Messages

31

General Discussion / Re: New Gamers Movie

« on: August 22, 2012, 01:59:08 am »

They really are fantastic films. You can view them all for free on YouTube; it's built into their business model so it's not like you're screwing them if you do so. I went to the Gamer's Live event they had at GenCon, and was present for when they shot part of the film. It's gonna be great, if only it gets funded! Spread the word!

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General Discussion / New Gamers Movie

« on: August 02, 2012, 06:24:43 pm »

Is anyone here a fan of the Gamers movies or of JourneyQuest? The guys who made those are running a Kickstarter for a new Gamers movie: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zombieorpheus/the-gamers-hands-of-fate They make really funny stuff, and post it for free online.

They're presently releasing the second season of JourneyQuest (funded via Kickstarter) on their YouTube channel, and it's really good. I love the bit with the orcs in episode 4, for those who are watching. Anyone else keeping up?

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General Discussion / Re: I posted this in Reddit but I thought why not see what my favorite people think?

« on: July 24, 2012, 02:21:47 am »

Though, for making the game, that could be fun, but to be realistic, we'd really need to hammer out engine, coders, and spriters first. Those are the things that there never seems to be enough of.

JRPGs are relatively simple technically, but very content heavy. You'd want a team that was biased (numerically) toward artists, then designers, then coders. This is not to say that their importance is in that (or any) order, but where the most hours of work will likely be.

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General Discussion / Re: I posted this in Reddit but I thought why not see what my favorite people think?

« on: July 15, 2012, 11:54:13 pm »

Well, I was referring to the basic grunt programming. Not systems or whatever. More like scenery like rocks and trees. I remember an interview where a group of programmers were tell us about what they were working on was scenery. Their job was making sure the game was pretty. Spending a week designing a rock. I remember a designer said she spent a whole week programming a rock. I'm not talking about a writer. I'm not talking about a system. I'm not talking about ideas. I'm talking about all the grunt work. Which they are currently passing off to other developers. Like Tri-Ace. They did it in XIII-2 and they already said they are doing it again.

I don't think you remember that interview correctly. Your commentary incorrectly assigns tasks to team members. It's clear that you aren't familiar with the process of game development. That's fine; most people aren't. This paragraph is basically equivalent to saying that nine men could have a baby in a month.

Again, I realize your frustrations, but adding more people does not in principle make for a faster or better production. While tushantin doesn't get the details quite right, he is correct in identifying that management matters a lot in these situations, and the bigger the team, the more complex that becomes. Add to that the fact that not all tasks can be done in parallel, and it becomes clear that adding more people cannot even in principle always yield faster results. This is known as blocking. For example, if I need a piece of art to finish a level I'm working on, but tushantin hasn't produced it yet, then I am blocked on that task by tushantin. Having more level designers or artists isn't going to fix that.

I wish there were an easy answer to this problem. Believe me, the difficulties of game development are far worse for those on the inside. But adding people only works up to a point, and only when management is equipped to handle the team size and distribution.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: July 14, 2012, 04:57:03 am »

Going between nations you're still likely going to need to show your passport. I've never crossed a European border by car though, so I can't say with certainty. Trains and ferries do require you to show the passport, and potentially go through customs.

Travel between states/provinces/territories in the US or Canada is probably a better analogy. Those borders are unmanned and unrestricted. I've driven across state lines in the US on a number of occasions and have never been stopped.

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General Discussion / Re: I posted this in Reddit but I thought why not see what my favorite people think?

« on: July 14, 2012, 04:50:23 am »

Mr Bekkler, I was responding specifically to the initial post.

Satoh, you aren't expanding on my post. That's your own logic, and it has nothing to do with the experiences that lead to my comment. Having one person doing a game by themselves isn't ideal either; specialization is a good thing. I've never seen a situation where a bulk of writers was the problem, and either I'm misreading you or you have vastly overestimated the influence writers have in the game industry.

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General Discussion / Re: I posted this in Reddit but I thought why not see what my favorite people think?

« on: July 12, 2012, 02:53:51 am »

Your comments on game production show how little you understand the process. Adding more people won't necessarily get you a better game faster. It won't necessarily get you either of those things. I understand your frustrations with long development times and with companies seemingly wasting their teams on projects that don't interest you. What you have suggested is not a practical solution.

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General Discussion / Re: The worst fucking thing

« on: July 12, 2012, 02:49:18 am »

That's the point. Why should they be able to profit from someone else's work?

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General Discussion / Re: Video Game Discussion Thread

« on: July 12, 2012, 02:48:10 am »

Is there a trailer that shows gameplay? The trend to having all cutscene/branding trailers is immensely frustrating; they don't show me anything useful.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: July 12, 2012, 02:43:54 am »

You can't drive from Austria to Wales; they are on different land masses. There might be a tunnel for that, but as far as I know, the only tunnel is for rail only.

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General Discussion / Chrono Trigger Design Feature

« on: June 26, 2012, 02:28:56 pm »

Today's Feature on Gamasutra is a look at the design of Chrono Trigger. More specifically, how the design allows exploration while still keeping the player on the narrative path. I found it pretty interesting.

http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/172993/chrono_triggers_design_secrets.php?page=1

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General Discussion / Re: The interesting and informative links and resources thread.

« on: June 23, 2012, 06:53:23 pm »

Interesting. I wasn't aware that "midget" was considered offensive, but the truth is I haven't spent enough time with Little People to have asked. But that being the case, I'll use it no further. Good on Ebert for amending his ways when present with the hurtfulness they cause, and with helping to spread the word, and good on Woodburn for bringing the issue up, and allowing the exchange to be made public.

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General Discussion / Re: Park Your Amusements Here

« on: May 29, 2012, 04:56:17 pm »

A friend of mine shared this comic with me:
http://2.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/88/15/48671031f36479d39188e3513547ad4e.jpg

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: May 26, 2012, 03:58:07 am »

So, in essence the nuances of "nuance" escape you?

Beat me to it. Well played, sir.

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General Discussion / Re: Avengers

« on: May 06, 2012, 05:24:14 pm »

I'll be seeing it tonight with some friends. When I asked some friends of mine who had already seen it what my level of anticipation should be, they told me I should go in costume. So I have high hopes.