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One of my QA contracts I was replacing someone who had been hired as a level designer out of that position, and we were testing one of his levels. I was so insanely jealous.
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Feb 20, 2013 19:53
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octoroon posted:A big part of my job is submitting other people's iOS apps for them, so I see this all the time -- never, ever trust that your app will be accepted the first time. Apple's review process is largely arbitrary and changes in response to new policies almost every week. So it's probably a good idea to never bank on a release date if you're relying on Apple to review something sanely or in a timely manner. I just need to figure out an angle to sell for some notice next week. The reviews alone might be sufficient, though... the only real goal this week was to make sure the game got noticed by the Apple featuring team. The second Kotaku mention and twitter storm probably took care of that, and I doubt they'll forget in a week. EDIT: VV Wouldn't you guys only really be interested if it was on the Amazon store, though? (Regardless, you'll be getting a PM from me - cool!) Shalinor fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Feb 20, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 19:56
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Shalinor posted:Eh, I gambled. Half of indie promotion is gambling. It was a pretty good gamble, though, and I came out on top, PR-wise. Lotta folks dug the trailer, no one's jumping on me about the delay yet. Happy to help promote next week via our (Amazon Video Games) Facebook/Twitter if you're interested. Shoot me a PM if you are.
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Feb 20, 2013 20:19
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Shalinor posted:EDIT: VV Wouldn't you guys only really be interested if it was on the Amazon store, though? (Regardless, you'll be getting a PM from me - cool!) Not on our social channels, we can't do anything on Amazon.com unless we have a product page to point people at but myself and 3 other people run our FB page and we have the latitude to push out content that is relevant to people following video games on FB, not just stuff we sell. We don't really view our FB and Twitter as sales channels, but opportunities to talk to our customers about cool stuff going on in the industry.
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Feb 20, 2013 20:31
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I gave in! I am all up in the twitter now, hashtagging like it's my birthday. Since http://gameindustrytweet.com/ linked in the OP is dead, can anyone want to point me to a semi-useful list of people to follow? All I have right now is Shalinor!
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Feb 20, 2013 23:43
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devilmouse posted:I gave in! I am all up in the twitter now, hashtagging like it's my birthday. Since http://gameindustrytweet.com/ linked in the OP is dead, can anyone want to point me to a semi-useful list of people to follow? All I have right now is Shalinor!  (there's a good list in the Making Games Megathread OP)
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Feb 20, 2013 23:55
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Shalinor posted:It's ok, all you need is me I will follow your kitties in to the dark. Figures, I was looking in the wrong thread!
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Feb 21, 2013 00:17
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Thus begins the post-Sony dev chat. I heard the words "self-publishing on PSN", which is basically all I wanted to hear going in. Not exactly impressed with their lineup beyond that, but I'm happy with "self publishing on PSN" and "look at all this cool social stuff you can do with always-on video." I'm skeptical that MS is going to match that. But we shall see.
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Feb 21, 2013 02:05
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Shalinor posted:Thus begins the post-Sony dev chat. I'm left with a hearty help of "Eh" and a shrug. Consoles excite me less and less these days as a player / creator. More sequels! More RAM! More shooters! More weird HCI decisions! More of the same old poo poo! Though I'm curious to see how easy (or not) it is to develop without having a dedicated devkit for self-published stuff.
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Feb 21, 2013 02:54
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devilmouse posted:I'm left with a hearty help of "Eh" and a shrug. Consoles excite me less and less these days as a player / creator. More sequels! More RAM! More shooters! More weird HCI decisions! More of the same old poo poo! More ads! More fees! More creepy social features involving always-on cameras!
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Feb 21, 2013 02:57
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hailthefish posted:More ads! More fees! More creepy social features involving always-on cameras! "IAP to disable the creepy camera stuff" MAD MONEY YO Edit: I had to work really hard not to go Kotaku-commenter on that announcement, but now it's seeping through the cracks. =(
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Feb 21, 2013 02:57
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We have reached the pinnacle of gaming. I can finally watch my friends play their games! Or have them play for me! Other than that and the customized ads I thought it was fine. Now let's just wait for the price tag.
