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NinjaShteve posted:Do you guys know any studios with internship programs that are available during the winter? I'm going into my senior year and I still don't have an internship and OU has an abysmal internship pool for game dev as of yet. There is an abysmally small number of studios that offer internships in general. I know a couple of them don't do it on a schedule but post them "as needed". I'd start trolling through GameDevMap and checking jobs sections.
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Sep 1, 2011 16:38
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NinjaShteve posted:Do you guys know any studios with internship programs that are available during the winter? I'm going into my senior year and I still don't have an internship and OU has an abysmal internship pool for game dev as of yet. You could try the various big publisher's (EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Zenimax, etc) job sites. They keep a big list of all the open jobs in the studios they own in one place.
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Sep 1, 2011 16:40
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wodin posted:Credits in the MMO industry pretty much mean pretty much nothing, unfortunately, because companies do stuff like this (http://www.shacknews.com/article/54263/warhammer-online-not-crediting-all). Your title at the old company, and being able to speak articulately about problems you faced and solved and the responsibilities you had are the major metrics for success in an interview. The 'the game industry is a small place' also goes double for MMOs because it's a relatively specialized skillset and there's a lot of inter-pollination between companies. You have to be a philosophical as well as technical fit, so there's sort of a double bar to cross. I'll second this view. I work in MMOs and I've never been asked for either a portfolio or credits. My references were only taken up once, which as we were a tiny company involved me picking up the phone and all-too-honestly passing it to my business partner when I was asked to give a reference for myself. I've just been through interviews and am moving jobs (yay as I feel under-worked right now*) and I'd go further and say that even job title is pretty irrelevant. So many companies have a flat structure these days - I have the same title as people who weren't born when I had my first design position :P Being able to list what you would do under certain circumstances is the key. *Though with the limitation that the project is so secret that the full NDA came after the contract and was previously also working under NDA so large parts of the interview were "We can't say what you will be doing, tell us what you are doing so we can see if it is relevant" - "Sorry, I can't tell you anything much more specific than that I worked on a game and the results will be seen in 6 months."
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Sep 1, 2011 16:42
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19orFewer posted:*Though with the limitation that the project is so secret that the full NDA came after the contract and was previously also working under NDA so large parts of the interview were "We can't say what you will be doing, tell us what you are doing so we can see if it is relevant" - "Sorry, I can't tell you anything much more specific than that I worked on a game and the results will be seen in 6 months." You working at Blizzard? A guy I know went out there and moved his whole family after accepting the job before finding out anything about what he was going to be working on. I don't know that anyone outside of Blizzard would be able to pull that off 
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Sep 1, 2011 16:51
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Microsoft Game Studios does a small number of internships, but as far as I can tell the program is exclusively with students from USC and Digipen.
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Sep 1, 2011 16:56
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DancingMachine posted:Microsoft Game Studios does a small number of internships, but as far as I can tell the program is exclusively with students from USC and Digipen. And Brigham Young University 
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Sep 1, 2011 17:12
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Sigma-X posted:I don't know that anyone outside of Blizzard would be able to pull that off
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Sep 1, 2011 17:22
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I'm reconsidering about attending GDC Online. All the programming tracks seem to cover some sort of online technology, either HTML or some multiplayer networking component, and I'm not too big of a fan on network programming. I'm more interested in graphics and developing on dedicated systems. The other facet of possibly doing some networking with some people but the one complaint I hear out of industry professionals that there are too many non-industry types hanging around such and such conference. It makes me doubt many would give me the time of day. Should I just work on my portfolio and save money instead?
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Sep 1, 2011 17:24
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NinjaShteve posted:Do you guys know any studios with internship programs that are available during the winter? I'm going into my senior year and I still don't have an internship and OU has an abysmal internship pool for game dev as of yet. Canada does co ops year round, usually in four month chunks. Try EA Sports or EA Blackbox, or Ubisoft, etc.
