LordOfLore
Banned
Have you thought about doing a survey on twitter and other places to see what chapters people liked the most etc?
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Blood, Sweat, And Pixels Thread: Print Sneak Fuck
- Thread starter LordOfLore
- Start date
RoninChaos
Member
This has been an interesting book for my house because my son is interested in making games (He's young tho), and my wife was super interested in the chapter on Dragon Age. It's rare we all read the same book.
piratepwnsninja
Member
Over half way through the book. Not only have I exclaimed "yup" and "that's familiar" multiple times, but this book has made me emotional more than once, too. The pain is all too real. I really hope more people read this.
Just finished it. As soon as I started this book I just couldn't stop reading it, it was full of really interesting insight and very well written too.
I've always been curious about what's going on behind the scenes of the big and small studio, even more now that I work in a little company as a 3D animator.
I thought our deadlines and crunch periods were hard, but it looks like it was nothing compared to what some people have to endure.
We can learn a lot from what's in this book. I'll recommend it to my coworkers.
Now I'm just waiting for more stories
I've always been curious about what's going on behind the scenes of the big and small studio, even more now that I work in a little company as a 3D animator.
I thought our deadlines and crunch periods were hard, but it looks like it was nothing compared to what some people have to endure.
We can learn a lot from what's in this book. I'll recommend it to my coworkers.
Now I'm just waiting for more stories
Triggerhappytel
Member
I'm reading a little per night. Currently on Diablo 3. It's a thoroughly interesting book and a nice insight into something we don't normally hear that much about, but my main takeaway from all this is that despite how much I love the medium, creating videogames sounds just so damn awful.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Is the audiobook any good?
I do have a credit, but I might prefer a physical copy.
I do have a credit, but I might prefer a physical copy.
hydrophilic attack
Member
just bought the electronic version to have something to read on the plane and to support the resident sneak fuck
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Feel free to thank us with the following hot scoops:
- What are Boyarsky and Cain cooking up at Obsidian?
- Who is working on Metroid Prime 4? Is it just a new internal team or what?
- What in the hecking fudge is going on at Warner Bros Montreal?
When are you going to get the inside story of what happened on FFXII? (And Unsung Story while you're at it lol)
brickarts295
Member
Loving the audiobook so far. Obsidian's chapter has been fascinating. I'm even interested in getting Pillars now.
Yeah the star wars 1313 chapter was really sad to read. Can't help but feel bad for the passion and hard work the developpers did put into that before disney just went "nope". I watched the trailer again and it still is kinda impressive.
I'm ready for Blood, sweat and pixels V2 featuring No Man's Sky and FF XV.
I'm ready for Blood, sweat and pixels V2 featuring No Man's Sky and FF XV.
BrassDragon
Member
An inside perspective on the Mass Effect 3 ending saga would be illuminating now that we have some distance. It touches on themes like corporate expectations, storytelling challenges, artistic freedom, hype culture, fan disengagement, the influence of established press and enthusiast commentators, and toxic communities that are still relevant outside of that one title.
Also, I have a feeling the people involved have very personal stories to tell about that period.
Also, I have a feeling the people involved have very personal stories to tell about that period.
If you're gonna do another western game, how about an Indie studio like the guys behind Steamworld Dig and Heist? I loved the insight into Stardew Valley, I think that's my favorite chapter of the book.
I'd love a deep-dive into the development of Final Fantasy XII, specifically the lead-up to Matsuno's departure, and the resulting fallout.
I really have no idea what I'm going to do next, but a dev story isn't what I have in mind. I've been very inspired by David Grann (Killers of the Flower Moon, Lost City of Z) and would love to find some sort of wild story in the gaming world that's dramatic enough to be worth an entire book.
Interesting! Well I'll definitely pick it up regardless. Congrats on the success!
Something more along the lines of the Swordquest contest?
Or maybe a dissection of GamerGate? I know I'd buy that in a heartbeat.
ShinoguTakeruKoeru
Member
Zoe Quinn just released her book on her experiences in that, Crash Override.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Seems a tough task given how difficult it would be to get enough detailed info on one drama to fill a book. Perhaps do individual novellas that could fit under a larger umbrella for a collector's release later on down the line? Then you could tackle all manner of topics as stand-alones without things feeling disjointed. Just promise me that the binder images line up so it looks cool in a box or on the shelf.
