Posts by Fletch

  • Sales Breakdown for '06

    Quote from Sindwiller

    Nah, actually Night Round Fight 3 is on #10 and it is also for the PS3...

    I'm referring to exclusive/primary system titles, otherwise Madden wins every time. Also, Resistence was the #1 seller for PS3 last year (excluding Madden), so Fight Night isn't even relevant in terms of comparative sales numbers.

  • Get a degree or not ?

    I guess a good way to recap some of the sentiments is: investigate it for yourself. There are good uni's out there, and some really bad ones. There are also good ones with shitty computer science departments and bad ones with excellent computer science departments. If you're event thinking of going, then do the research, request some brochures and materials, visit the campus, talk to students and faculty, and decide if its a good fit.

  • Get a degree or not ?

    It's also worth noting that this is the education you're going to have for the next 60, 70, 80 years. It would suck to be 30, sick of the video game industry, and no degree or job skills outside of development.

    I don't mean to harp on people to get a college degree, but I worked as an academic counselor for my college, so it's a subject that I at least have some first hand experience with. The old axiom that half your learn at college comes inside the class room and half comes from outside really does have a lot of merit. Learning to interact with a diverse group of students and their personalities, cultures, politics, etc really does help out in the real world. I know this is probably a more Americanized perspective since American universities tend to be more focused on a well rounded education containing a heavy emphasis in a field, while European universities tend to be more vocational in nature, but a lot of the whole "outside the class" atmosphere is similar from discussions I've had. A college education also gets you used to the notion that sometimes you're just going to be forced to learn and work on subjects that you might not particularly enjoy, but you need to do them anyway. Just some food for thought as somebody that's actually had to sit down and talk to students about what they want to get out of their education/life.

    As for the industry in 5 years, who knows. The video game industry is still in its infancy stage. Video game development as a viable career path is about a decade old. The modern structure of the workplace and development cycle is really only about 5 or 6 years old. Some places are moving to extremely large teams where people have small specialties, allowing them to a ship a game faster, but at a smaller profit margin. Others are moving to smaller teams with with broad focuses, allowing for more profit, but a longer dev cycle. Maybe only one is sustainable; maybe bother are; maybe neither are. The big positive sign is that the industry is still growing, and if you have industry level talent and a good work ethic, finding a job won't be hard. But like I said, I can't say it will be like that in 5 years. When I first started at GBX in 2001, everything was still looking good, but I chose to go back and finish my degree, because I thought it was important to play the long term strategy. It's 5 years later, I'm back at GBX with my degree, and the industry is still strong. Sure, I'd be higher up on the ladder and be making more if I had stayed, but I'm still in a comfortable spot and I think I got good value out of my education.

  • Get a degree or not ?

    I suggest getting a degree if for no other reason it gives you time to grow up, live on your own, and explore your academic interests.

    As for getting something specific to the industry, it's a toss up. A lot of game design programs have problems, and a lot of computer science programs never do anything relevant to game design. So I'd say pursue what you're interested in bother inside and outside of the classroom.

  • So...how do you go about getting a job.

    There are certainly a lot of LDs and Artists out there, but I guess my comment was more about those who could work at a professional level, and those artists are harder to come by.

    At the end of the day, if you want to ensure yourself a job, then become a coder. They get paid a lot more and are in more demand. Plus, if the video game industry doesn't work out for you, there are millions of other jobs out there.

  • Boston need to learn what bombs looks like (I want a sign)

    Their lawyer told them not to say anything about it to the media, and yet the media expected some sort of press conference. The media outlets got what they deserved: nonsense.

    The legal charges aren't going to hold up because you can't get a conviction on bombing hoax charges without proof that they meant for the devices to be thought of as bombs (which there is clear evidence that they're not). Even the judge told the DA that the claims are spurious. The most they'll get them on is vandalism. Hell, it can't even be destruction of property since they were held on by magnets. First time offense for vandalism is usually community service, so if they try to give them jail time, they've got a valid appeal that their got unusual punishment different from the norm. My final guess is a settlement for 100 hours each community service and a written agreement not to engage in guerrilla marketing again.

    As for Turner/Cartoon Network, it will be difficult to get them to pay back the city for the resources, because Turner can show that the ads went up in 9 other major cities (including NYC) without anybody thinking they were bombs. And when images of the devices were show on TV, numerous people called the TV stations on air to explain that they were cartoon characters.

