5 Honest Questions for the FFXIV Player Base

[Eekiki]

Think the point was to see how many people acutally know what all goes into programming for a game and whatnot and those that don't and complain about stuff being too slow/etc.

If so, it sure wasn't worded very well.

[Chrees]

Think the point was to see how many people acutally know what all goes into programming for a game and whatnot and those that don't and complain about stuff being too slow/etc.

I have a feeling that anyone who is a programmer, works with programmers, or is in a field relating to computers/IT/development/etc. is going to reply to this just to tip the scales, making it look like the majority of FFXIV's player base knows exactly what is going on inside of Square-Enix, which is most definitely not the case.

And it looks like it's already happening.

[Shaone]

I have a feeling that anyone who is a programmer, works with programmers, or is in a field relating to computers/IT/development/etc. is going to reply to this just to tip the scales, making it look like the majority of FFXIV's player base knows exactly what is going on inside of Square-Enix, which is most definitely not the case.

And it looks like it's already happening.

Exactly. Understanding any old development cycle has no bearing on understanding every development cycle, or specifically development cycles within XI.

I may have be programming professionally for 7+ years (and hobby programmer since age 8) but know there are numerous methodologies, different team structures, different means of determining priority for work, different work ethics, and most importantly differing levels of complexity of projects.

There is simply no feasible way to assess the total volume and complexity in the XIV code, but it's probably fairly safe to say that given that there are (were?) at least 3 teams of programmers (1 for server, 2 for client), each new addition or fix would require a great deal of communication to implement. Not to mention that changes/fixes requiring any other assets (models, text, sound effects) will bring even more teams into the equation, and obviously when one programmer is waiting to hear back from another team on a query or for a change they require to finish something they are working on, they will work on something that they can do in the mean time.

So it is only natural that simple features/fixes will bubble up through to release first.

I don't pretend to understand the complexity of XIV, but I do know they did a very brave thing in implementing their own core engine and tool set. From a technical perspective I am far more impressed with what has been achieved so far in XIV than I am by some of the games build over the top of someone elses engine, however customised it may be (Rift=Gamebryo engine). And seeing the progress on XIV from first closed Alpha through to present gives me no reason to doubt the technical competence at SE.

Just for fun, Client/Server programmers at XIV release:

http://img141.imageshack.us/i/creditsq.png/

(If you've never watched the credit list, I suggest it. It's pretty impressive. )

[Shneibel]

1. Do you understand the basics of any development cycle (How long it takes/How it works)?
2. Do you think that the dev team, under Tanaka, included meaningful documentation in their code?
3. Are you a major stock holder?
4. Do you understand the meaning of the phrase "we have to stand before we can walk"?
5. Have you, personally, seen ANY of the feedback submitted other than your own that was not on the forums?

I can say "Yes" to only two of these questions.
What about you?

1. yes
2. yes I do belive they have but instead of put it out, they might save it to expansion just my opinion
3. no
4.I dont want to
5. I have make 2 suggess in the forum, and those point are sum from disscussion in the LS, 1 man opinion cannot conside as a serious feedback

[Eekiki]

1. Do you understand the basics of any development cycle (How long it takes/How it works)?
2. Do you think that the dev team, under Tanaka, included meaningful documentation in their code?
3. Are you a major stock holder?
4. Do you understand the meaning of the phrase "we have to stand before we can walk"?
5. Have you, personally, seen ANY of the feedback submitted other than your own that was not on the forums?

I can say "Yes" to only two of these questions.
What about you?

Loaded questions, but I'll bite.

1. Yes.
2. No, and even if it was, the coding was outsourced to china, so I doubt anyone could understand their documentation unless they spoke Chinese.
3. No.
4. Pretend I don't and explain it to me.
5. I don't understand the question.

[Galamantyl]

1. I am in favor of a 4-phase development cycle beginning with inceptional design to transitional deployment.

2. I am in favor of Tanaka's efforts but nobody is perfect when it comes to documenting.

3. I am strongly against stockholders. They usually make poor decisions.

4. I am strongly against standing - I prefer sitting.

5. I am strongly against the feedback given during closed beta which were not on these forums.

[Evangela]

asking these question to the FFXI-XIV fanbase... we're mostly mature gamers and a lot of us are professional/master in many kind of business

don't acts like we're WoWfans

[Chezen]

1. Do you understand the basics of any development cycle (How long it takes/How it works)?
-Yes
2. Do you think that the dev team, under Tanaka, included meaningful documentation in their code?
-Yes
3. Are you a major stock holder?
-No.
4. Do you understand the meaning of the phrase "we have to stand before we can walk"?
-Yes
5. Have you, personally, seen ANY of the feedback submitted other than your own that was not on the forums?
-Yes.

[Keith_Dragoon]

1. Do you understand the basics of any development cycle (How long it takes/How it works)?
2. Do you think that the dev team, under Tanaka, included meaningful documentation in their code?
3. Are you a major stock holder?
4. Do you understand the meaning of the phrase "we have to stand before we can walk"?
5. Have you, personally, seen ANY of the feedback submitted other than your own that was not on the forums?

I can say "Yes" to only two of these questions.
What about you?

1. Yes I am studying to become a developer myself.
2. I guess
3. No
4. Yes
5. Yes

So do I get a stuffed animal or some kinda prize?

[Galamantyl]

I'm a programmer.

I can honestly say that corporate shareholders have it rough, I mean programmers are so expensive working for less-than-they're-worth pay, which is a big cut into their billions of dollars worth of dividends. After all, they can only spare maybe 5~10% at most of that to put back in as company investment, so they have to get the game up and running as soon as possible so they can make more money so they can continue to underpay their programmers.

Those poor shareholders... What will they do without their personal airplanes, luxury yachts, and million-dollar acreages?