alyssah wrote:Well! In that case you are qualified to answer my question. Is character animation coding more difficult than altering stats? Could a moderate coder alter stats successfully? Did Nevrax alter stats practically overnight? (Remember the issue with tp tickets).
I don't have as much idea about computer games. I only worked on websites and tabletop games as part of larger teams. In both those instances however, graphical/layout changes (the most analagous work) was generally much quicker than coding work on the websites, or the combined writing, checking and playtesting time on the rules of the games.
Sometimes changing one thing can have a knock on effect on others and the process for something that alters code (or 'code') is more rigorous than the one involving graphics - generally.
I think the only time the graphics took longer website-wise was when we were working for a Design/Media recruitment company who wanted absolutely everything 'just so' according to some particular vision they had that changed every two days.
In the direct case of Ryzom I should have to speculate using logic instead of direct experience.
I suspect that adding (or reusing) existing skeleton animations is relatively easy since it doesn't directly impact on gameplay in any way and so doesn't need such rigorous testing. Whichever team it is working on that has much less code work involved in what they're doing though, if they hand animated the movement that would take far longer than motion capture.
In the case of the coders, they're working on brand new and game-altering additions to the game which are spun whole cloth and then attached into the game, requiring a lot more work, approval process and testing.
alyssah wrote:So how much time was spent drawing up the models, making the animation work, produce it for viewing & present it to us in a poll? And it's wasted time now. Don't tell me that other items wouldn't have been a better choice to spend time on. But then again that is planning & consultation.
I guess its wasted now if people are that ungrateful or take your point of view that a group with specialised skills should have twiddled their thumbs while others worked instead of doing something. Better, IMO, to have everyone working on things they can do.
alyssah wrote:How is that unfair criticism? They have wasted time that could have been avoided. If your TTRPG team was that well organised ........ Sorry, I don't mean it personally but it get's up my nose when people defend Nevrax, apparently just for the sake of it. Divide & rule is always a great policy when you are in trouble.
One time the TTRPG team would have been better served by being divided. Rather than having everyone working on the same thing - causing great confusion - it would have made more sense to divide them up. One subgroup working on each area of the game.
A great many TTRPG companies cannot afford staff artists and so get freelancers to do it, which can be more cost efficient in that industry. Nevrax, however, seems to have dedicated graphics people and its far more economical to have them working and adding to the game if you're going to keep them on. Your way, they'd have to be fired and only hired back when needed on short term contracts.
Its not defending for defending's sake, its simply trying to point out how these things work.
Imagine you're building a house (analogy from earlier I believe). You have plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, roofers and decorators. Do you REALLY want untrained decorators fiddling with the wiring instead of doing what they're good at?
(Of course, in this house you can decorate it before you build it, but you get the point).
if they keep old animations.