 |
Quote: |
 |
|
|
 |
Originally Posted by DrJones |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Completely normal, actually. Every iteration of a current-gen game is adding on to an established core of code. Next-gen means starting over from scratch, using tech that the team's SE's (programmers) have little experience with. Bear in mind that next-gen devkits are insanely expensive (PS2 devkits were 10K each well over a decade ago) and usually have their fair share of bugs themselves.
Think of it in terms of building a house. Each year you do a little reno, add on a new room or two, fix design flaws, plant a nice garden. Now all of a sudden you have to build a house three times the size of the old one, using tools you're completely unfamiliar with, in the same amount of time. Nobody's too concerned with making the bathroom fixtures as shiny as those in the old house because you're spending every waking moment making sure the new house is being built to last from the foundation up. Extra modes (even something as simple as Season Mode) need to be rebuilt, retested, etc. Takes an annoying amount of time. You can't simply transfer things whole cloth from current-gen to next-gen. It takes about 3 years for the bigger, better house to feature the same amenities as the old one.
Unfortunately, games need to be released every season. From everything I've read and heard, the NHL team has wisely chosen to prioritize gameplay and take their lumps on lack of modes. Before anything else, you've got to make sure the damn thing works and is released on time. Get too ambitious, and you're looking at an NBA Elite catastrophe.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Doc,
you just explained more about the process in 200 words or less then they
have. There in lies the problem. 13 years ago I worked in a website design & marking company. Nothing important, just backroom stuff. They use to say get out in front of a potential story even if its minor and never put yourself in a position to be reacting to the reaction. Doc, at what point in development process do you think the red flags started to go up?