Office fever
I know you are all yearning for the tech details about making tracks and juicy screenshots, but you have to stay patient for a bit longer =). I decided to tell you about the work in general instead, and give an insight of my days here at the office and tell you a bit about the development process itself. So it's something for all! ;)
My lovely alarm clock bolts me up at around 8:40am, after which I hit the showers and rush to the train station. ETA at the office front door is typically circa 9:56am and then its towads my Starship Ent..err. Desk. The work day here is the normal 8 hour day, including a lunch break. So I leave about 6pm, or later if I'm late from the schedule or doing extra time to cover some unexpected vacation days.
My work day is pretty normal, but there is hardly routine. Work varies a lot. In the beginning of the project I design tracks with our lead artist and with few other artists and then model them so we can drive them in the game. After that it's all about making that track fun, good to drive, exciting, balanced.. etc.
Gettiing a track from an idea to semi-finished stage takes about 2 months if everything goes as planned. After the track has it's most imminent content, it's far from being ready. :) The lighting needs to be adjusted, the AI needs nursing, the replay cameras have to bring the "emotion" and action of the game "in your face". The list of "polishing tasks" is quite long.
Then there's the testing process, which is mostly handled by professional game testers, but of course it involves us too. Every other week I write this blog, joggle between unexcepted work stuff, have major or mini meetings with other artists, be mean to the spidey, go to lunch and maybe answer some emails if I can. And of course everything is related to drinking this certain energy drink. Though I have to confess that I did not drink all of those cans! :)
I know that many people think that all of this is glamour and the Best Place EVAR (tm) to work at, because making games is a every boys' dream, right?
Well, yes and no. :) Every morning is like going to another home. We have another kind of family here. It doesn't feel as a serious work place, but of course it is just that. It's work. It's hard, it's stressful sometimes, just as any job. But it definitely is one of the most gratifying jobs there is. Like any other industry, games are also big business, but the great thing is that we're making the most modern form of entertainment there is. The most demanding part is to deliver games that gamers would enjoy and we're here to do just that.
All of the work above is of course scheduled, and for many reasons schedules do change. One part of the job is managing your own schedule within the actual time frame given by the Head Honchos in the firm and by the publisher(s). That means scheduling your week so that each day you have something to do (duh). So I have to make sure that I'm on schedule frequently.
That might sound a bit harsh, but I assure you it's quite common in almost any job. The way it's done might vary though. :) It has a profound purpose though. And that's milestones. Milestones means a certain point in the game development where publishers wants to see certain things in place, in the game. There's minor milestones (perhaps weekly) and main milestones (i.e alpha & beta). To me minor milestones are as much as important than the main ones, because minor milestones become the main ones at one point.
At the moment there is still several months to go in the development, alpha and beta somewhere lurking in the horizon, so I'm concentrating doing my job on the daily tasks. Keeps me sane too! ;)
-Tomi - going sentimental. Or insane..
