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Giant Boy Detective posted:I think I'm ready to start applying for art positions now. Sigma has probably covered a lot of what I'm about to say on your portfolio but in my reasonably short experience at an iOs studio, you have to be a jack of all 2D trades. You aren't AN artist working on a project, you are THE artist. This is both oh dear christ the responsibility but on the other hand gently caress YEAH IM A LEAD ARTIST WITHOUT THE PAY GRADE!  Our studio typically works on multiple projcts at any one time and I am passed between projects to each of our programmers when needed. One day I'll be doing animation using a bone-based xna animation tool called Demina, the next I'll be doing little UI button graphics for a puzzle game, the next I'll be doing balls out concept art and character designs for a licensed game, or I'll be painting matte backgrounds for a point and click adventure game. And calling Akuma a jerk  For triple-A, you absolutely need to specialise as the volume and complexity of art means doing all the art yourself is impossible so you would never be expected to. This is definitely not true of iOs, you need to show you have a wide-as-hell skillset that shows that you can completely own and take charge of every aspect of the visual side of the game, there is after all no one else to animation or UI design if the dev team consists of you and one other programmer. That said, your portfolio focuses a lot in showing off your drawing skill. Which is reassuring, but it would leave a business-minded employer looking at your work impressed with your drawing (as most non-artists are!) but none the clearer as to how you would fit into a studio. You need to make it clear to them that you are a GAME artist first, fine artist second. Sigma has it dead on that the Caravan project is a prime loving example of what would impress an iOs dev, except the dated art style sadly detracts from what otherwise proves to be an ability to focus yourself long enough to complete projects and do all of the lovely little un-fun dirty art jobs (Fonts, UI, buttons, animations) that need doing to round out a game once you get the fun concept stuff done. An artist like myself may be impressed with your ability to finish a game, but you may well be dealing with a business guy or a non-creative when sending your app off to mobile studios and you need to make it clear as hell to any layman that you would be a good fit as an artist in a 2d games studio. As for style, you need to be versatile. I am currently working on Warheads: Medival Tales which is cartoony as all buggery and flat-coloured with bold lines as based on the art for the tabletop game.  and Naked Gun I.C.U.P, which is not the facebook game  Granted the above characters are images that I would be supplied with but I've already had to design and implement original characters and adapt to the style of an art team literally on the other side of the world, this along with having to learn and adopt the art style of the ICUP world direct from the production and concept art of the animation. Adaptability and breadth of expertise is key in tiny studios. Shalinor posted:Just want to make sure - you know you're awesome, right? Because you are. You fought to improve yourself, you took drubbings in this thread for at least a year or two, and now here you are - in the industry. Being totally loving awesome.  GeeCee fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Oct 11, 2011 |
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Oct 11, 2011 19:55
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Aliginge posted:Sigma has probably covered a lot of what I'm about to say on your portfolio but in my reasonably short experience at an iOs studio, you have to be a jack of all 2D trades. You aren't AN artist working on a project, you are THE artist. This is both oh dear christ the responsibility but on the other hand gently caress YEAH IM A LEAD ARTIST WITHOUT THE PAY GRADE!
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Oct 11, 2011 20:04
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Shalinor posted:Just want to make sure - you know you're awesome, right? Because you are. You fought to improve yourself, you took drubbings in this thread for at least a year or two, and now here you are - in the industry. Being totally loving awesome. Yeah I'll second this, you pretty much proved out that that hard work and continual effort to improve eventually pays off. In a year go back and look at your portfolio, or even worse, your earlier portfolios, and laugh. After I shipped RFG I looked at my old portfolio and went "how did they ever hire me making this poo poo?" At the end of RFA I went through the old RFG stuff and impressed myself again. It's hard when you're in the thick of making stuff all the time to really notice the growth, but other people will.
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Oct 11, 2011 20:23
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I'll not say it was the easiest time and there were times where i wanted to pin blame for my lack of progress on industry factors, but you know, it did turn out better than expected.  Thanks guys  I will say though that unless i get motivated somehow to do 3d work that i might end up slacking off in that, but holy poo poo my painting has already improved and we are trialing another 2D artist this week who is way better at cg painting and stuff and is determined to give me painting homework! But this ain't about me
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Oct 11, 2011 21:10
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Black Eagle posted:I just updated my avatar, quote, and user picture. The table of contents for my first book has not been officially released; however, my user picture shows a mostly final list of interviews in my profile. That list is currently not available anywhere else, primarily because several chapters are still in development. We're targeting a Holiday release. You can preorder the book (print only) now from Amazon and receive 34% off the cover price, or get the book later at $29.95. And, yes, the book will be available in all major digital formats. You should quote me somewhere. It's been about a year since I've had a quote in a gaming book.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:11
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hailthefish posted:Average logged in players is not revenue. But even still, it shows very little difference, a delta of 4k concurrents at max, with a steady hold in average concurrents over the past several months. That's actually implying that this had nothing whatsoever to do with the games actual deliverables.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:12
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quote:Chapter 6: Lawyers
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Oct 11, 2011 21:15
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I'd buy that book.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:20
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Diplomaticus posted:Average logged in players is not revenue. A 15% drop is pretty significant, the "phase 3" point is about when they started hyping up the next expansion, and even flatlining is probably not too good when the game used to have a very consistent upward trend in subscriber base.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:27
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Some more stuff from the project I worked on at Frontier. Some stuff you may find interesting about how the project came to an end and what it might have been. I think some of my XML script created a little of that dialogue.
