Copied over from our main website. Original by Alan Wilson:
Someone on the forums suggested it recently - I'm sure it has been suggested before, for good measure. So I thought I'd throw out a Saturday morning brain-dump.
So - what has been going on this week? Well, recovering from GDC is one thing, catching up on everything I missed while I was out - plus catching up on all the things promised while at GDC. That includes some swapping of keys with other developers - but that is supposed to be a secret until the Monday afternoon team meeting, so I can surprise people. Oops. Everything now back from GDC, so we're looking for spots to hang the rather cool posters in the office. Along with Yoshi's extra Box of Complete Crap. The amount of garbage he and Sandy managed to collect in about 30 minutes before the show opened on Friday morning was fairly scary...
I'm going to be really cruel and not comment on much that has happened with RO2 this week. We playtest as a studio twice a week (Wed and Fri mornings), so that everyone sees everything and can comment back, plus the continuous balance testing. But my test was a bust Wed as my work PC was in a stupid mood (old hard disk being wierd, getting replaced - and that getting replaced with memory problems). Think we finally bottomed out the issues and can get on with sorting it out. See - it even happens to developers ?
Got back last weekend to John (Ramm) jumping up and down as he has cracked certain aspects of the armor penetration system. Which left me with a mad scramble to bring the whole penetration and damage calc system in line. Not going into detail on that one until we've actually got it done - but if it works out as we think, it will be a "generational leap forwards" or a "paradigm shift" or some such bollocks!
Been handling a mix of ref requests, including signage for a couple of the maps. Health and safety signs for the Grain Elevator, for example. Health and safety in 1940s Soviet Russia?? You have GOT to be joking?!? You can just imagine the sign (do your own dodgy Russian accent here): "any citizen blocking the machinery with body parts will be shot and the offending body part will be sent to Siberia for 'wrecking'".
We were testing Firefight on one map and I think a lot of the RO-hardkore are going to be surprised by that mode. The amount of (tactical) shouting going on over VOIP was amusing. "3 of them, 2nd floor, admin building... ok, I've got the mess hall roof, I'll cover - you two go...".
And always those classic RO moments... we've got a new artist started this week (has done some of our box art and posters in the past - we loved the work so much we hired her, but she hasn't played much RO yet):
Scenario - I was playing as Commander, trying to get in position to bring arty down on the attacking Russians at the back end of the Red October plant, as we were getting our *** handed to us. I am running up, spot Louice to my right covering a flank (wrecked train yard), spot two Russkies on the outside, haven't got time to deal with them...
"Louice - I'm on your left - two of them on your right, watch out!"
Bang. Head shot.
"Ow - Louice, that was ME. Watch the OTHER side!"
Respawn and try again
If you like it, we might do more of this!