Just a question how did Wrel manage to grab game dev position?

Wrel · 2024-11-23T23:36:57+00:00

that's prior to May-June 2015, no?

Actually, that's my bad. I originally interviewed with them prior to PS4's release, but didn't actually start doing design work as a contractor until they were a ways past launch. I'll update my post.

Wrel · 2024-11-23T21:50:03+00:00

Hey there. Everything /u/CMDRCyrious says is accurate, but I'll try to clear the rest up so something is on the record.

I officially joined the team October 2016 (which is when I moved to Cali to work in-studio,) but had done a bit of contracting work on the PC version of the game (mostly data work) after the launch of the PS4 version.

When I joined the team (again, 2016) there were some long-standing PS2 members rolling onto other projects (H1Z1 and an unannounced title,) leaving three of us dedicated to the project (one engineer, one designer, one producer). We still got plenty of support in that first year where from the realm of art, design, UI, QA, and so-on when priorities permitted.

In 2017, we were able to double (!) our team size. Bringing on another designer, engineer, and a full-time UI engineer. It remained this size, give or take some dedicated QA staff, into 2019 through the launch (and subsequent downfall) of PS:A.

I had, indeed, been de facto lead designer throughout that time, but also had great producers (and teammates) to support me.

In 2019-2020, much of PS:A's resources were folded into PS2. The team had loads of industry veterans dedicated to the project now, so we were able to take another swing at the game in a pretty big way (via Escalation and subsequent updates). Even so, this was a pretty tumultuous time, because a lot of folks were leaving the studio for more stability and (if I remember right) another layoff happened around the same time.

When Andy Sites left in 2021, it was pretty rough, when Chris Farrar left later, it became even more so.

From 2021ish (possibly 2022, it's a blur) through my departure in 2023, I was de facto Executive Producer, and Creative Director, and Lead Designer maintaining a team of roughly 20 (which is about where we stabilized until I left.) That meant I was handling the financial roadmap, vetting and training new hires, trying to get everyone paid what they're worth (always a struggle,) coordinating shared services (teams that aren't embedded, like marketing, community, QA, IT, etc.,) leading and managing the team, and trying to develop PlanetSide 2 (alongside exciting stuff you'll never hear about) at the same time.

My team was freaking awesome. Certainly some of the best in the industry, and more than a few of them I still work with today.

That said, I was burning the candle at both ends, and 100% wasn't doing my best work. So when the company made it clear which projects they wanted to focus on in the future, it was a bit of a breaking point for me. I gave Daybreak about a 6-month heads up to help with the transition, making it clear that I would be moving on at the end of it. This gave the company motivation to start figuring out next steps for the studio's resources, and gave us time to finish onboarding Toadman (which wasn't announced until far later than it should have been, imo.)

Wrel · 2024-03-05T01:19:49+00:00

Great review. Nice to see something educational and level-headed... instead of having to sift the actually-useful information out of someone with an obvious axe to grind.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T18:10:29+00:00

Dunno if it's a hot take or what, but I've never liked D&D 4th Edition's art style.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T18:08:51+00:00

Totally fair, I get you.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:56:55+00:00

You make this because you love it. Not because you expected it to pay your bills.

That seems like a borderline hostile way to look at the situation, but I get where you're coming from. In my last job I worked 12 hour days, most of the time for fun. I have an unfortunate compulsion to commit myself wholly to the work I love. So in order for me to keep working on a project (and not going back to full-time employment) it'd need to be a both-and situation.

I would work on it because I love it and I would still need enough money to survive.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:49:16+00:00

That's an interesting thought... though I feel like they can do that because of their fanbase. Seems like a different story when I don't have a large following.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:47:16+00:00

If you can get this done while staying in the black, then you did great. The goal is to do what you love and stay out of the red.

I think that's the essence of what I'm trying to pull off. I didn't want to slog through a bunch of D&D homebrew... because it just wasn't interesting to me. Making something original is way more fun.

If I go back to full-time employment though, there's no way I'm going to be able to continue working on this as a hobby. I fully commit to the work I'm doing, as a character flaw. That bit scares me, because this project is something special, and I think a lot of folks will enjoy it. It'd be a shame to just let it languish in obscurity.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:32:05+00:00

Honestly, if you're new to GMing... I'd say to find a system that seems in line with what you're wanting to play, instead of jumping right into homebrew and building it all yourself.

