What could possibly go wrong?

Now that we are so close to the release of Amnesia, I would like to talk a small about all that stuff that didn't go so well during the development. I cannot speak significantly on behalf of my mates here at FG, so this is gonna be a fairly personal post (but can surely apply to other people out there as effectively).

What can preserve a project from obtaining accomplished? Well, there confident are tons of different causes for this to happen, but I feel we can classify these in some simple categories, which I am gonna list correct away:

Undesirable (or not so good) design and style
This is a massive supply for troubles, issues and far more problems. Feel about it, if you are just patching your stuff up for your present requirements, you are actually gonna need to have a huge amount of luck to be able to maintain that if further additions need to have to be made. Also, that is bound to fall apart at some point in the future. All these usually lead to rewriting stuff from scratch, which signifies time in which the project is stalled.
For example, at the start of the project I produced an object management design and style that worked completely with the three varieties of objects that we had. A few months later two much more kinds needed to be added and guess what, the old design did not perform! Scrap the old one and make a new fitting the old ones. Then all of a sudden another type is needed and of course is completely unsupported... and so on. Fortunately I got to do one thing that nicely fixes this now, but guess what... it really is asking for a rewrite now! Not to mention how transforms are handled, which works for now, but I genuinely want to get it carried out some other way.

Rule #24923 from the Gamedev code: Understand to facepalm you will have to

So what to find out from this? Summing up, lazy design is something to keep away from at all fees, and you have complete control over it, so just do not let it take place! You have been warned. Also, if you fall into this one also considerably, it can truly lead to...


Lack of motivation
This is a dangerous one particular. You know, it is reaaally non rewarding to wake up appropriate subsequent to your workplace, getting all alone there, with temperatures over 35ºC (lovely summertime in southern Spain) and possessing to hunt down a random bug through over 1000 lines of code. You consume, sit back, hours go by and then you go to sleep once more. I had these like each day in the final month and a half. I looong so a lot for a vacation now, just in case you are wondering.

I see no inspiration in this painting. You can get melting watches each day in august right here in Seville.

Something that can be listed right here is no very good on its own, but it can also lead to issues in the above category. When you operate whilst becoming in this state, you are really likely to make blunders, usually minimal, but horrible-bug-producing ones as well. In addition, when operating like this, even the simplest of tasks will become time consuming. Trust me, it is not good at all.


Force Majeure
Fancy frenchy name for the funniest one particular. Consider Murphy's Law: something that can go wrong, will go incorrect. These are typically external interferences, as in stuff happening around you over which you have tiny to no control at all. This consists of:

• Power cuts for a couple of hours.
  
• Electrical failures with firework-like sparks and lightning and threat of fire.
  
• Obtaining water from a neighbor above flood your apartment.
• Network screwups.
  
• Laptop breaking down (twice).
• Buying a replacement pc for the dead laptop that turns to be faulty itself as well.
• Being pointlessly known as to court, senselessly accused of swindling.
  

These are fine examples in this category that occur to summarize the final 5 months in my life. Whilst it may sound like a joke or exaggerating, all of the above are true stories that are truly too lengthy to describe right here (I may well give details on demand). I lovingly coined it "the Frictional Curse", and it appears to have an effect on FG core team members living outdoors Sweden only. At least I didn't drop any of my perform. What can I say...

Wait, is that my apartment over there?

Sadly, all the above is absolutely nothing but just a glimpse of the a lot of forms mayhem can adopt. At this point, I got no actual guidance other than find out to reside with the truth that there is likelihood issues can go negative, and in the worst achievable moment. As soon as you accept it, that won't make it significantly less likely to come about, but at least it won't take you by surprise!