AuthorTopic: Goblins Of The Game Industry  (Read 103162 times)

Offline Sevensheaven

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #40 on: May 15, 2008, 02:08:11 pm
Thank you very much Xelados, much appreciated. And I totally understand your mixed feelings.

Offline wah_wah_69

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #41 on: June 05, 2008, 06:59:23 pm
The main skill I'm missing is music authoring, and I haven't found a single piece of software that makes the learning experience a little smoother.

Have you tried Reason?

Offline Ben2theEdge

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #42 on: June 06, 2008, 01:40:53 pm
Reason looks pretty scary to me... :o but then again I use both OSX and Windows so I have Garage Band, which is probably the easiest music software I've ever seen. :lol:
I think it helps a lot to have a peripheral like a real, physical guitar or keyboard. Systematically laying down notes one at a time is torture to me.
I mild from suffer dislexia.

Offline ddustin

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #43 on: July 02, 2008, 11:10:19 pm
Quote
Project leader: "We need to get x feature done."
Programmer: "I don't want to work on that, I want to work on this system."
Project leader: "We don't need that system yet, we need this feature."
Programmer: "If you push me, its not going to make me work any harder."

(If any team member is "threatening" you so they can do what they want, get rid of them immediately.
 Never give someone power enough to be able to stay and do as they wish
especially with something as important as the programming of the game.)


Project leader:" I need a "wild beast" as soon as possible."
Artist: "I'm working on goblins right now..I'll get to it when I can."
Project leader: "Please work on the wild beast for now. Its needed more."
Artist: "You can't make me drop a project in the middle to work on something else
You asked for my help and I'm giving it to you, but some things need to be done my way."

(Make sure you're being assertive with your team members, if they can't give a valid reason why
  they can't work on something else then they should not argue. Beware of people who have a
"card" they play from their hand often.)
I like parts of your post.  The section quoted above is one I sincerely disagree with.

Gaining assertive control over your teammates is the largest killer of creativity I know.  I'll tell you right now I'm going to program the way I want because I know how I program best.  To think some project leader could know better than me is just part of the idiotic dogma preached by corporate America.

A good "project leader" will provide rational arguments for all the things he wants done.  The team members will see these rational arguments and come to the same conclusion as the leader.  Any other system will hurt people individualities, egos and the quality of the game.

All this being said, I only work with sane and rational people.  Because of this I do not need to teach rationality to my team.  Maybe your advice applies correctly if you are working with irrational people.

Offline FaeryShivers

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #44 on: July 12, 2008, 04:44:17 am

Gaining assertive control over your teammates is the largest killer of creativity I know.  I'll tell you right now I'm going to program the way I want because I know how I program best.  To think some project leader could know better than me is just part of the idiotic dogma preached by corporate America.

Why exactly are you automatically more qualified than the project leader?
You are assuming this. The project leader could have 10-15 years programming experience on you, you have no idea.
Also, just because you can program does not mean that you know whats best for the development of the game
over someone who has limited programming experience but plenty of games under their belt.

"Some" project leader could be Richard Garriott and you know what he more than likely would say to people who decide
right off the bat that they know best how things should be programmed and in what order? ...Goodbye!
That would make you an unreasonable person to work with.

In fact I do believe that for Tabula Rasa he required extensive planning and set out how the code was to be
done through various meetings before anyone was even allowed to start programming. There was no "oh just
everyone do what you think is best..you're the programmer!". They got together with their team, made up a
plan, and made sure it was stuck to. They took input from the programming team of course for the planning,but
ultimately, the final decision was his to make. No one was permitted to just "change" the order of things because
they didn't feel like working on what they were assigned to do.

If you're working on a game and you decide that making hello kitty a nail salon is more important
than adding something so that hello kitty Island adventure can be run for more than 10 minutes without crashing
it doesn't take a genius to figure out you're not right for the project (you may say "ha" I would never do that..but
there are programmers and artists who would do such things and indeed do so). The project leader is designated as such
because the team, or company believes they are competent in making those decisions with or without input.
If you did not agree, you would not be working on the project I assume. You either can trust your team members
or you can't, having your back up all the time because you believe that corporate America is putting people
less intelligent than you in charge to "bring you down" isn't going to be good for anyone.