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Sep 1, 2011 17:35
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ShinAli posted:I'm reconsidering about attending GDC Online. All the programming tracks seem to cover some sort of online technology, either HTML or some multiplayer networking component, and I'm not too big of a fan on network programming. I'm more interested in graphics and developing on dedicated systems. GDC Online is very much aimed at creatives, and is heavily based on writing/narrative design, MMOs, and the like. It's a much closer-knit conference, and gets fewer of the non-industry types hanging around because it's less "sexy." It sounds like you'd be better served by saving up for GDC SF and working on your portfolio.
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Sep 1, 2011 17:57
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Sigma-X posted:Nexttime, this, a thousand times this. Why haven't you applied to 100 jobs in the time you've been waiting back to hear from Riot? oh yeah, I have applied all over the place in the last 6 months, but now things seem to be coming to a head here (despite me saying this before) but now I finally got other options where I actually know someone on the inside. also I just received a brand-new ActionScript Challenge from Riot, with my contact saying that he is going on vacation and will be back Tuesday. I have also told them I am gonna whip-up a GUI for changing a character's recommended items based on an announcement Brackhar posted yesterday to which my contact replied saying in making this I should assume I have full access to the game client data. so that is a good sign, right?
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Sep 1, 2011 18:09
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Thanks for the info goons, I'll check all of these out.
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Sep 1, 2011 19:15
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Yay, our newest game is finally making the rounds through the press and I can say things about it! Or just be lazy and link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlkZLfMpak4
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Sep 1, 2011 20:29
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looks cool. 29 dislikes though? Guess people just don't like zynga, I didn't see anything wrong with that trailer
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Sep 1, 2011 20:45
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So the phone interview with Rockstar was some questions about my resume and then a lot of technical questions, basically to see if candidates really know what they were asked to complete for the programming test, and get a better sense of their math skills. I was able to answer most of their questions, although since my math background is a bit weak I knew some of the answers only conceptually and had to work through to an answer. I think the impression that I gave them was that I have a working knowledge of the math behind game development but not at an advanced level. We'll see if they'll find that sufficient for the gameplay programmer role that I applied for. Also turns out that I didn't get a single one of those "what's your greatest weakness" type questions so I was worried over nothing. Rockstar really has their poo poo together in the hiring process.
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Sep 1, 2011 20:56
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Vino posted:So the phone interview with Rockstar was some questions about my resume and then a lot of technical questions, basically to see if candidates really know what they were asked to complete for the programming test, and get a better sense of their math skills. I was able to answer most of their questions, although since my math background is a bit weak I knew some of the answers only conceptually and had to work through to an answer. I think the impression that I gave them was that I have a working knowledge of the math behind game development but not at an advanced level. We'll see if they'll find that sufficient for the gameplay programmer role that I applied for. Also turns out that I didn't get a single one of those "what's your greatest weakness" type questions so I was worried over nothing. Rockstar really has their poo poo together in the hiring process. For a gameplay programmer that should be enough - most of the heavy math in game design comes in at the engine level. Gameplay programmer is more about logic - maybe some AI work depending on the specifics of the position. If you've ever made a Source mod or something, that's very similar to what a gameplay programmer does.
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Sep 1, 2011 21:03
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The Cheshire Cat posted:For a gameplay programmer that should be enough - most of the heavy math in game design comes in at the engine level. Gameplay programmer is more about logic - maybe some AI work depending on the specifics of the position. If you've ever made a Source mod or something, that's very similar to what a gameplay programmer does.
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Sep 1, 2011 21:24
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In my case I have the math skills to be able to do something like that (hell I did a bunch of terrain based generation and navigation with Digitanks) but I don't have as solid a grasp on it as I would need to do the kind of math that you'd need to be a physics or engine programmer. I think I was able to demonstrate that.
