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Congrats GWG! Happy to see ya landed a gig man.
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Apr 12, 2013 06:19
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GetWellGamers posted:Well, finally landed a supervisory position after too drat long in entry level. Permanent job, salary, benefits, all that grown-up stuff! Congrats! What's the job, if you don't mind me asking? Edit: I suck and sign my posts AmazonTony fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Apr 12, 2013 |
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Apr 12, 2013 06:32
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Hey Tony, can you send me your email again via PM?
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Apr 12, 2013 07:10
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Diplomaticus posted:Hey Tony, can you send me your email again via PM? For sure, just did. Hope all is well. Edit: I suck and sign my posts AmazonTony fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Apr 12, 2013 |
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Apr 12, 2013 07:35
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AmazonTony posted:Congrats! What's the job, if you don't mind me asking? QA Supervisor for a small but growing company in SE Orange County. So from the bottom there's the testers, their leads, and then me, and then sort-of a QA manager, but really they've grown to the point where the guy I'm reporting to wants to shed hats (He's also CS Manager, IT manager, and some other stuff), so basically anything I can do instead of him he'll probably be more than happy to let me. Funny enough it was my experience running GWG and other group ventures that pushed me over; I had the QA chops for sure but it was my team leadership and management experience- however unpaid- that made me the right fit. Also, I'm pretty sure by SA Law I have to tease you for signing your posts. 
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Apr 12, 2013 07:39
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GetWellGamers posted:QA Supervisor for a small but growing company in SE Orange County. So from the bottom there's the testers, their leads, and then me, and then sort-of a QA manager, but really they've grown to the point where the guy I'm reporting to wants to shed hats (He's also CS Manager, IT manager, and some other stuff), so basically anything I can do instead of him he'll probably be more than happy to let me. Funny enough it was my experience running GWG and other group ventures that pushed me over; I had the QA chops for sure but it was my team leadership and management experience- however unpaid- that made me the right fit. That's rad man, congratulations again! Happy to hear that you were able to leverage your passion (GWG) to advance your career, I've had the opportunity to do the same in my career and I found have found it immensely rewarding. Also, I fixed those sigs.
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Apr 12, 2013 07:42
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Any day that a game dev goon gets a gig is a good day. Congrats!
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Apr 12, 2013 07:59
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Does anyone have experience of working with siblings in a professional capacity? I'm a programmer and my brother is an artist, and he's thinking of moving from advertising into serious games with me. We haven't clashed since we were teens, but my boss is sceptical because he's always had issues working with his brothers.
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Apr 12, 2013 08:08
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Akuma posted:Does anyone have experience of working with siblings in a professional capacity? I'm a programmer and my brother is an artist, and he's thinking of moving from advertising into serious games with me. We haven't clashed since we were teens, but my boss is sceptical because he's always had issues working with his brothers. My brother recently doing some contract work with one of our books teams so I've been doing a bit of this, although not as closely as it sounds like you'd be working with your brother. From my perspective, I had some reservations but it has turned out remarkably well. For more context I'm 27 and he's 35 and until recently (read as 3 years) we wouldn't have been able to work together in any capacity. For us, the turning point in our relationship came in the form of a serious conversation we had about how we interact with each other and some of the ongoing sibling issues we've had over the years. I don't know anything about your relationship with your brother but if you're thinking about working together and have reservations, it could be really helpful to sit down and have a conversation. The way I structured it was by talking to my brother about all the things I respected about him in his personal and professional life, and asked him to do the same for me, then I told him about the ways I felt we'd clashed over the years and we talked about ways to not do so again moving forward. Just my 2 cents, hope it is helpful.
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Apr 12, 2013 08:14
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Akuma posted:Does anyone have experience of working with siblings in a professional capacity? I'm a programmer and my brother is an artist, and he's thinking of moving from advertising into serious games with me. We haven't clashed since we were teens, but my boss is sceptical because he's always had issues working with his brothers. It depends on your relationship I think. I didn't have any problems working with my brother (he's a tech artist) aside from how he was super nervous about me talking about his childhood. But i'd still approach it with the same hesitancy I'd have if I were to work with my significant other.
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Apr 12, 2013 08:15
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Akuma if you can deal with me, you can deal with any fuckin artist.  Seluin posted:Sure thing. The group is located here: Thanks! Though I'm straight myself, this is more one of those, "I really want to support this" kind of endeavors, I'll shoot them a message later because what they're doing sounds rad. I've been on a bit of a Feminism and LGBT trip these last few months and I don't see it stopping any time soon 
GeeCee fucked around with this message at 09:39 on Apr 12, 2013 |
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Apr 12, 2013 09:35
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Shalinor posted:The communal indie game thing is actually a "thing" right now - http://indiegamehouse.com/. It's not even the only one. There are some fantastic building going to waste in Dundee and we have some pretty fat internet pipes.
