Internal & Outsourcer Management of Tools & Pipelines

2. Internal & Outsourcer Managementof Tools & Pipelines Brendan Hanna Holloway Technical Artist Adam Pletcher Technical Art Director www.volition-inc.com

3. 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)

4. Volition Snapshot Studio Tools Goals • More cross-project sharing of tools & tech • Lower costs, headcount • Faster, easier content iteration • More seamless outsourcing

5. 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.)

6. 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?

7. Part 1. Internal Tools Management Additional resources? • Intranet site • Login scripts

8. Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller Why was it needed? • Tools were not portable, esp. offsite • No standard for deployment or updating • Uninstall debris

9. 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

11. Part 2. Case Study: vInstaller The Good • Very portable tools/pipelines • Standardized deployment, updating • Easy outsourcer delivery & updating(in theory, at least)

12. 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

13. 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

14. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Learn Their Studio Things can be very different than in-house conditions... • What do they have? • What do they need? • What do you want to give them?

15. 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?

16. 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

17. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: Where the files went... • Software installed in various locationsNeed to handle all possible paths! • Tools on a servervInstaller 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

18. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What artists could do... • Not allowed to install new programsMake 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

19. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Learn Their Studio Things can be very different than in-house conditions... • What do they have? • What do they need? • What do you want to give them?

20. 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

21. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What was created • Needed a workaround for PerforceWe 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.

22. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Learn Their Studio Things can be very different than in-house conditions... • What do they have? • What do they need? • What do you want to give them?

23. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What we gave them... • Full game buildEasier than maintaining two codebases • Only enough data to load test levelsAvoided potential of game being leaked • Updated their build every couple monthsCoincided with our milestone schedule so we had semi-stable builds

24. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What we gave them... • Same tools package as internal artistsAvoided maintaining studio-specific packages • Tools were aware of studio locationCould provide different options/behavior for outsourcers • Tools package uploaded with the game buildsEnsured the art played nice with the build

25. Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What we gave them... Communication • Drupal site with instructions and forumsCentral 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

26. Questions? Brendan Hanna Holloway brendan.holloway@volition-inc.com Adam Pletcher adam@volition-inc.com