How many programmers are working on ED?

[Ziljan]

38, but they're all volunteers from the community.

As for how many people... I don't actually know. Couldn't tell you for sure, because "programmer" is such a broad term when it comes to games development. Animation requires programming, rendering requires programming, UI requires programmers, and the specialisations in these "programmer" roles are vastly different. Sorry to be vague, but the question is quite broad. Also I'm not sure whether it's even a matter of public record.

I think the reason people are asking is because it seems outwardly that Frontier isn't giving Elite priority. The game has pretty clearly hit a speed bump. Aliens are very very cool, but not exactly full featured content. More of a basic boss fight with some cool graphics effects. We don't even have any story-driven motivation to fight them yet other than "target practice."

And since I'm being straight, the Beyond set of release stuff are things that many people expected already within the last two years. Don't get me wrong, we are THRILLED you guys are finally talking about fleshing out Exploration, but 14 months?? After, waiting 30 months already, that is a crazy huge runway you guys are giving yourselves.

I mean we have open wallets here ready to throw money at Frontier. We're just waiting for you guys to release stuff at this point. Yeah, I know the Beyond stuff is free, but for pete's sake, launch a Kickstarter if you need to kick it up a notch. 14 months for Exploration overhauls... I know people that have quit Elite already because that's asking us to wait too darn long.

 

[Ignition]

The ammount of employees working on ED is not enough.

The updates arent worth the time to play them. they do one update every 6 months and are barebones.

Whatever the ammount of employees it should be doubled at least.

 

[Cmdr Esteban]

But why 38? seems a little too specific.

Maybe he meant "38 - simulated."

But how many combat developers?

 

[GJ51]

I don't recall FD every saying 100 programmers. I seem to recall them saying a year or so ago they had 100 people working on ED.

Developing a game takes a lot more than just programmers.

Some people, such as Customer Support will support the company as a whole. Some people will be dedicated to just ED, or at least for long durations. Some will work on ED as and when they are needed. For example, artists will likely get pulled between different projects as needed.

Even if you put a gun to Braben's head, he probably could give you no more than a rough indication of how many people or programmers are working on ED at any point in time.

40 Supervisors
30 PR
20 on Community support
10 Programmers

 

[Stachel]

Who cares how many. It's the quality and quantity that is produced that matter.

The reason to care is the number of programmers affects the future quantity. The more programmers, the more they have to pay in salaries each month, so the less number of months before they stop producing expansions.

O Monetisation of both PC and Elite will NOT include pay to win features.

Elite Dangerous already does include pay-to-win... as is obvious to anyone who has ever won a fight between a RNGineered ship and a plain one.

 

[varonica]

40 Supervisors
30 PR
20 on Community support
10 Programmers

And in the background somewhere pretending they don't exist but an ever present threat to keep the bosses in line, the BOFH and a PFY!

 

[Brett C]

38, but they're all volunteers from the community.

I thought we were suppose to say 42!!

(There's a lot of wizards at the office that sling their hands around the keyboards making things work on both client and server!)

 

[thirstyfish]

The ammount of employees working on ED is not enough.

The updates arent worth the time to play them. they do one update every 6 months and are barebones.

Whatever the ammount of employees it should be doubled at least.

Increasing team size often slows down development due to having to get all the new members up to speed, and that can take a while. Welcome to development.

I thought we were suppose to say 42!!

(There's a lot of wizards at the office that sling their hands around the keyboards making things work on both client and server!)

Jeez guys, at least get your stories straight! 42 actually makes things sound way worse! I mean, what are they all doing? and why does Ed need so many? I probably don't want to know the answer, but I am a masochist at times and can't help myself.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

At the end of the day, this is one of those issues where people will believe what they want to believe.

Even if FD made a direct statement, produced a video of 50, 100, 200 staff at their workplaces coding ED, had each of them individually explain on camera what they are doing, some people would say "Marketing rubbish, all fake, FD only have 2 people working on ED!".

 

[Ignition]

At the end of the day, this is one of those issues where people will believe what they want to believe.

