I think Piers Anthony took the whole concept to an entirely new level, turning his Xanth 'trilogy' into... what is it now, 27 books? I still get a chuckle out of that. And for those who haven't read it already, I highly recommend the series.
One of my very best friends worked for the Tiburon studio in Maitland for 3 years. He's described to me the horror stories, as well. At first, it started out with, "Man, it's just so hecktic, but I really enjoy it," then ended with, "There's no possible way I can have a life outside of the office with the hours they make me work." Getting to milestone or out to alpha, he said, was one of the absolute worst times to be working there. Especially on a game like Madden.
Early on in his tenure, he wanted to try to get me a position there. He warned me that I would work some crazy hours during the race to milestone or alpha, but that it was a really great job. The more and more I heard from him, the less and less I wanted to join the roster. 80 hour weeks followed by a 120 hour crunch week? I don't think so. Not on salary, anyway.
And that's the thing a lot of the posters here seem to forget about this. They say, "It's so unfair! It's illegal!" Technically, it isn't. If you're on salary (as opposed to contractual or hourly-based pay), they can make you work as many hours as they want you to work, unless you report to a union.
So, three years into the game, and not having had a raise or major bonuses since his work on Nascar Thunder 2k4, he started losing interest and pride in his work. He was normally a team player, and when I he gave me a tour of the Tiburon facilities, his superiors spoke of nothing but praise regarding his performance and capabilities. As he grew disenchanted, however, he began voicing his concerns and opinions regarding the work environment more, and the brass also gave him that sugar-coated "get your act together" speech.
He quit about 6 months ago after his work was completed on NCAA 2k5 and hasn't looked back. He's not making as much money as he was (he's now back in freelance web design), but he's much the wiser--and saner--person for it.
I have fond memories of late nights, surrounding the 10 Base-T hub, setting up IPX protocols under Windows 95, and playing DN3D until the wee hours of the morning. It was one of the greatest games, and 3D Realms was smart to release the editors with the game. They helped bring the mod community lightyears ahead of hacking and hex editing. And how about that shrink ray, eh?
Now, if Interplay would wise up and release the Fallout source, maybe we could finally have a Fallout 3 before they go under...
Slashdot Mirror
I think Piers Anthony took the whole concept to an entirely new level, turning his Xanth 'trilogy' into... what is it now, 27 books? I still get a chuckle out of that. And for those who haven't read it already, I highly recommend the series.
One of my very best friends worked for the Tiburon studio in Maitland for 3 years. He's described to me the horror stories, as well. At first, it started out with, "Man, it's just so hecktic, but I really enjoy it," then ended with, "There's no possible way I can have a life outside of the office with the hours they make me work." Getting to milestone or out to alpha, he said, was one of the absolute worst times to be working there. Especially on a game like Madden.
Early on in his tenure, he wanted to try to get me a position there. He warned me that I would work some crazy hours during the race to milestone or alpha, but that it was a really great job. The more and more I heard from him, the less and less I wanted to join the roster. 80 hour weeks followed by a 120 hour crunch week? I don't think so. Not on salary, anyway.
And that's the thing a lot of the posters here seem to forget about this. They say, "It's so unfair! It's illegal!" Technically, it isn't. If you're on salary (as opposed to contractual or hourly-based pay), they can make you work as many hours as they want you to work, unless you report to a union.
So, three years into the game, and not having had a raise or major bonuses since his work on Nascar Thunder 2k4, he started losing interest and pride in his work. He was normally a team player, and when I he gave me a tour of the Tiburon facilities, his superiors spoke of nothing but praise regarding his performance and capabilities. As he grew disenchanted, however, he began voicing his concerns and opinions regarding the work environment more, and the brass also gave him that sugar-coated "get your act together" speech.
He quit about 6 months ago after his work was completed on NCAA 2k5 and hasn't looked back. He's not making as much money as he was (he's now back in freelance web design), but he's much the wiser--and saner--person for it.
I have fond memories of late nights, surrounding the 10 Base-T hub, setting up IPX protocols under Windows 95, and playing DN3D until the wee hours of the morning. It was one of the greatest games, and 3D Realms was smart to release the editors with the game. They helped bring the mod community lightyears ahead of hacking and hex editing. And how about that shrink ray, eh? Now, if Interplay would wise up and release the Fallout source, maybe we could finally have a Fallout 3 before they go under...