How about a heavily fictionalized take on that crazy story about the two brothers who ran those scam Kickstarters for indie games and then squatted at an AirBnB for months trying to take over the place? I'm sure you can pick up lots of really interesting indie dev stories to mesh into one big pulp piece.
Yeah if I decide to do fiction next, there are all sorts of routes I can take.
LordOfLore
Banned
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Usually when I read an actual book it takes ages, but I've blown through the first 140 pages of this thing in all of two nights. So good.
The Inquisition chapter makes me think BioWare's a perfectly talented developer, they're just cursed. Hopefully Anthem and Inquisition make EA enough money that DICE will try to make Frostbite more welcoming to RPG systems for the next iteration of that engine.
The Inquisition chapter makes me think BioWare's a perfectly talented developer, they're just cursed. Hopefully Anthem and Inquisition make EA enough money that DICE will try to make Frostbite more welcoming to RPG systems for the next iteration of that engine.
ramadden13
Member
I'm about halfway through the book, and I think it's fantastic. I honestly didn't know too much about game development per se, so this has been fascinating.
Makes you think about things in different ways, such as was BotW rushed out before the team was really finished with it to make the Switch launch? It was a fantastic game, but it did get dinged for frame rate issues that ended up being (mostly) addressed by a patch in the first month post-release.
I'm definitely going to think about games differently now. Thanks Jason!
Makes you think about things in different ways, such as was BotW rushed out before the team was really finished with it to make the Switch launch? It was a fantastic game, but it did get dinged for frame rate issues that ended up being (mostly) addressed by a patch in the first month post-release.
I'm definitely going to think about games differently now. Thanks Jason!
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Just picked this up! Forgot it was coming out.
JimmyRustler
Member
Bought this book today. Thanks so much for this. It's been a long time I've breezed through a book this fast. Already at 20% and I just bought it at noon.
Amazing work Jason!
Amazing work Jason!
Finished the book. Some really good bits and some kinda ho-hum bits for me. Not the book's fault though, since any sort of disappointment comes from how familiar I am with certain stories before reading it. The Diablo 3 chapter for example completely fell flat because not only did I follow the development of the game and the post-release stuff religiously, so the story told there is extremely abbreviated. It didn't help that he didn't get to interview Jay Wilson at all, and didn't cover any of the previous iterations of Diablo 3 before the one we got. Oh the other hand, the Halo Wars and Star Wars 1313 chapters were total heartbreakers. Filled with sad personal stories and lots of good ideas and effort gone to waste over stupid management decisions.
Destiny though... I dunno how I really feel reading that. It's hard to feel sorry for a bunch of rock stars acting like entitled rock stars, cutting a 500 million dollar deal with a mega publisher, and then pissing their own bed over indecision. Cautionary tale I guess. But I dunno how much caution there can be when despite all the fuck ups, they still successfully made money in the end. Shrug. Lol.
Great book, thanks for writing it!
Destiny though... I dunno how I really feel reading that. It's hard to feel sorry for a bunch of rock stars acting like entitled rock stars, cutting a 500 million dollar deal with a mega publisher, and then pissing their own bed over indecision. Cautionary tale I guess. But I dunno how much caution there can be when despite all the fuck ups, they still successfully made money in the end. Shrug. Lol.
Great book, thanks for writing it!
I definitely enjoyed the latter half more (Ensemble, 1313, Destiny). Still would've liked to hear more about the personal tolls and toils of game dev and devs. I also don't know how well the book contextualizes some items for
absolute non-gamers and anti-gamers. The effort towards that seemed inconsistent. For somebody already deeply famliar with all that shit, it was a pretty informative and engaging read.
absolute non-gamers and anti-gamers. The effort towards that seemed inconsistent. For somebody already deeply famliar with all that shit, it was a pretty informative and engaging read.
