Fustian Future » Quality of Life

Dev Diary 16: Stress-Free Design

Yac — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:46:56 +0000

The design struggle continues and is slowly becoming all-consuming. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I don’t mind thinking about it all the time, if I can maintain a relatively stress-free mental state, but that is obviously a challenge. I know I’m becoming obsessive when it’s the first thought that enters my head when I wake up in the morning.

I don’t feel too stressed out about it right this moment. Ideas are vaguely taking shape in my head, and on paper. It’s kind of hard to describe, because I have half a dozen threads I’m pursuing, and none of them are standing out in a way that yells: This is the game! But stuff is happening, ideas are forming and evolving, and as long as new ideas keep emerging from tinkering with the current ones, I feel like I’m progressing.

At some point, I’ll have to pick a direction and run with it for a while, but I’m not quite there yet. More experimentation ahead. I’m going to mix it up a little bit this week, do a bit of non-design work, and then a bit of intense and focused design, and repeat. Maybe changing the pattern will trigger some different ideas. From what I hear, you can’t really force the flashes of inspiration.

Oh, and we had our first snows this week-end (hence the picture). There’s something calming about watching falling snow quietly at night. I love this time of the year. The brisk air. That fresh smell. The snow. Christmas right around the corner. It helps keep me relaxed.

Lastly, thanks to Adrian for suggesting a nifty little trick to stabilize some of the jitters in the physics simulation.

Site News

After some thought, I’ve decided to stop writing my regular Friday column on future tech. I’ve got a few reasons:

While the topic is fascinating to me, I’m no longer motivated to write at length about it on regular basis. Every time I sit down to write them, I feel like I’m punishing myself. That is definitely not the mental state I want.
I think it is diluting both the focus of this site and my focus. Game development needs to be my first priority.
I’ve generally got more interesting comments to make about game development, and I’m not making it because of limited time.

My interest in the field hasn’t disappeared completely, but it’s not the most productive use of my time. I may still write a future tech article once in a while when the urge strikes me, but for now, it’s on hold. However, I’ve come up with a more effective solution for the readers who are actually interested in this topic. From now on, I am adding all the relevant links to a Delicious account (an online bookmarking site). I’ve also set up a new feed (that you can subscribe to) which is updated each time I bookmark a new link. So if you’d like, you can keep track of any cool links about future technology that I come across.

I hope I haven’t upset anyone who was only reading this site for the future tech column (the new feed should essentially fill that gap), but if you feel strongly one way or another about, please leave a comment.

Delicious account is here.

Subscribe to the feed here.

Work Done Last Week

Another mixed week in terms of productivity. I’ve been experimenting with various control schemes and gameplay ideas, but I haven’t hit on one yet that just feels genius. I feel I’m getting closer, but it’s difficult to judge. All this is causing me to move at a slower pace, dropping my productivity, but I’m spending more hours on it, so maybe it balances it out. Hard to tell.

I implemented 3 small control ideas, and iterated on them a bit. I’ve also done some more work on the physics, addressing a couple missing features (necessary for the ideas I was trying to test).

I’ve been brainstorming as well both by myself, and with couple friends. Seeing different people’s reaction to the tech I have is interesting. Feedback is generally positive (although a positive bias is to be expected); they can see the potential. More importantly, the ideas that emerge from these chats are useful, and help me refine my design.

Work Planned This Week

The design continues, with Milestone 1 looming this Friday. I’m also going to do a bit of work on the rendering, and the editor. The design remains the most important area of focus, but I need to keep pushing forward on the tech side (and it gives me mental breaks from designing).

My Rejected GDC Session Proposal

Yac — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:46:19 +0000

I decided to put through a submission for a panel for GDC 2009. The panel was going to be called “Unions and the Games Industry?“, and would involve a moderated discussion of whether unions have any roles to play in the industry. The cool bit was that I had lined up someone very senior at IGDA, and two more veterans of the industry: a long-time designer and a CEO of a games developer (I withhold their names out of respect for their privacy).

The submission got rejected, unfortunately, but I’m going to share the proposal outline with everyone. Let me know what you think. Was it too controversial? Was it interesting enough?

Session Focus

Until now, there have been few public discussions on whether unions have a place (if any) in the games industry. The topic is brought up now and again in various, albeit brief news flashes (http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050322/hyman_pfv.htm) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5202236.stm). It is now time for this discussion to be explored more formally within a panel of peers.

“Union” is one of those words that have a strong polarizing effect on people in the industry. Game developers are either strongly for it, or against it. Some think it will solve all of the industry’s woes, others believe it won’t help in any way, and others yet think that unions would stifle creativity and impede the industry’s continued growth.

Our panel will convene to discuss the pros and cons of a union specific to the games industry and the various issues surrounding it. In this discussion, the taboo label on unions will be ripped off. The panelists will engage in a frank, honest, and fruitful discussion amongst themselves and with the audience.