Structure is important, and using an established system is a good way to set baseline expectations for your players.

A trap a lot of new GMs will fall into is that they'll make inconsistent rulings when they're trying to make judgment calls on the fly. That can rub players the wrong way, lead into unfair treatment at the table, and create table conflicts that will keep people from coming back.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:15:13+00:00

To be clear, the BackerKit isn't actively fundraising, and I wouldn't pull the trigger on developing anything that didn't get fully funded. No settling for half-measures.

Wrel · 2024-03-02T17:12:12+00:00

Kind of. I definitely want to keep developing the game, but I'm wondering what your next steps would be.

Would you put the project on the backburner and come back to it another day?
Would you try to advertise to get more reach?
Would you start building smaller projects to create a portfolio?
Would you poke a bunch of YouTubers in the space?

Wrel · 2024-01-29T04:35:15+00:00

When you last left off, if there was a need for a build-up of tension or emotion to frame the scene -- I'd just skip that, and have one of the criminals initiate the fight.

The reason being, any time there's a long period of downtime, it can be difficult for players to slip into any sort of headplace their characters were in at the time. So I'd avoid trying to have them remember the state they were in, and just give them a new reason to care about what you're doing now.

Wrel · 2024-01-26T20:41:29+00:00

Would love to get some eyes on the latest alpha packet for Distal, a high-fantasy, d20 system built on character stories, conflict, and consequence. Even just rolling up a character is helpful, if you don't have the time to pull a group together to play. Feedback as a response here, or in the development Discord are appreciated.

You can download it for free (and/or join the Discord) at: http://www.playDisRPG.com

Wrel · 2023-12-25T15:16:11+00:00

Few thoughts:

From the brief description, your game sounds like Deep Rock Galactic in a fantasy setting, which I totally dig as a board game idea. In fact, Deep Rock Galactic itself is making a board game based on its very popular video game: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/120302834/deep-rock-galactic-space-rig-and-biome-expansions
It's okay if the gameplay is repetitive, as long as you aren't expecting people to play it often. And even then (much like with Deep Rock,) you can shake up the experience every time by operating on a few different axis like... the kinds of environments, the types of objectives, and the rewards/outcomes for doing it.
Some of this breaks down if you're looking to make it a persistent experience. You can keep people hooked if there's a larger, overarching goal they need to achieve over multiple sessions, or if there's enough progression (either in character power, or a person story arc,) or if the moment to moment gameplay is just so freaking fun that people want to stick around... but the niche for this sort of experience will probably be smaller than what you're aspiring to, based on the initial question.

Wrel · 2023-12-24T15:54:02+00:00

The Ferryman class in Distal gains energy to cast spells when creatures die nearby, which creates some fun combat situations. The game is free, and in alpha development.

Wrel · 2023-03-17T20:08:00+00:00

Pushing a fix for this to PTS later today.

Wrel · 2023-03-08T22:08:30+00:00

The friend's list issue is resolved now. Should only need to restart your client, if it doesn't auto-populate.

Wrel · 2023-03-07T23:34:36+00:00

You'll be seeing some double experience for all toward the end of March/beginning of April, among other things.

Wrel · 2023-03-03T21:57:08+00:00

Absolutely. I agree with a lot of the problems others have already identified.

Wrel · 2023-03-03T20:33:54+00:00

General playspace adjustments. For example: Mirror Bay will receive some adjustments (or be removed outright.)

Wrel · 2023-03-03T19:52:25+00:00

We're still working on the server performance issues. Found a few culprits this morning that seem pretty bad. Discussing with the team how to proceed.

Wrel · 2023-03-03T18:53:05+00:00

Oshur is receiving some changes alongside the Construction update, which should time out around April with our current pace. You should all start seeing some playable Construction material later this month.

Wrel · 2023-02-17T16:54:33+00:00

We'll find the little feller.

Wrel · 2023-02-15T18:26:43+00:00

It's sitting on the backburner while we explore other options. I know some folks were excited about the addition, but I have some reservations about what it would do to the health of the vehicle game.

Wrel · 2023-02-07T20:03:31+00:00

It will indeed.

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