The Outer Worlds - Interview with Senior Narrative Designer Megan Starks

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@CGM An interview with Senior Narrative Designer Megan Starks about The Outer Worlds.

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CG Magazine: You guys are known for having deep narrative experiences in your games. What have you done with Outer Worlds to innovate on that while also keeping things familiar for long-time fans of your games?

Megan Starks: I think we have built up a pretty good legacy of what players expect out of an Obsidian RPG and we are trying to provide on that promise, but at the same, with every game that we make, we're learning new tips and tricks and expanding on it. I started three games ago with the company and each one we develop little twists on the systems and we get better at providing more player choices, more ways that you can go through the game. With Outer Worlds specifically we knew we wanted to provide options, whether you want to go through and area using stealth, direct combat, using dialogue skills, or if you want to do the leadership path where you focus primarily on your companions, you make them more effective in combat and they also bring skills to the table that help you progress through the game.

On the highest level, you have your overarching story, who do you want to side with? This scientist wakes you up after you mysteriously disappeared in space 70 years ago, and he wakes you up and has an agenda where he wants to save the system. Or, you can side with the Board and move up through the ranks and reinforce what they've already established, or you can kind of double-cross both and go your own route. Underneath that, you can go to a different world and see a different company town where there are regional storylines and factions that are competing there and you can choose how you want to affect that area or world. Underneath that, every time you talk to a character in the game or you're doing a quest, we're always trying to provide points in the dialogue or the content...what interests you, how are you roleplaying, what do you find fun, and we're tracking that and trying to have the game react to that based on your decisions.

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