IR Gurus is on the bleeding edge of complaining about Sony

PS3 News | Senior Graphics Programmer speaks out.

At the Ballarat GIG Thomas Mayer the Lead Programmer for IR Gurus was presenting on stage on game development and IR Gurus experience with development kits.

Included on the slideshow for a presentation was a comment by Alex Lindsay, Senior Graphics Programmer for IR Gurus, the team behind the AFL Premiership series. The comment on the slideshow read "IR Gurus is on the bleeding edge of complaining about Sony". Mayer went on to clarify Lindsay's statements by stating "Sony's hardware is very very elaborate and we complain about it daily because it is so complex. It is powerful hardware but it is extremely complex and it just means we're constantly complaining because we need to learn more stuff". Thomas does however comment that developers have to "suck it up".

It isn't clear whether IR Gurus was referring to the PlayStation 3 or the PlayStation 2 hardware. One thing's for sure though, the company hasn't always been able to get the best out of the PlayStation 2. We've taken a short video of the comments which can be found here.

Update 27/5

Speaking to PALGN, My Mayer wished to clarify his talk. “My presentation was to give real world expectations to students of what to expect if looking for a job in the industry” he said. “It is hard work, and hardware from ALL vendors is challenging including Sony's, and you'll complain about the hardware when you are in the job, but that is the job and that is the games industry.”

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24 Comments

Cro

5 years ago

I dunno... but blaming another party for their companies rubbish games doesn't really wash with me.

LeonJ

5 years ago

While I think has has a good point, that being without good R&D revereses to get the most of off Sony's console, I think this is a bit of a crazy statement.

Emuaust

5 years ago

It should read "the company has never been able to get the best out of the PlayStation 2"

el_rezzo

5 years ago

I'd hope Sony wouldn't listen to a word these "developers" say. Sounds like they would rather make a basic game on a basic system than put in the effort to make a great game on a great system.

I wish someone like Codemasters would take up the AFL license and put out a decent game, just like they did with Cricket.

Karai Pantsu

5 years ago

el_rezzo wrote

I wish someone like Codemasters would take up the AFL license and put out a decent game, just like they did with Cricket.

Codemasters are a publisher, not a developer first off. Secondly, Codies have published some of IRGurus titles. *slow clap*

arbok

5 years ago

There's no money in AUstralia to make a complex game and AFL is a complex game.

That said, it doesn't give them the right to turn out trash every year and pass it off to the unknowing public.

el_rezzo

5 years ago

Karai Pantsu wrote

el_rezzo wrote

I wish someone like Codemasters would take up the AFL license and put out a decent game, just like they did with Cricket.

Codemasters are a publisher, not a developer first off. Secondly, Codies have published some of IRGurus titles. *slow clap*

I was referring to when they developed AND published Shane Warne Cricket '99 in-house which was a great sports game involving an Australian team. I heard they made the latest version too. I'm not particularly fussed who Publishes a game, more who develops it.

All I really wanted to say is that I would love someone to put out a decent AFL game.

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

Firstly I'd like to say that the article here, while accurate, is not the complete picture and therefore is out of context.

I was presenting in front of a group of students in Ballarat. My presentation dealt with aspects of getting a job in the games industry and what the job is like. The quote from Alex Lindsay was a real quote but intended as a joke to highlight how people deal with the stressful job of developing for a complex new piece of hardware first time and under a tight timeline.

Secondly, when I was presenting the slide with the quote on it, I spoke of XBox 360 and PS3 being new generation hardware with a set of challenges and complexities and describing the kind of things new starters could expect. Both machines are complex, that is not debatable, the PS3 is a different kind of complex to the Xbox 360. That is the jist of my slide and that's all it was. I was suprised as anyone to see the quote as part of a headline and would have preferred to see PALGN cover some of the stuff that I did have in my presentation which was infinitely more valuable to students and prospective employees than "OMG Australian developer hates Sony!", which is not the case.

Tom.

Vervain

4 years ago

Move along nothing to see here...

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

Nothing to see here either

Luke

4 years ago

PALGN's coverage on the Ballarat GIG will be up Tuesday.