BizarroAzrael fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Oct 11, 2011 |
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Oct 11, 2011 21:33
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OneEightHundred posted:I don't think they publish revenue, but PCU in a subscription game probably correlates pretty strongly with active subscribers. A PCU drop means accounts are either getting cancelled, or going disused (which would put them at risk of cancellation). In a game like EVE where multiboxing is the norm, and there aren't many market alternatives, it is far less significant. Furthermore, in a game where there are microtransactions and other revenue streams beyond subs, it means even less on revenue. That Phase 3 point, if I'm reading it right, is back in January. But the 90 day rolling average has been stable since June, implying that whatever it was that caused that drop has settled itself (evidenced by the slightly longer tail on the 30 day starting in May. That dev blog is dated June 24 and says the controversy was "this week." By that point, the concurrents had become stable, meaning that the previous decline was due to something else other than the marketing team. A 4K change in PCU without accounting for external factors such as release schedules of other games, school/holiday conditions, etc. is relatively meaningless. But again, the point is that the PR team's message hasn't been shown to have any significant downward effect on revenue.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:44
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In the spirit of writing books:Shalinor posted:Chapter
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Oct 11, 2011 21:58
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Okay, I at least fixed it so every image has a thumbnail and is visible from the main page. Still have to go through and change the associated blurbs.Sigma-X posted:Angry Rope Sigma-X posted:I don't see why it isn't. Just label it as a mock-up project. If you keep the current portfolio organization, you have that great little text box to explain "Cut The Birds is a fake game concept I wanted to take through all of the art stages, to improve my ability to take a concept through the whole game process, from concept to production to marketing." Pick these mock-up projects to demonstrate the skills and areas you want to focus on, ie, if you want to make lots of chibi cartoon characters, make "iMake Friends: The Friend Building Game" and not "iWaterboard2: Tactical Terror Surfing." Sigma-X posted:Why would you be happiest with mobile cartoon games, when you long to make The Final Sword: BloodOath? If your heart isn't in it, it will show in your work. If it's a matter of you like both, but feel your aptitude lies with one over the other, that's fine, but if you put a ton of time into something you loathe it will ultimately show and frustrate you. Sigma-X posted:I like doing it a lot, no problem Aliginge posted:As for style, you need to be versatile. I am currently working on Warheads: Medival Tales which is cartoony as all buggery and flat-coloured with bold lines as based on the art for the tabletop game. I imagine this probably varies from studio to studio, but do you work mainly in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Flash? I'm mainly curious because Photoshop is my bread and butter, and while I'm getting better at Illustrator, I haven't yet figured out a decent method of shading in Illustrator that isn't flat shading or the most plasticy-looking gradient ever. The closest I can come to nuanced vector shading is importing raster images colored in Photoshop into Illustrator and messing with the Live Trace options.
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Oct 12, 2011 03:30
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I just saw this message on LinkedIn: Tim Cain is now Senior Programmer at Obsidian Entertainment. I don't usually speak in gamer terms, but that's all kinds of win for RPG lovers everywhere. Spread that news around.
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Oct 12, 2011 09:23
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Black Eagle posted:Just wanted to let you know you caused me some amount of confusion this morning when I saw your comment on Paul S.'s post on FB about the Zynga HQ and was like, "Wait, why do I know that dude? Oh, SA.... Wait. WHY IS SA IN MY FB?!?! Worlds collide!"
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Oct 12, 2011 12:05
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I'm going to do a couple of days with that QA outsource place tomorrow and Friday. I suppose I should do it but it seems utterly pointless and unworkable. I'd need to move closer or spend 1/3 of my wages on fares and an extra 4 hours a day commuting. Back where I started 5 years ago and just as disposable. I keep getting told its easier to get a job when you have one, which is stupid as it is, but I feel like it makes me out to be the guy who can't get out of QA.
