Game Development Caution

Summary

In this video script, Tim reflects on the changing landscape of game development, highlighting 'development caution' as a growing trend. He shares three anecdotes illustrating the shift from a more agile and passionate approach to one that is more cautious and corporate. Tim emphasizes the importance of taking risks and maintaining passion to prevent games from becoming mundane, and encourages developers to create without excessive oversight. He concludes by expressing concern over the impact of this caution on the industry's creativity and innovation.

Takeaways

• 📝 The speaker, Tim, discusses the evolution of game development from a more personal and passionate approach to a more cautious and corporate one.
• 🔑 Tim highlights three stories to illustrate the shift in attitudes towards game development, focusing on management, task estimation, and creative discussions.
• 🤔 He observes that modern game development is characterized by 'development caution,' with an emphasis on padding time estimates and seeking consensus, often at the cost of innovation and passion.
• 🚫 The first story reveals a resistance to the traditional whiteboard task assignment method, with team members threatening to quit if their names were publicly associated with tasks.
• 🕒 In the second story, a simple combat AI feature request was overestimated to take four weeks, showcasing a discrepancy between the perceived complexity and the actual simplicity of the task.
• 🗣️ The third story describes the creative and passionate discussions between Tim and Leonard, which were misinterpreted by others as arguments, reflecting a misunderstanding of their collaborative dynamic.
• 💡 Tim suggests that caution in game development can lead to fewer bugs and less stress, but it also stifles creativity and the charm of games that come from taking risks.
• 🎮 He argues that the rise of microtransactions, pre-orders, and early access for additional payments are symptoms of the industry's shift towards a money-driven focus.
• 📉 Tim laments the loss of passion in game journalism, where reviews have become more cautious and calculated to avoid controversy and generate clicks.
• 🛑 He concludes by encouraging developers to take risks and iterate quickly, rather than being overly cautious and producing mundane games that lack character.
• 🔄 The resolution of the stories involves finding alternative solutions, like using Confluence for task visibility, accepting the two-week estimate for the AI feature, and continuing passionate discussions behind closed doors.

Q & A

What was Tim's approach to managing tasks during the development of Fallout?

Tim used two whiteboards to manage tasks: one for listing features or content that needed to be completed and another for the top 10 most severe bugs. Each item was assigned to a specific person, and this was done to ensure everyone knew what needed to be worked on when they started their day.

How did the team's reaction differ when Tim tried the same whiteboard task management method at Carbine Studios 10 years later?

The team at Carbine Studios was overwhelmingly against using the whiteboard method. They felt it was too transparent and would make them uncomfortable, even if names were not listed next to the tasks.

What was the simple combat aggression code Tim requested for The Outer Worlds and why was it important?

The simple combat aggression code Tim requested was a basic system where NPCs would track who had shot them and how much damage they took, then prioritize attacking the person who had done the most damage. This was important as it allowed for more dynamic and engaging combat AI that could be expanded upon later.

Why did the programmer initially estimate four weeks to implement the combat aggression code, and how did Tim respond?

The programmer initially estimated four weeks for the task, which Tim found excessive given the simplicity of the code. Tim pushed back, explaining that he had written similar code before and it should only take about 45 minutes. After a discussion, the programmer agreed to a two-week estimate.

What was the issue with the development team's communication style when discussing features with Leonard?

Tim and Leonard would get very passionate and vocal when discussing features, often raising their voices and using whiteboards. This was misinterpreted by others as an argument, causing some team members to feel uncomfortable.

What is 'development caution' as described by Tim, and why is he concerned about it?

Development caution refers to an overabundance of caution in game development, such as padding time estimates and seeking excessive approval before making decisions. Tim is concerned because this approach can stifle creativity and innovation, leading to less charming and risk-taking games.

How has the rise of development caution affected the game industry according to Tim?

The rise of development caution has led to games becoming more corporate-driven and focused on financial success, with less emphasis on creativity and unique ideas. This has resulted in more cautious game designs, microtransactions, pre-orders, and early access for additional payments.

What is Tim's view on the Indie game space in relation to development caution?

