The big crunch

I'm not talking about a certain unhealthy sugary cereal with a ship's stumpy captain as a mascot...I'm talking about the 14 hour days developers put in near a project's end to shine-up our games before that inevitable looming date when we must hand over the gold master to our publisher.  Even us "when-it's-done" studios have such dates -- we just do not make them public until the very end.  It's impossible to avoid deadline dates nowadays, because there's so much coordinated pre-planning and marketing that must be created and purchased (magazine ads, banners, marketing events, etc.) in order to maximize the anticipation and awareness of your game's release.

Testing of the game is non-stop.  And there's always a rush to improve last second elements and add in last second ideas that might have a significant impact.  It's during this final race to the finish that a game takes leaps and bounds every week, with every new build, as it all comes flying together like an exploding jigsaw puzzle played in reverse.  There are two phases I love most about game development, the beginning conceptual phase, where the direction is set, characters created, gameplay hooks devised, and then the last few months, when it all comes together and you finally see the results of years of hardcore effort.

We will soon release a three minute trailer of Prey.  I'll post the details of where the trailer will debut as soon as I know.  We're working with a major game site for the debut.  We took a little bit of a different direction with this trailer, and I'm curious to see reactions.  The trailer opens with live action footage, to help ground the character.  A lot of people who've seen the trailer don't like this aspect of it, but I think it works well.  In a few days, we'll all see how it pans out, reaction-wise.

All questions and comments relating to the trailer are welcome here.

Comments

[Dopefish]

I loved that aspect of the trailer, Scott. I'll be curious to see how it's received, too.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

I've seen too many big aspirations evaporate and conclusions end badly to get too excited about the beginning or end of a project, just to take another perspective. It's natural to get enthusiastic about these things, and I'm not going to knock anyone for that as long as it's kept within sensible limits. Better to start slowly and end well, etcetera.

My first take on the Prey material, looking at the graphics, gameplay, and narrative aspects, was that it was an interesting and dynamic performance, but something was lacking somewhere along the line. I think, there's a certain obviousness about it, which is less a matter of game development and more a matter of cultural biases.

Work, play, movies, and games are all the same thing to me. As we've discussed in earlier topics, people don't like change, but what is strange today is cliché tomorrow. As with comic books morphing to live action, live action morphing to games will likely become just another tool in the toolbox. Really, all that matters is execution and timing.

I'm sure you'll make it look easy, Scott.

[Bjorn Larsson]

The word "crunch time" sounds unneccesarily negative. Might be a good idea if the entire industry started referring to the last phase in development as post-production, as is normal in any feature film. Pre-production, production, post production - a simple three-step approach to successful game development. It's almost like basic marketing, changing negative perception of words by replacing them with neutrals or positives!?

No post-production (cruchtime) = crap game :)

[Mirik]

Can you believe for a second I thought this was about Duke? I suck. ;)

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

The word "crunch time" sounds unneccesarily negative.

I think you're onto something there, Bjorn. Aspirations, goals, labels. All these things shape our perception, and by that our actions and the results that flow from that. For some years I've held "crunch" to be a poor way, inappropriately glamorised, and too easily excused. I’ve learned the hard way that good structure and balance can better shape your life, character, and what you achieve. Schedule, diet, and exercise are part of that regime. Sadly, bad habits are easy to acquire and very, very hard to overturn. Better awareness can change this.

Other people have commented on these sorts of things before, and I’ve noticed a bit more of it recently. Personally, I’m really glad that this and other issues, like pay and conditions, are emerging onto the agenda. Fair and realistic shared goals are better for everyone. Like a lot of company owners or high earners, Scott’s attitudes are understandable but out of touch with the grass roots. If you’re at the bottom of a large company things can look very different. On the plus side, I guess, 3D Realms smaller size and reward sharing mitigates this.

One of the things I’ve been thinking of and trying to practice recently is a thought from some Oriental man of note, whose name I forget, who said that as his immediate problems got bigger so he looked further back in history for simple solutions. Over the past few months I’ve found some real merit in this. It’s easy to sneer at the old ways, but we can learn from the mistakes and wisdoms of people long dead. As society has become politically, legally, and socially super-saturated, I think, seeking a more simple and detached perspective can add real benefit.

