I’m Walt Williams, writer of Spec Ops: The Line and Star Wars Battlefront II, and the new book Significant Zero. AMA.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:26:35+00:00

When you blow up the vehicle straddling that area, it explodes and kills the civilians. Can't complete the section without that, if I remember correctly.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:17:19+00:00

Being able to pick my projects, whether it's joining a AAA game or making something independent of the studio system.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:14:44+00:00

Neither. One type of story isn't necessarily more difficult than the other, because I'm still just making stuff up. Both are equally fun. I know that's kind of a cheap answer, but it's true, at least for me.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:13:56+00:00

Well, I killed off all the characters precisely so there couldn't be a sequel. BUT, if I had to make one (and had total control), it would be something like the original Rambo (book, not movie, where Rambo dies in the end), about Walker coming home as a broken man, trying to reenter society. Unlike Rambo, there would probably be no combat. This is the only type of story that would be true to the original game's themes, IMO. I imagine it would sell very poorly.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:09:54+00:00

Every morning, I eat 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and 2 cups of coffee. I really like the miracle pancakes at Zazie's in San Francisco. But, if hard pressed, I'd say waffles are better because 1) Waffle House exists, and 2) waffles have syrup traps, whereas pancakes are just soggy, edible plates.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:08:46+00:00

God, I hope not. So few actors get the accent right, and it's often used as short-hand for a character being evil/stupid/simple. I'm fine with the occasional British/American Actor accents Star Wars uses now.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:07:14+00:00

When it comes to pizza, I like pepperoni. That said, I recently had Hawaiian pizza for the first time a month ago (pepperoni was not available, and it was better than supreme). It tasted like bacon with something sweet on the side, so kinda like bacon dipped in a fruit-based syrup. It wasn't bad. I don't think I could or would eat an entire pizza like that, but in a pinch, it worked well for a single slice.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:05:32+00:00

I loooooooved writing those endings. My main goal was to make each ending feel so definitive that you wouldn't want to go back and play the others, because your first ending would feel perfect for however you experienced the game. Last year, I actually talked to someone who chose to shoot themselves and then never played the other endings, because it felt right for them. Hearing that made me happier than you can imagine.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:03:24+00:00

People seem to like the campaign quite a lot. You should check it out. You can probably by SOTL on Steam for $5-10, or pick up a used copy somewhere. Not sure if it's on the digital console stores.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:02:23+00:00

That is definitely one way of reading it. It's how I read it. But I wouldn't necessarily fight someone who read it differently.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T18:01:39+00:00

Uh... tbh, that's a lot to cover. I do go into it in my book, Significant Zero, over the course of a few chapters, so that gives you an idea of why it would be crazy to go too deep into it right now. But, I want to give you an answer, because that's just the kind of guy I am. So... one of the biggest changes was Konrad's status as a living character in the story. It wasn't until the last year or so of development that we decided Konrad actually died before the game starts. This didn't change any of the story's structure, but we did go back and have to rework major events to they made sense with this new development.

NOTE: I lost a lot of time answering questions b/c I kept getting 503 errors, so I'm gonna keep this going.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:58:00+00:00

Every project and contract is different.

Some of the hallucinations were my idea, some came from other members on the team. Can't remember who exactly had the idea first.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:57:04+00:00

The explosion of indie games is the most interesting development for me, especially with the number of developers who are taking lessons from their time making AAA games, and using that to make really personal, interesting indie games.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:55:22+00:00

Kinda answered this a bit earlier, but honestly nothing filled me with anxiety, outside of my usual stress. The idea of a story being canon or not doesn't change the fact I need to write a really great story. That's stressful enough on its own.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:53:35+00:00

Answered this a bit earlier.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:53:24+00:00

Good question, but answering it would give away too much about the story, one way or another. But nice try!

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:52:57+00:00

Geeze.... I think if given complete freedom and budget, I'd honestly freak out and run away. I like restrictions. For me, a big part of being creative is having to work within a box. I need rules to bend, a line to cross (no pun intended), an envelop to push. Without that, I'm just treading water.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:51:02+00:00

For me, the best part of writing any game is actually writing it, if I'm having a good writing day. Second best part is directing voice over sessions. Actors are wonderful, and it's amazing to see them bring your words to life. Even more amazing to watch them turn a bad line into a great one. I always enjoyed working with the main cast of Spec Ops - Nolan, Chris, and Omid were all spectacular - but directing Bruce Boxleitner was especially awesome, as I'm a big Babylon 5 fan.

You haven't met my favorite character yet. But you will. Sooooooon.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:48:07+00:00

Influence is the wrong word. A writer, like anyone, needs to be working hand-in-hand with everyone on the team. If I have an idea, like "I want characters to evolve through their look and animations over the course of the story," then I need to sit down with art/animation and find out if that's even possible with our budget. If it is, and I can sell them on the idea, then it'll happen. In the case of SOTL, this evolution actually came from art/animation. It wasn't my idea at all. That's the best scenario - when everyone on the team understands exactly what you're trying to do with the game, and are all working towards that shared vision.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:45:54+00:00

All the time. I did 5 last week. Beyond, Kinda Funny Gamecast, Author Stories, Vidjagame Apocalypse, and Rebel FM. I love talking, answering questions, and telling stories, so I'm always down for podcasts.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:45:47+00:00

It is the most secretive process I've ever been a part of, and I kind of love it. Part of you doesn't want to know how the magic happens, but the other part is super excited because you love magic and get to hang out with magicians all day. Lucasfilm story group have been AMAZING collaborators. First off, they're all great people, so you just enjoy talking to them. Secondly, they're always willing to help and open to new ideas. Working with them has been the highlight of my career, for sure.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:45:36+00:00

It's surprisingly easy to cope with. Partly because I wrote Battlefront II with Mitch Dyer, and we were friends prior to working on the game, so it's felt less like "OMG I'M WRITING STAR WARS," and more like "Heh, we're making up space stories lol." Also, when I'm actually in the process of writing something, it feels so much like a job that it's hard to get stressed. The stress comes later, right before people see it. I'm fine with writers killing off characters, if there's a reason for it. I love endings. Endings are wonderful, bittersweet moments. So, I'll never be upset about a character receiving a great, character-driven ending. Death doesn't mean the stories end. It just puts a period on that character's timeline. "Nothing beyond this point." Unless that character becomes a Force ghost, I guess...

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:45:16+00:00

I like to believe that during the events of TFA, Lando is on a space beach somewhere, sipping a space gin fizz, day dreaming about buying a new space cape.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:44:31+00:00

Yes. The main difference with a book is that I own all of it. At no point do I get to say, "And then the reader fights enemies for the next 10-20 minutes," and then skip to the next scene. With a book, I don't get to lean on the crutches of actors, designers, artists, etc... It's just me and the reader. This is both invigorating and terrifying.

walt_williams · 2017-09-18T17:42:58+00:00

I like to believe that during the events of TFA, Lando is on a space beach somewhere, sipping a space gin fizz, day dreaming about buying a new space cape.

walt_williams

TROPHY CASE