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Sep 1, 2011 21:35
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Akuma posted:Uhh, not really. To give an example, I'm working on the gameplay of a game right now and I have to implement some dynamic path finding based on (essentially) assessing the terrain. There's a hefty dose of maths in that. Anything that involves anything that moves in any sort of unrestrained way is going to involve a decent amount of maths. Yeah, I suppose you're right. I was thinking more along the lines of trig and such which tend to be used for graphical rendering, or physics calculations where you REALLY have to know your math since just plugging in real-life physics equations doesn't actually work. Efficiency is going to be a huge part of any kind of programming and being able to analyze your algorithms takes some mathematical ability. That said, a lot of algorithms you might want to use are well known, so it's not as if you need to build it from scratch. Pathfinding also tends to involve a lot of human assistance, like nodes laid out by the level designer so the AI doesn't have to figure out how to navigate entirely on its own. What you're describing sounds like it would be a bit more difficult because it sounds like something where pre-designated paths would not be possible thanks to dynamic terrain, but that's not always the case.
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Sep 1, 2011 21:40
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Akuma posted:Uhh, not really. To give an example, I'm working on the gameplay of a game right now and I have to implement some dynamic path finding based on (essentially) assessing the terrain. There's a hefty dose of maths in that. Anything that involves anything that moves in any sort of unrestrained way is going to involve a decent amount of maths. I'm so glad there are maths-capable types around the studio so I don't have to be. 
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Sep 1, 2011 21:47
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I have a really quick question-- when you (as a collective) first started your degree, did all of this seem as unbelievably impenetrable as it does to me right now? Like, things like this post: Vino posted:In my case I have the math skills to be able to do something like that (hell I did a bunch of terrain based generation and navigation with Digitanks) but I don't have as solid a grasp on it as I would need to do the kind of math that you'd need to be a physics or engine programmer. I think I was able to demonstrate that. scare the living hell out of me. Assuming I complete up to Calculus II (maybe III) and Linear Algebra, will I not see things like that as something that a normal human being should not be able to mathematically accomplish?
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Sep 1, 2011 21:55
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Akuma posted:Uhh, not really. To give an example, I'm working on the gameplay of a game right now and I have to implement some dynamic path finding based on (essentially) assessing the terrain. There's a hefty dose of maths in that. Anything that involves anything that moves in any sort of unrestrained way is going to involve a decent amount of maths. r2x fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Sep 1, 2011 |
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Sep 1, 2011 22:05
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Save Russian Jews posted:I have a really quick question-- when you (as a collective) first started your degree, did all of this seem as unbelievably impenetrable as it does to me right now? Hell, I loved math all through high school, and then took Calc and Calc II as an undergrad (and while my enjoyment decreased as the math became more abstract, I didn't have any serious trouble), but if I were forced at gunpoint to do something calculus-y now...well...you might as well just shoot me, since I haven't used those brain cells in years and don't need it as a designer. Complicated poo poo you don't know, but might be expected to is always intimidating. 
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Sep 1, 2011 22:12
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r2x posted:Isn't path finding usually just looking at the data that is present and creating an algorithm to find the optimal from a -> b? I have not worked in 3D but even in 3D, pathfinding and generation shouldn't take more then Calculus I and some knowledge in algorithms (recursive searches) at max right?