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Feb 21, 2013 03:57
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devilmouse posted:Though I'm curious to see how easy (or not) it is to develop without having a dedicated devkit for self-published stuff. My suspicion is that the self publish route for PSN will be C# based. They released their Vita sdks not too long ago, and that is all C#. More established studios will probably get access a C++ sdk, but for a higher fee. Also, I would expect to see Unity / Mono announcements for this platform somewhere between now and GDC. Already starting: http://paradox3d.net/blog/direct3d11-ps4.html xgalaxy fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 04:05
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The built in DVR and tablet-style suspend and resume are both awesome features I'm really excited about.
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Feb 21, 2013 04:51
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Paniolo posted:The built in DVR and tablet-style suspend and resume are both awesome features I'm really excited about. Yeah overall I think it sounded pretty good. The games aren't there yet but E3 is for gameszzzz.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:03
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The funny thing is the word we got a few weeks ago was it was going to be 4GB ram, so they doubled it quite recently. Must have been pressure based on MS specs or something. Not that I'm complaining, a RAM arms race benefits all of us.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:23
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Maybe I'm just old and crotchety before my time, but I don't think I'll ever understand the little-brother-syndrome AAA shooters have with blockbuster films. That Killzone trailer looked like the most boring game ever. Walk slowly through a sterile HL Tram Sequence, watch a cut scene, kill 1 guy, watch his cut scene death, snipe some guys from your 6'x6' game play area, watch a cut scene, get dragged past a bunch of set pieces instead of explore them and shoot one guy... Sheesh. Also, thank goodness that as an artist I get to look forward to painting "fiber direction maps" for car seat fuzz and modeling individual carbon fibers.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:50
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I rarely get the chance to brag here but MGR: Revengeance came out the other day to what seem to be pretty OK reviews. I worked a great deal on the EN localization of the game (including writing the EN for pretty much all of the codecs) so it's a pretty  moment for me, even though it's not as if I receive royalties or anything.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:56
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mutata posted:Maybe I'm just old and crotchety before my time, but I don't think I'll ever understand the little-brother-syndrome AAA shooters have with blockbuster films. That Killzone trailer looked like the most boring game ever. Walk slowly through a sterile HL Tram Sequence, watch a cut scene, kill 1 guy, watch his cut scene death, snipe some guys from your 6'x6' game play area, watch a cut scene, get dragged past a bunch of set pieces instead of explore them and shoot one guy... Sheesh. ... and I am perfectly with a C#/Mono future and the almost-a-given Unity 3D announcement. That particular koolaid tasted great going down, and I've yet to feel any ill effects at all.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:56
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The question is really how they will position the indie app store. Microsoft's dev tools and indie self-publishing system for XBLIG were awesome - they just buried the store so bad it was all worthless. I assume they will provide an IAP system with the standard 30% cut as well. One would hope, anyway.
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Feb 21, 2013 06:24
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XBLIG system was not awesome actually. There are a number of well written articles on the subject. It just needs to be a straight up App Store with some sort of official cert. like the Apple Store or Windows Phone store. No peer review bullshit like XBLIG.
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Feb 21, 2013 06:41
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Shalinor posted:The car game and Killzone twofer was easily the low point of that whole thing for me. The worst part is that Killzone was actually kind of pretty there for a sec, then it's like someone realized "wait! this is a shooter!" and then turned it brown and explode'y. I don't know if it's C#, or Mono, but I've grown to hate both. Yeah, it's easy to write code that gets up and running fast, and often times your code "looks" elegant and great, but there are so many gotchas to performance for that language on low end devices, it gets really frustrating. vvvv Weren't there issues with peer review and indie games with some users blacklisting people from the store? Chainclaw fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 06:50
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xgalaxy posted:XBLIG system was not awesome actually. I can't even fathom how somebody could prefer Apple's cert process to peer review.  Visual Studio Express + XNA + peer review was great. The store just sucked and was buried to boot. In any case my point is discoverability for indie games is key, and we probably won't really know how well it was done until months after launch.
