Anyone can do any of the above. David Allen could never have *made* the game. Just like he never *made* Dominion. He doesn't have what it takes - all he can do is talk up a game and draw some pretty pictures.
Originally posted by Ulujain Talk...theories...ideas...hot air.Anyone can do any of the above. David Allen could never have *made* the game. Just like he never *made* Dominion. He doesn't have what it takes - all he can do is talk up a game and draw some pretty pictures.
Just jumping around a bit and saw this post. Thought I'd weigh in on it.
All game design is talk, theories and ideas.
You begin with an idea. Develop it into a concept / draft proposal. Then you refine your proposal into a design document (which is a living document, subject to modification throughout the development cycle). At this point, your proposal and design document are still just talk, theories and ideas.
After you have pitched your design, secured funding, assembled your development team and actually begin production, that is the point where all the talk, theories and ideas begin to solidify into the assets that will make up your game.
For the most part, the average game designer is a jack of all trades and a master of none; they have some training in various areas such as programming, 3D modeling, networking, non-linear video and audio editing, and they may be a talented illustrator. They are normally mediocre to good writers (perhaps verging on excellent).
As a game designer, lead game designer or producer, it is their job to create the design document (the base diagram for the project) and to lead the various teams in development. They may be more or less involved in specific areas (where they may have particular strengths) but it's not their job to do the actual work of the various assembled teams. They provide guidance, they keep the project on track and they address issues as they arise.
Dave Allen obviously created a game concept; he drafted a proposal and secured the funding necessary to get the project started; and he wrote a design document.
At that point, it's a team effort. No one person makes the game.
But without that talk, those theories or those ideas, you don't even have a foundation to begin development.
Obviously the work Dave Allen did (in conjunction with others) was enough to secure millions of dollars in funding for development of Horizons.
Certainly anyone can talk about making a game and come up with ideas and theories. However, not everyone can do the required work that results in securing funding for development, gather and employ a team and create a studio from scratch. That is a horse of an entirely different color.
There are many who would like to do just that. The fact that they do not signifies even more how difficult the process can be.
No, David Allen didn't make Horizons. Nor did David Bowman. Not one single person at Artifact (in any of its incarnations) could be said to have "made" Horizons.
But David Allen did conceive, create, and put into execution his original design for Horizons. His original concepts were strong enough to secure funding and set into motion the creation of Artifact Entertainment. The internal issues at Artifact, David Allen's admitted naivete in business administration and reported lack of direct leadership do not change that fact.
I'm certainly not holding up David Allen as an example. All I am saying is that your post is more than a little inaccurate. David Allen's inability to create a game design, secure funding, gather a development team and found a studio was not what led to a change in leadership and direction for Horizons.
Under other circumstances, with a different team and critical production decisons being addressed in a timely manner (such as the selection of a game engine, for example) David Allen's original design may very well have become a definitive MMORPG.
Abbatoir / Abbatoir Cinq Adnihilo Beorn Judge's Edge Somnulus Perfect Black ---------------------- Asheron's Call / Asheron's Call 2 Everquest / Everquest 2 Anarchy Online Shadowbane Dark Age of Camelot Star Wars Galaxies Matrix Online World of Warcraft Guild Wars City of Heroes
Comments
Talk...theories...ideas...hot air.
Anyone can do any of the above. David Allen could never have *made* the game. Just like he never *made* Dominion. He doesn't have what it takes - all he can do is talk up a game and draw some pretty pictures.
Just jumping around a bit and saw this post. Thought I'd weigh in on it.
All game design is talk, theories and ideas.
You begin with an idea. Develop it into a concept / draft proposal. Then you refine your proposal into a design document (which is a living document, subject to modification throughout the development cycle). At this point, your proposal and design document are still just talk, theories and ideas.
After you have pitched your design, secured funding, assembled your development team and actually begin production, that is the point where all the talk, theories and ideas begin to solidify into the assets that will make up your game.
For the most part, the average game designer is a jack of all trades and a master of none; they have some training in various areas such as programming, 3D modeling, networking, non-linear video and audio editing, and they may be a talented illustrator. They are normally mediocre to good writers (perhaps verging on excellent).
As a game designer, lead game designer or producer, it is their job to create the design document (the base diagram for the project) and to lead the various teams in development. They may be more or less involved in specific areas (where they may have particular strengths) but it's not their job to do the actual work of the various assembled teams. They provide guidance, they keep the project on track and they address issues as they arise.
Dave Allen obviously created a game concept; he drafted a proposal and secured the funding necessary to get the project started; and he wrote a design document.
At that point, it's a team effort. No one person makes the game.
But without that talk, those theories or those ideas, you don't even have a foundation to begin development.
Obviously the work Dave Allen did (in conjunction with others) was enough to secure millions of dollars in funding for development of Horizons.
Certainly anyone can talk about making a game and come up with ideas and theories. However, not everyone can do the required work that results in securing funding for development, gather and employ a team and create a studio from scratch. That is a horse of an entirely different color.
There are many who would like to do just that. The fact that they do not signifies even more how difficult the process can be.
No, David Allen didn't make Horizons. Nor did David Bowman. Not one single person at Artifact (in any of its incarnations) could be said to have "made" Horizons.
But David Allen did conceive, create, and put into execution his original design for Horizons. His original concepts were strong enough to secure funding and set into motion the creation of Artifact Entertainment. The internal issues at Artifact, David Allen's admitted naivete in business administration and reported lack of direct leadership do not change that fact.
I'm certainly not holding up David Allen as an example. All I am saying is that your post is more than a little inaccurate. David Allen's inability to create a game design, secure funding, gather a development team and found a studio was not what led to a change in leadership and direction for Horizons.
Under other circumstances, with a different team and critical production decisons being addressed in a timely manner (such as the selection of a game engine, for example) David Allen's original design may very well have become a definitive MMORPG.
Abbatoir / Abbatoir Cinq
Adnihilo
Beorn Judge's Edge
Somnulus
Perfect Black
----------------------
Asheron's Call / Asheron's Call 2
Everquest / Everquest 2
Anarchy Online
Shadowbane
Dark Age of Camelot
Star Wars Galaxies
Matrix Online
World of Warcraft
Guild Wars
City of Heroes