    At the end of the day, the Boston police force and the 24-hour news networks are going to be the ones looking bad for this stuff. The Boston PD shut down a city because nobody could do a wee bit of research, and their bomb squad/terrorism task force apparently couldn't tell a light bright from a bomb. They also leaked this shit to the media (which is usually a no-no in a crisis situation), who scared the shit out of everybody because they've apparently lost all kinds of editorial restraint since 9-11. They're constantly racing each other to tell you about how it's the end of the world 5 minutes before the other guys. As I said at lunch the day this was happening: Give the news 12 hours, then we'll see what the facts are.

  • So...how do you go about getting a job.

    Code: Get a CS degree (focus on programs that teach C++ and .NET) and/or make a mod. It doesn't have to be a big mod; it could just be something to show off a rendering effect, gameplay type, etc. The key is that you're versatile and can write clean code.

    Art: Learn 3DSMax, ZBrush, and Photoshop. Pick a current gen engine (I'd suggest Unreal) and work the hell out of it, learning all the tricks. Then do it with another engine. A portfolio full of unskinned weapon models is worthless. You need to be able to produce map props that are within a good poly range and are correctly skinned and UV mapped, and also more complicated models like people and vehicles. The world is moving towards placing level props like fences, walls, and houses. If you can crank those out, you're set.

    Level Design: Pick and engine and go. Make a bunch of maps using standard assets, then beg and borrow some custom assets and repeat. Engines can be learned, so don't worry about only knowing Source or Unreal. I did only Source work before working and Gearbox and it probably took me about 2 weeks to be fully comfortable with Unreal. If you really want a job, show that you have a good handle on what's fun. Know what makes a good SP level vs a good MP level. Learn good composition and detailing. Make a SP level, even if it's just a 30 minute demo to show that you can do it.

    If you really want to ensure a job, go with code and art since those are generally the harder ones to learn and are in more demand. LDs tend to be a dime a dozen, but the barrier to learning the skills is also a lot lower.

    P.S. And don't worry about getting a degree for Art or Design. Coders will most definitely get some benefit out of a structured degree program, but make sure the program will actually teach you what you need (and learn the rset outside of class). I have a B.S. In Political Science and English, and very few other LDs at GBX have a degree (Mojo and a few others). Above all, a degree doesn't matter if you have the skills, so don't worry about a formal education or a special game design program if you can learn it yourself.

    P.P.S. Also, for those of you in high school, please consider going to college, even if you're not getting a degree in something related to game design. The experience of going off on your own, exploring your own academic curiosities, living on your own, and making decisions for yourself is well worth it. While I certainly admit it's not for everybody, I will say that the world is certainly more open to those who pursue higher education, and you'll probably end up a better rounded individual.

  • MumboJumbo aquires Ritual Entertainment?

    A few are at GBX now. And, yes, this has been in the wind for a while down here in Dallas. I didn't see a buy out from MumboJumbo, but everybody that has had even cursory interactions with Ritual over the last year knew the ship was going down. Sin Ep 1 bombed to a spectacular degree. I can't fault Ritual for trying out a new distribution method, but when you put all your money down on one bet, you better make damn sure you've got a good hand.

    Thus is the life in the Dallas developer scene. Id hasn't done anything worthwhile in years, shipped out its major titles to other companies to make, and got its ass handed to them by Epic in the engine market. Ritual is making flash games. 3DRealms is a band lunch away from a full on meltdown. It's a good time to work at GBX or Ensemble, though. (We're hiring, btw, check out the professional recruitment forum.)

  • MumboJumbo aquires Ritual Entertainment?

    Quote from Mazy

    Oh noes! Does that mean Levelord will be up for grabs!?!?

    Who gives a fuck. Levelord has made any relevant or exciting in over a decade. If there was suddenly a need for Quake DM maps, he'd be on top of it, but otherwise, he's just sorta useless. The only people that give a damn about him are goons at Shacknews who don't know their assholes form their elbows.

  • PS3 Release in Europe.

    Let me put it this way. We have a Best Buy next to work. Every time they get Wiis in, we send out a company wide e-mail and people rush over to grab them while they last. While going over there to pick one up from the locked case in the back, you'll walk by a stack of 20-30 PS3 sitting in the open air, begging people to please buy one. I've never seen the stack get any smaller.

    And this is why it's funny to think of all those sad bastards who camped outside in the freezing rain to get their PS3 on launch day.