Even if FD made a direct statement, produced a video of 50, 100, 200 staff at their workplaces coding ED, had each of them individually explain on camera what they are doing, some people would say "Marketing rubbish, all fake, FD only have 2 people working on ED!".

That says a lot about the credibility of FD.

 

[thirstyfish]

That says a lot about the credibility of FD.

Actually it says far more about the internet, and people in general.

 

[Captain Willard]

I thought we were suppose to say 42!!

(There's a lot of wizards at the office that sling their hands around the keyboards making things work on both client and server!)

PRICELESS. Keep up the good work.

 

[Vasious]

That says a lot about the credibility of FD.

Actually it says far more about the internet, and people in general.

Yeah I'd go with the second one there

Any forum or AGM for any hobby or activity and there is always someone saying we don't have enough X to give me what I expect

At the gun club we had one guy pushing for investment in new club gones, every meeting, and then when the budget finally allowed it and we went with the ones his section recommended based on the quotes he himself obtained, he was there at the next meeting complaining about the committee spending so much of the members subs when they should have spent it on new targets.

By god he would make sure everyone had to hear how he thought the committee was wrong about what ever we decided to do or not do, including listening to him.

 

[babelfisch]

That says a lot about the credibility of FD.

Actually it says a lot about the stupidity of people.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

That says a lot about the credibility of FD.

Says a lot more about people on the internet.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

The reason to care is the number of programmers affects the future quantity. The more programmers, the more they have to pay in salaries each month, so the less number of months before they stop producing expansions.



Elite Dangerous already does include pay-to-win... as is obvious to anyone who has ever won a fight between a RNGineered ship and a plain one.

Engineers are not pay to win. When I bought horizons none of my ships where suddenly better. Still most of my ships are completely not engineered at all. So how have I paid to win. Also what am I meant to be winning exactly?

Buying top ranks in one of the navies is pay to win, buy-in an anaconda from the store is pay to win. Thankfully we don't have that.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

(There's a lot of wizards at the office that sling their hands around the keyboards making things work on both client and server!)

Harry Potter confirmed as FD employee! :O

 

[Miklos Atreides]

I truely believe there is a lot of misunderstanding what it takes to make a cow like Elite Dangerous to fly.
There's so much more than just writing the code that contains the features and bugfixes you can see and experience.
IF FD today has 100 employess at 100% to the ED project I would assume in a best case scenario there 25 people
writing code and 20 of them directly to the game.

The rest is background programming, Project Management, Customer Support and all the other SG&A functions that make
the game work at all.

We all know that is far too less, but in the end it has to make some economical sense, so that we can have the game for upcoming years.

Regards,
Miklos

 

[Eymerich]

At the end of the day, this is one of those issues where people will believe what they want to believe.

Even if FD made a direct statement, produced a video of 50, 100, 200 staff at their workplaces coding ED, had each of them individually explain on camera what they are doing, some people would say "Marketing rubbish, all fake, FD only have 2 people working on ED!".

People are forced to think what they want because Fd never answered about this topic.

And because with 3 project it s quite stupid to think that the same manpower can be equally redistribuited with no loss on performance on every single project

Considering jurassic the one who has to be delivered and it s quite easy to understand where the effort will be put.

Add to a 3 year season ( with features removed ) and you can easly draw your conclusions

If 100 = 1 then 33 = 1/3

Of course : this is internet so you can still believe that a pig can fly or that there are some minotaurs around the globe

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

People are forced to think what they want because Fd never answered about this topic.

And because with 3 project it s quite stupid to think that the same manpower can be equally redistribuited with no loss on performance on every single project

Considering jurassic the one who has to be delivered and it s quite easy to understand where the effort will be put.

Add to a 3 year season ( with features removed ) and you can easly draw your conclusions

If 100 = 1 then 33 = 1/3

Of course : this is internet so you can still believe that a pig can fly or that there are some minotaurs around the globe

Ere, they don't have the same manpower spread over the three games. There are now over 300 people working at FDev. This is just not logical. I suppose the other 200 are paid to sit on their backsides doing nothing.

Also what features where removed? Pretty sure every feature they advertised for horizons was included.

What FDev do is hire more people when they need them. I know it maybe difficult to fathom that at times.