[MUD-Dev] Retention without Addiction?

[amanda at alfar.com]

Lars Duening <lars at bearnip.com> wrote:
> Amanda Walker wrote:

>> My experience in other industry segments is probably going to
>> show here, but "its ready when its ready" usually means you don't
>> have a well-managed software development process.

> Yes and no: seemingly little unexpected problems can turn into
> major roadblocks - not just when you're working at the bleeding
> edge, but also in 'normal' developments.

Yes.  But a good process includes the ability to deal with them.
Every project has some unexpected serious roadblocks.  It always
takes more time than anyone thinks it should.  Mature teams build
that into their plans and schedules, and constantly evaluate the
current sources of risk and how to abate them.

> But in general you're right: planned development of software
> projects is tricky, but can be done.

It's not just tricky; it's the only way it can be done repeatedly.
Betting the farm on a couple star programmers being able to figure
things out given enough time and caffeine is a very risky
development model.  So is specifying everything in advance and not
taking into account changes in the marketplace or things you
discover en route.  There's a middle ground, though, where you can
strike a balance between predictability and flexibility.  The best
software teams hit that sweet spot, and can do it repeatedly.

> In a way it's saying "I don't know how much it'll cost, or how
> long it'll take, but if you finance us for two years, we can tell
> you."

Yep.  This is called "research".

One of the things that amuses me about some of the discussions at
the GDC, articles in GD mag, and so on, is that they cover ground
that's been well travelled before.  A big game is different than,
say, a big word processor or spreadsheet, but large scale complex
software development is not a new problem.

Amanda Walker

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