A good "project leader" will provide rational arguments for all the things he wants done.  The team members will see these rational arguments and come to the same conclusion as the leader.  Any other system will hurt people individualities, egos and the quality of the game.

If the project leader is a good project leader, you would have received a design document before the project was started, and
if you didn't agree to it you wouldn't have worked on the project. I see no reason why the project leader should have
to waste tons of time that could be spent developing because "programmer knows best" when "programmer agreed
to project". Yes compromises must be made, agreements must be reached but I don't believe it is right or fair
for the person put in charge to have to argue for every little thing. It seems a little counter productive.



I have worked on plenty of projects where I had no control over the game, just did what I was asked and
my creativity was in no way stifled. Creativity is not always going to be  a sandbox someone throws you into and says "do what
thou wilt". Sometimes being creative means working within given boundaries, and still wowing the client or teammate.



All this being said, I only work with sane and rational people.  Because of this I do not need to teach rationality to my team.  Maybe your advice applies correctly if you are working with irrational people.

The title of this thread/article is "Goblins of the game industry". I would say that dealing with irrational people (or how to avoid problems from irrational people) is one of the major points of the article? If not the point entirely?
It easy to say you only work with sane and rational people, but people change under stress, people buckle, people break.
Assuming that everyone you work with will always be awesome and co-operative is a nice fantasy...but it is just that..fantasy.

« Last Edit: July 12, 2008, 04:48:05 am by FaeryShivers »

Offline Corinthian Baby

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #45 on: October 15, 2008, 06:07:00 pm
For those who want to make games by themselves, then get rm2k3. I make games but I don't f with all this groups and contracts and junk, I be rockin it at me own pace, yo.

Offline Twirly

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #46 on: March 15, 2009, 06:57:13 pm
Those goblins in the team appear pretty much in every
project which has a team. Like when you worked on a school project,
there always was a team with a lazy bum in it...
But nonethless this is a pretty useful guide you made!

Offline Shrike

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #47 on: March 15, 2009, 07:38:33 pm
The main skill I'm missing is music authoring, and I haven't found a single piece of software that makes the learning experience a little smoother.

Have you tried Reason?

[OT] Reason is FAR from simple.  If you know how to write music try Sibelius, but if you don't and/or you want more techno/synthy stuff definitely go with FL Studio 8.  I have the producer edition but the free is quite workable as well.[/OT]

Offline Ben2theEdge

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #48 on: March 16, 2009, 02:03:08 pm
Why exactly are you automatically more qualified than the project leader?
You are assuming this. The project leader could have 10-15 years programming experience on you, you have no idea.
Also, just because you can program does not mean that you know whats best for the development of the game
over someone who has limited programming experience but plenty of games under their belt.

Just saw this and figured I'd fuel the fire by agreeing  :D
Creativity is not a democracy. We tried to make it a democracy and look what we ended up with: focus testing and obsessive market research that usurps the creative minds everywhere they go.  :'( :'( :'(

Collaboration between two or possibly three people is often successful but once a team gets bigger than that, it requires hierarchy and vision or it fails to achieve anything. That doesn't mean the creative head should be a tyrannical dictator because often other people have good ideas. But someone with a vision needs to be calling the shots and when there is a disagreement, someone has to yield. Why should the visionary sacrifice his vision just to be "fair" to his team?
I mild from suffer dislexia.

Offline Doppleganger

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Re: Goblins Of The Game Industry

Reply #49 on: March 16, 2009, 03:16:46 pm
I'll agree with that. We once tried a design by committee for one of our games and a huge amount of time was wasted. Not only that, but the entire game was compromised because each individual aspect of the design was headed by someone else. The result was nothing short of horrible. Never again will I take part in a several week conversation debating the pros of sticking with a traditional experience system.