Some people hate DRM and they think it’s always in the way. Yes, there are some terrible implementations of DRM, but I’ve found Microsoft’s implementation to work pretty well over the years. But if you have questions about how it works, Microsoft has a nice article about it which answers several questions. Foremost of them? What is DRM? The article will even cover transferring your data to a new console.
Hi there, I’m a genuine Potentate of the Rose. And I’m here to share with you a puzzle… Petals Around the Rose!
I’ve talked about Hydro Thunder a few times. But today it’s being used as yet another example of how developers really need to think beyond their current comfort zones when developing today’s games. With companies like Microsoft and others adopting a “pay once, use anywhere” model, you need to be prepared for whatever platform your game is going to appear on.
Although the first thing that may come to mind is being prepared for processing power limitations, what I find an interesting thought is supporting multiple control schemes. Much more care and consideration needs to going in being prepared for any platform. For instance, my Surface RT device acts as multiple platforms. In the game Hydro Thunder alone I can use all 3 primary control models, and even expand upon those.
Games could offer you the option to play with a mouse and a keyboard. Or just a keyboard. Or a USB controller that you’ve plugged in. Or using touchscreen controls. Perhaps even tilt controls. Or any combination of some or all of these, really! Okay, I admit, it might be hard to combine the keyboard and the tilt, but with something like the Surface, although it might be unwieldy, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible!
I find it fascinating that the system can automatically adapt depending on what devices are plugged in to it, and even more impressive that developers are considering these challenges as they release games. You don’t just make up your mind as to the best way to play your game anymore. You need to be more accommodating to the other players and allow them to choose a play-style that fits their needs at the time. I think it is an exciting challenge to have, but a challenge none the less, that adds additional demands and considerations to the game development process. It is undoubtedly an interesting era for gaming.
I’m a huge fan of a process known as “Dogfooding.” I wanted to share it with you.
This is by no means a new concept. It began to take flight with the 1970’s Alpo Dog Food commercials, featuring the founder of Alpo doing a commercial in which he showed that he fed his own dog with his own product. It is reminiscent of the Hair Club for Men (“I’m not only the president, I’m a client!”). The legends say that in 1988 a corporate email went out to Microsoft employees saying that Microsoft, as a company, needed to start “eating [their] own dog food.” Meaning, they needed to start using their own products more. If they wouldn’t use their own products, how could they expect to sell them?
I’ve always been fascinated by this phrase. I love it. If you make something, you should love it so much that you want to use it. You should trust it enough to make your business run on it. Microsoft creates their own platforms, and uses them. Occasionally they get busted using a Linux web server somewhere, or they get a little good will by contributing to Linux development, but all in all, they build their own tools, and use them. Typically they use those tools to build newer tools! If you work for Ford, you should probably drive a Ford car!
If there is something out there that you would rather use than your own product, how can you make your product better? Before there was Microsoft Word, there was Microsoft Works. Before that, one of the biggest names, for the longest time, was IBM’s Lotus Notes. Lotus Notes was one of the best word processors and really defined what all future word processors would be and how they would look and behave. Microsoft knew they had to take cues from IBM, and make their product better.
I like to constantly think about if I were my own customer, would I like this? “This” being any number of scenarios, of course. I remember a few years ago, I was attending a wedding. Prior to the ceremony, a few of my former co-workers and I from a job I had once held got together for a few drinks. We chatted, and talked about where we were working at the time of the wedding – many of us had moved on to newer jobs, and have of course moved since. He asked me about a service the company I was employed at was offering, and I told him the features I liked and some of the things I didn’t like about the product – he then asked if we used it internally? “No,” I responded, “it doesn’t give us the flexibility we need.”
He shook his head and replied, “you’ve got to eat your own dog food.” I nodded, but I surprised myself with a response I had never even considered: “not everyone needs the flexibility.” And there it was. I, a firm believer in dog-fooding, realized that while it is good in theory, it cannot be implemented in practice. But was that it? Did I just destroy the preached-practice of eating your own dog food?
Although I agree a company should be so invested in their own products and services that they should be willing to use them, it is important to remember the scale of your product or service’s target audience. If your product is designed for a small company, but you’re a large corporation, you’re probably going to need something bigger to suit your needs. I would bet that the people who started companies like TurboTax are probably intelligent and knowledgeable CPA who probably don’t use the TurboTax software to file their own taxes. But that should be their fuel to keep developing and improving! Maybe you aren’t your own target audience for your current product. But your next product could revolutionize your industry!
When it comes to software development, your work is never done. If you think that what you have is great the way it is, then you should be proud of what you have – but you should think about ways you can make the next big leap. When it comes to owning and running a business, no matter what it is, you should always find that drive to continue making the experience better for your client, make a higher profit, or even make your business the kind of place talent wants to work. Yes, they are broad statements, but your mind doesn’t always need to be dreaming up new ideas, just improving on old ones. Even if it’s a banana stand.
