Melbourne based developer Tantalus Interactive today announced the appointment of David Giles as Director of Development of the company. Founded in 1994, Tantalus is one of Australia's best regarded developers, and the appointment of Mr Giles sets the scene for the next phase in its growth. David has more than twelve years of experience in the video game industry, and was the Director of Development at Atari Melbourne House before leaving in 2004 to establish the Melbourne campus of the Academy of Interactive Entertainment.
David will assume responsibility for the development function at Tantalus, working across a variety of projects on DS and PSP, and driving the company's push onto next generation consoles.
For more information about Tantalus, visit www.tantalus.com.au
What happens with the melbourne campus of the AIE, is someone else going to take over management position there now that David is with Tantalus.
Check AIE's news section, looks like they have appointed another Head of School to Melbourne
He's just a glorified secretary. What does he know about game dev ? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! I feel sorry for you guys.
so once again a Carter lieutenant demonstrates his maturity
Matt Curtis is a top guy, and an excellent programmer... Andy, you haven't got a clue.
Anyone know why he left AMH in the first place?
Most people have left australian melbourne house due to the lack of decent working conditions. I have friends from all around the industry who are from melbourne house, there are only one or two decent people left there.
Ralph, Ex-Matt Coworker, I think they are talking about David being a glorified secretary, not Matt. Matt left for better money and liked what he'd be doing there more than what he was doing at AMH.
AC (msg 7) You have never met anyone who left AMH who was happy working there? I know tonnes. There are a relatively small number who complained about conditions and that was usually their over inflated ego classing with someone elses over inflated ego or they were just plain crap.
Most of the people i'm referring to went to IR Gurus and other companies in melbourne. They said it was a great starting place but not somewhere you'd want to stay.
I often see comments about working conditions at AMH. What exactly is wrong with them? Pay checks are never missed, no one is brow beaten into working really long hours or weekends. Granted there were some people who didn't get along with AC when he was here, but he was overseas mostly and has been gone for some time now. I know most of the programmers who went to IR Gurus, none of them were given hard time that I know of, most of them were quite talented programmers, though I think they also picked up a few people everyone was glad to see the back of. Only one I know of left in a huff and really that was due his own ego trip. Strange really, for years people worked to make the way he wanted things done work, then it comes to something that just was not possible and he cracks it and quits. He's was one of the talented guys but was quite the prima donna.
David responsible for development. That's the issue. It has to be a joke right ?
Get out of here Andy, seriously. You don't contribute anything to this thread.
Regards to post 10, more the artist who were unhappy there then programmers. Spoke to one of the ex-melbourne house guys today, he wasn't unhappy with the working conditions, he just wasn't happy with atari being so unstable.
Post 10, ok, see the point with the artists, yes there were a group that left pissed off. I think in everyones first few jobs after a few years the place loses it's shine and you can be in a group and feed off each others negativity. Not saying they had no right to be annoyed by some things, just that no place is perfect or even pleasant and sometimes shitty things happen. Fair enough on the stability issues, though Melbourne House regularly rises from the ashes when other studios close and the worst that could have happened was getting paid out and when the studio closes. Keep watching ;)
"David responsible for development. That's the issue. It has to be a joke right ?"
"Get out of here Andy, seriously. You don't contribute anything to this thread."
Unfortunately had him as a producer, nice chap and all, but a budget/time manager not a game maker. Started running short of budget months early and our project was stripped of staff. why? Another project was running badly and some of there people were budgeted to our project to hide the overrun. Next, nearly completed our now stripped down project, out of art budget and need some art fixed. Nope, artists even though they didnt have other work couldnt work on the project, had to be programmed around because we still had some programming budget. Unfortunately there wasn't another project to take time budget off. Years of signing fictional time sheets to juggle budget numbers. Budget matters, games done.
Post 12. This thread is about David joining Tantalus. What does he bring to the mix ? Tantalus desperately needs someone with real hands on development experience.
David is a good guy, good diplomat and smart, Tantalus have done well to get him. Whole load of politics went on an AMH which us lowly workers only glimpsed occasionally, so it's probably not right to pass comment on managements inscrutable actions there.
Matt C knows his stuff and could make a good head of school, challenging role, time will tell.
The job is about game development not politics. I'm sure David's very good at politics, I question what he brings to a development role. Tantalus doesn't need politics.
Thats what a lead role is all about sometimes. CTO just has to know about the technology, keep people moving etc.
Not that I want to get dragged into this, as I don't know Giles nor have I worked at either Atari or Tantalus. But, unless you have been in a similar lead role, then it is hard to really judge what goes on.
From my experience, there is usually a lot of politics, and a lot of stuff that most people on the team are simply just not aware of that goes on, especially self-sacrifices that you've made ;).
