ANTHEM - failed Destiny clone from BioWare

[Reinhardt]

If there ever was one studio that should be put to rest just to prevent further humiliation - it's Bioware.

 

[True Ukrainian]

The Bioware magic left with the veteran staff. Most of the guys crying in the meeting room were newbies or nutcases like Manveer.

 

[fantadomat]

endless meetings without decisions being made

This i can't get. Are they in some commune or a cult for individuality??? Don't they have a fucking boss to say "We are doing this,if you don't like it,fuck off!" ?

 

[thesheeep]

If there ever was one studio that should be put to rest just to prevent further humiliation - it's Bioware.

Maybe this is EA's new strategy.
Instead of closing down studios that still have some credibility and reputation left - which causes EA no end of bad reputation - they might have decided to let studios run as long as possible, until their talent is so drained that the public begs them to put the studio down - which might cause them to be seen as merciful.

endless meetings without decisions being made

This i can't get. Are they in some commune or a cult for individuality??? Don't they have a fucking boss to say "We are doing this,if you don't like it,fuck off!" ?

I see you've never worked in software development.

Spoiler

One of the main reasons I became a freelancer was that these endless meetings with little to no result everywhere drove me mad.
Now I might still be working for teams working like that, but at least I can demand clear plans and tasks for myself. And since I'm not as attached to the company it just doesn't faze me that much anymore if I can see the ship sinking from miles away.

 

[bat_boro]

Interesting. thesheep, care to share the nationalities of the teams you've worked with that are like that? My personal observations point towards this being a feature of western european/usa teams. I suppose Canada also counts

 

[abija]

It's a feature of having jobs that shouldn't exist and those people feeling the need to seem productive.

 

[Drakron]

endless meetings without decisions being made

This i can't get. Are they in some commune or a cult for individuality??? Don't they have a fucking boss to say "We are doing this,if you don't like it,fuck off!" ?

No because those meetings are by department leads or department heads.
The problem is they get paralyzed by lack of leadership, nobody wants to actually make a decision they would be held accountable for so you get suggestions and discussion but nothings gets done, the people under the leads dont want to be held for a decision made and heads dont want to make decisions they will be held so ... its paralyzed.

You notice this as blame is rarely if ever assigned, there is the notion the "entire team have to stood" as with blame being equally shared then nobody is to blame ... except there is someone that is, the department heads that became so cowardly they dont to take any responsibility for what is essentially their job, being responsible for the department.

 

[Lambach]

Interesting. thesheep, care to share the nationalities of the teams you've worked with that are like that?

The company I work for is US-based, but has offices and employees in over 120 countries worldwide. I've noticed kind of the opposite. When we're talking about larger projects with serious money involved, the Kwanzian big-wigs make swift, decisive calls that are obeyed and carried through. Projects like that are a joy to work on because there's a clear, set goal and my team gets what we need without hassle.

On the other hand, for smaller projects the suits are not too interested in, Democracy Mode gets turned on and suddenly there are hordes of semi-literate fucking mongoloids, each of whom is not only allowed to have an opinion for some inexplicable reason, but whose opinions you're expected to take into consideration. That way you end up in a million different meetings, 95% of which go nowhere because people either don't know what the fuck they want exactly, or if they do, there's too many people with different ideas of how the final product should look like and it's almost impossible to compromise because their ideas are diametric opposites.

And of course, god help you if these meetings involve people from Latin America or India.

 

[J1M]

What others have said is accurate.

I will add that another issue commonly faced stems from an overwhelming lack of professionalism where it is somehow acceptable for people to show up to a meeting where a decision is to be made without having read the materials listed as "required reading" in the meeting invite.

So you end up booking a meeting with decision makers, which requires waiting a week or two until there is a spot open in everyone's calendar, only to have all of them show up ill-equipped to make a decision. The unprofessional people want the decision-making meeting to act as an overview of the situation and ask for a second meeting (again booked another week or two later) in order to make the decision. Given that they vastly outnumber the prepared people, this is quickly and loudly agreed to.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

What others have said is accurate.

I will add that another issue commonly faced stems from an overwhelming lack of professionalism where it is somehow acceptable for people to show up to a meeting where a decision is to be made without having read the materials listed as "required reading" in the meeting invite.

So you end up booking a meeting with decision makers, which requires waiting a week or two until there is a spot open in everyone's calendar, only to have all of them show up ill-equipped to make a decision. The unprofessional people want the decision-making meeting to act as an overview of the situation and ask for a second meeting (again booked another week or two later) in order to make the decision. Given that they vastly outnumber the prepared people, this is quickly and loudly agreed to.

the only reason I show up to meetings is because they provide lunch
people who burn themselves out on their career will regret it, best decision I ever made was getting such a laid back job. Stress levels went way down, health overall improved, etc.,

 

[Frozen]

SNL dude played Anthem



And they put so much work in it not being memeable

 

[CreamyBlood]

Good article. I'm halfway through a book by the same author, Shreier called "Blood, Sweat and Pixels". It's about the development cycles of several different studios from AAA to indie. I just finished the story on the making of DA:I and it sounds quite similar. The thing is, EA didn't force Frostbite on Bioware, it was Biowares idea because they wanted a prettier engine.

Of course, thinking that mashing an RPG onto a proprietary multiplayer first person shooter engine probably isn't a good idea unless you have a few engineers to build out all the tools and systems you need for an RPG. Plus getting help from DICE thousands of miles away didn't help. I think they wanted a prettier renderer, not a whole new engine so that obvously caused a lot of problems.

Like Anthem, it also seemed like there was no direction or vision either, they were in perpetual pre-preduction right up to the end when they crunched and eventually spit something out. Obviously with Anthem it didn't work as well as with DA:I.

And got that the former CIO,the great swedish cuck that fucked the whole EA,was one of the reasons that the game is that shit. He sat down,played the game and said that it is shit and should be changed. Most likely too many words and the game needs more pew pew,better graphics and flying. Still it could have been shit game before he force them to make a new game out of it,we will never know.

I actually think this was a good thing. Bioware had no vision, no plan, nobody new what they were making, for what five years or so? EA got sick of it, years and years of Bioware dicking around with nothing to show for it, nobody having a clue what they were building. So a leader came in, made some simple decisions and told them to build it. That's what Bioware should have done a few years earlier. They should have had a plan, focused on it then started production on the game and iterated as they went a long. It took a guy with authority to make a decision and tell them to do it. It doesn't matter if it was the right decision or not, just that there was one.

I watched Angry Mexican show on it and it seems EA top dude actually was an incline, he pushed them to fix shit and make it playable at least.

"It’s a story about a studio in crisis. Dozens of developers, many of them decade-long veterans, have left BioWare over the past two years. Some who have worked at BioWare’s longest-running office in Edmonton talk about depression and anxiety. Many say they or their co-workers had to take “stress leave”—a doctor-mandated period of weeks or even months worth of vacation for their mental health. One former BioWare developer told me they would frequently find a private room in the office, shut the door, and just cry. “People were so angry and sad all the time,” they said. Said another: “Depression and anxiety are an epidemic within Bioware.”

Yeah, I don't understand that. I was in IT for a long time. I guess it could be slightly stressful at times but that's what beer is for! Can't imagine going in a closet and crying. Just start looking for a new job, simple. I just got sick of IT after many years for reasons other than stress so now I drive a truck and am quite happy. So many entitled pussies in this world, I don't get it. Especially if you sign up with a game development company known for having crunch time. Either push through and finish the job or quit and get a new job (as many did). If you can't for immediate financial reasons or whatever, then live with your decision and deal with it. It's not the end of the world and you're not going to die. Plus you're still getting a pay cheque.

 

[Trashos]

I am thinking that those crying developers must have been women. Then again, it is Canada, so you never know. Boy, am I glad we have to do military service where I was born.

Another thing from the article I would like to to emphasize is that the ideas of the original vision were indeed tried, and they did not look good in action. Which led to them going back and forth between different design visions. Total lack of determination on all levels.

 

[fantadomat]

I actually think this was a good thing. Bioware had no vision, no plan, nobody new what they were making, for what five years or so? EA got sick of it, years and years of Bioware dicking around with nothing to show for it, nobody having a clue what they were building. So a leader came in, made some simple decisions and told them to build it. That's what Bioware should have done a few years earlier. They should have had a plan, focused on it then started production on the game and iterated as they went a long. It took a guy with authority to make a decision and tell them to do it. It doesn't matter if it was the right decision or not, just that there was one.

From what i heard they were going for a hub/mission based action rpg before the retard said that flying and shiny graphics is a must. Still all the information is very subjective and there is no sure way for us to know. No matter how incompetent the studio is,they would have still made a few builds fro those 6 years. I believe that casey hudson was the first lead,and he wanted to make a popamole MMO looter,thus that is what he sold EA. Then he got kicked out and the one of the old school guys step in(forgot his name). He wanted a classical Bioware game,which would have been a far better thing than anthem. Then the swedish cuck said that he wanted pew pew ironman and in time the old school guy just packed his bag and left. I have noticed that after the article every retard with an internet connection and camera is trying to shift the blame from EA to Bioware,which is retarded. Both of them are garbage companies,when your dog eats somebody,both of you take responsibility.

 

[J1M]

Cool story bro, but fact check: the only enjoyable thing about Anthem is the iron man flying.

 

[CreamyBlood]

I don't think I've played a Bioware or EA game that was released in the last fifteen years. But it sounds like if as J!M just said that it was the only worthwhile mechanic in the entire game. Anyways, if you can't sell your garbage to the masses then something went wrong. DA:I (which I've never played) wasn't recieved here too well. It was critically acclaimed but I doubt it was a block buster. The only thing I remember about it was the Marylin Manson song.

The marketing was a turn off to me even though I love DnD and really heavy, hard rock.

