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Awesome! The 4J guys are sound, you should get on well with them. Dundee's fine, you won't be anywhere near any of the rough bits. I'm convinced the Hilltown's the reason for the "City of Discovery" tag though, it's certainly one of the less salubrious areas...
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Feb 13, 2013 02:52
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Vaguely hoping devilmouse is still awake, but anyone in here is welcome to critique. Too sassy for an iTunes app screenshot?    EDIT: Yep, everyone's in bed. Cool. But I like 'em, folks elsewhere seem to like 'em, so away we go to app submission, woo hoo! Shalinor fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 05:27
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Shalinor posted:Vaguely hoping devilmouse is still awake, but anyone in here is welcome to critique. Maybe it's too late but I'll say it anyways, I like the 1st and 2nd but the 3rd just doesn't read well to me. I like the fire "sprites" but the red wall just doesn't work well as a screenshot to me.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:12
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I would definitely say to avoid the third one. While the first two really show off your aesthetic well, the third one looks like you just didn't have art, when viewed in isolation. The character really gets lost in the fire, especially since the eye is expecting him to be in the same general area as he was in the first two. Though I have nothing against the text, I think that part is fine. However, I would move a bit to the left to put it more in line with the text in the other images. If you have to choose just one, the first one is really works for me and I would pick that one The Glumslinger fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 06:35
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Overall I'd say there is too much noise so the first is the best and it gets busier and busier. On the other hand, the background feels a bit empty. Like there could be a very faint hint of stars, hills or clouds. Also, I don't know if the text is part of the game or if it was added later, but it is a bit distracting, in part because of how it is arranged in the composition and in part because it is too big. Edit: Hm... I guess I'm late too but I'll just leave this here anyway.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:43
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Consider moving/rotating the fireman, who is in the exact same spot between #1 and #2. And I'd suggest losing the "tips fig. #" portion of the text, it doesn't add anything (unless it's just an internal placeholder in which case, nevermind).
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Feb 13, 2013 07:08
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Diplomaticus posted:Consider moving/rotating the fireman, who is in the exact same spot between #1 and #2. And I'd suggest losing the "tips fig. #" portion of the text, it doesn't add anything (unless it's just an internal placeholder in which case, nevermind).  Anyways, yeah, sorry, too late. Got feedback from other folks, everything seemed cool, etc. They're already uploaded. Jones On Fire is now waiting for review  If it's any consolation, that fire image is very back-loaded. It comes after the user has already seen Folmer's awesome 2D image and then the first 2 screenshots. Not too worried about it turning people off. EDIT: And "empty background" is a bug/enhancement that got pushed to the first patch. I'll be adding little blocky clouds that parallax by. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 08:24 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 08:19
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Shalinor posted:It adds character. Some unsolicited art suggestions if you're open to tweaking some stuff.  Overall I really like the style you've got. I think a few color tweaks and the game itself will be a lot more readable- you could brighten the kitties and firefighter so they pop off the background a bit. Additionally, you could cool down the sky/background and push it towards blue/give it a gradient/stick some blurry stars/clouds/etc you're planning on to help fill the space with a little noise. My comp ended up a little pink by accident, and there was some stuff I wanted to mess with on the grass (maybe lightening it up a little bit, I'm not sure - something to distinguish it from the tree tops).
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Feb 13, 2013 14:42
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There are far better people in this thread than me to get feedback from on AppStore screen shots. I'm entirely clueless when it comes to "App Store Optimization", honestly. If you go through the top 100 or whatever and look for similarities between their screenshots, copy, icons, IAP names, keywords, etc, you can barely pull threads out. You've gotten your crits already, but I actually like the sassy text (though I'd have changed to "Save the Kitties!" and "Fire Hates Kitties!"), especially if it tells a "story" across all 4 or 5 screenshots. More importantly though, grats on submitting! We submitted last night as well, so now we can RACE! Today, I get to do the "exciting" things like set up websites and fix press release copy. "Whee!"
