Reviewing the Amanitas Inner Sanctum level
July 17, 2008
Reviewing the Amanitas Inner Sanctum level, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Testers Eric and Eva sit in to provide their feedback, having played through it all day every day.
Mr. Mike gives us the benefit of his vast planning experience, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Long-time industry vet Mike McShaffry is pitching in during our final months of production to ensure that our final push runs as smoothly as possible.
Mandatory playtime
July 7, 2008
Mandatory playtime, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Now that all the levels in Mushroom Men are playable in their entirety, we have instituted a “mandatory playtime” during the week in which all developers, regardless of discipline, must play the game for a half hour, preferably a level they haven’t worked on in any capacity. Fresh eyes reveal issues unnoticed by scripters and artists who might be jaded by spending their entire days within their own levels.
Another week, another leads meeting
June 30, 2008
Another week, another leads meeting, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
One week closer to shipping.
Gamecocks in the office
June 26, 2008
Gamecocks in the office, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Mushroom Men’s publisher Gamecock is on-site today to check out the progress on the game.
Evaluating the results of our recent focus test
June 19, 2008
Evaluating the results of our recent focus test, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Thanks to all those who participated. Your feedback is improving the quality of Mushroom Men.
Lunchtime gaming
June 19, 2008
Lunchtime gaming, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
A common misconception is that working at a game studio means we play games all day. On the contrary, we generally reserve our playtime for the lunch hour or after work. It’s ironic that making games takes so much time and effort that we rarely have the bandwidth to actually play other games.
Full-team level review
June 3, 2008
Full-team level review, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
It’s important that everyone be brought in from time to time to see the overall progress of the game. If too many team members work in isolation, details can fall through the cracks. So it’s critical to have the artists see their work implemented and programmers to see their systems function. There’s a risk that if someone buries themselves too deeply in a task, they’ll lose sight of the “big picture.” So we always encourage cross-discipline interactions to ensure that everything goes into the game as anticipated.
Another level review
May 29, 2008
Another level review, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
We’re shipping a milestone at the end of this week, so we’re paying a lot of attention to the new levels that are being introduced this month.
Our media room is set up like a living room, so our playtesting experience closely matches how the end user will play the game. Plus, it’s comfy.
Art review
May 27, 2008
Art review, originally uploaded by Red Fly Studio.
Environment Lead Johari Templin and Art Lead Will Kier review an early iteration of a Mushroom Men level with Producer Chad Barron.