Tim believes that the Indie game space is richer in ideas because Indies tend to take more risks and have less caution. He sees AAA games sometimes borrowing features and ideas from Indie games, which can lead to a lack of originality in mainstream games.

How has Tim observed caution affecting game journalism?

Tim has noticed that game journalists have become more cautious in their reviews to avoid controversy or being excluded from early access and press events. This has led to less passionate and honest reviews, with a focus on generating clicks rather than providing critical feedback.

What solution did Tim implement for managing tasks in The Outer Worlds instead of the whiteboard method?

Instead of the whiteboard method, Tim created a personal Confluence page where he listed the top 10 tasks he wanted to focus on each week. This allowed team members to see the priorities without feeling the pressure of being publicly assigned to specific tasks.

What is Tim's advice for game developers regarding development caution?

Tim advises game developers to be passionate, take risks, and not rely on committees for approval. He encourages rapid iteration to refine ideas rather than being overly cautious, which can lead to mundane and passionless games.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Development Caution: The Evolution of Project Management

In this paragraph, Tim shares his experiences with game development management practices over time. He starts with a story from the development of Fallout, where a whiteboard system was used to track tasks and bugs, assigning them to individuals. This approach was effective and well-received. However, when Tim tried the same method 10 years later at Carbine, the team strongly opposed it, fearing the public assignment of tasks would lead to excessive pressure and potential quitting. The anecdote highlights a shift in team dynamics and the need for more private and less direct management methods in modern game development.

05:02

🤔 The Impact of Caution on Game Development Creativity

Tim discusses the rise of 'development caution' in the gaming industry over the past decade. He notes an increase in conservative time estimates, meetings, and a general abundance of caution that can sometimes stifle creativity and risk-taking. While acknowledging that caution can lead to fewer bugs and less stress, Tim argues that it can also make games less charming and unique. He contrasts this with the indie game space, which he believes is richer in ideas due to less caution and more risk-taking. Tim also touches on how the industry's shift towards a corporate, money-driven focus has affected game design, with practices like microtransactions and early access for additional payments becoming more common.

10:02

🔥 Preserving Passion in Game Development and Journalism

In the final paragraph, Tim expresses concern over the loss of passion in both game development and journalism due to increasing caution. He observes that new entrants to the industry seem to lack the enthusiasm and drive seen in the past. Tim recounts how he adapted to the changing attitudes by creating a personal Confluence page to track important tasks without assigning blame publicly. He also settled on a two-week estimate for a simple combat AI feature after initially facing resistance. Tim concludes by encouraging developers to be passionate, take risks, and iterate quickly to create games that show genuine passion and avoid the mundane. He also reflects on the way discussions and debates about game features have changed, with some missing out on the excitement of passionate exchanges.

Keywords

💡Game Development Caution

This term refers to an excessive level of caution in the game development process, which can lead to overly conservative decision-making and risk aversion. It is central to the video's theme, as the speaker, Tim, discusses how this caution can stifle creativity and innovation in game design. In the script, Tim uses his experiences to illustrate how development caution has changed over time, from the whiteboard method in 'Fallout' to the resistance to such transparency at Carbine Studios.

💡Whiteboard

A whiteboard is a writable surface used for brainstorming and tracking tasks, often found in workplaces. In the context of the video, Tim describes using whiteboards to list unfinished features and bugs that needed attention during the development of 'Fallout'. The whiteboard served as a visual tool for team members to quickly identify their tasks, but this approach was met with resistance when attempted at Carbine Studios, reflecting a shift in team dynamics and attitudes towards transparency.

💡Egregious Bugs

Egregious bugs are significant errors or faults in a software program that stand out due to their severity or obviousness. In the video, Tim mentions a whiteboard listing the top 10 most egregious bugs as a way to prioritize and address critical issues in game development. This concept is tied to the theme of development caution, as it highlights the need for developers to be aware of and actively work on fixing major problems that could impact the game's quality.

💡Combat AI

Combat AI refers to the artificial intelligence systems that govern the behavior of non-player characters in combat situations within a game. Tim shares an anecdote about requesting a simple combat aggression code for 'The Outer Worlds', which was initially estimated to take four weeks to implement. This example underscores the video's theme of development caution, as it demonstrates how even simple tasks can become over-estimated and delayed, potentially hindering progress and innovation.

