internal & outsourcer management of tools & pipelines brendan hanna holloway technical...
TRANSCRIPT
Internal & Outsourcer Management
of Tools & Pipelines
Brendan Hanna HollowayTechnical Artist
Adam PletcherTechnical Art Director
www.volition-inc.com
Volition Snapshot
Saints Row 100 internal developers 20 outsourcers (buildings only)
Saints Row 2 101 internal developers 44 outsourcers (environment art)
Red Faction: Guerrilla 80 internal developers 52 outsourcers (many types of art)
Volition Snapshot
Studio Tools Goals More cross-project sharing of tools & tech Lower costs, headcount Faster, easier content iteration More seamless outsourcing
Part 1. Internal Tools Management
The Users WHO will be using the tool/pipeline? What are their current and desired workflows? Who will be managing/updating the tool?
(Tech Artists, Programmers, etc.)
Part 1. Internal Tools Management
Deployment & Updating Does it integrate with other software? (3ds
Max, Photoshop, etc.) How often will the tool need updating? Can the tool be automatically
installed/configured? Who does NOT need the tool installed? How will it be uninstalled? How are errors reported?
Part 1. Internal Tools Management
Additional resources? Intranet site Login scripts
Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller
Why was it needed? Tools were not portable, esp. offsite No standard for deployment or updating Uninstall debris
Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller
vInstaller Overview Written in C# Based on MSBuild Tools -> Projects -> Archives Maintains three discrete environments:
Development (local) Published (network) Installed (local)
Handles dependencies with other software Installing/uninstalling is atomic
Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller
The Good Very portable tools/pipelines Standardized deployment, updating Easy outsourcer delivery & updating
(in theory, at least)
Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller
The Not So Good… Learning curve (MSBuild, XML complexity) Operations are static, no runtime changes Troubleshooting sometimes difficult Vista hilarity! User Account Control No project version check during updates Wide-open to viruses
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Overview Over 300 assets created Assets modeled, textured, exported to game More than 30 outsourcing artists More than a year of work and support
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Learn Their StudioThings can be very different than in-house
conditions... What do they have? What do they need? What do you want to give them?
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
What do they have? Do they have all necessary software installed? Are they willing to buy what they don’t have? Do you need to create workaround
applications? Where are their tools and applications
installed? What permissions do their users have?
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What was installed... No Perforce Mixture of Chinese and English versions of 3ds
Max 7 No instant messenger programs
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: Where the files went... Software installed in various locations
Need to handle all possible paths! Tools on a server
vInstaller allowed us to control where the tools were relative to the programs
Data files in seemingly random locationsTools had to use relative paths. Use Windows Registry to store actual locations
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What artists could do... Not allowed to install new programs
Make sure their IT department understands where you want everything
No write access to any of the server drivesNeed IT help to update tools packages
No write access to the system foldersEnsure tools use writable folders only
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Learn Their StudioThings can be very different than in-house
conditions... What do they have? What do they need? What do you want to give them?
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What was purchased All artists upgraded to English version of 3ds
Max 9 Lead artists were given IM and permission to
use it NOT Perforce – Stuck with AlienBrain
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What was created Needed a workaround for Perforce
We created a stub C# app that pretended to check-out files and return file information. Far easier than modifying all tools with Perforce integration.
Using an old version of 3ds Max would have been a deal-breakerWould mean maintaining two entirely separatetoolsets.
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Learn Their StudioThings can be very different than in-house
conditions... What do they have? What do they need? What do you want to give them?
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What we gave them... Full game build
Easier than maintaining two codebases Only enough data to load test levels
Avoided potential of game being leaked Updated their build every couple months
Coincided with our milestone schedule so we had semi-stable builds
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What we gave them... Same tools package as internal artists
Avoided maintaining studio-specific packages Tools were aware of studio location
Could provide different options/behavior for outsourcers
Tools package uploaded with the game buildsEnsured the art played nice with the build
Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management
Saints Row 2: What we gave them...Communication Drupal site with instructions and forums
Central location for requirements, submissions and feedback
Periodic visits to the outsourcing studioHelp with initial setup and solving major workflow issues
Email, IM, Remote DesktopClear, real-time communication and ability to see problems first-hand
