New Wolf Diary Entry -- Nov 15th

This one's pretty lengthy, but such is the price of peering into the depths of history. Click here to read it.

Which do you prefer, column A or column B?

Which do you find more valuable in each of the following four lines, the set on the left or the set on the right?

•Individuals and interactions  OR process and tools

•Working game OR comprehensive design documentation

•Publisher collaboration OR milestone negotiation

•Responding to change OR following a plan
 
(Now feel free to read the whole thing on Clinton Keith's blog.)
I just saw his post on my Google reader and very nearly lol'd because...well... Suffice it to say that I know of someone in a production role who is actively engaged in abject defiance of at least 3 of those 4 value preferences. It will be very intriguing to witness the outcome of his efforts.

New Page Added -- Wolfenstein Diary

I finally dredged up a diary I was writing way back when I was working on Wolfenstein, an earlier Raven project. Check out the tab above. Or click here, I suppose.

How other studios do what they do

When it ships I'm sure I'll be able to talk more openly about it, but I'm working closely with another studio right now as they work feverishly to close their current project. I wish it were easier to catch a glimpse into the inner workings of other game companies -- there's so much to learn about the efficiencies (and, of course, perceived shortcomings) of people who don't work where you do. Who don't have the same entrenched bad habits as your company. Who aren't stuck in the same ruts you are. It makes me appreciate the value of someone like Clinton Keith who has been exposed to the inner workings of so many different studios. Being able to analyze the best practices of so many groups of developers, being able to determine what tools are best for which situations...I'm jealous of the guy in different ways than I've been jealous of him previously. I wish I could have had the experience of the past few months (and more experiences like it) several years ago. Imagine the improvements I could've brought to my own team.

Don't get a penny stuck in a garbage disposal

They are really, really hard to get out.