able to pay my bills, but I understand the reasons, and I hold no grudges. Life is too messy to oversimplify anything.
-*… what I would give that [[Eidos]] was paying me to spend my Sunday answering your questions!  I'm sure they would prefer that I was not saying what I am saying today, but they can take solace in the fact that I am being fair and balanced.*
+*… what I would give that [[Eidos]] was paying me to spend my Sunday answering your questions!  I'm sure they would prefer that I was not saying what I am saying today, but they can take solace in the fact that I am being fair and balanced.
 *… thank you very much for all the kind words about the WGA (''Ed.- Writers Guild Awards [http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2009/01/writers-guild-videogame-award-nominees-announced.html]'') nomination, even from those who didn't like the story or the dialog.  And yes, the irony is undeniable, but we all knew ([[Eidos]] and Crystal and me) about the nomination last week, before the layoff. Like I said, my departure was about having too many talented captains in the studio, and when the music stopped, I didn't have a chair, if I can mix metaphors. Staffing isn't just about talent, it's about need, and as I have said, the real world is too messy to label simply.

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 *… what I would give that [[Eidos]] was paying me to spend my Sunday answering your questions!  I'm sure they would prefer that I was not saying what I am saying today, but they can take solace in the fact that I am being fair and balanced.*
-*… thank you very much for all the kind words about the WGA (‘‘Ed.-Writers Guild’’) nomination, even from those who didn't like the story or the dialog.  And yes, the irony is undeniable, but we all knew ([[Eidos]] and Crystal and me) about the nomination last week, before the layoff. Like I said, my departure was about having too many talented captains in the studio, and when the music stopped, I didn't have a chair, if I can mix metaphors. Staffing isn't just about talent, it's about need, and as I have said, the real world is too messy to label simply.
+*… thank you very much for all the kind words about the WGA (''Ed.- Writers Guild Awards [http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2009/01/writers-guild-videogame-award-nominees-announced.html]'') nomination, even from those who didn't like the story or the dialog.  And yes, the irony is undeniable, but we all knew ([[Eidos]] and Crystal and me) about the nomination last week, before the layoff. Like I said, my departure was about having too many talented captains in the studio, and when the music stopped, I didn't have a chair, if I can mix metaphors. Staffing isn't just about talent, it's about need, and as I have said, the real world is too messy to label simply.
 *They let me go because they had too many captains for the number of ships...it's like musical chairs and when the music stopped all the seats were taken. and as for the future of CD and [[Eidos]], not only do I not know, nobody knows.

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 *I can't say much about the DLC except to say that it did not hinder [[Underworld]] in any way.
-* I didn't make the DLC deal. I cut content from the game, and it later turned out to be possible to use in DLC, for which I was happy.
+*I didn't make the DLC deal. I cut content from the game, and it later turned out to be possible to use in DLC, for which I was happy.
 * I was a consultant for the DLC team, but not the driver. My name (last I saw) is not on the DLC credits but only the [[Underworld]] credits.
@@ Line 115: / Line 115: @@
 *…  it is absolutely true that part of the DLC came from elements cut from [[Underworld]], and it is absolutely false that this was done because the DLC was looking thin. I am the one who proposed and decided the cuts, and it was unrelated to DLC.
-* . I did not realize that anyone was claiming that none of the DLC was cuts from [[Underworld]], and if they are, then yeah, we have a truth issue here.
+*I did not realize that anyone was claiming that none of the DLC was cuts from [[Underworld]], and if they are, then yeah, we have a truth issue here.
 ==[[Angel of Darkness]] (AoD)==