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Oct 12, 2011 16:49
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devilmouse posted:Just wanted to let you know you caused me some amount of confusion this morning when I saw your comment on Paul S.'s post on FB about the Zynga HQ and was like, "Wait, why do I know that dude? Oh, SA.... Wait. WHY IS SA IN MY FB?!?! Worlds collide!" If anyone is wondering what the heck we're talking about, check out the photos of Zynga's new offices. I said that I think the place looks like mismatched socks is the company's dress code. From a design perspective, it's too colorful, too 70s, and too chaotic. Personally, I couldn't work there. (That's not too harsh, is it?) By the way, if any of you ever start a company and get substantial office space, know that interior design is too important to the performance of a company to be left in the hands of your employees. Don't let your artists or your top branding guy convince you that you can save money by relying on them. A bachelor's degree in environmental design and creativity, or experience with designing tradeshow exhibits, aren't the only qualifications for designing a workplace. And I'm not just talking about large businesses like Zynga which have the capital to pull out the stops for their offices. I know the owner of a small video equipment store that recently bought space with a showroom near SOE, and even he hired an interior designer.
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Oct 12, 2011 17:55
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Isn't that all just the canteen and stuff? Pic 5 looks like an actual workspace which looks about standard (ie dull and horribly open plan).
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Oct 12, 2011 18:07
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FreakyZoid posted:Isn't that all just the canteen and stuff? Pic 5 looks like an actual workspace which looks about standard (ie dull and horribly open plan). Adraeus fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Oct 12, 2011 |
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Oct 12, 2011 18:27
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FreakyZoid posted:Isn't that all just the canteen and stuff? Pic 5 looks like an actual workspace which looks about standard (ie dull and horribly open plan). Yeah, most of that is the common area / cafeteria / main entrance. #5 looks likes one of the more business-oriented actual-work-gets-done-in-here offices. Our Boston office is just a nice, simple space, with a lovely view of Harvard Sq. No "zomg so wacky!!!" stuff, outside of a few cutouts of our characters. I have a wonderful chair (Herman Miller Embody) and a desk made of butcherblock. There's no action figures on my desk, just a decent sized pair of speakers and a picture of Brigitte Bardot in Contempt on the wall. Classy. There are a bunch of random couches and comfy chairs to plop down on scattered about, and a couple of larger conference rooms. It's just a generally decent space.
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Oct 12, 2011 18:34
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Black Eagle posted:If anyone is wondering what the heck we're talking about, check out the photos of Zynga's new offices. I said that I think the place looks like mismatched socks is the company's dress code. From a design perspective, it's too colorful, too 70s, and too chaotic. Personally, I couldn't work there. (That's not too harsh, is it?)  ... but yes, I agree it is a bit overdone. I could work there, but I'd constantly feel like I was in a Universal Studios theme ride. Whether that is a bad or good thing, I'm uncertain. EDIT: Oh, but #5 is way lame. Short-cubes are no good, you end up staring at the dude on the other side all day. Open workspaces can be cool to a point, but you still need to limit distractions with some kind of visual obstruction (I like the chest-high canvas wall style). EDIT: VV  (seriously though, I only kid, Zynga's getting better)
Shalinor fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Oct 12, 2011 |
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Oct 12, 2011 20:55
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Shalinor posted:Oh, I don't know - it's interruptive and distracting, relying overly much on a mud of pastel colors. Just like the games they make Hey - our game is pretty. You shut your mouth!
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Oct 12, 2011 21:22
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We just got our workspace remodeled, definitely more of the theme park/movie set design style rather than nice interior design. The cubicles have been made to look like a military outpost, with camo netting and tent canopies over the tops and fake barbed wire and sandbags on the outer walls. It looks cool from the outside, still just boring gray cubicles on the inside. I don't know if being surrounded by military fortifications all day is sending us the right message, psychologically speaking.
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Oct 12, 2011 21:27
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We're looking for a community/web manager.
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Oct 13, 2011 21:13
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DancingMachine posted:We're looking for a community/web manager. I'm on the interwebs all the time! I could totally do this job. I'm curious as to what it means by experience equivalent of a bachelors?
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Oct 13, 2011 21:17
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Using Boost in a C++ programming test: Acceptable? Impressive? Tacky? Overkill?