I bet some haiku could say that lot in about a dozen words...

[Mr.DJ]

In your opinion, is it safe to watch, for people that already knows they'll buy Prey and doesn't want spoilers...but still am curious to know as much as possible? :)

How's everything coming along Scott? What is the tactic to make Prey another succes title in 3DRealms history? :)

I have read about Prey's past dev. history and already know I just HAVE to own the game...but I'm getting the feeling(from visiting gaming sites)the interest in the game, is mostly coming from fans already knowing about the game and the average player being less impressed and seems to catagorise Prey with Doom3 in gameplay(and I don't think it's meant in a good way). I think it would perhaps be strategic wise to let the videos show more clearly, why Prey is more than "just Doom3 gameplay set in another enviroment/universe" like I've heard the non-believers say! ;)

[Mirik]

I've been noticing too an interest for the title, but not as 'wow i gotta have this' as everyone is rambling on about the not-even-announced Halo 3.

It's like they are focussed on that game, but watching sideways towards some other shooters to bide the time till H3 is coming out. Weird development, I think people are a little fed up with FPS titles and just look forward towards the 'huge' releases that defined gaming culture.

[sam]

"I think it would perhaps be strategic wise to let the videos show more clearly, why Prey is more than "just Doom3 gameplay set in another enviroment/universe" like I've heard the non-believers say! ;)"

When you got these trailers showing 3-5 seconds clips of a game, it's hard to tell any game (in the same genre) from another. It's all one big mess of weapons firing, explosions, people/monsters dying, etc.

Have you seen the E3 Prey video (from last year)? That is what you want to show those non-believers. :) Long gameplay sequences were you can actually see what's going on. That video shows, atleast to me, that Prey is no Doom 3 rip off.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

That's an interesting balance of comments. I don't think it's productive taking one side or another. Really, it's better to plot your own course, which is why my comments are a blend of positive and negative, depending on how you look at them. Clearly, Prey does have something too offer but, a bit like Tomb Raider: Legend, it has the hint of by the numbers about it. I don't think that's a jaded or cynical view, rather, it's a question of expectation versus reality.

Scott's a dab hand at creating excitement and enthusiasm, as Max Payne showed, but you've got to take a step back and ask yourself what's really there. Experience helps, but there's a couple of things you can do to help. Switching off the trailer sound and evaluating the small details in isolation and in the wider context is good for developer and customer alike. Really, it's just a question of opening your eyes. It's all there.

My judgement of games tends to be restrained in comparison to the hype. I don't want to dent anyone’s enthusiasm or enjoyment of a product they've spent their lives working on or playing, so if you see something in it you like and it makes your day, don't let me stop you. What I will suggest, and I think this is useful, is that love it or hate it, if you roll with the experience and learn from it, perhaps, it might assist a better quality conversation where developers and customers can build more positive consensus.

Yup. I'll be interested to see how this one unfolds...

[Pag]

I haven't followed the hype around the game too much, but the positionning of Prey is unclear to me. It looks like yet another FPS where aliens invade the earth and you have to save the girl. What's the differentiation? The hero is an indian? Some places allow you to walk on walls? Nothing earth-shattering there...

That's separate from the actual quality of the game of course -- I haven't played it so I can't comment -- but considering Scott's strength in marketing I expected clearer positionning.

[Scott Miller]

Pag and all, the problem with Prey is similar to the one Tivo has. It's hard for the marketing people at Tivo to clearly distill why you need one of their boxes...yet!...when you've had one, you can NEVER go back. Now, I'm not saying Prey is as important as Tivo, but it has the same fundamental problem: It's a game that comes off sounding like every FPS before it, UNTIL you've played it. Even watching the videos of the game in full glory will not convey to you why this game is truly something different, just as watch Tivo in action is not the same as finally owning it yourself, and coming to realize what a change it is.

