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uglynoodles posted:All of us are bringing a document full of things to management in a meeting tomorrow. It's time to get serious, basically. At the minute they're refusing to buy us licenses for the programs we're using, citing ballooning costs, so they're all "Accidentally Acquired" copies. good luck!
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Jan 18, 2017 18:08
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uglynoodles posted:All of us are bringing a document full of things to management in a meeting tomorrow. It's time to get serious, basically. At the minute they're refusing to buy us licenses for the programs we're using, citing ballooning costs, so they're all "Accidentally Acquired" copies. At this point you should run away screaming sooner rather than later, really.
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Jan 18, 2017 18:10
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I'm reminded of that story of someone digging a deep hole with people throwing him rope for him to get out and yet he keeps digging.
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Jan 18, 2017 20:18
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You mean this classic?quote:OP: "Help! HELP! I'm stuck in a well!!!"
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Jan 18, 2017 20:33
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uglynoodles posted:All of us are bringing a document full of things to management in a meeting tomorrow. It's time to get serious, basically. At the minute they're refusing to buy us licenses for the programs we're using, citing ballooning costs, so they're all "Accidentally Acquired" copies. lol what do you think they're going to say? They're people who don't give a gently caress about the law or paying for things, you think they give a singular gently caress about anything you're going to say? Seriously, what are the possible potential outcomes here and how do any of them affect you in a positive way? e: here ya go buddy http://www.autodesk.com/company/license-compliance/report-noncompliance
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Jan 18, 2017 20:51
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Sigma-X posted:lol what do you think they're going to say? They're people who don't give a gently caress about the law or paying for things, you think they give a singular gently caress about anything you're going to say? The best outcome is the guy flips his lid and fires everybody without the sense to leave.
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Jan 18, 2017 21:12
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Here is my greenlight page! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=845238436 What do I do now? Wait? The first few votes aren't that great for me. e: I guess I'm now in the SELF-PROMOTION phase. I'm not ready! baby puzzle fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 18, 2017 21:38
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Got an interview at a place for a 3d prop/weapon artist on Friday. Anyone got some tips? Good questions to ask etc. I managed to pass the art test they gave me and don't want to gently caress it up now.
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Jan 19, 2017 01:11
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I've applied for a competitive games tester position with Epic, (they're looking for an in house team for Paragon). Haven't got a call back yet but I'm still hopeful. Have a lot of relevant experience and I know I can do the work. Thing is, it's a contract position, and I'm a little worried about giving up solid long-term work for something that might be a single year term, possibly less. Anyone have experience with Epic in particular or other tester/contracting jobs? What am I looking at getting into?
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Jan 19, 2017 04:48
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Sigma-X posted:lol what do you think they're going to say? They're people who don't give a gently caress about the law or paying for things, you think they give a singular gently caress about anything you're going to say? I figured it'd be a good idea to give them a chance to fix this by at least voicing all this stuff. I like to give people the chance to do the right thing. Best case scenario would have been they listened, & got serious about it. But, given we asked for a meeting all of us together & they just called in one of us to go in alone, and they've been in there for a while, I don't foresee that happening. I'm not going to keep digging. I said pending its outcome, I'd be tapping out and unless some absolutely miraculous changes happen, I'm finishing the month here so I can scrape together enough to live on for a little while, and I'm out. For real. Edit: They fired the person they took into the meeting room. They're also the lead programmer and manager. I'm done. uglynoodles fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 19, 2017 13:51
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uglynoodles posted:I figured it'd be a good idea to give them a chance to fix this by at least voicing all this stuff. I like to give people the chance to do the right thing.  This is digging.
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Jan 19, 2017 14:02
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uglynoodles posted:Edit: What's the company name? Everybody knows everybody in the UK industry (you're in the UK yeah?) so I'm curious if I or my colleagues know anyone tangentially involved...
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Jan 19, 2017 15:54
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uglynoodles posted:Edit: So is that company! Sorry, though. That sucks through and through. They were never going to finish or ship a project. Cutting one's losses is scary but probably the right thing to do. What a bunch of idiots. PLEASE report them to something or someone. Or tell us their name and we can.
