New titles, playfieds and artwork come out consistently 3-4 times a year. I understand that the production line needs to keep running. If that production line stops for any extended period of time, Stern ceases to exist. The line is the biggest operating cost of Stern and the lifeblood of the company NEEDS to keep flowing.

Then we have software production cycles. Unfortunately, Stern has so much work to do with writing software for games that when a game comes out, it is in many cases operational, but not much more. Fortunately, Stern has been updating and refining code on their games after they are released. Sometimes this is done on the programmer's own time. Other manufacturers, once the game was on the street, the code was never touched unless a fatal error had been released with the software.

Operating platforms come out in much longer production cycles, but the hardware platforms are dependent electronic technology progress. This takes up quite a bit of development time as well, but it doesn't happen that often.

So what can be focused on in the immediate future? This is just my opinion, but I also have to say that while I love Steve Ritchie's games, he has the benefit of a much longer production cycle than the other designers at Stern. Both KIZZ (H-D V2) and RassleMane-yuh are games from great designers who had to put out quick designs and came from the Premier/DE design cycles. Now while they can put out designs quickly, don't they deserve the respect and time to create the quality games that Steve is afforded. I understand that the business requires that the production line keeps moving. I get it, but I would rather have quality over the spinning wheels of quantity any day. Would this the be opportunity for a other designers to come to Stern and create new games? Would Stern be able to hire outside freelancers? Who knows? But I can tell you this. If Stern keeps releasing games of the quality that Steve Ritchie has been able to consistently produce with EVERY title, that would be the best for everyone involved, wouldn't it?

How can this be done? I am not sure that more programmers or more designers is necessarily the answer. I know that this is Gary Stern's company, he knows it better than anyone else. How to get the balance right... Ideas anyone?