I heard that Giles was 'Studio Manager' at AMH. Anyone know what that involved? Is there a link between Studio Manager and Dir. of Dev.?
You need to work out what sort of development manager you need. I think development experience is important. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made by a development manager that directly impacts the success or failure of a game in development.
AC (Post #10): "no one is brow beaten into working really long hours or weekends"
that is a complete load! It's clear you never worked at AMH or maybe the really long hours and weekends has exhausted your brain. Maybe you're one of the privileged few upstairs who come in when you please and leave when you please, or someone without much of a life outside work so you don't miss your weekends or evenings. those of us who enjoy our free time or have friends outside work have a different perspective.
Well since it is the final weeks of the current project it's understandable that people are working longer hours. Last I saw that was up to the individual. If you resent working the hours who exactly is making you do it? The "privileged few" upstair have been working late for most of the project. They don't seem to be working weekends much but as you say, people have a life outside of work. What do you find so priviledge about them by the way? That they are on the next floor up? That they get get all the difficult work assigned to them? That whenever the shit hits the fan they have to clean it up? Or are you just a bitter us and them type person, if they don't sit at a desk near you and started working at AMH at around the same time they are the enemy?
typical bourgoise comment. The "privilege" is being so far removed from reality that you don't realise what peer pressure there is. You particularly can show up late as you like and nobody bats an eyelid but if we leave at 6 oclock we get stared at like traitors regardless of what time we started work.
Have you ever been upstairs? There is always people up there asking can you help with this, this is broken and they can't find the problem. That is on top of the normal work to be done. And if there isn't a producer, tech lead, head artist up there getting them to make something possible or try and fix some other problem it's pretty damn unusual. Yep, no peer pressure what so ever. Better than peer pressure is pride in your own work. I thought that's why some people were staying late. My mistake. Yes, there are some people up stairs who leave at 6, those same people will stay back to get something finished too. There are people downstaris who leave at 5 and if there was something that they needed to do they would still leave at 5. Have you ever asked any of those "privileged" people to help you with something and they said no? Have they, other than when they had to go due to commitments not stayed back to help fix something? Do you know how many of them have worked 6 months on end for around 120 hours a week to complete projects in the past? Poor things, the last few weeks of the project and your putting in 60-80 hrs. bo ho.
Reading your message again, which I suggest you do also. You are complaining about peer pressure to stay late. At the same time, on this forum and in similar remarks at work (yes, people talk) your bad mouthing others for not staying late. Aren't you and others complaining like this the source of this peer pressure you are talking about? One difference I see is that "the privileged few" also have peer pressure but they have had for many many years of it and frankly don't give a toss, it's a job. If you are happy with that you are doing your job and doing it well don't work the weekend, don't work the late nights, most times it's counter productive anyway.
i've certainly tried to find some of these "privileged" people at 1 or 2 oclock in the afternoon and they haven't come in yet. There is nothing wrong with peer pressure to do a quality professional job, but there is something sick about peer pressure to work stupid hours and weekends and not have a life outside work. I could ask you: have you ever been downstairs? That work is just as important, don't be so high and mighty.
There is one "privileged" person who is not here at 1 or 2 o'clock. They get in at about 8 am and go to the gym at lunch time. The peer pressure you say is coming from those around you, not from the boss, not from anyone up stairs, so why are you bitter at them?
People from upstairs are downstairs all the time and visa versa. Except for a few bitter people with an us and them complex everyone works as a team. The reason I ask about going up stairs is most people do and have no problem. Some don't and seem to have the us and them mentality. Who said your work was any less important? Of course it's not. The only difference is that the people down stairs tend to work on the game play aspects of the project while the guys upstairs work on the systems. In the end everyone is making the game the important thing is to be happy in yourself. Peer pressure is most of the time pressure on yourself, if you are confident you are doing your best you would not feel it near as much. I'd suggest looking at work in a different way. So many people have quit jobs purely because of their own pressure and attitude. Just say every day, it's a job, if i am proud of my work I should be happy, but it's a job. There are other jobs if this one sucks. But be aware if it's you feeling pressure because of your outlook on the importance of the work you need to do and whether others are judging you that you take that with you.
going out to lunch is not what I said, I said "haven't come in yet". The boss and upstairs are responsible for the environment where the peer pressure exists, and either they don't know or don't care, either way it's poor.
about us an them, reread your comment 23 about getting all the difficult work and cleaning up when the shit hits the fan, can i please get an autograph sir?