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Feb 21, 2013 06:54
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DancingMachine posted:I can't even fathom how somebody could prefer Apple's cert process to peer review. I'm sorry but the XBLIG peer review system is a joke. But I agree with you that the store sucked too. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ThomasSteinke/20130202/185921/What_went_wrong_with_XNAXBLIG.php http://ilikecode.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/stupid-stupid-xbox/
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Feb 21, 2013 09:53
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Is there any indication it's gonna be anything other than "you can self publish if you register as a developer, buy the dev kit and pass all the TRCs"?
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Feb 21, 2013 13:06
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Smegbot posted:Is there any indication it's gonna be anything other than "you can self publish if you register as a developer, buy the dev kit and pass all the TRCs"? That said, I do hope the regular console acts as the dev console.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:27
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Shalinor posted:That said, I do hope the regular console acts as the dev console. But I love my jet engine / 80s VCR!
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Feb 21, 2013 17:35
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Screw that, I hope the dev console acts as the regular console. Everyone has a loving massive betamax looking thing that emits more heat than the sun sitting under their tv. From what experience I had of the PS3/PSP Minis thing it seemed fairly straightforward to publish on, not massively more complicated than iOS. Although it did have the TRC stuff and you did need a PEGI rating, and the company I was at already owned dev kits and was a registered developer...so maybe slightly more involved...
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Feb 21, 2013 18:26
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Smegbot posted:Screw that, I hope the dev console acts as the regular console. Everyone has a loving massive betamax looking thing that emits more heat than the sun sitting under their tv. The PS3 debug can act as a regular console. There's a flag in the settings menu somewhere, the 360 debug can do it as well so long as you're willing to never be able to switch it back to a dev console.
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Feb 21, 2013 20:29
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Shalinor posted:I'm actively hoping there isn't more to it than that. I don't want a no barrier process, I just want to see them solve the "you flat out can't publish without a publisher and Greenlit product" issue of current consoles. Question for you and any other Indies in this thread. We're (Amazon) going to be doing a ton of stuff around Indies on the PC platform this year, including building a number of tools that should make it easier to click your way to digital distribution on Amazon. If any of you are interested, we'd love to get your feedback throughout this process. Feel free to PM me here, or if you don't have PMs here, I'm Tvacgamer on Reddit. Also, I think the highlight of the conference was the Blizzard guy, I wish all company reps were like that on stage, he seemed super genuine and the overwhelming sentiment in the room was "I'd totally hang out with that dude".
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Feb 21, 2013 21:55
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I'm looking for some career advice -- I'm a Senior Artist at a social games studio. I work in the Baltimore branch of a huge social games behemoth whose mothership is in SF. I think our branch is in flux as HQ decides what to do with us (though I'm paranoid because it recently shut down two of its other external studios), so I sent my feelers out to see what an internal transfer would look like. I have been with the same company for 3.5 years. They came back to me with an offer: +$15000 to my salary, +$10k moving expenses. And I'm not officially on a project but they'll decide what to do with me once I get there. My rent in Baltimore is insanely low at $400/mo + utilities, but I know cost of living is really high in SF so I don't think the bump will cover all of the rent increase. I've been told I can expect to pay $3k/mo for a 1 BR in SF, which is like, jaw-droppingly crazy. I'm also being pressured to decide EOD Friday, which is super soon. The thing that complicates this is I'm talking to another studio in Boulder, CO - I've only had a phone interview and haven't officially come in for an in-person interview. I'd really like to see what I could contribute to that studio: -Is it kosher for me to ping the art director in Boulder and explain to him my situation, to see if he can expedite a more formal decision (to either bring me in for an interview or not)? -Does the salary increase seem reasonable? The difference in housing alone is like $30000 at least. Is it ok for me to negotiate a higher bump using that logic? -How do I bide for more time on a formal decision? Most of my family and friends are on this coast, and with the other opportunity in Boulder, CO, I would like another week to decide.
