If you were to start a studio....
polycounter lvl 19
If you were part of a group starting up a studio, and you were in charge of setting up the art portion of the studio, what would be your top priority for the working environment? More time per asset? Better concepting? Giving the concepting to the production artists so they feel more involved? Really helpful tools and pipeline? A dedicated programmer to bring art tech online as needed?
Make a list of three things in the order of importance (one being the most important) of your top priorities in your ideal studio environment.
For me it would be:
1) Dedicated art programmer, purely for bringing on tech that the artists decide they want/need. (new shaders, full screen passes, exposed nodes, etc)
2) Consolidation of asset creation. While it might be less efficient, I think it's more fun and more cohesive to let each artist have as large a chunk of asset creation as possible. From concepting to implementation. Even if they might be slower at a certain portions of the pipeline, they will be more involved and take greater pride and ownership of the asset to bring it to a higher level of quality than when they get segmented to doing the specular map on the main characters toenails (as it seems the industry is heading).
3) Schedule dictated in conjunction with design. It seems too many studios go, "make all this level in a month" then the art manager decides what all needs making etc etc. I'd like to see the schedule and the asset list developed in tandem. This level could benefit from a three stage boss, so he will need three times the developement time as the other bosses, ok here is your timeline.
Runner up would be strong time tested tools. I really wanted to put that on the list, but ultimately the above three are more important to me personally.
What would yours be?
Make a list of three things in the order of importance (one being the most important) of your top priorities in your ideal studio environment.
For me it would be:
1) Dedicated art programmer, purely for bringing on tech that the artists decide they want/need. (new shaders, full screen passes, exposed nodes, etc)
2) Consolidation of asset creation. While it might be less efficient, I think it's more fun and more cohesive to let each artist have as large a chunk of asset creation as possible. From concepting to implementation. Even if they might be slower at a certain portions of the pipeline, they will be more involved and take greater pride and ownership of the asset to bring it to a higher level of quality than when they get segmented to doing the specular map on the main characters toenails (as it seems the industry is heading).
3) Schedule dictated in conjunction with design. It seems too many studios go, "make all this level in a month" then the art manager decides what all needs making etc etc. I'd like to see the schedule and the asset list developed in tandem. This level could benefit from a three stage boss, so he will need three times the developement time as the other bosses, ok here is your timeline.
Runner up would be strong time tested tools. I really wanted to put that on the list, but ultimately the above three are more important to me personally.
What would yours be?
Replies
2) make games in modules and link these modules together with people hired as "nodes"
3) outsource modules
Now as for the art side of production directly:
1.) I agree on having a programmer specifically concentrate on art. Listening to the artists and their needs, the implementing them within the specified engine. Having this kind of curtesy would be very helpful, I feel.
2.) This goes back to my feelings of smaller development teams. I'm again with you on "consolidation of asset creation" - being able to take actual OWNERSHIP in the work you create I feel is ideal to any artist. You could be Worker X working at a larger company. I have a feeling you'd feel more like guy putting the heads on the dolls at the factory, or the monkey on the typewriter, rather than the artist designing the work from beginning to end. That sense and feeling of ownership is something special, and companies need to be more open to this idea. I wouldn't last long at a company if I was sitting there doing specular masks all day.
3.) Thirdly, I'd have to say the overall atmosphere of the office would have to be important. Us, as developers, have a certain business culture that's unique - and I'd love to exploit that if I ever had my own office. Things like no dress code (well, don't come nude) and/or free lunches & drinks anytime are important. If the artist/programmer can come to work COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE then that'll leave a lot of their brain power to the art/work at hand, and not concentrating on their trousers being wrinkled.
One thing that I'd like to mention aswell is having the company budgeting for monthly/bi-monthly outtings. Now, with a small team this is ideal as you don't have to budget a lot (or as much) money if you were to do this with a larger (50+) team. Things like sky diving, white-water rafting, paintball, etc would all be things on this budget. Putting your team in another team environment OUTSIDE of creating videogames is a good exercise I feel any company should do (hell, McDonald's does it).
Good thread Ben.
Here's what I reckon (bear in mind this is probably from a horribly uninformed and misguided standpoint
1) For a more coherent overall game I'd have one dedicated AWESOME concept artist (not necessarily an ultra-fine draftsman - just a fellow with good drawing/communication skills and great ideas) ... they would set up the designs for everything in the game - characters, monsters, vehicles, environments, weapons ... basically they'd have a boatload of work, but it'd be scheduled in such a way as to make it feasible.
That way everything would have a consistent "feel" throughout the game.
2) Dedicated art programmer is a great idea, I'd have one of those!
3) What AdamBrome said about working environment is a good one. I'd only hire people i could really rely on, and know they'd work and get on well together.
I probably missed a whole bunch of important stuff, but hey, this is hypothetical, and I'm only 20
MoP
Get the concepts as tight as possible.
Make the schedule off of that.
Then just keep going till it's done. I hate half finished projects.
