Alan Wake Writer: "Remedy Is Not a Factory"

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Alan Wake Writer: "Remedy Is Not a Factory"


Development on Remedy [http://www.alanwake.com/] lead writer Sam Lake says that's because the studio is "not a factory" and is taking its time to ensure things are done right.

Alan Wake was announced all the way back in 2005 but since then Remedy has been surprisingly quiet about the game's development. Aside from a few trailers released over the years the studio has offered the gaming public little more than occasional assurances that it is in fact still working on the game. But Lake says there's a good reason for the drawn-out development cycle: Quality takes time.

"Remedy is not a factory," Lake told Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/08/lake-remedy-is-not-a-factory-team-fortunate-to-spend-time-on/]. "We take our time and try out different things until we feel have found the right combination and a good balance for the game."

"We have been in the fortunate position where we've had time to do research and do prototypes... keep the quality bar high and explore, until we find the right combination of different elements," he continued. "Things have evolved along the way. This is an action game, but there is a lot of variety."

Alan Wake has a long way to go before it's in the league of the ultimate delayed-into-nothingness game Max Payne 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/748-Duke-Nukem-Forever], contains a joking reference to 3D Realms and the overlong production of DNF, which had already been in development for six years when Max Payne 2 was released - in 2003.


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Virgil

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Jun 13, 2002
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4 years, while getting up there, isn't really that long in terms of game development. especially if they're being ambitious with the gameplay. And it's not like Remedy has released this type of game before, so some learning curve is expected.

But if they're going to go on the record playing the "Quality Card" to explain it, they better damn well make sure Alan Wake is a polished gem of a game when it's released.
 

Andy Chalk

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Eagle Est1986 said:
I must have missed that reference in Max Payne 2, do tell!
If you wander down to the police station parking garage in the early part of the game you'll run across two cops, Officer Miller and Officer Broussard, having a discussion. They never actually reveal what they're talking about but they throw out lines about the importance of positioning and, "It'll be done when it's done." I think there are a couple more 3DR references but it's been awhile.

I did a quick search on YouTube for a video of the encounter to put in the original post but I didn't come up with anything. But hey, it's a great game so just reinstall it and play through again!
 

Fenixhart

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While taking more time to do it right is a good thing, making sure that time is well used is another thing.

Not to say that they aren't, but even though Rome wasn't built in a day, it wasn't built by lazing about.
 

HobbesMkii

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Jun 7, 2008
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Somehow, I hadn't come to conclusion that Remedy had gained a reputation as a factory. I mean, I think we were all pretty much aware of this, right?
 

Eagle Est1986

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Nov 21, 2007
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Malygris said:
Eagle Est1986 said:
I must have missed that reference in Max Payne 2, do tell!
If you wander down to the police station parking garage in the early part of the game you'll run across two cops, Officer Miller and Officer Broussard, having a discussion. They never actually reveal what they're talking about but they throw out lines about the importance of positioning and, "It'll be done when it's done." I think there are a couple more 3DR references but it's been awhile.

I did a quick search on YouTube for a video of the encounter to put in the original post but I didn't come up with anything. But hey, it's a great game so just reinstall it and play through again!
Hmmm.... I know the exact bit you mean, can't recall the conversation though, I'll find it again and listen in this time.
 

nova18

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Nice to see that some developers dont feel the need to rush games onto the shelves.
But surely money is a consideration?
A game in development for 4 years equals a LOT of staff salaries.
 

not a zaar

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Obviously a game is a piece of art and not a machine that you put together from parts, but still 4-5 years is a long time and we all know that old saying "too many cooks spoil the pot", or something like that. It's not good to sit on your game forever constantly tweaking it without having any outside input. Personally I stopped caring about this game a long time ago and it will take some seriously hype to get me excited about it.
 

timmytom1

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I`m a little worried about Alan Wake i have to say,still maybe remedy can actually pull this off,maybe
 

The Youth Counselor

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Virgil said:
4 years, while getting up there, isn't really that long in terms of game development. especially if they're being ambitious with the gameplay. And it's not like Remedy has released this type of game before, so some learning curve is expected.

But if they're going to go on the record playing the "Quality Card" to explain it, they better damn well make sure Alan Wake is a polished gem of a game when it's released.
Excactly! Four years is shorter than the standard Blizzard release and the developer has kept the community updated with consistent media releases and blogs.
 

scnj

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I'd rather wait four more years and get an awesome game than get a half finished game early.