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Feb 13, 2013 15:01
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devilmouse posted:Today, I get to do the "exciting" things like set up websites and fix press release copy. "Whee!"  I also get to put together the trailer - but that part, I'm excited about. I've got a kitty chiptunes dubstep track from my composer. It's awesome, and it lets me rip on all the lovely dubstep trailers out there at the same time, woo.EDIT: a leak from gearbox on why Aliens turned out so bad. Nice. EDIT2: Turns out the original images had artifacting everyone but a dude in the screenshots thread missed - and I managed to get new ones in before the window closed. Which gave me a chance to react to some of the feedback in here. No more giant fire wall, switched wording to tell kitty story, tried for less busy kitty shots, etc.    EDIT: VV Given where the cuts hit (hardware hackers and Android and such), I wonder if they finally axed their "speculative hardware" teams? The people that were working on augmented reality goggles and such. A good way to check'd be, did they let Michael Abrash go with the rest. ... if they did, I can't say I blame them - it made zero sense for a game studio turned publisher to be meandering that far afield, no matter how cool the work may have been. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 15:29
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Apparently it was now valve's turn to get hit with layoffs: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/186592/Several_out_of_work_as_Valve_makes_large_decisions_about_its_future.php#.URve2WeKySo
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Feb 13, 2013 20:08
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Frown Town posted:Thanks for this post-- you've instilled me with some hope about the future. Just like that.. http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2013/02/13/former-zynga-exec-eyes-baltimore.html
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Feb 13, 2013 22:02
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Chernabog posted:Apparently it was now valve's turn to get hit with layoffs: Looks like the Steam box partner was able to do everything their internal team could. Either that of Steam has uncovered something super futuristic.
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Feb 13, 2013 22:32
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Looks like the Steam box partner was able to do everything their internal team could. Either that of Steam has uncovered something super futuristic.
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Feb 13, 2013 22:33
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OneEightHundred posted:They were also supposedly messing around with augmented reality and other novel control schemes too, which is incredibly risky territory.
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Feb 13, 2013 22:36
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More than the hardware team is out. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-02-13-valve-loses-director-of-business-other-layoffs-reported
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Feb 13, 2013 22:38
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Diffing their employee page highlights about 8 people out: http://www.diffchecker.com/h14Uhs74 e: oh that's where that article is sourcing the information from.
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Feb 13, 2013 22:46
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Bay Raitt and Jason Holtman are the suprising ones. What the hell happened? EDIT: Also thats not a full listing of their employees, so its probably more than 8 canned.
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Feb 13, 2013 22:51
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Maybe they think Occulus is doing what they were already planning.
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Feb 13, 2013 23:04
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http://meningameshotornot.tumblr.com/
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Feb 13, 2013 23:14
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:Bay Raitt and Jason Holtman are the suprising ones. What the hell happened? Gabe's also been talking about major changes to Steam, including scrapping Greenlight.
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Feb 13, 2013 23:28
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You and I see the PC gaming scene very differently. My educated guess is that they're refocusing and cleaning house. It's not like they have money problems.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:00
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mutata posted:You and I see the PC gaming scene very differently. Maybe they sacked everyone who thought the PC space is shrinking and that the Windows store will be serious competition.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:02
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Valve is infamous for clearing out stuff and shifting dramatically when things don't work out in their games... So why be surprised when it comes to their business and staff? Heck i dunno, but I am awfully curious to what the actual story ends up being.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:11
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Anyone coming to Beer Wednesday tonight, don't forget it's "Amber Appreciation Night", so bring some decorations or something to liven up the patio and show how much we appreciate the Patron Saint of Beer Night for knowing all our names and drinks by the second time she's met us. And you might consider joining the 100% Tip Pledge some of us are doing, just for tonight. The girl's getting married soon, after all, and those aren't cheap.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:27
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Gaben directly addressed the layoffs (firings?) at Valve. He says it wasn't about cancelling any projects, which suggests that this was a performance culling.
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Feb 14, 2013 05:36
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DancingMachine posted:Gaben directly addressed the layoffs (firings?) at Valve. He says it wasn't about cancelling any projects, which suggests that this was a performance culling. When you read all the emphasis Valve puts on personnel/hiring, it makes sense that they're serious about making sure they only have top notch performers. Even just a middling employee drags everyone down.
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Feb 14, 2013 08:01
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OK so I've got my interview tomorrow. I am pretty confident I'm going to do well. Spent a bit of the night perhaps getting ahead of myself worrying about the cost of the move and everything should I get the job, tricky especially given I have a grand total of £40 to my name and a maxed out overdraft after the shambolic way my last job ended. My parents are offering to transport my stuff but I'm still worried about the cost of securing a room, paying rent, deposit, bills all that other necessary living poo poo which last time I did this put me permanently into my overdraft. How do you guys manage that first month or so before your paycheque hits? Arrange a loan advance spread over several months?
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Feb 14, 2013 09:43
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I was in the same situation a few months ago, luckily I was (barely) able to deal with it with savings and by living in an empty apartment until I was able to afford furniture. If I were to have another kind of move like that I would try to negotiate some sort of relocation bonus or assistance along with my contract.
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Feb 14, 2013 09:56
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If you get offered the job, during that phonecall ask HR if they can ask around the studio if there's anybody with a room going spare for a month or two. Also ask if they have a relocation package.