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Sep 1, 2011 22:16
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Akuma posted:It's 2d, but I have terrain of any shape and configuration and no nodes. I mean it's not complex but it's not just hill climbing or something. I think it's the "No nodes" that makes it complicated in this case. I suppose you could just have the engine apply arbitrary nodes on top of the terrain and connect them as a giant grid, and then just use A* to navigate it, but even then you would need to make sure that it doesn't give you situations where the AI scales directly up a 50 foot wall because two nodes that shouldn't be connected are. So the trick is really in teaching the computer to create a grid of nodes for you, rather than teaching it how to get around one. Save Russian Jews posted:I have a really quick question-- when you (as a collective) first started your degree, did all of this seem as unbelievably impenetrable as it does to me right now? I'm still a student about 3/4 of the way through a comp-sci degree so I know this feeling, but it's amazing how much simpler it all seems after you've finished it. A lot of the intimidation factor is just because there are so many terms in mathematics that it's very easy to run into things you've never seen before and think "WTF is that?" and assume it's some ridiculously complex operation. It often boils down to some really simple equation though. Another thing that helps is with game programming, you really never break new mathematical ground (when you do, you're John Carmack and get really famous for it), so it often boils down to just knowing which algorithm you need to use to accomplish the specific task you're trying to get the computer to do. The Cheshire Cat fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Sep 1, 2011 |
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Sep 1, 2011 22:24
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Save Russian Jews posted:I have a really quick question-- when you (as a collective) first started your degree, did all of this seem as unbelievably impenetrable as it does to me right now? You have to teach yourself. Those classes WILL make teaching yourself easier (you need trig and linear algebra to get a good grasp on the math of moving and pathing through a 3D world), but you won't come out of them with one iota of applicable knowledge. It'll just make teaching yourself easier. ... if THAT scares you, then that's a problem, yes. Really, you should already be teaching yourself this stuff, not sure what's stopping you? The Cheshire Cat posted:Another thing that helps is with game programming, you really never break new mathematical ground (when you do, you're John Carmack and get really famous for it), so it often boils down to just knowing which algorithm you need to use to accomplish the specific task you're trying to get the computer to do. ... the trick being - he's REALLY good at it. He's a great lateral thinker. One of the most useful mental models I've ever been given for this is, as much as possible, invert the problem you're faced with. Turn it on its head. If you're trying to calculate A to B, pretend you're at B and imagine a long looping path that goes back to A. Go so far as standing on your head if it helps, but you need to completely break your view of the problem away from anything standard that you know how to solve or think you know how to solve. Thus distorted, just... play with it, even if it seems absurd at first. This is guaranteed to do two things: 1.) You'll eventually come up with some really clever solutions to problems (after a great many dead-ended noodles) 2.) You will piss the gently caress out of (some of) your professors, because your solutions usually aren't the ones they were looking for EDIT: Woo long post The Cheshire Cat posted:I think it's the "No nodes" that makes it complicated in this case. I suppose you could just have the engine apply arbitrary nodes on top of the terrain and connect them as a giant grid, and then just use A* to navigate it, but even then you would need to make sure that it doesn't give you situations where the AI scales directly up a 50 foot wall because two nodes that shouldn't be connected are. So the trick is really in teaching the computer to create a grid of nodes for you, rather than teaching it how to get around one. ... but that's just my general understanding, I've never dug in past A*. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Sep 1, 2011 |
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Sep 1, 2011 22:30
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Akuma posted:It's 2d, but I have terrain of any shape and configuration and no nodes. I mean it's not complex but it's not just hill climbing or something.
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Sep 1, 2011 22:37
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Shalinor posted:You have to teach yourself. Right now I'm in Comp Sci 101 and Pre-Pre-Calc (I hosed up a placement exam after 7 years without math and zero prep, but am whizzing through it now and should probably be in at least Trig). Where would you recommend I start picking things up like this, when my understanding of math and programming broaches things more complicated than Fahrenheit-Celsius conversions? Because I honestly feel like the majority of information out there is either at a level of knowledge higher than I am privy to at this moment, or just flat-out wrong. At the risk of sounding like I need someone to tell me what to do, let me just simplify it down to: If I want to make a simple, side-scrolling 2d game with passable hit-detection (or even none at all), where would you recommend I start that isn't just a LittleBigPlanet-esque toolbox? I'm sorry for being so dense, I'm just trying to get started on the right foot here and past learning some C++ and doing my homework I don't really have a good feel for any of this.
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Sep 2, 2011 06:08
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how do you even get into college without having taken math for seven years? like I'm super bad at math but for reals?
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Sep 2, 2011 06:25
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Splaa posted:how do you even get into college without having taken math for seven years? I don't know about the 'States, but in Canada if you go in as a mature student (anyone over 21), you don't need almost any of the highschool prerequisites. This is a good and a bad thing.
