Tim Schafer (2016)

Hey, John. When you say “mishandling of several past games resources” I assume you’re talking about two things: games going over budget, and then Spacebase.

Regarding games going over budget: Many times in the past I have made the choice to invest more in a game than the original budget specified. That is because in the end, my highest priority is the quality of the game. Most of the games you play (not all of them, but more than you think) went over budget and extended their schedules at some point. Double Fine is just more honest and transparent about it. There are many things that lower the risk of Psychonauts 2 going over budget. It’s a sequel, so the gameplay and IP of the game are already known. We are using the Unreal Engine, so we don’t have to write an engine from scratch. And our team is much more experienced than when we made the first game. But if even after that, if the game has any overages, Double Fine is committed to paying for them ourselves, as we have done in the past.

We have successfully completed and shipped both of the games we crowdfunded (Broken Age and Massive Chalice) and are very proud of them. The majority of our fans and critics enjoyed them as well. We have put three games through early access--Hack ‘n’ Slash, Massive Chalice, and Spacebase. Two of these worked out great, and one of those was a disappointment to many people. We have shipped 17 titles over the last 15 years and overall we have a great track record of shipping great games and being extremely transparent and honest with our community. That is the more lasting reputation of Double Fine, and the reason people can feel confident about Psychonauts 2!

I don't want to make any comments here that might affect the outcome of his audition. Official review will be tomorrow during our livestream. :)

The story for Psychonauts 2 is something I wanted to do back when Psychonauts was released. In the intervening years I've been keeping a document of ideas going, with new mental worlds and story ideas going in as I think of them. So I'm starting this game with the rough story figured out, ideas for brains and mechanics, and an engine (Unreal).

In Psychonauts 2, Raz will finally get to go to Psychonauts headquarters--his lifelong dream. There he can see Sasha and Milla in their natural environment--international espionage. But he finds several things strange about the organization. While Truman Zanotto was missing, several changes to the direction of the organization were made by his second in command. Funding was cut from traditional psychic research and peacekeeping, and redirected to unorthodox, fringe endeavors, including the discredited practice of necromancy. Raz soon uncovers sinister things at work in the shadows of Psychonauts headquarters, including double agents and evils of the past. Raz’s own family history plays a pivotal part in the story, and Raz must confront the roots of the curse placed on his family once and for all. And also deal with this whole “girlfriend” term and what it really means. :)

I don't suppose your names are next to each other in alphabetical order? :)

Here's another solution:

Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker's Father Darth Vader

(oh sorry, spoiler alert)

I think it's a very interesting topic. Who is really responsible for a collaborative work? The auteur associated by name? I think it can be largely that, but also the context in which they made the art. Not just the budget, but also the collaborators. I recommend reading this book. Great stories about how Lucas and Bogdonovitch collaborated with their wifes, etc, in the early days and then stopped. http://www.amazon.com/Riders-Raging-Bulls-Sex-Drugs---Rock/dp/0684857081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452545371&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+riders+raging+bulls

I think the only way to test this theory, however, is to give Double Fine tons and tons of money and let us have that problem! :)

A mix of old and new powers. Raz will be a few hours older than in the first game, because it takes place soon after the events of Psychonauts.

We just want to focus on the design side of the game, and not about competing, engine wise, with much larger developers. The Buddha engine is still alive and looking great in Headlander though!

I wish I could tell that story. Maybe some day. :(

Yes. Unless you didn't like it. Kind of a Hitchhiker's Guide rip-off, but I was in a hurry. :)

He will help with the writing like he did on the first game, but he's also coming on the project earlier in its production so we'll be able to get even more of his ideas into it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/40i8ej/iama_tim_schafer_creator_of_psychonauts_ask_me/cyubsg0

Well, we definitely learned a lot. The encouraging thing was how many people loved the documentary and found it enlightening and inspiring. The negative side was finding out that some people take only some of the facts you are offering, and creating an inaccurate narrative out of it. Not sure what to do about that.

They're in the last place you left them, young man.

j/k they fell out of your pocket at the opium den.

The Manchurian Candidate, MKULTRA, Telefon, and maybe that Mel Gibson movie about conspiracies. Conspiracy Theory?

Not sure, but 2 Player Productions is still lurking around the halls, filming stuff...

Hi! Those are mysterious, unmarked graves whose owners are unknown. Came out of a brainstorming meeting where we talked about the fun of exploring when you're a kid, and asking ourselves what are the coolest things to find. Old truck, gravestones, etc. But you never know--their identities could be revealed some day! (or not) The inmates in the asylum are all different ages, and just happened to be the final inmates who remained after the place was just down. They weren't necessarily there when the asylum was founded. Some of them might have even shown up after it closed. We don't say what happened to them after that last scene where they all agree to share a cab out of there, but the important thing is that they all felt they finally had the power to leave.

Wow, thanks!
Well, I think my management style, for better or worse, is to hire people smarter than me, and then get out of their way. Whenever they are doing something I wouldn't do, before I butt in I ask myself, "Do I really need to control this?" Because even if their way is different, it's probably six-of-one-half-dozen-of the-other and not worth me overruling them. Then I just try to do my best work and work hard to make great stuff myself and basically earn the right to be on the great team I've assembled.
Balancing teams creative freedom with making money: Letting the team make its own creative decisions builds their capacity to do even bigger stuff in the future, so I think giving them freedom makes for a more skilled team which makes for a better product and means more money, hopefully.
Ways to improve: Get my writing done faster so I can leave my door open more. :)

Awesome! Thanks man!
1. The art style was created by Scott C. We really wanted to come up with something that felt fresh and new to games. We were inspired movies like by Nightmare Before Christmas and artists like Joe Sorren and Mark Ryden.
2. The G-men! Okay, they aren't the deepest character, but they were the most fun to write. :)
3. Mario 64, Ico, Hohokum, Fez, Journey, Katamari. That's some!
Thanks yourself! :)

worst part: Creative block
Biggest fans: Finding out Elijah Wood and Jack Black were fans is how we got them in our games!
Lungfish, definitely. Because she exists in the real world!

Diagonally! I had a boss at a summer job once and I had to go out for sandwhiches, and when I brought his back and it was cut diagonally he groaned and said, "Did a girl cut this?" So I guess I cut like a girl.

Agreed!

I think the game takes place inside of YOUR mind. :)

Thanks! Working on the first MI games was a super fun time. Part of it was spent on Skywalker Ranch, which is like paradise. Everybody on that project was hilarious, and we all just had fun together. No idea anybody was going to play it. The influence on our later games is that I learned to go for crazy ideas like the 3 headed monkey, and also, I've used "the three trials" structure many times since.

That's why we're here, doing this ama. Lots of misinformation out there. But our fans and backers do a great job of straightening out the record for us, which is incredibly touching and inspiring. :)

On the second question: If I was really that bad with money, I don't think DF would have lasted 15 years like it has.

Originally, the game had two final levels. One in Raz's mind that was his memories of the circus. One was in Oleander's mind, in his father's butcher shop. Our publisher was pushing us to cut one level, so we combined the last two! :)

I think I've become a symbol to some really angry people who feel wronged by the world. Also, here's an interesting article about how people don't respond well to facts: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/

wippersnapper! I'll flip YOU!