Posts by ReNo

  • HL2: Episode 1

    I disagree - I think it had mostly great level design (as in the vast majority of combat areas worked extremely nicely), but over reliance on the same asset set. If they had mixed up the locations a bit more it coulda been a classic, but as it stands its just a really good action FPS. HL2 is probably more memorable due to its more unique locations and varied gameplay, but its combat wasn't as exciting. Which is better? Well I wouldn't like to say really - both have their merits.

  • HL2: Episode 1

    Why is it insane to wait half a year to continue a story? Normally sequels have a much longer turnaround time (almost 5 years between HL1 and HL2 for god's sake!). Episodic content reduces the wait - it's less insane if anything.

    I think 6 months is a fair gap to have between episodes. If it's significantly shorter (ie. around 3 months) it will begin to feel like we are subscribers or something, while if it is longer then we will begin to expect full-game sized episodes.

  • Open season for level design positions?

    Well, he is in the industry, and thanks to his UT maps, one of the more recognised LD names in the industry too I wouldn't worry if your portfolio doesn't match the scale and quality of his - thats far from a requirement for getting into the industry!

    I tried to build my portfolio with emphasis on variety, which I think helps a lot. Its fairly true that if you can make a great looking level, you can probably translate that ability to making a great looking level in a different theme, but it doesn't hurt to prove it. If an employer is making a sci-fi game and sees only real-world environments they might be put off, and likewise if you only have cartoony levels, somebody making a gritty, urban shooter might not be that interested in you.

    I don't want to turn this thread into a portfolio feedback thread, but Skjalg, I think one of your main problems is that your portfolio has a significant amount of emulation in it. Two of your maps - castle and italy - are essentially just your own spins on de_cbble and cs_italy. I'm not saying that there isn't a place for these maps in the scene, but you aren't demonstrating any sort of creativity there, and creativity is important. Your PVK map is a much better approach - it's a much more unique setting and (from what I can gather) is pulled off with far more impressive results. I also think that you could stand to improve on your lighting, as most of the work in your portfolio relies solely on an environment light. Even outdoors levels can use extra light features, and lighting does a lot to break up the monotony of a scene.

  • If you could choose a role in a gamedev. team...

    Maybe one day I'd like to go into a lead design position - god knows I've got game designs I'd like to make (thougb being lead designer far from assures you of getting to choose the project ), but for now I'd prefer a technical/design oriented level design position. Which is what I just got. Woohoo Seriously though, lead design would be great but I know I'm not ready for it. Whether or not I'll feel different about that 10 years down the line or whatever, we shall see.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, the "why" part Well I've been doing level design as a hobby for a long while now, but the past 4 years have been pretty slow for me as I've been focusing on uni work. I'm looking forward to getting the oppotunity to tuck in to level design again. I am also fond of technical design work - scripting, tweaking, game balancing, etc... - so I'd rather go more to the technical side of level design than the art side, which isn't something I have all that much talent for nor experience in.

  • Open season for level design positions?

    I'm studying for a BSc. Honours in Computer Games Technology at the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland. It was the first games development course in the UK I believe, and seems to be (or at least was when I applied to it) one of the most respected ones. There are a few others worth looking at these days though - Marque Pierre from these forums is at Tayside doing a more design oriented course I think and from what I know of it it seems pretty good.

    My course is pretty much exclusively technical though - its not got much of anything to do with level design and the like.

  • Open season for level design positions?

    I'm just about to graduate from a game development course (Defrag is in the same course, year below), and I must say that a lot of people don't seem to have much interest in gaming and game development. Its not a statement that applies to everybody obviously - there are people on the course that eat, sleep and breathe games - but a worrying amount of people clearly don't. Most of them have dropped out over the 4 years, either for lack of ability of lack of interest (with a couple being hired and abandoning the course in favour of employment). Going to a game dev course doesn't mean you are ready to get a job in the industry, I can confirm that much.

    I just got hired and am scared shitless that I won't be able to live up to the role, but at the same time I'm really excited about learning the ropes and working with a bunch of like minded folks. I've not had the most successful mod experience (only "successful" mod I've been a part of was Adrenaline Gamer, and my work on that was pretty much entirely independant) but I'm certainly not a newcomer to the scene, and I feel I've proven my desire to not only build levels, but have solid technical knowledge and push the boat out a bit with creativity. I guess the next few months will tell if I've been picked up too early!

    From what I've seen, there certainly are a lot of companies looking for level design talent at the moment, but the same can be said for most areas.

  • Half-Life props

    You don't have to buy one or pay thousands. Blender is free, XSI (at least the mod tool version) is free, GMax is free, Maya Personal Learning Edition is free (I think?), Milkshape is free for 30 days (and after that it's a not-quite-bank-breaking $20 or something)... You have plenty of options available if you really want to take the plunge, and these days, level designers really really should.

  • Brothers in Arms : Hell's Highway Officially announced.

    Wow. The stuff we've seen looks great, but knowing that these are using AI driven animations? Thats the icing on the metaphorical cake for me. Making characters look natural in their interaction with the environment is a big step we still need to take in games. Is that ivy procedurally generated or something? Like a certain surface type that emits small clumps of modelled ivy perhaps?

  • WoW madness

    I haven't read into her suicide at all so have no idea myself, but do you actually know the reasons behind her commiting suicide, or are you just assuming the standard goth tripe?

  • GRAW PC Demo released!

    Well the demo hasn't exactly been a big hit in my flat. One flatmate only has a GeForce FX, and so while the game installed and ran, he didn't have the correct shader support and so didn't get any textures. Everything was pitch black except the skybox On my PC, which was above minimum stats (though not by much), it was unplayable on the lowest settings. On my other flatmate's PC, which is well above minimum stats, it completely crashed his computer, forcing a restart, any time he tried to launch it.

    Shame, because from what I played of it, it seemed really cool I guess I'll just be enjoying the 360 version once I pick it up, as I hear the current gen console versions are really pretty poor.

  • GRAW PC Demo released!

    I've got the necessary specs, though not by much, but unfortunately it isn't at all playable. All lowest settings and I was getting around 10fps Seemed cool, but you must needs a monster rig to make it playable. I think a 6800GT is the absolute minimum gfx card as my 6600GT just cried.