BetterFasterStronger

Teaching Tech Artists to Build Technology.

Rob Galanakis • CCP Games • rob.galanakis@gmail.com

“I’m having breakfast with the

CEO of Tencent Boston to

explain why he needs Tech Artists.”

- Jeff Hanna, 2009

???

Infrastructure

Game Tools

Art Tools

Automation

Geek, not

Plumber

Tech Artist, not Software

Developer

Tech Artist, not Software

Developer

1. Support Process

2. Code Review

3. Collaboration

Process

Support

Process

@%*Support

Users Find Defect/

Request Feature

Idealized Support Process

TA Fixes Defect/Adds Feature

Actual Support Process

Realize how much

support you do,

and

trust others to do it.

Bug/Task List

Code Review

Code ReviewMandatory & Thorough

; ; : : ; : , : , , , , , , , , , , , , , : # ' # # # # ' + : . , ` . . . ` ` ` . ` ` ` ` .' ' ; ; ; : , , , , , , , , , , , , , , # # # # @ @ @ @ @ # @ # . ` . . ` . ` ` ` `; ; ' ; : , , : , , , , , , , , , , . # @ + ; + # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ` ` . ` ` ` .; ; ; : : : , , , , , , , , , , , . , @ : ` ' @ @ @ @ @ @ ' ` ` ` ` `' : ; : : : : , , , , , , , . . , , @ . . ; @ @ @ @ @ @ ` ` ` `: ; ; : : , , , , , , , , , , . . : # : + @ @ @ @ @ # ` `: : ; , , , , , , . , , , . , . . ' + , ' # @ @ @ @ @ . . . . ` : : : ; , , , , , , , . . , . , @ : . ; @ @ @ @ @ , , . , ` , ` .; ' ' ' ; : , , , . . . . . ` ' @ : . ; @ @ @ @ @ ; ' , , , , , ,' # + ' ' ; ; : ' ; : . ` . ` ' @ : ` . ` ; , ; : ; + @ @ @ @ @ + ' ; : : , : . .# @ # + + ' + + ' ' : + , . , : # @ # ' + , ' : ' # @ ' : @ @ @ @ @ # + + ' ; , + : ` `# + # # + # + + # + ; , , ' : , @ @ , ` . . ; ` . . , @ @ @ @ @ @ + ' ' ; ; ' : . ,# @ + # + # + # # + + ' ; ' # ' @ @ ` , : @ @ @ @ @ @ ' + ; ' ' ' + : ` . ,+ # # + # @ + # + # # # + + @ # @ @ , , , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ : ; , , , , : , , . . , , ,# @ @ @ @ # # # # @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ + . ` ` , + @ @ @ @ @ @ # + # + + + ' ; , : : : + ;# @ @ @ @ @ @ + # # @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ . . : @ . , + # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # + # ' ' ' ' ' ; ' +# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , . , , , : . , ; # @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # ' ' # # + + ' ; ; ' +# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : . . . ; : ` ` , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + + + + + + + ' ' ' ' + +# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ , , ; , , , ' + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' + + + + + + + + + + + +# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # # + # @ @ @ @ @ ` , , ' + # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' ' ; ' + + + + ' + ' + +# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # @ @ @ @ @ @ , : ; # # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + + + + ' ' + + ' + ' + ;# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # @ @ # ' + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # + + ' + # + # # + + ## @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # + + ' + + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , + @ @ @ + ' + @ @ @ @ @ @ + + + + + + + + # + + ' ## @ @ @ @ @ @ # + # # # ' ' ' ' # @ @ @ @ @ @ ; , ; + ' ; , ; # @ @ @ @ @ @ ' ; ; ; ' : ' : , . , '# @ @ @ @ @ # @ # @ # + # ' + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + . , , , , . , + @ @ @ + @ @ @ @ @ # ; # : . , : : +# @ @ @ @ # # # @ # @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; , . ` . ` ` ` . ; @ # # # @ @ @ @ @ # # @ + . , ' ' '# @ @ @ @ # # @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # , ` ` . # # + # @ @ @ # ' : , . . . ' ; ' +# @ @ @ @ # @ @ + + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # . : + ' + @ @ @ @ @ # # , . , , ; ; ' '# @ @ @ # @ # + ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : . ' # + @ @ @ @ @ @ # ' : : , , : , :# @ @ @ + # + + + # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # . ; + + + @ @ ' ' ' @ @ ' : , : : , : :# @ @ @ @ + ; ' + # # # # @ @ @ @ + ' ` ; ' + # # + ; : ; + @ @ # + + , , . ,# @ @ @ @ @ @ ' + + # + @ @ @ @ @ , ` ' + + , : , . , ; # @ @ @ @ + # + + '# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + ' ; # @ @ @ @ # . ` ; ; ' ` , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + # + @ ;# @ @ @ @ @ @ # + # ; @ @ @ @ @ @ . ` ' : ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # '# @ @ @ + ' ' ; : ' @ @ @ @ @ @ # + ' ` ` : # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # ' ' +# @ ' + ' # + # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # ' # + : ` : + + @ @ @ @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' ; +# # + # + + + + # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # @ @ # # + + ' ' + + + ' @ + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + @# @ @ ' ' + ' ' + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # # # # # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # @ @ @ # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ + +# @ @ @ # + @ + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # + # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' '# @ @ @ @ @ # # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # + + @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Less Benefit

More Optional

Tension

Dead Reviews

An effective review process

requires:

•A Single

Arbiter

•Total

Compliance

Dictator BDFL

A lesson from

Open Source

Code Review

is the mark of aProfessional

Collaboration

What is it?

???

Infrastructure

Game Tools

Art Tools

Automation

Skill & WorkRequired

Avoid the

Pitfalls

Moralewill suffer …temporarily

orFailure

Rigor

Code Submits

Find a Metric for

Success

Change won’t happen overnight.

And not everyone will fit a mold. THE BORG

They can assimilate THIS!

Building Technology is as

easy as…

A. Support Process

B. Code Review

C. Collaboration

And D, E, F, G, H, I, J…

The goal is not to become a programmer.

It is to learn to program, to be a better Tech Artist.