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[LadyTiggs]

Comms from CapnJosh:

 

So Hawken is now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.  What do we do next?

 

At a high level, we are aiming for a compact content update that should fix or improve upon the existing console builds, while also adding some additional content.  It�s not going to be a massive update, but it should address the most common reports.  We�re hearing controller button mappings are a big deal, framerate and performance could stand some improvements, and, well, we�ve got a good bug list going :) Over time, the goal is to have all 3 platforms running on the same commit number, since that will make code and feature management, release management, and hosting operations a whole lot easier and more efficient.

 

For all the PC platform fans, don�t lose heart!  Big things are in store.  As I mentioned, the plan is to get all the platforms up to feature parity, and then advance them all forward at the same time.  This provides a larger audience for all the Hawken goodness, and it means Hawken has a stronger foundation from which to build.  The PC environment has a really big data migration ahead of it, but that is just a matter of time.  I�m holding off on specifics until after we get through the console launch and solidification process, but do know that we take the PC experience very seriously.  We�ve heard the comments and suggestions, so rest assured none of that is being ignored.  In fact, keep it coming � there have been some excellent analyses of the pros and cons of a wide range of design possibilities, and we actually do take those seriously.  Again, nothing is dismissed out of hand ;)

 

A bit about the submissions process in the console games world.  It can take a long time.  Like, we will be planning on 3-4 weeks from the point where we first submit a build for certification testing to the point where that build is actually launched.  Over time, we should be able to reduce that duration, but especially up through the first few post-launch updates we will need to leave enough time for back-and-forth with the official certification testing teams at Sony and Microsoft.

 

What does that mean for timelines?  It means that right now we have a few short weeks to finish all the work and regular QA, send it all off to submissions, and then start work on the *next* content update well before *this* content update ever launches.  One of the biggest challenges will be to manage the mental context-switching that will be required to sustain these parallel efforts, particularly given the small team size, and especially when some sort of proverbial fire breaks out, wherever that may be.

 

Once we get through the first full week or two of Hawken being live on both PS4 and Xbox One, I�ll try to write up some of the interesting problems that come up when scaling out to thousands of game-server instances.