Question for the Developers

[BlackWolf500.298]

Question for the Developers

Hey guys,

now I know I might not have the right to ask that, and you do not have to answer it we all know that, but I recently read and article written by Clint Hocking, the man that made Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (being lead writer, lead level designer AND lead creative director at the same time) about how the development of that game was going and that he is really proud of it, but also that there are things he regrets. If you want the short version skip the next paragraph.

In short, he talks about an incident regarding him and a friend of his, where - during this project - his friends visited him for 1 week (stayed at his house) and he reduced his work hours so he could spend some time with him in the evenings. Months later, talking about the events his friend and him disagreed in terms of what exactly happened that week. After a while of talking they realized that Hocking had actually confused their week together with a visit that happened one year ago. They realized after some talking that Hocking had forgotten the whole week, it is basically as if his friend never visited him. This was confirmed when he talked to his wife who could perfectly remember the week. His assumption was that he had so much stress and so many work hours during the project that he lost some of his memory regarding things that happened outside of his work. (That did never happen to him again after this).

A very interesting story, but that is not my point. During the article he mentioned that they were working more than 80 hours (!!) a week, or at least he was working that long (his team probably a little bit less) during almost the whole project.

I am just interested - is that an industry standard?
Do you (CDPR) work that long?
If yes, is it by choice (out of passion and dedication) or do you have to work that long to get the game done correctly? (if you are not free to say anything regarding this I understand)

I would have asked that question in the thread where Kinley collected questions for the next interview, but unfortunately the question only came up AFTER the thread was already closed.

I am really interested on what the developers answers and opinions are on this matter. Do they work that long, if yes do they do it because they have to or because they want to? Do they think that this is a standard in the industry, or is this the exception?

Just thought I'd ask.

 

[Garrison72]

A question better asked on the Ubisoft forums.

 

[wichat]

Indeed, I rather hear they did. Mostly because such stress in a game like TW3 implies a lot of mistakes in all levels (graphics, technics, storyline, link between quests which have difference consecuences... along 3 years? Not in a sane way... Or maybe the 2 delays have something to do with that... What a nightmare.

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

A question better asked on the Ubisoft forums.

I don't think it would make sense asking there. The answer I would get I can already guess. Which will probably be "no comment". Also, I didn't ask for Ubisofts practices. I was just curious about how much time they put in there. I mean I think nobody would blame them if they would work the normal 40 hours a week, since they do great work and they have been in development since years. But I just don't think they do. The way those developers are talking about their game, they really put all their effort and time into there.

I'm just interested what they see as "normal worktimes in the video game industry" and if they work that much, or if some work that much and others not (like for example the lead guys work that much and the other team members work a little less). I'm just curios. I got big interest in video game development and who knows, maybe I'll be a developer one day, I don't know yet. Fact is that I am just interested what their view and opinions about this is.

Like I said, they don't HAVE to answer it.

Indeed, I rather hear they did. Mostly because such stress in a game like TW3 implies a lot of mistakes in all levels (graphics, technics, storyline, link between quests which have difference consecuences... along 3 years? Not in a sane way... Or maybe the 2 delays have something to do with that... What a nightmare.

Okay, maybe after hearing that statement they should wait until AFTER release before saying anything.
Are you serious?
I'm not implying they made mistakes or anything. My example here - Chaos Theory - was a MASTERPIECE. I would never assume they made mistakes just based on the time they spend developing it. Hell, I didn't know people could be so immature and quickly judging.

Hold your comment off CDPR, I don't need it now. Just answer it after development. Last thing I want to do is to cause another panic and witchhunt in the forums where people start uttering stupid "concerns" regarding the quality of the game and the mistakes made because you spend "too much time" a week working on it.

 

[sidspyker]

I am just interested - is that an industry standard?

Welcome to the videgame industry. The pay is bad eh, the skill undervalued and the hours long. Driven only by passion
(seriously)

Pretty sure Team Bondi for example did 100hours/week for L.A. Noire.