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Jan 19, 2017 17:01
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uglynoodles posted:I figured it'd be a good idea to give them a chance to fix this by at least voicing all this stuff. I like to give people the chance to do the right thing. lol. alternate option to dipping on your own: literally just collect a paycheck and actively look for a job on company time because gently caress those guys. Report them for their software poo poo and report them to your labor board for all the illegal poo poo they're doing.
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Jan 19, 2017 18:06
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Sigma-X posted:lol. Good luck explaining that in future interviews or even working in the industry ever again
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Jan 19, 2017 18:32
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lol, what? Any company that wouldn't hire you or give you poo poo for reporting a company as abusive as this one is a piece of garbage poo poo. Also, it's her first gig ever, so it'll be pretty easy to drop it off the resume pretty soon. What, is she gonna list the dude as a reference? Ha. Look at all of us. We're all in the industry and as soon as you explain the situation ("They were dodging taxes and abusing the employment system to avoid having to pay us more, pirating software, etc") then anyone in any company is going to go "Ah, ok, gotcha." If they don't then that's all you need to know about that company and you'll be glad to not work there. Edit: Also, I've never been asked to explain my behavior at any past job, even the one that went out of business. All I have to say is "It was a startup and it had funding issues in the end like every startup ever." and people go "Oh, ok." I could've sunk that poo poo highhandedly but no one even asks. If anything they'll appreciate your discretion for not airing another company's dirty laundry which will reflect well on you. mutata fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 19, 2017 19:09
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mutata posted:I could've sunk that poo poo highhandedly but no one even asks. Also, uglynoodles posted:Edit: Shalinor fucked around with this message at 19:30 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 19, 2017 19:27
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If it wasn't happening to a real, live human that I've interacted with it would be hilarious. Like a bad episode of the Office. 
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Jan 19, 2017 19:35
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Love Stole the Day posted:Good luck explaining that in future interviews or even working in the industry ever again I don't think it's technically in the industry if they have people that haven't shipped a game running the show as if they did.
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Jan 19, 2017 19:37
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Christ. Okay, I don't know about blow by blow but essentially, all of us went into a meeting this morning and put this document to Jr. He said he needed Sr to go through the document too. We said that was OK, we didn't need to go through it in much detail now, so to skim over it together so he knows what it's about and that we'd all have a meeting together later when Sr was in. He was pretty quiet as we all discussed each point briefly; the lack of contingency plans or company image, the pirated software. Miss Fired, who was up until this point in the day the manager, lead programmer and HR department all in one -- brought up the idea that asking us to come into the office between these hours made the case for us being employees very tenable, so it might be in his interest to seriously give consideration to the idea that we needed to be able to work from home in the event of travel disruptions, etc. He said he didn't think so, and Miss Fired replied that she had researched it and been told by them not to elaborate on that point in the past for that reason. The response was "That's your opinion." We concluded the meeting by stressing the importance of having us all together in these meetings so that no one is confused or wondering about what's happening. It was agreed, and we left to continue the day. Jr was fidgeting for some hours before finally getting up without saying anything and disappearing for an hour. Then, at lunchtime, Sr pops his head in and curtly asks Miss Fired into a room. We wait. A long time passed, some unintelligible shouting was heard. We give each other looks and wondered why we couldn't just all talk together, and reflected on how badly it made us all feel, and how bad it must've been for Miss Fired who was in there fighting the corner alone. Two hours pass. She comes in the room, in tears, and says today is her last day now and she's leaving. In shock, we asked her if she was alright, and she told us she wasn't willing to speak until the carpool home. The rest of the day was the most awkward, stuffy, horrific day at work I've ever experienced as we listened to her relay information to the junior programmer who bless his heart is good, but isn't ready for this. It was glaringly obvious as she transferred domain ownerships about and deleted her records from the systems how integral she was to the project and all of us were keenly aware of the massive hole this was leaving. Miss Fired explained that Sr and she got into a massive argument about a lot of things but the first thing he said was that he wanted to create a team, which is... Why he wasn't talking to us as a team? I don't know. At one point she was asked if she wanted to work there, and she replied that unless all of our concerns were brought up together and dealt with, no. He did concede on software, but I think the biggest contention remains with travel. He fired her, and told her the rest of us three would also be taken aside individually and questioned about the document. We all affirmed in the car ride home that we stood 100% by this document, and that we all stood by every word even after this had happened. We accepted that the company is dead in the water especially with Miss Fired gone. We all have each others backs here. My two colleagues are having their discussion about it tomorrow, I'm off tomorrow, so I assume mine will be on Monday. I'm considering it an exit interview, and I'll be going primarily to collect my things and tally up my final invoice.
