question(s) to devs

[Magena]

What part of your job do you find most satisfying???

 

and what part is most challenging?

[Gorth]

Time to revive an old thread. This topic definitely deserves a bit more respect and a few answers. Did you only have Obsidian developers, game developers or developers in general in mind ?

[Diogo Ribeiro]

and what part is most challenging?

One of them has to be dealing with people in message boards.

 

"Hear me, i've got just the right suggestion for you! See, i've been thinking about Drizzt and +12 Hackmasters, and..."

 

"RTWP SUCKS U WILL ALL DIE FOR USING IT!"

 

"Now, if we're talking of gameplay elements which surpass clearly defined strategies i suggest a riveting axis-propelling sidewinder mechanism for the astute racial stereotype which will inevitably achieve its own modicum of success in the environmental space and time continuum with flabbergasting results..."

 

"It just ain't an a Star Wars game if it doesn't have hair, clothing and lightsaber color customization."

 

"I tell ya, D&D is NOT stale!"

 

"Will you please include a brothel? I love roleplaying, and to me, a brothel is synonymous with excellent roleplaying, as it gives my character earth-shattering choices. Adding STD's would be excellent roleplaying material, too."

 

"D00d liek, gimme dual weapons!"

 

"What do you mean? Of course its an RPG, its got an inventory."

 

"Don't be silly, of course it's consistant. Sure, there were no other lizards in the gameworld. Sure, there were no reasons as to why the lizards were there, or how they even got there. You might get technical and point out their mimesis of a society didn't explained how they evolved like that, or how they managed to survive. Your kind does like to nitpick, so i'm sure you'll throw in the game's background as a strong element as to why lizards shouldn't be there in the first place. But i'm the one who knows what's what, so don't tell me the lizards aren't canon, or that they don't make sense!"

 

"Don't be dense, of course my character can use dual sniper rifles and kill everyone for the sake of roleplaying."

 

"What's this technical impossibility you speak of? I want cool particle effects, damn you. Just cut down on some hundreds of dialogue options and multiple endings, and you'll be fine."

 

"Without romances, your game will flop."

 

 

And so on >_>

[Magena]

Time to revive an old thread. This topic definitely deserves a bit more respect and a few answers. Did you only have Obsidian developers, game developers or developers in general in mind ?

I wanted to hear from Dev's in general. I know that there are guys who play on these boards who are dev's and work at other companies - and all the comments I have seen from them are just as helpful as those from Obsidian.

[FrankK]

This is a fairly difficult question to answer as every day brings it's own challenges and rewards. Overall, the greatest reward is making a game and doing it with other people who feel as giddy about video games as you do. When my college friends spill their beer I can't tell them they failed their Reflex save versus drunk, so you certainly develop a bond with your fellow workers.

 

The greatest challenge is usually whatever is blocking the game from matching what is in the current iteration of the design document. Sometimes it's technical, sometimes it's not (ie, the idea for +50 Longswords SOUNDED cool, but now the entire game balance is out of whack, what SHOULD we do?)

 

It's an abstract answer to an abstract question, I guess =)

[pants_happy]

When my college friends spill their beer I can't tell them they failed their Reflex save versus drunk, so you certainly develop a bond with your fellow workers.

do you ever say "wow, you rolled a 1," (when someone biffs something) or "That's Wizard!" (for something cool) or "That's +5" (for something really cool)?

 

sorry for that, my nerdiousity got the better of me.

[Magena]

This is a fairly difficult question to answer as every day brings it's own challenges and rewards. Overall, the greatest reward is making a game and doing it with other people who feel as giddy about video games as you do. When my college friends spill their beer I can't tell them they failed their Reflex save versus drunk, so you certainly develop a bond with your fellow workers.

 

The greatest challenge is usually whatever is blocking the game from matching what is in the current iteration of the design document. Sometimes it's technical, sometimes it's not (ie, the idea for +50 Longswords SOUNDED cool, but now the entire game balance is out of whack, what SHOULD we do?)

 

It's an abstract answer to an abstract question, I guess =)

I don't know... I mean there is "cool" and then there is "overkill"... but even then, I'm sure there are those who would miss.

 

 

I must have hung around totally different college guys than you did, because I could say that... the strange thing to me is that some people in my circles, who didn't game while in college are starting too. Heck, I can even talk to my dad about computer games... talk about weird. (still can't talk to him about pnp though)

[Gorth]

From a more "generic" developer:

 

For me it's the feeling of accomplishing and creating something. In my business, software doesn't come in boxes, often not even on cd's. Yet, when your work is done, somewhere some people are actually using, and often depending what you do. Very good for stroking the ego

 

80 hour work weeks with people you get along with, joke with, go out and have curry with

 

But most of all, the "creation" part, once you put you and your gang to work on your design, there will be something there, that wasn't there before. A bit like planting a tree.

 

The morbid humour when deadlines approach, "If this doesn't work, these 250 guys depending on this can forget about pay-roll next week", or the odd easter-egg. Wonder if that FMO actually believed it would format his harddrive ?

 

Before the corporate systems, it was visuals and special FX. Took great pride in the "Ooh", "Ahh" and "Wow" results

 

Before that, it was... I'm getting too old... time to retire now...