Internal & Outsourcer Management of Tools & Pipelines Brendan Hanna Holloway Technical Artist Adam Pletcher Technical Art Director

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)

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

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.)

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: Where the files went...  Software installed in various locations Need to handle all possible paths!  Tools on a server vInstaller allowed us to control where the tools were relative to the programs  Data files in seemingly random locations Tools had to use relative paths. Use Windows Registry to store actual locations

Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What artists could do...  Not allowed to install new programs Make sure their IT department understands where you want everything  No write access to any of the server drives Need IT help to update tools packages  No write access to the system folders Ensure tools use writable folders only

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?

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

Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What was created  Needed a workaround for Perforce We 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-breaker Would mean maintaining two entirely separate toolsets.

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?

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

Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What we gave them...  Same tools package as internal artists Avoided maintaining studio-specific packages  Tools were aware of studio location Could provide different options/behavior for outsourcers  Tools package uploaded with the game builds Ensured the art played nice with the build

Part 3. Outsourcing Tools Management Saints Row 2: What we gave them... Communication  Drupal site with instructions and forums Central location for requirements, submissions and feedback  Periodic visits to the outsourcing studio Help with initial setup and solving major workflow issues  , IM, Remote Desktop Clear, real-time communication and ability to see problems first-hand

Questions? Brendan Hanna Holloway Adam Pletcher