That's why we're releasing a demo of Prey before the game comes out, and I feel very strongly that the demo will be our most important marketing tool for the game, by a long shot.

Max Payne had a similar problem -- it was hard to get across just how cool bullet-time was in screen shots and in videos. It takes playing the game to really get it.

So, we accept the Doom 3 comparisons for now, but no one who has played the game -- including all of the press (the game has 20 covers worldwide) -- has left the game thinking it was anything short of amazing.

Also, the game is not without some flaws, just as Duke 3D and Max Payne had flaws. We can never achieve perfection. Getting close is all we can hope for. I expect Prey to average around 88-92 in review scores, and that's about where Max Payne was. As good as it is, it's still just an FPS, and so it'll never score where the truly revolutionary games score, in the mid to upper 90's.

BTW, check out http://www.3drealms.com (top story, Prey Diary #15). We've announced that the new Prey trailer will go live on IGN in less than an hour (8pm PST).

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

Well, Scott. I'm not slow when it comes to assessing games and, I think, I've got at least as good a grip on Prey as I did with Max Payne. I spotted a few aspects to that game that passed most people by prior to it hitting them in the face or being subject to further developer comment. My take on Prey is the design and marketing are both a little off beam. To some degree your new trailers may mitigate that, but my personal breed of clinical detachment won't be fooled by enthusiasm. Sorry. It’s a personality flaw of mine.

Personally, I never gave Max Payne more than a 4/10 on my private marking scheme, and it only got that high because of the snazzy graphics. It sounds a bit low, but when most reviewers produce scores of the type where you have to automatically subtract 90% and take the remainder as a mark out of ten, it puts the headline grabbing marking schemes in context. In any case, the authority of most reviewers is in severe doubt so any score they offer shouldn’t be treated at face value. If it’s any comfort, I’ve provisionally pegged Prey at 7/10.

You’re right to be careful about judging a game before you’ve played it, PAG, but I weigh my assessments against playing and other peoples opinion, and I’ve found it’s a rare exception where I’m more than a few degrees off target. There’s always the chance I could get it badly wrong, and Prey might be that game, but I’ve been around too much and seen my judgement hit the target on too many levels to start hesitating now. Perhaps, if you make a careful assessment and test this, you’ll develop a clearer and more confident view to match your blog, eh?

Lastly, and you’re going to hate my for saying this Scott, I think, you’re underestimating both your audience and yourself. The past few years have seen a general rise in understanding of game design and marketing on the part of developers and customers. Progress has been difficult and patchy, but the overall qualitative feel to both sides of the fence has risen. This is great, but neither hesitancy or arrogance is helpful. With a little nudge, I think, developers and gamers can begin developing a little more subtlety of vision and appreciation. Neither, yet, fully have it, but when they do I don’t think there’ll be any going back either.

Whatever way this Schrödinger’s cat jumps, I’m sure, it will be interesting and delightful.

Thanks for the clear and measured comments. I appreciate these things.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

Here's my instant but rather blunt reaction. Couldn't soften it without sounding fake.

My take is that the further West you go, the lower the context and the stronger the presentation, while as you go East it flips the other way around. Personally, I feel much more comfortable with European and Asian content than I do American. Crudely, American content tends to polish off subtlety and raise contrast. This is much a cultural and industrial issue as it is a procedural one, which explains where I’m coming from and why Prey et al don’t fit too well with me. If European games were more ambitious and Asian games more accessible, perhaps, some cultural mixing might help bring all sides a little closer together.

In the round, I’d say the new trailer was more of the same high dynamic and low context material 3D Realms are famous for. It sort of fits the look and feel of previous games, the company, and the country they’re from. To some degree, I see strong similarities with their previous output and some developments in the broader game and movie industry. For instance, there’s a similarity between character models, and emotional characterisation. Maybe, I can see this because I’m looking from the outside in, but there’s a certain follow the leader thing going on here. That would be fine but for the difficulty I have getting over low context content.

