Troika Games (April 1998 – April 2005) Jason D. Anderson

fallout creators tim cain, leonard boyarsky , jason anderson

anderson carried out plethora of tasks @ troika. while doing considerable work on 2 of company’s 3 released titles (arcanum: of steamworks , magick obscura , vampire: masquerade – bloodlines), handled managerial tasks related running company. these included creating design documents future games, managing projects, interactions publishers , directing artists.

arcanum first game troika games. initial design of game conceived cain, anderson , boyarsky after leaving interplay. while reflecting on game make next, decided wanted turn @ making rpg set in fantasy setting. post-apocalyptic setting of fallout had been conscious design-choice distance fantasy-titles might , magic series , other games based on dungeons , dragons. however, did not want make ‘typical’ fantasy game set in 14th century, case games in genre. arcanum: of steamworks , magick obscura set in 18th century, imaging happen in world magic co-existed industrial revolution. indeed, desire mix magic , technology given start. drafted ideas how each race in world affected technology, boyarsky stating orcs used slaves of capitalist machinery . cain remembers ideas came swiftly, , happy outline of game. cain, anderson , boyarsky worked on initial design of arcanum 5 months until landed contract sierra entertainment, let them expand team 12 people.

because arcanum made modest sized team (later increased 14 people), anderson took on number of different responsibilities. these included art, movies, design, dialogue, scripting, music , sound effects. added came business-related tasks wrote business plans, managed budgeting, wrote proposals, pitched games publishers, co-negotiated contracts , created , maintained schedules. decision keep team small decision cost team many nights , weekends, remembers boyarsky. recalls company in near constant state of ‘crunch mode’ (working beyond normal 40-hour work week), , staff felt under pressure.

according boyarsky, troika s original goal had been work exclusively 1 publisher, kind of external rpg dev team. way, thought maintain staple flow of contracts. sierra entertainment first choice of publisher, kept team busy while unsure making arcanum sequel. when sierra faced economic problems, partnership troika cut short.

having concluded dealings sierra entertainment, troika got contract atari work on temple of elemental evil in 2001. cain spearheaded project, released in 2003 favorable reviews.

anderson , boyarsky focus on game set in vampire: masquerade universe. boyarsky expressed desire build game in new setting, challenge . project began when boyarsky , anderson invited seattle see latest build of source engine. subsequently, had discussions scott lynch of valve corporation using source game engine create brand new, groundbreaking first-person rpg. troika first external team allowed using source engine. activision (who had founded partnership valve corporation), suggested them make game using vampire: masquerade setting, had license. troika began research world of darkness , vampire system before agreeing great fit.

anderson’s responsibilities on vampire: masquerade – bloodlines included game design, level design , creation, sound effects, , design , implementation of interface , artwork. liked game world compared last 2 games (fallout , arcanum)and happy able make game vampires. however, not familiar vampire: masquerade table-top games, , had research understand setting , translate video-game experience. anderson relied on player experiences colleagues , online forums, understand drew players game. first, learned main point liked vampire s focus on character interaction stats, items, , powers taking backseat. main elements players’ experiences changing intricacies of world , vampiric society. second, anderson had reproduce pen-and-paper experience satisfy fans of setting , give newcomers accurate introduction. generally, character attributes vampire implemented video-game format, while others (such ‘knowledge of law ) had left out. also, dice rolls , randomness removed not have fit in first-person setting. disciplines confusing , challenging implement. thus, deviation board game made streamline disciplines game. furthermore, anderson designed ‘haunted mansion’ level of game, famous being eerily atmospheric , well-paced. boyarsky recalls several people took turns trying make work, wasn’t until jason took on began shine .

the development of bloodlines challenging troika. first, compared relative freedom enjoyed during development of arcanum, vampire s design choices had more checks , balances both white wolf , activision wanted validate decisions. second, deteriorating working relationship activision , constant deadlines had damaged morale of development staff. cain recalls embargo being placed on game. in fact, troika not allowed work on several months before release date, activision kept gold version master until release date. patches , fixes troika worked on, not allowed included in game. included improvements made source engine such advancements in physics, modelling , facial animation bloodlines did not have. embargo hurt morale of team, had finished game not shipped, changed, or talked about. furthermore, activision wanted ship possible, resulting in many features being cut , forcing troika staff work long hours. anderson later stated vast majority of bloodline s development time spent in crunch-mode . while bloodlines received favorable reviews , praise rpg fans, numerous bug , imperfections flagrant. anderson reflected publishers not willing give troika team necessary time polish games, pulling unfinished product hands. furthermore, cain adds never imagined activision ship vampire on same day half-life 2. finds postponing launch day have given team time polish game using stable engine, avoiding direct competition popular half-life 2.

bloodlines released on 16 november 2004 , has become of cult classic among rpgs, still being updated day. nevertheless, initial sales figures weak, failing ensure financial stability company. continued present game ideas publishers, anderson’s favorite being dreadlands, [mmog] set in mythical mid 19th century eastern europe . worked on game set in post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of fallout, engine demonstration released. however, troika faced difficulty finding new publisher deals, haunted track record of great ideas lackluster implementation. consequently, troika shut down business operations in 2005. reminiscent on fate of troika, anderson said troika s games considered b-titles, publishers shun away from. adds, unfortunately, although our games had depth , vision, never able release game had been thoroughly tested , rid of bugs .

leonard boyarsky has since joined obsidian entertainment on april 1, 2016, , working on unannounced rpg tim cain. made fans hope anderson might join company well, reuniting troika team. in interview rpgcodex september 2016, boyarsky said 3 still friends , meet several times per year. remains positive towards bringing team again, although have find new ways of working together, given differing experiences have had on years.