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Sep 2, 2011 06:29
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I'm 25 and spent 5 of the last 7 years in the Army-- last two years, my degree was in English and my SAT scores from like 2004 (670) were good enough for Statistics, which was all I had to take as a gen ed requirement. In that time I forgot how to deal with algebraic fractions (y'know, multiplying them by the LCD to make them whole numbers). It's really not that big a deal, I'll do fine when things ramp up. edit: in a funny turn of events, my last math class in high school was actually College Algebra but that won't fulfill a prereq and this school doesn't waive anything. Save Russian Jews fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Sep 2, 2011 |
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Sep 2, 2011 06:45
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Splaa posted:how do you even get into college without having taken math for seven years? I took some college math courses in high school, between college algebra (a joke, didn't learn anything) and a trig/analytical geometry class (also a joke, but at least useful) I only had to take one math course all through college (Math for Liberal Arts) and none obviously in law school. My undergrad only required two math courses for most liberal arts degrees, one of which is College Algebra.
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Sep 2, 2011 07:04
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Splaa posted:how do you even get into college without having taken math for seven years? I got a 3 on the AP Calculus exam... somehow... and that got me enough math credits for my B.A. That was over 15 years ago. I couldn't do a simple derivative now if my life depended on it. I'm sure more knowledge would help me as a designer, but I can't say I've been in a situation where I've thought "there's some calculus that could help me here, but I don't remember how to do it." Then again one of my former cow-orkers has a Ph.D. in mathematics and he had a knack for figuring out systems faster than anyone else I've seen.
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Sep 2, 2011 07:34
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Save Russian Jews posted:I have a really quick question-- when you (as a collective) first started your degree, did all of this seem as unbelievably impenetrable as it does to me right now? I never meant to scare any kind of hell out of anybody living or otherwise. But, really it's not all that complicated. Most of the questions I was asked during the telephone interview were basic trig and geometry questions, my problem was that I didn't know the technical words for some things and so on. I taught myself basically everything that was covered, and I don't even like math that much. What I'm basically trying to say is, if I can do it then you can do it. Cross-product sound scary? Well it's not really all that scary once you realize that 90% of how it's used in game development is for the same thing, (finding the normal of a plane) and once you understand how to use it that way it just becomes yet another tool in your library. The best way to learn all this stuff is to go out and make a bunch of games and learn by doing.
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Sep 2, 2011 07:59
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Save Russian Jews posted:Right now I'm in Comp Sci 101 and Pre-Pre-Calc (I hosed up a placement exam after 7 years without math and zero prep, but am whizzing through it now and should probably be in at least Trig). Where would you recommend I start picking things up like this, when my understanding of math and programming broaches things more complicated than Fahrenheit-Celsius conversions? r2x fucked around with this message at 08:48 on Sep 2, 2011 |
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Sep 2, 2011 08:15
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Sigma-X posted:You working at Blizzard? A guy I know went out there and moved his whole family after accepting the job before finding out anything about what he was going to be working on. I'm based in Europe and so it's none of those really big names -- in the end I made my decision based on all the people I met seeming to understand things in the same way I did. I had a pretty good idea on the project from looking at the previous projects the interviewers were involved in too. A chance of messing up to be sure, but I'm more after the right culture than 100% needing the right project to gain adulation from the average gamer. It will be a bit of a shock to actually have to do more than 2 or 3 hours a work a week again though - I swear the company I left must have the least expectations from its employees of anywhere I have seen. It would be perfect there for someone who just wants to go in and get paid - I just get frustrated by that though.
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Sep 2, 2011 11:45
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Anyone have much experience using Adobe Premiere? I'm currently teaching myself the ins and outs by setting myself projects. Here's my second attempt at anything. (I know I cut off the tops of peoples heads, I forgot to take into consideration that people are different heights!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SKW57offtU
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Sep 2, 2011 11:48
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Vino and r2x, thanks for the encouragement/help. I am trying to find a jumping-off point for teaching myself game development concurrently with my degree, and it's kind of tough without specific tips like the ones you gave; there's just so much garbage information out there right now.
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Sep 2, 2011 12:52
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Anyone have much experience using Adobe Premiere? I have used it a little bit to put together my projects and reels. I usually use it in conjunction with after effects.
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Sep 2, 2011 16:21
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I'm on the trial atm but I'm going to try and dl that this weekend to see how it goes.
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Sep 2, 2011 16:25
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