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Jan 19, 2017 20:29
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What a waste of people's time and talent. That could put off a graduate/junior from staying in games... It's also a waste of their own money but gently caress them.
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Jan 19, 2017 20:45
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uglynoodles posted:I'm considering it an exit interview, and I'll be going primarily to collect my things and tally up my final invoice. Seriously, report them. Please.
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Jan 19, 2017 20:46
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Shalinor posted:Seriously, report them. Please. This is a good piece of advice. Drop it anonymously if you're that concerned, but this sort of cowboy, shady poo poo has to stop.
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Jan 19, 2017 20:50
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Shalinor posted:I'm really, really glad you're leaving, but do realize there's fair to decent odds that final invoice will never be paid.
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Jan 19, 2017 20:51
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Love Stole the Day posted:Good luck explaining that in future interviews or even working in the industry ever again Hmmm yesss, there is definitely a secret industry blacklist that companies that don't buy photoshop subscriptions can add names to...these captains of industry will definitely get him blacklisted after he makes anonymous complaints. E: it is especially awesome that you're espousing this lovely advice without having a job in the industry. Don't enable lovely companies and don't scare victims with your bullshit. Sigma-X fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 19, 2017 21:39
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Jesus I have had some hosed up days in game dev but that story is like 100x worse than my worst.
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Jan 19, 2017 22:32
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Sigma-X posted:Hmmm yesss, there is definitely a secret industry blacklist that companies that don't buy photoshop subscriptions can add names to...these captains of industry will definitely get him blacklisted after he makes anonymous complaints. (it's actually just a list of everyone who's gotten blackout drunk on a company-sponsored outing or event... it's a surprisingly long list)
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Jan 19, 2017 23:48
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Oh man that really sucks noodles, as I said on twitter I'll keep my ear to the ground down here in London for any character artist jobs that pop up. I might know a production house that might be looking for a part-timer. Anyone got some good advice on interviews? Slightly fretting the one I have tomorrow, luckily its just a skype interview due to distance but D:
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Jan 20, 2017 00:17
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If it's not on video, one thing that helped me keep my nerves down during my last phone interview was to get a mirror and keep eye contact with myself throughout.
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Jan 20, 2017 00:37
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Shalinor posted:Pffft, look at this poser, he hasn't seen the secret industry blacklist. The number of people I have worked with and continue to work with that have gotten blackout drunk at a company event and still have their jobs is a large list. I have carried multiple people through the venue who can't walk, including one guy whom I had to carry to a hotel across the street that the CEO paid for. So long as you aren't violent / aggressive, drinking too much at a company event is only embarrassing. Even for one of the guys who wanted to pick a fight with some QA guy, he got talked down by his manager and put in a cab home and it wasn't until 6 months later that he got fired for continued insubordination. He later stole his roommate's stuff and sold it to elope to another state with his baby-momma to escape her DA dad. He did have some difficulty when he tried to get a job at the company where his roommate worked and would have been his boss, though, but the whole story is best told over beers. e: interview advice - ask several questions about their processes and organization and how you'll fit in there and what they'll need from you specifically. I'm a big fan of asking about what the worst part of working there is, as well - the more variety in answers you get to this question the better it is likely to be there, but when everyone says it's higher-up communication, that's something you're gonna have to deal with there, etc. If they all mention the crunch, it's gonna be a hellhole. Sigma-X fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Jan 20, 2017 |
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Jan 20, 2017 00:44
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Wow that's a poo poo show. I have similar stories, and in some cases worse stories about a job/manager I had in the last few years. I've always kept my mouth shut for various (legal) reasons but if you ever get me into bar I will gladly spill my guts. Glad you are finally getting out of that shitshow.
