A couple more questions for the devs.

[JustLuke]

1) You already gained significant experience by successfully developing a few freeware Sierra-remakes and, more specifically, in using AGS before developing Al Emmo. Compared to the development of your previous games, what would you say were the most difficult and/or surprising problems that you encountered whilst developing your first commercial adventure game?

2) Many game developers grow to hate the games they have worked on. Partly this is due to the long working hours, unreasonable deadline and publisher milestones (which probably isn't a factor for you), the tedium of completing uninteresting but essential tasks and the sheer repetition of having to work on the same areas of the game again and again (and again...) Did you experience this type of developer burn out? If not, how did you avoid it?

[GameDevBrit]

Hey Luke,

More great questions.

1.  I'd say that it was easier working on the remakes at times, because most people who were working on them had played the classic, and had already developed very strong, positive feelings associated with the title.  This proved to be very motivating.  People will gladly volunteer their time to be part of something they know they already love.  With your own, original title, you have a vision, but it takes more energy to convey that vision to everyone on the team.  Without the already engrained positive feelings related to the title, doing work on an original game is just that--doing work.  The positive feelings don't come until after you start seeing everyone's work come together.

Also, it's been more complicated in regards to business and legal matters.  Now we have to worry about budgets, contracts, accounting, licensing, hiring workers, ecommerce options, etc.  It's just a lot more to keep track of.

2.  Yea, I think we definitely all experienced burnout in one form or another.  Luckily, most of us have selective memory.  Even if I am absolutely burnt out, once I'm done creating the assets that were burning me out, I forget how painful it was to make them.  For instance, Chris and I (with occassional outside help from Stijn and Sean) spent months working probably 18 hours a day to get the lipsynching prepared for the game.  I literally think I suffered from a nervous breakdown from that expereince.  But now, looking back on it, I've forgotten just how painful it was, and would probably volunteer to do it again (note to teammates: please don't use this as an open invitation).  

But yea, usually seeing the results of all of our hard work in the game remotivates and inspires me.  Even if at one time, I was feeling burned out, I usually feel optimistic again and have a love for the game by the time I see it completed.