To avoid crunch – the final fight was slimmed down
Insomniac boss Ted Price spoke at a developer conference about avoiding crunch phases. He gave a useful example of how managers can use creative solutions to avoid the arrangement of overtime.
Develop: Brighton is the UK’s largest conference for video game developers. A wide range of topics from the gaming industry were discussed here between October 26th and 28th. Insomniac’s managing director Ted Price was also a guest. The editors of GamesIndustry have taken the trouble to transcribe most of his statements.
Price used the event to talk about avoiding crunch phases, among other things. He revealed that the final battle of “Marvel’s Spider-Man” should actually be much more extensive. “We originally wanted to have a boss fight that would take you all over New York City, but that was beyond the scope,” explains Price.
The temptation was great to put your head through the wall. But it was better to take a step back and consider what interests the player most: The relationship between Peter Parker and Dr. Octavius.
As a result, the developers have realigned the final battle. Instead of destroying half the city, the finale was made more personal and emotional. With this approach, the available development time was absolutely sufficient. There was no need to work overtime.
Be creative instead of ordering overtime
This example is intended to encourage other managers to find creative solutions and not to react to such situations by increasing their working hours. He describes the process described as the “ideal”.
The Insomniac CEO continues: “In the stress of hectic production, we often feel like we cannot take our foot off the accelerator, but that is exactly what is needed. The team must be given permission to stop and find a better way instead of bulldozing through problems and causing potential health problems. “
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According to Insomniac Games, a crunch phase could also be avoided with the last PlayStation Studio project (“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart”).
More messages too Marvel’s Spider-Man.
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