When the Duke Nukem Forever 2001 trailer was released, I remember thinking the game was substantially unfinished and what was shown wasn’t truly representative of the overall experience. A few years later further comments from Scott confirmed this position. On the whole, as a trailer, that effort was better than the latest Prey version. Yes, someone put a lot of intellectual and emotional effort into this, and money was clearly spent, but it seems to have been spent on the wrong things, and it’s not as well sourced or put together. Lastly, whatever Scott thinks it adds to the customer pre-sales education, I can’t see anything I didn’t know before.

Conclusion: It’s a polished but fat and gimmicky tragedy in waiting. 6/10. Oops.

Taking a more detailed look at it, the fact that IGN hosted the trailer wasn’t a plus in my book. I do my best to avoid messy, slow, and advertising laden sites. Then there’s the issue of resolution. Signing up to get anything more than a blurry version is a showstopper, and that’s before I get started on the IGN watermark buried in the trailer. Yes, I know bandwidth costs money but inconveniences like this make life unnecessarily hard for customers, and I’m no big fan of the mathematically disproved philosophy that money dictates merit.

Looking at the trailer on a scene by scene basis, I’m pretty happy with the live action bit blending into game footage. The two don’t quite match, and the majority of scenes in the overall trailer seem to have something wrong with them on an individual level and as a whole. It was bitty and confusing at every level. In contrast, the earlier DNF trailer was much better crafted, paced, and knitted together well as a whole. By contrast, Prey is an expensive and backward step for what you get. I’m going to go for broke here and say these issues are shared between the trailer and the game, judging by content and the shared characters behind it.

Looking at the maps, models, and sound as an interactive narrative mix, there’s plenty of stuff I see in there that I like on an individual level, but when put into the bigger picture of Prey the game, and current industry standards at the top end, I’m a bit disappointed something a bit more vital and sensitive hasn’t emerged. Yes, I know emotions are the new black, but emotions in an of themselves are nothing if they’re not wielded well, which is another reason why I hope the Chinese keep Steven Spielberg at arms length when they’re working through the design of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.

I’m sure Prey will be a blast, but I doubt there’s much in there for me.

[Mr.DJ]

Scott: "...We can never achieve perfection. Getting close is all we can hope for..."

Well, a perfect game wouldn't leave much room for an expansion/sequel! ;)

[Bludd]

I just watched the trailer. I had no problems with the live-action stuff at the start other than "that grass looks too good, must be prerenderend.." before I remembered Scott's comment about live-action.

It has a movie trailer quality too it and the portals and stuff still gets me psyched. I loved the box that tipped over and revealed a portal with a doglike alien demon kind of thing jumping out.

[Pag]

Scott, I'm happy to see you're taking criticism with an open-mind. With your past success it would be easy for you to take a holier-than-thou attitude. I've had to deal recently with people who got angered at much less. It's heartening to see some people understand such comments aren't personal attacks.

I've just watched the IGN trailer, and Prey seems like a very polished title. The graphics look great -- too great for my under-powered PC to run, but I'll keep an eye on the game once I get a Xbox 360. There's a demo planned for that platform too, I presume?

[Scott Miller]

Charles, the DNF trailer is a clone, pace-wise, and editing cut-wise, of the trailer for The Phantom Menace. We thought that trailer was about perfect, so we deconstructed it and copied it.

The Prey trailer was essentially done last year, but we waited until now to release it, to time it better with the game's release.

The reason for releasing an IGN first (today we're putting out a non-IGN version on several sites) is because the retailers use Gamespot and IGN for tracking data on the interest level for a game. In a way, these two sites are like the Nelson ratings for television in the States, and the higher your ratings, the more retailers will buy for their initial shipment, giving your game a bigger opening box office-like figure. So, it is as it is, and you are forced to play the system. I don't like it either.

[Mr.DJ]

Scott, now that you mentioned a demo...can you give us an ETA on when you would expect the demo to be out?

Regarding the newly released "super" trailer, well, I thought it was ok and liked the added indian clip. The weakest point was the recording of the audio dialog. They just seemed too "out of place" and not very immersive. I watched the lower quality Quicktime movie btw.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

I think, what you say about people taking things too badly is a good comment, PAG. Certainly, my own comments were too long, negative, and nit-picky, and that would send some people through the roof. I guess, it’s a question of perspective and balance. Getting anything right isn’t easy, and being too under or over-sensitive is something to be watched and fixed.

