We’ve heard all about teraflops and lighting-fast SSDs, but it’s RAM that’s the most important improvement in future generations, according to Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart.
In an interview with Games Industry (via Tech Raptor), Urquhart said that when it comes to creating RPGs, RAM is more important than anything else because it allows developers to add more content like NPCs and trees. While he acknowledges that all technological advancements are useful for games overall, Urquhart believes that RPGs are all about characters, stories, and world building, and that’s where RAM comes in.
Our job is to put people into worlds, and technology does afford us to make a world more believable. I’ve been asked before what’s the most important thing about future generations, and I’m like, ‘RAM,’ the least sexy thing out of all of it. But more RAM means more NPCs, more trees. Your streaming point is out a little farther and all these little things.
Can we do more with technology? Absolutely. But it still always has to go back to characters, story, reactivity, and agency. And that has to be irrespective of technology.
Urquhart added that it’s understandable that those who buy next-gen consoles will want games that utilize the hardware that they’re purchasing. Although Obsidian will endeavor to strike a balance between both generations when making games, the company wants to ensure that there’s no difference in the actual experience.
“It’s not a case of you get half the quests,” he explained. “The idea is that it has to be that same Obsidian experience no matter what platform it is on.”
[Source: Games Industry via Tech Raptor]
