SE5 screenshots ugly?

[Fyron]

There's always something to do, and manpower and time is always at least part of the problem. Money can buy both.

Up to a point, then it starts to harm productivity... Look for info on the mythical man-month.

[Raapys]

Up to a point, then it starts to harm productivity

I'm very aware that assigning more developers on a project can have the opposite effect than desired, unless you have a really well organized project that can actually support it. Obviously, the completely unplanned "Oh, we're running late, let's throw in 10 more programmers!" idea isn't gonna do much good.

That's where the 'time' part comes in. The more money you have, the less you need to rush the game to avoid getting broke. Where you might not have a good enough organized project to support more than a couple of programmers, time is key.

Having, for instance, alot of artists hired, means you have alot more expenses, thus need to rush the game out sooner to make up for those expenses, unless you're one of those people that have unlimited amount of cash and can delay a game as long as they want. I believe they live in a fantasy world, however.

The point is that the total fun of that 10 hour game is spread out over more time.
Thus it either has a lower intensity of fun; it has 6 hours of boring mixed in.

I didn't talk about 'total fun', though. If you reread what I said, you'd notice the "If I have just as much fun when I play that 10 hour game as when I play the 4 hour one" part, indicating that, while playing the 10 hour game I have e.g. 8 points of fun 'each moment' on a 0-10 scala, while on the 4 hour one I also have 8 points of fun, but those 'moments' are far fewer. Put in a very silly way, since talking about 'fun' in such a way isn't really entirely fitting.

[Fyron]

There is no unless, though. Even the most well-organized project will hit the curve. It may be at a higher point than an unorganized project, but it will happen.

[Raapys]

Okay, if we're gonna nit-pick then let me rephrase "unless you have a really well organized project that can actually support it." to "unless you have a well organized project that can actually support *more*". And, as I mentioned, time is just about always the biggest problem at any rate, and money can buy that too.

So I'm not entirely sure why we're discussing that part.

I'm just pointing out the way that many others read it, Raapys.

Fair enough, glad we could clarify it then.

[Suicide Junkie]

I'm just pointing out the way that many others read it, Raapys.

[Hunpecked]

Imperator Fyron said:Up to a point, then it starts to harm productivity... Look for info on the mythical man-month.

I've been in the software business long enough to remember reading that book not long after it first came out. Coincidentally, I had occasion to quote it to my current boss about two weeks ago. Amazing what three decades of "progress" won't accomplish.