That’s an interesting comment about the trailer, Scott. Great artists steal, right? It was an excellent trailer and something I made a point of archiving. As much as it wasn’t truly representative of what was behind it at the time, the action and tone carried a fair look and feel of what you were trying to achieve. If there was an issue, it was this lack of clarity.

I hadn’t expected the criticism of the ratings style system. I’ve seen plenty of Americans comment on various aspects of their society and economy, and how they’d like things to tilt in a less extreme direction. As with anything else, things change and its just a question of patience. As much as I have my criticisms, I guess, we’re not much different. Ditto China, etcetera.

Never mind, it’s a new day tomorrow.

[GreatBritishProducer]

Ah, Prey. There is one thing I remember about the game from the first time I saw it, the portal jumping. Everything else was familiar and derivative; I could not help but reflect on Half Life during key stages of the trailer; I'd conclude its not good if you have your viewer thinking about another product throughout the show. Regardless, its a well executed trailer, if somewhat repetitive and disappointing at the very end (see below) . And the live action works - good art direction.

I would like to ask a question; why the swearing at the end of the trailer? 'I want those bastards dead, all of them. Whatever it takes!'. What was the thinking behind this? There is no warning of the swearing. Did you not think it irresponsible considering the trailer is without an age rating? This does not happen in film trailers unless its been rated, and this can only be enforced in the cinema or on DVD.

Sadly, this hints at persistent immaturity still prevalent in the games industry. Immature scripting, immature decision making, immature marketing and immature consumers.

[Stewart Quade]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/poppinfreshly/gaz_nukem.jpg

Any comment on this picture Scott?

[Jare]

Daikatana. The 5th Element. Doom 3 / Quake 4. Those were the references that immediately jumped to my mind after watching the trailer. As much as I loved that movie and the Id games, I can't see such a combination raising much interest among the masses of gamers. You portray what looks like a common man (of a culturally perplexing origin) involved in a love story while he fights what seems like an impossibly hopeless threat to humankind. I can admire the detailed graphics (cartoony-looking humans excluded), fast-paced action and funky space-bending gimmicks, but the narrative concept is really hard to swallow.

If there's a behind-the-scenes story I'd like to hear, it's the DNF 1998 trailer. I don't suppose you could...? :)

[Pag]

Stewart, that picture looks Photoshopped -- the Duke Nukem logo isn't well centered and the Revolution seems out of place. I also can't think of where that photo could have been taken, if it was real. Where did you get it? I'm curious.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

I would like to ask a question; why the swearing at the end of the trailer?

Yup. This was an issue for me as well. Must say, it genuinely upset me for no reason at all. This is an example of what I refer to as the low context mentality. America, to be direct, has a bit of an obsession with strength of response and lacks a general awareness. This is shown at all levels, from the individual, to the corporate, to their projection on the international stage. To some degree, I think, this is sinking in but if it’s just a temporary fix to get out of a tight spot, it’s just piling up more trouble for the future.

This isn’t solely an American issue. Whether you’re European or Asian, the fundamentals remain the same, even if the mix of challenges is different. To be fair, many Americans are thoughtful, considerate, and kind, and many key thinkers and opinion formers have popularised or contributed to the overall discussion over many years. In the United Kingdom we have our own issues of this nature that need addressing and, with a big kick from the government, the beginnings of this is happening.

My take on Prey is that’s an unhappy game. I don’t mean this in the surface sense that it seems to be all about gloom and doom, or one whack-fest after another. The issues run deeper than that. It’s just a feeling but, I think, there’s something not quite right about something deep within its design. The look and feel doesn’t resonate in a pleasant way. It’s spirit is a bit, well, doubtful. It’s not a game I like and I’m getting the idea that it’s going to bomb badly. I may be wrong about this, and Scott et al are welcome to release it as is, but a last look can’t do any harm.