This time it didn't work out, DA"I at least made their money back. From a business point of view, ANTHEM crashed and burned really fast before it got out of the gate. There's reasons for that. Mostly, in my opinion, it's because they don't make games for people anymore. They try and make shit that appeals to nobody but gets a quick buck. And that's fine, it's just money. Also, the people at Bioware and EA are sort of living in their own world where they think they can burn money for years and years dicking around and not producing anything.

That's the cold reality of the world, basic ninth grade physics, work = effort. Work != best intentions.

So fuckem. I don't care, nobody here should. Did they make a fun game that you felt was worth the money? Great? If not then why? If the masses don't like it then something is wrong.

Both of them are garbage companies,when your dog eats somebody,both of you take responsibility.

Yes, they're both garbage companies like all of the others and that's why I don't really play games anymore. Because they are boring and suck. (But they look purdy)

 

[abija]

From what i heard they were going for a hub/mission based action rpg before the retard said that flying and shiny graphics is a must. Still all the information is very subjective and there is no sure way for us to know. No matter how incompetent the studio is,they would have still made a few builds fro those 6 years. I believe that casey hudson was the first lead,and he wanted to make a popamole MMO looter,thus that is what he sold EA. Then he got kicked out and the one of the old school guys step in(forgot his name). He wanted a classical Bioware game,which would have been a far better thing than anthem. Then the swedish cuck said that he wanted pew pew ironman and in time the old school guy just packed his bag and left. I have noticed that after the article every retard with an internet connection and camera is trying to shift the blame from EA to Bioware,which is retarded. Both of them are garbage companies,when your dog eats somebody,both of you take responsibility.

Imo, the article tries to shift away the blame from the shitty devs and they're actually succeeding. Yeah, EA/Bioware are the ones hiring the useless turds, but shouldn't paint those slackers as innocent bystanders. Poor overworked snowflakes...

 

[Gerrard]

Jedi Fallen Order
Respawn has confirmed that the game will be a single-player, third-person, action-adventure “that tells a new story set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” It was also discovered, by Attack of the Fanboy, that the game will be built using Unreal Engine 4.

A listing for a Techincal Artist position on the Respawn careers page was seeking someone who could “Work with the art team to build tools and shaders in Unreal Engine 4.” This is a move away from the modified Source Engine that Respawn has used for Titanfall and Apex Legends.

B-b-b-but evil EA forces all devs to use Frostbite! Kotacuck told me so!

 

[Infinitron]

Jedi Fallen Order
Respawn has confirmed that the game will be a single-player, third-person, action-adventure “that tells a new story set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” It was also discovered, by Attack of the Fanboy, that the game will be built using Unreal Engine 4.

A listing for a Techincal Artist position on the Respawn careers page was seeking someone who could “Work with the art team to build tools and shaders in Unreal Engine 4.” This is a move away from the modified Source Engine that Respawn has used for Titanfall and Apex Legends.

B-b-b-but evil EA forces all devs to use Frostbite! Kotacuck told me so!

This may be possible because until recently (end of 2017), Respawn Entertainment was an independent studio. Electronic Arts was the game's publisher but they only acquired the studio later.

 

[Gerrard]

Jedi Fallen Order
Respawn has confirmed that the game will be a single-player, third-person, action-adventure “that tells a new story set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” It was also discovered, by Attack of the Fanboy, that the game will be built using Unreal Engine 4.

A listing for a Techincal Artist position on the Respawn careers page was seeking someone who could “Work with the art team to build tools and shaders in Unreal Engine 4.” This is a move away from the modified Source Engine that Respawn has used for Titanfall and Apex Legends.

B-b-b-but evil EA forces all devs to use Frostbite! Kotacuck told me so!

This may be possible because until recently (end of 2017), Respawn Entertainment was an independent studio. Electronic Arts was the game's publisher but they only acquired the studio later.

I'm sure they were making a Star Wars game as an independent studio.

 

[Infinitron]

I'm sure they were making a Star Wars game as an independent studio.

Development began in 2016 at the latest: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Jedi:_Fallen_Order#Development

 

[abija]

Maybe EA forces you to use frostbyte if you budget for writing a new renderer or you justify the game looking like shit with engine limitations, just a wild guess but probably has same truth value as the sources kotaku used.

 

[Gerrard]

I'm sure they were making a Star Wars game as an independent studio.

Development began in 2016 at the latest: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Jedi:_Fallen_Order#Development

I am happy to announce our partnership with Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm to deliver a whole new adventure to the galaxy.

Yes, very independent.

 

[Infinitron]

Independent means they were privately owned at the time. What I'm saying is that policies like "all our games must use the Frostbite engine" might have only applied to EA's internal studios.

Similar story - all Ubisoft games must use Uplay, but uniquely South Park: The Stick of Truth didn't because it started out as an Obsidian game published by THQ.

 

[Gerrard]

If EA was really as bad as everyone wants them to be they would have made them port all they had done so far from UE to Frostbite. Also would've "forced" them to use Frostbite for Apex.

Similar story - all Ubisoft games must use Uplay, but uniquely South Park: The Stick of Truth didn't because it started out as an Obsidian game published by THQ.

Wow, I guess the execs at Ubisoft really are smarter than every retard who went for Epic's money.