Toby Gard once again moves role at the Tomb Raider studio
Toby Gard, the creator of the Tomb Raider series, has once again shifted his role at Crystal Dynamics.
When North Californian developer Crystal Dynamics developed Tomb Raider Legend, Gard was sworn in as a consultant. As the studio moved on to develop Tomb Raider Anniversary – a retrospective on Gard’s previous work – the British-born developer shifted his role to Lead Designer.
With Crystal Dynamics’ third main Tomb Raider title, suffixed Underworld, Gard moved to serve as Cinematic Director.
Now, an unearthed Toby Gard profile on networking site LinkiedIn shows that the industry veteran has is now "leading a design group for an anannounced project".
The revelation closely follows the news that Crystal Dynamics is once again working on a “AAA Project” following a series of layoffs.
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Source: D’Toid
I'd be absolutely delighted if Crystal Dynamics were working on another Tomb Raider title!
And Lara does not need to be more 'female friendly'; that's just another term for watered-down. Lara needs to be Lara, she's a real hero of mine truth be told!
L
The problem with Lara from the second game of the series onward was she was a despicable character: rude, abrasive, ****sure, and wooden.
People like fallible characters. They connect with people that have human failings and human abilities. Lara for the past dozen games has been the best gun slinger, the best athlete; the only person who knows what is going on and can fit all the pieces together. In other words she was an insufferable and tedious personality to be around. Super-human in all actions and ideas, and therefore not an interesting in the least.
The problems with the past games have never been about more or less weapons, more or less puzzles, more or less skimpy costumes, or more or less fidelity in the rendering of here character in human or cartoon form. The problem has always been Lara was made unlikable. She was portrayed as an upper crust vixen, a down-n-out thief, or just a mercenary thug. She doesn’t have friends she has adversaries. She doesn’t have relationships she has conquests. She doesn’t have a positive or noble motive in her body that lasts for more then a moment. Even while being good you see her being crafty and false.
So with the above exposed us then come to the gameplay which is punitive. In TR games the player learns by dying, usually after missing some hidden trap it was the player’s misfortune to fall into. Early leaves that are fair just lead to the inevitable later levels where every false move in punitive and every misstep a return to the beginning of some Sisyphean task.
If Toby is smart he will learn for all other successful adventure stories, movies and games that his main character needs to be fallible...that does not mean weak or afraid...it means she must be human. Have her strength come form saving those she loves. Have her nobility come from forgetting the horded treasure and saving a priceless life beyond her own. And make the gameplay fun, not punitive. Make the story uplifting, not dark and sour.
Thanks for that Lincoln - saved me a lot of typing!
I wholeheartedly agree with the above and would only add one more point.
I would argue that as innovative as it was in 1995, the standard TR gameplay mechanic is simply stale.
Straight route A to B stylee 3D gaming was the best that could be managed 'back in the day'. Then along came Deua Ex, GTA and all of their plagiarists.
Awful camera decisions aside the fundamentals of TR have not changed at all in the better part of 15 years.
So Toby how about I pitch you these two diaminds?
Progress the gameplay or stop flogging a dead debutante!