[Stewart Quade]

Pag. I do realize the picture is fake. I thought the idea was cool though. ;)
It was taken from Gaming Age Forums.

[GreatBritishProducer]

Only Scott can provide a firm answer, but I would propose its one of Judgement and to echo earlier sentiments, immature scripting. Consider that I transcribed the wording into this forum; the reason for this was based on the idea the blog/forum is contained and from what I read, attracts a mature consumer. Consider IGN ... it attract wider demographic. Links will be generated from more gaming sites and before you know it, there is an explosion of awareness and every child or adult is hearing the final words of the trailer.

View any trailer at apples site and note how, despite the adult content in most trailers, the dialogue never follows. Emotional messaging does not require derogatory dialogue to communicate what is essentially character and motivation. I'm sure the Prey script has better examples than the one encoded with the video.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

Theories of social lag and social brutalism have something to say about Prey. Both are interesting theories and relevant to Prey in the sense that it’s a bit strange and violent. While I dislike the vacant novelty of youth and the ossification of age, I’m beginning to wonder about its more positive aspects. Indeed, while desensitising is accredited with a lot of social ills, interestingly, a paper written by an Indian psychologist on Buddhism suggests its usefulness in improving wellbeing. Fundamentally, something changes depending on how you look at it. Looking at personal relationships to international negotiation between groups, below the surface message and differences in understanding, the hardest and most important thing to illuminate is motivation. This can shed an entirely different light on a subject. Perhaps, what we have is a two-way failure of communication.

Ego has a lot to answer for...

Bastard is a swear word?

Next you'll be telling me "Where the bloody hell are you" should be banned.

[gf]

Oh come on now, this is getting into the rediculous. If someone is old enough for seeing weapons fired, stuff killed, planes crashing they sure are old enough to hear the "I want those bastards dead".

If I sound slightly agitated it's just that I'm very allergic to, what I think is, a completely messed up sense of perspective/reality. When "cursing" and naked boobs become more dangerous than violence and killing then something has gone horribly wrong.

[Scott Miller]

Well, chalk it up to moral decay. In the States, mild curse words like damn, shit, bastard, etc. have become commonplace on prime-time TV. Other than on this blog, I've not seen any complaints about the usage of this word. Maybe it was wrong of us, but honestly, until I saw the complaint here, it hadn't even occurred to me, or anyone else involved with the video.

[Joe M]

Re: crunch at finalling a game

On the one hand, extra effort at the end of any project, especially a creative one, is expected and normal. There is finite time, and even if the game is great, there's always a bit more polish you can push for, one step closer to that impossible perfection.

On the other hand, there are exactly two kinds of software developers on this planet:
- Those who work crunch-time for extended periods
- Those who have a way of accurately measuring productivity

If you have the latter, you don't do the former. Period.

If work more than three straight weeks of crunch (defined as 60+ hours) you will quickly reach the point where you are getting less work done than if you'd stayed at 40 hours weeks. You are literally burning time, at the point when you can least afford to do so. There is no way to define this but as incompetent project management.

If you work one week crunch, and every other week enforced 40 hours (lock-the-doors on the weekend kind of thing) you will have a moderate performance increase, as long as this doesn't go on longer than 8 weeks. At that point, returns again begin to diminish, getting worse the longer you do it.

The maximum productivity burst you can get is to work one week of crunch followed by two 40-hour weeks. This is sustainable for 3-4 months (depending on the team) before productivity once again starts to diminish.

I express no opinion. These are the facts. The nutural laws of software development, if you will. The only way any development team can even get into perma-crunch is if no mechanism has been setup to accuractely measure productivity.

