I understand why several ex-valve devs say it was frustrating. With no solid structure, things turn into high-school cliques where one person clearly has more invisible authority over everyone else, even though that's not supposed to be the case. Yes, traditional business hierarchy can produce a blame game, but it can also ensure that your team is unified under one very specific vision.
But Valve proved that it works. So the difference in structure might not be the case here. It might be because, like a HR's response after an interview, "you are not the right fit for us".
@@kael7953 It works but at a cost of many factors involved, the most important one being the long period when not a single game was coming out of Valve and there was news of Employees not having the best time working there. Even mentioned by some former employees, the HR team themselves do not have any power over maintaining the crowd and behavior of the people present. And the system always favors devs who have worked at Valve the longest.
There is also an additional factor involved due to former devs having a crowd they've always been used to which leads to an unwelcoming response from new hires who are not from the majority demography, i.e old straight white dudes. It's not that Valve is racist oder homophobic but the internal bias from the majority does come out involuntarily. And from what I've heard Valve has never had any anti-bias or cooperation training for the employees.
I don't know why, But I have a feeling Cave Johnson designed Valves structure. Only he could design a company run so inefficiently that also makes so much money
@@thecipher8495 I imagine GabeN has to go down to Valve head quarters personally, and go ask them to make a game like Aperture Desk Job or Half Life Alyx. Otherwise Valve just gave up on making games, because they have to organize enough people to make the game
@@RetiredAccount3737 GabeN sure as hell doesn't go down to Valve and tell them to make a specific game, he will tell people that they need a game for their new Hardware that will ship at date x. The team can then come up with whatever they want but since they have a deadline stuff has to get finished. If that's the case the Valve model works perfectly, everyone can use their creativity but they can't abandon the project halfway through cause they found something more interesting. The system worked great when development times were shorter and they therefore didn't get bored halfway through a project. I think they made the mistake of never announcing games due to Half-Life 2: Episode 3. If they had announced Left 4 Dead 3 with a release date it might have taken ages to come out due to Source 2 not being ready but I don't think they would have abandoned it and there might even be a possibility that the pressure to release L4D3 would have accelerated the development of Source 2.
They explain why there is no crowbar in the Alyx dev commentaries. So they did put consideration into it, whether you agree with the final decision or not.
i think they were too conservative with that game. i loved it on the first playthrough and was always excited for it, but as a lifelong half life fan, it's becoming one of my least favorite entries as i replay it. it just starts out soooo slow and the interactions are all so safe. every half life game starts out slow but hla is like. two hours in you get to shoot a zombie and then it's back to walking for another hour. two handed weapons would be weird, melee weapons would put videos on social media of people breaking their tvs, whatever, let me have fun. although i think it's fine that the crowbar specifically isn't in the game. that's gordon's weapon, and gordon isn't in the game. you can't give gordon's thing to alyx. alyx has her own weapon
Do we need to work with expensive software in this industry? I am not a daddy's boy and use Blender3D and Unreal to make video games. I work for money and learn to write computer code, not buying.
Full Interviews Chet Faliszek - th-cam.com/video/sPJbwbs4zkM/w-d-xo.html Josh Weier - th-cam.com/video/MkPCE-Gzmwc/w-d-xo.html Mike Morasky - th-cam.com/video/leJz8d1OvnY/w-d-xo.html Erik Wolpaw - th-cam.com/video/RzkVD94yAmA/w-d-xo.html
Just because a dev is known for a specific skillset doesn't mean they aren't a dev. Erik Wolpaw for example is also a programmer and oversaw all the voice recording for the games as well so he is a dev. Every person who worked on the games are key parts of the development. Don't also forget Valve isn't like most companies, there is an overarching development across the board from personnel working on a game.
exactly, idk why he said it like writers aren't the most important people in the team when they are the one's making the plot of every game.@@arnoygayen1984
@@KIWITALKZ many comments in the thread here such as these just go to show how hard it is for people to think outside the box and outside of the normal power structure.
Harm and toxicity are subjective, what is harmful for you, is not for me, and vice versa. Who is going to dictate what should be considered free to be said, and what not, since he/she will always be limited by the subjectiveness of the matter?
I understand why several ex-valve devs say it was frustrating. With no solid structure, things turn into high-school cliques where one person clearly has more invisible authority over everyone else, even though that's not supposed to be the case. Yes, traditional business hierarchy can produce a blame game, but it can also ensure that your team is unified under one very specific vision.
But Valve proved that it works. So the difference in structure might not be the case here. It might be because, like a HR's response after an interview, "you are not the right fit for us".
@@kael7953 It works but at a cost of many factors involved, the most important one being the long period when not a single game was coming out of Valve and there was news of Employees not having the best time working there. Even mentioned by some former employees, the HR team themselves do not have any power over maintaining the crowd and behavior of the people present. And the system always favors devs who have worked at Valve the longest.
