Ask the Developers! - Interview the dev team - Page 147

**Medkit** · 22-03-12, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katana

Money isn't really our issue. We would even hire new volunteers if we thought it would make things go faster.

But they would only slow you down at this point, wouldn't they?

**Raminator** · 23-03-12, 05:47

Basically. There's a lot to get up to speed with; it'd take time away from everyone else to get you familiar with everything, and by the time you were it'd be too late.

**· C@rnage** · 23-03-12, 08:02

But...but...I'm a fast learnerer!

**JerseyRyan** · 23-03-12, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raminator

Basically. There's a lot to get up to speed with; it'd take time away from everyone else to get you familiar with everything, and by the time you were it'd be too late.

Basically on every professional project I worked at, the estimated time to familiarize a new time member to the project is three months. Assuming that on a sparetime project like BM it would take twice as long plus time for finding the right resource, I'd say it would probably take nine months in total.

So after nine months it would be too late for... what exactly?

**Katana** · 24-03-12, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyRyan

Basically on every professional project I worked at, the estimated time to familiarize a new time member to the project is three months. Assuming that on a sparetime project like BM it would take twice as long plus time for finding the right resource, I'd say it would probably take nine months in total.

So after nine months it would be too late for... what exactly?

Dammit, now we HAVE to make sure release takes at LEAST ten months just to make sure someone's guess on the forums at a release date is wrong!

What's worse, I can't even think of a good pregnancy joke.

Oh, also, anyone worried about the Mayans: I'm pretty sure they didn't account for leap years, so technically any cataclysm they predicted would have already happened, were we still using their calendar system.

**Azrael** · 24-03-12, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyRyan

So after nine months it would be too late for... what exactly?

Those nine months you project for getting the developer up to speed are not just zero-benefit; they're actually a net loss for the project, since one or more people will have to spend time providing training for the new person that would otherwise be spent actually working on the mod. As a professional software developer myself, I'd wager that the costs of training the new guy are no longer offset by the benefit of having an extra person on the team at this late stage in development.

Not to mention the risk that the new person just sucks, in which case all the sunk time mentioned above was totally wasted.

**Kazioo** · 24-03-12, 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyRyan

So after nine months it would be too late for... what exactly?

We know that their current internal "deadline" is before December 2012.
Your calculations are pointless

**k3nny1550** · 24-03-12, 17:39

Plus there was that $50 Ram was going to paypal that one guy if the mod wasn't out by the beginning of 2013.

**TheDragonMask** · 24-03-12, 18:13

If they aren't done, they aren't done. It comes out when they decide it is perfect whether that be a few months from now or a year. I think Ram has enough integrity to pay up if the guy pesters him about it enough, but I'd feel like an asshole for essentially charging him for making a free remake.

**lunertexcosmo** · 25-03-12, 04:45

Has there ever been a point in development where it really started to feel like work and it really stressed the team out? If so, when and what?

**OrderOfDagon** · 25-03-12, 08:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDragonMask

If they aren't done, they aren't done. It comes out when they decide it is perfect whether that be a few months from now or a year. I think Ram has enough integrity to pay up if the guy pesters him about it enough, but I'd feel like an asshole for essentially charging him for making a free remake.

I can't fathom what could possibly hinder them from releasing this year. They have been beta-testing and bug fixing for so long that even if they release the game in December, it will have less bugs on release than most retail games. Not trying to be pushy, but I doubt the devs are going to need another year-mark to fix/check the game for bugs. If they were bold enough to try and finish the game by the end of the year when it wasn't actually done in 2009, than it's drastically less bold to think they can fix some bugs by the years mark. Not to mention the beta testing has been a progressive process that they would invite friends and family to do since the first few years.

**Medkit** · 25-03-12, 09:54

I'd just like to point out, that according to the latest statistics they added more than two gig in the past few months, and they... "change" two and free times as many files a week than before. I thought that at this stage the progress only slows down, but it turns out they only speed things up. I really wonder how many hours they spend a week for BM ?

By the way; Black Mesa, by size is now larger than Portal 2.

**King_Kaddo** · 25-03-12, 10:01

uncompressed though

**JeffMOD** · 25-03-12, 11:32

I think that includes temporary files like test maps, PSDs, and those junk files that get left over from compiling and not deleted. (Or does Source's compile tools clean those up when it's done with them? I can't seem to remember.) Anyway, the final game will probably be smaller, filesize-wise. Probably.

Has there ever been a job where you said to yourselves "This really isn't going to improve anything" and thus not gotten done?

**BahamutBBob** · 25-03-12, 18:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medkit

By the way; Black Mesa, by size is now larger than Portal 2.

I'd be fine with that, since Half-Life had more content than Portal 2.

