digitalrelic
Banned
Just purchased this on my Kindle. Excited to start reading it tonight and through the weekend.
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Blood, Sweat, And Pixels Thread: Print Sneak Fuck
- Thread starter LordOfLore
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AuthenticM
Member
Congratulations, Jason!
Is GAF name-dropped?
Is GAF name-dropped?
Yep! I saw it referenced once already.
SkyTurnsRed
Banned
Jason, can I ask for clarification on a part in the Star Wars 1313 chapter?
When they presented to Visceral, was there some sort of misunderstanding why they were there? Did the leads think they were trying to save the game and the Visceral boss thought they were coming for interviews? The boss saying "I don't know what you've been told" throws me off.
toadsworth
Banned
I love this book, the range of games and studios featured is great. I love learning more personal details about game development!
Done with the audio book. Great work. Must-read for everyone here to get a better understanding of how hard making games is and how even small decisions can have huge impact on every part of the project.
The messy development of Uncharted 4 was very interesting to hear about and at parts did remind me of the whole Versus/FFXV thing with the director being replaced, and characters and story beats being repurposed and changed.
The messy development of Uncharted 4 was very interesting to hear about and at parts did remind me of the whole Versus/FFXV thing with the director being replaced, and characters and story beats being repurposed and changed.
You know what to do! Call up Tabata and Nomura! Maybe wait until after Versus XV's release so you can include that one as well
Visceral's former boss didn't return my requests for comment so I didn't get to hear his side of the story, but my understanding is that he was never interested in 1313, just having Visceral work on their own project, no matter what Gibeau's hopes were.
digitalrelic
Banned
Finished the first chapter last night, Pillars of Eternity. I'm hooked. This is a legit must read for anyone that follows gaming.
Man it seems no company in this book like Microsoft lol.
The Halo Wars stuff was just sad.
After reading Inquisition chapter and I'm super excited for the next Dragon Age game, heck I'm even exited for anthem. Given that Bioware doesn't run into more challenges and setbacks.
Only two chapters left for me. Such a great book with incredible stories. Great job Jason!
The Halo Wars stuff was just sad.
MS was managed to fuck up both Ensemble and anger Bungie. Also Bungie seems to be just filled with assholes honestly.
After reading Inquisition chapter and I'm super excited for the next Dragon Age game, heck I'm even exited for anthem. Given that Bioware doesn't run into more challenges and setbacks.
Only two chapters left for me. Such a great book with incredible stories. Great job Jason!
drangleic tourism
Member
Just picked it up....I've seen it out in the wild at a few locations here in Ontario now. Congrats, Jason...hope this does well for you!
Jumping around the chapters, just have the Halo and Witcher 3 left to read. Great book and I get it that "you can't put a schedule around creativity" but damn if the game industry does not feel like a clusterfuck of non-planning.
Do we have any insights on Nintendo's development cycle? I wonder if it's more organized although the fact Smash 4 almost killed Sakurai might mean crunch there is even worse.
Do we have any insights on Nintendo's development cycle? I wonder if it's more organized although the fact Smash 4 almost killed Sakurai might mean crunch there is even worse.
eyeball_kid
Member
If you could get the scoop on the No Man's Sky saga, there's a strong story there to be told.
But congratulations! I look forward to digging into BS & P.
Jack Scofield
Member
Looking forward to starting this tonight. I'm not familiar with the author but the book itself sounds interesting, and I'd love to get a behind-the-scenes look at the actual development and problems that games run into.
katsubento
Member
I almost forgot I pre-ordered this for my Kindle. Will probably start reading this weekend.
Master Milk
Member
got my copy today, will probably lay into it next week
i'll throw out that i think the story of skullgirls from lab zero could be interesting to delve into if you haven't considered
i'll throw out that i think the story of skullgirls from lab zero could be interesting to delve into if you haven't considered
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
I didn't take that from that chapter at all.
If anything ensemble not being greenlit for the halo mmo and dividing the company screwed ensemble more than anything.
Sure but
MS changing the project to Halo themed made some upset and they realized MS won't green-lit anything other Halo related. Also they didn't give them a second chance for a team that released incredible games. Ensemble is partly to blame for sure but the hammer seems to come fast without a warning, why not just layoff the Halo mmo team for their disobedience?
