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BizarroAzrael posted:Just set up a new blog for my projects, I just made my first post about using Hammer and making a Portal 2 map. Would like to know if it's too wordy, if I shouldn't be talking about aborted ideas, anything really. I'm a bit concerned about what I should and shouldn't assume a reader knows about the mechanics of Portal. I'll pick out a theme and hussy it all up in a week or so. Reverse the text size to picture size ratio. Text is fine, but make it smaller and jack those thumbnails to maximum. Eye candy will drive people to read. It is a bit wordy, yeah. It's ok to assume a certain level of video game familiarity, but drop in some paranthetical clarifications on some of the more weird things. Be sure to proof read, I saw some typos and weird syntax ("I would mostly used subtractive mode in UDK"). Consider putting some of the info into captions for the pictures (since your pictures illustrate things you're talking about) in order to break up the wall of text effect. If your goal is to discuss process and learning, then discussion of failures is fine, but don't forget to include how you solved them or what you learned from them 100% of the time. Never just describe a screw up or failure you experienced and go "oh well!" and move on. mutata fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 01:40
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 00:23 |
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Eating my traditional "enroute to first day of internship" breakfast. Orientation meetings start in about an hour then it's off to the races for as long as I can hang on!
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Jun 1, 2011 15:03
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You know you're in games when your new boss tells you during orientation that you need to install Steam on your work computer because the team plays L4D2 and TF2 from time to time.
https://instagram.com/mutatedjellyfish/
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Jun 3, 2011 03:50
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I consider myself to be relatively realistic when it comes to expectations and such regarding the industry, at least among some of my peers at uni. I get the overtime, crunch periods, long hours, annoying suits, etc etc, but on the other hand, I'm not going to stop talking about how awesome it is to work at an awesome place. If people don't understand at some point on the path to making a portfolio and interacting and networking with industry people that work is work, even when it's video games, then that's their problem. Realistic expectations are great, but doom and gloom is just as bad as promising us young people that it's all a big huge bag of fun. You find the place that makes the games you like and has an environment you like, and you do hard work, make cool games, are satisfied with your professional life, wear cargo shorts and a t-shirt to work, and play L4D every once and a while. It isn't some horrible and/or magical secret.
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Jun 3, 2011 23:36
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I designed and coded my entire portfolio website at my last job, all on the clock as there was literally no work for me to do.
https://instagram.com/mutatedjellyfish/ mutata fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Jun 4, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 07:21
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Vodvillain posted:Appreciate it, guys. I admit, my normals are a weakness and I guess it shows. I thought the lighting was okay, but I should probably go back and re-render a bunch of them with more dynamic lighting. You're very right, I was trying to make everything as visible as possible. I have some experience with the UT3 engine. Is there a better engine to render them in that you'd recommend? BUY THIS THING HERE: http://www.8monkeylabs.com/tech/toolbag It's the standard model viewer in the "I need to make my portfolio better" industry. Extremely intuitive. Your email body = your cover letter. I'd look up some cover letter examples and then ease off on the stuffy-ness. Above all, be professional and use proper language and punctuation. Say whatever you want to say, really, but make sure you mention what you do and why they should give a poo poo about you at some point in there. Bonus points for mentioning any titles you've played that they made. Don't bullshit.
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Jun 5, 2011 02:46
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Imajus posted:Unless you really want to spend money the pay version of marmoset isn't really worth it. You can use UDK free, or 3 point free and paid (looks better than marmoset imo.) Download the trail and see if you like it first. Eh, UDK is too bulky for just a model viewer. Marmoset is 60 times easier and faster to use, especially out of the box. It's true you can't beat UDK's price, though.
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Jun 5, 2011 06:52
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Alterian posted:Its also really good to put on your resume that you know how to use UDK! That's why I use both. 
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Jun 5, 2011 19:16
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Aliginge posted:Just passing on a question from a friend and want to get some industry inside views on this if I may, it's an art and tech-related question but I'd like input from anyone willing to lay in. In my opinion, all game artists should be prepared to work on either at this point. If someone wants to be a character artist, for example, he'd better be able to make characters low-poly with hand-painted textures as well as high-res zbrush sculpts and normal bakes if he wants to be widely marketable. Even if you get a job doing one, you may lose that job pretty quick and you'll want the horizontal mobility.