**MysticJ** · 25-03-12, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medkit

I'd just like to point out, that according to the latest statistics they added more than two gig in the past few months, and they... "change" two and free times as many files a week than before. I thought that at this stage the progress only slows down, but it turns out they only speed things up.

They even explained it the next day or so -- it was due to adding "compatibility" lighting and skyboxes and whatnot for those who do not have HDR capable systems. Without this, those with low-end specs would have to play the game with full-bright maps, which wouldn't be very nice.

So it's nothing to get worked up about.

**OrderOfDagon** · 25-03-12, 19:07

Yeah, it seems like a lot of experimenting is going on, but it can't be all that much. Adding drastic changes to the game this late in development would require a whole new perspective from beta testers and test-runs. Which in turn could reveal more bugs and even more problems to fix.

**Medkit** · 25-03-12, 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticJ

They even explained it the next day or so -- it was due to adding "compatibility" lighting and skyboxes and whatnot for those who do not have HDR capable systems. Without this, those with low-end specs would have to play the game with full-bright maps, which wouldn't be very nice.

So it's nothing to get worked up about.

Oh, thanks for the hands up! I must have missed it. And dw, I'm patient.

**doomyshadowsquirrels** · 26-03-12, 06:46

Once you had a team organized, what were some of your earliest steps in making Black Mesa?

**CygNuS** · 26-03-12, 07:01

I had to dig quite deep to find this quote again (it's in the 'possible mac build discussion' thread):

(15/02/2011)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raminator

... We don't tend to get updated tools for a good 12-18 months after they've been using them. I don't think any of us want to be working on Black Mesa in 12-18 months time.

Well, we're in the thirteenth month since then... luckily you are still motivated to want to work on it... right?

25-03-12, 09:54	#2932
Medkit Houndeye Join Date: 10th February, 2011 Location: Hungary Posts: 532	I'd just like to point out, that according to the latest statistics they added more than two gig in the past few months, and they... "change" two and free times as many files a week than before. I thought that at this stage the progress only slows down, but it turns out they only speed things up. I really wonder how many hours they spend a week for BM ? By the way; Black Mesa, by size is now larger than Portal 2. Last edited by Medkit; 25-03-12 at 10:32..

23-03-12, 05:47	#2922
Raminator Lead Developer Join Date: 2nd May, 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Posts: 3,282	Basically. There's a lot to get up to speed with; it'd take time away from everyone else to get you familiar with everything, and by the time you were it'd be too late.

23-03-12, 08:02	#2923
· C@rnage Cockroach Join Date: 4th January, 2011 Posts: 13	But...but...I'm a fast learnerer!

24-03-12, 17:39	#2928
k3nny1550 Alien Grunt Join Date: 27th May, 2009 Posts: 2,106	Plus there was that $50 Ram was going to paypal that one guy if the mod wasn't out by the beginning of 2013.

24-03-12, 18:13	#2929
TheDragonMask Zombie Join Date: 8th December, 2009 Posts: 368	If they aren't done, they aren't done. It comes out when they decide it is perfect whether that be a few months from now or a year. I think Ram has enough integrity to pay up if the guy pesters him about it enough, but I'd feel like an asshole for essentially charging him for making a free remake.

25-03-12, 04:45	#2930
lunertexcosmo Zombie Join Date: 28th October, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 344	Has there ever been a point in development where it really started to feel like work and it really stressed the team out? If so, when and what?

25-03-12, 10:01	#2933
King_Kaddo Vortigaunt Join Date: 29th December, 2009 Posts: 1,453	uncompressed though

25-03-12, 11:32	#2934
JeffMOD Vortigaunt Join Date: 2nd May, 2009 Location: Somewhere in Canada... Posts: 1,934	I think that includes temporary files like test maps, PSDs, and those junk files that get left over from compiling and not deleted. (Or does Source's compile tools clean those up when it's done with them? I can't seem to remember.) Anyway, the final game will probably be smaller, filesize-wise. Probably. Has there ever been a job where you said to yourselves "This really isn't going to improve anything" and thus not gotten done?

25-03-12, 19:07	#2937
OrderOfDagon Vortigaunt Join Date: 28th August, 2010 Location: In a protoplasmic organism, just like everyone else. Posts: 1,237	Yeah, it seems like a lot of experimenting is going on, but it can't be all that much. Adding drastic changes to the game this late in development would require a whole new perspective from beta testers and test-runs. Which in turn could reveal more bugs and even more problems to fix.

26-03-12, 06:46	#2939
doomyshadowsquirrels Zombie Join Date: 3rd January, 2011 Posts: 418	Once you had a team organized, what were some of your earliest steps in making Black Mesa?

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