fastballspecial
Member
I'm much closer to buying Last Light on principle alone after reading this story.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Metro: Last Light was developed under awful conditions (Armed thugs, smuggling, more)
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
IdreamofHIME
Member
You play it and they lived it.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
At least we know that there is a studio capable of making a game after the nuclear winter settles.
Krusenstern
Banned
You and me.
Fonz72
Member
No, no, no.........Not by any means, I just feel that making a good high-quality game does not require a huge budget nor millions of dollars of outsourcing. Fat can be trimmed that does not come from the comfort or pay of individuals. These people deserve better living and working conditions than they have, but they made due and didn't let it hamper their ability to make a good game. If they can persevere then surely other devs can look at this and say maybe we don't need forty million for CG cut-scenes or maybe we don't need to hire a ten million dollar script writer.
jacksepticeye
Member
I find it funny seeing some people (not here) saying "I really hope they make their money back they deserve it" and then later saying "I won't buy it until it has a major price drop"
legacyzero
Banned
Dev of the year right here. Hands down.
While devs a Infinity Ward get massages (so I hear).
And they STILL put out an (thusfar) amazing game.
While devs a Infinity Ward get massages (so I hear).
And they STILL put out an (thusfar) amazing game.
fizzelopeguss
Banned
Dozens of people working in dogshit conditions is not in any way ideal, not for shitty disposable entertainment like games. Fuck that.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Fuck man
I'm torn now... I don't want to buy the game because I didn't like the last one and I want to buy it because of this
I'm torn now... I don't want to buy the game because I didn't like the last one and I want to buy it because of this
Poohblaster
Member
Living conditions in Russia and Ukraine suck compared to the U.S. and Western Europe. If I was with 4A or Deep Silver I would seriously consider moving the studio elsewhere.
Or at least pay the 4A employees like they would be paid if they lived in a country where the cost of living is higher.
Or at least pay the 4A employees like they would be paid if they lived in a country where the cost of living is higher.
Fonz72
Member
See my reply above. I was not referencing the living/working conditions (which are deplorable) these developers worked under I was speaking about the budget they had coupled with terrible conditions. To imply I feel this this type of enviroment is acceptable is silly! This type of budget? Very much so.
Parallax Scroll
Banned
Aeron office chairs, considered a fundamental human right in the west
AHA-Lambda
Member
Wow, that's terrible. There's not much I can think to say really. Damn =/
Wow. Wow.
Wow. Wow.
jacksepticeye
Member
I only wish I could give it to the devs personally rather than it going through a publisher.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Takes the "live in your world, play in ours" to a new meaning
Messofanego
Banned
Fuck, I should support them I guess for full price. Even with the Ranger mode business. On Chapter 5 of 2033.
Can someone else confirm this?
Can someone else confirm this?
Off-Kilter
Banned
I... I feel compelled to buy their title to support them now.
Lots of respect.
Lots of respect.
Definitely <10 million. Best estimate I can find on Google seems to be 8 million.
tamaster92
Member
Wow.
Mad props to 4A games. It's a really fantastic game too
Mad props to 4A games. It's a really fantastic game too
Shadow Hog
Member
Is it sad that this was the exact thing going through my mind, too?
Messofanego
Banned
Is 1/10th like $5-10 million? If so, WOW.
WOW.
WOW.
Actually looking it up now, I'm not seeing anything that confirms it. I don't have the game myself so I can't check. My bad.
Those guys are being paid peanuts for this....Samir Sedlar
Member
4A really deserves tons of respect & support, they are really passionate to be able to make amazing games such as Metro 2033 & Last Light in such horrible conditions.
I hope that anyone of the big names grab them, make them relocate, and provide them with the resources they need, Bethesda comes to mind since it isn't corrupted yet, 4A really need to shine, they did so much with so little, I want to see what they can do with as many as the other developers get.
I hope that anyone of the big names grab them, make them relocate, and provide them with the resources they need, Bethesda comes to mind since it isn't corrupted yet, 4A really need to shine, they did so much with so little, I want to see what they can do with as many as the other developers get.
Yeah lets turn all developers into sweat shop workers that get threatened by the mafia. Sure.