-simplicity of workflow. The less time you spend jumping through hoops to export\troubleshoot and the more time you can spend in the "creation" stage the better, I think.
-and of course: nice enviroment\ team ect. ect.
a good work environment is very very important,you make a work environment that makes people want to come to work you will get the best out of people,less turnover and overall a desire for sucess from all your workers.
2. Hire a staff that's more focused on creating fun, visually pleasing assets for games than earning large paychecks. Set loose reasonable deadlines so artists have time to expand their abilities.
3. Build a bridge of communication between 2D artists, 3D artists, and programmers, allowing them to work very closely together with a collectively understandable vocabulary and knowledge of each skill.
[*]Managers who really manage,and realize people DO NOT give more output on tight schedules and long hours. Who also are willing to take responsibility for their own mismanagement. To this end anonymous questionaires are given to the employees under each manager every month where it can be shown where each manager is and team moral.
[*]Hourly Wages for everyone.
[*]Less formal chain of command. Marxism has been shown to work in smaller businesses and institutions. This however, does NOT mean multiple people have to approve someones work. Or having more than 1 "upper" tell an artist two different things.
[*]Recognition of Game Designers. The Game Designers are promoted along with the game. Sorta like American Mcgee was trying to promote. This would fuck over publishers who can buy up franchises. They cant buy up the Designer, and people will see this.
[*]As Per Poops excellent idea, Artist can contribute to all areas of art design versus just being stuck in one small area. This would require a very detailed art design document so all artist have a good basis to go around versus relying on a few concept artists.[/list]
2:Hire people to do certain jobs who are very good at certain tasks . I know it might be more fun to be a jack of all trades but it's also hard to be really good at everything . In this area I would have Texture artists who are master painters, modelers who can sculpt anything , and concept artists who are given the time to work side by side with the designer and given enough freedom to bring about very unique vision . I'd probebly go with concept artists who have a long track record in comics or illustration. I personally think this is the most important person on the art team . Imagine you went to work on Dinotopia and you had all those books and great artwork to go off of . That is the kind of Art Bible & Design Bible I would want to be created .
3) Make sure the game had proper development time . Try and foster the mentality to the bean counters that better game = bigger profits . That coupled with a good amount of advertising would hopefully be a sure win .
Could make a lot bigger list then 3
- coders that are dedicated to getting the job done, and will talk with the artists on a constant, friendly basis, in order to get both groups thinking about the best solutions to graphical and design issues
- organizing a pipeline beforehand, not partway through, the process
- have the QA on the same floor, possibly even the same room, as the devs, because QA needs to be listened to... they are supposed to be a representative of your target audience
And then we'll kick ass!
-A talented, responsive and accomedating code staff that work with the content creators. Everyone helpuing everyone else as opposed to any one side being the others' bitch
-Asset pipelines that are clean, ratified, and monitored by a dedicated tech artist.
-Give developers 1 person to report to. Several layers of managment that interact with the deveklopers directly is not my idea of a good studio structure.
-Create a senior/apprentice relationship with the newbs/interns
-promote leads from within the studio. Put them through leadership workshops. Promote leads who are honest and patient, not whatever it is I've had to deal throughout my career until now (aside from Bodyrott ofocurse
Leadership is key...if you don't have good leaders you're screwed. leaders promote the corp culture and set the tone for the behavior.
-Smash smack talk down the moment it starts. (no laughing at me for suggesting that)
-R
2. Register chapter 7 once have money
3. Retire to lifetime of painting castles and landscapes
r.
i'd have shotgun do art and then the rest will get paid to post entertaining stuff on polycount.
I'd hire Pak, Ramucho, oXYnary, pogonip, mishra, warhead, John_Warner, Weiser_Cain, and shotgun
i'd have shotgun do art and then the rest will get paid to post entertaining stuff on polycount.
[/ QUOTE ]
That's not right
-Do I get to share a cube with John?
-How many warnings do I get before I get fired for playing tricks on oxy and nipple slip?
-I hear it gets hot in Texas. Will you pay for a air purifier for my cube? If not, then will you pay my lawyer fee's if said federal governmnet considers steamed PaK a chemical weapon of mass destruction? at least get me a corner room with a window at gitmo with a view of some cuban hotties or...something.
-R
have a nice working environment, and when you can't afford that anymore the employees will be grumpy.
make the company a co-op and the employees will splinter into factions.
make me a cup of tea and I'll give you a biscuit.
Quality of people is the numero uno factor in building a studio. Without that nothing else matters. It still blows me away how many studios don't get that.
make the company a co-op and the employees will splinter into factions.
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Proof please?
(It's enough to have people around you asking why we can't just play it safe.)
oXYnary:Yeah like I'm gonna list the company politics I know here. Do your homework by yourself.
What is considered a co-op to you? Questions like: You are speaking about Japanese versions? Do they have the same regulations as other countries? How big are they in Japan? Are you specifically speaking of game co-ops?
Step 1) Get a game idea
Step 2) . . .
Step 3) Profit!