Do you think that the character artists responsible for creating new armor have anything to do with implementing co-op? Do you think character artists just like… create new engine tech on the side when they aren’t working on cosmetics?
When I see people who have never worked on a big video game in their entire life make sweeping statements about how game devs should internally operate, I get really giddy to hit the reply button.
Yup. I also remember being around to hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth about how Bungie ruined Halo Reach because of armor abilities, loadouts, sandbox changes, and so on.
I’m actually gonna disagree with this slightly. I would love for every Halo game to have the wealth of content that Halo Reach had. What they accomplished with that game was actually insane.
Sadly though, games keep getting more and more expensive to make each year. They’re getting progressively more and more complex. I’d love for the next Halo game to launch with an insane amount of content. I just don’t think it’s realistic to expect it.
Nope, not necessarily. You’ll eventually run into the “too many cooks in the kitchen” problem, and we can’t know for certain if hiring more people will help.
BUT there is an unintended side effect for what you’re suggesting. Suppose this is the scenario they’re working in:
Campaign co-op is currently blocked because the team needs new tech to handle, say, respawning in co-op. The director of the game looks at all the facts and there’s two options without harming work/life balance:
Option A: Keep the headcount as it is, knowing that the development and implementation of this tech might set the release date for co-op back weeks or months.
Option B: Hire a contract engineer or two to help, knowing that at the end of their contract they won’t be renewed because there isn’t going to be work for them to do. But by doing this, they’ll get co-op out on time.
What’s the better option?