I Thought Things Were Getting Better

That was my first mistake. Things don't get better. They bury themselves under the surface, just out of sight, and then pop up again when you think things are good.

We have now entered crunch mode. We knew this was coming. It happens on every game project (sadly). We have been asked to get our staff to work an extra two hours a day and work a Saturday. That is to be expected (sadly, again, from previous experience), but not six months out from alpha! It is as I have been saying all along through this project. It's our previous projects all over again. It looks the same, plays the same, has the same design flaws, and the same production flaws. How the hell are we going to do next-gen development if we still cannot get current-gen development right after several projects?

Another thing is the current task of getting the written game design to match the game that is being developed. Can you see what is wrong with this? It means that the game design changed without the alterations going through the designers. What do we have designers for if they are going to be ignored and overridden by other members of the team? We cannot plan for upcoming levels because the things that we have to make are not documented in the game design document, mostly because the game designer does not know that the design has changed. Breakdown of communication. Breakdown of chain of command. People overstepping their authority and thinking they are above all others when it comes to getting what they want in the game. Especially when this "change" is claimed to fix all the current problems in the game design. Adding a new enemy to all levels, existing and yet-to-built, is not what I would call a "fix". It's a hack design change made by someone who has no design experience, but unfortunately this person is in a higher position. So we have to lump it.

Do we wonder why people burn out in this industry? I don't. After five years in the industry, I am living the reasons why people burn out.