💡Estimates

Estimates in the context of game development refer to the predicted time required to complete a task or feature. Tim discusses the tendency for developers to 'pad' these estimates, often resulting in longer development times than necessary. This practice is related to the theme of development caution, as it reflects a conservative approach to project management that can slow down the creative process.

💡Indie Games

Indie games are video games typically created by individuals or small teams without the financial support of a large publisher. In the video, Tim contrasts indie games with AAA (triple-A) titles, suggesting that indie developers often take more risks and exhibit greater creativity due to less development caution. He admires the richness of ideas in the indie space, which he believes is being diluted by the cautious approach of larger studios.

💡Microtransactions

Microtransactions are small, optional in-game purchases that players can make to enhance their gaming experience, often in the form of virtual goods or services. Tim mentions microtransactions as an example of how the game industry has become more cautious and financially driven, which can impact the creative process and the integrity of the game design.

💡Risk

Risk, in the context of the video, refers to the potential for failure or negative outcomes in game development due to taking innovative or unconventional approaches. Tim argues that the rise of development caution has led to a decrease in risk-taking, which he believes is detrimental to the charm and uniqueness of games. He encourages developers to embrace risk to foster creativity.

💡Corporate-Driven

The term 'corporate-driven' describes a business model or approach that prioritizes profit and shareholder value over other considerations. In the video, Tim reflects on how game development has shifted towards being corporate-driven, with a focus on financial success and marketability, which can lead to a more cautious and less creative development process.

💡Passion

Passion in the video represents the enthusiasm and dedication that developers bring to their work, which can drive innovation and creativity. Tim expresses concern that the rise of development caution is causing a loss of passion in the industry, as developers become more focused on avoiding risks and meeting corporate goals rather than pursuing their creative visions.

💡Iteration

Iteration in game development refers to the process of refining and improving a game through multiple cycles of testing and feedback. Tim advocates for rapid iteration as a way to quickly evolve game ideas and overcome the limitations imposed by development caution. He believes that the ability to make and learn from mistakes is crucial for creating engaging and unique gaming experiences.

Highlights

Tim discusses the concept of 'game development caution' and its impact on the industry.

A retrospective on the whiteboard system used during Fallout's development for task and bug tracking.

The resistance to the whiteboard system at Carbine Studios, with employees threatening to quit.

The simplicity of the combat AI code requested for The Outer Worlds and the programmer's four-week estimate.

Tim's pushback on the programmer's estimate and the subsequent discussion about the task's complexity.

The tension between Tim and the lead programmer over the combat AI code's development timeline.

The creative and passionate discussions between Tim and Leonard that were mistaken for arguments.

The observation of increased development caution over the past decade in the gaming industry.

The potential negative effects of caution on game creativity and charm.

The shift in game development from personal expression to corporate-driven profit.

The rise of microtransactions, pre-orders, and early access as a result of corporate influence.

The importance of the indie game space as a source of fresh and risky ideas.

The caution observed in game journalism and its impact on honest critique and passion.

Tim's call to action for developers to create games with passion and not be hindered by excessive caution.

The resolution of the whiteboard issue by creating a personal Confluence page for task tracking.

The eventual acceptance and understanding of Tim and Leonard's passionate discussions as a part of their process.

Tim's reflection on the changing nature of game development and the need for passion amidst caution.

