The BoM's Hypothetical Game

Remove all ads!

Bad Investments Ltd. have decided to invest in the games industry. They approach the Sorcerer's Place community with a simple proposition: they will hire whatever team drawn from the community we put forward for a period of one year to create whatever idea it is that we (the community, as defined by whoever posts in this thread) decide to make.

So - who will join the team and what skills are you bringing with you? (presume that you have nothing better to do for a year...)
And, what game should the team make?

---

I'll be joining as a programmer. I can also 3D model and stuff, but should avoid doing so because I suck.

And to get the basics out of the way - I think we should make an isometric RPG. Hopefully that's something everyone can get behind. Beyond that - let's hear some ideas pitched.

 

I'll be a concept artist, and not a very good one.

However, i'll push for a Steampunk RPG. Fantasy has been done to death.

 

I'm usually better at design aspects and mechanics. I'm studying game programming at the moment but am getting pretty fuzzy on the specifics

 

I'll work as a project manager, making sure that all of our deliverables and tasks are catalogued, assigned to an appropriate team member, and will just generally try to keep our efforts organized. I will also help with the creative vision of the game....

If I have time, I'll try to help with some of the writing, while I'm at it.

 

I have some experience programming 3d engines and designing software architectures. An isometric RPG like BG could be fun. But we would need to sidestep the standard fantasy stuff.

 

^ Most important job, without which all the other jobs quickly fall into disarray and get abandoned.

• define mission statement ("make the greatest RPG of all time")
• define needs to satisfy mission statement ("we'll need art, and programming," etc.)
• define jobs to fill needs ("we'll need x number of artists, and y number of programmers," etc.)
• fill jobs ("now hiring, apply within")
• do jobs (Marceror cracks his whip and everybody starts delivering brilliant content)

Second most important thing: the team leader needs to be discriminating. The "I suck at this but I'll do it anyway" mentality has to go, because it will only result in sucky product. So the TL must tell unqualified persons who apply "no." You wouldn't expect to get a job in the real world that you sucked at, much less if you told them in your interview that you sucked at it. Basically, if the objective is for everybody to 'have fun,' let anybody do whatever. If the objective is a quality product, you have to run the operation like a business.

Then again, this is Bad Investments Ltd., so maybe they don't care.

 

We're off to a good start.

Bad Investments Ltd. doesn't care - it depends on our priorities though.
I'm fairly okay with the 'I suck at this but I'll do it anyway' mentality. It's just a matter of assigning these people to tasks that are within their ability. There's no sense in wasting free and willing manpower, and so long as the possibility of them failing is taken into scheduling there shouldn't be a problem.

And, of course, as project manager Marceror isn't our boss. It's still a collective endeavour.

A dedicated project manager is definitely a plus though.

---

I think when it comes to our concept we need to be careful not to be too ambitious. Twelve months isn't a long development cycle and we're not exactly a team of industry veterans - and the lack of artists so far is troubling. I think we should consider setting the game in a limited space - say, in one town.

On Steampunk:
I'm not a big fan of vanilla steampunk these days, but I'm open to steampunk elements. Steam or clockwork technology in a fantasy setting or neovictorianism in a futuristic setting (ala The Diamond Age) work for me.
Or setting the entire game on a zeppelin would be interesting and a good limiter.

I'm also highly in favour of feelings of discovery and exploration in general - always liked wandering around the wilderness in BG and finding new things. Scope and such are a problem there though.

I'd like to see fairytale fantasy done in a game - think Phantastes by George MacDonald or Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Exploration would be a big part of it - probably the main point.


Anyway, hopefully some artists will come along, or we're going low-fi.

 

Yeah, while a project manager role requires a good amount of leadership, this is certainly not the same thing as creative director or producer. As a project manager (and by the way, we certainly have room for more than one), I will definitely be taking my share of orders, and working to ensure that from a logistical perspective, we are positioned to deliver. At the same time, I will certainly be tracking our key milestones, and if we are in jeopardy of slipping on any of them, I'll be calling folks together to understand why, and figure out options.

Tal, I'm sure there will be plenty of room for a collaborative approach in the PM duties, so I welcome your support in this regard. This will surely help to stave off that aforementioned ulcer!

