Posts by Furyo

  • Left 4 Dead

    I have the exact same issue with the dual core processing option turned on, on a E6600. HOWEVER, this wasn't the case when the game originally shipped. The difference between then and now is my 8800 GTS fried while playing L4D, and I replaced it with a 8800 GT. The change of gfx card made the dual core option unusable for me. go figure.

  • Assassin's Creed 2

    Ok, here are answers you can find in the latest issue of GameInformer. Details have been posted online already.

    Con - Not being able to buy or upgrade your own arsenal. (AC2 has plenty of options for that)

    Con - No Swimming ( I see this is being fixed) (you can swim in AC2)

    Con - No side assassin missions (AC2 has a lot more variety in missions, including side missions)

    Needs - More reasons to explore the world; bounty's, side quests, better weapons, items to use (Plenty of stuff will cover this)

    Needs - better challenge when fighting other then one/two at a time. (Different enemy types will give you a lot more challenge when fighting NPCs)

    Needs - ways to counter ranged weapons, or add new ranged weapons (AC2 has a variety of weapons to choose from, and Ezio can wield all of them)

  • Now Playing/completed thread 2009

    Since january I've played an insane amount of L4D, which I plan on keeping doing

    I also played Dead Space, only did the first two chapters. I realize it's a very well made game, but I just felt too contrived controls wise and there simply wasn't much new that the genre had never seen before.

    Finished Mirror's Edge, which is a lot more my type of game than Dead Space. I was intrigued by the whole first person thing, but thought it was done elegantly most of the time and simply put, "worked". On the other hand I was frustrated to no end by the targeting system and the sometimes inane level design choices that made the targeting system even worse. The whole game felt just fine running outdoors on rooftops, then slowed down to a crawl inside buildings. There was a lack of clear starter for each acrobatic sequence indoors, which in turn didn't feel so bad outdoors as you had multiple ways to reach certain points.

    But the most irritating things of all in this game was inertia. For instance, clinging on to an air duct ledge and pulling yourself up, you may very well end up falling down on the other side of the air duct because of the speed with which you get on top of it. As small a difference as that is, simply moving your left stick upwards is too much. I'm talking about you level 7..... That felt irremediably wrong on so many levels that the game sometimes felt like a chore to finish.

    As much as inertia was pitched as a selling point for the game, it definitely wasn't needed to play and finish the game even though it definitely made you feel cooler playing the game so these aforementioned situations clearly fell on the level design part of the game.

    Overall, I would have liked to see a longer tutorial system. Maybe an opt-in system. Because of the novelty of the presentation (first person platforming), I felt going into the game after finishing the tutorial like I clearly needed more time to practice and even more to memorize the inputs. A sign of that? I had to go look at a video walkthrough online to realize weapons could be picked up on the ground. I thought the only way to acquire them was to disarm an enemy. And once you had dropped them they were gone for good. The worst part about this was....this walkthrough was for level 7, and I was done with the game 1 hour later

  • IGDA Discussion Over "Crunch Time" Development

    Oh I see, I took Taylor's reply as what he meant for himself, not as sarcastic reply towards Valve. In turn your reply seemed to be in general, not specific

    Look regarding Valve, clearly yes they also crunch. Anyone who has ever been even remotely in touch with guys there can tell you these guys are probably some of the biggest workers and achievers in the industry today. I know that's how I see the few I know, and they wouldn't have it any other way. With that comes a very unique company policy regarding work, something I have yet to see anywhere else (then again, I also still have to see a developer controlling its distribution channel that successfully and being able to impose its own timetable to any product it ships). For one thing I don't see any other developer sending its employees under the sun all expenses paid every year.

    Valve is an example all developers and publishers should study, but everyone knows there are economic realities that makes certain things possible for Valve and no one else. Like being privately owned for one thing. Shareholders breathing down your neck for their 20% ROI have a tendency to make a CEO's job stressful.

  • IGDA Discussion Over "Crunch Time" Development

    You could argue that not meeting deadlines is by nature a sign that the product won't be of good enough quality. As far as reaching quality goes, that only goes hand in hand with the number of sales. I think everyone working in this industry should be concerned with the commercial viability of their product, regardless of their direct or indirect involvement with the sales themselves. And this very straightforward relationship between quality and sales should be our top focus.

  • Bioshock 2!

    I had the same experience playing Bioshock, I could have mixed things up a lot with the plasmids and guns, but I never felt the need to. The game simply didn't require it, so I didn't bother either. I did finish it yes, and I remember that the initial awe of the artistic direction kinda wore out rather rapidly. Certain things were fresh enough throughout the game, but that wasn't enough not to feel a certain sense of rinse and repeat art wise.

    I need to play it again though.

