Randy Smith Evergreen
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Dishonored director Harvey Smith thinks there's still room for big-budget immersive sims: 'When it really comes together and it has the budget behind it and the team, you end up with Deus Ex or Dishonored'
Dishonored director Harvey Smith believes there is still a place for big-budget immersive sims, contrasting with Randy Smith Evergreen's view that such games should have smaller budgets. Harvey Smith argues that when executed with sufficient resources and talent, immersive sims can result in acclaimed titles like Deus Ex and Dishonored, though he acknowledges the need to right-size budgets and avoid overly conservative design.
Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen refused to work for Xbox because it would be like 'walking past some stakes with human skulls on them' and pretending 'it's probably fine in this direction'
Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen explains his decision to refuse an opportunity to work for an Xbox-funded studio due to Microsoft's history of studio closures, likening it to ignoring obvious danger. He discusses the challenges of AAA development for immersive sims and his preference for smaller, more focused indie projects.
"Why do we need more graphics?": 2010's Alan Wake was as photoreal as videogames ever needed to be, reckons original Thief designer
Former Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen argues that photorealistic graphics in video games reached their peak with 2010's Alan Wake, suggesting further advancements are unnecessary and costly. He believes the visual fidelity achieved then was sufficient for immersion, and subsequent graphical arms races are a waste of resources, particularly for immersive sims.
Thief designer thinks the graphics arms race should have ended with 2010's Alan Wake: 'The fidelity curve has…
Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen believes the graphics arms race in video games should have concluded with 2010's Alan Wake, arguing that current fidelity levels are excessive and serve little practical purpose. He suggests that games like Alan Wake achieved sufficient photorealism, and further advancements are costly without significantly enhancing the player experience, particularly for immersive sims.
"I think that might be a misread": Thief designer on why making a triple-A immersive sim doesn't really work
Randy Smith Evergreen, a designer on Thief: The Dark Project, suggests that the immersive sim genre may not be suited for triple-A development due to its niche audience. He proposes that a triple-I or double-A approach with smaller budgets and passionate teams could be more viable for creating successful immersive sims, citing the original Thief's modest budget as an example.
Thief designer says that the immersive sim audience is too small for AAA games: 'There's quite a few of us who…
Designer Randy Smith Evergreen, known for his work on Thief and System Shock 2, argues that the immersive sim genre is too small for AAA development. He believes that the increasing budgets and scope required for AAA games are misaligned with the niche audience for immersive sims, leading to commercial disappointments like Arkane's Dishonored 2 and Prey. Evergreen suggests that a more viable path for immersive sims is through smaller, AA or indie budgets, citing the original Thief's modest budget as a successful model.