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Apr 12, 2013 09:39
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I interviewed for a third-party QA outsourcing company earlier this week, virtually the only thing in terms of QA that's hiring around here right now. Even though it was the most entry-level job I've ever seen (the pay is 2/3rds of what I made at previous positions, and the person I was interviewing sounded like he hated his life), I still might not get a call back. My unemployment benefits run out in about a month. The QA industry is painful. 
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Apr 12, 2013 09:45
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Where are you located?
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Apr 12, 2013 13:20
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Akuma posted:Does anyone have experience of working with siblings in a professional capacity? I'm a programmer and my brother is an artist, and he's thinking of moving from advertising into serious games with me. We haven't clashed since we were teens, but my boss is sceptical because he's always had issues working with his brothers. Like someone said before it probably depends on personality. I worked with my brother at the same studio, I was engineering and he was IT and it worked out pretty well. It was an easier sell to the management though, since there were two brothers on the art team prior and they were awesome. Really the only odd aspect to it was that the managers were very skittish about information being shared between my brother and I that they didn't want shared. They constantly reminded us, separately, not to talk to each other about anything that is supposed to be on a need to know basis. Part of it was probably due to compensation differences ( secret bonuses, secret raises, large wage gap ) and partly because IT is privy to much of the business side of things that companies sometimes don't want employees to know / worry about.
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Apr 12, 2013 14:32
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We've had a husband and wife team who have worked here for almost seven years now (one being a scripter/designer the other an engineer) and they usually wind up on the same project and are paired up on tasks. When they get into a programmer argument it can get sort of awkward, but that's about it. I thought most companies were fine with family/SOs being employed, so long as one of you is not the direct supervisor of another.
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Apr 12, 2013 14:57
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Iron Leg posted:Interviewed at Pocket Gems this week for a position that was probably a little over my head. Found out I didn't get it this afternoon. Welp Hey I interviewed you  Sorry it didn't work out! I'll send you a PM if I hear of anything else in SF I can send your way.
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Apr 12, 2013 16:20
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Thanks for the advice, folks. I've worked with my wife a lot on work projects so I'm no stranger to working with family. I don't have any misgivings, really, it was more to just hear people's stories! Also Aliginge ahyup.
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Apr 12, 2013 16:52
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anime was right fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Apr 18, 2017 |
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Apr 12, 2013 18:35
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Where are you located? Austin, though fortunately I just got a call back today, so there's that at least. I am hoping more stable positions open up in the area soon, however.
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Apr 12, 2013 19:17
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Waterbed posted:Did you interview me a few months ago, by any chance? No, I haven't been doing the content designer interviews. I've been sick for an interview before and bombed it, it was terrible. Being exhausted was also responsible for the only time I wrote the wrong company name in a cover letter. I didn't get an interview. Honestly, interviewing can be fun from this side of the table, but it can be a very surreal experience at times. Someone walks in and tells me they were a designer on Ultima 6 and I want to sort of abandon my prepared questions and ask them what really happened to Quenton in Skara Brae or whatever.
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Apr 12, 2013 21:22
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I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice?
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Apr 13, 2013 17:09
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? Don't write crap.
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Apr 13, 2013 17:23
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? don't do this.
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Apr 13, 2013 17:25
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? This might be of use: http://www.shacknews.com/article/57889/lead-blizzard-dev-outlines-9
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Apr 13, 2013 17:31
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? This is for WoW, I gather? The standard for interviews in general holds true, obviously. Make sure to separate what you personally enjoy from what you feel is best for the game as a whole (that's a gotcha they like to use, depending on the interviewer). Honestly, as long as you're analytical about what makes a game tick, are familiar enough with the material and style of gameplay they're after, and don't come across as someone who is in it because they value writing above all, you should be fine. I can't tell you how many people coming into average themepark MMO content creation trip up on the notion that storytelling trumps anything. That makes the devs very nervous about your ability to make the right choices. Good luck!
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Apr 13, 2013 17:32
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Thanks for all the help! I'll be sure to emphasize that I have an understanding of design/mechanics too. I was given a writing test for Diablo, but I don't know if that's the team they're interviewing me for. Also, late to the party but: Comrade Flynn posted:GDC is a cesspool. I ended up with strep throat AND two ear infections. Then I had to drive 12 hours for my move to Seattle. I blame devilmouse's CEO. Everyone who went from my team ended up with stomach flu. Every single one.
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Apr 13, 2013 18:05
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My first E3 this year and now I'm scared  I don't want to get Ebola.
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Apr 13, 2013 20:37
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Chasiubao posted:My first E3 this year and now I'm scared Don't worry, E3 is so hot from the press of 100,000 people in a relatively small space that all the viruses die before they can infect you.
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Apr 13, 2013 21:13
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Don't write crap. Snarky response to your snarky advice: God knows video games only hire the finest writers. Especially MMOs.
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Apr 13, 2013 21:16
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emoticon posted:Snarky response to your snarky advice: God knows video games only hire the finest writers. Especially MMOs. You really need to connect with this farmer than needs you to kill 10 wolves. It's really important to his character arc.
