I have provided GPT4 summaries for the videos. Please note that these are using auto-generated transcripts and therefore may contain errors.
In this video Tim discusses the lost multiplayer content from Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. He mentions that the game was in development from November 2001 to November 2004 and was primarily Jason Anderson's and Leonard Boyarsky's project.
Tim recalls that some content was cut, such as the Bradbury Building, which was originally called the Halliburk Hotel, as well as additional library content and content in the Warrens. However, the most significant cut was the multiplayer component, which was inspired by Counter-Strike. The multiplayer mode featured two teams - vampires and vampire hunters - with the objective of either releasing or destroying an ancient vampire in torpor. Although Tim believed the mode was well-balanced and had interesting maps, Activision decided the team had too much on their plate and assigned the multiplayer component to another company. That version was eventually canceled, and the game shipped without any multiplayer content. Tim wonders if the game would have had more longevity if the original multiplayer mode, which he dubbed "Counter Bite," had been included.
In this video Tim discusses his original ideas for the purpose of the Vaults in the Fallout game series. He explains that the Vaults were intended to be technological experimental beds with the ultimate goal of creating a multi-generational starship to take humanity's best and brightest away from Earth in the event of a nuclear war. This idea was inspired by a conversation with Chris Taylor about the limited capacity of Vaults and the inability to save everyone from a nuclear catastrophe. Tim notes that each Vault was designed as a test or experiment to help develop the necessary technology and systems needed for the starship. However, he clarifies that he is not aware of how the Vaults have been developed in the games since his time working on them.
In this video Tim discusses Troika's proposal for Might & Magic 10. He recalls working on the proposal back in 2003-2004 after completing Temple of Elemental Evil. Troika was approached to submit a proposal for Might & Magic 10, and Tim went through the previous Might & Magic games to identify common features and themes to include in the proposal.
Some of the common themes found in the previous games were class-based character systems, skill training, castles, traveling circuses, quests for audiences, stat-raising fountains, aging, and hidden doors and traps. Tim then put together a story summary for Might & Magic 10, titled "The Source of Magic." The main story quest involved the party investigating why magic was working differently in different areas and ultimately discovering the source of all magic.
Tim also talks about his colorblindness and how it affected his work on the proposal, as he color-coded parts of the map to indicate how magic worked in those areas. Troika sent the proposal to Atari, but they never received a response, as many developers were competing for the project. Tim eventually went on to work on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines instead.
In summary, Tim shares Troika's experience in creating a proposal for Might & Magic 10, highlighting the process of identifying common themes and features from previous games in the series, creating a story based on those themes, and the challenges he faced due to his colorblindness. Despite their efforts, Troika did not secure the project, and Tim moved on to work on other games.
In this video Tim shares the origin story of "dumb dialogue" in the Fallout game series. He begins by talking about how he started playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as a teenager, and the two major lessons he learned as a Dungeon Master: players will never do what you expect, and they appreciate special rules applied to their characters.
Tim recalls a friend named Joel who created a low-intelligence fighter character in their D&D campaign. Due to the character's low intelligence, he could only speak in single-syllable words. This limitation led to hilarious situations where the character struggled to communicate vital information, such as the presence of a dragon, to his fellow players.
When Tim began working on Fallout, he shared this story with his team, and they decided to incorporate the idea of "dumb dialogue" as a low-intelligence restriction. This led to entertaining dialogues and even a few quests that could be completed faster or easier if the player character had low intelligence.
In conclusion, Tim emphasizes that various life experiences can inform and improve game design, and he plans to share more of his insights in future videos.
In this video, Tim, a game designer and co-founder of Troika Games, discusses the sequel to Arcanum, called Journey to the Center of Arcanum. The game was planned to be a 3D exploration game, taking place mostly underground, inspired by Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. The story would follow the player as they search for a missing character named Franklin Payne and encounter ancient civilizations, cavemen, and dinosaurs along the way.
Troika Games wanted to use Valve's Source engine for this sequel, which would have been their first 3D game. The gameplay would involve new system mechanics better suited for a 3D environment. Unfortunately, the game never happened due to Sierra, their publisher at the time, going through financial difficulties. This led Troika Games to work on other projects, like Temple of Elemental Evil and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
Although Tim doesn't regret that Journey to the Center of Arcanum wasn't made, he does feel sorry that they talked so much about it and raised people's hopes before nothing happened. He also mentions plans to discuss their Lord of the Rings project and possibly share a video of the demo in a future video.
In this video, game designer Tim Cain discusses his thoughts on the Fallout series. He has worked on Fallout 1 and the beginning of Fallout 2 but hasn't played some of the games in the series like Fallout 76, Fallout Tactics, and Brothers of Steel due to various reasons. However, he praises Fallout 3, 4, and New Vegas for their gameplay and design.
Tim appreciates Bethesda for revitalizing the Fallout series and bringing it into 3D, even though the games' style might not be exactly how he would have made them. He acknowledges that every game developer has their unique style and thinks that players should enjoy the variety instead of expecting every game to be the same. He also mentions the modding community, which has contributed many creative ideas to the series.
Tim expresses interest in working on a Fallout game again but would prefer to create a new IP if given the opportunity. He has a lot of ideas related to Fallout, and he believes that the different development stories for each game make the series unique. Lastly, he touches upon the challenges of playing older games on modern systems and the potential loss of gaming history.
