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3. What do you consider the biggest challenge when running a project? WS: How much time do you have? The challenges of running a project are so many and so varied I don't even know where to start. I guess the biggest problem I have is wrapping my mind around the concept that every game is different. At some bizarre level, all your experience gets thrown out the window when you start a new project. With each new project you just have to prepare yourself for the cold, cruel fact that you're going to screw up in entirely new and different ways than you ever have before. I guess you want more specifics, eh? I guess the biggest challenge for me is getting an entire team to buy into a single vision to such an extent that everyone's working toward a single goal. Making sure your three or four (or five or six!) designers, plus all your artists and programmers, are all making the same game can be a real pain. As teams get bigger, this problem just gets worse and worse. Of course, when you get the team thing right and everyone's on the same page and psyched about the game... there's nothing better than that. And the results of team solidarity are always, always evident.
4. When immersed in a project like Deus Ex, how much are you aware of the changing industry around you and the evolving gameplay standards? Have you had to rethink during the project based on outside influences? WS: I always try to stay abreast of what's going on around me and encourage everyone else on the team to do so as well. That means reading gaming magazines, checking out the web sites, playing as many games as possible, of course, and talking to as many friends and acquaintances around the industry as possible. The biggest problem for me is finding (OK, making) the time to play games the way I should. I've turned into one of those guys who plays a little bit of a lot of games instead of playing many through to completion. I just don't have the time anymore. So I count on experience to tell me when I've gleaned "enough" from a new game, and I've certainly come to depend on input from trusted team members and friends. If Harvey Smith, or Doug Church, or Art Min, or Gabe Newell tells me something about a game, I know them well enough to get what I need from their comments, even if I haven't played but a couple of hours myself. Constant crosstalk with people I respect is critical. Am I influenced by comments, reviews, previews and/or playthroughs? Sure. I wouldn't be human if I could just ignore all the stuff swirling around me. However, I pretty much know what kinds of games I want to make, and I don't just go feature hunting in competitors' games. That's a disaster waiting to happen. I look at gameplay elements in similar games and measure my game's implementation of similar elements against them. If my game is wanting, I address it, but it's not like I say, "Wow, Game X had a +2 magic sword. I better add one." It's never that specific. I'm far more likely to say, "Game X is doing an amazing job of providing constant player rewards. Hey, we're not doing as well. Let's figure out where we've gone wrong and fix it." |
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