Comments on: Hats, Schizophrenia, and Indie Dev – Lessons Learned From Trying to Enter the IGF 2009 http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/ Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:06:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: McClaud http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/#comment-176 McClaud Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:00:32 +0000 http://www.macguffingames.com/?p=352#comment-176 In my experience of wearing many different hats (especially director and dev at the same time) at First Data, how you allocate your mind to the duties is important. Especially how you divide up your time and focus. As producer/director, I find that it's almost impossible to focus on detail-oriented management. Yet, as developer, I have to be detail-oriented. So my solution was to completely change hats between tasks - clear my mind and re-calibrate my focus. I think a spreadsheet is a wonderful tool, but you could also use an independent application to help. I use a balanced scoresheet, Decision Right and my own version of Six Sigma. I can see how it could be more difficult as a game developer with less single-product maintenance and more of continuous, nebulous development of a chain of new products. Good luck. Hope you succeed. I will take time out of my heavy work schedule to try your upcoming game. In my experience of wearing many different hats (especially director and dev at the same time) at First Data, how you allocate your mind to the duties is important. Especially how you divide up your time and focus.

As producer/director, I find that it’s almost impossible to focus on detail-oriented management. Yet, as developer, I have to be detail-oriented. So my solution was to completely change hats between tasks – clear my mind and re-calibrate my focus.

I think a spreadsheet is a wonderful tool, but you could also use an independent application to help. I use a balanced scoresheet, Decision Right and my own version of Six Sigma. I can see how it could be more difficult as a game developer with less single-product maintenance and more of continuous, nebulous development of a chain of new products.

Good luck. Hope you succeed. I will take time out of my heavy work schedule to try your upcoming game.

]]> By: Macguffin http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/#comment-170 Macguffin Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:51:10 +0000 http://www.macguffingames.com/?p=352#comment-170 Thanks man - and how could I possibly forget you? :D I may save you for a 2nd or 3rd pass, just to get clean eyes on it once the really gross revisions are done. Thanks man – and how could I possibly forget you? :D I may save you for a 2nd or 3rd pass, just to get clean eyes on it once the really gross revisions are done.

]]> By: Chris O'Neill http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/#comment-169 Chris O'Neill Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:58:09 +0000 http://www.macguffingames.com/?p=352#comment-169 Scott - great to see that you are still doing this the right way. Take it from a guy that wears a zillion hats - when you wear them all at the same time, you not only look like an ass, your product looks like one too. (Luckily for me, all of my non-day projects can look like an ass, it's kinda the point..haha). Anyway, stiff upper lip, pip pip and the old college go and all that. Also, please remember to include your non-VG DEV community friends in your December Alpha. It's always good to get some comments from the outside to see if it all makes sense. -Chris Scott – great to see that you are still doing this the right way. Take it from a guy that wears a zillion hats – when you wear them all at the same time, you not only look like an ass, your product looks like one too. (Luckily for me, all of my non-day projects can look like an ass, it’s kinda the point..haha). Anyway, stiff upper lip, pip pip and the old college go and all that.

Also, please remember to include your non-VG DEV community friends in your December Alpha. It’s always good to get some comments from the outside to see if it all makes sense.

-Chris

]]> By: Macguffin http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/#comment-168 Macguffin Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:54:22 +0000 http://www.macguffingames.com/?p=352#comment-168 Thanks, Aaron - I've checked out FogBugz, and it's on my short list of possible solutions - but not till we hit another notch or two up on complexity. I think for now we're good on a simple spreadsheet; I think the main issue is that we weren't doing much of anything yet. Thanks, Aaron – I’ve checked out FogBugz, and it’s on my short list of possible solutions – but not till we hit another notch or two up on complexity. I think for now we’re good on a simple spreadsheet; I think the main issue is that we weren’t doing much of anything yet.

]]> By: Aaron Melcher http://macguffingames.com/2009/hats-schizophrenia-and-the-indie-dev/#comment-167 Aaron Melcher Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:35:09 +0000 http://www.macguffingames.com/?p=352#comment-167 Hey Scott, It may be overkill for your situation, but FogBugz(http://www.fogcreek.com/FogBUGZ/) has some great project management utilities (as well as a whole bunch of other software dev utilities). They also offer a 2 seat free edition for start ups. I went to a conference recently where it was demoed, it was very impressive. Google docs may be simple enough for your situation (plus you are already used to it), but I would give this a look see. Aaron Hey Scott,

It may be overkill for your situation, but FogBugz(http://www.fogcreek.com/FogBUGZ/) has some great project management utilities (as well as a whole bunch of other software dev utilities). They also offer a 2 seat free edition for start ups. I went to a conference recently where it was demoed, it was very impressive. Google docs may be simple enough for your situation (plus you are already used to it), but I would give this a look see.

Aaron

]]>