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
I don't think it's fair to say that they wouldn't of green lit anything else related. I understand microsoft wanting to make it Halo themed since rts on consoles was basically never done correctly. I mean hell, the only reason I picked it up at launch was because it was Halo.
And they let ensemble run themselves and they wasted a ton of money and resources on the halo mmo. So again I don't like that they closed ensemble but I see why they did it. Both sides are to blame for poor management imo.
And they let ensemble run themselves and they wasted a ton of money and resources on the halo mmo. So again I don't like that they closed ensemble but I see why they did it. Both sides are to blame for poor management imo.
I've always enjoyed your coverage of JRPGs, and would love to see something long-form covering that genre.
CrichtonKicks
Member
That Ensemble chapter was something else. I hate to say it but that studio seemed like a complete clusterfuck and totally dysfunctional. I kind of don't blame MS for shutting them down.
I had heard about the Halo MMO before but I had no idea that Ensemble never even had approval to use Halo for that. I had always assumed it was an MS driven idea.
I had heard about the Halo MMO before but I had no idea that Ensemble never even had approval to use Halo for that. I had always assumed it was an MS driven idea.
I'm on chapter 6 and I'm a little disappointed so far. I've been engaged and I find the stories interesting but I guess I desire a more personal, human take. Most of the perspective seems to come from people in leadership positions. I want to hear more from "the team(s)." I want to know about those "various reasons for turnover" and how these situations really affected those on the frontlines, outside of the studio when they finally get the fuck out. I want to know more about the divorces, the health issues, the personal misery, the goods. I want to feel that.
Not a bad book by any means though. I think it's a good book, actually. Just not what I wanted (and not exactly what it sells itself as, imo). I think I'd also like it better with more commentary from Schreier, but I understand the reasons to abstain from that. It's supposed to be stories from the devs, after all... *I'll keep going. Still half a book to turn me around on it.
Not a bad book by any means though. I think it's a good book, actually. Just not what I wanted (and not exactly what it sells itself as, imo). I think I'd also like it better with more commentary from Schreier, but I understand the reasons to abstain from that. It's supposed to be stories from the devs, after all... *I'll keep going. Still half a book to turn me around on it.
Hey Jason was wonderin if you could clarify. In the DAI chapter you said that after release DAI soon became the best-selling Dragon Age and that it surpassed EA's expectations within 2 weeks of release. Do you mean it outpaced the other games or that DAI outsold DAO's lifetime soon after release? And that it surpassed what EA expected it to sell lifetime in 2 weeks or outpaced its goal for 2 weeks after release?
Jack Scofield
Member
I'm barely on the Uncharted chapter but I find this to be absolutely fascinating. Great read!
Wolf Akela
Member
The Stardew Valley chapter really resonated with me. It felt that if my life had taken a slightly different turn, that would've been what I've been (minus the colossal success).
Callibretto
Member
just read up to Uncharted chapter, which is one of the main reason I bought it. reading how Naughty Dog work is fascinating. it's cool to see how Druckmann and Straley worked together. also realizing that how many of gaffer's criticism for Uncharted like maybe the auto platforming, no challenge climbing mechanic etc are all deliberate decision by ND because a more complicated mechanic will just get in the way when you're doing it in the middle of battle.
do we know if Straley's back yet at ND? I fear that after taking leave this long, he may just simply move on from game industry or just leave ND entirely. that'd be a huge shame since I think he's very important in ND. at least for me, I think he's the more important figure from the Druckmann/Straley duo.
do we know if Straley's back yet at ND? I fear that after taking leave this long, he may just simply move on from game industry or just leave ND entirely. that'd be a huge shame since I think he's very important in ND. at least for me, I think he's the more important figure from the Druckmann/Straley duo.
Hopefully. but I completely understand that he wanted some time off. Going from crunching on TLOU, then immediately into crunching on UC4 must've been absolutely brutal, especially when you consider that both him and Neil thought they'd have some much needed time off after finishing Left Behind.
PandaPedinte
Member
Man that Halo Wars chapter, I had no idea the mess that was happening at Ensemble.
CrichtonKicks
Member
IIRC it was year long sabbatical that seems to have started sometime between the interview from last fall in the book and the December reveal of TLoU Part 2 so it probably has a bit more time to go.
