When John Staats landed his first job in the gaming industry, he was surprised to find that he was working – most importantly – in one of the biggest games ever made. His new employer was Blizzard Entertainment, and this was in early 2001.
This project has been a top secret MMO based on a series of real-time WarCraft strategy. Stables were rented to create game pits. He quickly realized, that the inside was named The World of War it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ultimately, his new education would be more than just finding a map to do texture and placement. He was about to learn the importance of creative chaos.
Shy office
Hailing from a glittering media job in Manhattan, the Stats were initially embarrassed to find out The World of War it was being built in a shack office where the sleeping quarters were hidden and line managers were staying in the dock offices. You recently discovered that motley collection of office chairs has been inadequate and works in a different way. To avoid the ongoing danger of having his chair “sorted” by his colleagues, he bought his own unique chair.
But he was excited about his new, dreamy career. The Stats have been wearing a high-profile Madison Avenue promotional suit, earning a $ 80,000 fine. But he loved video games. In his spare time, he created mods and detailed levels for first-person shooters.
Back in New York, when he realized that Blizzard, one of his favorite engineers, was looking for designers, he applied. His highly structured portfolio The quake the standards impressed Blizzard's leadership – and that was because, they had trouble finding talented talent – so they hired him. He started at $ 50,000 a year, a big cut. She moved from the high cost of New York City health to the ice costs caused by Orange County, and started a career.
Extremely organized
In his new book, based on a personal diary written at the time, Staats recalls his time at Blizzard, from the early days of Here & # 39;development, until the launch of the game in 2004. WoW diary well-read, full of personal, artistic, and technical details of the game's complex discovery.
Of course, there are many viewers of the Staats story & # 39; In 2018, WoW diary attracted almost $ 600,000 from 8,379 donors on Kickstarter. Video game books rarely sell more than a few hundred copies.
One of its main themes was how disorganized early development efforts were. “The (development) area has been a dumping ground,” he writes in the first chapter of this book. “It was decorated like a man's basement … It was lit. The closest thing to the kitchen was a small microwave near the sink full of dishes. Food sticks were available on the carpet. "
This appeal originates far from modern Blizzard offices with elegant, spacious, well-illuminated styles, and costly paintings and artifacts. The modern success of Blizzard, its incredible wealth, paid off The World of WarSuccess, a game that has attracted more than 140 million players during its lifetime so far, has passed billions of dollars, and is currently enjoying a successful recovery following the release. The World of Ancient Warfare.
Test mode
Original The World of War was made by a team of 40 people, which was eventually completed in size at the launch. On the contrary, for now The World of War hundreds of development team numbers.
By 2001, Blizzard was 10 years old, and a major player in the gaming industry. Blizzard enjoyed success in the 90s with franchises such as Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft. Inspiration is the success of Ultima Online, Lineage, and especially the 3D MMO 3D Always, company leaders have decided to create a multi-player multiplayer game, where players will come together and have fun.
The central theme of Saats's book is how Blizzard's leadership, led by Allen Adham, Frank Pierce, and Mike Morhaime, strongly believed in influential decisions, especially when the company was in a state of scrutiny.
“The building was flat,” Stats recalls, interviewing Polgon. “Some companies are also very controlling and multi-level reporting to one another, and someone up there with the idea of driving, like an orchestra conductor. But there was no view in Blizzard and the building was too small. There was a feeling of a jaz band where everyone was just getting things together. ”
In his letter, Stats notes that Blizzard's employees were "in fact proud of the company's founders." He adds: "To hear my teammates talk enthusiastically (about the founders) enthusiastically was a surprise, coming from the politically charged atmosphere of Madison Avenue."
From 2D to 3D
WoW diary The story of how the team worked The World of WarDeceptive development, together, which made everything go up as they went along. As Stats said at the beginning of his book, the company had no knowledge of how to make MMOs, and the "experience" of making 3D games.
In 2001, many game companies struggled to manage the transition from 2D to 3D. They were hiring people with 3D experience, and wasting developers who couldn't jump. Many companies pay higher salaries than Blizzard.
"We used to make a joke that they were very cheap with everything," Staats said. But he also acknowledges that the company was very limited. “Blizzard was not Vivendi at the time, it was a house of cards. There was no investment from Vivendi. Blizzard's money goes to Vivendi. We had to issue a bank loan to pay off our servers. ”
Once fully integrated into the team, Staats learned that some of the conditions he had always viewed as cheap, were actually smart. Setting up game developers in the corridor, rather than in their offices, was a deliberate attempt to limit the flow of information between team members.
"By inviting employees on a regular basis to comment and raise awareness, Blizzard's leadership has created an environment where people feel comfortable giving opinions," he wrote. "This was not easy to do because many in the company were environmentally oriented and self-indulgent. It took effort by management to foster a collaborative environment."
Blizzard's confidence in solving social problems comes at its own expense. Decision making has taken a long time, which has translated into cost and effort. The party often finds itself following blind allegations. He says: “We made many mistakes, and they all cost a fortune.
Tools and engines
The World of War it was at high risk for problems with well-worn tools and engines, which were found to be faulty in the development of the MMO.
He writes, "Technology has always been a headache, which was not surprising about something as complex as an MMO." Earlier the team worked on the same engine as his sister's team, launching Warcraft 3, especially as a matter of convenience and cost. But this was a very different game. “It turned out that reuse Warcraft 3 the engine would not work. ”
Blizzard made the decision to write a completely new engine. The solution turned out to be the right one, but at the time it was considered too expensive and time-consuming. Thousands of workers' lives were also lost when the team went from creating creative goods in Radion to 3D Studio Max. "Not many developers, then or now, were willing to move away from the great work that has already been done," said Stats. “But that has always been Blizzard's way. I've been talking about all this, learning from mistakes and moving on. ”
Moral Problems
The free roaming nature of the project is unpopular with everyone in the team, leading to severe behavioral problems. "Most people wanted to be made up," Stats recalls in our interview. "They wanted to be pointed in the right direction, and worked nine to five."
From the early days of development, long hours were the norm. Although Blizzard later enforced an anti-food policy, there were restrictions on developer hours, YeahDesigners and programmers often work 60 hours. After three years, the dressing and ripping began to show, especially for the art team, who had to take out the material.
"When your process comes in and works on the trunks of trees, beaches, gardens and houses and you do just that, day after day, year after year, it gets really old, especially if there is no end," said Stats.
Despite complaining and fatigue, he said most of the team is fully committed to the game. He recalls: “I have no life other than Blizzard,“ It felt so normal to come in on weekends and work late nights. Most of us really enjoyed the game, and the work it was doing. ”
Stats believes that The World of WarSuccess was not based on intellectual property (its main rival, in the early days, was star Wars The galaxies), or in any good idea, and not financially supported. He said the company's contempt for ad-led processes and ideas was something that was allowed to do things for free. He writes: “Game designers must build from a solid gameplay to the present. The wrong way is to start with a cool idea, and add it to the game. ”
Blizzard's free route had some disadvantages, but it achieved its goals. The team was allowed and encouraged to solve big issues in small problems over a period of years, until the game was successful.
In the conclusion of his book, Staats writes that The World of War "was not a game with new technology or unique features," but it was a gestalt of "sensible and good programming" that was painstakingly available, but that allowed players to enjoy the MMO's endless depth and longevity.
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