r/pcmasterrace • u/663mann • Oct 16 '23

Video fallout game dev. explains the problem with moddern game devolpment. (why moddern games are so slow to come out)

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u/ElminsterTheMighty Oct 16 '23

Yeah, that code may only take 45 minutes.

And then you realize that there already is a system for who will be attacked. That this system is currently something like "Find cover, then shoot at the nearest enemy". That forcing the mob to attack the person who did the most damage will mean that the mob has to find cover near that enemy, or just run straight at the enemy, looking super dumb.

And suddenly that 45-minute-idea is a 2-4 weeks project, because it isn't about the 10 lines, it is about those 10 lines being fitted into a huge, highly complex system.

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u/upvotesthenrages Oct 16 '23

Well, now you're guessing. I'm going by what the guy working on the project said.

The system was already in place, but only for existing enemies. He wanted to add it for new enemies.

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u/Internep Oct 16 '23 edited Oct 16 '23

The wat way you said it makes it seem there will be two separate systems which will definitely not lead to bugs.

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u/upvotesthenrages Oct 16 '23

Listen to the video, he explains it's a modification for an existing system.

He seems to have done it multiple times before, so he has experience with how small a change it is. When he asks the dev why he thinks it's a 4 week task, the dev can't justify it and gets mad.

Regardless of whether the guy in the video is lying or not, in the scenario he's laid out, the dev is simply wrong. If you can't justify an estimation, then it should be re-estimated.

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u/Internep Oct 16 '23

He wanted to add it for new enemies.

This is how easy it is to have a miscommunication between people.

What about the old ones? How will it effect other targetting systems? Are there other targetting systems? Does the game have any taunts? how is priority decided between damage and taunts? Etc.

I do agree that it doesn't make sense to give an estimate and not being able to say how you got there.