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Metro: Last Light was developed under awful conditions (Armed thugs, smuggling, more)
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
OrlanisWorks
Banned
They definitely deserve the respect of every game developer out there for those experiences. Pretty crazy stuff. Makes me happy their game is being reviewed fairly well.
And fuck the use of Ukraine as "The Ukraine". Sorry, that just bothers me to no end.
Praise the Metro!
And fuck the use of Ukraine as "The Ukraine". Sorry, that just bothers me to no end.
Praise the Metro!
soulassssns
Banned
That sounds horrible!
Off topic:
Are there any discount codes for GMG so I can get Metro Last Light on the cheap?
Off topic:
Are there any discount codes for GMG so I can get Metro Last Light on the cheap?
Your premise is a logical fallacy and you should know better than to post such things.
0/10
If the developers were in a sound enough financial position that extra money would fund a extraneous activity like a vacation instead of directly going to pay for necessities; there wouldn't be any need for this thread.
Articles are good.
scorpscarx
Member
I read this this morning, honestly makes me want to track down one of the developers and shadily pass him $50 directly for a copy of the game. Come at me. Cut out all the middle-men so to speak.
Samir Sedlar
Member
I see, well I think being bought by Bethesda won't be that bad right ?!
I thought about it, and I can't find any big publisher that would be interested, Ubisoft, Activision, and EA are all out of the question, Capcom, Sega, Square, and Konami seems like having trouble (maybe not Konami), Take 2 well not so sure about them supporting such a game, so that kinda only leaves Bethesda, unless Koch Media/Deep Sliver does it, and I am not sure they can relocate them or help them.
well from the bottom of my heart, I wish 4A the best, and I really hope one day we can see what they are capable of when given resources and opportunity similar to other studios.
Totally agreed here, really hope the game does well enough to have a positive impact on 4A. They are clearly extremely talented and passionate about the craft.
grosvenor_92
Member
How do working conditions like that still exist ?
D
Deleted member 102362
Unconfirmed Member
I think I'll take you up on that.
Well, Metro 2033 has one of the best soundtracks of the past generation. Orchestrated soundtracks don't always fit the tone of a game, especially when you are dealing with small, claustrophobic environments. The extra magic you will find that differentiates these titles from other linear FPS games is based on talent and vision, not budget. STALKER, Cryostasis, 2033 have all shown this.
If you're in the US, Canada, or Western Europe, it's very easy to live in a bubble of privilege. Most of the world faces such conditions, unfortunately.
(I'm one of the people who has a cushy job in the US and lives in a bubble of privilege. My biggest complaint is how my options for free company-provided dinner are Cambodian and German and I like neither of those.)
WOW. Sounds terrible.
On a positive note I'm really enjoying their game.
This kinda makes me want to buy another copy just to support them.
Yeah maybe if we were talking about a factory for hair dryers or toasters. But video games? I generally don't imagine anyone in the software design/development business to be in crap conditions.
On a positive note I'm really enjoying their game.
This kinda makes me want to buy another copy just to support them.
Yeah maybe if we were talking about a factory for hair dryers or toasters. But video games? I generally don't imagine anyone in the software design/development business to be in crap conditions.
for real.
an older guy i work with is from ukraine, and i told this story a friend who visited ukraine told me, about the border, and how he was legit scared, between barbed wire fences, patrol attitudes, german shepards,
and i asked this co-worker, is that really what it's like??! and he was like, "yeah basically..."
exactly.
there is a real sense of nationalism when these countries like poland and ukraine develop these games, it's a source of pride for the whole country.
I've read in many other discussions about people who won't buy a game on principle, because they felt the developer or publisher was doing something wrong.
Hopefully some people will do the opposite in this case and support the developers, regardless of the quality of the final game. It's probably (but that's debatable) the right thing to do.
Hopefully some people will do the opposite in this case and support the developers, regardless of the quality of the final game. It's probably (but that's debatable) the right thing to do.
SteveWinwood
Member
Yeah that sounds like Ukraine.
I used to live there and it's amazing how much my parents shielded me from all the crazy shit that went down near us. Political riots, the mob, the prostitution ring that was run by our neighbors, the drug deals that happened in the back court of our apartment, the bombing across the street, and we were in the "nice" "upscale" part of Kiev with all the other expats.
I used to live there and it's amazing how much my parents shielded me from all the crazy shit that went down near us. Political riots, the mob, the prostitution ring that was run by our neighbors, the drug deals that happened in the back court of our apartment, the bombing across the street, and we were in the "nice" "upscale" part of Kiev with all the other expats.
ShinobiFist
Banned
Looks like I'm buying this game sooner than I expected. The passion this guys have for the medium should be a lesson to a lot of professionals in this industry.