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Oct 13, 2011 23:32
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Pfhreak posted:Using Boost in a C++ programming test: Acceptable? Impressive? Tacky? Overkill? I would avoid it unless they specifically say you can use it. They want to see your programming logic/thinking more than they want to see your ability to use libraries.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:41
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Pfhreak posted:Using Boost in a C++ programming test: Acceptable? Impressive? Tacky? Overkill? Fine, if it's being used to support your own answers to abstract out boring boilerplate stuff. Super lame if you're using it to circumvent the heavy-lifting of the question.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:41
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Maide posted:I would avoid it unless they specifically say you can use it. They want to see your programming logic/thinking more than they want to see your ability to use libraries. Totally disagree. Like devilmouse said, unless the question is obviously about implementing the data structure boost gives you, it's a totally valid tool to use in solving a problem. If I want to see if you know how to implement a hash table I will ask you to implement a hash table. More likely I want to see if you are aware that a hash table is the right data structure to use for the problem. Bash Ironfist posted:I'm on the interwebs all the time! I could totally do this job. I would assume several years of professional experience relevant to the job would be the bar.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:46
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devilmouse posted:Fine, if it's being used to support your own answers to abstract out boring boilerplate stuff. Super lame if you're using it to circumvent the heavy-lifting of the question. Agree, except be aware that they may come back to you and say, "We don't use library X here because of Y, please provide a solution that does not require library X," so be prepared to supply an alternate method of solving the problem.
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Oct 14, 2011 01:02
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Pfhreak posted:Using Boost in a C++ programming test: Acceptable? Impressive? Tacky? Overkill? Does Boost have a similar bad rap as STL with game programmers? I have found a *lot* of game programmers that will hate on STL and say it should be verboten for any console programming.
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Oct 14, 2011 06:35
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djkillingspree posted:Does Boost have a similar bad rap as STL with game programmers? I have found a *lot* of game programmers that will hate on STL and say it should be verboten for any console programming. CERTAINLY not the built-in MS STL. Though I suppose I don't know what STL implementation you'd have when compiling to a console target.
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Oct 14, 2011 15:47
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djkillingspree posted:Does Boost have a similar bad rap as STL with game programmers? I have found a *lot* of game programmers that will hate on STL and say it should be verboten for any console programming. Considering the amount of effort that has been put into standardizing the STL, and devs are still not satisfied with it, I can't imagine boost going anywhere anytime soon. OGRE optionally uses it, and only for threading. But that's open source for you. I haven't seen that many commercial engines, and the only one I've seen using the STL internally is Crytek. They use STLport, however, so I presume they found that implementation satisfactory for consoles. And while it's no TR1, let alone boost, STLport does have a quite a few stdext additions.
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Oct 14, 2011 16:28
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I worked at a studio where their reflection libraries were built on Boost, so definitely if you know anything about the engineering culture at the company that would help. However, stupid Boost tricks have a tendency to be write-only code and that might not be the impression you want to make on a programming test.
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Oct 14, 2011 17:01
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Jan posted:I haven't seen that many commercial engines, and the only one I've seen using the STL internally is Crytek. They use STLport, however, so I presume they found that implementation satisfactory for consoles. And while it's no TR1, let alone boost, STLport does have a quite a few stdext additions. There was an email conversation recently about if we should switch STL implementations since the newest MS STL is better, but IIRC STLport still beats it soundly. We also have a bunch of internally written data structures of course like anywhere else for places where you might see benefits, and I think in most of the deepest places where it might really hit performance I've never seen any STL use. I suspect (without profiling) STL in non-critical code doesn't really hurt that much - or rather it's not your biggest bottleneck/worry. This might not be true if you don't override the allocation method though, I haven't really thought about that.
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Oct 14, 2011 17:06
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Shalinor posted:Given the number of difficulties we've had with the speed of STL allocations, I'd have to agree with them, unless you're using one of the STL implementations designed for consoles. The one thing I really miss from EA is the EASTL. And even then, we were wary of vectors and other non-fixed-size data structures. Although one team did use vectors but turned on an assert that fired if they ever tried to resize 
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Oct 14, 2011 18:45
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Any other studios participating in the Extra Life 24 hour video game marathon tomorrow? I know a whole bunch of the Activision studios are. Ravens catering us!  (Also just passed Treyarch in donations!)
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Oct 15, 2011 01:14
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Trion will be participating. We're having huuuge zone events and prizes and poo poo. Hope it all goes well and we raise some money for dem sick kids!
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Oct 15, 2011 04:15
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Shalinor posted:Given the number of difficulties we've had with the speed of STL allocations, I'd have to agree with them, unless you're using one of the STL implementations designed for consoles. Boost should be more popular then, as it has a number of libraries specifically designed for situations where you need to avoid dynamic allocations and have fine control over performance characteristics. For example, boost::array instead of std::vector (now part of the STL), boost::intrusive_ptr instead of shared_ptr, intrusive_list/map/set instead of the equivalent STL containers, boost::optional for in-place delayed construction, boost::pool... I could go on but you get the idea.
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Oct 15, 2011 04:27
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:Any other studios participating in the Extra Life 24 hour video game marathon tomorrow? I know a whole bunch of the Activision studios are. Ravens catering us! Okay will they be catering with eggs? This is important. Get all of your dev buddies to try to eat 24 eggs. For sick kids. Get them to shame smash mouth.
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Oct 15, 2011 04:28
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