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Apr 13, 2013 21:48
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Hey, they hired Fargo, so they did something right. If you see him tell him I said hi.
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Apr 13, 2013 21:48
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? *Disclaimer: Not a writer*. A couple of pieces of general interview advice, especially at a company that probably breathes analytics: 1. Try and speak to how you've used data or would use data to make decisions that have a positive impact on the end user. Examples I could see being applicable for a quest writer include: "After pushing a quest into beta or production identifying how many users finish the quest vs. abandon" If you're writing a multi-part quest and you identify that 50% of users don't finish it and that 80% of those users quit after step 2 you can figure out what's wrong with step 3 (too hard/boring to finish) or steps 1&2 (too boring to merit continuing the quest). "How many users finish the entire cutscene? What is the average point at which the user skips the cutscene?" These are both metrics that would help identify the quality of the content you're asking the user to consume. If you know that only 50% of users finish cutscenes and that 80% of the 50% that skip them do so halfway through, you could make a case that cutscenes should be shorter, or that there's something not compelling about halfway mark, which would help you improve the experience for the quest takers. 2. My standard last interview question (if I'm the interviewee) is to ask the person interviewing me if they have any questions about the way I responded to something, or any concerns about the way I answered a question. I let them know I'm very excited for the job (assuming I am) and I want them to be as certain that I'm the right person for the position as I am. One of my mentors passed this question on to me and it has been extremely helpful. It forces the interviewer to ask themselves critically if anything you said alarmed/concerned them, if there's nothing, they are less likely to ding you in the debrief with the rest of the team. If they do have a concern, it gives you an extra opportunity to revisit or further explain your answer. Hope this helps, goodluck!
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Apr 13, 2013 22:06
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I started with Creative Assembly last week, have drunk deep of the Kool-aid, I think the project is going to be incredible. I'm really proud to be part of it, and the office is plush.
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Apr 13, 2013 23:33
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Hey - did any of you guys check out that bit about iD and Doom 4? (here)
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Apr 13, 2013 23:35
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IN case you're one of those weirdos who only ever visits SA from their control panel and bookmarks, Lowtax is looking for some peeps proficient in Unity3d: http://forums.somethingawful.com/announcement.php?forumid=1
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Apr 13, 2013 23:51
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I have a phone interview with Blizzard for quest writing next week! I've only worked at small studios before and this would be my first AAA. To boot, it's the first non-QA industry job I've ever interviewed for. Any advice? Drink the Koolaid. Know everything there is to know about their games, and be able to speak to very specific instances, citing specific bits. You should know everything about their games and know WoW extensively - you need to be a fanboy. They have enough people applying that can do that, so it is kind of a baseline requirement for their applicants. This isn't general industry advice, but specific to Blizzard. I have a few friends there and have interviewed with them myself about a year and a half ago - I'm not a WoW player though, so I couldn't really speak to the very specific questions about WoW item progression. They didn't outright state those questions, but they were basically asking me about demonstrating how to demonstrate armor tiers, and my inability to reference end-game WoW raid gear was kind of a test for how Blizznerdy I was. I would suggest spending the next week reading all up on WoW and playing some if you can.
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Apr 14, 2013 00:13
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Cool. I played a lot of WoW but quit after Cataclysm came out, so I'll definitely make sure I'm caught up with the gameplay/gear changes. Also AmazonTony, that's a lot of great interview advice! Thanks again for all the help I'm super excited.
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Apr 14, 2013 00:29
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oswald ownenstein posted:Hey - did any of you guys check out that bit about iD and Doom 4? Oh man. The longer the development cycle, the more of a hit the game has to be to recoup costs. When you're making an FPS, that means moving as far away from simplistic Doom-style run and gun gameplay and as close to CoD-style cinematic gameplay and multiplayer as you can in hopes of grabbing a large audience. And if you're mandated with making something as big of a hit as Skyrim? Let's just say I do not envy them.
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Apr 14, 2013 01:03
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emoticon posted:Oh man. The longer the development cycle, the more of a hit the game has to be to recoup costs. When you're making an FPS, that means moving as far away from simplistic Doom-style run and gun gameplay and as close to CoD-style cinematic gameplay and multiplayer as you can in hopes of grabbing a large audience. And if you're mandated with making something as big of a hit as Skyrim? Yeah, one of my pals at id linked me that article and basically said "I can't confirm or deny anything, buuut........" I'm really hoping they can pull this one off. quote:Cool. I played a lot of WoW but quit after Cataclysm came out, so I'll definitely make sure I'm caught up with the gameplay/gear changes. Also AmazonTony, that's a lot of great interview advice! Thanks again for all the help I'm super excited. You have the opportunity to change everything about Blizzard's awful writing for the past few games :iamafag: (just kidding - I'm sure Metzen has that poo poo on lockdown)
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Apr 14, 2013 01:44
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