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Jan 20, 2017 03:07
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Countless other friends and I all have horror stories about our first game dev job. It's not uncommon. Glad you brought up the issues and are leaving, you should definitely leave and never look back. Don't feel guilty about anything, you as an employee deserve a better working environment.
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Jan 20, 2017 17:54
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I'm really glad that I managed to find a place that I really enjoy working at for my first industry job
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Jan 20, 2017 19:38
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The Glumslinger posted:I'm really glad that I managed to find a place that I really enjoy working at for my first industry job I kind of liked the place for my first industry job, but I'm really glad I moved to the development side from the publishing side. The work is just way more interesting even if my life became more turbulent, what with companies going bankrupt, projects getting cancelled, etc. Also, anyone at WotC? The guy I know there hasn't responded to my skype messages and I have no problems shopping around for a[nother] referral.
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Jan 20, 2017 19:51
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Come to think of it my first job ended on a really sour note, too. It was the first of many studios I worked at being shuttered, but it happened in a really lovely way. It's not a nice feeling to have guys from another studio (under the same umbrella) coming in to dismantle your work machines, having a laugh and a joke, while you're sitting there waiting for your turn to have The Talk, knowing you're going home without a job. I mean jesus have a little tact and maybe try not to laugh about poo poo while I'm being put out of a job. Dicks. And my first baby was due in less than a month. gently caress! Bad times. Thankfully a long time ago, now.
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Jan 20, 2017 20:14
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Sigma-X posted:So long as you aren't violent / aggressive, drinking too much at a company event is only embarrassing. Even for one of the guys who wanted to pick a fight with some QA guy, he got talked down by his manager and put in a cab home and it wasn't until 6 months later that he got fired for continued insubordination. He later stole his roommate's stuff and sold it to elope to another state with his baby-momma to escape her DA dad. He did have some difficulty when he tried to get a job at the company where his roommate worked and would have been his boss, though, but the whole story is best told over beers. If I'm honest, I'm a tiny bit sad we're leaving the bad (ie. incredibly exclusionary/sexist/etc) old days of AAA gamedev, but I guess indie-space is spawning a whole new wave of small studio CEOs that do incredibly irresponsible things when they're suddenly flush with cash/notoriety/etc. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Jan 20, 2017 |
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Jan 20, 2017 20:33
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Are there any horror stories from places like Riot or Blizzard? I think the only negative for Blizzard was the layoffs from Titan blowing but that's all I can think of at the moment.
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Jan 20, 2017 20:37
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Shalinor posted:If we ever end up at beers, I have stories to tell too. They involve CEOs stealing pain meds to snort off his office desk, and still others joyriding / powersliding in stolen ("borrowed") backhoes. Oh, and some QA guys set fire to a church once. God. Our industry is weird. It's like the whole cycle starting over again. I've heard stories about R*, etc in the olden times, and can only imagine that the extremely successful current indies aren't far behind.
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Jan 20, 2017 20:37
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Buckwheat Sings posted:Are there any horror stories from places like Riot or Blizzard? I think the only negative for Blizzard was the layoffs from Titan blowing but that's all I can think of at the moment. Blizzard had the leaderboard for amount of unpaid overtime in the breakroom during D2, right?
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Jan 20, 2017 20:38
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leper khan posted:It's like the whole cycle starting over again. I've heard stories about R*, etc in the olden times, and can only imagine that the extremely successful current indies aren't far behind.
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Jan 20, 2017 20:41
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