development-process
Latest
DayZ Producer: 'You are playing development builds'
DayZ is a title in early access. That means that buying the game now will give you access to the full game when it goes live as well as the development versions along the way. Producer Brian Hicks recently took to the game's official forums to respond to player feedback by stating this rather bluntly: "You are not playing DayZ. You are playing development builds." Hicks went on to explain that the game's current development pace is entirely normal for a large project, with the main difference being that most of these early builds are not seen by the public at large. Players who are displeased by the earlier builds are encouraged to step back and check in again when release is closer, as the later beta versions or the release client will be far closer to the finished experience. Whether or not you've been enjoying the game, it's a useful look at the development process and what it can mean to be playing on early access.
What's wrong with Blizzard's development process? Nothing, nothing is wrong.
In yesterday's Queue Jeff asked the following question: What is it about the software development process that causes Blizzard to slingshot from solving a problem to so overdoing it that it becomes a problem in and of itself. Examples: Dungeons in Wrath were too easy - Cata dungeons are now stupid hard Questing is too scattered in Vanilla - All questing will be done in a streamlined fashion Not enough dailies in Cata - Locked reputation grinds via dailies to open up further content in Mists The next example coming - Some people loved the farm, let's build an entire expansion around a farm but make it bigger and we'll call it Garrisons and we will add so many features that there is no way the players can't love this. I'm calling it now, Garrisons will turn into one of the biggest mistakes of WoD. I see this a lot -- people questioning the processes that Blizzard uses to arrive at the end product of a WoW expansion. I take no issue with this questioning, I think it's the vital step that helps the community better understand the microcosm of the universe we play in. Blizzard has a growing obligation to the massive community to keep them informed of how their universe is changing, and a deeper understanding of how it gets made is central to that. However... I don't feel that it's a problem with the software development process -- that's a very defined process of creating software to specifications, testing, refining it in (ideally) agile methodology. Blizzard is just as good, if not better, than others in that area. Game design, although, is an entirely different animal.
PAX East 2014: Erin Roberts on Star Citizen's development
Star Citizen's backers have been waiting to see the game's dogfighting module in action for quite some time now, and it finally happened just before PAX East 2014. Unfortunately, it also wound up having some technical difficulties right at the beginning, which wasn't exactly what anyone had in mind when showing off the whole thing in action. It wasn't quite as bad as having the computer running the module burst into flames and die, but it was bad. Do the developers regret it? Not a chance. We got a chance to sit down and talk to Squadron 42 producer Erin Roberts and were told, in no uncertain terms, that even hitting technical hiccups like that don't make a more private development cycle feel better. In a way, having the development cycle be so public actually makes technical hurdles less problematic for the company when they're encountered because the language is in place to keep a meaningful dialogue going with the fans.
WildStar's Stephan Frost on creating content and keeping within deadlines
Developing an MMO is not an easy process. We know that intellectually, but most of us have not actually built a game ourselves, so we don't know exactly how or why it's not difficult. Design producer Stephan Frost recently penned an article taking a look at the process of design in WildStar, highlighting both common elements to MMO production and some of the ways that Carbine Studios does things a little bit differently. Frost explains that the key to producing an MMO is understanding that it's really more like producing several different games layered on top of one another. He goes on to explain how all content is designed according to a master roadmap, allowing space for individual designers to put their distinct touches on things while still working within an overall vision. If this sort of thing interests you, by all means, take a look at the full article for a deeper look at how these games come to life.
MechWarrior Online looks forward to the next month
Are you ready for another month of MechWarrior Online? The team behind the game certainly is. Creative Director Bryan Ekman took to the forums to outline what players can expect from the next month of updates, including items for players who purchase one of the game's Phoenix packages (aside from the Saber tier) before October 15th. That includes bugfixes, new content, and of course new 'Mechs to enjoy. Slated for release this month are the Locust, the Hero Atlas, and the Champion Spider, along with the Shadow Hawk, Thunderbolt, and Battlemaster 'Mechs for Phoenix package owners. The game will also drop a new map and a new paint pattern. Meanwhile, the team is working hard on optimizing game performance and UI accessibility. The letter closes by examining where several proposed pieces of the Community Warfare are in the development process. Dedicated MechWarriors will want to take a careful look at what's coming up next and probably start blasting away in preparation.
Mythic developers discuss the swan song of Wrath of Heroes
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is shutting down near the end of the month, but it turns out that the developers have a few last hurrahs for the game. A recent fansite interview sheds some light on the new heroes that are coming out during the game's final month of operation, with 17-18 heroes being fast-tracked for release. The game's main currency, Gold, will be able to purchase everything in the cash shop including Gold Boost items, intentionally creating plenty of money for players to enjoy the last bits of the game. What's not coming? Most anything else that was in development, including some heroes that the developers just didn't have enough time to finish. There were also Scenarios in development that aren't close enough to completed to be functional; while pushing out heroes quickly is a priority, a half-finished Scenario is fun for no one. Fans looking for fine details on exactly which traditional Warhammer factions will be represented in the last month can look at the full interview.
WildStar reveals the State of the Game in October
It's been anything but a quiet month for the development team behind WildStar. Sure, the game isn't out for you to play at the moment, but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. According to the latest WildStar Wednesday by executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, part of the trouble with an MMO is that you simultaneously have to deliver more content than a normal boxed game while being more flexible to player feedback. So what's been going on behind the scenes? The development team has been working on designing the game's mid-level zones, distinct from the low-level zones that have been previewed thus far. There's also more work being done on the game's second faction and the earliest implementations of raids, PvP matches, and instanced dungeons. If you're an avid fan of the game, you'll want to check out the latest dispatch for a few more teases of what you can expect from future Wednesday reveals and the game's eventual launch.
ArenaNet explains golden rules of Guild Wars 2
How do you think Guild Wars 2 came about? Mystic dream-journeys to consult with unicorn sages atop mountains of inspiration? Late-night voodoo with developers dancing around a bubbling pot of inactive World of Warcraft accounts? Well, ArenaNet game designer Ben Miller is here to set the record straight. In a recent blog post, Miller outlined some of the golden rules that have served as ArenaNet's polestar on the journey of creating Guild Wars 2. The first and most important rule is to make the world come alive and lay the foundation of the game's design philosophy. The world of Tyria has been thoroughly established, from geopolitical histories to cultural development to ecosystems. This kind of planned-out depth makes certain that game-world elements added in throughout the design process fit in the world being created and that the game has a consistent and coherent feel, which adds to its liveliness. The second rule, that cooperation is key, is behind mechanics like individually tracked resource nodes, a universal revival ability, and loot and XP rewards for everyone who helps kill a foe or complete an event.
ArenaNet asks of Guild Wars 2, 'Is it fun?'
Colin Johanson, Lead Content Designer for Guild Wars 2, has just posted an update to the ArenaNet blog. In it, he discusses some of the company's philosophy regarding measuring the success of Guild Wars 2 and how best to achieve that success. A big part of that philosophy is to constantly evaluate how fun the game is and whether that fun makes the content compelling enough to stand on its own. To that end, he relates that the fairly standard gear treadmill has been more or less removed from the game. While there is item progression through levels, rare items are made desirable by visual, not statistical, distinction. Dungeons, rather than having a tiny chance of dropping high-demand items, reward players with tokens that can be traded for items. Within those dungeons, variations have been made possible so that players can choose different routes to explore rather than be forced to do the same exact run again and again.