[HaZe303]

Hi Scott. Im for one looking forward to this game. It looks, sounds, great. And the story is no better/worse than any sci-fi action movie out there. People who want 100% reality, they can go play chess or some other games. Cause there are no 100% real games, and if there were, they would be pretty boring. And this whole swearing thing that Charles E. Hardwidge is ranting about, is just the great american double morals. If you remember when the movie "Basic Instinct"?? Well is hilarious to me that the sex-scenes got more negative attention in the states, than the fact that sharon stone´s character stabs men with an ice-pick to death. In Europe this is the other way around. Sex=Ok, Violence=not ok.. But this is why we have age-ratings. So people them selves can decide. And those who think "barstard" is a curseword, well im a bastard(born out of wedlock) and i turned out pretty well. So "bastard" isnt such a bad thing, and how many other games/movies/music has much worse lyrics/scripts, so if you think about it, its not so bad... :)

So Scott, please give us an ETA of the DEMO...:) And some minimum/recommended system specs plz!!??

Thx

[HaZe303]

By the way, i think the super trailer is looking good. Specially the live/rendered footage. Very well done. Grass looked really good...

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

I’d like to draw a line in the sand on Prey. The points I made were sound but I’d preferred to have put them over in another way. Also, I don’t want to get sucked into hammering a single point beyond its usefulness and general level of interest. On the generic issue of sex and violence. I’m not opposed to them being in games, books, or movies in principle but the profile you expose people of different places and ages to is important. The same is true of how you personally conduct yourself.

I’m a bit surprised by the difficulty American politics is having with regulation. Certification systems help put power in the hands of customers. It allows parents, for example, to say no. It works well in Europe and is compatible with the regulatory approach of countries like China. Whether you’re talking about games, regulation, or treaty, design shapes the outcome envelope. Good design produces good outcomes. Bad design produces bad outcomes. This is true of working practices, and usefully highlighted by Joe’s comments on scheduling.

[Eric B.]

I'm somewhat suprised at a lot of the comments so far. Before this video everytime I heard about Prey I kept thinking "what a joke, as if a 10 year old game will ever turn out". But now I'll probably buy the game. I was very pleasantly suprised.

I did start off with the thought that it was fairly Doom3-ish (not that that would be a bad thing, in my opinion). But after watching it a second time I realized it was quite different. I was especially impressed with the short clip with the floor and room that seemed to rearrange itself as the player moved though. I was also very pleased to see the portal tech with that box flipping over and that dog like thing jumping out.

And to those that are upset about the word "bastard" being used... how is that worse than those two kids being killed, where the possessed spirit of the little girl impales that boy? The idea that someone would complain about a nothing word like "bastard" and say nothing of the graphic violence... is interesting.

This isn't a game focused on the pre-teen market. 3D Realms knows its market: The average gamer out there is 30 years old, not 12.

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

And to those that are upset about the word "bastard" being used... how is that worse than those two kids being killed, where the possessed spirit of the little girl impales that boy? The idea that someone would complain about a nothing word like "bastard" and say nothing of the graphic violence... is interesting.

No, that's another thing that caught my eye.

It's just a question of follow through.

[HaZe303]

Scott, is the July delay true?? Why, oh why are you doing this to me?? ;) Man i would hope you´d shorten the release date instead. Maybe a may release, or early June release would be great... :D

ETA on Demo yet?

[HaZe303]

The new 169_prey_om_mul_042806_hd trailer looking great!! :) But it looked like the framerate wasnt the best!!? Does someone know what kind of system setup they had filming the trailer??? Like to know, cause maybe if the GPU was a Ati 1800, well then i think the game would run little better on my x1900xt. Or is it filmed on a X360??? IF scott or someone could please give us something on this? Would be much appreciated!!

[Scott Miller]

The new trailer was recorded in much higher resolution so as to pass the standard required by Microsoft to appear on Live, and the hard drive on our best system simply couldn't keep up, with with Fraps recording the image. The game itself runs fine, it was the recording process that caused the slowdown.

[HaZe303]

Ok!!:)

Good to know!! :) Looking great, ive longed for this game for so long. Hope the game can live up to my high expectations!?? :) That must be the drawback from hyping a game?? Hard to live up to the hype sometimes. But if some game can, i believe Prey would be one of them... :) (i hope!!)