The tidbit of Straley renting a second apartment just to be able to work longer hours on UC4 makes it feel pretty obvious why he needed this break.
I certainly wouldn't be shocked if he never comes back though. I feel like the industry doesn't have a great track record of people who go on extended sabbaticals that return the developer with things proceeding as normal.
After reading that chapter I don't think I would even blame him for dipping into something else. Obviously hard to say though. I am one of the people who think that U4 is the best Uncharted, and this book just made me appreciate the work even more.
TharpDaddy
Member
Wow this book is great so far. I've never enjoyed an Uncharted game but I gained a whole new respect for Naughty Dog after their chapter. Also, Ensemble's chapter is incredibly sad. Hearing about how the studio went from so close knit, to the different teams all but hating each other, to getting shut down is rough.
I'm on Bioware's chapter and that development sounds like an actual nightmare. They were dealt shitty hands twice in a row with forcing DA2 in such a short time span and then the move to Frostbite being such a technical nightmare. I'm excited to see what the next Dragon Age will look like with those kinks ironed out.
I'm on Bioware's chapter and that development sounds like an actual nightmare. They were dealt shitty hands twice in a row with forcing DA2 in such a short time span and then the move to Frostbite being such a technical nightmare. I'm excited to see what the next Dragon Age will look like with those kinks ironed out.
Otaku Coder
Neo Member
So will the UK audiobook be coming out the same time as the paperback is? We've already had it released on Kindle so it'd be nice if they just went ahead and pushed it out.
Kenzodielocke
Banned
Straley was already part of a job interview.
Smooth Criminal
Member
If that info is based on the guy who cried during his Naughty Dog interview, I think the follow up confirmed that he had been there for about 3 years at this point. The interview wasn't recent.
Kenzodielocke
Banned
Oh, my bad then. Doubt Straley will be gone forever though.
Cosmo Clock 21
Banned
Been enjoying the book so far, except for one little thing... did you make the asterisks intentionally impossible to notice? I keep getting to the bottom of a page, noticing there are footnotes, and have no idea what text it's referring to.
NubCakes09
Member
I am about a quarter of the way through the book and I just want to say how much I enjoy this book!
It's just important to try and recognize what is likely a vertical slice vs. what is more representative of the final product (i.e., extended Zelda or Mario demos).
Any thoughts, Jason?
BrassDragon
Member
Finished and re-read a few chapters. Still a great book... and RIP LucasArts and Ensemble.
One thing that amazed me is how haphazardly the main narrative is designed in some of these major titles, particularly when contrasted with the dedicated and highly involved writing pipeline the Witcher III developers set up. It just seems odd that companies known for their storytelling, like BioWare, Bungee and Naughty Dog, can get blindsided by structural flaws in their narrative very late in development.
Reading between the lines, it seems to be a problem driven by personalities rather than project management issues. Guess everybody fancies themselves a writer and/or qualified to tinker with narrative.
Looking at you, Anthem.
One thing that amazed me is how haphazardly the main narrative is designed in some of these major titles, particularly when contrasted with the dedicated and highly involved writing pipeline the Witcher III developers set up. It just seems odd that companies known for their storytelling, like BioWare, Bungee and Naughty Dog, can get blindsided by structural flaws in their narrative very late in development.
Reading between the lines, it seems to be a problem driven by personalities rather than project management issues. Guess everybody fancies themselves a writer and/or qualified to tinker with narrative.
Looking at you, Anthem.
Great read!
My only complaint is that I wish it detailed more specific challenges or hurdles that the developers faced. The book was very big picture in terms of development, and I get that it was written to cater to people who might not even have played games before. Maybe a separate chapter where each developer went into great detail about a specific problem they had, and how they solved it. Like, guns feel weak - what we did to fix it. Stuff like that is great insight into problem solving.
I'm there for the sequel!
My only complaint is that I wish it detailed more specific challenges or hurdles that the developers faced. The book was very big picture in terms of development, and I get that it was written to cater to people who might not even have played games before. Maybe a separate chapter where each developer went into great detail about a specific problem they had, and how they solved it. Like, guns feel weak - what we did to fix it. Stuff like that is great insight into problem solving.
I'm there for the sequel!
Callibretto
Member
If he can get the scoop for MGS5 and Konami in the sequel, it's gonna sell gangbuster. I also would love to know more about Agent and Deep Down.