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Jun 6, 2011 05:16
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treeboy posted:Haha, you stole my original avatar text...I'm just your typical vanilla LDS, but I had a few unexpected health issues in South America which cut things horribly short. Still it was an incredible experience and I learned a little spanish out of the deal to boot! Team LDS whuddup 
https://instagram.com/mutatedjellyfish/
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Jun 10, 2011 05:09
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treeboy posted:Doesn't surprise me too much. If you've ever pulled out Catan at a ward function (especially a singles gathering) or watched byu fans at a basketball game you quickly realize LDS folks are crazy for games of all kinds Theres a healthy number of devs in Salt Lake as well. Enough that they have a game dev softball league, anyway. vv interesting... mutata fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Jun 11, 2011 |
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Jun 10, 2011 23:26
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baby puzzle posted:I work in SLC and I don't want to know who is LDS and who isn't. This is true, even though it shouldn't matter wtf people are into, but missions are also a cultural thing and it's hard to avoid talking about it, nor should people as there are some awesome nonreligious stories that come out of them. That does bring up a point though. Religion is one of those issues like race and gender that HR avoids at all costs. Putting your mission on there is kinda risking an hr rep throwing it put as whatever they do they could be accused of bias one way or the other. The united counsellors here recommend listing it as 2 years of voluntary service in whatever country then you just list what you did in nonreligious terms. Just a thought.
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Jun 11, 2011 01:30
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Aliginge posted:If I do get this job I'm interviewing for on Wednesday, I'm putting aside hefty amounts for a Get Out Of Dodge fund. Aye. Anyone who works in this industry and doesn't have a huge emergency fund in either money, food storage, or both is kind of kidding themselves. If you never end up needing it, good for you! Just roll it into your retirement, but chances are you'll need it at some point and when you do, you'll be drat glad you have it.
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Jun 14, 2011 04:10
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devilmouse posted:The ones you have to watch out for are the black shirt with blue/purple/red logo or a full back graphic. Down that road lies sadness. 
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Jun 14, 2011 14:56
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Shalinor posted:EDIT: VV That isn't really weird, that's them trying to get you out the door because of aforementioned crazies policy, and having an existing pipeline focused on resumes not coming in in hard-copy form. It's much easier to work with if it's a digital copy. That's the weird part, they asked him to send the hard copy in by mail instead of just taking the hard copy he had just given them. I'm sure the reasoning was the same, though, but it's still kinda funny. It was probably HR being nitpicky.
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Jun 14, 2011 17:31
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Space Opera posted:What sort of skills are companies looking for in a producer? A lot of the applications I've applied to just list things like "experience with agile development, ability to meet goals, be able to multitask, good communication skills, etc." Aside from the bit about agile development, I'm not sure on how to show in my resume and cover letter that I have these sorts of skills. Shipped titles, I reckon.
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Jun 15, 2011 16:43
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I like to treat it as a game: how can I work my own style into whatever the project is? I'll make your photoreal building, but it's gonna have goofy cartoon grafitti or something!
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Jun 16, 2011 00:57
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devilmouse posted:I don't want to get into a debate of 3D vs not, but if you asked them, they'd say it was just another medium akin to oils vs watercolors (just like a programmer has different languages they work in). This is the key to your point, and it is valid whether the person has 3D in their portfolio or not. In my opinion, the real question is not "is this person classically trained or are they 3d only" but "does this person have an eye for design/color/lighting/shape language/style/etc instead of mere know-how in a program". I think it is perfectly legitimate to expect finished environments in an environment portfolio, experienced or otherwise, and it's kind of weird to me that people would think otherwise. Take this guy for example: http://www.brameulaers.com/ Remove his Bionic Commando work and he still has about 5 fully-fleshed out environments that he's done presumably just because.
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Jun 17, 2011 15:54
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Solus posted:Seeing this thread has inspired me to choose between art or programming. Erm, which do you find most fun and/or rewarding? Which could you do full time for years and not end up hating?