Ace Harding
Member
Jesus. I saw the reviews and thought I'd
want to play this someday. Now I'm definitely buying this game if only to see what these guys achieved under those conditions.
Never tried 2033 though. Maybe I should play that first.
want to play this someday. Now I'm definitely buying this game if only to see what these guys achieved under those conditions.
Never tried 2033 though. Maybe I should play that first.
Necromanti
Member
I'm always impressed with what amazing games developers can produce using significantly smaller budgets, like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. These extreme conditions are another matter, though. I guess it's not just a matter of how big the budget is, but how efficient and well-utilized it is.
I know...I was talking about their first Metro game.
Ouch.
yeah everyone should just read the whole thing, it's great
this was a good comment
so true how many companies in technology have the same idea; Austin Texas, or Silicon Valley.
ShinobiFist
Banned
Damn, it makes sense now. I don't understand why the industry don't look at places like Detroit...Not all of Detroit is in shambles.
You might have trouble attracting talent to move their though. At least in a city like Kiev you have a much larger populace to pick from and Kiev is the biggest and most prestigious city in a large area spanning a number of countries.
What?
i cant imagine them paying programmers any less than $30k-$40k/year though in Kiev, if not more.
which is nice money in a city where average is probably 10x less and nobody pays any taxes.
as to the cold and small office, thats just bad organization. Cant imagine office rent being that high in Kiev, and while you can get aeron's in eastern europe, you can get decent chairs.
centralized heating doesnt work always? Get electrical, gas, or wood based heating in nicer office.
whole story about poverty stricken programmers developing AAA game on $ millions budget reeks of publicity stunt.
yes, they are cheaper than western (by a lot)... yes they live in not as nice country... but they are probably considered on very high income there, because their costs of living are also much lower than in US or Western Europe.
I have a co-worker in Ukraine that purchased brand new 2 bedroom apartment for $25k. I have another colleague who purchased 3 bedroom house for $1 million in SF.
Of course, this only "works" when you consider high paying jobs, such as programming. If you are unemployed and dont have such in-demand skills, then life might really suck.
Dictator93
Member
I think he may mean something akin to, "not a lot of big games come from these countries... so it is like a national pride when one does."
Not sure if I agree with that though. I think the games though do have a certain edge, jank, seriousness/tone to them partially due to their area of origin though.
Maybe in Ukraine, but Poland has been developing games since early 90s and currently releases 3 AAA titles per year, thats probably more than or equal to other western countries.
For example just this year it was/will be Gear of War: Judgement, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Dead Island Riptide and probably one more i cant think of now.
And smaller like Hellraid, Shadow Warrior 2 and Sniper Ghost Warrior 2
Dictator93
Member
StevePharma
Member
I'm wondering how much of it will be extorted from the dev via the criminal periphery. Let's hope not too much.
Very true.
Wouldn't happen to be from Poland.. would you?
Yeah I am, but it doesnt matter
Czech is developing less games, but i would never write anything like guy i quoted. Its like they think we are 3rd world countries or something.Dictator93
Member
Yeah I am, but it doesnt matter
'tis silly.. i can agree with that. Also.. one of my favorite bands is from poland. So kudos!
Would you agree though with the idea that countries like poland or Ukraine offer a different perhaps "more serious" or "more dedicated" group of devs due to the working conditions, lesser pay or something?
All the games I have played from eastern devs seem to be a labor of love.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Most modern western games are expensive purely down to the sheer number of people involved and the costs involved in supporting them. "Bells and whistles" are more costly in time than money.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Who do you think makes the graphics if not artists?
Time is money since you either have more people working or the same people working longer...
They just dont have focus testing and bloated management, thats all
Its not about working condition or pay, at least not in Poland/Czech, dunno how it is on Ukraine, because they have different political and social situation.
Yeah I am, but it doesnt matter
well Ukraine is not CZ.
What people dont realize though, is that a programmer in Ukraine (and CZ) is paid really well compared to rest of population, so there is definitely no need to feel sorry for anyone.
whassupbun
Member
and it worked on me, not just the article alone but coupled with all the positive reviews. I was interested in the game but was going to wait for a price drop/used copy or borrow from a friend. After reading the article, I went out and bought a copy, to offer my support and just want to see what the team can achieve under those working conditions with little resources, also to see how it holds up against other AAA titles.
Companies love to produce awesome stuff for cheap.
Messofanego
Banned
They just dont have focus testing and bloated management, thats all
I wonder how much money it is for playtesting. You have big developers give out specific videos on how they have these new playtesting labs for the polish like 343i and Halo 4.