 

[dragonbird]

I don't know how it works in game development, but I can talk about long hours for people in software development generally. The company I worked longest for did bespoke software for customers, mainly long projects (1-3 years) and with heavy contractual obligations to deliver on time.

For those in software development, a working week of at least 60 hours was normal, and not considered excessive. It was partly cultural, and definitely not because the company didn't want to employ more staff. "Heavy" work weeks, when deadlines were close or if there was a problem, meant working 20 or more hours per day for more than a couple of days. And yes, if that happened, a lot more mistakes were made.

The long hours were mainly for those directly involved in production and testing. Short-term workloads may involve any kind of expertise. Generally though, the designers and other creative staff only worked those hours because they were in the middle of something and WANTED to keep working on it. Maybe the Ubi guy forgot about that week because it was so much LESS interesting than being at work, but I suspect it's different in game development, where the design/creative process is a much bigger part of the overall development.

 

[wichat]

Are you serious?
I'm not implying they made mistakes or anything. My example here - Chaos Theory - was a MASTERPIECE. I would never assume they made mistakes just based on the time they spend developing it. Hell, I didn't know people could be so immature and quickly judging.

Maybe because people try to explain their opinions in a language which is not their native and never study it with a teacher, people who dare to speak a language they never use with anybody in real life and make a great effort for particpate in a forum like this?

Don't judge people so easely, please.

---------- Updated at 11:06 AM ----------

BTW

Yo soy uno de esos profesionales que se pasaba más de 12-14 horas delante del ordenador para realizar mi trabajo. Y me gustaba hacerlo. De hecho, he sufrido más estress en horarios más razonables pero con una presión exterior excesiva. Cuando trabajas en algo que te satisface el tiempo dedicado no te acarrea ningun problema porque tu entusiasmo lo equilibra con creces.

I am one of those professionals who spent more than 12-14 hours at the computer to do my job. And I liked to. In fact, I have suffered more stress in more reasonable times but excessive external pressure. When you work on something that satisfies you do not time spent carries no problem because your enthusiasm balances it in spades.

 

[TheEvilChris]

Different people work at different speeds. And there are different periods of stress during the development cycle that may require more or less time than others. Generally, you work to get the job done. Usually this is a standard 8 hour day with lunch & coffee breaks. However, as the work you do gets near completion (keeping in mind that different departments finish work at different times) you may need to spend extra time in the office or you may want to spend extra time in the office. We are a very passionate group here at CD PROJEKT RED and we all want the games we make to be the best we can be, so sometimes, we work long or late hours.

We do have great project managers, HR team and department leads that ensure we take care of ourselves though. No one wants to turn in bad work because they didn't get any sleep or burn out and quit when the job is done. We're taken care of really well, so it is a balancing act to turn out the best work while keeping our staff happy & safe.

 

[shtempik]

Different people work at different speeds. And there are different periods of stress during the development cycle that may require more or less time than others. Generally, you work to get the job done. Usually this is a standard 8 hour day with lunch & coffee breaks. However, as the work you do gets near completion (keeping in mind that different departments finish work at different times) you may need to spend extra time in the office or you may want to spend extra time in the office. We are a very passionate group here at CD PROJEKT RED and we all want the games we make to be the best we can be, so sometimes, we work long or late hours.

We do have great project managers, HR team and department leads that ensure we take care of ourselves though. No one wants to turn in bad work because they didn't get any sleep or burn out and quit when the job is done. We're taken care of really well, so it is a balancing act to turn out the best work while keeping our staff happy & safe.

Now this is a dream work Life accomplished!

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

Thanks for the answer.

I can understand wanting to stay longer to finish or correct something you might be able to do just a little better. I'm a bit of a perfectionist myself and when I really commit to something I often find myself spending multiple hours more then I intended to just to get that last touch on my work so it is even better than I originally intended it to be.

At the same time, I am glad there are people out there understanding that sleep deprivation and extensive stress periods can lead to burn-ours or bad work, so that it is recommended to take some off-time and relax every once in a while and maybe - in high periods of stress - to consult and expert (psychologist) who can evaluate your stress level and help you deal with it for the very stressful periods. Passion is all that drives the industry, indeed.