Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
General: Five Unappreciated Developer Positions
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com contributor Shannon P. Drake writes this informative and sometimes humorous look at five different developer jobs that, while important to the MMO development process, often get left without the glory.
)
Follow MMORPGs too long and you begin to forget it's not just a world of rock star designers making amusing youtube videos during breaks from single-handedly shaping the destiny of their perfect, ultimate online world. The face of the modern MMO tends to be a single person, or a handful of people, who are well-spoken or amusing enough to go out and promote their title, while not giving away too much in the way of specifics, hopefully, though sometimes they are prone to overpromising based on the vague idea in their heads, much to the chagrin of PR handlers and fanboys everywhere. They become the loved and/or loathed figureheads of a title or studio, the guys blamed and/or praised when everything goes right/wrong.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
No art design, or production desinger love?
----------
"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
They already get that love...or hate from the fans.
They already get that love...or hate from the fans.
Not sure many would know what a Production designer does, to be honest.
----------
"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Yea the loot guy has the worst job in the building. Or the lack of a loot guy in some of the games I play.
for The Realm the Loot Guy is inspired!
The nubie armor has THE BEST stats in the game but it can't be repaired. So it degrades as it used and is virtually useless if you don't wear it despite it's stats.
A nice list, but I think we all know that those guys will continue to be unnoticed and unappreciated.
But even worse to think about the smaller games where one person has several of those tasks at once.
Nice one..
K
the worst part is when it becomes QA's job to test every vendor and trainer in the game to make sure the item guy didn't miss something or added something they shouldn't have
i knew sound guy was gonna be on the list. No matter what game it is the sound (except for music) is always briefly praised then ignored. I want to meet the guy that did all the explosions in Company of Heroes because that man did one hell of a job.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
http://thenoobcomic.com/index.php?pos=204
Example of the Item guy/girl, I have total respect to those people.
I, for one, am a big fan of good sound design in games. Granted, it's not talked about much, but actually when poorly done it can be really off-putting... And when done well it's a big immersion factor.
Good read
Having just heard some tard actually say in game, 'woah, was that a chick talking?' I lol'd at this one
'Loot and items have caused more Internet and Guild Drama than anything on earth, save possibly a girl talking on Ventrilo.'
I'm a fan of good sound, art, and UI design.
Honestly, those are some of the most appreciated positions in development outside of Lead Developer. The most under appreciated yet vastly more important are the programers and artists. No one here learns the name of even the lead artists or programmers in games. Yet all the positions you mentioned, they are mentioned in interviews, their names are mentioned in development, and from time to time they actually get press. No one watches a behind the scenes of a Texture Artist, yet they exist for sound designers squashing watermelons next to a microphone.
Girls talking on Vent cause no drama. 'Tards going "Whoa, was that a chick talking?" are responsible and should be ganked. Guilds free from them are deservedly lucky.
«Si oblitus fuero usque ad finem omnia opera eorum»
Hey Shannon nice to see you contributing here
I liked the write up, it is important to point out the behind the scenes work.
Best read this week on this website. At least unlike your failure of co-worker you write more than 1 page of text. I mean, they are journalist and freaking write only one page of text...
/sigh
-------------------------------------
Before: developers loved games and made money.
Now: developers love money and make games.
I've always felt that the Creative Director is woefully underappreciated. While Paul Barnett brought the role briefly to a rockstar-like status, it has otherwise been practically unknown.
Good article, Shannon. QA continues to be underappreciated not just in the gaming industry, but across software in general. When the developers and upstream positions slip on their delivery dates, that time usually comes out of QA's time to test. QA is then held to deadline as they are the last stop before going live. They then have to do triage and decide whether there is a single high priority item than cannot be skipped or whether there are a number of mid-range items than can be checked a little less thoroughly than planned. It becomes about mitigating risk in migrating code live instead of thoroughly testing changes. It can be a thankless job, and frankly, a demoralizing job when the only feedback is around bugs that were missed. QA done well, if the company doesn't recognize the number of bugs being identified and resolved before being released, often winds up having to justify the necessity of their employment. Until companies take it seriously and realize hastily done QA reflects poorly in their appearance to the outside customer, it will continue to languish in the shadow of the glamour jobs.
-<[ Damn Dirty Apes ]>-
-<[ Merde Souill
Nice to find out more about who does what behind the scenes so we know who to complain about.
Only kidding!
I love this. If a MMO does this, I'll subscribe--even a title I don't care for--for that month just to see it.
-w
"Lore Guy" is not always a thankless or unrecognized position though. For example look at THE lore guy, Chris Metzen.
Great article - I chuckled and lol'd several times.
Oh and QA... yeah, that's it. >.<
If I ever were to work on an MMORPG, which I doubt I would, I would actually LOVE to be the loot item guy.