I see one of our big holes yet being that creative lead. The guy with the deep vision for the story, the presentation, the gameplay, and how it all fits together. The PM(s) support this guy (or gal), but these roles should certainly be separate in my opinion. The PM focuses on "how" while the creative lead focuses on "what."

 

Creative Lead isn't a role that someone can just put their hand up for though - it's something that needs to emerge out of our discussions. We don't just want to make one person's vision, after all - it would ruin the point of a community project. If possible I think the role should be decentralised - once we have the vision we can divvy up who is responsible for what parts of the vision. Someone will need to monitor that no one has gone rogue or off-track from the generally agreed upon design, but other than that I don't think we need any single creative director.

 

I was going to start preaching against the perils of the paths outlined above, but as I think this is just for fun (not fighting, angst, and vitriol), I'll instead volunteer as sound guy.

Oh, @Marceror - I won't be able to make my first project delivery ... I was planning on taking a little time off, hope that's not a problem.

 

I'd be the smiley poster boy!

 

Even Bad Investments will run out of money if we let you propellor heads have your way. I'll be the Financial Controller and you'll have to come to me with a clear business case whenever you want to spend any money. So, no, you can't have triple 3d monitors each, and you can't spend 6 months on a 'creative stimulation exercise' in Hawaii before you start coding.

 

Ulcer, phase 1 - our first performance management issue

Gaear, without knowing the circumstances surrounding your need to take "a little time off" let me just clarify, that yes, missing a delivery objective is, in fact, a problem. A huge one. The only individuals who deserve to be on this team are those who are completely committed to its success, and your casual note to tell me that your first key project objective isn't going to be hit simply is not acceptable. What's going on Gaear? What's so important that you are placing "time off" over accomplishing a clear, (supposedly) documented milestone? And if you’re going to miss your delivery, how far off the mark are you expecting to be? A day, a week, a month! Do I need to reassign your work to someone else?

Need I remind you that when we started this project we asked only for team members who were willing to dedicate 110% of their hypothetical time and focus to this effort, which is -- for reasons that are purely hypothetical -- the most important project or our truly pathetic lives. Presented with those expectations, you agreed to join us.

We knew the hours would be long. We knew the sacrifices would be significant. This should not be coming as a surprise to you!

Bottom line: I need you to either get on the hypothetical bandwagon, and show me the kind of dedication and commitment that's going to make my brain hurt (which doesn't take much, but that's a separate discussion), or perhaps Bad Investments simply isn't the right place for you. You are either absolutely, unequivocally on board with getting this done, and able to pull your own weight, or you’re gone. And that’s just a bit of hard, cold, hypothetical reality.

Are you with us? Is that delivery objective still likely to be missed, or might you have reevaluated the situation? I need to give our creative director a status update on our progress in an hour, and I know he/she will be most interested in your status.

And finally, while we know full well that our project is a horrifically bad investment, that it will lose money hand over fist, and ruin the personal lives of most those involved with it, if we’re going to go down, we’re going to do it in the most painful, over-the-top, dramatic way possible. So either get off the ship, or grab a torch and help us light this b%*@h on fire!

 

Well, to be fair, Bad Investments "hired" us, which implies that we are getting paid, so I don't consider this a "fan" project in the typical regard. We've been hired by a legitimate (if not particularly reputable) company, and we only have a year to complete our project.

If Gaear isn't pulling his weight, he has the potential to do more harm than good, so if he leaves the team over receiving some much needed admonishment, then I can only say happy trails. Let's see though... Gaear can speak for himself on this one.

 

No probs, Marceror - I'm on board 110%. You can count on me. I'll get started on my stuff as soon as I get rested up. I don't know exactly when the first delivery due date is, but whatever, I'll get 'er done.

btw, I'd kind of like to be the 'idea man' too, as I've got some cool story ideas I'd like the writers and coders to use. Can I post them here so they can get started on them too?

 

Glad to hear it Gaear! Post away. As far as I can tell we have no idea what our project is yet, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to start figuring that out at some point.

As for your delivery date, it's that hypothetical date that we agreed upon a while back. Double check your hypothetical documentation, and you'll see it's there in black and white. You might want to print that date out in size 72 font and post it next to your desk. With only a year to get this done, we will live or die by our deliverable dates, hypothetical or otherwise.

 

Rather odd comments from the founder of a site that is trying to revitalize itself.