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Jun 18, 2011 06:16
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Solus posted:I'm gonna assume the best place to start vehicles/props/weapons is to draw like a crazy mother? I wouldn't mind UI's as I'm a minimalist at heart, I suspect my Grandfather was German, not Polish. Drawing is generally healthy and productive for all 3D artists. It's certainly where all my projects start. vvv There's no reason you can't start learning the basics while you also practice drawing. Starting to model some stuff will help with your drawing and your drawing will help with your modeling. mutata fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Jun 19, 2011 |
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Jun 19, 2011 04:50
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The Cheshire Cat posted:A game tester, sure. But maybe the ad is talking about Game Tester, the HR Director. I mean it's not his fault he has a misleading name. That would be the most confusing business card ever.
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Jun 19, 2011 22:51
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^^^ Elegantly put, haha. You'll never really be able to predict what people want to see in your portfolio. This is why a lot of studios make you do an art test as part of the interviewing process. What you should do is work on projects that you are personally excited about. That's really the best advice. If you love characters, build one. If you love fantasy environments, go nuts. Your goal should be to bring a unique and creative touch to any project you work on, no matter the subject. Working on projects that you love will be the best safeguard against getting frustrated or bored and giving up, and your enjoyment will breed creativity, work ethic, innovation, and style which will all produce a much better end result. If you don't know what you want to do, then your first step is to dabble in it all. You will literally never know what you like more until you've tried it all. The bottom line is, you need to be working on and finishing projects and as you search for what project to do next, those things should be your main concern: what will you be able to work on for 1-4 weeks without giving up and what will you be able to finish and call done. mutata fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Jun 20, 2011 |
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Jun 20, 2011 16:48
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Monster w21 Faces posted:I just want to model trash. That's all I want to do. Soda cans, fast food containers, dirty newspapers. That's it. BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAM!
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Jun 20, 2011 16:58
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:I gotta echo the old love for the book Art and Fear for anyone whos looking to get into a creative field. I just started reading it on a car trip and made it a few chapters in. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308590682&sr=1-1 Here's the link for that, by the way.
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Jun 20, 2011 18:25
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Chasiubao posted:So, if the past couple of years are any indication, games that go from subscription to F2P didn't have enough subscriptions to sustain themselves. "Free" is a very effective marketing tool.
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Jun 22, 2011 01:56
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^^^ Blender is fine, sure, but when you can get Max and Maya for free with an @.edu email, why not just learn one of those?Aliginge posted:So much of my actual learning about the finer points of 3d modelling came way after I graduated university. I'd say self study is the way to go, though I certainly don't regret my time at uni at all. A word of caution on this, however. Many people are NOT self-learners in any way. This doesn't mean they're lazy or whatever, they are just unlikely to force themselves into to learn and make any meaningful progress. For these types, a good school is a fantastic place for them to learn how to self-learn because it can help adjust their priorities. I was this way and I'm glad I went through the program I did because it taught me how to learn and how to work. Also, I've had 2 internships now, and I got both positions because my portfolio had good work in it, but I got both of the interviews because the companies had worked with my uni's program before. Again, the benefit of a good school comes in more forms than a good education. However, if it was between going to a bad school that the industry laughs at and teaching myself, I would teach myself all the way. There are better tech and graduate schools than the one you mentioned, though. I've heard bunches of good stuff about Guild Hall, for example. mutata fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Jun 22, 2011 |
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Jun 22, 2011 14:50
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The thing about art is that anything that is a part of you is a credit to your abilities. With a geography major, you'll be able to look at maps and poo poo with a completely different eye than a fine artist or a programmer, and that's valuable. Anything you take in, enjoy, and make a part of your knowledge base will bubble to the surface as you create. A lot of the amazing artists I know are just genuinely interested in the world around them and are constantly studying all kinds of stuff that you'd think was unrelated. http://artsammich.blogspot.com/ This guy teaches digital painting at my uni, and he can explain all of the scientific principles that surround how light acts and reacts and why things look the way they do under certain conditions, and he'll corner science people at parties and question them about fresnel effects and such. Don't discount your life experiences and interests when it comes to art making. The more junk you have in your brain, the more uniquely you'll be able to create.
