Dude I couldn't even get halfway through Dreamcatcher, and the movie sucked even though Jason Lee was in it!

You seriously tryin' to tell me a few rants could've hurt Stephen King's bloody alien-ass-weasel masterpiece?

LOL!

Oh I'm just kidding man, and I like yer point about running things by committee, although committees are even worse than yer making 'em out to be, since everybody in one takes credit for everything and none of the responsibility.

But... the only reason I can stand any of you wannabe developer guys is that I know deep down inside you somewhere yer still a player, and probably a pretty awesome one.

So, what does this letter really mean? Contrary to what some people think, I'm not saying we should completely ignore the players. Player feedback is important and should be taken into consideration as the game changes.

But, there's something to be said for having a strong direction for your game. Whether you like him or not, Stephen King's books are his own. If he started taking writing advice from random strangers, the books wouldn't be his anymore. In fact, he'd likely upset people that buy his books because they like his writing style and topics. Similarly, if developers change their games depending on which way public opinion goes, then our games lose their direction and they become wishy-washy.

In a way, this goes back to what Jeff Hickman was ranting about in the session: why do we change our games and alienate our fans? The answer is because we think that by changing the game we'll get more people to like it. We cater to the people that go and play another game, hoping that they'll notice that our games have the some of the same features that attracted them to the other game. Yet, we forget that people came to play our game, and are there because they enjoy the game.

Of course, this also applies to the game before it's launched. Your game has to have a strong central direction; you can't just say, "We're like this other game, only better!" The people playing that other game are already playing it. There's enough variety out there that if they were unhappy with the game they could easily find another alternative. So, you have to do something different, show that you have something new to offer, and not let your design get watered down by trying to please everyone. Otherwise, you'll end up attracting fewer players to your game.

[...] While I didn’t hear it in person, Brian’s rant is good reading, and deserves being linked. [...]

I was pulled into an interview just prior to the rant starting and had to miss it. Interviews are important in my life so I had no choice on the issue. Fortunately I get to transcribe the GG recording of it, likely tonight.

I agree, Ceryk, sometimes people need to realize there are limitations to their knowledge. My biggest pet peeve is when someone says something to the effect of, "Why don't you do that, it's so easy!" Even if the coding were simple (which often it's not), you have to consider issues such as balance, maintainability, compatibility, and at larger companies you have to worry about building consensus and getting management approval. Even the simplest development task is anything but simple.

Have fun,