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Feb 14, 2013 10:50
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Since Tuesday I've been given a design test to create a new weapon and a new level that makes use of it. So far my design doc is at 9 pages with descriptions, metrics, research and diagrams, but is there any golden standard on these things so I can stand out better? I was also told to complete the task "As soon as you're able" and I'm not sure if submitting it tomorrow on Friday might be rushing it, or if Sunday might look a bit too late.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:00
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Aliginge posted:OK so I've got my interview tomorrow. I am pretty confident I'm going to do well. I relocated for a contract, my first industry gig, and ended up taking out a credit card that I swiftly maxed out to afford the move and such. But definitely ask about relocation assistance if they offer you the gig--chances are they'll be thinking about it already.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:00
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Super Slash posted:Since Tuesday I've been given a design test to create a new weapon and a new level that makes use of it. So far my design doc is at 9 pages with descriptions, metrics, research and diagrams, but is there any golden standard on these things so I can stand out better? Did they give you any indication of length? 9 pages to do a weapon and level seems... excessive. One of my favorite quotes from giving a design test to someone: "One critical skill we look for in designers is the ability to communicate ideas with economy.... We encourage our designers to approach written documents with one guiding principle in mind: “nobody reads”. But it's better to be overly verbose, I suppose. As for "as soon as you're able", a 3-4 day turnaround seems like a good timeframe to get back to someone.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:07
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fookolt posted:it makes sense that they're serious about making sure they only have top notch performers. Well animationwise they fired folks that seem to be specialized and kept people on that could have wear more 'hats'. Like not just animation but rigging, camera work, layout etc. From a game design perspective it's a good idea but from an artistic standpoint they're going to be watering down their quality. Compare the more recent Dota cinematic animations with the first Team Fortress videos. Compare the latest Team Fortress video with the first three ones. They've gotten worse. But the real argument is who cares if the ingame is done well enough.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:15
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FreakyZoid posted:If you get offered the job, during that phonecall ask HR if they can ask around the studio if there's anybody with a room going spare for a month or two. Also ask if they have a relocation package.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:18
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devilmouse posted:Did they give you any indication of length? 9 pages to do a weapon and level seems... excessive. One of my favorite quotes from giving a design test to someone: "One critical skill we look for in designers is the ability to communicate ideas with economy.... We encourage our designers to approach written documents with one guiding principle in mind: “nobody reads”. But it's better to be overly verbose, I suppose. Well I wouldn't say it's overly verbose, I've kept it pretty clean with plenty of topic headers and bullet points to pick out the most interesting bits, so I guess there isn't much more I can add to it. As for indication, it's pretty much "Format it to how you feel it best communicates the idea" including; A mission briefing, general description of the mission, rough drawing, the solution.
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Feb 14, 2013 19:30
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I had some bad opinions about game design.
D1Sergo fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Jul 9, 2018 |
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Feb 14, 2013 20:19
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^^^ as an animator working with designers when people usually talk about metrics in the design sense it's more to do with the in-game numbers. i.e. traversal speeds, attack rates, aggro distances, etc. That's what I assumed it was referring to anyway.devilmouse posted:Just like that.. http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2013/02/13/former-zynga-exec-eyes-baltimore.html i've always been surprised that there aren't more Virginia based developers. It's definitely a more friendly state as far as personal/business taxes go, and the state in general is in better shape and better schools than MD.
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Feb 14, 2013 21:43
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treeboy posted:i've always been surprised that there aren't more Virginia based developers. It's definitely a more friendly state as far as personal/business taxes go, and the state in general is in better shape and better schools than MD. Can't speak for MD but generally it's because there isn't a large enough talent pool and 'tax friendly' generally means it's just a tax haven. Companies also generally pull out of tax havens when the subsidies dry up. California has pretty high taxes in comparison yet there's companies popping up left and right due to the amount of population and talent available.
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Feb 14, 2013 22:03
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D1Sergo posted:I'm a wannabe and not a designer but "metrics" and "research" seem like things you can cut out, to me good design is something that can stand on its own merits, not whether a feature meets some benchmark of numbers based on the percentage of people using the Beam Rifle in Halo or whatever you've got going on. A weapon that fits the level design and a level that fits the weapon design is probably ideal (like a sniper rifle in a place with long corridors). When developers talk about design metrics they're talking about practical game values, like movement/second or cover is 1m high or doors must be 1.5m wide or the gun does 40 damage/shot with a mag of 10, etc. I'm assuming his research is basically justifying his design by giving examples of similar proven design (like the length of corridors for Cool Sniping Level).
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Feb 14, 2013 23:03
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