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Feb 21, 2013 21:56
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Frown Town posted:I'm also being pressured to decide EOD Friday, which is super soon. REALLY cynical/sad advice: Wait until your studio gets shut down, take the chunk of severance they give you, and enjoy it as a bonus. THEN start pushing the Boulder guys or looking at other opportunities.  Edit: The SF office is hilariously toxic and unpleasant and I'd stay far, far away from it. You'll get more than 10k as severance and if you want to move out to the west coast, you can still do that with that money. edit x2: If it's Backflip in Boulder, they're kind of not much better. Stay away! devilmouse fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 22:04
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Thank you Devilmouse -- that's definitely a strategy I'm considering. And the toxic environment is what I'm worried about. I've visited HQ a few times in the olden days before they moved, and really enjoyed it. I don't know how much I'd like the mothership/culture these days, but I do feel like there are a lot of career opportunities for me if I decide to leave after transferring. I just don't know when they're going to close us, either, which is what makes this so hard. edit: (yeah -- thank you so much -- the Art Director seemed really cool over the phone but it's something I'd want to check out in person before making a decision) Frown Town fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 22:10
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Frown Town posted:I'm looking for some career advice -- I'm a Senior Artist at a social games studio. I work in the Baltimore branch of a huge social games behemoth whose mothership is in SF. I think our branch is in flux as HQ decides what to do with us (though I'm paranoid because it recently shut down two of its other external studios), so I sent my feelers out to see what an internal transfer would look like. I have been with the same company for 3.5 years. Frown Town posted:I've been told I can expect to pay $3k/mo for a 1 BR in SF SF is super expensive, but you don't HAVE to pay $3k/Month if you don't want to, there are lots of places between $1,400-$2,000 still ALOT more than what you're paying now but not quite as nuts. Also, I'd look at getting a roommate (unless your living situation doesn't allow for this). Frown Town posted:I'm also being pressured to decide EOD Friday How much do you like the company and culture? How different do you think it will be from your current environment? Also, how confident are you that you're studio is on the ropes? All of these things should factor into the decision before moving across the country. I did the same thing about 5 years ago because I wanted to get out of advertising and into video games and haven't regretted it. Frown Town posted:Is it kosher for me to ping the art director in Boulder and explain to him my situation, to see if he can expedite a more formal decision (to either bring me in for an interview or not)? Yes this is kosher. Frown Town posted:Does the salary increase seem reasonable? The difference in housing alone is like $30000 at least. Is it ok for me to negotiate a higher bump using that logic? This depends on what you make, changing jobs generally nets you a 20% increase in salary + moving expenses, anything more than that and you're likely not getting paid enough where you're currently at, or they want you very badly. Frown Town posted:How do I bide for more time on a formal decision? Most of my family and friends are on this coast, and with the other opportunity in Boulder, CO, I would like another week to decide. Tell them that. "My entire family lives on the East coast and I need to involve them in this life changing decision. We plan on having a family dinner this weekend anyway and I'd really like to take that time to discuss this with them." I know if I delivered that message to an employer and their response was "too bad" it would make the decision for me as to whether or not I'd want to move across the country to work for them very easy. Hope this helps, I'm not an artist but I have worked all over the US.
