MageOfOranges
Joined: 28 Nov 2006 |
 Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 05:59PM |
Not trying to badger you with timetables or something that would get this thread locked. Just wondering how the process works. Do you have a secret time set as a goal that you would like to hit, knowing that you may be delayed, or does the team just keep working on things until one day its finished? Or is it somewhere inbetween?
MoO |
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Jakob Persson
Joined: 11 Dec 2005 |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 06:05PM |
There has to be some plan eventually for a deadline, I don't think you can ever stop improving on a modern game like this. Tetris has its limits but..
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All he wanted to do was get into your full plate armor. |
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DigitalOrigami
Game Owner
 SW: KotOR Xbox
Jade Empire
Jade Empire:SE
NWN 2
Mass Effect
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
From: Great White North (Beauty, eh?) |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 06:19PM |
They're working on a timeline to determine when the best time is to sit down and discuss a timeline for coming up with a timeline for evaluating the timeline in which the timeline for specifying a timeline is decided.
Or, in plain English: they'll tell us when they tell us. 
I think I hurt myself....  |
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LdyShayna
Joined: 18 Oct 2001
From: Colorado |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 06:24PM |
Quote: Posted 09/07/07 17:59 (GMT) by MageOfOranges
Not trying to badger you with timetables or something that would get this thread locked. Just wondering how the process works. Do you have a secret time set as a goal that you would like to hit, knowing that you may be delayed, or does the team just keep working on things until one day its finished? Or is it somewhere inbetween?
I'm certain they have internal deadlines and goal posts they must work through, as I've seen them mention such things before on other projects.
If they did the, "Oh! It's good now, let's stop here" I suspect they really would be working on it forever. 
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You will seldom see goldfish show off. They are koi. |
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Ferret A Baudoin
Lead Designer
Joined: 02 Jun 2006 |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 07:04PM |
Every game I've ever worked on has a timetable and a deadline. Making a game is a massive cooperative enterprise filled with many unknown elements and constant revisions. It varies from project to project how far that deadline gets pushed as you go (I've yet to have worked on a project that hit it's original deadline).
As you move forward you get a better idea of how long it takes to make the elements of your game - the writing, creating a level, creature, etc. So you get a better sense of when you'll be on store shelves as you go. Usually in development I'm more curious than any fan on the forums of when the game is actually going to be done. Hopefully that provides some insight on why devs sometimes say, "It'll be done when it's done" or something like it. |
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imported_beer
Game Owner
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Mass Effect PC
Joined: 30 Jan 2006
From: Texas |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 07:04PM |
Quote: Posted 09/07/07 18:24 (GMT) by LdyShayna I'm certain they have internal deadlines and goal posts they must work through, as I've seen them mention such things before on other projects.
Tell him the truth, LdyShayna.
Well, OP...The decision involves a dagger, David Gaider and the face of a man named Stanley Woo.
It is pretty...harsh. |
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MageOfOranges
Joined: 28 Nov 2006 |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 08:20PM |
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Thanks! That makes sense. |
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Chokladglass
Game Owner
 SW: KotOR PC
Jade Empire:SE
Joined: 01 May 2007
From: The dark forests of Sweden |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 08:36PM |
(quote)
Posted 09/07/07 19:04 (GMT) by imported_beer
Tell him the truth, LdyShayna.
Well, OP...The decision involves a dagger, David Gaider and the face of a man named Stanley Woo.
It is pretty...harsh.(quote)
(quote)
Posted 09/07/07 20:20 (GMT) by MageOfOranges
Thanks! That makes sense.(/quote)
Yeah, everything is clear to me now...
Makes sense isn't the expression I would use, but at least it expalins Stanley's constant face stab comments...
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It may be a touch unladylike, but I'm gonna slit your throat I amEdited By Chokladglass on 09/07/07 20:38 |
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DigitalOrigami
Game Owner
SW: KotOR Xbox
Jade Empire
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Mass Effect
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
From: Great White North (Beauty, eh?) |
Posted: Friday, 07 September 2007 08:39PM |
Quote: Posted 09/07/07 19:04 (GMT) by imported_beer
Well, OP...The decision involves a dagger, David Gaider and the face of a man named Stanley Woo.
It is pretty...harsh.
Why do I have the sudden urge to bet "quatloos"....
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fleisch
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 01 Jul 2002
From: a bygone age |
Posted: Saturday, 08 September 2007 06:01AM |
Quote: Posted 09/07/07 20:39 (GMT) by DigitalOrigami Why do I have the sudden urge to bet "quatloos"....
Thanks for that blast from the past! |
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Zelphi
Game Owner
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Joined: 08 Dec 2002
From: Here |
Posted: Monday, 10 September 2007 11:37AM |
Would I be right to think:
1) You have plan A to get the game out around x date
2) Publisher has a plan B to get the game out around y date
3) It's done when it's done, but that doesn't mean it's done when it's released.
So given this potentially quite epic and ground breaking game, what's the expectation of it being released when it's done? Or would you stuff anyone who didn't let you release it when it's done?
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Stanley Woo
QA Ninja
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
From: The BioWare Compound |
Posted: Monday, 10 September 2007 10:14PM |
No, it's more like Plan A to finish sometime around x date.
Further in development, Plan A gets refined into Plan B, which we hope to finish around y date.
Once a publisher gets involved, Plan B gets incorporated into Plan C to get the game out around z date.
It's all about how much information you have and how well your schedule was made two (or more) years ago. As with any large-scale project (and combat), plans don't necessarily survive contact with the enemy.
It's a generalization, as in a normal game's development cycle, there will be Plans A-ZZZZ, and dates x-zzzz.
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Willpower-in-Japan
Game Owner
 Jade Empire:SE
NWN 2
Joined: 11 Apr 2005
From: Nagoya, Japan |
Posted: Tuesday, 11 September 2007 11:25AM |
That was interesting Stanley, thank you.
I think it's been said before, but these forums are so quickly and ever-changing.
What I wonder is how often those "new" dates are bumped up, rather than pushed back.
Just curious. |
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Elof Valantor
Game Owner
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Joined: 22 Nov 2004 |
Posted: Tuesday, 11 September 2007 03:02PM |
Here's a question you should be able to answer devies, because it requires no date.
Are you on target for your current internal deadline? If not by how much are you behind?
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**Has begun poking EA to make sure they leave Bioware alone**
"... well, then you get programmers throwing themselves on their swords in protest." - David Gaider.
I guess I better not work for Bioware after all... what kind of swords?Edited By Elof Valantor on 09/11/07 15:02 |
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Stanley Woo
QA Ninja
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
From: The BioWare Compound |
Posted: Tuesday, 11 September 2007 03:59PM |
Quote: Posted 09/11/07 15:02 (GMT) by Elof Valantor
Here's a question you should be able to answer devies, because it requires no date.
Are you on target for your current internal deadline? If not by how much are you behind?
Um... having a "current internal deadline" would imply that we haven't surpassed it yet, wouldn't it? If we went past it, we'd have to have a new "current internal deadline."
So the answer is yes, we're still well within our "current internal deadline" for whatever part of the game you were asking about. 
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