Turnip said:zewtastic said:It's kind of the classic bait and switch, or maybe better thought of as cost-overruns. Except in this case it is time overrun. Essentially you pitch an idea, make it look amazing, mock up some graphics, detail out your plan and sell it. The only thing you lie about is - the time.
You say we can make this widget in X months, but you know it will really take X+Z. And truthfully you really have no idea how long it will take as it's not science. There are just too many variables.
But you under-estimate to make the buyer enticed. Because who wants to buy into something that is 5+ years away? That would just be a project killer and never get off the ground. But if you say 2 years, or so...
Of course the other factor is bodies, more bodies help build more, faster.
But it's not a 1:1 ratio, economies of scale kick in and costs for those bodies increases faster than progress on the build. So you are actually more efficient cost-wise with a smaller team, you just take a bloody longer amount of time to make your widget.
So VR will stay a small team, as it is the best way to stretch the dollar efficiently. And those who bought in have no recourse and no exit. They must simply wait, and hope.
Kind of unfair to take a complex and expansive world intended to both entertain and immerse people and then compare it with something simple like a widget.
Every major system, zone, race, and class is essentially it's own intricate piece of art that needs to be worked and reworked until the developers (and more importantly, the consumers) are happy with the final product. If the final product isn't up to consumer standards (which is a goal that is constantly changing) then not only does your labor not pay off, but you take a huge hit to your career as much less people will be interested in purchasing your "art" in the future.
With so much at stake it's pretty easy to understand why game developers would choose to prolong the development of a game.
The real problem is if development is so slow that they get stuck in a "Duke Nukem" purgatory in which the game never reaches standards good enough to see release.
You seem to be oriented on the artwork. Fair enough, but frankly, if the actual functionality does not deliver, the most beautiful arwork will not save "the widget".
The gaming industry is awash in artists more than any other skill set. But of course the term "artist" covers a broad range of actual skills. 2D, 3D, modeling, skinning, rendering, etc. Some artists frankly cannot draw a stick figure but can do amazing modeling, or skinning, etc.
And additonally, working on a failed project does not ruin a career. If anything it adds to their experience and lessons learned. Most artists work will stand for itself, regardless of what projects they may have worked on.
I am not an artist, but very adept at using some of their tools. I worked in the game industry for many years, with many (types of) artists. No artists will be harmed in the making of this widget.