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originally posted in: An honest question for Bungie
11/19/2014 12:15:28 AM
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I am not Bungie, obviously, but I can tell you how I've seen this happen in software shops that I've been in. First, keep in mind that Bungie has a UI Team. So, these changes did not likely pull developers off-task. As to why this might happen, UI reviews are very common - both based on user feedback and through focus groups. It would likely be a combination of these two facets that would have lead for the UI folks and the graphics folks to make changes to both the inventory screens, and other UI-based aspects of the game. Sometimes, these are down to bring a consistent theme/look and feel, sometimes it is to emphasize specific aspects, other times it is used to reduce similarity between different tasks and visual cues. The release notes hint at the first possibility as being the case, here. Specifically (from http://www.bungie.net/7_Destiny-Update--11172014/en/News/News?aid=12398), under Menus > Inventory: [quote]Updated Spinmetal, Relic Iron, and Helium Filaments icons to better represent in-game visuals.[/quote] The inventory items do actually look more like the actual world items now, in my opinion. Would venture a guess that the iconongraphy goes back to a much earlier point in the game's lifecycle, after which, various in-world items were tweaked, but their icons were not. That would basically just mean that the UI/Graphics people had enough bandwidth to be able to do cleanup work. It might seem like a nitpicky thing to change, but it also falls under those "finer details" that people generally would not notice, otherwise. Personally, I find my eye drawn to the new icons more quickly now. Whether that is just because they are different, or they do better convey the in-game items, I have no idea. :-)
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  • Maybe developers aren't pulled off task to work on this, but I can't help but feel that the UI developers should've been directed toward greater concerns... I unno - do you feel like it was the most constructive way to use the man-hours? Also, think about the message it sends us... Their forums are awash with issues and inquiries, few of which have generated much of a response from Bungie - so why are helium filaments such a priority? Are they causing many of us to get dropped after 2 min of gameplay? The servers can't handle all the spinmetal images? Certainly makes one wonder, whether or not they're even listening to our feedback... which is totally unbecoming of a company like them.

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  • Edited by jmferris: 11/21/2014 2:30:50 PM
    But that is, ultimately, my point. The people who do the work related to things like the icons, have absolutely no bearing or impact on the ability of those who are working on networking-based issues. They are physically different people, which we know, because Bungie's job listings very specifically point out that they have a role of Networking Developer. The problem that really exists, are that too many people without software development experience think that they know how the processes at play, work. That is not directed at you, but is a generalization of the "Bungie fix your whatever" variety of posts floating around. There is a general misconception that any change can be made in a few minutes, and if it is not fixed within one patch cycle, that it dictates some level of incompetence. That is simply not true - in the slightest. Bungie is a large shop, and large shops field teams that have distinct responsibilities. They have the luxury of not having to employ developers of the Swiss Army Knife skillset (otherwise known as Jacks of All Trades, Master of None). Plus, no project manager worth anything will halt progress of other teams, just because another team has a high priority issue. Each team has their own sets of priorities, and just because - in this specific case - the UI team had something that was not a fix to a breaking change, does not mean that the change should have been held back or deferred. You simply do not have people ride the bench for the sake of providing visibility of work on another issue. If there is any failing there, it is that Bungie underestimates how overly-critical this forum is of their internal processes - and could have communicated this fact better. [b]Edit: [/b] Spelling and grammar - otherwise known as posting before the prerequisite number of cups of coffee.

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  • Yea, your argument's sound - and actually has punctuation. Two things I can't say for majority of the responses I receive round here... I get how distinct corporate divisions can be, and ultimately complications such as these will never be simple to mitigate. I was speaking outta frustration with the lack of outreach and integrity - two tenets once considered integral to Bungie's customer support - and subsequently, some of their success. But I can't entirely blame them, it's true. What with modern nondisclosure agreements, licensing, and liabilities - it's a wonder we accomplish anything in the civilized world... not that it's much, when we do. Maybe it'd help if they could just tell us, why they can't tell us anythin... They should be able to disclose whether or not they are bound by nondisclosure agreements - right? Are bureaucrats really that bass-ackward? (That last one was rhetorical, btw.) When we ask you about the game [b]you[/b] designed - pleading the fifth, doesn't instill us with much confidence. Just sayin...

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