Transcripts

hi everyone it's me Tim today I want to

talk about something that for a lack of

a better phrase I'm going to call game

development caution

before I start and tell you three

different stories

they're a little different but then I'll

tell you what I'm thinking about

when we made Fallout towards the end

when we were really trying to get it out

we had two white boards

one white board had a list of

features or content that weren't done

yet that really needed to get in

and the other whiteboard had

a list of what the 10 most egregious

bugs were

and next to each person next to each one

of these on these two different

whiteboards were listed the person who

was assigned to it

we did it in a whiteboard like this so

that people could come in the morning

and look at it because this predated

jira or Confluence or anything like that

they could come in look at the

Whiteboard and go oh I see something I

need to jump on

worked fine

I don't think I heard any complaint

about it people liked getting stuff off

of that if they saw something I was like

I'm on that today

try doing the exact same thing

10 years later

at carbine

overwhelmingly

people said

no do not do that I will quit if you do

that

if I see my name on that whiteboard I

will quit

and I said well what if we don't put

people's names next to it I'll still

quit people will know it's me

story two

when we're making the outer worlds

I wanted to put in this is

probably a year end of year two so we're

still a year away

the combat AI wasn't really in yet so I

asked for a very simple combat

aggression code to be added

it was this is how simple it was

every time an NPC got shot

they would see if that person was on the

list of someone who'd shot them

if they weren't they'd add them to the

list which they matter with the amount

of damage they just took if they were

already on the list they'd just add the

amount of damage they took

whenever they're deciding who to attack

they attack the person at the top of the

list

that's it that's all I wanted keep in

mind

the advantage of that basic AI you can

make lots of changes later you can make

them

that it has the the one at the top of

the list if it's different than the

person you're attacking the damage has

to exceed

the damage of the person attacking You

by a certain amount before your change

targets you can take distance into

account you can take whether you can

reach them into account whether you have

a ranged weapon into account all that

comes later that's all I wanted

uh it got put into the programmer

production query queue and came back

with an estimate of four weeks

I pushed back saying

the code I asked for was very simple

I've written it before

would take about 45 minutes it's

basically

there's already a callback when you get

hit that's when you look to put them on

the list and there's a callback there's

a call when you want to pick a Target

that's when you look at the list and see

which one you want to attack that's it

the programmer who got signed to came to

me and said I need four weeks and I'm

like why walk me through what you're

going to do and he goes you don't

understand and I was like I've coded

this three times walk me through it and

he wouldn't

he left he left angry lead programmer

came back started

yelling at me saying if he says he needs

four weeks he needs four weeks and I'm

like then I will do it I'll have it done

before lunch and he said no because no

one then people will have to support

your code I'm like well let me walk

through I'm going to walk you through

what I want and you tell me why this

takes four weeks he looked at what I

wrote which was about 10 lines of pseudo

code on a whiteboard and he goes I'll

come back he came back about an hour

later and said what about two weeks and

I said do I have any options here

fine two weeks

Story three

Leonard and I talk about features all

the time whether it's dialogues or

system mechanics or story

setting we get very into it

our voices may be raised

we're jumping out of our chairs to draw

things on whiteboards we're pacing back

and forth

I know I've mentioned this before but

Anthony Davis showed up at our door and

said you you guys have to stop yelling

everybody's getting nervous it's like

Mom and Dad are yelling at each other

still don't know who he met with Mom but

we explained that just us talking we're

not mad but we're trying to tease apart

exactly what to do and we're getting

into it

so

what do those three stories have to do

with each other

I'm starting to see in the industry I

shouldn't say starting

in the last decade the last quarter of

my career I'm starting to see this rise

of what I can only call development

caution an abundance of caution

of

padding estimates

uh time estimates of

wanting to go around and check with a

lot of people to see if something's okay

asking should we do this I'm not sure

let's have a meeting

frequently

people would want to have a meeting to

discuss something and those were the

very people who would say we have too

many meetings I can't get any work done

now caution can be a really good thing

if it leads to less bugs less stress

also I get the fact that because games

cost more now

your people are approaching it with this

sense of caution because

you're not just going to be out a little

bit of money you're going to be out a

lot of money if this game doesn't do

well

the thing that worries me though is

games can also be a lot worse because of

caution and everybody who's cautious

kind of denies that they're like no

it'll we're reducing bugs we're in Pre

increasing life work balance people are

less stressed and I'm like true but with

but you're also taking a lot less risk

in a game

which in many games I think give them

less charm and yeah even games that have

Jank have a lot of charm my games have

had Jank uh I know people talk about

Jank and other games you know things

where the AI acts in a bizarre way in

certain circumstances or NPCs say weird

things or do weird things

it can be Charming

but things have changed and I know

games have gone from being

an expression of an idea of an of like

artwork from a particular

person or group of people into a

corporate driven

money-seeking instrument and I get it

there's a lot of money going into these

in a way though I would argue they

always were you always were making these

with the idea that you know I hope it

sells a lot we make money but now

designs are being driven by this that's

why we have microtransactions it's why

we have

pre-orders it's why we have

what we're starting to see lately where

games are if you pay a little more you

can play it a few days or even a week

early

now you can't always get blame the

the

Publishers or the Developers for this if

people didn't pay for it they wouldn't

do it it's like spam if everybody

stopped answering spam tomorrow it would

go away but because a tiny percentage

does it's there for everybody to see

but so I'm not really talking about the

money driven part I'm talking about how

the caution is dampening down the ideas

it's why I want to double down on this

I've always thought the Indie space is a

lot richer in ideas

probably not money certainly not money

but they're much richer in ideas because

they take less they take they have less

caution and take a lot more risk and

unfortunately what I see then is

um

aaa's that dip into indie games for

features and ideas

by the way it's not just Publishers and

developers that I see all this caution

with I've seen a huge rise in caution in

game journalism

it's become the norm that

no one what no journalist wants to risk

getting into an embargo situation where

they're not given a an early access code

so they can't write their reviews

earlier than other people

they're worried about not being invited

to press events or

you know junkets I think they're called

so a lot of them have gone a lot more

cautious in what they say I really miss

the reviews

I'll name a couple like Scorpio in the

80s and 90s at desklock in the 90s and

early 2000s because

those two people those two reviewers

said what they thought

if you put out a game they

secure you for all the things that were

wrong with it but then they praise you

for everything that's right with it now

it's sort of like well we really like

this but they don't want to like really

double down on it because it may be

something people don't like so like

let's say a journalist loves the

diversity in the game he may go well I'm

not going to say that that much because

I don't wanna

come across as being pandering and also

some people yell when you talk about

that so I just see a lot of the passion

drain out of game journalism

and they're really just trying to go for

what can what kind of review can I write

that generates the most clicks

and I guess this worries me because if I

see this everywhere if I see this in

Publishers and developers and now

new people entering the industry they

don't have this passion anymore so

you know what's the moral of all this

I've got I want to tell people just go

and make it make what you want you don't

need a committee to sign off on it you

can always go back and change it or if

you make something and it turns out not

to be good at all and unsalvageable

throw it away but that that rapid

iteration to get to some really good

idea is a lot better than just being so

cautious

that you basically creep up to a very

mundane

game

that doesn't show any kind of passion in

its development people can tell people

can tell

so I started with stories let me end

with those three stories and

how they kind of got resolved

so

I didn't even try to do the Whiteboard

solution when I made our worlds what I

did is I made my own Confluence page

called

like I was Tim kaine's top 10 or

something it was in my Confluence space

and I wrote here are the 10 biggest

things I once looked at this week and

there were a few producers who would

look at that page all the time what was

great about this solution nobody could

come and complain to me about it because

it was in my Confluence space

my own personal but public Confluence

space

also I'd like to point out that anybody

could go to jira at any time and say

what are the 10 most

High prior highly prioritized bugs and

who are they assigned to

so we already had that whiteboard

virtually

but somehow it was okay that it wasn't

called attention to

for the combat aggression code I think I

settled on two weeks and I think it got

done faster than that great I got it

I don't think I asked for anything after

that I didn't go and specifically ask

for anything because I realized that I

was being viewed as some sort of ogre

when I knew something could be done

faster

and there was no solution to it which is

why years ago I started thinking oh this

is becoming a problem

same thing with Leonard not yelling each

other we just kept doing it we're like

it's our office we shut the door we're

not mad at each other but this is the

way we get things done

note noted that people know some people

don't like it we won't get things done

like that with you and let me tell you I

think there were people who felt like

they missed out on not being parts of

those conversations some people would

come over uh Charlie

um had his office right next door

and he would the lead designer on on

outer worlds and he would come in

sometimes and join in great

other people didn't do that you missed

out and I think you missed out on some

really fun

active engaging conversations about game

development

but that's the way things are going so

I'm not sure I have a great solution

other than telling people reminding

people to be passionate but I just kind

of want to talk about this because it

kind of ties into bigger teams and

longer development time

bigger budgets just this whole game

development

caution that's rising up in the industry

so there got that off my chest