However Thomas, our readers can judge whether you made the comment in jest.
http://palgn.com.au/media/videos/Irgurus/thomsmayer.WMV

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

Luke wrote

PALGN's coverage on the Ballarat GIG will be up tomorrow.

However Thomas, our readers can judge whether you made the comment in jest.
http://palgn.com.au/media/videos/Irgurus/thomsmayer.WMV

God I look terrible!

Well that just shows me talking about game development on consoles. Sony hardware is complex and developers will complain about new hardware. They always do. But as I say in the presentation, that is game development, so we have to "suck it up".

Development is complex on ALL platforms.

Tom.

NeoSanity

4 years ago

It didn't sound like much of a joke, it sounded like something more out of frustration than anything. I'm sure the speech may have been written in a way which was meant to make it lighthearted or sarcastic but really when it came down to it, it didn't come across that way.

Spanca

4 years ago

What's the story supposed to be here? It's hardly new to hear that developers find the PS3 complex to program for. Joke or not, what's the issue?

(I mean that in regards to PALGN's story, not the presentation content)

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

Okay okay, so I'm no stand up comedian, but it was in jest and really you can tell from the quote that it's a silly thing to say. The point is and always was that game development is complex and nothing more.

Tom.

NeoSanity

4 years ago

Thomas Mayer wrote

Just a suggestion, if your going to say it's complex maybe some elaboration would've helped. To say simply that your on the bleeding edge of complaining to Sony about the Playstation3 can be interpreted many ways, maybe examples of why it's so difficult or what you haven't been able to achieve with the PS3 to date would have helped put it into a bit more perspective.

It's not a silly thing to say if it's truthful and your able to back it up with a bit more reason. Though I haven't seen the whole clip so my above statement may be completely unfounded.

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

Neo.Sanity wrote

It would have also been nice, if I was actually asked to clarify by PALGN at the event, instead of posting an article with such a confrontational headline, and getting everyone all worked up over a quote and a presentation which really means nothing more than, yes Australian developers are working hard, they are finding the transition to new technology hard and challenging, but that is the games industry. That is why I came on here to clarify.

Tom.

James

4 years ago

The problems with the AFL games are often hotly debated. I read the news piece as referencing that issue and the problems with the PS2 being the cause of the problems with the AFL games.

I'm sure we wouldn't have used that headline, if it hadn't been pulled directly from one of the slides on display. Yes, it's confrontational, but it's hardly unfair given the context of the piece.

Generally we only source comments from companies if we receive information from a third party and need to confirm information with them. Information taken directly from companies either in press releases, or from a public forum don't require comment.

However Tom, I understand that it wasn't your intention to be paint that picture of Sony. If you have any direct comment you'd like to us to append to the article, then please contact Luke or myself.

Bitchacho

4 years ago

Tom I don't think PALGN means any harm. I'd find it rare that any games media would 'be so nice as to clarify your words' after quoting you, and put up a video. Who would do that? Don't suggest it when the answer is obvious. The article is pretty impartial; there was no 'Oh my god Sony SUX' fanboyism involved. That's what you said. The fact that you're backpeddling is making yourself look silly.

troublemaker

4 years ago

Well I for one would like to thank Tom for coming on here to clarify things .. it made a fairly inert comment into an interesting thread

Thomas Mayer

4 years ago

troublemaker wrote

Well I for one would like to thank Tom for coming on here to clarify things .. it made a fairly inert comment into an interesting thread

Well I'm glad I could be of assistance.

James

4 years ago

Article has been updated!

Mark

4 years ago

Thomas Mayer wrote

God I look terrible!

I love the handlebars Tom!

Black Mamba

4 years ago

Being one of the students that attended the Ballarat Gig, it was obvious that Tom's comment WAS made in jest. I didn't think anything of it at the time, and it was obvious that it was just a passing comment with no real intention of placing blame or directing anger at Sony.

If PALGN release the full video (which I think someone said they would), you'll get to see that Tom's presentation was largely focussed on helping out students get into the game industry....not deter them because of 'confusing equipment'.

Personally, I got a lot out of listening to Tom....and speaking to him afterwards really helped me find out how to go about applying for jobs within the industry.

It's a shame that his presentation has been initially perceived as an attack on Sony, when there was so much more that his presentation had to offer...

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