Well I don't know what to say, 1 or 2 o'clock, I am sure it must be an isolated insident of they were at lunch, not "not in yet". You are saying the pressure is coming from the people sitting around you, none of them is your boss. What pressure comes from upstairs? There whole mandate is to make producing games as quick and easy as possible for those working on it and to help them out directly if needed. You don't think upstairs get the tough jobs? They have between them double the years of development experience than the rest of the programmers put together. They didn't just appear there, they have done everything along the way, UI, AI, physics, lead programmer, they didn't just appear there doing the systems. And yes they do have to clean up the shit. I think you'd find very few people who'd disagree with that.
Can I suggest that you two take it outside and settle it like men?
God I'm glad the employees of my company don't start up cat fights on public forums.
the disunity here is disheartening, mr t believes in love people
well I wish there was no disunity. Everyone does their job and does it well. I do not see where this upstairs work from 2 to 6, do nothing and modify our brains so we think the person next to us will hate us if we dont work long hours comes from. I would just like to know what the greivance is in real terms. Sure you can take everything said in a negative sense, it is not meant so, When I say upstairs have to clean up the shit I meant it, I am sure you wouldn't love it if half your job consisted of hunting down bugs in other peoples code but since everyone down stairs is busy on the game and developing systems for the next console/game isn't urgent then and now we get to all the lovely stuff like track down crash bugs. It's not fun or glamorous or us better than then it's simply like the rest doing what we need to do to help get the game out the door and using any free time to work on things for the future so when the next project comes along there is something ready and everyone isn't working on just getting stuff on the screen instead of working on a game. Everyone up there has done the same work as you, starting working on small bits of projects, having dead lines, working long hours, worrying about getting evrything done, and they still do. Yes are not running by the time clock but if you want to pick on them for being in at lunch time check if they are sitting there til midnight the night to get something happening on the PS3 after spending the day tracking down some memory corruption that is crashing the game.
Hmmm... I remember working at a studio where one of the senior developers would always come in on the weekend - every weekend. This put a lot of pressure on everyone else "Well 'X' came in, where were you?".
It wasn't really mentioned that of the 6-7 hours this person spent there, about 1 hour was spent working - the rest trawling the web, playing games and generally stuffing around.
Once there is any form of "required" (or pressured) weekend overtime the studio starts going downhill. Weekend work should only *ever* be in case of emergencies (i.e. product releasing on Monday, extra bugs came in on Friday) and should always be rewarded by time-in-lieu, money or something else.
Work should be work, and employees should be encouraged to "have a life" outside of work.
Agreed AC. No one should be made to come in the weekend. How did the senior developer cause the pressure? Was it real comments by other staff or a perception people came about on their own?
I remember working for a company in melbourne, and we had a project in the middle stages, and the management officer who took over the project made up a roster of all the tasks we needed to do, and it included for a 2 week stretch, 2 public holidays and all weekends. When I brought it up that the schedule was unrealistic his reply was that everyone else was doing it and it wasn't unreasonable.
Yuck. After a few projects got sick of the bad time management of the producers. They started a project 1 year after they were meant to, it was an 18 month project and there were 6 months left. After a couple of months they asked why we were not working weekends. Using some non polite words I told them what I thought of that and suggested since it was their fault the project was late they do the work on the weekends. See you can do it and not get fired :) They were in the wrong and there was no way they could say otherwise.
Shrugs, a few weekends is fine during a project is okay in my opinion, just if it becomes excessive its just stupid.
This wasn't a few weekends they were talking. There was still about a year to go and they wanked weekend and late night work til it was complete. There was a large, 3-4 month section of that later towrds the end of the project. Starting in a month or so in though would have been rediculous.
To AC #36 - mainly "snide" comments by upper management, "Its a pity not everyone else is as committed as X", or "At least we have X who dedicates all his spare time to the company".
I know that many of the senior people in the industry are starting to get "older", which means they have kids and family to look after. Not being home on weekends just isn't an option anymore.
Weekends can be fine - as long as its not "standard" working practice. For instance, a one-off special project that required everyone working flatout for 3 months - including weekends - is fine, as long as the people on the project AGREE to the workload, and there is a sufficient bonus for them. Sometimes small developers need something like this to get off the ground.
AC #41. I know what you mean, I've heard comments like that in the past. With certain people no longer with the company that doesn't seem to be the case now. I think though maybe it's assumed comments like were made by those people still happen. As far as I can see it's the other way round. There are only 3 people in the company that really have any say in what emplyees do and two of them are on the lower floor, the third is, yes, on the upper floor but they can really only make suggestions, not actually direct any work for the people on the lower floor. Busome how there is a perception that everyone working on the upper floor some how dictates what happens. That is definitely not the case.
lol. Listen to you whimpering lamers. If you spent as much energy on not sucking, as you do on complaining, some good games might come out of oz.
All the best Matt. You're a top bloke and it's good to see the good guys on top for once!