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Jun 22, 2011 17:19
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Tricky Ed posted:Geography major buddy! What about Animation/Russian Language double-majors? 
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Jun 22, 2011 17:43
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treeboy posted:Is there a way to politely and appropriately ask my Lead about the current production pace? I'm going to be starting in about a week and a half and I'm fine with working long and hard, but I also would really love to know what I'm about to be dropped into in terms of typical hours for the team. I'm also worried that if I phrase it badly I could come across as a slacker/disinterested in working hard (not good for a temp who's hoping to make good impressions :\ ) I think it's perfectly normal for new hires to be curious and even concerned about workload and work environment. Just ask what stage the production is in, if there's a crunch coming up or planned (or if the company even does them) and how many hours people in your position are expected to work per week. They like you enough to hire you, they aren't going to jump up your rear end over regular questions like that, I don't think. Maybe others have a different opinion, though. vvv Listen to those guys, they're smarter than I. mutata fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 16:29
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Fishbus posted:I'm very surprised there's not an anonymous site for these things, i mean there's all those fanfiction and confession websites there needs to be a one for this industry because I've heard lots of really good poo poo though the years from different places. And all I want is to hear more. Sounds like I should set up a Tumblr and start taking submissions!
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Jul 1, 2011 01:36
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RIP Black Rock Studios... Disney devs are dropping like flies.
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Jul 1, 2011 15:55
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FreakyZoid posted:In my experience tech artists are programming shaders, writing simple plug-ins for Max / Maya, and doing visual fx programming - particles etc. Some studios might separate shader programmers and FX artists, so if anyone wanted to get into these things, it might be good to make separate portfolios for each.
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Jul 4, 2011 20:56
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GetWellGamers posted:GameDevMap is probably your best bet. When's the last time that's been updated, I wonder? They have a good number of now-defunct studios.
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Jul 5, 2011 00:29
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Sigma-X posted:If you can't do that, and they instead need to spend 2 weeks teaching you how a SCRUM team works and how to send out outlook meeting invites or whatnot, then you're going to be hearing that. Thank god I have my Outlook portfolio ready.
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Jul 7, 2011 00:22
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Odddzy posted:I'll be looking forward to the severe plowing of my website. I had a hit from Splash Damage Ltd in Bromley yesterday.  I'm not expecting much by way of jobs as I'm a filthy foreigner, but the more eyes I can get on my portfolio and feedback, the better. They're pretty cool just for looking.
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Jul 8, 2011 01:04
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:I'm gonna be a level builder/design intern at Raven! Holy poo poo, congratulations, man! I'm glad something worked out for you after the Treyarch thing. And if you ask me, you got the good end of that deal 
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Jul 8, 2011 20:41
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Stemming the tide of the debates that are starting to seem more and more like one of those game dev meetings we were talking about earlier, here's my portfolio for commentary. I graduate in december, so I'll have to start applying for REAL jobs instead of just internships in the next couple months.  http://www.worthdayley.com Also, Avalanche/Disney Interactive internship has been amazing. This ARTIST has been able to participate in art AND design due to the nature of our seating arrangement. It's been really cool to have the main designer that you sit with bring the game director over and ask you to tell him that thing you were talking about yesterday. It goes to show that cubicles suck and anyone can make meaningful direct contributions to the process no matter what their title. Well, except Gamestop employees, they're scum.
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Jul 29, 2011 14:05
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Anyone at Telltale Games, I applied to a position with you guys. I wouldn't be available until the end of the year, unfortunately, but I'd love to be considered and at least get some portfolio feedback.
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Jul 29, 2011 17:57
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I just ran into a download link for Worldcraft 1.6 that still works and now I want to make a Quake 2 map, how will this look on my portfolio, be honest, guys, I can take it.
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Jul 29, 2011 19:28
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aas Bandit posted:Not all that great, these days, unless you're doing something amazing with modding or incredible new assets or something else really different other than just a level. Oh, yeah, I know. I was being silly. I still think I want to make one sometime as an "lol cool" nostalgia thing. It'd be fun to work with blocks and spend 6 hours tracking down leaks again.
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Jul 29, 2011 19:41
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