Return to “General”

Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#3
The dev logs were really great. So great that I copied them down into a few PDF files so that if this site were to ever go off line, we'd still have them to read and talk about. The amount of ideas and concepts within them really helped get people excited for the game. Even though it is quite now, at least we know about how Josh thinks and the amazing speed at which he can code game features.
Image
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#4
BFett wrote:The dev logs were really great. So great that I copied them down into a few PDF files so that if this site were to ever go off line, we'd still have them to read and talk about. The amount of ideas and concepts within them really helped get people excited for the game. Even though it is quite now, at least we know about how Josh thinks and the amazing speed at which he can code game features.
His amazing speed at coding game features was only matched by his equally amazing speed when ripping code. :angel: The deconstruction warrior. :mrgreen:

:shifty: Yes, I could have used "disassembly" but in the case of Josh there was much more thought about the exercise. ;)
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#6
I'm not embarrassed to say that getting to read Josh's devlog was always a highlight of my day.

For me, it wasn't just the content, though, as intellectually exciting as that frequently was. What I also cared about was the example it set for other game developers. Josh proved you could be a good programmer and a good communicator, spreading enthusiasm for the game and for game development. I was (and am) proud to have backed someone who set a high standard for two full years.

Unfortunately, that standard could not be sustained. And I'm sincerely concerned that my public praise of Josh for his daily devlogs may have contributed to his difficulties, pushing him to maintain an impossible level of activity until he finally had to stop everything.

So I'll never argue for the return of daily devlogs.

But I miss them, too.
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#7
Flatfingers wrote: Unfortunately, that standard could not be sustained. And I'm sincerely concerned that my public praise of Josh for his daily devlogs may have contributed to his difficulties, pushing him to maintain an impossible level of activity until he finally had to stop everything.
It's not your fault.
My Signature
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#8
Flatfingers wrote:I'm not embarrassed to say that getting to read Josh's devlog was always a highlight of my day.

For me, it wasn't just the content, though, as intellectually exciting as that frequently was. What I also cared about was the example it set for other game developers. Josh proved you could be a good programmer and a good communicator, spreading enthusiasm for the game and for game development. I was (and am) proud to have backed someone who set a high standard for two full years.

Unfortunately, that standard could not be sustained. And I'm sincerely concerned that my public praise of Josh for his daily devlogs may have contributed to his difficulties, pushing him to maintain an impossible level of activity until he finally had to stop everything.

So I'll never argue for the return of daily devlogs.

But I miss them, too.
I don't cease to get amazed by how people can feel guilty about that. It is worth repeating again and again: nothing, absolutely nothing, that happened to Josh or that happens to him in the future is the community's fault. Praising Josh by a quality he had was only natural. Pushing him to keep following that route was also only natural. Also it is not true, at all, that his former level of activity is impossible per se. People are different, and overall personal context matters.

Josh was a good communicator, a nice and transparent developer. He had issues. Serious issues, that made he change his ways - which is totally fine, to a certain point. But he also made choices, plenty of bad choices, since then. So, for whoever might feel guilty also about requesting minimum communication now, don't feel: it's also normal.

That said, yes, the dev logs were the best part of this journey for me too. I do miss them. I don't wish them come back just in order to not delay the game even more.
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#9
To be clear: I specifically, and carefully, said I was "concerned" that I "may have contributed" to the pressure Josh may have felt to keep spending time writing daily devlogs in addition to actual coding.

I'm not taking it all on myself, which would be both false and silly, nor am I casting blame of any kind on anyone else from which they need to defend themselves.

All I'm saying is that I wonder sometimes if I shouldn't have promoted Josh as a paragon of programming because he ("unlike the rest of you slackers" being the unstated criticism of other game developers) managed to write a devlog every day for two years. To me that looks increasingly foolish and rude -- not a hanging offense, and not the -- or even a -- direct cause of Josh's disappearance, but a mistake I can learn not to repeat.

I really do miss the devlogs, though, dangit.
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#10
Flatfingers wrote:I really do miss the devlogs, though, dangit.
I too miss the devlogs, Flat, but I can live without them. What I really miss is the connection Josh used to have with the members here. The lack of communication of any description for backers and supporters alike does little to restore confidence that this project is still a going concern. :(

What did happen to that update we were all looking forward to? :?
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#11
Victor Tombs wrote:What I really miss is the connection Josh used to have with the members here. The lack of communication of any description for backers and supporters alike does little to restore confidence that this project is still a going concern. :(
Likewise, Victor.

Josh seems like such a good guy -- I just can't figure out how to square that with his lack of communication with either Kickstarter backers or the folks here who've been so supportive for so long.

Maybe someday there'll be answers.
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#12
Flatfingers wrote:Josh seems like such a good guy -- I just can't figure out how to square that with his lack of communication with either Kickstarter backers or the folks here who've been so supportive for so long.
I remember making some terrible decisions when I suffered from depression about 17 years ago. It's utterly impossible to see that they are bad at the time, or even when you see the consequences of them.

I'm certain that the 'get my head down and just work' attitude is Josh's answer to the problems he still perceives with the development of LT; with failing components and the need to work on shiny new systems, and the understanding of how important it is (to him) to show us all something 'worthwhile' (as he'd consider it), and the memory of how it went wrong with the last pre-Dark Days time, it's easier to grasp why he's taking this path.

I don't believe for an instant that this makes him a bad guy, or invalidates the work he's done previously, it's just a shame there wasn't anyone suitable for him to turn to before this all happened who could have helped.
--
Mind The Gap
Post

Re: I miss the dev blogs

#13
Flatfingers wrote:
Victor Tombs wrote:What I really miss is the connection Josh used to have with the members here. The lack of communication of any description for backers and supporters alike does little to restore confidence that this project is still a going concern. :(
Likewise, Victor.

Josh seems like such a good guy -- I just can't figure out how to square that with his lack of communication with either Kickstarter backers or the folks here who've been so supportive for so long.

Maybe someday there'll be answers.
If I had to guess, he probably feels it's pointless to communicate, until the development gets past the "dark age" state. Until it's proven the game actually can work. I'm pretty sure we would see some huge update right after this "breakthrough". Wich means it probably didn't happen yet. Wich also sadly means, he is not so certain about it happening by himself anymore.

Online Now

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron