The answer is, it depends.

There is an entire book dedicated to the phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month

I had to read it in college; it was almost 20 years old at that point. 25 years later and now a manager as well, it's just as true as it was 40+ years ago.

I don't expect anyone will actually pick it up and check it out, but the summary is it's complicated because it involves ramp-up times, additional integrations, more cooks issues, etc. etc.

Hi, sorry I missed this little gem from a few weeks ago!

Lyman did some lamp effects on the game and whatever normal system-type stuff he'd've been doing at the time anyway. I don't remember how the attribution stuff went down, but if it was up to me, I'm sure I mentioned him as a courtesy since he did help out on it a little. I helped with some display effects on BDK but am not listed there, so maybe he shouldn't be listed on WOF. Anyway, it was lamp effects and no rules or anything else.

As for being asked to finish WOF, I do not specifically remember that. It's possible it happened, and some other stuff that happened between Stern (the company) and I around then (involving my possible return to Stern) clouded my head from remembering that tidbit.

It IS true, however, that Gary hated the non-"Italian bottom" of the game, and went so far as to rework some number of games that change the area between the flippers. He was the one that was so hot to trot to do that license, to mine and others' objections, so not much else to blame doing that game in the first place other than the mirror. I had watched the show on and off quite a lot over the years and was intimately familiar with it, so as is typical for games I lead, it used the license as much as it could, and I'm very proud of the implementation as far as it got while I was there. As I've said many times, when your primary helper is supposed to be your boss, and he determines other stuff is more important and doesn't help you, not much recourse I have for the state it went out in.

Actually, New Canasta was, which was a reason we didn't bother to try and patent it (unlike Stern).

Last time I read the prosecution on this patent it had had to be neutered in such a way that something must physically block a drain on order to be patentable making it mostly useless. That was some months ago, but that's my recollection.