TVexperto
Member
finally back in stock on https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0062651234/
WAR recon zero
Banned
Finished the book
Lazy writers. Must wait for DLC. Story felt rushed. -2/10
Lazy writers. Must wait for DLC. Story felt rushed. -2/10
Fantastic read Jason. Congrats
Probably not that late but yeah, I was browsing books in the new Amazon Books store in Herald Square/Manhattan. Didn't even plan on getting it. I was killing time and when I had to leave, I had read two chapters. I remember Kotaku posting an excerpt How Blizzard Saved Diablo III From Disaster. Fascinating. I remember the launch. I remember how crappy Diablo III was for a long time. I also remember waiting forever from announcement to launch and being VERY disappointed that Blizzard, of all studios, released such a crappy game.
I finished the book tonight while commuting from work. I don't know if it's against GAF rules so I won't copy the entire paragraph but reading about Destiny and it's troubled development really wowed me.
I highly recommend the book. Get it here. If you're a fan of Schreier and his long form pieces, it's well worth the read. FYI, that is the entire chapter on Diablo III. The book offers some fascinating insight into not only huge studios like Blizzard and Bungie but a look how challenging developing Stardew Valley even going to show how Eric Barone's newfound fame and wealth made him feel guilty. The story of Halo Wars and Ensemble studios is just really fascinating and after reading it, I'm not surprised why they were shut down. No idea what Schreier has planned next, but I'd love to read more.
I finished the book tonight while commuting from work. I don't know if it's against GAF rules so I won't copy the entire paragraph but reading about Destiny and it's troubled development really wowed me.
Jason Schreier said:
Josh Mosqueira said:
I highly recommend the book. Get it here. If you're a fan of Schreier and his long form pieces, it's well worth the read. FYI, that is the entire chapter on Diablo III. The book offers some fascinating insight into not only huge studios like Blizzard and Bungie but a look how challenging developing Stardew Valley even going to show how Eric Barone's newfound fame and wealth made him feel guilty. The story of Halo Wars and Ensemble studios is just really fascinating and after reading it, I'm not surprised why they were shut down. No idea what Schreier has planned next, but I'd love to read more.
SkyTurnsRed
Banned
LTTP? Isn't the book like three weeks old?
But yeah, great book.
But yeah, great book.
Yes, hence the first line of post. Just finished it, wanted to talk about it with some Gaffers.
JimmyRustler
Member
Just reading it right now. It's AMAZING. Already saddened I only have Witcher 3 and Star Wars to go.
Get off gaf and start reading! It's really easy to burn through it!
Uhm... I bought an english version from Amazon.de last week?
Rellik
Member
October 5th in the UK.
ranmafan
Member
I finally finished the book this afternoon, and I have to say it was a fantastic book to read. I really felt I learned a lot about the development of each game, including ones I already knew a bit about. Every game's story was interesting to read about. I couldn't put the book down until I finished a games story. And it was a real mix of excitement when you read how the hard work led to great success for some, but also hearing all the hardships, and the struggles and sacrifices was at times quite sad. We always hear about crunch and all those tough last few months of development and such, but I really think this book did a great job talking about how tough it can be. Not to mention the stories of cancelations. Finishing the book off with Star Wars 1313 was a real bummer but Im glad we could read about what happened.
And best of all, this book is the type of journalism I love to read and want to see so much more in the video game news media. I love these stories so much. Getting down to how the games were made, the triumphs and tragedies of development. The ups and downs. The real documentary stories. These are what interest me so much. This is what I want to see more of, these stories are what I want to read more of. Not the snarky boring pieces I run into all the time on the net. Its well written and great works like this that truly shine. Thankfully I know theres a lot of great people writing these type of stories a lot, but Jason is certainly the best here.
Jason, thank you so much for writing this book. It was a pleasure to read. A job well done. And I look forward to your next book whenever it comes.
And best of all, this book is the type of journalism I love to read and want to see so much more in the video game news media. I love these stories so much. Getting down to how the games were made, the triumphs and tragedies of development. The ups and downs. The real documentary stories. These are what interest me so much. This is what I want to see more of, these stories are what I want to read more of. Not the snarky boring pieces I run into all the time on the net. Its well written and great works like this that truly shine. Thankfully I know theres a lot of great people writing these type of stories a lot, but Jason is certainly the best here.
Jason, thank you so much for writing this book. It was a pleasure to read. A job well done. And I look forward to your next book whenever it comes.