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Feb 21, 2013 22:18
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Thank you so much, AmazonTony. You made some really insightful points and I'm super grateful for your advice.AmazonTony posted:SF is super expensive, but you don't HAVE to pay $3k/Month if you don't want to, there are lots of places between $1,400-$2,000 still ALOT more than what you're paying now but not quite as nuts. Also, I'd look at getting a roommate (unless your living situation doesn't allow for this). I'm cool with a roommate- many people at this branch got offers to transfer so I may even be able to work something out with them in terms of living arrangements. quote:How much do you like the company and culture? How different do you think it will be from your current environment? Also, how confident are you that you're studio is on the ropes? quote:Tell them that. "My entire family lives on the East coast and I need to involve them in this life changing decision. We plan on having a family dinner this weekend anyway and I'd really like to take that time to discuss this with them." That is really helpful - I hadn't thought of phrasing it that way. I think it works out to around a 20% increase if my feeble artist-math is correct. I'm not dissatisfied with the number but I'm still suffering from some sticker shock about rent-- I don't see a downside of just asking if there's a better offer for me. One of my biggest regrets when I started several years ago was that I didn't just negotiate for more compensation because I didn't realize that was something you could do (and I was desperate for the job). Now that I'm kind of ok with the idea of being unemployed for a bit while I look for a studio with a good fit, I've gotten over the feeling that I can't ask for what I want.
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Feb 21, 2013 22:48
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AmazonTony posted:Question for you and any other Indies in this thread. We're (Amazon) going to be doing a ton of stuff around Indies on the PC platform this year, including building a number of tools that should make it easier to click your way to digital distribution on Amazon. If any of you are interested, we'd love to get your feedback throughout this process. Feel free to PM me here, or if you don't have PMs here, I'm Tvacgamer on Reddit. ... and yeah, definitely interested. Expect another PM from me 
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Feb 21, 2013 22:56
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I was half expecting to hear "Starcraft: Ghost" or for them to bring up one of their older IPs. Then I was disappointed.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:19
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Chernabog posted:I was half expecting to hear "Starcraft: Ghost" or for them to bring up one of their older IPs. Then I was disappointed. I was expecting Ghost, too. I didn't think Diablo 3 could be any more of a disappointment, but Blizzard delivered.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:21
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Frown Town posted:Thank you so much, AmazonTony. You made some really insightful points and I'm super grateful for your advice. I'd poke around with someone who works at the mothership and find out about the culture, barring that it sounds like your gut is telling you that it sucks. As someone who moved out here by himself from the East Coast I can tell you that if your work culture sucks you're likely going to end up back on the East Coast, SF and the West Coast are a ton of fun to live in, but missing things like your nephew's first birthday or your sister's graduation from college will quickly outweigh your dedication to a job you don't love. I've been lucky enough to only work West Coast jobs with awesome people at awesome companies and even then I've seriously considered taking jobs back East (5 years in Seattle now). It sounds like you've got 3.5 years of pretty senior experience a large company, you should be able to find something, somewhere. I'd push for more time and accelerate your search so you have more options as well. Do you have PMs? You should send me your email so we can chat about this out of forum as well. If you don't have PMs I can be reached on Reddit as Tvacgamer. Edit: Also, you have 3.5 years experience. Always ask for more money...always. The worst they can say is "No", they aren't going to say "No, and now you can't have the job", again I'd question any business decision made by an organization that retracted an offer from a candidate they want because that candidate wants to receive full value compensation for their work. Shalinor posted:Blizzard guy was by far the coolest announcer, but Blizzard had serious balls to put him up there, do that big a lead-up, then drop "we're porting Diablo III. Ok, peace out!". I think that's why I liked him so much. He was basically like "I have this thing to say, and I'm going to say it, if you don't like it, that's cool I've really got to get back to being Burt Reynolds now." I just got your PM and responded.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:28
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AmazonTony posted:SF is super expensive, but you don't HAVE to pay $3k/Month if you don't want to, there are lots of places between $1,400-$2,000 still ALOT more than what you're paying now but not quite as nuts. Also, I'd look at getting a roommate (unless your living situation doesn't allow for this). I'll second this. I pay a lot more than I did on the east coast, but it's not that bad. I had a studio sublet for not very much at all for a few months when I first moved here, although prices have gone up in the last couple of years. If you want to share a house with some people, you can pay a lot less and live out in some of the more residential neighborhoods. There are also affordable options if you're willing to have a 20-30 minute subway ride to downtown. Basically: options.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:28
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