Exactly! As I said, "I do not know what Frontier's policy is regarding this, I just wanted to say that I for one would rather wait and have a well-polished game on launch day than have the game launch on the originally posted date." I am NOT accusing Frontier of anything. I just know crunch is a serious issue in the industry and I hope that it will not be a factor in Planet Zoo.
Frontier - Please don't make your developers crunch
- Thread starter Imagin
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- crunch launch date
Personally I would rather play the game with bugs on 5th November onwards while they gradually iron it out if that's the case, because I didn't get chance to play the beta as the deluxe version was bought by my GF to be delviered on my birthday next week as she didn't understand about the beta bless her. Idk if that's just me because I didn't get chance to play the beta or what but I honestly don't want to wait longer. I've literally booked 3 days off work and made arrangements to be left alone with the game! Just voicing my opinion 
Plus I don't think they'd be still saying launch on 5th November if they didn't think they could do it, as they've left a bunch of stuff out of the game I have a feeling that the current state of the game is much more progressed than the beta and they just wanted to test the online stuff such as servers, again just my thoughts I'm sure if they absolutely had to they'd push it back, I'm just hoping this isn't the case.
Plus I don't think they'd be still saying launch on 5th November if they didn't think they could do it, as they've left a bunch of stuff out of the game I have a feeling that the current state of the game is much more progressed than the beta and they just wanted to test the online stuff such as servers, again just my thoughts
I'm sure if they absolutely had to they'd push it back, I'm just hoping this isn't the case.The only person I said boohoo to was Me!
Those two crashes - hardly game breaking - both have been fixed already by Frontier That excellent COBRA engine I have proved them fixed in a number of scenarios
Not game breaking and not causing any future crunch - all I want to know is what is so Game breaking that it will cause a crunch - shouldn't be hard
Those two crashes - hardly game breaking - both have been fixed already by Frontier That excellent COBRA engine I have proved them fixed in a number of scenarios
Not game breaking and not causing any future crunch - all I want to know is what is so Game breaking that it will cause a crunch - shouldn't be hard
I agree, personally. Sadly though, that's how the game industry works. It is expected from them and a reality (I know devs and journalists alike). That being said, I think it's wrong and ugly. I wish there could be a shift away from it but unfortunately for most of the industry that would mean massive change and I don't see it happening anytime soon, at least for large and/or well known studios. It's not even just within the game industry, I think it's a larger result of our current culture. Unfortunate, but very well ingrained.
For now, I just want to support devs and be understanding whether or not they have to crunch and whether or not I have to wait for something, which I'm always fine with doing. I don't personally know anything about Frontier in that regard, but I do know the devs are passionate about this game and I appreciate it immensely.
(Also, I'd like to note, none of us what the full game is going to be like, what all they're going to be working on and adding, or if it warrants any worry about crunch! None of us are Planet Zoo developers lmao...)
For now, I just want to support devs and be understanding whether or not they have to crunch and whether or not I have to wait for something, which I'm always fine with doing. I don't personally know anything about Frontier in that regard, but I do know the devs are passionate about this game and I appreciate it immensely.
(Also, I'd like to note, none of us what the full game is going to be like, what all they're going to be working on and adding, or if it warrants any worry about crunch! None of us are Planet Zoo developers lmao...)
Planet Zoo developers wouldn't be able to say anything either way, of course. I just wanted to see if there were others who felt as I do, that forced crunch time is very wrong and something that I'd rather not support. Saying that's how it is - that's how it works - investors would be upset - changing it would be hard - to me, those are not good reasons enough to make employees suffer. I suspect game development will need to be unionized before it changes. It's sad but clearly necessary. Again, I'm not pointing any fingers at Frontier - I have no idea what their policy is on crunch time.
I just wish them a lot of strength, patience with themselfs, a good climate at work and fun in between the next couple of weeks and until release. And I hope that Frontier is the good company it seems to be and that they treat their employees with a lot of respect. I am still impressed of how fast they reacted to bugs in beta and I never felt that heard by a gaming company.
That's all I can say to this topic with being absolutely honest and without stretching of what I feel, want or wish for. So I'll leave it to that.
That's all I can say to this topic with being absolutely honest and without stretching of what I feel, want or wish for. So I'll leave it to that.
This would be a PR disaster, even so.
And yet there were several who were complaining of too many bugs, too serious, and not enough updates and communication.
It's not best practice to assume people are composed and reasonable. A person can be reasonable: people are fractious and reactionary. Less risky to cover as many bases as possible, whatever your individual perception might be.