The aim of the session is not to advocate for or against unions in particular, but to provide one of the first public forums on unions for the games industry.

The following topics will be explored:

Does the industry need a union for developers? Why, or why not?
What issues would such a union address? What disadvantages would it introduce?
Can these same issues be addressed better through non-union means?
What about alternative models such as guilds in the movie industry? Does the game industry need its own unique solution?

The panelists have not been firmly established yet (it is challenging to get people to discuss this subject), but the proposed composition would be:

Myself moderating discussion and asking questions to panelists:
(who has confirmed his interest in participating), who is quite neutral on the matter.
One or two veteran developers, who have had interactions with employers either on quality of life issues and/or union issues. , veteran game designer, has confirmed his interest in participating. One more TBC.
An employer or head of a game developing company, to get a different perspective on the issue. has confirmed his interest in participating.
If possible, a representative of a union relatively associated to the games industry (such as BECTU in the UK, or IATSE in North America). TBC.

Attendee Takeaway

Attendees will learn the various pros and cons of a union in the context of the games industry. They will learn that unions are no longer a taboo, but a subject that can be discussed amongst peers rationally and openly. Those interested in unions will know what avenues they can pursue and the people they can talk to with similar interests. Finally, those interested in alternatives to unions will also discover new possibilities of recourse. The greatest takeaway will be continued discussion and exploration of this subject.

My Motivation to Become Independent

Yac — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:01:50 +0000

Eight weeks ago, I worked my last day as an employee. I decided to forego a stable job and a promising career to risk it all as a self-employed independent developer. I did so without a contract job lined up, or a game ready to be sold. I simply plunged headlong into what had been up to now a side project developed in my spare time. Man, it even seems crazy to me when I put it that way. Why did I take this route? What is my motivation to become an independent? Well, I can essentially break it down to three key reasons: burning desire, freedom, and low risk.

Burning Desire

I’ve wanted to work for myself for as long as I can remember, but I have always been scared of pulling the trigger without being properly ready. To do so, I would need experience, a great idea, money saved up, knowledge of the real world, and a realistic expectation of success. Over time, I have worked to advance myself in each of those areas, and perhaps the most difficult challenge has been coming up with a great idea. It is possible that the idea I am currently working on is not amazing, but I have learnt something else over these past few years: the execution of an idea is a lot more important than the idea itself. I am not only confident in the idea I am currently developing, but more significantly, in my abilities to make it work.

Working for myself has been my dream. Whenever my previous jobs would get challenging, or demotivating, I would think ahead to the day where I would get to make my own mark on the world by taking charge of my life. I truly believe that I can become self-sustainable as an indie. Don’t get me wrong, my goal is not just self-sustenance, but straight-up success. However, I am convinced that, at the very least, I can find a way to work on what I want to work on and survive as an indie.

Being able to work on my own ideas, and seek compensation for those ideas excites me. To do things right, to work long hours on my ideas, not other people’s, to have a stake in my own hard work, in my success, to create something that is truly mine; this is what drives me. I am confident in my abilities. Five years ago, I believed I could do this, but I knew then that I did not have the requisite experience. The difference today is that, while I know I don’t have all the skills necessary to succeed, I have reached a stage where I can make it work, where I can acquire the remaining skills as I need them.

Freedom

The reason I so eagerly wanted to work for myself is the freedom it provides. Of course, having no source of income makes me dependent on being able to develop and sell a game. And this means that on some level, I will be dependent on others (be it customers for sales, console manufacturers for developer status, publishers for funding), but that is the choice I make. I choose what game I make it, and how I make it. I choose who I want to work with, and which platform I target.

Being free also entails a whole set of responsibility. Every decision is mine; all the consequences are also mine to bear. Every mistake I make, I have to pay for. If my project is delayed by three months, I have to find a way to cover my living expenses. If I need artwork done, I have to pay for it. Same goes for testing, localization, certification, buying development kits, etc. The puck stops with me. The reality of that situation is both exhilarating and nerve-wracking, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Low Risk

OK, I know it sounds a bit pretentious to say that this venture is low-risk but let me explain: quitting my job and risking my savings to create my own business is risky, but at the end of the day, if my business fails, if I blow through all my money and still can’t make ends meet, it won’t be the end of the world. I will still have options, and I can always find another job. Yeah, it’s a bit of a cop out, but it makes taking this risk easier to handle knowing that I will be able to land on my feet no matter what happens.

While there is always a risk that my current project will not be as successful as I would like it to be, having had that first taste of freedom ensures that I will have the necessary motivation to persevere and try again.

I am actually in an ideal situation to become an indie. I am still young and I don’t have any dependents. If I hadn’t made a move, I would have risked a lot more by my inaction. Every day I waited was a day wasted. I could not live with myself not taking the risk. I don’t know how well I will do, but I would never know if I didn’t try. And not trying was eating away at me. Once you look at it that way, I had to become an indie. I couldn’t spend the rest of my years wondering “what if?”