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

I've just got around to seeing the second trailer. While the focus of the presentation is different, it's much clearer, uses a more CPU friendly CODEC, and shows off the gameplay more fully. I'm anticipating that a future game release will draw on lessons from both perspectives, making for a much improved production process and final presentation. I already have a picture in my minds eye of what to expect. I'm pleased with the incremental progress Rebellion have showed over their previous game with Rogue Trooper. It will be interesting to see how well you meet or, better still, exceed my expectations next time around.

[Scott Miller]

Charles, we've released three trailers in the last three weeks. The last two trailers are "Countdown to Release" trailers, showing extended gameplay footage. These trailers are designed to show actual gameplay sequences without giving away key spoilers, so we're taking all of these sequences from early in the game. Later in the game, stuff gets a lot better!

So far response to these trailers has been as positive as we could have hoped.

I've been working on the retail box the entire weekend, and here are some of the good quotes that will be on the box:

"This is truly a next-generation game, whose ideas and visual sheen could never be executed on anything other than the most cutting edge console platform." - Xbox 360 Magazine

"A game that's quite, quite unique...more new and inventive ideas in it than the average year's FPS output combined." - 360 magazine

"Variety looks to be one of Prey's main strengths, as it combines complex puzzle elements, a sci-fi setting and mythological inspiration with the grotesque imagery, creepy foreboding and jump-out-of-your-skin moments of a survival horror game. Prey certainly impressed us." - 360 magazine

"[A] masterwork of insanity...an engrossing experience." - Hardcore Gamer magazine

"A cinema-worthy storyline." - Xbox magazine

Good box quotes, no? ;-)

After E3 I will write an entry on Prey much like I did like I did for Max Payne in one of my very first entries, "The Making of a Franchise."

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

Well, it looks like you have a grip on what you're aiming for. Things could easily have gone badly if you weren't presenting the case so well. Both Prey and the reviews aren't my territory. I would aim differently but would hope to achieve a comparable result.

I've taken a brief look at Bioshock. It sounds technically and creatively interesting, and partially realises many of the things I discussed years ago. While it's ambition is similarly restrained, I expect it will go down well enough. Like Prey, it's a useful stepping stone.

Personally, I'm not that interested in hearing about the technical or creative specifics. My head is in a place several stones on, so it bores me. What I would like to hear, and think would make a refreshing change, is the personal challenges and reflections of people during development.

[HaZe303]

Charles, are you even a gamer??? To me it sounds like you take all this a bit too seriously??? Dont know, but for me its just a game, not a whole life "philosophy"!!?? :) I love games, and games are starting to get a bit too similar to each other, so every now and then when you find games that have some innovative gameplay and story, which in my mind Prey seems to be, then i get very positively pleased!!

[Charles E. Hardwidge]

Yes, I play games when I've got the time and am in the right mood, but have other interests which overlap or have resonance. I suppose some of that is rubbing off on my commentry. Whether it's games, politics, or life in general, it's all the same thing to me. Same rules, same methods, just a different perspective.

Must dash. Got to nibble some crumpet...

[neofitou]

Are you going to put 'From the producers of Max Payne and the developers of Rune' on the box, Scott? I think it would be a good line for sucking in people who liked those games.

[HaZe303]

Scott, im very bored right now. I know you wont tell ETA on the demo. But man, give it to us ASAP. So i can get some joy in my life again(game vise)!! :D Oblivion is great, but i need a great shooter to get my aggressions out!! :) So cmon man, hurry up!! We users can be youre beta testers...;)

[Scott Miller]

Demo has been announced for June 22. Check out the Xbox 360 trailer on Live. If you go to www.3DRealms.com you see a link to this trailer in the news section somewhere.

The demo will simply rock. I've never been so sure about a demo before. First five levels of the game. :-)

[Patrick Johnson Jr.]

I'm looking forward to the demo Scott. This has to be a relief on you, to see a game finally come around to fruition after it was at first deemed too ambitious with the Portal Technology (I am brought to mind of William Scarboro quote about the engine).

[HaZe303]

Oh it has been announced... must have missed that info!!? That is great news... looking forward... hope time flyes by fast until then!! :) W00t 5levels in a demo, that sounds really great. Even if they would be "small short" levels, it is more than most demo´s offer. Cant Wait... ;)