I really just wanted to bring the idea to the community because I don't think that many are aware of the brutal and unreasonable crunch time that goes on in the gaming industry. It generally happens in larger companies, but, again, I have no idea what Frontier's policies are about it, I don't know what kind of hours their developers work. I'm just expressing concern because I don't buy clothing I know is made in a sweatshop so I don't like the idea of playing a game that required unreasonable hours either. Godspeed, Frontier, but be reasonable. Delay the game if necessary to deliver a polished product. This game is going to sell very well regardless of when it launches.
I'm with Imagin here. A happy worker is a healthy worker. Workers are humans, they need to rest and be with their families.
(nice profpic tho. Made it yourself?)
(nice profpic tho. Made it yourself?)
Players: "Please don't crunch. I don't want you to feel pressure and make mistakes"
Also players: "OMG so many bugs. If it's not fixed by launch, I'm not buying"
Ultimately, all devs crunch. In fact, you crunch in every job that works around deadlines. That's how deadlines work.
Though I can tell you from experience that it's not as much about crunching (many people like working under pressure) but about the work environment.
So it shouldn't be "Please don't crunch" but "Please don't be mean to one another and have good bosses"
Also players: "OMG so many bugs. If it's not fixed by launch, I'm not buying"
Ultimately, all devs crunch. In fact, you crunch in every job that works around deadlines. That's how deadlines work.
Though I can tell you from experience that it's not as much about crunching (many people like working under pressure) but about the work environment.
So it shouldn't be "Please don't crunch" but "Please don't be mean to one another and have good bosses"
Exactly, I really think that people produce better when they are well-rested. No one does their best work when they don't get enough down-time.
Nah, I didn't make my profile pic, I stole it from somewhere years ago and have been using it ever since
Ultimately, all devs crunch. In fact, you crunch in every job that works around deadlines. That's how deadlines work.
That's the way it is just a lame excuse. Deadlines are not as important as people and the quality of the work. I would much rather wait an extra month or 2 to get the game and have it well polished. I'm sick of getting new games that are buggy beyond belief and feel as though they aren't finished, let alone polished. Deadlines are highly overrated and developer crunch time is absolutely wrong. Time for a new status quo.
changing planned dates
Frontier is a public limited company - its share price will be affected by its delivery dates if it misses delivery it will affect market confidence and share price
Strange as it may see a delay to the delivery date players (ie customers) might not mind but Shareholders will. Shareholders don't see deadlines as overrated at all but a key indicator to the health of the company
On that sensible company will have added "float" in their plan to make sure that they can meet that deadline
Deadlines ARE more important than work Quality
Frontier is a public limited company - its share price will be affected by its delivery dates if it misses delivery it will affect market confidence and share price
Strange as it may see a delay to the delivery date players (ie customers) might not mind but Shareholders will. Shareholders don't see deadlines as overrated at all but a key indicator to the health of the company
On that sensible company will have added "float" in their plan to make sure that they can meet that deadline
Deadlines ARE more important than work Quality
THIS is exactly what is wrong with our civilization today - when shareholders are more important than the product, the employees who make the product and the customers who buy the product - there is a problem. I do realize that the name of the game is capitalism and money is the only thing that matters - but that doesn't make it right.
No. Stop worrying and being anxious.
Sadly capitalism, however flawed, is the best thing this civilization can come up with.
When people started changing the environment to suit them, they lost their natural ability to change to suit the environment. That is true for both nature and the social environment. Stress is the result of that.
Anyway, I just wanted to point out that wishing devs happy times is very nice, of course, but also hypocritical and if the industry didn't revolve around deadlines and money, we wouldn't have games at all.
Not even close - we have much better ideas - it's implementing them that is impossible under the current system. The powers-that-be have everything exactly the way they want it and they know that as long as a man can come home from a job, crack open a beer and turn on a ball game, there will be no revolution. Anyway, this isn't a conversation about politics, this is about crunch time and launching with a well polished game.
Joël
Volunteer Moderator
That’s right, please stick to the topic of this thread.
All these anti-crunch people have apparently never worked an actual job before. I have yet to do a job that didn't have exceptionally busy periods that were more stressful than usual. Sometimes you need to make on a short deadline or redo an important manufacturing job. Sometimes you have a ton of customers all at once in a service job. Then there was my time in the Air Force during Iraq. That was far longer than a month of crunch.
I get that some dev teams have been abused in the past. It doesn't mean crunch time is inherently bad. Saying "plz Frontier no crunch!" comes with the back end assumption that they are one of the studios that is abusive. Such a horrible thing to accuse someone of with zero evidence.
I get that some dev teams have been abused in the past. It doesn't mean crunch time is inherently bad. Saying "plz Frontier no crunch!" comes with the back end assumption that they are one of the studios that is abusive. Such a horrible thing to accuse someone of with zero evidence.