  • IGDA Discussion Over "Crunch Time" Development

    Even that doesn't work out Dan. The company needs to have a safe way to measure the actual amount of work provided, and that's not easy.

    For instance you can have numerous examples of people pretending to do overtime work, so they can get more compensation time at the end of the project. In reality these guys may very well come in at 10, leave at 4 to go to the gym until 5 or 6, then come back just in time to order food for the evening, eat their dinner at 7 and pack it all up and go home. These guys still have worked less than they should have in a normal day, but the only way to check the "overtime" is the number of times you've ordered food. Producers do that, and producers also give you your compensation days...you do the maths.

  • IGDA Discussion Over "Crunch Time" Development

    I have never had to do any crunch time. I still don't see myself ever accepting it either. Obviously I've stayed late in some very rare occasions for internal milestones, but we're talking one evening leaving at 9 instead of 6. That is totally acceptable to me, because I come from another career where what matters isn't the hours you put in but the fact that the job gets done. You get paid for getting the job done, not for coming in 40 hours a week.

    And that's exactly how things are stated at Ubisoft too, and the reason why Ubisoft doesn't pay any overtime. Of course there is usually enough work that you have enough of a full plate to keep you busy for 40 hours a week, but I know there have been periods where I was not coming for these 40 hours a week, and that compensated for the little extra time I gave during PoP. That and of course, Ubisoft gives you additional days off to compensate for that overtime (since they don't pay for it). As a matter of fact I took my last remaining additional day today to have a 4 day weekend over easter

  • Assassin's Creed 2

    As many of you know by now, I'm currently working on this new game, and I'm hoping to get some good feedback from the Core regarding the experience they had with the first, and where they may see the second headed. I can't go into details about the game for now, so you'll just have to be patient a little more.

    We did just release our teaser trailer, which you can view on Gametrailers as part of their new (really cool) Pop-Block feature:

    http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47788.html

    So have at it

  • Game industry questionmarks

    On a related note, I've been offered to do a presentation down in Florida at Full Sail, and I can't figure out whether I even have something of any interest to say and therefore whether I should accept. The presentation can be on whatever I want, and the crowd is going to be mostly artists and animators, both fields in which I wouldn't know where to start. Have you guys had similar experiences?

  • Game industry questionmarks

    Quote from kleinluka

    Yes but also don't forget that most people who stay in the industry for that long don't stay level designers for 20 years, they climb up the ladder and become managers, producers, etc.

    They need degrees to do that, which reinforces my point that people should get an education

  • Game industry questionmarks

    Quote from 2d-chris

    Still the fact is - if your good at what you do, you will find work. If you are not good and have a qualification you will not. If your good and have a qualification you will. Yes i'm an optimist All you have to do is decide if you're willing to study for 3 years or go for it now I kind of miss not going to Uni/College just because of the social scene.

    Never underestimate modding, even if the mod dies chances are you will meet lots of interesting people many of who are in the industry or will be soon. I never did a game design degree but in most cases you don't get the same kind of FREE exposure. When it comes to the arts industries the age old "it's who you know not what you know" really is true ... at least when it comes to breaking in to the industry.

    Just to clarify my position, I do agree with your post. Modding still is one of the safest way to get in the industry when you're a designer. Art wise? Not so sure as there are plenty of great programs out there. My position regarding getting a degree is all about preparing your future. When you're 35-40 (or whatever) and you become tired of designing levels, that degree will help. Again if you're a designer, no program out there can help you more than modding experience would.

  • Game industry questionmarks

    Being one to keep close ties with industry recruiters as I try and place more and more of my friends in these tough times, I can promise you they all agree it's never been tougher for entry level applicants. So this will be my only addition to this thread that covers it all already: Yes try and get a degree. You absolutely never know what may come years down the road. And a degree helps you every day in ways you don't imagine when studying.

    Examples?

    A friend of mine is currently applying for permanent residency status in Canada (not Kleineh, guys ) and he's now in his late 30s. His english isn't so good. Guess what? All these things add up as points on a government grid that declares him eligible or not. And now he's not certain to get it because he waited that long before applying. Having a degree would make him a certain candidate.

    You can talk to your banker about that, but trust me he'll feel a lot better giving you a loan knowing you have studied and can always resort to having another job if things get tough.

    Insurances? Same thing.

    So yes plan for your future. Absolutely do. You may be as lucky as some of us here (me included) and land a job on your first interview after having done a single map in a large corporation where jobs are safe, but you could just as well work your way through tons of hurdles for years to come. And that's not talent specific, it's the luck part others have written about. Be on the safe side, these days it's not only a "nice thing to have" I consider it mandatory.

    With that said, I feel like wishing you the best of luck because I know from your first post you are level-headed and yes your heart is indeed in the right place. You are currently considering and pondering all the aspects of that decision, and that's a lot more than what I can say for so many enthusiasts out there.