Yeah holy hell who knows what would have happened if they had to keep working on it. It makes their seeming anger understandable now. They come to work in horrid conditions then get a Wii U thrown at them.
Professor Pew
Neo Member
If you use Twitter, I'm using the #4ALOVE hashtag to collect words of support from fans for the studio. Feel free to use it to share your support! I will send them all over to 4A.
4A Games is currently working hard on updates and the like, so I hope you will be patient while we all work on getting Metro: Last Light in tip-top shape on as many PC configurations as possible. Some things will be fixed sooner than others, but they are deeply committed to their fans.
FYI: Deep Silver did not purchase the studio at the THQ auction.
4A Games is currently working hard on updates and the like, so I hope you will be patient while we all work on getting Metro: Last Light in tip-top shape on as many PC configurations as possible. Some things will be fixed sooner than others, but they are deeply committed to their fans.
FYI: Deep Silver did not purchase the studio at the THQ auction.
Warm Machine
Member
The original Metro is one of the top 10 best looking 360 games of all time.
A lot of negativity going on around here for other developers.
The lack of facilities and terrible conditions aside, keep in mind that one of the prime reason why budget for games made by developers from less developed countries are lower than average is because things cost less in these countries than they do in America/Brtain/France/Germany etc etc. There's no comparison between cost of living in Kiev compared to say Montreal.
This is the same reason why CD Project achieved what they did in Witcher 2 with $10 million and is the reason why GTA games cost so damn much because the developers Rockstar North are based in UK. So a direct comparison cannot be made really, I mean I am sure if CD Project were based in UK their budget would've been much higher. Also don't forget that the games that are published by big publishers spend a massive chunk of their budget in marketing, which gets added into the "total budget", you shouldn't really count these because this money wasn't used for the development process. So the argument about MOH: Warfighter having a much higher budget doesn't really sticks.
The lack of facilities and terrible conditions aside, keep in mind that one of the prime reason why budget for games made by developers from less developed countries are lower than average is because things cost less in these countries than they do in America/Brtain/France/Germany etc etc. There's no comparison between cost of living in Kiev compared to say Montreal.
This is the same reason why CD Project achieved what they did in Witcher 2 with $10 million and is the reason why GTA games cost so damn much because the developers Rockstar North are based in UK. So a direct comparison cannot be made really, I mean I am sure if CD Project were based in UK their budget would've been much higher. Also don't forget that the games that are published by big publishers spend a massive chunk of their budget in marketing, which gets added into the "total budget", you shouldn't really count these because this money wasn't used for the development process. So the argument about MOH: Warfighter having a much higher budget doesn't really sticks.
Discotheque
Banned
The average Ukranian wage is around $350 a month, that's why their budget is so low. I'm sure Metro took about the same man-hours as any game of that size.
Burgess_101
Member
Crysis 3 looks a lot better than Last Light obviously with the budget Crysis had its not surprising.
SneakyStephan
Banned
Shades of gray? How do they work? I don't know everything is black and white in my world.
Signed,
Kimawolf
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
It's so much better than 2033. I didn't finish the last one and I loved Last Light.
Fonz72
Member
There you go. I should have been more detailed in my original post. I appologize.
MarshMellow96
Member
Yeah, I'd love a £1000 chair at work too.
I don't know how I feel about this news. I'm really enjoying the game, and will happily buy more things from this dev, but, who will really end up with the profits from the game? The poor dev's stuck in those conditions, or the management that put them in those conditions.
Or is this more the fault of the country and the condition it's in?
Or is this more the fault of the country and the condition it's in?
It also takes more money to simply run an office in a city like Frankfurt and another in Nottingham when compared to an office the size of a gym with little facilities and in a city like Kiev. And of the $20 million spent in Crysis 3, a lot was probably used by EA for marketing.
Spending money on developing the game is just one aspect that contributes towards the game's overall budget. Everyone here is seemingly inclined to believe that 100% of game budget is development money that the developers of other more privileged studios seem to be bagging into their pockets. We should praise 4A for their hard work and dedication to work under these conditions, not disdain other developers for having a higher budget than a studio which was obviously lacking funds and facilities, commodities that improve the working conditions and hence increase the budget.