Dear Steve of February 2, 1994.

First, happy groundhog’s day. Ignore the groundhog, the rest of the winter will be very mild.

Well, after all these years of being a single contributor, suddenly you have hordes of people looking to you for advice and direction. Well, okay, perhaps “six” is not technically a horde. But it’s still quite a change, isn’t it?

You will no doubt be doing your usual thing of bending over backward to achieve consensus and trying to incorporate everyone’s ideas. While that’s valuable to a point, many ideas are good in a vacuum, but not good within the specific parameters of a game or a game feature. If you think you are right, don’t be afraid to stand your ground and say no. Over time, you will learn how to say “no” diplomatically, and build trust among the team that you know what you are doing.

Remember to manage scope. A smaller, less ambitious game, delivered on time and with a high degree of polish, will set you and the team up for more successes to follow; an ambitious game, delivered late and over budget and with more bugs will not serve your long-term goals.

Have a nice word for everyone, remember to share credit, and don’t avoid dealing with bad team members … best to rip off those bandaids as quickly as possible.

Good luck, and eat healthily. Also, avoid United whenever possible.