How rapid prototyping saved Tim Schafer from extinction

Started by Igor Hardy, Thu 09/08/2012 20:45:00

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Igor Hardy


Baron

Wow, that amnesia fortnight sounds like a whole bunch of fun.  Like MAGS, only in half the time.  But my intuition tells me the two weeks would be a gruelling 24x14 affair.  So I'd do it in a heartbeat if it was part of my job, but as an amateur I don't think it's something I'd try with my vacation time.

Ponch

I'm with Baron. Someone would have to pay me a lot of money to follow a schedule like that. Heck, I find a month of MAGS to be a bit much -- and I don't finish those games half of the time! Truly Tim is a hero to lazy programmers everywhere.  8-)

Armageddon


Igor Hardy

A major difference between MAGS and Amnesia Fortnight is that the Schafer guys set out specifically to make a prototype, not a complete game in that time. Then for the rest of the production (several months?) they were limited by what was established in those 2 weeks.

From the Amnesia Fortnight games I played, I must say I really enjoyed the Costume Quest game. It has humor, style and atmosphere. But gameplay wise it's a simplified jRPG (Final Fantasy) with a few Zelda-like features and collectibles thrown in. It's fun, just hardly something fresh and deep.

Stacking on the other hand looks really splendid and has those huge areas that feel alive. It also has some pretty unique gameplay mechanics and stylistic choices. Unfortunately, it also gets terribly boring after about 2 hours - even if you play in short sittings. The writing in the cutscenes gets more and more annoying too. The core of the game does indeed feel too rapidly and conservatively put together.

Anian

Well he says they work in teams of about 15 people, they have the concepts predetermined (Schafer says that team leaders get people on the basis of what they're doing) and they work in an engine that everybody is familiar in (pipeline wise as well).
So it's not exactly MAGS but with half the time. It's a rather organized creativity.
I don't want the world, I just want your half

selmiak

the link in the first post is not working that great. Is there a more direct link?

Anian

Quote from: selmiak on Sun 12/08/2012 13:51:52
the link in the first post is not working that great. Is there a more direct link?
It's, there but it's not called the same as the thread title
Creative Panic: How Agility Turned Terror into Triumph
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015662/Creative-Panic-How-Agility-Turned
I don't want the world, I just want your half


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