There is also an additional factor involved due to former devs having a crowd they've always been used to which leads to an unwelcoming response from new hires who are not from the majority demography, i.e old straight white dudes. It's not that Valve is racist oder homophobic but the internal bias from the majority does come out involuntarily. And from what I've heard Valve has never had any anti-bias or cooperation training for the employees.
@@yashedpotatoes make your own company and hire POC of society talent. Good luck.
@@fun_gussy I am literally just stating what was said in an interview by anonymous former Valve employees
I don't know why, But I have a feeling Cave Johnson designed Valves structure. Only he could design a company run so inefficiently that also makes so much money
The structure works because of their steam platform, it won't prosper without it. Gabe's emphasizing creativity more rather than profitability.
@@thecipher8495 I imagine GabeN has to go down to Valve head quarters personally, and go ask them to make a game like Aperture Desk Job or Half Life Alyx. Otherwise Valve just gave up on making games, because they have to organize enough people to make the game
you'd be surprised at just how inefficient companies can get with *more* structure instead of less
No, it’s efficient. They’ve made the greatest games of all time.
@@RetiredAccount3737 GabeN sure as hell doesn't go down to Valve and tell them to make a specific game, he will tell people that they need a game for their new Hardware that will ship at date x. The team can then come up with whatever they want but since they have a deadline stuff has to get finished. If that's the case the Valve model works perfectly, everyone can use their creativity but they can't abandon the project halfway through cause they found something more interesting. The system worked great when development times were shorter and they therefore didn't get bored halfway through a project. I think they made the mistake of never announcing games due to Half-Life 2: Episode 3. If they had announced Left 4 Dead 3 with a release date it might have taken ages to come out due to Source 2 not being ready but I don't think they would have abandoned it and there might even be a possibility that the pressure to release L4D3 would have accelerated the development of Source 2.
Fascinating perspectives.
i love just listening to inteligent people and theyr expiriences, views, ideas and wisdom
Good stuff, thanks!
Where is Deckard???????????
1 big oopsie, no crowbar in half life alyx. This work structure perhaps needs a bigger picture eye on it
They explain why there is no crowbar in the Alyx dev commentaries. So they did put consideration into it, whether you agree with the final decision or not.
It's more fitting for the Freeman than Alyx
i think they were too conservative with that game. i loved it on the first playthrough and was always excited for it, but as a lifelong half life fan, it's becoming one of my least favorite entries as i replay it. it just starts out soooo slow and the interactions are all so safe. every half life game starts out slow but hla is like. two hours in you get to shoot a zombie and then it's back to walking for another hour. two handed weapons would be weird, melee weapons would put videos on social media of people breaking their tvs, whatever, let me have fun. although i think it's fine that the crowbar specifically isn't in the game. that's gordon's weapon, and gordon isn't in the game. you can't give gordon's thing to alyx. alyx has her own weapon
Do we need to work with expensive software in this industry? I am not a daddy's boy and use Blender3D and Unreal to make video games. I work for money and learn to write computer code, not buying.
Full Interviews
Chet Faliszek - th-cam.com/video/sPJbwbs4zkM/w-d-xo.html
Josh Weier - th-cam.com/video/MkPCE-Gzmwc/w-d-xo.html
Mike Morasky - th-cam.com/video/leJz8d1OvnY/w-d-xo.html
Erik Wolpaw - th-cam.com/video/RzkVD94yAmA/w-d-xo.html
Valve devs but they are writers... the only ones here close to being devs is the lead designer and the composer
Just because a dev is known for a specific skillset doesn't mean they aren't a dev. Erik Wolpaw for example is also a programmer and oversaw all the voice recording for the games as well so he is a dev. Every person who worked on the games are key parts of the development. Don't also forget Valve isn't like most companies, there is an overarching development across the board from personnel working on a game.
@@KIWITALKZ Thanks for the clarification
@@Prydaxify you can not develope a campaign game without a proper story, so writers are part of the key development team you see
exactly, idk why he said it like writers aren't the most important people in the team when they are the one's making the plot of every game.@@arnoygayen1984
@@KIWITALKZ many comments in the thread here such as these just go to show how hard it is for people to think outside the box and outside of the normal power structure.
and Steam still looks like it is from 2000
no
No u
In contrast to what? Origin? Epic? Uplay? All of those are over simplified with abysmal loading times.
and i love it
it's perrfect
Hi, I would like to talk about any further plans on censoring people
we need to take a stand and prevent free speech when it becomes toxic and harmful
Harm and toxicity are subjective, what is harmful for you, is not for me, and vice versa.
Who is going to dictate what should be considered free to be said, and what not, since he/she will always be limited by the subjectiveness of the matter?
ok extinctionist
I agree. Anyone trying to censor free speech should be silenced. Your post is hate speech in my eyes. Mind deleting it?
@@GeorgesSegundotiny thing but saying they instead of he/she is quicker and more inclusive
It's like a game jam
Soft skills 💪